Magazine

The permanent diaconate a reality in the ecclesial structure of the church in the United States since its renewal by the Second Vatican Council has been the topic of several volumes in the Paulist Press Deacon rsquo s Library series Kenan Osborne O F M emeritus professor of systematic theology

In the Los Angeles area a community of observant Jews wants to bring picnic baskets to the beach on Saturdays Surprisingly this has put them at odds with both the Sierra Club and the staff of the California Coastal Commission According to Talmud a Jew may not schlep anything outside his home on

Early Christian literature both Greek and Latin tells us that there is a long history of Christian women living in celibate communities of prayer and service By the end of the fourth century at least such communities were not unusual and through the Middle Ages in the West womens monastic est

It is no secret that we Americans live in a materialistic culture For some people the pursuit of wealth and possessions seems to function as a kind of religion substitute The Old Testament wisdom books and the New Testament writings have some wise things to say about money and possessions While a

ldquo Faith is the realization of what is hoped for rdquo Heb 11 1 Faith and hope are two of the theological virtues They are called theological because they have their origin and goal in God While theologians make precise distinctions between them in the Bible they tend to blend together be

Where have all the book reviews gone?

Stiff Upper LipThe British are famous for their steadiness in the midst of crisis. Londoners had their finest hour as they endured the blitz in 1940 with the proverbial stiff upper lip. Over the past three decades they endured numerous terrorist bombings by the I.R.A. and the assassination of Lord L