A homily on how the “end of reading” has profound implications for our society—and for the church, too.
Books
Posted inBooks
‘Winnie the Pooh’ made A. A. Milne rich—but not for the reasons he wanted.
A. A. Milne created “Winnie the Pooh” and all his fantastical friends—but was also a novelist, playwright, screenwriter and, by many accounts, a disappointed intellectual.
Posted inBooks
Review: Columbia’s former president on Trump’s ‘existential threat’ to universities
In his new book ‘University: A Reckoning,’ Lee Bollinger grapples with the reality that universities across the country are facing—one characterized by challenges to their independence from what he labels “authoritarian” attacks.
Posted inIdeas
No one reads anymore. But you should if you want to be a good Catholic.
If we really are entering a postliterate culture, what does that mean for faith?
Posted inCatholic Book Club
Caryll Houselander: Britain’s ‘rocking-horse Catholic’ and bohemian disciple
The writings of Caryll Houselander, a mid-century British artist, poet and spiritual writer, remain for many a treasure trove of honest reflections on faith.
Posted inNews
Pope Leo quotes Bob Dylan song in book foreword calling for nuclear disarmament
In a new essay, Pope Leo cited lyrics from an unpublished 1963 song by Bob Dylan, “Go Away You Bomb” and he praised Dorothy Day as an example of someone who worked for peace.
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JD Vance can tell a story of conversion. But of communion—not quite yet.
JD Vance’s story suggests he has taken from the church its beauty, its authority and its pedigree but the pews and the people in them he has largely left behind.
Posted inIdeas
The Faulkner novel that will help you better understand the Eucharist
The next time you go to receive Communion, you are not just remembering Christ. Rather, through the anamnesis of the Eucharist, you are living in the eternally present story of Christ’s sacrifice.
Posted inCatholic Book Club
‘America’ magazine’s most compelling Fourth of July musings over the years
As we all prepare for the 4th of July, going through some of America’s past commentaries provides some curious glimpses of the preoccupations and hopes of other generations.
Posted inBooks
Beach reads, old faves and some seriously hefty tomes: The ‘America’ summer reading list
Some of our recommendations are great beach reads; some are serious history books; and one of them is an old encyclical, because Jesuits gonna Jesuit.