Living Stones of the Holy Land
Beatitude, the al-Aqsa intifada has gone on now for more than two years. In September you declared it has been “a catastrophe” for the Palestinian people. What did you mean? The conditions of life imposed by the Israeli military are simply inhuman. The whole population, more than th
Of Many Things
Of Many Things
One benefit of taking a vow of poverty is that it greatly simplifies Christmas shopping. I realized this during my first year as a Jesuit novice, when our monthly stipend (or personalia, in Jesuit lingo) was set at $35. That year my family and friends, who had long been used to receiving numerous gi
Letters
Letters
Broader Context
Thanks for your forthright editorial regarding Ordaining Gay Men (11/11). In the broader context of today’s church, I would add married men to your conclusion. Preventing the ordination of gay and married men would deprive the church of many productive, hard-working and dedicated ministers and would, moreover, ignore the promptings of the Holy Spirit,…
Editorials
Light in the Darkness
The Christmas celebration in Bethlehem will be muted this year. Few pilgrims are expected. Since the 40-day occupation and siege of the Church of the Nativity last April, Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah told America, the Christians of Palestine feel abandoned by the world (see the interview in this is
Books
Depicting Mother and Son
The exhibition ldquo Icons or Portraits Images of Jesus and Mary from the Collection of Michael Hall rdquo recently closed at the Gallery of the American Bible Society in New York City The exhibition was one of New York rsquo s hidden treasures and those fortunate enough to have seen it will ha
All in the Family
Sebastian Barry first made his mark as a writer with The Steward of Christendom a play about his grandfather who rose from the ranks to become a superintendent of the Irish police force in Dublin under British rule but quickly fell into disrepute and dejection with its passing It made the rounds
Poetry
Shadow of the Father
How shall I approach you, Joseph, you, the shadow
The Word
Return to Family Values
Today we seem deluged with reports of anger abuse and even murder at the hand of a family member Spouses are not attentive to each other parents neglect children and children disregard elders It is time to return to good oldfashioned family values But just what constitutes good old-fashioned f
Amazing Tales
Is it over yet Are the carols gone from the air waves Have the stores dismantled their decorations Has Christmas been put away to make room for Valentine rsquo s Day It always happens so fast We waited and waited for Christmas and then it came and went in a flash But it did not…
More Light, Please
Although darkness can be very soothing and romantic as well it can also be very frightening We lose our way in the dark we bump into things we cannot perceive what or who might threaten our safety The phrase ldquo under the cover of darkness rdquo suggests some manner of deception In our vu
Columns
An S.U.V. on Steroids
Have you seen the nation’s latest status symbol on wheels? You may have, but you perhaps didn’t recognize its significance. You simply may have thought, as I did, how odd it is to see a military vehicle painted yellow, operated by a civilian and patrolling your local mall’s parking
News
Signs of the Times
Review Board to Interview Bishops on Scope of ScandalA subcommittee of the U.S. bishops’ National Review Board on clergy sexual abuse will begin interviewing bishops, archbishops and cardinals in an effort to understand the scope of the abuse scandal. A statement on Dec. 6 from the attorney Ro
Politics
Faith
Culture
Vatican
Scripture
Podcasts