Election Year Tug of War
I was hoping to publish a New York Times best seller this year, but now I’m too late to get it out in time for the presidential campaign. I had the title and everything: Rush Limbaugh, Hillary Clinton, Bill O’Reilly, Teddy Kennedy, George Bush and the Lying Idiots Who Hate Them. The pros
The Council’s Call
A person’s first or last words are often the stuff of legend, and because their art makes speech memorable, poets seem especially sensitive to overtures and finales. Dante’s Divine Comedy, for instance, leaves us looking at the stars: each of the epic’s three canticles ends with th
Environmental Justice: A Catholic Voice
A new and distinctively Catholic voice on environmental issues has evolved over the last decade. It links traditional church teaching on creation, the common good, social justice and stewardship to major environmental challenges. This often overlooked development is found in initiatives in parishes,
Of Many Things
Of Many Things
On the day after Thanksgiving, I attended the 25th reunion of my high school class and experienced something quite unexpected. Actually, I almost didn’t go. Though I am in touch with most of my good friends from high school, many have moved away and were not planning to attend. Another friend
Letters
Letters
Sustaining Life
The commentary by John F. Kavanaugh, S.J., Food for Terri Schiavo (11/24), was right on the mark. As a permanent deacon, a medical oncologist and a father of four, I applaud his clear and cogent discussion of the issues involved.
Why must our society confront this issue over and over and over? Despite previous debates…
Editorials
Respecting International Law
The founding fathers took international law very seriously. In the U.S. Constitution, treaties, along with federal laws, are declared to be “the supreme Law of the Land.” In addition, the Judiciary Act of 1789 provided that foreigners could bring suit in U.S. district courts for torts co
Books
Trouble at Sea
ldquo It is obvious that the ecclesiastical ministry in today rsquo s church is in crisis the barque of Peter is in trouble at sea rdquo These words might remind readers of a Boston Globe editorial pronouncing smug judgment on the Catholic Church in the aftermath of the priest sexual abuse scanda
Love in the Aftermath
Most of the time we think of the novel as a temporal art form Like music it begins and ends traversing the time between by way of a plot the plot determined to a degree by the characters whose fates are bound up with it But perhaps we can think of another kind of novel…
The Word
The Word of the Lord
How can a message that was intended for people who lived thousands of years ago have any meaning for us today Some of the stories in the Bible certainly make exciting action movies but are we expected to live like that To think as they did To cherish the same aspirations Isn rsquo t the…
I Love You; Now Change
The title of a highly acclaimed musical comedy ldquo I Love You You rsquo re Perfect Now Change rdquo describes some of the dynamics found in many human love relationships We can genuinely love someone and be captivated by that person rsquo s charm and wit intelligence and sensitivity unsel
News
Signs of the Times
Most Dioceses Now Comply With Bishops’ Sexual Abuse NormsBy the end of 2003, nearly 90 percent of U.S. Catholic dioceses were in compliance with the U.S. bishops’ national policy to protect children and respond to sexual abuse of minors by members of the clergy, according to the first na
Politics
Faith
Culture
Vatican
Scripture
Podcasts