Marital and Ecclesial Commitment
In the Judeo-Christian tradition, marriage has offered a set of images helpful in illuminating our communal relationship with God. Whether it is Israel’s covenant with Yahweh or the church’s bond with Christ, the nuptial images of bride and bridegroom have long helped believers reflect u
Jazz Goes Back to Church
Dave Brubeck is recognized as a gifted jazz pianist and composer. His use of innovative techniques, like the unique time signatures showcased in the breakthrough album, Time Out (1959), made him a leading light of West Coast jazz. Indeed, the singular chemistry of his classic quartet established him
Sister-to-Sister: A New Approach to AIDS in Africa
Although both women and men are dying of AIDS at ever increasing rates in Sub-Saharan Africa, it is women who bear the brunt of the epidemic’s destructive impact. Not only do they account for close to 60 percent of H.I.V.-AIDS infections there, they also suffer disproportionately from the stig
Speaking Truth to Power
What is truth? John the Evangelist attributes this question to Pilate in his examination of Jesus. Pilate was expressing his frustration over the unpleasant reality that the man before him was probably innocent of the charge of treason to the Roman state, but that it would nevertheless be necessary,
God and Caesar in the New Europe
A draft constitution for the European Union was presented at a summit meeting in Greece on June 20. The debate over whether the constitution should include references to religion has raised fundamental questions about European identity. Despite the trans-Atlantic acrimony of recent months, the 105 m
Of Many Things
Of Many Things
I confess; I am a pack rat. Let those who would point a bony finger or raise a censorious eyebrow take comfort. I suffer from this. I know that I shouldn’t be living in a secondhand bookstore, still less on a rubbish tip. And I promise to reform. The gift of 50 trash bags, 30-gallon…
Letters
Letters
Rectification
I only just learned of an article by Drew Christiansen, S.J., that appeared in America on May 19, A Campaign to Divide the Church in the Holy Land, where I am personally cited in a manner that does not conform to the truth. We read: Georges Cottier, O.P., the papal theologian, and other French churchmen…
Editorials
AIDS: The Ever-Growing Scourge
President Bush has signed into law a measure that will allocate $15 billion to fight AIDS in the poorest countries of Africa and the Caribbean. This is a hopeful sign. It shows that the rich nations are finally taking concrete notice of a pandemic that is affecting ever greater numbers of people. Ad
Faith in Focus
A Dancing Baby and Other Notes From the Choir
It is the first rehearsal for the Emory University Chorus, and I am sitting in a seat in a huge classroom next to a college student who beams me a shy grin and tells me her name is Jeanna. My husband and I have been singing in our tiny church choir for years, but we…
Books
Imperial Tradition
Empire looks like a coffee-table book Handsomely produced on slick paper replete with copious illustrations and maps it was originally published as a companion volume to a BBC television series One would expect its contents to be bland reflective of conventional wisdom One would be fooled how
Sound Science’?
Promoting the largest deregulation campaign in the last half century the Bush administration says deregulation will bring prosperity and health But will it Cass R Sunstein a professor of law at the University of Chicago makes the case for the Bush claims He says that environmental laws kill m
Between Universalism and Relativism
To its ldquo cultured despisers rdquo Schleiermacher rsquo s felicitous term Christianity might well seem occupied with turning guile into guilt In Conscience Across Borders Vernon Ruland S J who teaches at the University of San Francisco has written a bracing rejoinder to those who think
The Word
I Doubt It!
Will we ever really understand our faith? I doubt it. Will we ever really learn to live by it? I hope so.
The Son’s Mother
Many homes proudly display pictures of family members or of times not to be forgotten Some of these pictures are individually framed Others are combined two or three photos hinged together As we celebrate this Marian feast the church offers us two depictions of Mary In the Western church this
You Are Warmly Invited…
Jesus offers us himself, his flesh for the life of the world. If we turn down his invitation, we would be more than fools. We would be rejecting life itself.
Columns
Bush’s Nuclear Folly
The Bush administration’s response to North Korea’s nuclear weapon challenge has been hypocritical. While the North Korean decision to withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty last January was lamentable, it is also understandable. The Bush administration itself has done much to
Faith
I Doubt It!
Will we ever really understand our faith? I doubt it. Will we ever really learn to live by it? I hope so.
You Are Warmly Invited…
Jesus offers us himself, his flesh for the life of the world. If we turn down his invitation, we would be more than fools. We would be rejecting life itself.
News
Signs of the Times
Report Details Decades of Abuse, Failure of Leadership’ in BostonA 91-page report detailing the sexual abuse of at least 789 children by 250 priests or other workers of the Archdiocese of Boston since 1940 documents a massive, inexcusable failure of leadership in the archdiocese, Massachusetts
Politics
Faith
Culture
Vatican
Scripture
Podcasts