The National Catholic Weekly July 20-27, 2009 $2.75 of Many Things Published by Jesuits of the United States
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THE NATIONAL CATHOLIC WEEKLY JULY 20-27, 2009 $2.75 OF MANY THINGS PUBLISHED BY JESUITS OF THE UNITED STATES mere 95 years ago this sum- most primordial historical forms. This EDITOR IN CHIEF mer, miscalculation and mad- suggests that there is something almost Drew Christiansen, S.J. A ness brought forth the War to innate in our drive to kill and conquer, End All Wars, the first of the 20th which likely has more to do with origi- EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT century’s twin cataclysms and nal sin than it does with entangled MANAGING EDITOR humankind’s gruesome introduction to alliances, or Lenin’s theory of imperial- Robert C. Collins, S.J. total warfare on a global scale. In the ism, or McKinley’s manifest destiny, or EDITORIAL DIRECTOR opinion of much of Europe’s intelli- Bush’s preventive war. Karen Sue Smith gentsia at the time, it was not supposed If that is the case, if the sin of Adam to have happened. As Barbara and Eve helps explain why Cain killed ONLINE EDITOR Maurice Timothy Reidy Tuchman pointed out in The Guns of Abel and why the Kaiser marched on August, her masterly account of the ini- Paris, then this much is also true: war CULTURE EDITOR James Martin, S.J. tial months of World War I (if you are can never be understood as a rational still looking for a good beach read, pick exercise, for sin, original or otherwise, LITERARY EDITOR up this 1962 Pulitzer-winner), enlight- is by definition irrational, separating us Patricia A. Kossmann enment values and liberal economics, it as it does from God, the source and POETRY EDITOR was thought, had rendered war passé, summit of life itself, without whom James S. Torrens, S.J. irrational, even impossible. During the there is no reason, no freedom, no ASSOCIATE EDITORS years just before the war, the runaway hope. Peace, therefore, requires far Joseph A. O’Hare, S.J. international bestseller, translated into more than justice. It requires the radi- George M. Anderson, S.J. 11 languages, had been Norman cal conversion of sinful human hearts, Dennis M. Linehan, S.J. Matt Malone, S.J. Angell’s The Great Illusion, which, our subsequent forgiveness of others’ James T. Keane, S.J. according to Tuchman, “‘proved’ that in sins, even the most barbarous, and the Peter Schineller, S.J. the present financial and economic ultimate reconciliation of all humanity ASSISTANT EDITOR interdependence of nations, the victor through the grace of God. Francis W. Turnbull, S.J. would suffer equally with the van- Tuchman reminds us that after the DESIGN AND PRODUCTION quished, therefore war had become First Battle of the Marne in early Stephanie Ratcliffe unprofitable; therefore, no nation September 1914, a bloody stalemate would be so foolish as to start one.” ensued and “the nations were caught in BUSINESS DEPARTMENT The problem with Angell’s argu- a trap from which there was, and has ment was that its premise, that the been, no escape.” In my Good Friday PUBLISHER Jan Attridge decision whether to wage war is main- moments, when the world as it is ly a rational political or economic seems so hopelessly far from what it is CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Lisa Pope choice, was false. Still, a descendant of meant to be; when, as Winston this argument can be found today Churchill wrote of the summer of MARKETING among those pushing the benefits of 1914, “the terrible ifs accumulate,” I Eryk Krysztofiak globalization. A world in which we sometimes wonder whether escape is ADVERTISING buy DVD players composed of parts even possible. Julia Sosa assembled from a dozen or more coun- An Easter faith tells me that it is, tries and supported by customer ser- reminds me that while human beings 106 West 56th Street New York, NY 10019-3803 vice agents tens of thousands of miles may be deprived by virtue of original from our living rooms, it is thought, sin, we are not depraved, that there is Ph: 212-581-4640; Fax: 212-399-3596 will produce a safer world, because any much in humanity that is noble and E-mail: [email protected]; act of aggression would injure the true and good. In my Easter moments, [email protected] Web site: www.americamagazine.org. aggressor as much as it might injure I hope that the essential goodness of Customer Service: 1-800-627-9533 the victim. humanity may yet prevail, that my © 2009 America Press, Inc. Yet while politics and economics are brothers’ sons, unlike their great- undoubtedly key elements in all war- grandfather, who fought in the inaptly ´ making, the horrendous reality of war named Great War, may know the true Cover: Deacon Alvaro Sierra preach- es in a tent in a protest camp set up antedates the nation-state and precedes peace that the Prince of Peace wills for in Mexico City’s central plaza in politics and economics in all but their us all. MATT MALONE, S.J. 2006. Photo: CNS/Jason Lange CONTENTS www.americamagazine.org VOL. 201 NO.2, WHOLE NO. 4861 JULY 20–27, 2009 ARTICLES 11 MARRIED AND ORDAINED The ministry of deacons William T. Ditewig 17 A DEACON’S LESSONS Seven things they don’t teach you in formation Greg Kandra 20 LOOKING BACK AND AHEAD The theology behind the permanent diaconate Scott Dodge COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS 4 Current Comment 11 5 Editorial For the Common Good 6 Signs of the Times 9 Column Blame Cheney? John DiIulio 26 Faith in Focus Spirituality in the Wild Carol K. Coburn 28 The Breaking of the Bread Charles Murphy 43 Letters 45 The Word Always Enough; Heavenly Bread 26 Barbara E. Reid BOOKS & CULTURE 33 IDEAS God and the Theater of the Absurd THEATER Lynn Nottage’s “Ruined” BOOKS The Crisis of Islamic Civilization; The Silence and the Scorpion; Book Briefs ON THE WEB ON THE WEB Further commentary on the role of deacons in the church, and Jake Martin, S.J., reviews the film “The Brothers Bloom.” Plus, America’s Book Club considers Colm Tóibín’s Brooklyn on our podcast. All at americamagazine.org. 3533 CURRENT COMMENT dent to meet a pope, Benedict XV, after the close of World Healthier Already War I in 1919. Four decades would pass before another Whatever the shape of the final health care reform bill, such meeting, when Dwight D. Eisenhower met John which is expected to be worked out by both houses of XXIII at the Vatican in 1959. All told, popes and presi- Congress and sent to the president this fall, two measures dents have only met a total of 26 times; 17 of those meet- have already been achieved by the Obama administration ings took place in the Vatican, and the vast majority dur- that will significantly improve the nation’s health. The first ing the long reign of John Paul II. concerns insurance for children in low-income families; The political relationship between the United States the second addresses smoking, particularly tobacco prod- and the Holy See has until recent years been an uneasy ucts and ads designed to attract teens. one. Formal diplomatic relations have existed for only a President Obama signed an extension of the State quarter-century, and there was no official contact at all Children’s Health Insurance Program in February, after from 1870 (the loss of the Papal States) until 1939, months of stalling by the Bush administration. The exten- when Franklin Roosevelt made Myron Taylor his person- sion enables states to cover the health and dentistry needs al representative to the Vatican. For that reason, the sight of more than four million children by 2013. The program of an American president happily and respectfully greet- assists children whose families earn too much to qualify ing the pope is an occasion for celebration on more than for Medicaid but too little to afford private insurance. The one level. extension also allows states to cover legal immigrants, par- ticularly pregnant women and children under age 21. Mere Pious Legend? Previous policy barred legal immigrants from receiving “This seems to confirm the unanimous and uncontested both Medicaid and S-chip until they had lived in the tradition that they are the mortal remains of the Apostle United States for at least five years. Paul,” said Pope Benedict XVI at the beginning of July. More than 400,000 Americans die each year from The pope was referring to findings of the first-ever scien- tobacco-related products. In June, Mr. Obama signed the tific tests on a recently unearthed sarcophagus, which was Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, located under the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in which gives the Food and Drug Administration the Rome, traditionally considered the final resting place of authority to regulate nicotine levels in tobacco, to ban the saint. Atop the tomb, which dates from at least A.D. candy and fruit flavorings, to prevent cigarette advertising 390, was a marble slab inscribed with the words “Paul aimed toward children and teens and to bar ads near Apostle Martyr” in Latin. Inside the sarcophagus, in addi- schools and playgrounds. tion to the bone fragments, were grains of incense and a The two bills advance major goals of health care reform: piece of purple linen with gold ornamentation. expanded coverage and preventive medicine; they are also Skeptics sometimes scoff at “traditional” sites associated “deficit neutral” and, in the second case, ingeniously just: with the lives of the saints and the life of Christ, dismiss- The costs of the S-chip expansion are to be offset by an ing them as “pious legends.” About some relics and arti- increase in the tobacco tax.