Structures of Sin The Current Comment item on “Big Pharma and the Poor” (2/11) did not convey a proper understanding of the situation. The problem of access to health care for the poor seems to grow faster than we can find solutions. But blaming the pharmaceutical industry is not a solut

Psychology for Losing There are two times when a political campaign is in most danger of making critical mistakes: first, when a campaign stalls, threatening to go into a tailspin and, second, when a campaign clears a tough hurdle and its self-congratulory sentiments divert it from the next task at

In a Current Comment item in the America issue of March 2, 2008, the editors commented on microfiction, the venerable subgenre of fiction that forsakes the traditional short story length, usually multiples of thousands, in favor of extremely brief tales that are sometimes even less than one hundred

With all the commentary flying around the blogosphere about Pope Benedict s message to the Jesuit General Congregation it s helpful now to read an unofficial translation of the pope s full message to the Society which while strongly urging obedience to the Word of God and the Magist

Paul states in Romans 5 5 the second reading for the Third Sunday in Lent that hope does not disappoint Really Hope does not disappoint It seems to me that everyone at some time or another has had their hopes dashed or named a situation hopeless While it might be true that looking back

The debate in Austin last night did not fundamentally change the dynamic of the race a dynamic that so far favors Barack Obama and so the perceived tie goes down as a win for him Additionally his performance was his best yet in a format that is not particularly suited to his speaking style As

One thing I will say for a George Weigel s syndicated columns They always help me to turn to the Gospels though not in the way Mr Weigel may intend The verse that comes to mind when reading Weigel s sneering condemnation of those who do not correspond to his own definitions of orthodoxy i

Today Pope Benedict XVI received the delegates of the 35th General Congregation in the Sala Clementina in the Vatican for a meeting that lasted one-half hour The pope began his comments by thanking Father Kolvenbach for his service and as the official GC35 site describes The Pope also urged

St Patrick s Day--or as it s known in the Ordo the Feast of St Patrick--falls for the first time since 1940 during Holy Week Not surprisingly that means no Masses in honor of the patron saint of Ireland that is the man born Patricius in Roman Britain on March 17 A few Catholic bisho

As the Democratic nomination slips further and further from her grasp Hillary Clinton needs to change the dynamic in her contest with Barack Obama Tonight s debate in Austin is one of her last chances to achieve such a change And in the manner of political campaigns since time immemorial this

Both John McCain and Barack Obama took aim at each other in their respective victory speeches last night giving a preview of the general election if Obama s 10-0 run continues Both men have very different resumes and very different stances on the issues Both also have a reputation for being s

Cambridge MA A Lenten reflection I am surely not the only one who thought it sad ironic horrific to read this weekend about mistreatment of cows at the meat-packing plant Some line had been crossed and the normal slaughter of cows had given way to their mistreatment apparently as some a

This is a long post but a few commentators have asked about the news of the death this weekend of Walter J Burghardt S J the great theologian writer and well-known preacher Here is the official obituary from the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus which does a fine job of summing

The Exodus reading is difficult if we don t take it deep enough At the surface we have a narrative where God s people whine and God seems to withhold basics providing water only after a scene has been made Beneath the water shortage is an accusation that God s plan is to kill the people and

Reports on the Vatican s new 86-page document on the procedures for canonization may have left some Catholics and their non-Catholic friends scratching their heads Essentially the Congregation for the Causes of saints responding to widespread concern that the saint-making process had gotten

To begin Lent the Church asks us to consider the three temptations that Jesus underwent in the desert according to Matthew and Luke nbsp What is important about the scene of the temptations is the answers Jesus gives to each temptation nbsp If you read again Jesus s responses to them it will

In case you were wondering In All Things was in fact out of commission for several days since we were switching servers--something about as enjoyable as moving or root canal Our entire website was shut down for one day In any event Tim Reidy that s Maurice Timothy Reidy for those who

There are two times when a political campaign is in most danger of making critical mistakes first when a campaign stalls threatening to go into a tailspin and second when a campaign clears a tough hurdle and its self-congratulory sentiments divert it from the next task at hand Both the Clinton