21st Sunday Ordinary Time Isa 66 18-21 is the conclusion of the book of Isaiah that began with God s condemnation of Zion a sacred name for Jerusalem as utterly corrupt 1 21-28 and his promise of a purifying visitation or judgment that would make it righteous This threatening passage howe

This Sunday is the 20th in Ordinary Time Fr Daniel Harrington writes that Luke s Gospel reading presents three initially puzzling sayings of Jesus He proclaims that he has come to light a fire on earth to undergo a baptism of death and to bring division rather than peace What happened to an

Twentieth Sunday of the Year Later in this Mass we will remember what Jesus told his disciples Peace I leave you my peace I give to you and we will then exchange a greeting of peace But in today s gospel reading Jesus says I have come not to establish peace on the earth I have come for

One of the traditional ways for Christians to understand the prophets of ancient Israel is to see the prophets as those who predicted the coming of the Messiah Such connections were made early on even in the New Testament itself making it is hard for Christians to hear a voice cries in the w

20th Sunday Jer 38 4-6 8-10 The vivid image of Jeremiah plopping ignominiously into the cistern of Prince Malchiah generates a pair of insights for me First the courage of the person who rescued him The man s name is not given and perhaps he was called Ebed-Melek which is Servant or sla

The verb assume has several meanings Its primary meaning is take up which is precisely the sense intended in today s celebration of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary As we pray in the Preface to the Eucharistic Prayer Today the virgin Mother of God was taken up into heaven We ce

In the August 13-20 edition of America, Father Andrew Greeley writes about American Catholics Today, a recent sociological study that seeks to gauge what elements of Catholicism are most important to people in the pews. For more than three quarters of respondents, helping the poor, the Resurrection, the sacraments and Mary were very important. At the bottom of the list were abortion, teaching authority, death penalty and celibate male clergy, Father Greeley writes. He agreed to discuss his article with America by email.

What does this study say about what you have called the "Catholic imagination?

I found myself rooting for this book as I went through the early pages But about one-third through Consumed I began thinking ldquo repetitious rdquo then tried to convince myself that it had a nice ldquo range rdquo but eventually had to admit that it was a rambling reflection best described

Conversion/Covenant Members of the Jewish community have made known their concern that the Good Friday liturgy of the Latin 1962 Missal, whose use Pope Benedict has recently encouraged in his apostolic letter Summum Pontificum, will retain an objectionable intercessory prayer for conversion of the J

In a special issue marking the 40th anniversary of the unification of Jerusalem, America offers several perspectives on the city and its history.

Seven years have passed since Israeli and Palestinian officials last sat around a negotiating table to discuss the core political issues that divide them. According to the Declaration of Principles signed between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization in 1993, five permanent status issue

Jerusalem means different things to different people. It is a religious symbol for Christians, Muslims and Jews; it is a national symbol for Palestinians and Israelis; it is a depository of cultural and historical heritage for humanity; and it is a real living city for its residents. As Jerusalem ev

They ask how she grin through that face with that life.

British Abuse Rules Must Conform to Canon Law An independent commission has urged the Catholic bishops of England and Wales to bring their child-protection measures into line with the Code of Canon Law amid fears that false allegations are driving priests away from working with young people. Produc

Editors Note: East Jerusalem, often called by journalists Arab East Jerusalem, has been for centuries the heart of Palestinian life. After the 1948 Israeli War of Independence, it continued to serve as the center of Palestinian commercial, religious and cultural activity. Even with the unification o

To connect with God, it is sometimes necessary to disconnect.

I used to be a soccer mom, minivan and all. But this morning I had to roll down the windows on my 14-year-old jeep to get all the mosquitoes out that had festered there from the night before. I used to like to grill out on nice summer nights. I havent grilled out for the last two years, out of respe

Not Countercultural Please excuse my sending this comment more than a month after your publication of William Boles informative article American and Catholic, (7/2) on David OBrien. Professor OBrien takes me as representative of Catholics who style themselves as countercultural. I have not used that