Our Lord teaches us to pray that God’s will be done “on earth as it is in Heaven.” But I sometimes fancy that we (and I know for certain that I) have seldom given any thought to what that means. Â I think that, in part, it’s because we don’t quite know what to make … Read more
Roughly a century ago, a modernist scholar complained that Jesus came to proclaim the kingdom of God, but instead all we got was a lousy Church. He’s probably not the only person to have felt a bit disappointed, nor the only one to form the conviction that the Church is a tragic letdown, a mistake, … Read more
Many Catholics are satisfied with mediocrity. They know that they’re morally imperfect, yet make no effort to change their ways. They fulfill their Easter obligation and call it a day. Â This is a far cry from what Jesus called Christians to in the gospels. When Christ encountered the woman caught in adultery, after saving … Read more
This morning I sent my column on the future of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process to Michael Sean Winters — a writer at America magazine — in the spirit of collegiality. What I got in return is the implication on the America blog that I am either anti-Semitic or am aiding the rise of anti-Semitism among … Read more
In Monday’s meeting at the White House, President Barack Obama strongly urged Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to reopen the peace process toward a two-state solution with the Palestinians. Obama also told Netanyahu, with surprising bluntness, “Settlements have to be stopped.” The response from Netanyahu was ambiguous. At first he said he would pursue the … 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
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
The Holy Father, his entourage, and the international media are preparing to visit the Holy Land May 8-15. Pope Benedict XVI will undoubtedly encourage further peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians. But the prospect of a two-state solution to the ongoing conflict has become more remote, as the situation on the ground is constantly changing. … Read more
Palestinian Christians are wondering aloud whether the upcoming visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the Holy Land will bring greater media attention to their dwindling numbers. They fear that, at the top, the pope’s agenda will be dominated by his continuing effort to smooth the ruffled feathers of Muslims (after his2006 Regensburg speech) … Read more
Over dinner at the Ambassador Hotel in East Jerusalem, I talked with Danny Seidemann, a Jewish man from upstate New York who moved to Israel as a youth more than 30 years ago. Danny is recognized worldwide as an expert on the religious and cultural differences that divide, and potentially unite, Jerusalem. “The Christian community … Read more
Despite the inevitable self-aggrandizement that comes at the beginning of a new administration, and the self-congratulations that come at the end, the world has yet to see the kind of long-lasting, U.S.-brokered political change in the Holy Land that will realistically assure either the Palestinians or the Israelis the security to live their lives and … Read more
Some time ago, a bumper sticker appeared urging us to "Support your labor union: the people who brought you the weekend." The folks who dreamed up the ad campaign seem never to have heard of the Third Commandment. For, of course, it was God who invented the weekend. The idea of a Sabbath rest … Read more
"Exodus" is the Greek name for the second book of the Bible. In Hebrew, it is called the Book of Names. That’s because, like Catholic encyclicals, the Hebrew books of the Bible are titled by the opening words of the book: "These are the names . . . ." It is fitting that … Read more
 The tricky thing about the Ten Commandments is figuring out how to break them up. The original Hebrew text refers to them as (pedantry alert!) the “Ten Words” but doesn’t do all that tidy stuff with the tablets and the Roman numerals clearly delineating where one commandment leaves off and another starts. As a … Read more
When Mary and Joseph found Jesus in the temple discussing with the elders the ancient law of Israel, they did not understand what they had seen, nor what He meant when He said, “Did you not know that I must be about my father’s business?” Yet we are told that His mother “kept all these … Read more
Last week, startled by the vehemence some Catholics expressed against Israel on her blog in the wake of the attack on Gaza, Dawn Eden noted a vital point about magisterial guidance when it comes to thinking about Israel’s right to exist: As a Jewish convert to Catholicism who desires ardently that everyone, especially my loved … Read more
Israel’s 13-day war in Gaza endeavors “to teach Hamas a lesson” and to defend southern Israel against its missiles. It’s highly unlikely the Israeli bombing and ground attack — which has resulted in nearly 700 dead, including 300 civilians — will achieve these objectives. Why? Because it has been tried before, and it failed. In … Read more
The situation in Gaza is a tragedy whose denouement is approaching. Over the past two days Israeli air strikes have killed nearly 300 Palestinians — over 700 have been wounded. Israeli tanks are ready to attack and 6,500 reservists have been called up in case the conflict intensifies. Israel is calling this retaliation for Hamas’ … Read more
Ex Aegypto vocavi filium meum. “Out of Egypt have I called my son.” We all know this quote from having heard, year after year, the Gospel readings in connection with Christmas and the events that follow it. The Holy Family had to flee to Egypt from Herod, who was about to mount the Slaughter of … Read more
Bound up with the biblical understanding of God from the get-go is the conviction (one almost wants to call it the foregone conclusion) that God knows the future. Â This isn’t always necessarily the case with those delightful works of pagan imagination called “the gods.” In some pagan myths, one gets the impression that the … Read more