Rarely has a film haunted me as much as Iranian director Asghar Farhadi’s French language film, “The Past.” It is a story about dysfunctional families and their miscommunications, secrets and lies.
John A. Coleman
John A. Coleman S.J., is an associate pastor at St. Ignatius Church in San Francisco. For many years he was the Casassa Professor of Social Values at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. His books and other writing have focused largely on areas connected to sociology of religion and also to social ethics. His most recent work has concentrated on issues of globalization.
Posted inIn All Things
Catholic Prison Ministry
Five years ago I wrote a Lenten meditation quot Jesus the Prisoner quot America March 30-April 6 2009 I was interested in the theme because I was then reading a book written by Michael Kennedy S J Jesus the Risen Prisoner An Invitation to Freedom I was taken by how rarely we ever hear o
Posted inIn All Things
Learning to See Differently
A prospective reader of this blog noting its title might assume that it might be about contemplation the meditative techniques and practices which help us see ourselves and the world differently In fact it is about my reactions to an extraordinary and large the largest exhibit ever held in San
Posted inArts & Culture, Books
Allies for Justice
For 100 years, the Catholic Church played a key role in San Francisco politics and culture.
Posted inIn All Things
On Consulting the Faithful on Pastoral Questions
Cardinal John Henry Newman 39 s classic 1859 article quot On Consulting the Faithful on Matters of Doctrine quot was much disputed in his time and after Newman included the laity among those faithful but also parish priests and indeed the whole body of the faithful He wanted to stress not ju
Posted inFaith, In All Things
Pope Francis on the Dignity of Labor
From 2013: On several occasions, Francis has talked about tackling unemployment and signaled out the high unemployment of youth as one of the two most salient issues facing the world at present. He also attacked what he called unjust salaries.
Posted inFaith, In All Things
Recommended Spiritual Reading: Timothy Radcliffe
From John A. Coleman, S.J.: “the point of being a Christian is to find a place of evident freedom, courage, joy and hope.”
Posted inArts & Culture, In All Things
I and You=We
We Americans would be very well served (and it is, of course, a Catholic motif) by some massive injections of Whitman’s robust sense of a relational self.
Posted inIn All Things
The Best Jesus Book I Know
I was led to buy read indeed try to absorb Gerhard Lohfink 39 s Jesus of Nazareth What He Wanted Who He Was Liturgical Press 2012 when I heard that Daniel Harrington S J dean of American Jesuit New Testament scholars said of it quot Lohfink 39 s Jesus of Nazareth is the best Jesus bo
Posted inIn All Things
Labyrinths
I have been reflecting recently on labyrinths as spiritual symbols and an invitation to a specific form of prayer Our parish Saint Ignatius contains an art gallery which does some three shows a year around religious art It has sponsored just now for the University of San Francisco a lovely