Broadening the Debate on Cloning and Stem Cell Research
Last March I argued in these pages (Neither Person nor Property, 3/26/01) that approaching stem cell research in terms characteristic of the abortion debate has slowed progress in sorting out the complex moral issues raised by such research. The announcement on Nov. 25, 2001, that the first human em
Remnants of Modernism in a Postmodern Age: The Pontifical Biblical Commissions Centennial
On Oct. 30, 2002, the Pontifical Biblical Commission, established by Pope Leo XIII at the very end of his unexpectedly long pontificate, will be 100 years old. Though probably few Catholics have ever heard of this commission, its importance in promoting a deeper understanding of the Bible within the
Of Many Things
Of Many Things
How do you go about learning Spanish in New York City if you live in a parish where most parishioners speak only that language? The question led me to enroll in a solidly useful program sponsored by the Archdiocese of New York. It meets three hours each week, and though far from fluency, I now…
Letters
Letters
Better Preaching
I would like to participate in the discussion regarding the preaching in our parishes after the events of Sept. 11 (Letters, 11/26/01). I was not scheduled to preach on the Sunday immediately following the tragedy. I did preach on the Sunday following that with readings that were sharply focused on social justice. The prophet’s…
Editorials
Washington and the Schools
For its first 174 years, the federal government was, as one writer put it, only a benevolent spectator of what the states were doing in elementary and secondary public schools. In some cases, not much was done. As late as 1914, six Southern statesAlabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolin
Books
Are We Failing Them?
Though it has its flaws this book should nevertheless be read and pondered by every Catholic educator It is flawed because it fails to overcome the limitations of the sociological genre Despite that it is important reading because it is faithful both to church teaching and to the testimony of th
Treasures to Go
In January 2000 the Smithsonian American Art Museum until recently known as the Smithsonian Museum of American Art closed until 2004 for major renovations to its home in the historic Old Patent Office Building in Washington D C Instead of storing all of its collection in vaults inaccessible to
A Robust Doctrine of God
What does Christian witness mean in today rsquo s world Stanley Hauerwas the Gilbert T Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics at Duke University answers this question by developing a highly original approach to natural theology Through imaginative and often provocative arguments Hauerwas challen
The Word
Light Shining Through the Ashes II
As a newly ordained priest I was working with a military chaplain at a base in Germany As we prepared for Ash Wednesday he told me not to distribute the ashes after the homily the usual time but to wait until the end of Mass In his experience great numbers would come to church simply…
Light Shining Through the Ashes I
Lent is about to dawn and today rsquo s readings are a wake-up call Even on a bleak February day the readings are suffused with images of light Twice the prophet of Second Isaiah tells the people that their light shall break forth like the dawn or rise in the darkness It is not the…
Columns
Illuminations
Any fool knows that a person is not defined by his or her possessions. Far more important and interesting than what belongs to me is the question of what I belong to—that is, What am I attached to? For the Christian, it comes down to the question: What attachments keep me from following Jesus
News
Signs of the Times
Marchers Come to Washington to Tell The Truth About Abortion’In the shadow of the Washington Monument, tens of thousands of marchers gathered to hear a diverse collection of political and religious leaders speak about one goal. We are here to tell America the truth about abortion, said Nellie
Politics
Faith
Culture
Vatican
Scripture
Podcasts