One of the best homilies I ever heard was based on the first chapter of the Book of Jonah. The preacher described the situation on board a ship that had run into a terrible storm on the way to Tarshish and a confrontation that ensued between some pagan sailors and a prophet of the true God. Surely,

Attention all Democratic candidates campaign managers media consultants and constituency organizers If there is not a dog-eared frequently underlined copy of Amy Sullivan rsquo s The Party Faithful on your bookshelf soon please quit Sullivan who is the nation editor at Time magazine writes

Garry Wills's 'Head and Heart," reviewed

Robert Novak famous for publishing the name of CIA officer Valerie Plame has decided to use his morning column to pose as the head of the Vatican s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith He notes that several pro-choice politicians received communion at the papal Masses in Washington and Ne

Awaiting a spring that is coming slowly to the Big Apple, I fast-forward my thoughts and summon the words of the 18th-century poet James Thomson: “…who can paint/ like Nature? Can imagination boast,/ amid its gay creation, hues like hers?” Signs and wonders will soon abound in all

Is the religious right a spent force in American politics? There seems to be a growing consensus that it is, based in part on John McCain’s rather easy dispatch of Mike Huckabee in the Republican primaries. Huckabee, a preacher and unabashed advocate for the evangelical movement, certainly tou

A change of position by one Catholic Supreme Court justice could make a difference.

U.S. Urged to Share Iraqi Refugee Burden The ambassadors of Syria and Jordan called on the United States to share the burden of the unprecedented Iraqi refugee crisis. “The situation is terrible, and the burden on Syria’s resources and population is horrendous,” said Imad Moustaph

A new majority enters the culture wars.

Sewing up the torn paw of a Javanese leaf-monkey, with the help of an Indonesian vet, might seem an untried and unexpected form of interfaith dialogue, but it proved very productive for me. This particular encounter took place in a wildlife rescue center, ProFauna Indonesia, in the hill country of E