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The Word
Luke rsquo s Gospel has been described as the most beautiful book ever written One reason for that description is its infancy narrative with its familiar biblical language attractive characters and subtle theology Deliberately imitating the style of the Old Testament historical books Luke portr
Of Many Things
On Friday evenings in the early 1950’s, after the dinner dishes had been washed, dried and put away, our family would be joined by our friends and neighbors, the Scaras, in front of our 12-inch Crosley console to watch a couple of hours of television. The first program of the evening, and my f
News
Church Groups Resist Contraceptive MandateClaiming that New York’s highest state court erred on several counts in upholding a state mandate that would require religious organizations to provide contraceptive prescription coverage for their employees, eight Catholic and two Protestant groups ha
From 2006, a survey of the complicated political picture in Venezuela, Nicaragua and elsewhere
Poetry
From house to house he treks, and inn to inn, the feral dogs
Arts & CultureBooks
In November 1949 the year after the publication of his bestselling autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain Thomas Merton dropped a note to his old college friend Robert Lax about the latest news from the Abbey of Gethsemani quot People keep writing from India we should start a monastery there
FaithThe Word
For most Christians the family is the first school of spirituality In that context we learn or do not learn the basics of morality and religion and we develop our sense of responsibility and mutual respect On Christmas Day we celebrated the birth of Jesus through whom we believe that we have e
Current Comment
Papal DiplomacyThe visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Turkey in the final days of November was by far the most challenging of any of the trips undertaken thus far by the pope. It was this pope’s first visit to a Muslim country and came after the Muslim world had been angered by his now-famous allus
A newly fashionable atheism has emerged in public discourse. Religious faith, in this account, is not only quaint; it is dangerous. In a recent conference titled Science, Religion, Reason and Survival, sponsored by the Templeton Foundation, religion took a beating. Steven Weinberg, a Nobel laureate
In the Bible used by Catholics, a pair of books celebrates an extraordinary Jewish military success that took place in 165 B.C.E. in the land of Israel. Surprisingly those two books are not included in the Hebrew Scriptures; nor do they appear in the Protestant canon. Can you name them? Hint: There
Letters
Those Who Serve
Religious You Will Always Have With You, by Richard Rohr, O.F.M., (10/16) was one of the finest and most thoughtprovoking articles I have read on the subject of religious life in today’s world. The author has shown how religious life can be and often is an initiation to a fuller Christian life, which may well be lived outside the convent or monastery.
When I go to Pax Christi meetings and others, in which I find many dedicated persons trying to live a life according to the Gospels, I am not surprised to find that a large number of them are former religious. Each had his or her own reason for leaving, but the reason was rarely that they wanted a more comfortable and less demanding life. On the contrary, they have often chosen to live a difficult life of service.
But I also believe that the loss of members in religious life as well as the opening of opportunities to do the work formerly done by religious is the nudging of the Spirit. The old elitist concept of the called can now be changed to a call to all of us to be a part of the only kind of elite that Jesus spoke about, those who serve others.
Lucy Fuchs
News
Pope: Dialogue Can Help End Terrorism, War, StrifeAddressing international diplomats on his first day in Turkey, Pope Benedict XVI said respectful dialogue must be the basis for ending terrorism, wars and religious differences in the world. Religions have a key role in this dialogue, but on the cond
Current Comment
Intolerant SecularismThe Independent Catholic News in Great Britain reported that on Nov. 20 Nadia Eweida lost an appeal to her employers, British Airways. Ms. Eweida had petitioned to be allowed to wear a cross over the uniform she wore as a check-in attendant at London’s Heathrow airport.The
Columns
Last year as we set up our Nativity set, our then two-year-old daughter asked why so many of the figures were kneeling. Plopping baby Jesus in the manger, she quickly answered her own question, "Oh. To better see God." This year we have a newborn son in our home. And as we raid the rafters
Film
The idea that Hollywood has found religion gets a boost from The Nativity Story, touted by its distributor, New Line Cinema, as the first-ever major motion picture devoted to the story of Jesus’ birth. Whether or not that claim is true, the movie is the best example of the recent rapprochement
Arts & CultureBooks
The cosmos of natural science today moves on a scale unimaginable to ancient prophets evangelists and makers of creeds Many thoughtful people have now concluded that the universe has outgrown the biblical God who is said to be its creator To them the content of Christian faith seems hopelessly in
Editorials
"We can’t pull out; we can’t win. Like a tar pit, Iraq has trapped the United States. If American troops remain there, few observers expect things to get better; and they may well grow worse. If the troops pull out, problems will certainly worsen for nearly everyone: for Iraqis abov
As a reporter you have gone from covering New York politics to global warming. Is it fair to say you’ve moved from one disaster to another?That’s not a bad way of putting it. In covering both I’ve seen people look some fairly obvious truths right in the face and dance around them.
The Word
What makes you happy Where do you find your joy In what do you rejoice These are serious questions and for many people today they are not easy to answer Much in our culture promises joy but fails to deliver According to the Bible the origin and object of true joy is God The Third Sunday of Ad