A survey of new books on the Bible
Faith in Focus
A Renewed Challenge: Assessing Paul VI’s ‘Progress of Peoples’
Brazil experienced an economic boom in the late 1960s. With its gross national product growing handsomely at a rate of 7 percent to 8 percent, Brazil was praised by many development economists as an example of diversified, investment-led prosperity. But while the industries of Rio de Janeiro and Sã
God’s Awesome Silence: Understanding the psalmist’s anguish
No book of the Hebrew Scriptures is more beloved than the Psalms. Many Christians carry with them a book containing the four Gospels and the Book of Psalms. But no book of the Hebrew Bible is regularly bound by itself, except the Psalms. The psalter is treasured. Pious Jews often carry a small volum
After Sunset: P.T. Anderson’s ‘There Will Be Blood’
There Will Be Blood opens in 1897, 15 years earlier than its literary source, Upton Sinclair’s Oil! The shift is significant. In 1890 the Census Bureau declared that the American frontier had been closed and the expansion of the United States from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific had been com
The Joy of Transformation: Rediscovering the sacrament of reconciliation
Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.
Getting Away From the Kids: The spiritual rewards of business travel
On the spiritual rewards of business travel
The Ebb and Flow of Faith
I glanced at the clock on the small table between the bed and the rocking chair: 6:45 a.m. It was Saturday of Labor Day weekend, but every day felt drowned in the monotony of motherhood. The baby would need to be nursed soon. I rolled onto my back to say my morning rule of prayer, at least the parts
A Dish Best Served Cold: The musical ‘Sweeney Todd’
Tim Burtons Sweeney Todd, a wicked, bloody triumph of filmmaking, has caught the attention of both critics and audiences and has received numerous nominations and awards. There are, however, a couple of things one should know before buying a ticket. First, it is a musical, which neither the advertis
Our Broken Parish: When respect for the laity is lost
Do not fret because of the wicked; do not be envious of wrongdoers…. Trust in the Lord, and do good. —Psalm 37:1, 3 While we Catholics profess universality, the fact is that Catholic parishes can differ radically. I do not just mean culturally, in the way that a parish on the island of G
Student of the Laity: The priestly ministry of Neil Connolly
Sunday Mass at St. Mary parish in Manhattans Lower East Side could remind an observer of the childrens visual riddle: Which one of these things is not like the others? Among the sea of Latinos, who make up roughly 75 percent of the parishs population, stands Father Neil Connolly, 100 percent Irish-A
