To say that a 21- or 22-year-old has “completed” his education seems odd. Several years ago, my brother and his wife invited some guests over. One mistakenly asked me, in my brother’s hearing, about my “background.” I explained that I graduated from high school in 1945, spent a semester at Santa Clara, then a year … Read more
Over Lent, we took a good long look at one of the legs of Catholic moral teaching: the Ten Commandments. Â Some people have the notion that the Ten Commandments are pretty much all you need for Catholic moral teaching. Hew to them and you’ll be a moral person — and being a moral person … Read more
When it comes to Pope Benedict XVI’s visit in Jerusalem this week, there is much skepticism on both sides of the Israeli wall. The average Israeli “doesn’t care” about the pope’s trip, says Gershon Baskin, president of the Israeli Palestinian Center for Research and Information. The expectation is that the pope will say something about … Read more
 A popular pastime among Catholic commentators lately could be called “counting the bishops.” In the last election, we counted the bishops who spoke out regarding their document on voting, “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” or on the qualifications of Barack Obama as a Catholic candidate. With the latest controversy over the upcoming Notre Dame … Read more
In this Crisis Magazine classic, Thomas E. Woods, Jr. cuts through secular nonsense about religion’s alleged threat to civilization and progress. Â Â It’s the same argument we’ve heard so many times before, except now with increasing frequency and intensity: The world’s troubles are caused by religion. If only people would at last abandon these … Read more
I had a fleeting desire to see the newish movie Watchmen, until I heard that it was yet another in the genre of “let’s peel off the facade of the world and get down to the truthiest truth underneath, which is, of course, stench and corruption.” This must be an awfully old theme. Older even … Read more
“For this one night, Jesus is in the tomb.” These words, spoken to me by a priest on Holy Thursday, haunted my soul as the doors of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem were locked and I found myself spending the night in the tomb of Christ, which functions as the altar of … Read more
If you are one of the very few people left who has not viewed the video of Susan Boyle singing “I Dreamed a Dream” on Britain‘s Got Talent, then you must do so immediately, or nothing I have to say will stick to your soul. If you are one of the tens of millions who … Read more
An op-ed published in the New York Times on Tuesday by veteran Vatican reporter John L. Allen Jr. lists four ways Pope Benedict XVI can “move things forward in the Middle East.” He recommends the Holy Father endorse the two-state solution, call upon Palestinians to reject extremism, urge support for Holy Land Christians, and advise … Read more
In this Crisis Magazine classic, Mary Jo Anderson looks at the qualities that make a great bishop… and points to those strengths in action. Â Â Notwithstanding the sex-abuse scandal that has buffeted the Catholic Church in the United States, Catholics genuinely admire bishops whose courage and dedication have made a difference in their dioceses. … Read more
There we were, the four of us: me; an academic colleague of mine; a 60-something, salt o’ the earth, sarcastic Yankee pastor; and a smart Midwestern seminarian on the brink of ordination. The beer was flowing freely — into my glass, anyway — and we were having the kind of conversation laymen have with priests … Read more
Last week, we started looking at the broad movement among some conservatives (including Catholics) over the past several years to excuse, minimize, defend, and champion the use of torture by the U.S. government in the “War on Terror.” Among Catholics, in particular, the conversation has taken place at multiple levels, since the Catholic torture defender … Read more
Bishop Thomas Wenski celebrated a Mass of Reparation this past Sunday in Orlando at the Cathedral of St. James. Although the Mass was offered in reparation for transgressions “against the dignity and sacredness of human life,” the one specific transgression prompting the liturgy was the decision by the University of Notre Dame to invite President … Read more
Our local barber shop is run by a cheery woman named Pearl who knows everyone in town. She waves at them all as they walk past the big window where you sit to have your hair cut. Pearl’s assistant is Ethel. Some months ago I noticed a Bible in an open cupboard at her end … Read more
One of the unfortunate byproducts of the fact that, for many years now, nobody has studied Latin in school is this: Hardly anybody remembers Cicero and the conspiracy of Catiline. If we could remember this, it would be helpful in thinking about what those on the American Right call “enhanced interrogation” and those on the … Read more
In this Crisis Magazine classic, Mark P. Shea shows why honoring Mary is the most natural thing for a Christian to do.  It has to be one of the strangest things in the world: So many Christians who love Jesus with all their hearts recoil in fear at the mention of His mother’s name, … Read more
Celebrities do it. Bloggers do it. Politicians do it. And everyday Catholics do it, too. Â It’s Twitter, of course. Â Do you tweet? Do you twitter? Do you spend time with tweeple in the twitterverse? Do you have any idea what I am talking about? Â As a writer and a blogger, I started … Read more
I am drowning in a flood of delightful new releases that will enrich your spring listening. However, this month I will concentrate on several outstanding 20th-century symphonic cycles. Â First, a complete set of Rued Langgaard’s 16 symphonies on the Dacapo label in wonderful sound, with gripping performances by the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, under … Read more
Thanks to the irruption of Christianity within the history of this planet, the question of Church and State will not go away. It might have done, had Charles Martel failed to stop the Umayyad conquest of Europe at the Battle of Tours; for there is no equivalent distinction between “Mosque and State” in Islam. Or, … Read more
Rev. Stephen Sizer probably knows more about Christian Zionism than anyone in the world. At least, it seemed that way as we sat in the coffee shop at a Border’s bookstore in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Reverend Sizer has been an Anglican priest for 30 years, serving a parish in the UK with the quaint name … Read more
