Kyrie and Kumbaya
As a liberal Catholic, I admire the progressive doctrine of Reform Judaism. Last summer, Reform Jews gave me something else to applaud. They have been open-minded enough to restore what they call the affective side of their religion: traditions like Hebrew chant. They now acknowledge that those gest
Social Policy After Sept. 11
I suspect that many Americans are, like me, torn between two conflicting desires. On the one hand, we yearn for nothing more than the opportunity to revert to our comfortable pre-Sept. 11 ways, even if some aspects of our culture and routines now seem a bit frivolous. On the other hand, we feel the
The Catholic Church and Zambia’s Elections
The people of Zambia voted on Dec. 27, 2001, in the election of a new president, members of Parliament and local councilors. Though the president gained only 29 percent of the vote and none of the 10 major parties gained a majority, the stage is set for a new direction in Zambian politics. Questions
Parole Revisited
A sea change has overtaken parole in the course of the last three decades. Partly in response to ever-harsher public attitudes toward offenders, in state after state parole boards have either been eliminated or their powers with respect to prisoner-release decisions have been greatly reduced.Previou
Turning to the Islamic Faith
While our nation was breathing a sigh of relief over the rapid deterioration of Taliban power in Afghanistan, we American Muslims were still reeling from the fact that our faith had also been hijacked on Sept. 11 by people who twisted their version of Islam into a blackened form uglier than the burn
Of Many Things
Of Many Things
Call them keepsakes or mementos, most of us hold on to various objects as reminders of people we have cared about over the years—often friends who have died. I prefer “memento” because of its clearer relationship to the word “memory.” Coming across them from time to tim
Letters
Letters
Moral Compass
Thanks for your editorial Enron and Morality (2/11). Teaching corporate finance, investment analysis and portfolio construction and management established that the model of wealth maximization is worthwhile and shares the attributes of all economic models. It is a great engine for discovery, and it is flawed because it abstracts from people in a humanistic…
Editorials
Afghanistan Part II
The Bush administration has waged an effective war in Afghanistan, and, for the most part, has waged it in a just manner. After the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, we wrote that the terrorists should be brought to justice because of their crimes and because of the danger they pose to life in this country
Faith in Focus
Fasting? But That’s So Mortifying!
While I was baking Christmas cookies in mid-December (oh, good, here’s another broken one!), my thoughts suddenly turned to Lent. Clearly I was en route to surpassing the average 1.4 pounds we Americans gain during the Christmas holiday season. So in a perverse sort of way, while munching my w
Books
Into the Mystery
Spiritual genius is the uniquely human ability to seek life rsquo s meaning It rsquo s the voice inside us that keeps asking What rsquo s it all about Who am I How can I make a difference Thus does Winifred Gallagher begin this insightful and important book Her thesis is that all human beings
Taking Stock
Back in the boom days of the very near past there was much talk of how stock ownership in the United States had been democratizedwith a stock in every pot There is no doubt that in the 1990 rsquo s many families like my own were suddenly mindful of the market having sunk savings for…
Let Them Live!
In Humanity A Moral History of the Twentieth Century Jonathan Glover made his quot moral history quot above all an account of the wars international and civil in which human beings killed one another throughout the century The book made for interesting appalling and enlightening reading Yet
Film
Coping: In the Bedroom
For the last several months images of heroism have filled the media. The immediate heroes, the firefighters, police and rescue workers, have gradually been supplanted by brave survivors, mourning the dead and living for the future. Their stories have helped us through the horror, especially in this
The Word
Seeing With the Inner Eye
The feast of Tabernacles Sukkoth was one of the great celebrations of the Jewish liturgical calendar at the time of Jesus as it is today It was celebrated as an autumn harvest festival and people built little booths or tents that recalled the way they had dwelt during their wilderness wandering
Columns
Plain Talk
In his State of the Union address, President Bush launched another salvo in the war against terrorism, not to mention his war against clarity. He declared Iran, Iraq and North Korea to be an “axis of evil,” which all civilized nations must recognize and resolutely eradicate. Ever since 9
News
Signs of the Times
Vatican to Release Some WW II Archival Material EarlyThe Vatican announced it would open ahead of schedule part of its 20th-century archives, including new documents on Vatican-German relations and Pope Pius XII’s efforts to help prisoners during World War II. The Vatican said cataloguing the
Politics
Faith
Culture
Vatican
Scripture
Podcasts