Christiansen, S.J

F IT’S OCTOBER, with the feast of St. books published by small presses, books Francis near, can America’s literary that rarely come with an advertising or America editor be far behind? promotion budget. New City Press has Published by Jesuits of the United States Yes, readers, another fall publish- just released two: Sister Earth: Creation, Iing season is upon us; and we take this Ecology & the Spirit, by Dom Hélder Editor in Chief occasion—the first of two—to introduce Câmara, and Pathways to Community, by Drew Christiansen, S.J. you to some of its highlights. The books Bishop Robert F. Morneau. Each is a reviewed herein cover theology, memoir, thin paperback containing 28 reflec- EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT history, biography and poetry. Kathleen tions, in keeping with the series of Norris, Richard McBrien and Mary which they are a part, A Meditation a Managing Editor Oliver join others in the fall lineup. Day for a Span of Four Weeks. Câmara Robert C. Collins, S.J. To answer the many questions I am reflects on our role as co-creators; Editorial Director asked, the process of selecting books to Morneau writes on prudence, justice, Karen Sue Smith be reviewed in our pages remains the fortitude and temperance. Online Editor same. I pore over catalogs from a multi- Sundays With Jesus: Reflections for the tude of publishers, some large, some Year of Mark, by America House’s own Maurice Timothy Reidy small, some distinguished, some obscure. James DiGiacomo, S.J. (Paulist Press), is Associate Editors Blocks of time, and quality time at that, a superb resource for homilists. Last Joseph A. O’Hare, S.J. have to be carved out regularly to read week’s issue of America on the coming George M. Anderson, S.J. about books that might in the end carry Synod of Bishops focused on Scripture Dennis M. Linehan, S.J. only a minimal chance of making the cut. and mission—being “doers of the Word James Martin, S.J. Even being selected for consideration, and not hearers only.” DiGiacomo is a Matt Malone, S.J. and received here as early as the publish- gifted preacher and has written widely James T. Keane, S.J. er can oblige, does not guarantee assign- and well on the subject. This paperback Peter Schineller, S.J. ment for review. compresses a wealth of practical insight, Literary Editor Easiest to interpreta- Patricia A. Kossmann decide, of tion and course, are new reflection Poetry Editor works by big Of Many Things into a rela- James S. Torrens, S.J. names and/or tively small Assistant Editor books on timely social, religious, politi- package. Be ready to take it up when Francis W. Turnbull, S.J. cal and other issues of interest to our Advent approaches. readers. But it is impossible to review Have you heard about a novel called Design and Production every worthy book because of the large The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Stephanie Ratcliffe volume of solicited and unsolicited gal- Eternity, by William P. Young? The book leys and books that cross the threshold appeared late last year, but I learned BUSINESS DEPARTMENT into our offices. To address this situa- about it only this past spring, by which Publisher tion somewhat we have begun—and will time it had soared to the top of bestseller Jan Attridge run regularly—a new section called lists. Published by Windblown Media in Chief Financial Officer Books in Brief, which will alert our paperback, it is the story of a young girl Lisa Pope readers to some other titles they might abducted from a campsite where she was want to look at. We hope this addition- spending a weekend with her father, sib- Marketing al coverage will compensate to some lings and other families. The father’s Eryk Krysztofiak extent for the recent cutbacks of book worst fear is ultimately confirmed, which Advertising sections in newspapers. shatters his already tenuous faith in God. Julia Sosa Still, the books roll off the press in So God has no choice but to intervene in record numbers. I find it amazing that in the flesh, inviting the father to spend a 106 West 56th Street these dire financial times, the level of weekend at the shack where the girl’s New York, NY 10019-3803 print output from publishers seems not to body had been discovered. Here the Ph: 212-581-4640; Fax: 212-399-3596. falter. Leave out the economy, say, and Trinitarian God comes as three of the E-mail: [email protected]; consider the expenditure of natural most unlikely persons we could expect. [email protected]. resources involved in producing and The storyline requires attentiveness on Web site: www.americamagazine.org. binding the printed word. Some day I the reader’s part. Also helpful is an open Customer Service: 1-800-627-9533. should give you a list of the actual titles mind and heart. The writing is brisk and © 2008 America Press, Inc. of some books; reading them aloud at the well paced. This, in a word, is a book of office always provides some moments of wonder; it rekindles faith and makes us hilarity. Besides titles, there are subjects think about God’s relationship with Cover photo Tatyana Borodina that, in my view, could appeal only to an humanity, and about suffering and death. extremely limited readership (a history of This season, no matter your literary Correction: The photo credit for Of Many salt, anyone?). preferences, “get caught reading.” Things of Sept. 29 should have read: Snug I try from time to time to mention Patricia A. Kossmann Harbor Cultural Center. www.americamagazine.org Vol. 199 No. 10, Whole No. 4829 October 6, 2008

13 Articles Conscience and the Catholic Voter 13 Mary Ann Walsh Conscience is more than a mere “feeling” about what we should do or not do. It’s God’s own voice revealing what we must do.

Fall Books 26

Current Comment 4 19 Editorial Bailout and Equity 5 Signs of the Times 8 Life in the 00s 10 Déjà Vu on Wall Street Terry Golway Faith in Focus Days of Awe Arthur Schneier 19 Letters 44 The Word 47 God’s Banquet Daniel J. Harrington

This week @ An audio interview with Kathleen Norris and, from the archives, Rev. Richard P. McBrien on “What Theology Is and Is Not.” Plus, Mark Judge on love, theology America Connects and rock ’n’ roll. All at americamagazine.org. Current Comment

ty. Two years ago in California, nearly half of all public Mary’s Smile school students were Latino, and many such children Much of the media coverage of Pope Benedict XVI’s attend school in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, recent visit to France focused on his more overtly political Colorado, Illinois, Florida and New York. Although more talks, including his desire for a “positive laïcité” in the than half of all Latino students in the nation are attending country. But during his visit to Lourdes to mark the 150th schools in Texas or California this fall, Latinos, especially anniversary of the apparitions to St. Bernadette Soubirous, the foreign-born, are moving rapidly to other parts of the the pope spoke in a more devotional mode. Standing country, where local schools may be less prepared for before the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, Benedict them. reminded the faithful that one of the first “acts” of Mary To be effective, educators must take into account three toward Bernadette was a simple, personal gesture. “Mary key dimensions of the Latino student profile: first, most first taught Bernadette to know her smile, this being the live in two-parent households. The rate is 71 percent most appropriate point of entry into the revelation of her among U.S.-born students of immigrant parents, which is mystery. In the smile of the most eminent of all creatures, a little higher than that of non-Latino white students and looking down on us, is reflected our dignity as children of much higher than non-Latino black students (30 percent). God, that dignity which never abandons the sick person.” Second, more than a quarter of Latino children live in Benedict’s combination of a scholarly approach to poverty. Third, 7 in 10 speak a language other than worldly questions and his embrace of something as “other- English at home. Taking these factors into account could worldly” as apparitions underlines the fine balance that a help schools and local communities reach out to the next Catholic must maintain. Involvement in real-world issues majority. does not mean that one does not believe in the possibility of things that intellectuals sometimes reject—like apparitions and miracles. At the same time, the church is not Relics Secular and Sacred credulous. Shortly before the pope’s visit to Lourdes, the Nonbelievers are not the only ones who smile at or even Vatican announced that it was initiating steps to avoid ridicule Catholics for their veneration of relics. Even non- “excesses and abuses” in the church’s acceptance of appari- Catholic Christians criticize Catholics for this strand of tions, and it disciplined one of the main spiritual directors our tradition. Yet when one reads about the dollars paid for the original visionaries at Medjugorje, a popular shrine for a piece of Yankee Stadium, one begins to wonder. that has been viewed with some suspicion in Rome. Bene- Memorabilia have become big business, with stores that dict’s words at Lourdes show once again that reason and sell sport, pop star and Civil War memorabilia. Might one faith are complementary. call them relics? Devoted fans pay $869 to carry away two seats from Shea Stadium. Bases go for $1,500. Dirt from the razed The Coming New Majority Tiger Stadium sells for $20. A urinal from Busch stadium This fall, more Latino students will take a seat in our went for $2,220. Total sales of memorabilia from that late nation’s public schools than ever before: 10 million chil- stadium added up to $5.4 million. But New York is unusu- dren, one of every five enrolled in kindergarten through al: the sale of Yankee Stadium memorabilia is expected to high school. That total has nearly doubled since 1990, amount to $50 million. according to a recent report by the Pew Hispanic Center, Baseball stars themselves want a piece of the action. and it is expected to double again by 2050—to 28 million. On the last night at the House That Ruth Built, Don If it does, Latinos would then make up the majority of the Larsen, Mariano Rivera and many others reached down to U.S. school-age population. Are public schools adequately scoop handfuls of dirt from the pitching mound into plas- prepared to teach them? Do teachers and parents under- tic cups. stand Latino cultures, the bilingual family and the particu- Something in the human psyche does not want to let lar needs such students may have? Are those who are not go but to remember, to keep continuity with the best of Latino preparing themselves to acknowledge Latinos as our past. We need ways to remember the good, the true the new majority, and to see themselves as members of a and the enjoyable—not all that different from the Catholic minority group? tradition, which for centuries has venerated the bones and Already, regions with large Latino populations are clothing of its heroes in holiness. Perhaps veneration of adapting to the bi- or multilingual and multicultural reali- saints’ relics was simply a bit ahead of the times.

4 October 6, 2008 America Editorial Bailout and Equity

HE AUGUST INVESTMENT FIRM of ly the reasonableness of mortgage-backed securities. Lehman Brothers, founded in 1850, Indeed, William H. Donaldson, a Republican who served weathered the American Civil War, two as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, World Wars and the Great Depression. resigned his post after the Bush White House resisted his Yet over a few days in September, the firm pleas for greater regulatory oversight. Tcollapsed in the wake of the credit crisis that has roiled The debacle offers a warning to those who place their financial markets around the world. It was one of several faith in a market system free of regulation. The “efficient stunning developments that included the sale of the venera- market hypothesis”—the notion that the market optimally ble Merrill Lynch and the transformation of Morgan allocates resources—assumes that full information will Stanley and Goldman Sachs into bank holding companies, enable investors to weigh risk carefully when making as well as the government’s near-takeover of the mortgage investment decisions. On this assumption, poorly perform- behemoths Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the insurance ing C.E.O.’s and fund managers would be penalized by giant American International Group. On Sept. 19 Treasury falling stock prices and poor financial reports. Yet when Secretary Henry Paulson Jr. asked Congress to allow the the information is so complicated that few—even those on government to purchase $700 billion worth of problem boards of directors—can understand what is being traded, mortgages to put an end to the crisis. Overall, the govern- we see what economists all too coolly call “market failure.” ment bailouts could deliver a bill of $1 trillion. In such circumstances governments must regulate. Certainly there is enough blame to go around. Exper- ienced C.E.O.’s of giant financial institutions should have GIVEN THE GLOBALIZATION OF DEBT in today’s financial net- known better than to risk investors’ assets in complex works, Secretary Paulson’s proposal for a bailout is necessary financial instruments that few people understood. Robert to avert a worldwide economic meltdown. The failure of Rubin, the Treasury secretary under President Bill Clinton, mortgage brokers, investment houses and A.I.G. makes the told “The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer” that most people future prospects for ordinary people ever more precarious. who deal with these instruments “probably do not fully The cost of the bailout will also make the government less understand all the risks that are embedded in those instru- capable of assisting the needy both at home and abroad for a ments that can materialize under unusual circumstances.” very long time. Even before the present crisis, the rise in the These ill-understood instruments were then bundled and price of foodstuffs and gasoline had precipitated food riots sold multiple times, like hot potatoes, to other investors. around the world. Saving the financial institutions will pro- C.E.O.’s were not the only ones who profited from the vide only a limited cushion for those always most vulnera- “credit culture.” Ordinary people grew complacent in the ble—the poor and the lower-middle class. Here in the growing value of their single major asset, their homes, and United States, they will find it harder to obtain home mort- refinancing became commonplace across the middle class. gages. Globally, the millennial hope of cutting world poverty Loan officers offered mortgages to customers who were not in half by 2015 will almost certainly become a faded dream. credit-worthy. This practice preyed on the poor, but for oth- Still, as the bailout endeavors to prevent an even more ers it fostered a credit culture in which speculating in real dire collapse, steps must be taken to prevent worsening estate was as easy as visiting the nearest bank. Popular televi- impoverishment at home and abroad. Without equity, sion shows, like A&E’s “Flip This House,” promoted get- there will be no financial stability. The test of leadership rich-quick schemes for the middle and upper classes. will be to articulate a new design for the economy predi- Since the days of the Carter administration, deregula- cated on human solidarity, in which the costs will be fairly tion has been a bipartisan policy. Regulation during the allocated and the benefits shared by all. For the burdens Clinton and Bush administrations, however, was particu- must be borne for generations to come. It will take rare larly lax. As long as the Dow kept rising, both were reluc- honesty, an exceptional degree of persuasion and an tant to place any restrictions on new financial instruments. unswerving sense of justice to lead the nation on a new The present administration could, for example, have path. It is time to pull together for the common good. empowered the Treasury Department to study more close- Self-interest has had its day and has failed us all.

October 6, 2008 America 5 Signs of the Times

ciature, a building Catholics have been Church Officials Charge: Conspiracy Behind Violence trying to have returned to them. Local church sources told the Asian church different parts of the news agency UCA News that beginning country on a daily basis,” early on the morning of Sept. 19 hun- Babu Joseph, of the dreds of local police, mobile units and Society of the Divine plainclothes security officials erected iron Word, who is barriers blocking off the street from the spokesman for the former nunciature. Two trucks and a Catholic Bishops’ crane were taken into the compound, Conference of India, they said, and workers toppled the iron told Catholic News fence in front of the building in the Service. morning and moved some furniture out Though some of the of it. State-run media reported that dis- attacks look sporadic, trict government authorities announced with incidents reported their construction plan at the nunciature from different areas, on Sept. 18, saying they would develop a Father Joseph pointed flower garden on the 1,370-square-yard out that “there is a clear compound. The nunciature building will conspiracy to terrorize be repaired and renovated for use as a the Christian communi- library, the report said. Authorities con- ty.” Dozens of attacks fiscated the building in 1959, after which have been reported since the Vatican’s delegate to Vietnam shifted Swami Laxmanananda to Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City, in Saraswati, leader of what was then South Vietnam. Hindu nationalist groups in Orissa, was Consecrated hosts lie scattered on the floor next to a van- shot dead by Maoist Cardinal Urges Congress dalized tabernacle at St. James Catholic Church in a suburb rebels Aug. 23. to Reject Abortion Bill of Bangalore, India, Sept. 21. “I publicly say we are deeply hurt. The church Declaring that “we can’t reduce abortions Church officials and others say there in Karnataka is wounded,” Archbishop by promoting abortion,” the chairman of is a “clear conspiracy behind the sud- Bernard Moras of Bangalore, chair- the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life den upsurge in the atrocities commit- man of the Karnataka Catholic Activities has urged members of ted against Christian targets in differ- Bishops’ Council, told the state’s chief Congress to reject the proposed Freedom ent parts of India.” “We are really minister, B. S. Yeddyurappa, Sept. 22. of Choice Act. In a Sept. 19 letter, distressed to see that atrocities on “There is surely a conspiracy to ter- Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia said Christians are being reported from rorize the Christians.” the legislation “would counteract any and all sincere efforts by government to reduce abortions in our country,” force Israeli Rabbi to Address love, coexistence and peace for genera- all Americans to subsidize abortion with Bishops’ Synod on Word tions,” Rabbi Cohen told Catholic News their tax dollars and overturn “modest Service in an interview in his Jerusalem restraints and regulations on the abortion The Vatican invitation to participate in office in late September. “We see in [the] industry” in all 50 states. The Freedom the upcoming World Synod of Bishops invitation a kind of declaration that [the of Choice Act was introduced in both the on the Bible is a “signal of hope,” said church] intends to continue with the poli- House and Senate April 19, 2007, the day Israeli Rabbi Shear-Yashuv Cohen, who cy and doctrine established by Pope John after the Supreme Court upheld the con- will lead a one-day discussion on the XXIII and Pope John Paul II, and we stitutionality of the Partial-Birth Jewish interpretation of the Scriptures. appreciate very deeply this declaration.” Abortion Ban Act in Gonzales v. Carhart. Rabbi Cohen, co-chairman of the Israeli- Although no action has been taken in Vatican dialogue commission and chief New Tensions for either house of Congress since then, “the rabbi of Haifa, is the first non-Christian Catholic bishops of the United States are ever invited to address the Synod of Vietnam Catholics gravely concerned about any possible Bishops. He will speak the second day of Government authorities in Vietnam have consideration” of the legislation in the the Oct. 5-26 synod at the Vatican. The started a construction project for a park final weeks of the 110th Congress, invitation “brings with it a message of and library at the former apostolic nun- Cardinal Rigali said.

8 America October 6, 2008 Signs of the Times

Donations Fall elsewhere have averaged only $159 each the Nov. 4 election would continue a for Storm Relief from fewer than 1,000 supporters, longtime tradition of presidential candi- Hvidston reported. Meanwhile, Catholic dates addressing the annual fundraising Destruction from the hurricanes and Relief Services has raised around $1 mil- dinner, a tradition that has been followed tropical storms that have devastated U.S. lion for emergency aid for Cubans and off and on in recent years. Cardinal communities and Caribbean nations in Haitians affected during this hurricane Edward M. Egan of New York, who will the past few months has exceeded the season, but have fallen $1.5 million short preside at the dinner, called it “a splendid damage Hurricane Katrina inflicted on of the agency’s fundraising goal for those opportunity to recall the spirit of ‘the New Orleans in 2005, but donations for Caribbean nations, said Mark Melia, happy warrior,’ Gov. Al Smith.” The relief efforts this time are drastically less. deputy vice president for charitable giv- annual dinner, now in its 63rd year, and “I believe a combination of the recent ing for the international relief agency. the Smith Foundation have raised mil- economic crisis and the media attention, lions to provide support for the sick, poor or lack thereof, have presented challenges Candidates to Address and underprivileged in the New York to us,” said Patricia Hvidston, senior Al Smith Dinner area. In statements released by the New director of development for Catholic York Archdiocese, both Mr. McCain and Charities USA. “We have gotten dona- The Democratic and Republican presi- Mr. Obama said they looked forward to tions, and we’re grateful to everyone who dential nominees both have agreed to be the event. has made donations, but it’s significantly guest speakers at the Al Smith dinner lower than the response to Katrina.” Oct. 16 in New York, the Archdiocese of Donations to Catholic Charities in New York announced Sept. 17. The Feuerherd Named response to Katrina averaged $890 each archdiocese said Senator Barack Obama Publisher of N.C.R. from more than 180,000 contributors, and Senator John McCain would “share Joe Feuerherd, but donations in response to the series of nonpartisan good humor before an audi- who during the storms that have crippled communities ence of civic, business and social leaders.” past 24 years has along the Gulf of Mexico, Florida and The joint appearance three weeks before filled a variety of roles at The Bishops Issue Ritual Book for Quinceañeras National Catholic Reporter, ranging published the from intern to bilingual Washington cor- “Order of the respondent, has Blessing on the been appointed publisher and editor in Fifteenth chief of the paper. The appointment was Birthday,” announced Sept. 15 by Patrick Waide Jr., designed to chairman of the N.C.R. board of direc- help U.S. com- tors. N.C.R. is an independent Catholic munities cele- newspaper based in Kansas City, Mo. brate this ritual Feuerherd succeeds Rita Larivee, S.S.A., within and out- who was elected in August as general side Mass, superior of her religious order, the Sisters according to a of St. Ann. Sister Rita had been publisher press release. for four years. Prior to that, she was associate publisher for seven years. “The Yaritza Alcazar, 15, is escorted down the aisle during her “quinceañera” In a state- board is pleased to have attracted to the at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in San Diego. ment, Allan Figueroa publisher position an experienced jour- “Quinceañera,” the coming-of-age cel- Deck, S.J., executive director of the nalist who is well versed in the publishing ebration for girls turning 15 years old, U.S.C.C.B.’s Secretariat of Cultural options available today via the Internet,” has long been a tradition in Latino Diversity in the Church, emphasized said Mr. Waide in announcing Mr. families in the United States and a the importance of developing a ritual Feuerherd’s appointment. “We are also number of Spanish-speaking countries that “helps Latino Catholics celebrate impressed with Joe’s strong commitment as a rite of passage from childhood to their cultural heritage and build new throughout his adult life to peace and jus- adolescence. The custom expresses bridges to other Catholics in their tice issues, as well as to the documents thanksgiving to God for the gift of life communities.” The “quinceañera” ritu- and spirit of Vatican II.” and asks for a blessing for the years al book may be ordered online at ahead. On Sept. 19 the U.S. bishops www.usccbpublishing.org. From CNS and other sources. CNS photos.

October 6, 2008 America 9 Life in the 00s

would assume that somewhere in the

board rooms of corporate America and in

Déjà Vu on Wall Street the polished offices of leading politicians, somebody somewhere remembers hearing The meltdown‘ of venerable about how banks collapsed following their deregulated binge, and how it took laws investment‘ houses might have been like Glass-Steagall to restore the nation’s confidence in its economic system. anticipated. Well, perhaps the 1930s are just, like, so yesterday. Perhaps the 21st century’s S A WRITER and teacher of The problem is that every generation hard-charging business leaders and politi- history, I constantly have to seems surprised to learn that it can happen cians simply do not see the connection grapple with the skepticism again, that history has not been suspended, between the two eras of bank failures. Fair of friends, editors and, yes, that the modern world has not solved the enough. How about the late 1980s, when students who invariably ask a problems that have plagued capitalism and after another round of deregulation the Adreaded two-word question: Who cares? commerce over the centuries. nation’s savings and loan associations went This is a variation on the cheerful senti- The world, Senator Daniel Patrick belly up thanks to bad investments, impru- ments that Henry Ford expressed in the Moynihan once observed, is a dangerous dent choices and greedy leadership? The early 20th century, as his Model T’s place, but many people seem surprised to S&L scandal cost the taxpayers billions to were transforming American culture. learn that this is so. He was referring more clean up. But, it was said at the time, a “History is bunk,” Ford famously said. to the international scene than to domes- stern lesson was learned: Dogmatic dereg- His view is not without adherents all tic events, but a variation of his formula ulation is bad for business! these years later. would seem appropriate now. The world The collapse of the dot-com craze of When I am asked why anybody is a dangerous and greedy place. And the late 1990s did not result in a catastro- ought to care about the past when the regrettably, many powerful people have phe like today’s. But it surely was a conse- present has more than enough excite- chosen to believe that there is no connec- quence of the belief by business leaders ment, anxiety and pleasure, my answer is tion between danger and greed. that they were smarter than their prede- a variation of George Santayana’s maxim Who are these naïve people? For cessors, that they had found a way to make that those who do not understand histo- starters, they are the members of the business cycle an anachronism. They ry are doomed to repeat it. That canned Congress who “reformed” the financial were rather surprised to learn that they response rarely leaves me satisfied, or my industry eight years ago when they abol- were not the first to delude themselves in inquisitors convinced. ished the Glass-Steagall Act, an early New such a way. And yet, didn’t Santayana have it Deal initiative that established a wall sepa- So we are left with the grim headlines of exactly right? The Wall Street meltdown rating the activities of insurance compa- late summer 2008. Great financial institu- surely proves that there is wisdom in even nies, investment firms and banks. The tions, shorn of the burdens of government the most overused cliché. “reform” measure was sponsored by, oversight and set free to work their for-prof- If history were taken seriously in the among others, a senator from Texas it magic in the dynamic global marketplace, business world, in the halls of Congress named Phil Gramm. He, of course, was have collapsed under the weight of their and the White House or in the editorial until recently a top economic adviser to greed, their incompetence and their impru- offices of some of the world’s most impor- Senator John McCain and was among the dence. An institution they loathe, the feder- tant newsgathering organizations, then most dogmatic deregulators of the 1980s al government, has come to the rescue—yet surely the headlines of mid-September and 90s. He was hustled to the sidelines of again. This scenario may not sound familiar would not have come as such a surprise. Campaign 2008 a few weeks ago when he to the beneficiaries of the bailout, but for The meltdown of venerable investment opined that the United States was a some of us it is, as the historian Yogi Berra houses might have been anticipated. The “nation of whiners.” This expression was put it, déjà vu all over again. panicked response of government could not considered appropriately sensitive at a Meanwhile, the legacy of the sub- have been foretold. time of economic distress, so Gramm was prime mortgage crisis will continue to Why? Because it all happened before, persuaded to sever his formal ties to the claim innocent victims. To cite just one in one way or another. The unfolding saga McCain campaign. example, more than 70 companies, includ- of greed gone wild is not new in U.S. his- The Glass-Steagall Act was just one of ing Bank of America, have stopped under- tory. Indeed, it is a theme in any honest many new laws put into place during writing loans for college students. survey of American history. something called the Great Depression. What a terrible irony: Thanks to one One would assume that most Americans industry’s ignorance, thousands of young TERRY GOLWAY is the curator of the John have some familiarity with the troubles of people may never get the chance to go to Kean Center for American History at Kean the 1930s, which were caused by the irra- college—where they might have learned a University in Union, N.J. tional exuberance of the 1920s. One little bit about history. Terry Golway

10 America October 6, 2008 October 6, 2008 America Vol. 199 No. 10, Whole No. 4829 PHOTO: CNS/SHANNON STAPLETON, REUTERS A voter casts his ballot March 3 at a polling station at St. Dominic Catholic Church in Cleveland, Ohio.

Ten things to remember this fall Conscience and the Catholic Voter – BY MARY ANN WALSH –

HE 2008 U.S. PRESIDENTIAL and Congressional elections present a chal- lenge for Catholics. Catholic voters may experience frustration because they agree with some of what the candidates seeking office say, but not with all that they espouse. The “life issues” are absolutely crucial as we make decisions. But what should voters do if an otherwise acceptable Tcandidate falls short in concern for alleviating poverty or promoting just working conditions, access to health care and affordable housing?

MARY ANN WALSH, R.S.M., is the director of media relations for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, D.C.

October 6, 2008 America 13 Catholic voters are wary when truth becomes a casualty brothers and sisters. A society that discriminates unjustly of political warfare. Instead of seeking to bring together a diminishes not only the victims of discrimination but the polarized nation, campaigns too often exacerbate divisions. society itself. Such discrimination seems to rise up whenev- For the sake of a political victory, politicians often create er people feel economic or other pressures in society. enemies, and so the positions of opponents are twisted and Our current immigration system violates those princi- missteps become a reason to pounce on them mercilessly. ples related to opposing discrimination, respecting the dig- Faced with what some call “the choice between the evil of nity of every person, defending the family and protecting two lessers,” thinking people may wonder, why vote at all. the dignity and rights of workers. We need to replace a dys- With this in mind, here are 10 things to consider during functional system with a system of immigration laws that the November election. work and can be enforced. 1. Not all issues are equal. Life issues are paramount Being informed requires keeping up-to-date with devel- among all issues because the right to life is fundamental. All opments in church teachings, such as what constitutes a just other rights are based on it. Simply put: You can never take war or whether there is such a thing as a “legitimate pre- an innocent human life. Embryonic stem cell debates are ventive strike.” Catholics must work to avoid war. People not about scientific advancement; they are about sacrificing and nations have a right to defend themselves, but any a life, however small, for possible scientific gain. The response to aggression must be proportionate. If someone church bans embryonic stem cell research because tiny shoots you, you cannot annihilate his or her whole family or human beings are sacrificed for their stem cells. Instead, the country to send a message. The Catechism of the Catholic church encourages adult stem cell research. Church also points out that the use of arms must not pro- 2. You have to work to become informed. A Catholic must be duce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminat- informed both intellectually and morally. Getting one’s ed. Given the power of nuclear weapons at a nation’s dis- head around an issue means gathering information. A key posal today, it is hard to conceive a justification for their use. source of information is the U.S. bishops’ Web site Church teaching on the death penalty also has devel- (www.faithfulcitizenship.org), which includes the text of oped in recent decades. The catechism states that the death Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political penalty is not acceptable if there are alternative means to Responsibility, by the Catholic bishops of the United States. keep a criminal from harming others. Penal sentences, such The statement explains the teachings of the church that can as life sentences without parole, protect society and make help Catholics form their consciences in order to make the death penalty seem to be based more on a desire for moral choices in public life. vengeance than for justice. Other good sources of information include the 3. God speaks through our hearts and minds. Wise decision- Catechism of the Catholic Church and its companion, the making speaks through the stirrings of the heart, which Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church. The United reflect lived experience. Hearts are moved, for example, States Catholic Catechism for Adults also provides updated when people see immigrants huddled together waiting for teaching on issues such as justice and poverty. Many employment so they can support their families. They are Catholic colleges offer programs and lectures on Catholic moved when shoppers overhear people without health social thought, and church periodicals explore contempo- insurance ask a pharmacist if a non-prescription medicine rary issues. will cure strep throat (it won’t). Hearts are moved when Principles of social justice ought to guide decision-mak- people read that a 12-year-old without dental care died of a ing. Among them is the principle that people have a right to brain infection that started as an abscessed tooth. Scriptures jobs that pay a living wage and a right to join a union. in defense of widows and orphans call us to be compassion- People have a right to affordable and accessible health care. ate, to have a preferential option for the poor. Stirrings of In 1935, when the elderly were facing an economic crisis in the heart must influence our vote. the wake of the Depression, the government under Compassionate responses move our consciences to President Franklin D. Roosevelt recognized a basic right to make moral decisions. As the bishops say in Forming a decent life, which led to the creation of the Social Security Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, conscience is more than a system. There is a comparable need today for access to mere “feeling” about what we should or should not do (and health care. it certainly does not justify doing whatever we want). Opposition to unjust discrimination is another principle Conscience is God’s own voice revealing to us what we must of social justice. Racial, ethnic and religious discrimination, do. As prideful and imperfect individuals, we can sometimes both overt and subtle, have no place in society. Catholics are mistake the voice of our own wants and desires for God’s called to defend against discrimination, whatever its roots. voice. So we must test our consciences by asking whether All are children of God, and all fellow citizens are our they are in harmony with the truths of our faith. A proper-

14 America October 6, 2008 ly developed Christian conscience will always be in accord cannot articulate a concern, but we still feel it inside. One with the teaching of the church. The bishops identify (No. sign of a gut reaction is becoming uncomfortable with an 18) three key steps to forming one’s conscience: initial decision. We cannot rest with it, or, as we sometimes say, just can’t stomach it. It does not feel right. This is a call …this begins with a willingness and openness to seek to reconsider a decision or a usual way of acting, to consid- the truth and what is right by studying Sacred er whether we have formed our conscience. Having done Scripture and the teaching of the Church as con- so, we need to reflect on what God is calling us to do. In tained in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It is politics it means questioning traditional party loyalty also important to examine the facts and background because we sense something is just not right. information about various choices. Finally, prayerful 7. Politics is the art of the possible. Voters need to evaluate reflection is essential to discern the will of God. the likely effectiveness of proposed policies and whether a candidate is fully committed to them and can act on them. 4. Fidelity to conscience is more important than party loyalty. “These decisions should take into account a candidate’s Thinking Catholics cannot blindly accept party platforms commitments, character, integrity, and ability to influence a or the positions of candidates. We have to examine all the given issue. In the end, this is a decision to be made by each issues before voting. Saying, “I always vote Democratic” (or Catholic guided by a conscience formed by Catholic moral Republican) is an easy but unintelligent approach. teaching” (Faithful Citizenship, No. 37). 5. Simplistic reasoning is simpleminded. It can be difficult 8. Your neighbor can be an ocean away. As the world grows to see clearly in an election year. Voter guides abound, but smaller, the neighborhood does not stop at the corner or many are written from a particular political persuasion and even the shore. Global solidarity is a fact of modern life. some manipulate church teachings to support a partisan Such awareness should prompt actions to prevent interna- cause. The publications of some religious groups read like tional violence. The motto of the Catholic Campaign for the Democratic or Republican Party at prayer. Simplistic Human Development, “If you want peace, work for justice,” voter guides that view life as a series of black-and-white rings truer every day. Poverty and discrimination breed choices are unrealistic. Life is not that easy. social unrest. Until ordinary Americans face their obligation 6. Gut feelings may be your conscience speaking. Often we to help not only those in need here but also those abroad,

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“Henold proves decisively that there has indeed been a vibrant movement of Catholic feminism since the 1960s. It … still impacts Catholics who continue to pursue a vision of an inclusive church on the inside and outside edges of institutional Catholicism.” —Rosemary Radford Ruether, Claremont Graduate University and School of Theology 304 pages $32.00 cloth Reminding baptized Catholics we’re all missionaries. “Anyone who thinks they knowow tthehe sstorytory ofof thethe AmericanAmerican Society for the Propagation of Faith + Holy Childhood Association women’s movement or of modern American Catholicism Society of St. Peter Apostle + Missionary Union of Priests and Religious should read Mary Henold’s book.” —Ann Braude, author of Sisters and Saints: Women and World Mission Sunday - October 19, 2008 American Religion the university of north carolina press Monsignor John E. Kozar + National Director + 366 fifth Avenue + New York, NY 10001 212-563-8700 + www.onefamilyinmission.org at bookstores or 800-848-6224 | www.uncpress.unc.edu | visit uncpressblog.com

October 6, 2008 America 15 the United States will leave itself vulnerable to smoldering REST • REFLECT • RENEW rage all over the globe. The Ministry to Ministers 9. The political process begins long before you pull the lever in the voting booth. In the Internet age, political involvement Sabbatical Program can be a matter of a few keystrokes. It is not overly time- consuming to answer polls, send messages and ask the hard questions. It is also easy to contact campaigns and party headquarters. It takes more time, but it is even more helpful to attend rallies and discuss thoughtful questions, to bring up important issues and elevate the overall discussion. Politics is too important to leave to politicians. • Holistic Program 10. We hear God in prayer. In our noisy world it is often Theology Workshops hard to hear the voice of God. We can, however, create a Integrative Spirituality climate where we can hear God speak through our own Individual Wellness Plan • International Participants selves. Sometimes this happens in church, when we are • First Class Accommodations pulled away from life’s worries and concerns for an hour. It Private Rooms with Bath happens too whenever we can remove ourselves from the DSL Computer Connections media bombardment and other noise around us. We need to • Contemplative Setting • Located in the heart of San Antonio make time to contemplate our world and move toward an • Program Dates inner peace. We need to bring our political decisions to January 12 - May 10, 2009 God. August 17 - December 13, 2009 Standing with God leads us to do the right thing. A January 11 - May 09, 2010

Ministry to Ministers Sabbatical Program Oblate School of Theology Mark Judge on love, theology and rock ’n’ roll, at • 109 Oblate Drive • San Antonio, TX 78216-6693 americamagazine.org/connects. (210) 349-9928 • Fax (210) 349-0119 • [email protected] • www.ost.edu

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16 America October 6, 2008 Faith in Focus Days of Awe Forgiveness, atonement and the High Holy Days BY ARTHUR SCHNEIER

HE JEWISH TRADITION has conflicts in southeastern Europe, my ecu- attempt reconciliation. This law of recon- four new year observances, of menical colleagues from the Appeal of ciliation is complemented by a certain which the two most notable are Conscience Foundation and I have sought posture on the part of the injured parties, T Passover, which celebrates the to establish contact with religious commu- namely, being accepting of and merciful birth of the Jewish people, and Rosh nities between East and West who were toward those who have wronged them. Hashanah, which celebrates the birth of cut off during the cold war and to make Forgiveness without acceptance fails the world. “On this day the world was cre- use of our common belief in God to help to change the facts on the ground. ated,” we read in our Rosh Acceptance without forgiveness Hashanah liturgy. Rosh allows the perpetuation of Hashanah is a universal moment senseless martyrdom. Mercy that demands actions to bring and forgiveness together create about universal reconciliation. conditions that make relational In the Jewish tradition, reconcil- redemption possible. Just as iation entails a dual process: a God is the Av Harachaman, personal act of forgiveness by Merciful Father, so we must be the penitent and an attempt to merciful children in accepting establish a new relational order sincere apologies. between God and man and The peak of the High between man and man. Holidays is Yom Kippur, the Following Rosh Hashanah Day of Atonement (Oct. 9 this (Sept. 30 this year), Jews observe year). Atonement is the end 10 days of repentance. result of a long process of Maimonides (1135-1204), the repentance that moves from great Jewish sage, warns that it is introspection to forgiveness and insufficient merely to ask for Pope Benedict with former New York Mayor Ed Koch, left, and Rabbi culminates in reconciliation: to forgiveness; what is desired is an Arthur Schneier, right, at the Park East Synagogue in New York. be “at one” with God and man. act of reconciliation. When the process is completed, Surviving the Holocaust forced me to reconnect hostile nations. The Days of not only has the human being changed, ask myself many difficult questions. After Awe, which call for penitence, prayer and but his relationship to those around him experiencing the beast and best of man, I charity, boost our capacity to reconcile has been transformed. Yom Kippur is was in a quandary: Do I rebel against God ourselves with God and our fellow man. referred to as a “Sabbath of Sabbaths.” As or try to reconcile myself with God and a the Sabbath is a time when man reconciles failed humanity? Do I give up or sustain Making Redemption Possible himself with nature, Yom Kippur is a day my faith in man’s ability to change? I The last two decades have witnessed when man reconciles himself with God opted to pay a price for survival with a numerous historic acts of forgiveness and man. determination to build bridges with peo- ranging from governments apologizing ple who face oppression and tyranny and for the mistreatment of their citizens to Historic Acts of Forgiveness to make conciliation and reconciliation religious leaders of one faith apologizing It is the spirit of reconciliation—not just my life’s work. From helping to heal the to those of other faiths for past misdeeds. forgiveness—that stands behind the recent tensions and rifts in Northern Ireland to Apologies alone, however, do not suf- global gestures of rapprochement. The bringing together warring sides of ethnic fice. The High Holy Days require us to be evolving bonds of friendship and coopera- penitent and seek forgiveness if a wrong is tion between the Catholic Church and the RABBI ARTHUR SCHNEIER is president of the committed against God and man. Even Jewish people are historic in their ability Appeal of Conscience Foundation and after one apologizes, if the apology is not to create new social and political ties senior rabbi at the Park East Synagogue in accepted, then one must reach out to the between Jews and Catholics worldwide.

New York City. injured party on two other occasions and The Second Vatican Council’s PHOTO: CNS/GARY HERSHORN, REUTERS

October 6, 2008 America 19 “Declaration on the Relation of the behind bars, could respond to his captors’ Church to Non-Christian Religions” apologies by saying: “The moment to (1965) not only apologized for past mis- bridge the chasms that divide us has treatment but tried to reconcile come.... We enter into a covenant that we Christians with their “older brothers.” shall build the society in which all South Without its declaration that “we cannot Africans, both black and white, will be able truly call on God, the Father of all, if we to walk tall, without any fear in their refuse to treat in a brotherly way any hearts, assured of their inalienable right to man, created as he is in the image of human dignity—a rainbow nation at peace God,” we would never have witnessed with itself and the world.” Without Pope John Paul II’s visit to the Rome Nelson Mandela’s acceptance and the Synagogue and Pope Benedict XVI’s visit government’s willingness to change the to Park East Synagogue, my congrega- facts on the ground, all the apologies in tion, on the eve of this past Passover. The the world would not have sufficed. spirit of reconciliation made our meeting Conversely, we still await a true rec- possible and allows Jews and Christians onciliation among Christians, Muslims to see each other as having a shared mis- and Jews, in which peace will triumph over sion in the world. the misunderstanding and demonizing of The admissions of guilt issued by the other. Only then will Isaiah’s words Germany after the Holocaust were become a reality: “And the wolf shall dwell accepted by the State of Israel and the with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie Jewish people because they came with down with the kid” (Is 11:6). concrete measures and attitudinal changes May Rosh Hashanah, the anniversary in an outreach to the Jewish people and of the creation of the world, inspire us to the fledgling state. help perfect an imperfect world. May God Likewise, the apology issued by the spread the canopy of peace over us all. apartheid state of South Africa was May we help God establish that peace remarkable only because it was accepted through reconciliation, tolerance and by a leader who, having spent 20 years reciprocal respect. A

22 America October 6, 2008 Fall Books

tual trust to build. now a professor at Syracuse University, What Holds Us Recent interfaith outreach has not explores the proliferation of interfaith ini- been limited to Christian initiatives. A let- tiatives emerging on the American land- Together ter issued last October by 138 Muslim scape. His visits to churches, synagogues, leaders addressed to the heads of all major mosques, temples and gurudwaras (Sikh Beyond Tolerance Christian denominations captured wide places of worship) and his conversations Searching for Interfaith attention. Entitled “A Common Word with clerics and congregants are chroni- Understanding in America Between Us and You,” this document cled in the recently released Beyond By Gustav Niebuhr draws upon scriptural texts from both tra- Tolerance: Searching for Interfaith Viking. 256p $25.95 ditions, seeking to foster a conversation Understanding in America. ISBN 9780670019564 about the commonality of love of God and The seeds for this instructive and love of neighbor in Christianity and Islam. insightful study can be found in the article If the second half of the 20th century A number of those addressed, including Niebuhr and his colleagues wrote for The could be called the ecumenical era, the ini- Lambeth Palace and the Vatican, have New York Times about random attacks tial decades of this century signal the start taken steps to respond to the October let- of the interfaith era. In the years following ter. Organizations without a religious The Reviewers the promulgation of Nostra Aetate, the affiliation have also become quite active in Jane Dammen McAuliffe is president of Catholic Church took early leadership in this sphere. Institutions as diverse as the Bryn Mawr College in Bryn Mawr, Pa. outreach efforts to other religious tradi- U.S. State Department’s Office of Public tions, but it was a rather lonely leadership. Diplomacy, the World Economic Forum Rev. Robert P. Imbelli, a priest of the Archdiocese of New York, teaches systemat- Now many other Christian denomina- and the United Nations have launched ic theology at Boston College. tions have begun their own programs of programs to enhance interreligious and interreligious dialogue. Since 2002, for intercultural understanding. The social William A. Barry, S.J., is co-director of the example, an Anglican initiative convened and political concerns sparked by recent tertianship program for the New England Province of the Society of Jesus, a retreat by Archbishop Rowan Williams in collab- world events and by accelerating demo- director and editor of the periodical Human oration with Georgetown University has graphic shifts have put interfaith relations Development. sponsored an annual gathering in places on the agendas of many groups for whom Vincent Ryan is a doctoral candidate in like London, Doha, Washington, Sarajevo this subject had not previously been a medieval history at Saint Louis University. and Singapore. In both plenary assemblies focus of attention. and intensive working sessions, an invited Such institutional efforts, whether Angela O’Donnell teaches English, creative writing and Catholic studies at Fordham group of Christian and Muslim scholars international or national, form the back- University in New York City. engage in the close study of Biblical and drop for the more personal, local and Koranic passages pertinent to a particular regional investigation that this volume Paul J. Fitzgerald, S.J., associate professor of religious studies at Santa Clara theological topic. Such sustained exegeti- undertakes. Crisscrossing the United University, Calif., contributed “Married in the cal analysis can open rich veins of theolog- States and interviewing adherents of many Eyes of God: a Spirituality for Interfaith ical reflection, while the continuity of a faiths, Gustav Niebuhr, former religion Marriage” in the forthcoming Companion to core group of participants allows intellec- reporter for The New York Times and Marital Spirituality (Peeters).

26 America October 6, 2008 against Muslims, or those thought to be American Christians share the sentiments thanks to my God for all my memories of Muslims, in the immediate aftermath of of those who cannot condone any dia- you” (Phil 1:3). Paul’s eucharistic remem- Sept. 11, 2001. He found plenty of mate- logue that is not aimed at proselytization bering came repeatedly to mind while rial for that article; but he also found the and conversion. reading the Rev. John Jay Hughes’s lovely beginnings of a counter story, a story Nor does Niebuhr shy away from the and moving autobiography, No Ordinary about gestures of support extended to hard questions: What is the ultimate Fool. Calling to mind and narrating the Muslims and to mosques, gestures moti- advantage of all this interreligious activity? events of his life—the sorrow of his moth- vated by a desire to defend and to protect, Other than the creation of personal er’s death when he was but six years old, to reaffirm the welcome and hospitality friendships and the warm glow of mutual- the emotional and spiritual closeness to his that continue to characterize so many ity, is there any lasting value or larger ben- Anglican priest father, his own ordination American communities. In six brief chap- efit? In his final chapter Niebuhr ventures to the priesthood as an Episcopalian and ters Niebuhr describes the deeds of a “measured yes” to these queries and subsequent reception into the full com- Muslims, Sikhs, Jews, Hindus, Christians, quotes Albert Camus on the radical munion of the Catholic Church, his Buddhists and others whose efforts, great courage of clear-eyed hope. painful alienation from his beloved and small, are forging an interfaith culture Camus’s prescient words in a father, his fruitful scholarly and pas- of outreach, connection and dialogue. The 1946 publication, Neither Victims toral ministry—all this and more significance of Niebuhr’s title is captured nor Executioners, complement Hughes celebrates as a testimony to in a key statement: “What holds society remarks made two years earlier grace. together is not just people who will toler- by the renowned theologian As a precocious and sensitive ate others, but people who will actually go Reinhold Niebuhr, the author’s child, the loss of his mother at so early beyond that, to provide the glue that great-uncle. Well before the demographic an age had and continues to have an nourishes social relationships.” This book changes wrought on the American reli- indelible impact. He says simply: “From is about that glue. gious landscape by mid-60s revisions in this blow I have never recovered. I belong Although his focus is the present, U.S. immigration legislation, the older today to the walking wounded.” Niebuhr’s narrative is enriched with Niebuhr had reflected upon religious Yet, from this unfathomable sorrow numerous references to the long history of diversity and its challenges: “The solution there came a conviction of grace. Let me American religious diversity. In one chap- requires a very high form of religious allow Hughes to recount the decisive ter we hear about the Cape Cod syna- commitment. It demands that each reli- occurrence in his own voice: gogue that began life in 1797 as a gion, or each version of a single faith, seek Congregationalist church. When because to proclaim its highest insights while yet I can no longer recall the exact day of diminished size, the Christian congre- preserving a humble and contrite recogni- when I discovered God in the gation could no longer sustain the build- tion of the fact that all actual expressions darkness. I can fix it, however, ing, the remaining few deeded it to the of religious faith are subject to historical before the age of nine. One day I flourishing Jewish community of contingency and relativity.” The older realized the parting was not forev- Falmouth. In a later chapter, Niebuhr Niebuhr’s great-nephew has amply er. With blinding certainty it takes us from Falmouth to Flushing and demonstrated that this theological attitude came home to me that I would see the 17th-century house of John Bowne, a now animates countless efforts of inter- my mother again, when God local farmer who in concert with others faith exchange and interaction. The verbal called me home. From that day to rejected the restrictions that Governor documentary that this volume offers this the unseen spiritual world— Peter Stuyvesant placed upon Quaker allows us to hope in Camus’ formidable the world of God, of the angels, of immigrants to New Amsterdam. The gamble: “that words are stronger than bul- the saints, and of our beloved group’s 1657 protest statement, the lets.” Jane Dammen McAuliffe dead—has been real to me.... Flushing Remonstrance, stands as a mile- Decades later I realized that this stone in the evolving history of American insight was the beginning of my religious liberty. priestly vocation. The people Niebuhr profiles, the All He Ever examples of interfaith engagement that he Hughes spent six happy years as a describes and the various forms of mutual Wanted priest in the Anglican Communion, most- collaboration he catalogues make for a ly in parish ministry. Four aspects of that decidedly optimistic picture. Yet the No Ordinary Fool priestly service continue to characterize author acknowledges that shadows exist his approach to priestly ministry to this A Testimony to Grace and that powerful, negative currents exert day. They have relevance not only for their force. He quotes a young Muslim By John Jay Hughes priests, but for all those seeking to respond social entrepreneur who compares his rel- Tate Publishing. 344p $19.99 (paperback) generously to the Lord’s call. atively modest resources to those of ISBN 9781606041826 First, early in his ministry he made a Hezbollah; he recognizes that this nation’s commitment to tithe whatever income he political rhetoric is bellicose and blink- In his most affective and affecting epistle, received. To his surprise he found the ered; and he acknowledges that many St. Paul wrote to the Philippians: “I give practice of tithing not a burden, but a

October 6, 2008 America 27 source of blessing. He writes: “Since it is based on faith (trusting that our needs will be taken care of if we give away the first portion of our income), it deepens faith. It enables us to use money sacramentally, by making something material a vehicle of the spiritual—gratitude.” Second, Hughes soon became convinced of the need for a sustained prayer life as the soil of fruitful ministry and, indeed, of all growth in Christ. Moreover, this discipline must be prac- ticed in season and out of season, whatever feelings of consolation or desolation accompany one’s prayer. As he writes wisely: “Neglect of this fundamental truth is the root cause of much of the Church’s present difficulties.” Third, from teenage years the practice of confession has been crucial to his spiritual life. Indeed, one of the sorrows he experienced in becoming Roman Catholic before the Second Vatican Council was that he did not hear pro- nounced the consoling words of absolution, which he had heard and rejoiced in as an Episcopalian. Instead, Catholics before the council were instructed to The peaceful rhythm of a monk’s day pray the Act of Contrition while the priest mumbled absolution in Latin. The consists of prayer, study, and manual labor. irony, of course, is that the linguistic While contemplation is at the heart of intelligibility of the sacrament has also witnessed a decline in its celebration— Trappist life, it is by the labor of our though there are welcome signs of a hands that we support ourselves. At rediscovery of this great grace. New Melleray Abbey, making caskets Finally, a practice that Hughes learned from his Anglican mentors and is an expression of our sacred mission. which he has followed faithfully is never to preach on Sunday without a written text free before him. The obvious advantage is that Contact us for a catalog and you one thereby disciplines oneself to a clear will receive a complimentary keepsake beginning, middle and ending to structur- cross blessed by one of our monks. ing the interconnections among them. Those who have read Father Hughes’s published homilies know the care and the Caskets and urns are available for imagination they exhibit. He tells us that in homilies he shuns “moralism.” He next-day delivery or can be ordered explains that even when preaching the on a guaranteed pre-need basis. moral law, he presents it “not as the stan- dard we must meet before God would love and bless us, but rather as the description of our grateful response to the blessings and love bestowed upon us by our loving heavenly Father as a free gift.” Father Hughes writes with passion and conviction, spicing his recollections with telling incidents and wry humor, 888.433.6934 | www.trappistcaskets.com | Peosta, Iowa often enough directing his wit at his own

October 6, 2008 America 29 false steps and follies. But it is the author’s different directions, among them the fol- Jacob-like wrestling with the call to The Noonday lowing: “A crucial distinction between Catholicism that provides the distinctive depression and acedia is that the former drama of the narrative. Demon implies a certain level of anguish over In his early 20s he began to wonder one’s condition, while in the latter it whether the Anglican tradition had not Acedia and Me remains a matter of indifference.” in fact splintered itself from the Catholic A Marriage, Monks, In an account of the “noonday Church, a questioning that his high- and a Writer’s Life demon” by the desert monk Evagrius church father dismissed as “Roman By Kathleen Norris Ponticus (A.D. 345-99) she found an fever.” Resolved for a time, the questions Riverhead Books. 352p $25.95 explanation of her experience as a teenag- re-emerged forcefully after his ordina- ISBN 9781594489969 er overwhelmed by an ennui that left her tion as an Episcopal priest. The stum- with a sense that nothing really mattered. bling block was his suspicion of exagger- Leave it to Kathleen Norris to make an Over the years she collected references to ated papal claims. But as he studied and ancient and almost unknown word rele- it and during the writing found herself consulted about them, he found vant to modern readers, believers or not. reflecting not only on its effects on monks them less an obstacle than he The poet and author of a number of best and nuns, but also on writers like herself had feared. selling memoirs, such as The Cloister Walk and her husband, on commitments such as The decision, in 1960, and Dakota, which brought the wisdom her own marriage and on modern life. to enter into full commu- of the desert monks and nuns and of the Readers walk with her through life in a nion with the Catholic Rule of St. Benedict to bear on modern small town in South Dakota, a difficult but Church was motivated by no life, here brings close attention to her own deeply loving marriage; her husband’s emotional appeal or aesthetic experience and her immense reading to bouts with alcoholism and severe illness attraction to the preconciliar church, but bear on exploring the nature of acedia, the and finally his death; her widowhood; and solely by his persuasion of the truth of its “noonday demon,” as the basic temptation her dialogue with ancient and modern claim. In his view this entailed no repudi- besetting the modern world. True to her writers who have grappled seriously with ation of his past nor of the abundant calling as a poet she notes that the word life’s ultimate issues. It is a bracing and graces he had received. As he wrote his acedia at root means a lack of care. In the enlightening journey. father at the time, “It was not so much that noonday sun the monks of the desert were Along the way the reader learns a I had come to find Anglicanism wrong, as tempted to give up caring for their way of good bit of healthy spirituality and theolo- incomplete.” But all efforts at explanation life and eventually for God. Norris is care- gy as an antidote to much of the shallow were spurned; the elder Hughes barred his ful to distinguish acedia from depression, tidbits of both that pervade modern life. son from the family home; and, though with which it has many similarities. She Many have banished the word “sin,” for correspondence continued between them, comes at the distinction from a number of example, but often its real meaning is ter- they never saw each other again. Hughes’s subsequent studies in Listen to an interview with Kathleen Norris, at americamagazine.org/podcast. Innsbruck (where he attended the lectures of Karl Rahner, S.J.) and in Münster (where he heard and greatly DOCTOR OF MINISTRY IN Ͳ KŶůŝŶĞŽƵƌƐĞǁŽƌŬ appreciated Joseph Ratzinger) were fol- CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALTITY lowed by his conditional ordination as a Ͳ/ŶƚĞƌŶĂƟŽŶĂůsŝƐŝƟŶŐ Catholic priest. His account of his many ^ĐŚŽůĂƌƐ years of priestly ministry in the postcon- ciliar church as teacher, theologian and ͲŝͲŶŶƵĂůsŝƐŝƚƐƚŽ pastor will elicit respect, gratitude and tĂƐŚŝŶŐƚŽŶ frequent moments of recognition as Ͳ&ůĞǆŝďůĞ^ĐŚĞĚƵůĞĨŽƌ readers recall their own experiences and ƚŚĞtŽƌŬŝŶŐDŝŶŝƐƚĞƌ enter (as I did) into silent, yet spirited conversation with the author. One will find much to relish and to learn from in this marvelous testimony to grace. Eucharistic remembering provides the cantus firmus that inspires and sustains Hughes’s honest and joyful witness. His book evokes, in an almost ǁǁǁ͘ǁƚƵ͘ĞĚƵ sacramental way, what St. Paul saw to be Classical Spirituality ŽŶƚĂĐƚ/ŶĨŽƌŵĂƟŽŶ͗ the fruit of grace: “an overflow of Anne E McLauglin, RSM, D.Min. thanksgiving to the glory of God.” Contemporary Ministry 800-334-9922 (202) 541-5247 Robert P. Imbelli ŵĐůĂƵŐũůŝŶΛǁƚƵ͘ĞĚƵ

October 6, 2008 America 31 ribly distorted, not least because of a sadly truncated theological and catechetical teaching. A biblically sound notion of sin has to start with the knowledge of God’s abiding love. Sin can be understood only by those who realize that they are the apple of God’s eye, made in God’s own image. In other words, a Christian understanding of sin begins with a healthy self- regard. Only from that viewpoint can we see our sinfulness as a falling short of our best selves. Norris also notes that acedia was one of the eight bad thoughts that are not sins themselves but can, if they are not discerned and fought, lead us to fall short of our calling to be images of God. In time these bad thoughts became the seven deadly sins. Norris writes that the shift from “thoughts” to “sins” led to an emphasis on acts rather than underlying dispositions. The monks expected to be besieged by bad thoughts; hence they encouraged pay- ing attention to them to note their prove- nance and their outcome so as to discern them as leading human beings to becoming less human, less whole, less caring. Jesus himself had noted that the problem was not so much our acts, but our dispositions: “For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile” (Mt 15:19-20). Also, in the move to seven deadly sins acedia was dropped. Norris believes that acedia’s loss of prominence allowed it to continue its deadly work with less restraint. I was reminded of C. S. Lewis’s Screwtape Letters, in which Screwtape reminds his young devil nephew that their policy is to keep their existence secret. Commitment to a profession, to a marriage, to an athletic or artistic career or to any way of life requires the hard work of practice, often boring practice. It is such a commitment that acedia attacks so insidi- ously. When she was a teenager, Norris played the flute but hated to practice. Her teacher told her that she was an amateur. That’s the difference between someone who can bear the discipline of daily practice and routine and someone who cannot; the latter remains an amateur in the game of life. “The early Christian monks staked their survival on their willingness to be as God had made them, creatures of the day

October 6, 2008 America 33 to day.” They saw clearly that the antidote to acedia’s blandishments was commitment to the discipline of developing good habits, another name for which is virtues. Our age flees from such commitment and finds, like ancient Rome in its decline, that it needs “bread and circuses” in order to stave off boredom. Acedia and Me is not a book for the amateurs of life, but for those who take seriously their creation as images of God— God who cares enough to create our world and us and to pitch his tent within it and with us. For the sake of God’s world Norris has written this book. I hope that many will take it to heart. William A. Barry ‘Armed Pilgrimage’ Fighting for the Cross Crusading to the Holy Land By Norman Housley Yale Univ. Press. 356p $38 ISBN 9780300118889

The Crusades are typically thought of as the wars between Christians and Muslims in the Middle East that occurred during the 12th and 13th centuries. While this was their most famous manifestation, it was not the only one. They also involved conflicts against the Moors in Iberia, heretics in southern France, pagans in northern Europe and the political opponents of the papacy on the Italian peninsu- la. Yet, though medieval Christians viewed all these various campaigns as crusades, fighting in the Holy Land was understood as being the ultimate form of crusading. In his latest book on the subject, the prolific Norman Housley, a pro- THE CASAGRANDE INSTITUTE FOR INTERFAITH CONVERSATION fessor of history at the University of Leicester, provides a full immersion into American Indian, the origins, experience and impact of cru- Buddhist,Christian, sading to the Middle East. Jewish and Muslim perspectives Since the events of Sept. 11, 2001, there has been a noticeable surge of books on the Crusades. The “politically incor- rect,” “idiots” and even those with short attention spans have all had titles aimed at OCTOBER 31 — NOVEMBER 2, 2008 satisfying their apparent thirst for crusad- WISDOM HOUSE RETREAT AND CONFERENCE CENTER ing knowledge. In contrast to most of LITCHFIELD, CT • 860-567-3163 these recent tomes, however, Housley’s [email protected] • www.wisdomhouse.org book is not a narrative history of the

October 6, 2008 America 35 Crusades. While he does provide a short part of the Holy Land that moved their es had perished) is amusing, but also quite overview of the various crusading cam- hearts. Studies of the crusaders’ back- telling. paigns in the East so that the average read- grounds, however, have indicated that the Though it is published by an academ- er has the foundation to proceed, his pri- oldest sons were the most likely to partic- ic press, Fighting for the Cross: Crusading to mary aim is to determine what crusading ipate. On the other hand, if the Crusades the Holy Land is accessible to a general meant for the men and women involved. were really a thinly veiled land-grab by audience. Housley regularly incorporates For many, the decision to go on cru- impecunious younger sons, the evidence quotations from contemporary sources, sade was rooted in personal piety. We does not support such a view. When the which, along with an assortment of maps, tend to think of crusading as a holy war, First Crusade ended, after venerating the photographs and illustrations, further but medieval people perceived it primari- Holy Sepulcher most of the remain- enhance the average reader’s understand- ly as a new type of pilgrimage. ing participants returned home. ing of different aspects of crusading. The Pilgrimages were an increasingly While the sections on book loses some momentum in the last popular spiritual activity during the preparation and motivation chapter and ends somewhat abruptly. A 11th century, and Jerusalem was con- might be the most interesting more focused conclusion or summation sidered the holiest place on earth. parts of the book, the chapters would have been useful. Also, the subtitle Pope Urban II’s fusion of penitential on travel and warfare are enlight- of the book is slightly misleading, since and pilgrimage language with warfare in ening on a number of issues. Gaining three of the key expeditions that Housley proclaiming the First Crusade received converts was a minimal concern for either considers had ultimately little to do with great support throughout Europe. His side. Famine and disease were often more the Holy Land. The Fourth Crusade was message resonated especially with those deadly than combat. The crusaders’ hors- permanently sidetracked to Constantino- who felt weighed down by an aching sense es were extremely important. The ple, and the Fifth and Seventh Crusades of sinfulness—namely the knightly class. Muslims understood their great military were focused on Egypt. But as a title, While the audience was ripe, recruitment value and began targeting these animals. “Crusading to the eastern Mediterranean” efforts were still necessary to secure the The Christian sources often indicate how doesn’t have quite the same ring. Clearly, involvement of potential enlistees. crippling food shortages were for both the these minor shortcomings detract little Crusade preachers employed a variety of crusaders and their steeds and sometimes from a study that succeeds in providing us techniques and approaches. Some argued discuss casualties in terms of horses lost. with a better understanding of what the what a great bargain crusading was, since An anecdote about a crusader lamenting experience of crusading entailed. the punishment for one’s sins would be having to ride a donkey (since all his hors- Vincent Ryan wiped away in exchange for participating in the expedition. Other preachers used motifs that played particularly to aristo- cratic audiences. For example, the Holy Land was portrayed as Christ’s fief and the crusaders as his vassals, who needed to regain their lord’s lost domain. The fact that they were motivated chiefly by piety does not mean that all crusaders maintained entirely pure motives. Some certainly enlisted to gain worldly riches. Others probably saw this PROGRAMS: as a secondary advantage to taking the Master of Divinity cross. However, the old argument that GTU Common Master of Arts crusading was mainly undertaken for Master of Theological Studies financial reasons is no longer viable. As Master of Theology Housley convincingly demonstrates, Bachelor of Sacred Theology crusading was a financially draining Licentiate in Sacred Theology enterprise. At different times the crown Doctorate in Sacred Theology or the church tried to help underwrite New Directions Sabbatical the costs, but most crusaders had to rely Instituto Hispano chiefly on family resources to fund their expeditions. Cash was crucial, and to raise it lands were often sold for a frac- JESUIT SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY at Berkeley tion of their actual value. Many were a member of the Graduate Theological Union bankrupted by crusading. Others have claimed that crusading 1735 LeRoy Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94709 • (800) 824-0122 • (510) 549-5000 was mostly for younger sons who had no Fax (510) 841-8536 • E-mail: [email protected] • VISIT US AT WWW.JSTB.EDU prospects for inheritance. It was the “land”

October 6, 2008 America 37 Ȭ Wisdom From ȱ the Beasts 7KH)UDQFLVFDQ&ROOHJHRI1HZ-HUVH\

678'(176 ),567 The Truro Bear and Other Adventures *UDGXDWH5HOLJLRXV (GXFDWLRQ Poems and Essays 21/,1( By Mary Oliver Beacon Press. 96p $23 ȱȱȱȱȱȱǻřřȱǼ ISBN 9780807068847 ȂȱęȱȱȱȱǻŗŞȱǼ ȬȂȱęȱȱȱȱǻŗŞȱǼ Mary Oliver’s newest book, The Truro Bear and Other Adventures: Poems and Ȋȱ ȱȱȱȱȱȱȱ Essays, will certainly please connoisseurs of ȱȱȮȱȱ¢ǰȱ¢ȱȱ¢ȱȱ her work and will likely win her new read- ęȱȱȱȱȱ ȱȱ ers as well. The 35 poems and prose ǰȱȬȱȱȱ¢ȱȱȱǯȱ sketches in the collection that have been Ȋȱ ȱȱȱȱȱ¢ȱȱȱǯ previously published present themselves as familiar friends to Oliver fans, while the Ȋȱ ȱ¢ȱȱȱǰȱȱǰȱȱ ȱ¡ȱȱȱȦȱȱȱ 10 new selections bear the stamp of her ȱȱȬǯ signature style. The pleasures that await the reader just discovering the work of the Ȋȱ śŖƖȱȱȱȱȱȱęȱǯ Pulitzer-prize-winning poet are those delivered by her previous 18 volumes: her ȱȱǱ keen eye for telling detail, the surprise of ǻŘŖŗǼȱśśşȬŜŖŝŝȱȱȓǯ the unexpected and, most important, the ŘŜŘȱȱȱǰȱǰȱ ȱȱȊȱȱ ǯǯ authoritative voice that portrays our world as both ordinary and enchanted, full of natural beauty and supernatural holiness, GERARD W. HUGHES and marvelous in its many perfections. The Truro Bear covers familiar terrain in terms of genre, yet Oliver makes use of the traditions she borrows from in inter- God of Surprises esting ways. The strain most evident in the THIRD EDITION poems is that of environmentalism, a sub- OVER 250,000 COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE! genre deeply embedded in American literary tradition. Oliver’s poems hearken back “God of Surprises brings a quiet to her 19th-century mentors—particularly and wise voice into our lives. . . . Emerson, Thoreau and Whitman—in We need an experienced pastor their attentiveness to the natural world and what it teaches us about ourselves; and to help us make discernments yet they are compellingly current, given regarding what is authentically the fragile condition of the earth and its God and what is authentically creatures. Her prose sketch “At Herring human in our lives, to trust that, Cove” begins as a description of the beach, to live out of that. This book is Thoreauvian in its detailed account of the sand’s composition and the nine-foot rise the voice of just such a pastor.” and fall of the tide, but then moves in an — Eugene H. Peterson unanticipated direction as the speaker from the foreword recites a litany of unnatural articles— including beer cans, plastic bottles and - ÊÇnänäÓnÈÎ{ÓÎÊUÊ£nÎÊ«>}iÃÊUÊ«>«iÀL>VÊUÊf£n°ää hypodermic needles—that wash up on the shore. The catalogue grows more disturb- At your bookstore, ing as she names not only the refuse we release into the environment but also the or call 800-253-7521 8560 www.eerdmans.com creatures it has killed: “Dead harbor seal,

38 America October 6, 2008 dead gull, dead merganser, dead gan- enchants her. Indeed, along with listening, creatures she meets (“Alligator Poem” and net...dead dovekie in winter.” The list, the attitude the poet most frequently “Swoon,” among others). These pieces with its anaphoric repetition, seems to assumes is that of kneeling before the cre- provide a corrective to the domesticated sound the death knell of nature and iden- ation in recognition of its holiness. This view of the natural world prevalent in tifies human waste as, at best, a contribut- tenderness is reminiscent of the work of the other poems and bear witness to nature’s ing cause. Persian poet Rumi, another of Oliver’s power and mystery, qualities bound up This characterization of animals as masters, who once wrote: “There are a with our own mortality and ineffable des- victims of human indifference is counter- hundred ways to kiss the ground,” a line she tiny. The speaker in “Alligator Poem” sur- balanced in the volume with those of a echoes elsewhere in her poems. And kiss vives an encounter with death “in beauti- very different sort. Another generic model the ground she does, over and over again. ful Florida” and describes her resurrec- from which Oliver borrows is the fable. The most compelling pieces in Truro tion, amazed at “how I rose from the True to the ancient genre, the animals in Bear are those wherein the poet acknowl- ground/ and saw the world as if for the many of these poems assume human char- edges the dark, inscrutable qualities of the second time,/ the way it really is.” This is acteristics, including the ability to speak, and each tale imparts a moral usually having to do with some human folly and its corresponding virtue. Yet, again, she does not conform strictly to the genre. The conversations are mediated by a very human poet who intervenes in the natural world, self-consciously so. As in poems by her predecessors Whitman and Frost, wherein mockingbirds and ovenbirds speak, the poet serves as interpreter, pre- senting what the beasts have to teach us in language the reader can understand. The use of personification in the collection performs the important function of reminding us that human beings are but one part of a much larger community of creatures, but overuse of the technique runs the risk of sentimentality. This is most evident in the 13 pieces that feature the poet’s dog, Percy (named after the poet, Shelley) and serve as the final movement of the volume. “The Percy Poems” can be funny and sweet (particularly for dog lovers) in the dog’s-eye view of the world they present, and there is poignan- cy in some of them. In the fourth poem of the series, the poet, who is grieving the death of her beloved companion, finds solace in the simple actions of feeding and playing with her little dog. Clearly, he lends her life order, continuity and purpose at a moment when the reality of loss has her teetering on the brink of chaos. But the speaker’s attachment to him sometimes borders on fondness in the old- fashioned sense of the word. Poets who write poems about their children run a similar risk: a child’s amusing sayings are rarely as charming to strangers as they are to their smitten parents. By the same token, there is a frankness and vulnerability in the voice of these poems as the speaker surrenders, unabashed, to this humble creature who

October 6, 2008 America 39 HOPE COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION HOPE COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION HOPE COMMUNITY C the redemptive vision the best of Mary Oliver’s poems offer, that of a fallen world implicitly governed by an unnamed god of second chances. Like Lazarus before her, the poet experiences the inexhaustible possibilities of nature in meeting its limit head on, and lives to tell the tale he did not. Angela O’Donnell Constantly Renewed The Church The Evolution of Catholicism By Richard P. McBrien HarperOne. 528p $29.95 REBUILDING ISBN 9780061245213 Is the Catholic Church a lifeboat or a light- IS REVITALIZING house? In the storms that wrack the world, is the church the means of salvation for its Call 1-877-654-HOPE today to open an insured Hurricane Rebuilding CD. members alone, or a beacon that would As the Gulf Coast continues to recover from the devastation caused by Hurricanes lead all to safe haven? The distinguished Katrina and Rita, the challenges confronting low-wealth residents are particularly scholar and professor of theology at the difficult. Hope Community Credit Union is working to help these families make a University of Notre Dame, whose previ- fresh start. ous works include Catholicism, Ministry and HOPE and its nonprofit partner, Enterprise Corporation of the Delta, have helped Lives of the Popes, Richard P. McBrien more than 4,600 individuals secure affordable mortgages, small business loans, offers us a history of ecclesiologies—that home repair, financial counseling, legal advice, job training, and other much needed is, a review and an analysis of the church’s assistance. evolving self-understanding over time. But that’s nothing new to us. At HOPE, strengthening businesses, nonprofits, Too vast a project for a single volume, homeowners, and residents in distressed Mid-South communities has been our this book follows Karl Rahner’s division of calling for more than a decade. In the wake of the nation’s largest natural disaster, the history of the church into three great our mission and the support of our socially-responsible investors has never been eras and focuses mainly on the third, our more important. own present situation, after briefly pre- To make a difference in the rebuilding effort, HOPE offers the Hurricane Rebuilding senting the first and second. Rahner iden- CD and several other federally-insured products that enable you to invest in tified two axial moments when the church rebuilding communities on the Gulf Coast, without risk to your principal. Most recognized it was changing radically: the importantly, your HOPE deposits foster jobs and homeownership for the region’s low-wealth families. first was the Council of Jerusalem (c. 50 A.D.), when the Jewish Christian move- Please join in this great mission today by calling our toll-free number (1-877-654- ment entered into the Greco-Roman HOPE) or by visiting www.hopecu.org and downloading an application. world; the second was the Second Vatican Council (1963-65), when the movement ECD/HOPE has recently been recognized with the following honors: became a world church. Co-op America Building Economic Alternatives Award, Wachovia Excellence in Advocacy Award for Among the chief purposes of any work Opportunity Finance, Annie E. Casey Foundation Families Count Award, MS NAACP Jerry Mauldin Corporate Award, Mississippi Home Corporation Paver Award, National Rural Assembly’s National of history (besides telling a good story well) Rural Hero Award, NFCDCU Annie Vamper Helping Hands Award is to locate its readers in the present and to orient them toward the future; here, McBrien helps the reader to understand the church in the post-Vatican II era. Since there is no little debate within the church as to exactly what the council intended, much of the present volume is a close reading of texts, within the context of their composition and the immediate history Working for you. Working for your community. before the council, but with regular

40 America October 6, 2008 recourse to the person of Jesus, seen in the While he does a fine job of sketching Holy Spirit, sent by the Father through the Gospels and epistles of the early church. out many ecclesiologies from across the Son, who animates, informs, reforms and McBrien sketches the current debates theological spectrum, from conservative to guides the church, so that the same Holy about the nature and mission of the church progressive, McBrien tips his hand in favor Spirit, working within and beyond the vis- as a polarity between two guiding and of one: that of Yves Congar, O.P., to ible limits of the church, can lead people underlying images: the church as people of whom he dedicates the book and in faith to the Son, who in turn God and the church as communion. whom he calls “the most impor- shows them the Father. Advocates of the former image would put tant ecclesiologist of the twentieth Ideally suited for undergradu- the emphasis on the mission of the church century and probably of the entire ate courses and for the educated ad extra—the church as an agent of God history of the Church.” Congar nonspecialist, this is a hopeful book. for the salvation of humankind. Advocates anticipated Vatican II by illuminat- As the author candidly sketches out of the latter image put the emphasis on the ing six major components that make up the pastoral challenges to, and the internal life of the church ad intra—the church the reality of the church. (1) As the people tensions within, the church today, he is not gathered in orthodox worship and adora- of God, the church is constantly renewed pessimistic. Neither is he optimistic as he tion of the triune God. McBrien adopts a by the active participation of all her mem- recalls the great gifts of the Holy Spirit both/and position, showing how the bers, lay, religious and clerical alike. (2) that inspired those papal and conciliar texts “Dogmatic Constitution on the Church” Hierarchical authority is servant leader- that point the way forward for the church and the “Pastoral Constitution on the ship. (3) The church is an instrument for in the new millennium. Rather, he is hope- Church in the Modern World” are organ- the eschatological victory of God. (4) The ful as he urges the church to conform itself ically linked and mutually necessary. More, church is continually called to institutional to the pattern of Christ, the paschal mys- to be a church for the whole world obliges and communal reform in head and mem- tery, whereby the church, trusting fully Catholics to repair the fissures that divide bers. (5) As a communion of local church- and finally in God alone, can die to forms the visible body of Christ by seeking ever es, the universal church’s structures of of being and doing that are no longer apt. fuller degrees of communion with the community and authority serve her mis- Such “reform in head and members,” Orthodox and Protestants. Here McBrien sion. And (6) the church is ecumenical in guided by the Spirit, will allow the church accepts Pope John Paul II’s invitation, nature and scope. to serve as a renewed instrument for God’s issued in Ut unum sint (1995), to imagine a Key to appreciating Congar’s ecclesio- ongoing project, the salvation of renewed primacy and collegiality that logical thought is to understand it as a con- humankind and the perfection of all cre- could promote Christian unity in authen- sequence of his pneumatology: it is the ation. Paul J. Fitzgerald tic, apostolic faith. Like the author’s other great works, - The Church is encyclopedic. It covers a vast dŚĞ/ŶƐƟƚƵƚĞĨŽƌĚƵĐĂƟŽŶĂů/ŶŝƟĂƟǀĞƐĂŶĚƚŚĞůůŝĂŶĐĞĨŽƌĂƚŚŽůŝĐĚƵĐĂ ƟŽŶĂƚƚŚĞhŶŝǀĞƌƐŝƚǇŽĨEŽƚƌĞĂŵĞƐĞĞŬƐĂƉƉůŝĐĂŶƚƐĨŽƌƚǁŽŶĞǁĞīŽƌƚƐƚŽ range of topics, including authority and ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞŝƚƐĐŽŵŵŝƚŵĞŶƚƚŽĞǆĐĞůůĞŶĐĞŝŶƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚŝŶĂƚŚŽůŝĐĚƵĐĂƟŽŶ͘ ministry, magisterial teaching and reception, sacraments and liturgy. In each case, ϭ͘ͿdŚĞWŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂů ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚƐƐŽĐŝĂƚĞŝŶĂƚŚŽůŝĐĚƵĐĂƟŽŶŝƐĂϭϮͲŵŽŶƚŚ McBrien provides not only a sense of the ĂƉƉŽŝŶƚŵĞŶƚ;ŽŶĐĞƌĞŶĞǁĂďůĞͿďĞŐŝŶŶŝŶŐ:ƵůǇϭ͕ϮϬϬϵ͘dŚĞ&ĞůůŽǁƐŚŝƉǁŝůů development of tradition but also a certain ďĞĂǁĂƌĚĞĚƚŽĂũƵŶŝŽƌƐĐŚŽůĂƌĞƐƉŽƵƐŝŶŐĂĐůĞĂƌƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚŝŶĂƚŚŽůŝĐƐĐŚŽŽůƐ͕Ăů- breadth of opinion by important (mostly ůŽǁŝŶŐĨŽƌƚŚĞĨƵƌƚŚĞƌĚĞǀĞůŽƉŵĞŶƚŽĨĂŶĞǆŝƐƟŶŐƉƌŽŐƌĂŵŽĨƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚĂŶĚĞŶŐĂŐĞŵĞŶƚ Catholic) theologians, as well as a careful ŝŶĞǆŝƐƟŶŐƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚĂƚƚŚĞ/ŶƐƟƚƵƚĞ͘&ĞůůŽǁƐǁŝůůƌĞĐĞŝǀĞĂƐƟƉĞŶĚŽĨΨϰϱ͕ϬϬϬƉĞƌǇĞĂƌƉůƵƐ ďĞŶĞĮƚƐ͘ explication of official church teaching on the issue at hand. Such breadth typically ƉƉůŝĐĂŶƚƐŵƵƐƚŚĂǀĞƌĞĐĞŝǀĞĚƚŚĞŝƌWŚ͘͘ďǇƚŚĞĂƉƉŽŝŶƚŵĞŶƚĚĂƚĞĂŶĚďĞŶŽ ŵŽƌĞƚŚĂŶ precludes depth, yet while the sketches are ƚŚƌĞĞǇĞĂƌƐ ďĞǇŽŶĚ ƚŚĞ ĚĞŐƌĞĞ͘ dŚĞ ĨĞůůŽǁ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĞǆƉĞĐƚĞĚ ƚŽ ƌĞƐŝĚĞŝŶ ƚŚĞ^ŽƵƚŚ ĞŶĚ often quite brief, there are ample biblio- ĂƌĞĂ͘ƉƉůŝĐĂŶƚƐƐŚŽƵůĚƐƵďŵŝƚĂĐŽǀĞƌ ůĞƩĞƌŽĨŶŽŵŽƌĞƚŚĂŶĮǀĞƉĂŐĞƐĚĞƐĐƌŝďŝŶŐƚŚĞŝƌ graphical notes to point readers toward ƉƌŽƉŽƐĞĚƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ͕ŝŶĚŝĐĂƟŶŐŚŽǁŝƚďƵŝůĚƐŽŶĞǆŝƐƟŶŐƐĐŚŽůĂƌƐŚŝƉ͕ĂŶĚŚŽǁŝƚǁŝůůďĞĚĞǀĞů- further investigation and study. McBrien is ŽƉĞĚƚŚƌŽƵŐŚŽƵƚƚŚĞĨĞůůŽǁƐŚŝƉĂƉƉŽŝŶƚŵĞŶƚ͕ĂĐƵƌƌŝĐƵůƵŵǀŝƚĂĞ͕ĂŶĚĐŽŶƚĂĐƚŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƟŽŶ particularly helpful in providing the inter- ĨŽƌƚŚƌĞĞƌĞĨĞƌĞŶĐĞƐ͘ ested reader with references at different Ϯ͘ͿdŚĞŽĐƚŽƌĂůŝƐƐĞƌƚĂƟŽŶ'ƌĂŶƚĨŽƌZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚŝŶĂƚŚŽůŝĐĚƵĐĂƟŽŶ ƌĞĐŽŐŶŝǌĞƐĂŶĚƐƵƉ- levels of complexity: for example, to ƉŽƌƚƐƉƌŽŵŝƐŝŶŐĚŽĐƚŽƌĂůƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ͘dŚĞΨϴ͕ϬϬϬĂǁĂƌĚƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐƐƵƉƉŽƌƚƚŽĚŽĐƚŽƌĂůƐƚƵĚĞŶƚƐ explore the cultural context and the style of ĐŽŶĚƵĐƟŶŐ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ƚŽ ĐŽŵƉůĞƚĞ ƚŚĞŝƌ ƚĞƌŵŝŶĂů ĚĞŐƌĞĞ͘ ƉƉůŝĐĂŶƚƐ ĂƌĞ ǁĞůĐŽŵĞ ĨƌŽŵ Ăůů conciliar language, one could read the ŵĂũŽƌĚŝƐĐŝƉůŝŶĞƐ͕ŵƵƐƚďĞĞŶŐĂŐĞĚŝŶĂĨƵůůͲƟŵĞ͕ĚĞŐƌĞĞͲŐƌĂŶƟŶŐƉƌŽŐƌĂŵ͕ĂŶĚŵƵƐƚŚĂǀĞ book by John O’Malley, S.J., Four Cultures ĐŽŵƉůĞƚĞĚĂůůĚĞƉĂƌƚŵĞŶƚĂůĂŶĚŝŶƐƟƚƵƟŽŶĂůƌĞƋƵŝƌĞŵĞŶƚƐĞǆĐĞƉƚĨŽƌƚŚĞǁƌŝƟŶŐĂŶĚĚĞ- of the West; or one could get the gist of the ĨĞŶƐĞŽĨƚŚĞĚŝƐƐĞƌƚĂƟŽŶ͘ƉƉůŝĐĂŶƚƐƐŚŽƵůĚƐƵďŵŝƚĂĐŽǀĞƌůĞƩĞƌŽĨŶŽŵŽƌĞƚŚĂŶĮǀĞƉĂŐĞƐ ĚĞƐĐƌŝďŝŶŐƚŚĞŝƌƉƌŽƉŽƐĞĚƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ͕ƚƌĂŶƐĐƌŝƉƚƐŝŶĚŝĐĂƟŶŐƐƵĐĐĞƐƐĨƵůĐŽŵƉůĞƟŽŶŽĨĐŽƵƌƐĞ argument in O’Malley’s article “The Style ƌĞƋƵŝƌĞŵĞŶƚƐ͕ĂŶƟĐŝƉĂƚĞĚďƵĚŐĞƚĨŽƌƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚĞǆƉĞŶƐĞƐ͕ĂŶĚĐŽŶƚĂĐƚŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƟŽŶĨŽƌƚŚƌĞĞ of Vatican II” (America, 2/24/03). ƌĞĨĞƌĞŶĐĞƐ͘

Richard P. McBrien on "What WůĞĂƐĞƐĞŶĚĐŽŵƉůĞƚĞĚĂƉƉůŝĐĂƟŽŶƐďǇEŽǀĞŵďĞƌϭϬ͕ϮϬϬϴǀŝĂĞͲŵĂŝůƚŽ͗ĂŚŽůƚĞƌΛŶĚ͘ĞĚƵ Theology Is and Is Not," at &ŽƌĨƵƌƚŚĞƌŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƟŽŶ͕ĐŽŶƚĂĐƚ͗ ŶƚŚŽŶǇ͘,ŽůƚĞƌ͕WŚ͕͘͘ϱϳϰͲϲϯϭͲϳϬϲϲŽƌĂŚŽůƚĞƌΛŶĚ͘ĞĚƵ americamagazine.org/pages.

October 6, 2008 America 41 Classified demonstrated advanced level skills in Microsoft qualified and experienced individual as a campus Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Publisher. Have minister. The chaplain’s primary outreach is excellent interpersonal, pastoral listening and directed toward Catholic undergraduates attend- Education communication skills, both verbal and written, in a ing Harvard College. The chaplain serves this OBLATE SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY offers an M.A. culturally diverse working environment. Have community with a priest chaplain along with degree in spirituality. Regular semester and inter- excellent skills and confidence in making presenta- three other Catholic chaplains who minister to session courses. Visit www.ost.edu. tions or conducting training, coupled with ability the wider university community in various ways. to work with minimum supervision. The candidate should have a mature, active Parish Missions Demonstrated strong organizational and collabo- Catholic faith, be articulate in the pastoral appli- INSPIRING, DYNAMIC PREACHING: parish mis- ration skills and strong ability to multitask and pri- cation of church teachings and possess a wel- sions, retreats, days of recollection. www.sab- oritize work flow. Must be able to handle highly coming presence. Areas of responsibility include bathretreats.org. confidential information in a discreet and profes- pastoral availability and organizational coopera- sional manner. Will be required to undergo an in- tion with student leadership, fellow chaplains Positions depth reference and background check. Must have and staff. The chaplain would be involved in ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR. The Diocese of San own transportation for travel throughout planning and executing ongoing faith formation, Bernardino is currently accepting résumés for the Riverside and San Bernardino Counties as student liturgical life, retreats and service trips. position of Associate Director of Ecclesial required. Please send résumé, including salary The chaplain must also work with a Director of Services. This position is jointly responsible for requirements, to: Diocese of San Bernardino, Development in order to raise funds for the coordinating the ecclesial ministries of the dio- Attn: Human Resources, 1201 E. Highland Ave. Chaplaincy. The chaplain would be expected to cese, including clergy, religious and lay leadership San Bernardino, CA 92404; Fax: (909) 475-5189; attend regular meetings with the Harvard of parishes such as pastoral coordinators and pas- e-mail: [email protected]. Catholic chaplains as well as the meetings with toral associates, vocations, seminarians, parish the interdenominational chaplains at Harvard transitions and related matters. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR FOR LITURGICAL MUSIC, University. Experience in serving undergradu- The ideal candidate will have a master’s Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Join growing ates, particularly young Catholic women, is degree majoring in theology, psychology, social Office of Worship staff serving 1.5 million required as well as relevant education to a mas- studies, business administration or similar fields of Catholics. Responsibilities: oversee liturgical ter’s level. Interested persons should submit a study, plus five or more years of working experi- music for nonparish episcopal liturgies at co-cathe- curriculum vitae and cover letter to: Rev. Robert ence showing progressive responsibility or equiva- dral and basilica; direct/develop/oversee arch- J. Congdon, Senior Chaplain, 29 Mount Auburn lent experience. Must be a practicing Catholic with diocesan choir(s) and ensembles, liturgical musi- Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, or to rcong- a good understanding of church teachings and cian formation; assist with preparation of arch- [email protected]. familiarity with how the church is structured and diocesan liturgies, projects and programs; resource THE SAN MIGUEL SCHOOL functions day to day. Bilingual/biliterate, to parishes, organizations. Requirements: of Camden, a Catholic English/Spanish abilities (speak, read, accurately Practicing Catholic; M.A. in liturgical music or Lasallian middle school for boys, seeks an energet- translate) are required. Computer literate with comparable; five years’ experience as parish music ic and visionary PRINCIPAL for its curricular and director; thorough knowledge of Roman Rite; co-curricular programs. The Principal reports to STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, proficient in organ/piano, conducting or vocal per- the President. The qualified applicant must have at MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION formance; MS Office and music notation software. least a master’s degree in educational administra- (Act of August 12, 1970; Section 3685, Title 39, United States Code) Bilingual (Spanish/English) strongly preferred. tion and previous elementary and/or middle 1. Title of Publication: America. Publication Number 016920. 2. Date of Filing: 9/30/08 Send résumé, cover letter and salary requirements school administrative experience, preferably in 3. Frequency of Issue: Weekly except for 11 combined issues: Jan. 7-14, Catholic schools. Interested candidates should 21-28, March 31-April 7, May 26-June 2, June 9-16, 23-30, July 7-14, to: [email protected]. Open until filled. 21-28, Aug. 4-11, 18-25, Dec. 22-29. send their résumé, statement of educational phi- 4. Location of known office of publication: 106 West 56th St., DIRECTOR, Volunteer Program, Society of the New York, NY 10019. losophy and three references to: The San Miguel 5. Location of the headquarters or general business offices of the Precious Blood. The Missionaries of the Precious School of Camden, Attn: Principal Search Publisher: 106 West 56th St., New York, NY 10019. 6. Names and addresses of publisher, editor and managing editor. Blood, centered in Kansas City, Mo., is looking Committee, 836 South Fourth Street, Camden NJ Publisher: The America Press, Inc., 106 West 56th St., New York, for a qualified person to become the director of its NY 10019. Editor: Drew Christiansen, S.J., 106 West 56th St., New 08103 or by e-mail to: SanMiguel.Camden@gmail York, NY 10019. Managing Editor: Robert C. Collins, S.J., 106 initial volunteer program, to be sponsored by the .com. Deadline for applications is Nov. 1, 2008. West 56th St., New York, NY 10019. 7. Owner: The America Press, Inc., 106 West 56th St., New York, province. The Precious Blood is an international NY 10019 (non-profit, non-stock corporation). community that furthers the work of reconcilia- 8. Known bondholders, mortgagees, and other security holders owning Retreats or holding 1 percent or more of total amount of bonds, mortgages tion, lay ministry and the mission of the Precious BETHANY SPIRITUALITY CENTER, N.Y., or other securities: None. 9. The purpose, function and nonprofit status of this organization Blood through parishes, retreats, education/ announces the following fall retreat: “Open Your and the exempt status for Federal income tax purposes have not teaching and emphasis on the Word of God. It is Heart...Transform Loss...Enjoy New Freedom in changed during preceding 12 months. 10. Extent and nature of circulation: in 20 countries worldwide. Later Life,” an interactive guided retreat with Average no. Single copies each issue The Director will be responsible for Ann Billard, O.L.M., Nov. 16-20. Bethany is one issue during nearest recruitment, training and placement of volun- hour northwest of New York, in the mid-Hudson preceding to filing 12 months date teers, with the assistance of an advisory board. Valley. Offering: $325. Please visit A. Total No. Copies printed: 41,714 44,160 Qualifications for the position include energy www.bethanyspiritualitycenter.org, or call (845) B. Paid Circulation 1. Sales through dealers, and experience of volunteer programs, being 460-3061. vendors and counter sales: 1,556 1,603 2. Mail Subscriptions 39,738 42,131 Catholic, some flexibility for travel, an interest C. Total Paid Circulation: 41,294 43,734 in social justice and a willingness to work with Spiritual Prints D. Free Distribution by Mail METAPHORS FOR THE JOURNEY. (Samples, Complimentary, young people. Salary and benefits are commen- Photographic and Other Free) 295 301 prints for spiritual direction work or prayer. E. Free Distribution Outside the surate with other directors. Mail (Carriers or Other Means) 0 0 For more information or to apply please con- www.smallsmallacts.com; Ph: (888) 707 6255. F. Total Free Distribution 295 301 G. Total Distribution 41,589 44,035 tact Rev. Jim Urbanic, C.P.P.S., P.O. Box 339, H. Copies Not Distributed Liberty, MO 64069; Ph: (816) 781-4344. E-mail: Translator 1. Office Use, Leftovers, Spoiled 125 125 SPANISH TRANSLATOR, Luis Baudry, specialized 2. Return From News Agents 0 0 [email protected]. Applications and contact I. Total 41,714 44,160 in Catholic matters (Bible, spirituality, ministry, J. Percent Paid/or Requested information submitted by Oct. 20, 2008. Circulation 99% 99% etc.). Books, articles and Web sites. Ph: (646) 257- 11. I certify that the statement made by me above is correct and THE HARVARD CATHOLIC CHAPLAINCY seeks a 4165, or [email protected] complete. (Signed) Lisa Pope, Chief Financial Officer, AMERICA.

42 America October 6, 2008 Letters

Time for a Boycott Father Klein has underrated the power- Still Standing Regarding your editorial on the situation ful role that Newman Centers and other The Sulpician Fathers are grateful to in India (“Persecution in Orissa,” 9/22): it chaplaincies have played in recent years. America for publishing a glowing birth- seems to me that much of the impetus for Having spent nearly 40 years in day tribute to Father Jean-Jacques Olier the growing religious intolerance in India Catholic, public and other private uni- (“Christians Who Can Breathe And stems from the booming economic versities, I am of the opinion that staff Laugh,” by William Thompson- strength of India that has empowered persons serving schools that are not Uberuaga, 9/15). Thompson-Uberuaga is ethnic and religious majorities to express Catholic regularly find themselves in correct in writing that we are a small themselves in unprecedented ways. Moral very important situations and are often community today without the national education has not kept pace with this much better prepared to meet students prominence we may once have had. growing economy, and such education is where they live and work. I also have Nevertheless, as our Web site not likely to occur until economic incen- experienced strong and sensitive rela- (www.sulpicians.org) shows, we are not tives are brought into the equation. tionships with university administrators “down to two” seminaries in this country. These can encourage a spirit of tolerance, and faculty, as these professionals have The Holy Spirit, who inspired Father interfaith cooperation and education. discovered just how important church Olier, continues to call us to find new Perhaps a worldwide boycott of Indian people are in assisting them in teaching ways to serve the church by serving the goods and services, supported by reli- and forming students. priesthood. gious leaders, would encourage India’s Both Catholic and non-Catholic (Very Rev.) Thomas R. Ulshafer, S.S. political leaders to work more fervently institutions share a task, and each seeks Acting Provincial Superior to rekindle the vision of unity that was so to manage that task well. I see no rea- Society of St. Sulpice Baltimore, Md. brilliantly fostered by Mahatma Gandhi son to think that asking the important and his followers. questions, and finding people who are Dan Callahan, S.A. expected to respond to them, is easier Educational Advances Toronto, Ont. or more effective in a Catholic institu- Reading “Religious Life in the Age of tion. Actually, I have experienced just Facebook,” by Richard G. Malloy, S.J. Higher Learning the contrary. (7/14), I emphatically disagreed that stu- Re the Rev. Terrance W. Klein’s “A Patrick LaBelle, O.P. dents today simply “can’t handle” Rahner Space for Inquiry” (9/15): I believe that Stanford, Calif. or any other rigorous theological text. Students today are asked to synthesize a To send a letter to the editor we recommend using the link that appears below articles on wider array of data and take into account America’s Web site, www.americamagazine.org. This allows us to consider your letter for publi- many different perspectives. The great cation in both print and online versions of the magazine. Letters may also be sent to America’s editorial office (address on page 2) or by e-mail to: [email protected]. They should educational advances of the day have be brief and include the writer’s name, postal address and daytime phone number. Letters may been around the process of thinking be edited for length and clarity. itself—not merely the memorization of stories from previous generations, but the ability to process critically and reflect on the world around us (including organized religion). Also, Father Malloy is right that students today are exploring different religious traditions, but I do not understand why that is a negative. There is something to be said for knowing one’s own tradition; but ultimately a blending of world religions is conducive to intercultural understanding, cooperation and peace. Justin McMahon Chicago, Ill.

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44 America October 6, 2008 God’s Banquet Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A), Oct. 12, 2008 Readings: Is 25:6-10; Ps 23:1-6; Phil 4:12-14, 19-20; Mt 22:1-14 “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son” (Mt 22:2)

N BIBLICAL TIMES when ancient make every effort to attend. What is pecu- Israelites tried to imagine what the liar in this case is that those initially invit- fullness of God’s kingdom would be ed (the “A list” guests) refuse to come. like, one of their favorite images was They do not even bother to give good aI banquet. Today’s passage from Isaiah 25 excuses, and they proceed to abuse and provides a good example. The prophet mistreat those who were sent to deliver pictures God’s kingdom as a grand ban- the invitation. quet with “a feast of rich food and choice We know from the start that this para- wines.” In a society in which such food ble concerns the kingdom of heaven. In and drink were in short supply, the image what is a kind of allegory, the king is God, was powerful. The one who supplies this the servants are the prophets, and the ones extraordinary meal is “the Lord of hosts,” refusing their invitation are those who asked to leave. The point is that having and it is open to “all peoples.” It takes reject Jesus’ invitation to enter God’s been admitted to God’s kingdom by faith place on “this mountain,” most likely the kingdom. The point of the first part of the and baptism, we will be expected to act in Temple Mount in Jerusalem, which itself ways that befit who we have become “in was an image of God’s dwelling place. At Praying With Scripture Christ.” ART BY TAD DUNNE this banquet God will destroy death, end The Eucharist we celebrate as the • Why was the banquet an effective all suffering and bring about salvation. At way for biblical authors to describe the sacrament of ongoing Christian life stands this banquet the hopes of God’s people kingdom of God? in the biblical banquet tradition. It is the will be fulfilled. banquet of God’s Son and points toward Psalm 23 (“The Lord is my shep- • How might Jesus’ banquet parable fullness of life in God’s kingdom. But it is enrich your appreciation of and partici- herd”) is most famous for its pastoral pation in the Eucharist? not enough simply to show up. Rather, we imagery of God’s care for us, leading us need to participate actively, let the mys- through the dark and dangerous places in • In your everyday life, how do you tery of the Eucharist shape our identity, combine self-reliance, God-reliance our lives. The second half of the psalm, and we must act appropriately in our and reliance on others? however, shifts the imagery and portrays everyday lives. God as the host at a lavish banquet. In the banquet parable is that if you hope to par- The excerpts from Paul’s awkward ancient Near East the two images—shep- ticipate in God’s kingdom, you must first “thank you” note in Philippians 4 can help herd and host—were often applied to accept the invitation. In Matthew’s con- us grasp better the proper framework for kings. Psalm 23 uses them to describe God text, the king’s harsh treatment of the city appropriate Christian action. In words as the king of kings and lord of lords. (“the king was enraged and sent his often compared to the teachings of Stoic The third banquet image in this troops”) alludes to the destruction of philosophers, Paul first offers a classic Sunday’s readings, the parable of the royal Jerusalem and its temple by the Romans in statement of independence and self- banquet in Matthew 22, develops the A.D. 70. And the rejection of the invita- reliance: “I have learned, in whatever situ- imagery further to make two important tion by the “A list” people (like the scribes ation I find myself, to be self-sufficient.” points about God’s kingdom. We have to and Pharisees) opens up the banquet Yet Paul was more reliant on God than on accept the invitation to the banquet, and guests to include marginal persons (like himself: “I can do all things in him who we have to behave in an appropriate man- tax collectors and sinners) and eventually strengthens me.” Moreover, in carrying ner when we are allowed in. even Gentiles. out his mission to found new communities In Matthew’s version of the parable, The second part of the parable (which all over the Mediterranean world, Paul the invitation is to a royal wedding feast may well have once been a separate para- relied on a team of co-workers. And he for a king’s son. Most people invited to ble) insists that it is not enough merely to praises the Philippians for sharing his dis- such a banquet would feel honored and gain entrance to the banquet hall. Once tress during imprisonment and for send- there, you must behave in an appropriate ing him some kind of gift. Paul’s example DANIEL J. HARRINGTON, S.J., is professor of manner. What if you had been invited to indicates that at its best, Christian life New Testament at Boston College School of the White House for dinner and arrived in combines self-reliance, reliance on God Theology and Ministry in Chestnut Hill, clothes that you normally use for yard and reliance on others. Mass. work or painting? You would probably be Daniel J. Harrington

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