Take and Read
A freshman came to my office to discuss his first essay assignment in my lecture course on classics of Christian literature. We had been reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Letters From Prison. The student wondered what the Lutheran pastor imprisoned and executed by the Nazis would have thought of t
I Know It When I See It
It seems to have become commonplace lately, especially among those who try to assess the state of the world and make recommendations about the sort of leadership that is needed in the Catholic Church, to bemoan the de-Christianization of Europe, an idea the media have embellished by contrasting Old
Many Sticks, Few Carrots
Are North Korea and the United States moving toward the brink of war, perhaps one that would involve the use of nuclear weapons? Some experts think so. Former Defense Secretary William Perry, for one, has warned that the United States and North Korea are drifting toward war. Yet President Bush acts
Magis 2005
The Rule of Saint Benedict states, in Chapter Three: “The reason we have said that all should be called for counsel is that the Lord often reveals to the younger what is best.” This awareness was doubtless in the mind of our own newly elected Benedict XVI when he said in his first messag
Of Many Things
Of Many Things
Our small caravan drove into Slavonski Brod, a war-torn Croatian city on the banks of the Sava River. It was July 1992, just after the first cessation of conflict in Croatia and at the beginning of the war in Bosnia. From the outskirts of the city, we could see heavy, black smoke rising from downtow
Letters
Letters
Many Best Years
I have read America for more than half a century. It has always been an excellent journal of opinion and many of its best years were under the editorship of Thomas J. Reese, S.J. Father Reese is an extraordinarily balanced, well-informed, faithful priest and Catholic leader, and I have had the pleasure of…
Editorials
The Vanishing Dream
The annual celebrations of Independence Day commemorate not only the sacrifices made during the American Revolution, but also a more nebulous concept: the American dream, which for many is bound up with the promise of economic success for any hardworking American. Yet the American dream is beginning
Faith in Focus
No Deaths Under My Signature
"Other than the human tragedy, this is a non-event for the energy markets,” said an energy risk manager quoted by The Wall Street Journal (3/25/04), referring to the deadly explosion at the Texas BP oil refinery that took the lives of at least 15 people, injured more than 100 others and t
Books
As Not Seen on the Nightly News
In the early spring of 2003 an American daily provided its readers with a map depicting the battle strategy for the U S -led invasion of Iraq The visual was memorable in its simplicity An arrow representing the U S military ground convoy swooped upward through Iraq from the southern border of
No Ordinary Day
Saturday brings Ian McEwan rsquo s novel output to a neat dozen with one exception most of them have tended toward brevity rather than length I have read almost all of them and consider myself a fan Ironically McEwan received the Booker Prize for Amsterdam a short novel of intrigue while his
Pointing the Finger
The argument of Over the Edge is spelled out clearly in the subtitle the media film television computer games driven by advertisers fixated on the importance of an audience of youthful consumers has changed and corrupted American culture In pushing the limits to attract the younger generatio
Poetry
Lost Hours
Horse latitudes, Mason Dixon. Tropic
The Word
What a Wonderful World!
I see trees of green red roses too I see them bloom for me and you I see skies of blue and clouds of white the bright blessed day the dark sacred night And I think to myself what a wonderful world Several decades ago the jazz musician Louis Armstrong was inspired by the magnificence…
Nothing Is Perfect
One of the great disappointments of my life was the painful realization that every religious group to which I belong is imperfect This should not have surprised me Religious or not each group is made up of limited human beings Still idealistic as I was I expected more of religious people But
Columns
A New Jersey Legend
During his seven-and-a-half years as pastor of St. John’s Church in downtown Newark, Msgr. Jim Finnerty has met more than his fair share of unforgettable characters. For starters, there was a fellow who called himself Tony Baloney, an 80-year-old man with no known address. Then there was Mama,
News
Signs of the Times
Basil Pennington Dead at 74; Known Worldwide as Writer and Teacher of PrayerAbbot M. Basil Pennington, the Trappist monk known worldwide for his books and ministry on centering prayer, died on June 3 at the University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center in Worcester from injuries sustained in a
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