American and Catholic: David O’Brien, Catholic historian and social analyst, retires.
A few clicks into a Google search of “Professor David J. O’Brien,” someone not entirely in the know could wonder just how many contemporary American intellectuals there are by that name, surfacing in venues within and beyond the academic world. There is David J. O’Brien the C
The Role of International Moral Authority in Iraq: Suggestions for a way out of the impasse
In wrestling with the moral challenge presented by the conflict in Iraq, those who invoke the principles of just-war theory should also consider the landmark encyclical of John XXIII, Pacem in Terris, with its recognition of international moral responsibility. Judging the Occupation: Before, During,
Summer Reading Picks
James Martin, S.J., Associate Editor In a way, both of my summertime recommendations are about searching for something precious. A few months ago I picked up a book about a big bird that read like a thriller. The Grail Bird (Houghton Mifflin, 304p, $14.95) is the riveting story of the hunt for th
Open House
Extended through August!
Honest Patriotism: A distinguished Protestant theologian reflects on the spirit of liberty.
The congregational council of Detroits Bethel Evangelical Church appropriated $5 in the spring of 1918 for the purchase of an American flag to be displayed in the church sanctuary. Meanwhile, its young pastor encouraged the German immigrant church to adopt English as its language for worship. That p
Of Many Things
Of Many Things
Two exemplary priests and their parishes
Letters
Letters
Speak Up
I have now received many positive responses to my article, How Accessible Are the New Mass Translations? (5/21). I am truly edified by these letter writers who have had to look up my address or locate my e-mail to communicate with me. There are obviously strong feelings among your readership about liturgical issues.…
Editorials
Independence Day
July 4, 2007 should be an occasion for citizens to reclaim government from the forces that threaten to capture and corrupt it.
Faith in Focus
Behind the Security Wall: A witness to the slow death of a people
Witnessing the slow death of a people
Israels Rebel Rabbi: Invoking the Torah, a rabbi defends the rights of Palestinians to preserve their homes.
When he resorts to civil disobedience, his long body hugging the earth of a Palestinian olive orchard or a home slated for demolition, Rabbi Arik Ascherman sets loose upon the Holy Land the ghost of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Like King, Ascherman lets the prophets’ hard-bitten calls f
Books
Getting Personal
Alice Munro is at the height of her powers as a short story writer in this collection, navigating with extraordinary agility the border between memoir and fiction.
Two Sides of the Same Coin
A review of an anthology of Thomas Merton's writings
Gypsy Poet, Exiled
Several years ago I was in Rocky Sullivans pub on Lexington Avenue in New York City for one of their famed literary readings The Irish-born writer Colum McCann was said to be unveiling an excerpt from a work in progress By then McCannin such novels as Songdogs and This Side of Brightness and story
Poetry
Writing on Air
The first time I entered his empty room
The Word
Who Is Your Neighbor?
The term good Samaritan means someone who helps a stranger in need It derives from the parable contained in today rsquo s reading from Luke 10 A man had been beaten robbed and left for dead on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho Both a priest and a Levite mdash members of Israel rsquo s…
Follow the Leader
At this time of year around Independence Day and with the upcoming presidential campaign in view public debate is focusing on leadership Last Sunday we began Luke rsquo s journey narrative in which Jesus serves as the leader for his first disciples and for us as well In today rsquo s selection f
Columns
Three Amigos
No one would choose to live without friends, even if he had all other goods. Rich people and holders of powerful positions seem to need friends…. In poverty also, and in other misfortunes, people think friends are the only refuge. —Aristotle, NicomacheanEthics, Book VII Having heard so m
Current Comment
Current Comment
The Pope and the PresidentThe first meeting between President George W. Bush and Pope Benedict XVI on June 9 in Vatican City was one of many photo opportunities on the presidents quick trip to Europe on the occasion of the G-8 meeting in Germany. Predictably, the president sought to highlight the is
News
Signs of the Times
At Assisi, Pope Appeals for Mideast Peace On a pilgrimage to the birthplace of St. Francis of Assisi, Pope Benedict XVI appealed for peace in the Middle East and a return to responsible and sincere dialogue to end armed conflicts. The popes one-day trip June 17 marked the 800th anniversary of the c
Politics
Faith
Culture
Vatican
Scripture
Podcasts