Father Michael Place has just posted his response to our readers comments on his article A Time for Reform You can read them here by scrolling down to comment 15 A taste In reading the comments posted to date on my article I am impressed by how they seem to reprise some of what has been said i

There are probably many things that separated former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick rsquo s experiences of the criminal justice and corrections systems from that of the 2 2 million Americans currently incarcerated and the seven million more either awaiting sentencing or serving probation

A reflection nbsp which Catholic Update requested on the priesthood today which looks at the ordained ministry of the priest and the priesthood of all believers in this Year for the Priest nbsp nbsp It s meant to be a rather nbsp non-academic non-technical and overall nbsp friendly introduc

Cambridge MA Six weeks ago I told you that I was off to India for five weeks of travel teaching lectures buying some books meeting old friends I termed it a quiet summer mdash since I was doing exactly what I wanted to do And so it was To make amends for my weeks of silence I now offer a

I do not remember the editorship of Michael Kelly at the New Republic in the fondest terms I did not like his biases and I was glad when he left the magazine even though I would be saddened a couple of years later when he was killed covering the war in Iraq Kelly did one thing however in the lat

The Gospel reading for the Thursday of the Nineteenth Week of Ordinary Time Matthew 18 21-19 1 comes at the end of what is generally considered to be the fourth discourse in Matthew the Church or Ecclesial discourse The parable that is told is found only in Matthew rsquo s Gospel and is told by

Gentle Reader I am on vacation nbsp Yes here in the wilds of Cohasset Massachusetts a town on the South Shore pronounced South Shaw of Boston at a large rambling house owned by the Jesuit Community of Boston College along with many other young and young ish Jesuits nbsp The bluff

Yesterday brought news that Karl Rove was more involved in the firing of a New Mexico federal prosecutor than he has previously let on This morning brings tidings that Dick Cheney believes the statute of limitations for secrets from the Bush White House is over and that he can begin to vent his f

nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp The Gospel reading for the Feast of the Assumption is the Visitation that meeting made up of Elizabeth rsquo s words of greeting to Mary and Mary rsquo s poetic response to Elizabeth nbsp As is elsewhere so often the case we cannot understand this story without rec

It s a provocative question and one that a new survey casts light on nbsp David Gibson over at his new post at Politics Daily has the answer here nbsp A preview As America s leading Christian denominations are once again feuding and splitting over whether they should allow gays and lesbians t

In the early 1970s there was an edition of Readers Digest that told how a jet crashed in the Andes Mountains It was a good case study in moral reasoning The issue was that some of the survivors of that crash resorted to cannibalism to survive The question the author posed was Is it ever ethical

If you have ever wanted to see Josephine Baker dance this Introduction gives you the opportunity ldquo The Jazz Century rdquo a lively moving and comprehensive presentation of graphic art music and film is on exhibit now through October 18 2009 at The Centre de Cultura Contempor aacute nia

nbsp The President had a good day yesterday beating back some of the more ridiculous claims made about the health care reform plans making their way through Congress It must be a bizarre feeling to be in charge of a large and effective White House press office with as much access to the media

20th Sunday of OT Year B The liturgy continues to offer us portions of John rsquo s Gospel on feeding and eating bread and Eucharist paired with various OT readings on God rsquo s provision of food loaves multiplying for Elisha rsquo s people manna in the wilderness baked bread for Elijah to

Just a heads up that Father Michael Place will be taking readers rsquo questions this week about his article ldquo A Time for Reform How the Catholic Tradition Can Shape the Health Care Debate rdquo which appears in the current issue So you haven t already read the article and send in your c

I must admit that I do not know much about St Clare whose Memorial we celebrate today though I had the distinct joy of spending a January day wandering with my wife and youngest son through Assissi in 2008 and learning something about St Francis and St Clare I have only the knowledge I gained

John Gehring senior writer at Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good CACG does a fine job taking on the arguments of Rev Michael Orsi research fellow at uber-conservative Ave Maria University The title of Orsi rsquo s article Bishops Wrong Health Care Not a Right has at least the virtue

As I explained in this week s Of Many Things our culture section will nbsp feature web only material which may escape notice of those who contumaciously nbsp cleave only to the print edition of the magazine nbsp This week two offerings nbsp a review of the new movie Julie amp Julia a dua

The New York Times reported today that Mike Seeger the half-brother of folk legend Pete Seeger and an accomplished folk singer and music historian himself died of blood cancer at the age of 75 A founder of the New Lost City Ramblers and a collector of Southern musical treasures like much of his

Members of Congress have no choice really They must work within the constraints of what is politically feasible But ordinary citizens need not at least not always Attempting to free myself from such constraints I have temporarily put aside all the big-picture proposals currently being discuss