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The Good Word
The ‘Two Thirds’ Rule
Chris Chatteris, S.J.
The late Bishop Untener warns homilists not to tell stories just for laughs I suppose we ve all done it We hear a good joke and feel the need to pass it on to others The Sunday congregation fits that bill nicely Even if the story somehow dovetails with the readings it s probably too colourf
The Good Word
On Sunday's Second Reading: Galatians 2
Kyle A. Keefer
Throughout his letters Paul s statements display the enormity of his conversion experience One of the starkest statements he makes occurs in Galatians 2 20 I have been crucified with Christ yet I live no longer I but Christ lives in me insofar as I now live in the flesh I live by faith in
The Good Word
"Word" Columns for the Readings for Sunday, June 17th
Jim McDermott
This Sunday is the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time and Father s Day It s strange but true Because of when Easter fell there was no 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time either in 2001 or 2004 As a result neither John Donahue nor Dianne Bergant ever wrote about this Sunday s set of readings for A
The Good Word
June 11th: The Feast of Saint Barnabas
John J. Kilgallen
According to popular interpretation Barnabas means a person who consoles and encourages this name was given to a certain Joseph from Crete who some weeks each year served in the liturgical functions of the Jerusalem Temple We meet him first in the Acts of the Apostles where he is praised fo
The Good Word
Authentic Liturgy
Chris Chatteris, S.J.
Well is it for many or for all Even here on the Southern tip of Africa where the number of Catholic mother tongue English speakers is minuscule it s also a hot topic Our local Catholic paper has been running a muscular correspondence between prelates liturgists and pew-sitters H
The Good Word
"Word" Columns for this Sunday's Readings
Jim McDermott
This Sunday is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ For Daniel Harrington s comments on the readings click here For Dianne Bergant s 2004 comments on the readings click here For John Donahue s 2001 comments on the readings click here Jim McDermott SJ
The Good Word
Blessed Ordinary Time
Chris Chatteris, S.J.
Blessed Ordinary Time when everything in the Divine Office is simple and simply in one place A time when we are relieved of that maddening fiddling and flipping back and forth which a confrere of mine calls an occasion of sin Blessed is this time when there are no liturgical extravaganzas to
The Word
Forgiven Sinners
Daniel J. Harrington
One of the great themes in Luke rsquo s Gospel is forgiveness of sins As we return this Sunday to the Lectionary readings for Ordinary Time today rsquo s texts place before us three forgiven sinners David Paul and a ldquo sinful woman rdquo These three figures remind us of the horror of sin
Editorials
Out of the Shadows?
The Editors
Raids by federal agents on five Swift meatpacking plants last December around the country, as well as raids in New Bedford, Mass., in March, called public attention to the fear haunting the lives of undocumented immigrants. As the raids demonstrated, fear of family breakup runs high among the undocumented, with the specter of breadwinners deported and U.S. citizen children left behind in the United States.
Salvation Among the Poor: An Interview With Martin Maier
Martin Maier

Why do you return to your former parish in El Salvador every year or two?

Letters
Letters

No One Now Believes

Why We Must Withdraw From Iraq, by Msgr. Robert W. McElroy, (4/30) is an excellent argument against war in general; but before we carry out his suggested prudently crafted American military withdrawal from Iraq, we should make sure that Iran, Syria, Osama bin Laden, the Muslim Brotherhood, Hezbollah and so on read and concur with the article. Then we can all relax.

No one now believes that the pre-emptive attack against Iraq was a good move. Many at the time believed that Iraq posed a greater threat to us than Osama bin Laden did a few short years prior to the disasters of Sept. 11, 2001. So our leaders made the best decision based on what we thought we knew. Unfortunately we cannot take back our move; so now we must make the wisest choices possible to ameliorate the situationnot only in Iraq, but also in the entire Mideastwith the least harm to all concerned, especially those Iraqis who have been our allies. Before even contemplating our prudent withdrawal, we should examine all likely consequences, one of which is the likelihood that any potential future ally would hesitate to place confidence in our loyalty and commitment.

Martin Kinnavy

Monk and Poet: An interview with Foley award winner John Slater
Foley award winner John Slater on bonsai trees, Thomas Merton and life at the Abbey of the Genesee.
Arts & CultureBooks
He Who Is
Gerald O'Collins
Now two years into his papacy Pope Benedict XVI has published a work that is fast becoming a bestseller everywhere ldquo This book rdquo he stipulates ldquo is in no way an exercise rdquo of his official magisterium but ldquo solely rdquo a testimony to his ldquo personal search for the f
Our Catholic Hemisphere
Carl A. Anderson
With a new president in Mexico and a more immigration-friendly majority in place in both houses of the U.S. Congress, our nation is positioned to take a fresh approach to relations with Mexico in particular and Latin America in general. Catholics on both sides of the border are particularly well sit
The Word
Sacrament of Ongoing Christian Life
Daniel J. Harrington
During the Easter season a major concern in the Sunday Scripture readings was how the movement begun by the earthly Jesus might continue after his death resurrection and ascension These readings showed that we can have a personal relationship with the glorious risen Christ From that relationship
Of Many Things
Of Many Things
Joseph A. O’Hare
You may not have noticed, but the listing of associate editors on the masthead of this journal is determined by seniority. When I returned from the Philippines in the Spring of 1972 to join the staff, my name was added at the end of a list of seven other Jesuits who had preceded me. Immediately ahea
Columns
A Different Sort of History
Terry Golway
Nearly 30 years have passed since I very innocently asked one of my parish priests, the Rev. Maurice Burke, why Northern Ireland was a killing zone. I was a young reporter at the time, assigned to write a story about this foreign place that, frankly, meant very little to me. I knew one of my grandparents had been born in Ireland, but beyond that, I knew nothing besides the story of St. Patrick and the snakes.
Poetry
Letter to a Thousand Poets
James S. Torrens, S.J.

I have just finished reading about 1,000 poems submitted for America’s annual Foley poetry contest. Garrison Keillor, of “Prairie Home Companion,” says he read 2,000 poems on the topic of spring to pick 15 for his radio show on April Fool’s weekend. Wearying as that is, we both seem to have enjoyed and been touched by the contact with so many lives and inner worlds and imaginations, to say nothing of personal losses and gains.

Our New Look
Welcome to the new and improved Web site for America magazine! Have a look around and tell us what you think. You can email us at webeditor@americamagazine.org or post a comment below. In addition to a sharp new look, America’s site is now home to America Connects, featuring all new web-only
Arts & CultureBooks
Scientific Racism
George M. Anderson
ldquo A bright mulatto is stripped to a nude condition and a careful examination is made of all parts of the body by the Dr and she is pronounced by him to be sound The money is then paid and she is transferred to her new owner rdquo With this mid-19th-century description of the sale of a