The Wisdom Of Oz: Taking the long way home
I have long puzzled over the ruby slippers in “The Wizard of Oz,” an archetype of childhood and transformation. When Dorothy’s house lands on the Wicked Witch and Glinda shows up, these slippers are magically transfered to Dorothy. It would seem that she now possesses her transport
Showdown in Ukraine: A path to peace and Europe’s future
The undeclared war between Russia and Ukraine cannot be contained in the same way other recent Russian expansionist conflicts—Transnistria since 1990 and South Ossetia and Abkhazia since 2008—have been isolated. Unlike these contested regions, Ukraine is a much more significant country,
Of Many Things
Of Many Things
Can natural law still serve as the lingua franca of politics in a pluralist society?
Letters
Reply All
Vigilant JusticeRe “Listening in Ferguson,” by J. Augustine Wetta, O.S.B. (3/9): The Ferguson incident began with the policeman verbally attacking Michael Brown and his companion, shouting at them with rough language. Would it not be better if law officers always chose courtesy over domi
Faith in Focus
Lifting Veronica’s Veil: Meditations on a courageous disciple
Despite various attempts over the centuries to give her a personal story, there is no evidence that she was a historical figure. She has never been included in any official list of Catholic saints; and although she is commemorated on July 12 in the Orthodox churches, there has never been a universal
Transformed from Within: One priest’s struggle with compulsive eating
These days, when I light a candle at the base of the makeshift shrine in my sitting room, I feel at peace. I haven’t always felt this way. A year and a half ago, I would have been sitting down in a room of similar size but crowded with food wrappers and neglected dirty laundry.…
Books
Many Voices, One Spirit: Books on the Bible
Books on the Bible
Television
What Love Can Overcome: Life and loss in ‘Call the Midwife’
Life and loss in ‘Call the Midwife’
Poetry
The Paintings of Rouault
O Holy Spiritwe did not knowhow strong you arein our dull ageuntil we saw your colorsapple reds, transparent greens,blue of truth,laid upon the figurinesdeep embossed in halos,Gospel figures,hooded, cloaked,upon the roador standing by a city doorwaydrawn in heavy blackened brushagainst the Holy skie
The Word
An Empty Tomb
All the Gospels recall that on the second morning after Jesus was laid in the tomb Mary Magdalene and other women were the first to arrive at the tomb to care for Jesus rsquo body but his body was not in the tomb It would be a strange account to concoct Why James Dunn says…
Columns
Seduced by ISIS
What drove three well-integrated British schoolgirls to join the Islamic State?
Current Comment
Sitting Down With Iran
Sitting Down With Iran; Sitting Down With Iran; Gasoline on the Fire?
Generation Faith
Padre’s Portrait: Through suffering we are made to be saints.
Among the ever-growing pile of books in my room is a small compilation of quotations from the great St. Pio of Pietrelcina, often called Padre Pio. It is meant for daily meditation during Lent, but I find myself flipping through its pages at every season of the year, looking for something fitting fo
Philosopher's Notebook
Ionesco Again
Suspicious of all political utopias, Ionesco rejected the efforts at a partisan recuperation of the drama.
Signs Of the Times
Global Initiative Sought for Protection of Christians
In a joint statement, representatives of more than 60 countries have recognized that Christians are particularly endangered in the Middle East, and they called on the international community to reaffirm the human right to freedom of religion. The violence carried out by terrorist groups “creat
Brookings on Abortion
A study released by the Brookings Institution in Washington finds that single women whose income is 400 percent of the federal poverty line or higher are nearly four times as likely to opt for an abortion when faced with an unplanned pregnancy. The findings contradict earlier statements by the Guttm
Kidnapped in Syria
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul has been unable to confirm the number of its members abducted in Syria, nor where they are being held. The society announced on its website on March 4 that “several colleagues,” along with “women and children,” were kidnapped in the province
The Post-Chavista Era in Venezuela
Things could not be worse in Venezuela. No, actually, they could be—and probably will be.Despite its prodigious oil wealth, Venezuela is heading over a financial cliff, and it is heading there faster thanks to the plunging price of crude oil. The socialist revolution founded by the late Hugo C
Pope Francis Declares A Jubilee Year of Mercy’
In a surprising and far-reaching decision, Pope Francis announced an extraordinary holy year, a Jubilee of Mercy, that will extend from Dec. 8, 2015, to Nov. 20, 2016, and will involve the Catholic Church throughout the world. He broke the news during a penitential celebration in St. Peter’s B
News Briefs
Bishop John C. Wester of Salt Lake City, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Communications, surprised America’s church correspondent Mary Ann Walsh, R.S.M., with the prestigious St. Francis de Sales Award from the Catholic Press Association in Albany on March 12. • On March
Romero Beatification
The beatification of El Salvador’s martyred Archbishop Óscar Romero will take place during a ceremony in El Salvador on May 23, the day before Pentecost Sunday. The date was announced on March 11 by Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, postulator of Romero’s cause for sainthood, in El Salvador.
Vatican Dispatch
Making Room for Women
Pope Francis’ words have raised hopes among women, and some impatience.
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