Christmas Conscience
On the weekend before Advent’s onset, CNN ran a special called The Fight Over Faith. At one point in the coverage of the conflict between Bible-believing Christians and secularists, someone, expressing what seems to be a conviction of many of her fellow belivers, professed a strict interpretat
The G-Men and Me
The image of the Christ Child wrapped in swaddling clothes in the straw-filled manger surrounded by nodding donkeys and loving, weary parents is so familiar to us, it is as though we were eyewitnesses of the birth. We have read and heard the story again and again as part of our core faith tradition
Letters
Letters
Culpability
The articles by Archbishop Harry Flynn and Thomas P. Rausch, S.J., (10/18), and Archbishop Francis Hurley’s letter (11/8), dealing with the one strike and you’re out approach to pedophile priests, clearly state many important considerations.
One not addressed is the culpability of any bishop or religious superior who, despite understanding that there is a significant degree…
Editorials
The Orient From on High
In the Liturgy of the Hours, the church salutes the expected Messiah as the Orient from on high (Lk 1:78). The appellation pictures the sun rising from the East to shed its glory on a world enshrouded in darkness. The French term Levant uses the same metaphor to refer to the eastern littoral of the
Books
Roots
There rsquo s a well-worn Yiddish story about a yeshiva bokher seminarian who defiantly informs his old rabbi that he has become an apikoyres unbeliever And how long have you studied asks the rabbi suspiciously For five years replies the young apostate Ha snorts the rabbi five yearsand he
We the (Faithful) People
This illuminating and engaging book examines similarities and differences in the techniques employed to interpret the Christian Bible and the Constitution of the United States of America While this is not the only study of its kind I know of no other that is so thorough and by such a distinguished
A Life of Depth and Mystery
In Wonderful and Dark Is This Road Emilie Griffin the respected author or co-editor of 14 books including Turning Reflections on the Experience of Conversion and Clinging The Experience of Prayer has written in a comfortably ruminative tone an accessible introduction to mysticism Griffin ha
Film
The End of Cinema: The Incredibles
Had I been writing this column 80 years ago, I would probably have lined up with those critics vigorously opposed to the talkies. “Who needs sound?” we might have argued. By the mid-1920’s film had developed into an incredibly sophisticated visual medium. The Russians had mastered
Poetry
The Audition
In this game we confess the things
The Word
Family Ties
Family-oriented sitcoms may produce a good laugh but they do not always model healthy relationships They often feature children who regularly outsmart their parents or parents who are preoccupied with their own interests and neglect their children The media even grant awards to programs that hig
What Do You Make of It?
During Christmas time we have been attentive to the child born to fulfill the promises made long ago Today we focus on Mary the one from whose flesh the child was fashioned In all the Christmas stories she is silent explaining nothing when visitors come to see the marvels that have taken place
Come One, Come All!
The very first reading for the First Sunday of Advent included a promise that all nations would stream toward the mountain of the Lord rsquo s house Is 2 2 Today we see this promise fulfilled Magi from the East arrive to pay homage to the newborn king Though the Gospel does not say much…
Faith
A Eucharistic Church
Karol Wojtyla has always had a deep eucharistic piety. In 2003 he released his most recent encyclical, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, emphasizing the bonds between the Eucharist and the church. Last spring he announced the beginning of a eucharistic year, which began on Oct. 7 and will culminate at the me
News
Signs of the Times
Record Abuse Settlement Reached in CaliforniaThe Diocese of Orange, Calif., reached a reportedly record-breaking financial settlement with 87 alleged victims of clergy sexual abuse on Dec. 2. Judge Owen Lee Kwong, who oversaw the settlement, ordered participants on both sides not to discuss details,
Politics
Faith
Culture
Vatican
Scripture
Podcasts