OF MANY THINGS S a Jesuit Scholastic, I Spent Once Wrote to Ask Me If We’D Consider 106 West 56Th Street New York, NY 10019-3803 One Year at America
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OF MANY THINGS s a Jesuit scholastic, I spent once wrote to ask me if we’d consider 106 West 56th Street New York, NY 10019-3803 one year at America. In the a possible article. I gave him some Ph: (212) 581-4640; Fax: (212) 399-3596 summer of 1994, I returned to guidelines, but cautioned him (as we do) Subscriptions: (800) 627-9533 A www.americamedia.org the United States from a two-year stint that this was no guarantee of acceptance. facebook.com/americamag with the Jesuit Refugee Service in East A few weeks later, Father Hunt called twitter.com/americamag Africa, and my provincial superior told me into his office and said, “What’s this?” PRESIDENT AND EDITOR IN CHIEF me I needed another year of regency holding out a piece of paper like smelly Matt Malone, S.J. before applying for admission to study cheese. EXECUTIVE EDITORS theology. At the time I saw it as a The article had been rejected, and Robert C. Collins, S.J., Maurice Timothy Reidy punishment. the author had written George an MANAGING EDITOR Kerry Weber Now I see it as a grace. For I was intemperate letter saying, in essence: LITERARY EDITOR Raymond A. Schroth, S.J. SENIOR EDITOR AND CHIEF CORRESPONDENT missioned to the place that I returned How dare you reject my piece? I Kevin Clarke to after ordination and that has been explained that I had given him advice EDITOR AT LARGE James Martin, S.J. my home for the past 16 years. That but cautioned him not to presume EXECUTIVE EDITOR, AMERICA FIlmS “punishment” led to the ministry that I acceptance of his article. George raised Jeremy Zipple, S.J. so enjoy: working at America Media. his eyebrows, crumpled the paper and POETRY EDITOR Joseph Hoover, S.J. ASSOCIATE EDITOR AND VATICAN CORRESPONDENT None of this would have been tossed it into the trash can. “Nor any Gerard O’Connell possible without the extraordinarily future articles.” ASSOCIATE EDITOR AND DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL kind welcome of George W. Hunt, S.J., George was also exceedingly kind STRATEGY Sam Sawyer, S.J. who served as editor in chief here from to me. One Friday he asked if I’d like SENIOR EDITOR Edward W. Schmidt, S.J. 1984 to 1998. Since my first incarnation, to visit the old Jesuit novitiate and the ASSOCIATE EDITORS Ashley McKinless, Olga Segura, Robert David Sullivan I’ve worked under four editors, all fine philosophy school, both north of New ASSISTANT EDITORS Francis W. Turnbull, S.J., Jesuits, all very different. When I refer York. Very much, I said. The next day Joseph McAuley to our current editor, Matt Malone, we piled into the community car and ART DIRECTOR Sonja Kodiak Wilder S.J., sometimes I like to paraphrase the drove to Poughkeepsie. At the novitiate EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Zachary Davis COLUMNISTS Helen Alvaré, John J. Conley, S.J., speaker of the Robert Browning poem of St. Andrew-on-Hudson, which Daniel P. Horan, O.F.M., James T. Keane, John W. and say, “That’s my fourth editor.” had become the Culinary Institute of Martens, Bill McGarvey, Angela Alaimo O’Donnell, George was my first editor, and America, George delighted in telling me Margot Patterson, Nathan Schneider what an editor! First, he was a brilliant how he used candlewax to polish the old CORRESPONDENTS John Carr (Washington), An- thony Egan, S.J., and Russell Pollitt, S.J. (Johannes- writer, a former literary editor of linoleum floor in the entranceway, where burg), Jim McDermott, S.J. (Los Angeles), Timothy America, whose sparkling prose never the seal “AMDG” still shines. At Shrub Padgett (Miami), Steven Schwankert (Beijing), David Stewart, S.J. (London), Judith Valente disappointed. He could dash off one Oak, the former philosophate, then a (Chicago) of these Of Many Things columns in halfway house for recovering addicts, MODERATOR, CATHOLIC BOOK CLUB record time, in longhand, and have it George approached the front desk, said Kevin Spinale, S.J. fit perfectly to the space constraints. he used to live there and was asked, EDITOR, THE JESUIT POST Michael Rossmann, S.J. EDITORIAL E-MAIL Second, he was immensely well read, “Were you a patient?” He threw his head [email protected] with a doctorate in English, and had back and laughed (not unlike F.D.R.). PUblISHER AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER written widely on John Cheever and The day was all the more impressive Edward G. Spallone DEPUTY PUblISHER Rosa M. John Updike. It was a rare treat to be because George was essentially an Del Saz VICE PRESIDENT FOR ADVANCEMENT Daniel at America House in 1997, when we introvert. It made this Jesuit feel very Pawlus ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER Chris Keller DEVELOpmENT COORDINATOR Kerry Goleski presented the latter with the Campion welcome at America and in New York. BUSINESS OPERATIONS STAFF Khairah Walker, Award, and see George so at home with It’s entirely appropriate that we now Glenda Castro, Katy Zhou, Frankarlos Cruz the master. have a literary award named after Father ADVERTISING CONTACT [email protected]; 212-515-0102 SUBSCRIPTION CONTACT/ADDITIONAL Charming, erudite, articulate, polite Hunt. It has been given to Philip Metres, COPIES 1-800-627-9533 REPRINTS: reprints@ and always a gentleman, George was a professor at John Carroll University, americamedia.org also unflappable. He presided serenely whose lecture at the awards ceremony © 2015 America Press Inc. over even the most contentious editorial we welcome into our pages (p. 16). I meetings, with his half glasses perched can easily imagine George reading Mr. on a patrician nose (he reminded me of Metres’s poetry, peering down through Franklin D. Roosevelt), saying calmly, his half glasses and saying, “Oh yes, very Cover: Composite photo from the video, “Philip “Oh yes, very good. Let’s go with that.” good, very good.” Metres, Poet” at americamedia.org. Jeremy But he was no pushover. A Jesuit JAMES MARTIN, S.J. Zipple/Shutterstock.com/America Contents www.americamagazine.org VOL. 213 NO.15, WHOLE NO. 5108 NOVEMBER 16, 2015 ARTICLES 16 HOMING IN The place of poetry in the global digital age Philip Metres 22 GRAHAM GREENE’S POPE Finding God in battered places Heather Moreland McHale 25 ON BEING AND BECOMING The God of second chances William J. O’Malley 16 COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS 4 Current Comment 5 Editorial Seize the Moment! 6 Reply All 9 Signs of the Times 14 Column Defenders of the Faith James T. Keane 29 Faith in Focus A Book for José Rick Dixon 31 Philosopher’s Notebook Last Things John J. Conley 29 39 The Word King of All John W. Martens BOOKS & CULTURE 32 FILM “Spotlight” POETRY Lamech Inventing The Oud; Prayer BOOKS Jonas Salk; Doctors Without Borders; Abounding in Kindness ON THE WEB Francis X. Clooney, S.J., examines the legacy of “Nostra Aetate,” and America Films profiles the poetPhilip Metres, right. Full digital highlights on page 15 and at americamagazine.org/webfeatures. 32 CURRENT COMMENT have benefited from the passage of goods and persons in the Contributing to Extremism Asian Pacific. With six countries, including the Philippines Thanks to the Internet, it is easier than ever to give a few and Vietnam, jockeying for maritime rights, the historic role bucks to a favorite candidate, and presidential contenders of the United States as a protector of free and safe navigation from Senator Bernie Sanders to Dr. Ben Carson are raising in the region remains important. most of their funds in donations of less than $200 each. It is also essential, however, that the United States More widespread participation in politics is welcome, but demonstrate its commitment to de-escalation and a an unintended consequence may be a rise in polarization. preference for peaceful mediation. A good way to start is The political scientist Michael Barber, of Brigham by ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Law Young University, recently analyzed contributions to state of the Sea—166 countries have already signed on—that legislative candidates across the country and discovered Republican senators have repeatedly blocked. Now, more that grassroots donors were more inclined to support than ever, it is vital that the United States throw its weight candidates who toed the party line on almost every issue. behind this comprehensive mechanism for multilateral In contrast, Mr. Barber wrote in The Washington Post dispute resolution. on Oct. 23, “interest groups tend to worry less about a candidate’s ideology…. They donate so they can talk with lawmakers as they’re writing bills and passing laws.” Rollback for Working People Political action committees, often seen as a corrupting Wisconsin introduced the nation’s first workers’ influence, are also more supportive of moderate candidates compensation program in 1911. Now its Republican who keep government running. legislators propose a “reform” of the state’s system that Individual voters may simply be responding to threatens to significantly trim benefits for working people candidates who shout the loudest on cable news programs injured on the job and reduce the statute of limitations for and social media. These days, we may be less likely to “traumatic injuries” from 12 years to two. Workers seeking pick candidates based on conversations with co-workers, compensation would still be barred from suing employers. neighbors or fellow churchgoers—or to seek information Worse, the plan, among other measures, allows from sources like labor unions and business organizations, employers to pick the doctors who evaluate injuries for which are more interested in responsive government than workers without insurance. Workers would have to argue in brinkmanship politics. Whatever the reason, voters about their own culpability for the injury to determine themselves may be contributing to the gridlock and how much compensation they will receive.