In a world that was coming to understand the structural underpinnings of poverty and violence, Father Gutiérrez was a prophet who saw clearly how the Christian proclamation of salvation involved not merely the afterlife but included human liberation in this life as well.
Faith and Reason
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Popes Francis and Benedict agree: we must not confuse proselytism and evangelization
If our true desire is for others to know Christ, we must imitate him. Authentic evangelization is not accomplished through clever argumentation but by bearing witness to the working of God’s love and mercy in our lives.
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The liberating work of mercy: Banning ‘servile work’
The church’s teaching on servile work as it developed over the centuries is another indicator of how the church constantly sought ways not only to extend its evangelization but to challenge itself to recognize fully the others for whom Christ died.
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The keys to a bishop’s role in a synodal church: collaboration and compassion
Collaboration and compassion are two keys to a bishop’s role in a synod church, argues the Most Reverend W. Shawn McKnight, the bishop of Jefferson City, Mo.
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Exploding pagers violate international law—and the principles of just war
The church’s teachings on just war place limits on the permissible methods to bring someone to justice. So too does international law, and hiding explosives in everyday items like pagers and walkie-talkies is a violation of the 1899 Hague Convention, which prohibits “treacherous killing.”
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In too many Catholic schools, faith has become like ‘frosting on a secular cake’
The intellectual content at Catholic schools cannot just be “Catholic frosting on a secular cake,” but should instead be like yeast, infusing every aspect of education.
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A century of James Baldwin’s prophetic voice
The centennial of James Baldwin’s birth is an invitation to join the ranks of “the relatively conscious” who will help the nation engage in the metanoia needed to become the country that Baldwin constantly believed and hoped it could become.
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Latin chant or folk music at Mass? A debate on what makes liturgy ‘reverent’
One of the recommendations of the first meeting of the Synod on Synodality was to explore ways to improve the quality of liturgies. America asked two contributors to reflect on how we worship.
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For Catholics to overcome our differences, we must embrace the ‘grace of self-doubt’
The God who has subordinated himself to the human condition in the historical figure of Jesus is the perfect exemplar of epistemic humility, and hence discipleship of Jesus entails the free acceptance of the grace of self-doubt.
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A brief history of the corporal works of mercy
The works of mercy are the practices that Christian disciples collectively engage to respond to the needs of others. Both the Beatitudes and the works of mercy are our pathways, one inner, one outer, to lead us into fellowship with the poor in spirit.