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A long time ago, in the 1960’s, I found myself in a march protesting what I thought was some covert racism at Saint Louis University. As I carried my sign calling for more serious recruitment of African-American students, I saw someone in the picket line looping back toward me. His sign sporte
When I met Antanos Hasrouni at the height of the conflict in Lebanon, the bitter irony of his life hung like a cloud about him. Chased by the war to a rented room in East Beirut, Hasrouni was readying a tiny apartment for the nine other members of his family who would join him. He had previously spe
Culture
"Batter my heart, three-personed God." "The world is charged with the grandeur of God." "Slouching towards Bethlehem." In each generation, orthodox and maverick poets have offered fresh insights into age-old religious truths. George Herbert blazed new trails for devotio
Editorials
Among the great spirituals created by the African-American churches in the South is one that compares death to a train. The same train, it says, that called for my father and my mother and my brother is whistling at the station for me. This train makes only one-way trips, for it is traveling to the
Arts & CultureBooks
The Sulpician priest Gerald D Coleman is to be commended for this volume In it he shares with the Catholic community at large not only his long-term experiences as a rector professor and guide for seminary life but also his keen insights into the practical needs of priestly formation Catholic m
When more than 400 Catholic moral theologians from around the world gathered in Padua, Italy, from July 8 to 11, the meeting evoked an awareness of God calling the church to deeper communion and generated among them a powerful desire to work for greater unity throughout the global human community. T
Arts & Culture
Some see Halloween as a time for pretty outfits and make-believe—“My, what a handsome scarecrow” and the like. Personally, I always looked on the holiday as an occasion for casting ourselves headlong into our fears—of mortality, monsters and the dark—and laughing at the
Letters
A Magnificent Witness
I do canonical work for women religious in the United States and in other countries. Some of this work has been with cloistered sisters. Therefore, I was deeply touched by the beautiful photographs of the women from the three Carmelite monasteries (Who Can Argue With Love? by Lily Almog, 10/2). The Jewish photographer made it clear that these women live in a simple dwelling conducive to prayer and recollection. The expressions on their faces conveyed a tranquility that could come only from women who have an intimate relationship with Christ. It is amazing that such a way of life can be lived in a world that is so deeply torn by violence. At the same time, it is the very witness that the people in our own day and time need.
Eileen Jaramillo
Of Many Things
I have had to learn three hard lessons about political life. First, perception “is” reality. Second, loyalty counts more than morality. Third, symbols trump reasoned argument. These are lessons every natural-born politician knows. But, I confess, in my case they may never take firm hold.
News
Security Must Not Trump Human RightsCounterterrorism strategy must not sacrifice fundamental human rights in the name of security, said the Vatican’s ambassador to the United Nations Oct. 16. The ambassador, Archbishop Celestino Migliore, spoke at a U.N. committee session deliberating on a pro
FaithFaith and Reason
Reevaluating just war theory for a new millennium.
The Word
Today rsquo s reading from Mark 12 concerns what is often called the love commandment It urges us to love God and our neighbor It is sometimes referred to as the double love commandment because it involves both love of God and love of neighbor It is frequently held up as the distinctive feature o
Arts & CultureFilm
Films can be a fine introduction to the saints. And sometimes the movie versions are as good as any biography for conveying the saint’s special charism.
Editorials
As we approach the November midterm Congressional elections, most of official Washington has gone into recess. In the final weeks of campaigning, both the White House and the Congress have turned their attention from policy to politics. Those who take an idealistic view of the democratic process mig
Twenty years ago, Pope John Paul II convened what has become one of the more significant symbolic and substantive events of his eventful pontificate. On Oct. 26, 1986, the participants in the World Day of Prayer for Peace gathered under an overcast and sometimes rainy sky in Assisi, Italy, “to
Faith in Focus
I had very mixed feelings driving to Mass a few Sundays ago. The pastor of the church I had been attending for years was retiring, and this would be his last Mass there. I was trying to feel happy for Father Don; he deserved to be free of the administrative duties of a pastor. I knew he wanted more
Arts & CultureBooks
When Michael Dirda took this summer off discerning readers of The Washington Post Book World were most likely disappointed They enjoy Dirda rsquo s erudite yet accessible reviews each Sunday The range of Dirda rsquo s interests and the breadth and depth of his literary knowledge are quite impress
Of Many Things
"It’s a monsoon out there.” Our rain-soaked superior had just come in from one of the ferocious spring storms that beset New York. I quoted his words in this column in our March 24, 2003 issue. It was our only reference to him in America during all the years he lived here. As import
News
2008 World Synod of Bishops Will Focus on BiblePope Benedict XVI has scheduled a meeting of the World Synod of Bishops for 2008 and has decided the synod will focus on the Bible in the life of the church. A brief announcement issued on Oct. 6 said bishops from around the world elected to represent t
Twenty-seven years after Pope John XXIII announced to the cardinals that he would call an ecumenical council, another pope announced that he would consult with world religious leaders to organize with them a special meeting of prayer for peace, in the city of Assisi. Pope John Paul II chose the same