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The Word
Dianne Bergant
Today is traditionally known as Good Shepherd Sunday For many of us mention of sheep conjures up the image of a warm coat or the memory of a good meal We may remember the nursery rhyme ldquo Mary had a little lamb rdquo or the television hand puppet named Lambchop but very few of us regard sh
Books
John A. Saliba
In a period of cultural and religious change this book detects a revival of orthodoxy that offers a solution to the current religious turmoil Oden divides his treatment into two parts The first entitled ldquo The Gift of New Life rdquo deals with the present spiritual crisis in Christianity a
Of Many Things
George M. Anderson
Indonesia is a country most of us know only through the media, but a recent visit to America House by a member of the Religious of the Sacred Heart brought it into closer focus for me. Back for a home visit, Sister Nance O’Neil has been teaching in Jakarta for 14 years, at AtmaJaya University,
Letters
Our readers

Just Unwise

George Weigel challenges me to rethink my position on the war (3/31). I find myself caught between the logic of his position and that of the pope’s. The war in Iraq in my estimation is an unwise war, but I find it difficult to discern whether it is or is not a just war. And, as Mr. Weigel writes, is that not a judgment call for competent authorities to make? And is that not why the Vatican’s spokesman has said that one who makes the choice for war assumes a grave responsibility before God, his conscience and history?

Robert Fontana

FaithFaith in Focus
George M. Anderson
Portraying Dorothy Day on a stage would seem a challenge of formidable proportions in and of itself. But to do those portrayals in a series of makeshift settings, church sanctuaries and communal dining rooms—as well as on actual stages—raises the stakes of such a challenge. Sarah Melici
Arts & CultureBooks
Joseph J. Feeney
Ron Hansen’s new novel is a dollop of sweet cream, an entertainment, a sip of champagne, a screwball comedy, a romp, a bauble, a love letter to Nebraska.
The Word
Dianne Bergant
The Gospels are filled with stories about Jesus sharing meals Each story tells us something more than that he was hungry Some of them illustrate his observance of Passover Lk 17 35 others depict him as a dinner guest at the homes of Simon the Pharisee or Jesus rsquo friend Martha Lk 7 36 10
News
From AP, CNS, RNS, Staff and other sources
Vatican: Collapse of Regime Offers Opportunity for IraqAs Baghdad and other Iraqi cities fell to U.S.-led forces, the Vatican said the collapse of President Saddam Hussein’s regime was an opportunity for the Iraqi people and offered to help in the massive humanitarian task that lies ahead. At
Caryle Murphy
The war now being fought by U.S. military forces in Iraq means that Saddam Hussein’s murderous reign is finished. And the recent capture of several senior Al Qaeda operatives gives hope that the terrorist network’s lifespan has been considerably shortened. But these developments do not m
Editorials
The Editors
At a rally in Cleveland last July, a few days after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision upholding Cleveland’s school voucher program, President Bush remarked that when September 2002 came around, some 3.5 million children (most of them living in the shabbiest sections of big cities) would
Books
Michael McGarry
Following up on his popular Walking the Bible Bruce Feiler journalist and travel writer now presents his very personal exploration of monotheism rsquo s common patriarch in Abraham A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths The importance of his topic mdash the identity and meaning of Abraham mdash
Books
John R. Donahue
From the time of the Devotio Moderna to the present books offering guided meditations on Jesus have been a staple of Christian spirituality Anselm Gr n a Benedictine monk and best-selling spiritual writer in Germany and throughout Europe offers 50 short vignettes of the life and teaching of Jes
News
From AP, CNS, RNS, Staff and other sources
Experts Say New Immigration Controls Not Much HelpFormer F.B.I. and C.I.A. counterterrorism experts said on April 3 that most of the immigration restrictions imposed since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks have done little to improve national security and wouldn’t have kept any of the men implica
Columns
Thomas J. McCarthy
The day the bombing began in Baghdad, my daughter came home from kindergarten and said, “We’re at war with Iraq, right Daddy?” Later that evening, she stopped in the midst of her piano practice to ask, “Daddy, how can music change the world?” Her thinking was, I knew, p
Editorials
The Editors
Let him easter in us, be a dayspring to the dimness of us, be a crimson-cresseted east,
FaithFaith in Focus
Paul Mariani
It is easy to overlook Joseph, much as we overlook those millions of men and women who do their work quietly and well, without the least fanfare.
Poetry
Sandra Dugruid
There have been crucifixions, too,
Arts & CultureBooks
Tom Deignan
During an interview several years ago Edna O'Brien told me a story about an appearance of hers in the 1960's on an Irish television program during which the host said to the studio audience: "Hands up all of you who think Edna O'Brien has shamed her country."
Politics & Society
Patrick J. Ryan, S.J.
Tensions between Jews and Christians and Muslims in Israel-Palestine and the Middle East more generally, as well as violent Christian-Muslim clashes in Indonesia, Pakistan, Sudan and Nigeria in recent months, to say nothing of the war with Iraq, have led to some disturbing stereotyping of the Islami
Letters
Our readers

More Inclusive

Since Cardinal Avery Dulles mentioned me in his article Vatican II: Substantive Teaching (3/31), I would like to make it clear that I also understand the Second Vatican Council to mean that it is only in the Catholic Church that the church of Christ continues to exist with all the institutional elements that Christ bestowed on his church. However, I have never understood subsists in to mean that it is only in the Catholic Church that the church of Christ continues to exist. If that were the case, one would have to say that in 1054 the church of Christ ceased to exist in half the Christian world. Then one could not describe the Orthodox churches as true particular churches, nor could one say that by the celebration of the Eucharist in those churches the church of God is being built up. The question at issue is whether the church of Christ is wider and more inclusive than the Catholic Church. It is not clear to me where Cardinals Ratzinger and Dulles stand on that question.

Francis A. Sullivan, S.J.