Jan. 7-14,America 2008 THE NATIONAL CATHOLIC WEEKLY $2.75 The Conversion of Tony Blair Austen Ivereigh

Defusing Tensions With Iran Alon Ben-Meir Catholics and the New Gilded Age Daniel J. Morrissey HE LOVE COMMAND, love of Iraqi Christians due to persecution is God and love of neighbor—it world news. Thus, some are reluctant to America does not get more basic than respond positively to A Common Word Published by Jesuits of the United States that. It is the heart of Jesus’ because of ongoing persecution of and Tmessage and, by Jesus’ reading, of the discrimination against Christians. That, Editor in Chief Hebrew Scriptures too: “On these,” of course, is not the strategy of the Drew Christiansen, S.J. Jesus tells the Pharisees, “hang all the Gospel, which commands, “Love your law and the prophets” (Mt 22:40). In enemies, pray for those who persecute Acting Publisher Christianity, especially Western you” (Mt 5:44). James Martin, S.J. Christianity, the unity of love of God Pope Benedict XVI has rightly and love of neighbor is axiomatic. It was insisted on reciprocity or symmetry in Managing Editor surprising, nonetheless, that 138 the matter of religious freedom between Robert C. Collins, S.J. Muslim leaders writing Pope Benedict Islamic countries and the secular (for- XVI and other Christian leaders last merly Christian) West. But reciprocity Business Manager October made the love command a cen- will have to be won country by country, Lisa Pope tral element of their letter A Common region by region, over time. Lack of Editorial Director Word Between Us and You. reciprocity in some places need not pre- On welcoming the letter, Cardinal clude a broader dialogue, especially Karen Sue Smith Jean-Louis Tauran, the president of the when the dialogue is producing an Online Editor Pontifical Council for Interreligious unprecedented affirmation of religious Dialogue, noted how remarkable it was freedom, a profession not previously Maurice Timothy Reidy that the authors of the letter were shared in public by a broad range of Associate Editors aligned with so many currents of Muslim leaders. Rather, when dialogue Islamic thought, most notably Sunni and the struggle for reciprocity go hand Joseph A. O’Hare, S.J. and Shiite. As John Borelli observed in in hand, they can be re-enforcing. George M. Anderson, S.J. The Tablet Again, Dennis M. Linehan, S.J. (10/20/07), the Pope Matt Malone, S.J. letter represent- Benedict has ed an explicit Of Many Things indicated James T. Keane, S.J. effort to build a that the Ten Literary Editor “consensus” among Islamic scholars and Commandments, that is, common religious leaders, a very unusual but human morality, could be the basis for a Patricia A. Kossmann theologically significant development Christian-Muslim exchange. Some, like Poetry Editor for Muslims, who today have no unified the well-known Jesuit Islamist Christian religious leadership. Troll, have argued that this necessarily James S. Torrens, S.J. Equally significant, it seems to me, implies moving deeper to a universal, was the letter’s effort to establish a dia- natural law philosophy. Perhaps, but it Assistant Editor logue in terms Christians can under- seems to me that each side has been Francis W. Turnbull, S.J. stand. Hence the appeal to the double exploring what kind of common ground commandment of love. Islam, with the there might be on the topic of morality: Design and Production exception of Sufism, seldom speaks of Catholics suggesting common morality Stephanie Ratcliffe love. While devotion to God is the cor- in keeping with traditional Muslim nerstone of Islam as a way of life, love practice; the 138 Muslim leaders, the Advertising of neighbor has not usually had the pre- love command in an appeal to the Julia Sosa eminent standing in Muslim thought whole Christian world. that it has in Christian ethics. Still, the In the Middle Ages, it may have 106 West 56th Street prophet says, “None of you have faith been possible to have a dialogue on New York, NY 10019-3803 until you love for your neighbor what morality in natural law terms, but for Ph: 212-581-4640; Fax: 212-399-3596. you love for yourself.” Most important the Islam of more recent centuries, E-mail: [email protected]; for interreligious relations, the letter speaking largely from the Koran is [email protected]. affirms that “justice and religious free- more usual. Likewise, it is appropriate Web site: www.americamagazine.org. dom are a crucial part of love of neigh- for Muslims speaking to Christians Customer Service: 1-800-627-9533. bor.” across denominational lines to use bibli- © 2008 America Press, Inc. For many, the denial of religious cal (New Testament) language, because, freedom in some parts of the Muslim no matter how universal Catholics world remains a major stumbling block intend appeals to natural law to be, for to deeper Christian-Muslim engage- Orthodox, evangelicals and most ment. In recent months, for example, 45 Protestants as well, natural law is in Cover photo: British Prime Minister Tony staffers of the national and diocesan jus- practice an alien, peculiarly Catholic Blair looks upward during the funeral for tice and peace commission in Pakistan mode of thought. the late Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s have been arrested. The forced exile of Drew Christiansen, S.J. Square. Reuters/Yves Herman. www.americamagazine.org Vol. 198 No. 1, Whole No. 4800 January 7-14, 2008 Articles 10 Iran and the Bomb: Defusing Tensions 10 Alon Ben-Meir A proposal to promote regional stability From Thames to Tiber 17 Austen Ivereigh Tony Blair and the politics of conversion American Catholics 22 in the New Gilded Age Daniel J. Morrissey Can Catholics be a positive force against the gross economic inequities of our time? An Appreciation 4 Gordon Zahn, Prophet of Peace Thomas A. Shannon 24 Editorial Migration, the Larger Picture 5 Signs of the Times 6 Reflection Place 9 Sacred Space for Transformation Margaret Silf Index to Volume 197 20a Faith in Focus 24 Advent 6: At Journey’s End Maurice Timothy Reidy Film 25 25 Byzantium, Texas Richard A. Blake Book Reviews 29 Treacherous Alliance; The Road to Emmaus; Supercapitalism Letters 36 The Word 38 Jesus Goes Public; What John Saw Daniel J. Harrington

This week @ Gordon Zahn on the draft, and James T. Keane, S.J., reviews "The Golden Compass." Plus, on our podcast, Maureen O'Connell reflects on the power America Connects of religious street murals. An Appreciation Gordon Zahn, Prophet of Peace BY THOMAS A. SHANNON

HEN GORDON ZAHN (1918-2007) zen could not be began his own journey to pacifism, a conscientious he was convinced of two things: first, objector. that had he been educated in the tra- Second, and ditional Catholic schools of his time, perhaps more Whe would never have heard of pacifism; second—and he important, was given rather strong encouragement to think this Gordon discov- way—that he was on the lunatic fringe of the church. But ered the story of he was also convinced that the path of the early church Franz Jägerstätter, was the correct one and that pacifism was the normative the Austrian peasant who refused to serve in Hitler’s army Christian position and that the just war theory was at best in any capacity because he was convinced of the immorali- an attempt to justify what Realpolitik had already decided ty of the war. Franz, married and the father of three was necessary. For many a decade, Gordon followed the daughters, was beheaded for his convictions. Gordon came lonely road of preaching pacifism in the company of others upon this story while doing research on the role of on the edges of mainstream Christianity. But this was a Catholics in Hitler’s Germany, and then sought out Franz’s determined lot, and Gordon, who despised meetings to widow and interviewed many of the townspeople and some the depth of his being, continued to show up whenever clergy. The resulting book, In Solitary Witness, celebrated asked, attended meeting after meeting and was eventually Franz’s life and became a major contribution to the successful in efforts with others to resurrect Pax Christi Catholic peace movement. One of Gordon’s proudest USA, establishing it as a premier American peace organi- moments came when he was at yet another antiwar rally zation. and heard someone say that he was burning his draft card Gordon’s witness to peace was accomplished in the in memory of Franz Jägerstätter. One flame had led to classroom, on the lecture circuit, writing at his desk or another. attending endless meetings for the cause; but develop- But surely the proudest moment would have been the ments gave special luster to his contributions. First, during beatification ceremony of Franz last month in Austria. discussions at the Second Vatican Council on the draft of Unfortunately, Gordon suffered from Alzheimer’s disease Gaudium et Spes, then known as Schema XIII, about war during the past several years and was unable to attend. One and the just war theory, he met Archbishop Thomas of Gordon’s relatives reported that she read the letter of Roberts, S.J., of Bombay and members of the British hier- invitation to him and, though he had been unresponsive, he archy in England and began a correspondence with opened his eyes, sat up and took a deep breath. Perhaps he Archbishop Roberts. Gordon gave a major briefing to was aware of the ultimate fruit that his story bore. members of the British hierarchy in Rome and was instru- Gordon was not a flashy person and was rather modest mental in persuading them to support the insertion of a in his personal way of living, but day in and day out he positive statement on conscientious objection. The council bore constant and often solitary witness to the cause of thus reversed Pius XII’s teaching that if one was a Catholic peace to which he dedicated his life. He can now skip fur- and one’s nation legitimately declared war, a Catholic citi- ther meetings and rest in peace.

“The Draft: An Occasion of Sin?” by Gordon Zahn, THOMAS A. SHANNON is professor emeritus of religion and social ethics at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. at americamagazine.org.

4 America January 7-14, 2008 Editorial Migration, the Larger Picture

MID THE NEGATIVE RHETORIC of some Many migrants from Africa die at sea in desperate presidential candidates who seek to exploit attempts to reach Europe. Hundreds of undocumented the issue of undocumented immigrants, it is immigrants from Central and Latin America perish annu- important to keep in mind a larger view of ally as they try to cross the southern border of the United “people on the move.” What is happening States. Ironically, while wealthier countries create ever Ain the United States represents just a small part of a world- stricter barriers against undocumented migrants and asy- wide phenomenon. lum seekers, the parliament of the European Union has A major reason for migration lies in economics. Of called for increased legal migration to offset the effects of special note is the extreme disparity in wages between aging populations. Some European officials point out that countries in the developing world and in the developed the possibilities now for legally entering European coun- world. The Global Commission on International tries are so restrictive that in effect they encourage illegal Migration, in its 2005 report, Migration in an Interconnected immigration. World, notes, for example, that people in sub-Saharan Africa earn less than a dollar a day. Those who manage to ADVOCATES OF A JUST APPROACH to the worldwide migration move to higher income nations send remittances back to challenge believe that it cannot be dealt with by individu- their home countries: an estimated $167 billion a year. al countries, but must be addressed multilaterally. To that Even though sub-Saharan Africa receives the lowest pro- end Kofi Annan, before stepping down as secretary gen- portion of global remittances, the report observes that eral of the United Nations, proposed a forum of the 191 remittances amount to 50 percent of household income in member states to discuss best practices in international Somalia, for example. migration policy and the relation of immigration to glob- Almost half the world’s migrants are women, according al development. In making his recommendation, Mr. to the report. Some have received training in their home Annan said that “our focus in the international communi- countries as teachers and nurses. Aware of the significant ty should be on the quality and safety of the migration difference between what they can earn there and the much experience and on what can be done to maximize its higher wages elsewhere, many choose to migrate to development benefits.” His proposal resulted in the cre- wealthier nations. The departure of such skilled workers, ation of the Global Forum on Migration and Develop- however, has had an adverse effect on their own countries, ment, which held its first meeting this past July in giving rise to a so-called brain drain. One long-term goal Belgium. For the forum to succeed, however, a level of should therefore be to create adequately paying jobs in generosity on the part of the U.N. member states will be low-income countries to lessen the pressure on people to required that has not always been in evidence. Ideally, migrate for economic reasons. women, men and children should be able to realize their Although migration may allow women to learn new potential in their home countries and not have to skills and earn higher wages in destination countries, those migrate. with limited education are especially vulnerable to In the meantime, nativists in the United States contin- exploitation, and can easily be forced into prostitution. ue to press for a one-size-fits-all approach to undocument- Their vulnerability is all the greater if they are unfamiliar ed immigrants. Some presidential candidates have urged with the language of the country to which they are that all 12 million be sent home as “illegal aliens.” But as brought. Children are also vulnerable to trafficking. The one advocate has said, “People themselves can’t be illegal: United Nations has called this the third largest criminal the term is almost a slur against God.” The Universal business in the world. Nor are men exempt from human Declaration of Human Rights will celebrate its 60th trafficking. Lured to wealthy countries like the United anniversary next year. With migrants ever more vulnerable States with promises of well-paying jobs, many have found at borders and in countries to which they move, 2008 is a on arrival that they are all but enslaved at work sites, with fitting time for world leaders to remember that migration their passports taken from them. is a human rights issue.

January 7-14, 2008 America 5 Signs of the Times

New Jersey Lawmakers identified 19-year-old Ramazan Bay as share something special, said the Doctrinal Abolish Death Penalty the primary suspect. It said the teenager Note on Some Aspects of Evangelization. reportedly confessed to the crime, saying Cardinal William J. Levada, prefect of Bishop John M. Smith of Trenton, N.J., he had stabbed the priest because of the doctrinal congregation, presented the said Dec. 14 he was pleased that New Christian proselytism, which he read document at a Dec. 14 Vatican press con- Jersey legislators voted to abolish the about on the Internet and saw depicted ference. In addition to reminding death penalty, but said he would not have on a popular Turkish television series, Catholics of their obligation to share the a “triumphalist attitude about it” because “Valley of the Wolves.” Gospel with others, the document criti- capital punishment is such a sensitive cized Catholics who believe that every issue. Members of the General Assembly religion offers salvation, and it defended voted Dec. 13 to end the death penalty in Catholic Duty and Right to Catholics in some Orthodox countries their state, four days after the measure Share the Gospel from charges of proselytism when they was approved by the state Senate. Gov. When Catholics fulfill their right and welcome into the Catholic Church peo- Jon Corzine signed it into law Dec. 17. duty to share their faith with others, they ple who freely ask to join. In remarks at the state capitol, Corzine are not engaging in proselytism or show- Cardinal Levada said the document, said the decision to abolish the death ing contempt for the beliefs of others, which already was being prepared when penalty in the state demonstrated that said a new document from the Pope Benedict XVI was still prefect of “New Jersey is truly evolving.” He said a Congregation for the Doctrine of the the congregation, was the result of a fundamental argument against the death Faith. Sharing the Christian faith with the growing “confusion about whether penalty is for society to “determine if its hope that another may accept it is a com- Catholics should give testimony about endorsement of violence begets violence, mand given by Christ to his followers and their faith in Christ,” particularly to peo- and if violence undermines our commit- is a natural result of wanting others to ple who already had another religion. ment to the sanctity of life.” The gover- nor also issued an order to commute the Theater Founder Says Disability Is a Gift sentences of the eight men on the state’s death row to life in prison without the have participated possibility of parole. He thanked advoca- in the group’s pro- cy groups, naming the New Jersey grams since its Catholic Conference and the American 1977 debut. The Civil Liberties Union, among others, for New York-based their efforts “that put pressure on those nonprofit organi- of us in public service to stand up and do zation provides the right thing.” theatrical training and seeks to create Priest’s Stabbing Called a safe haven in Attack on Christians which artists with physical disabilities The recent stabbing of an Italian qualify for and Capuchin friar in Turkey marks yet obtain work in the another act of violence targeting the performing and minority Christian community in the baking arts. country, said Bishop Luigi Padovese of Brother Curry, 64, Anatolia. Father Adriano Franchini was a native attacked Dec. 16 after a Mass in a church Philadelphian, was in Izmir. The 65-year-old priest under- The life of the imagination has no born with one arm. He joined the went surgery soon after and was declared physical boundaries, and people with Jesuits in 1961, and is taking a break “out of danger,” because the attacker had physical disabilities can use their imagi- from the day-to-day leadership of the missed hitting any vital organs, Bishop nation to face life’s difficulties. That is National Theatre Workshop of the Padovese told the Rome-based mission- the enduring message of Rick Curry, a Handicapped to study for ordination to ary news service AsiaNews. “What must Jesuit brother, and the organization he the priesthood at Washington be underlined is that, once again, an act founded 30 years ago in New York, the Theological Union. He lives with of violence has targeted a Catholic priest National Theatre Workshop of the Georgetown University’s Jesuit com- in Turkey,” he said in a Dec. 16 inter- Handicapped. The message is taught in munity. “No one is more surprised view with AsiaNews before police had classes and demonstrated by the exam- than I am,” he said. “I never wanted to captured the suspected attacker. ple of Brother Curry and those who be a priest. It grew from the outside in, AsiaNews reported Dec. 17 that police work with him. About 15,000 people not the inside out.”

6 America January 7-14, 2008 Signs of the Times

Holy Family in Joseph’s officially on Dec. 24 and remains in the We are afraid we will not have the possi- Carpenter Shop square until the feast of the Presentation bility to elect a president because of the of the Lord on Feb. 2. interference of Syria and Iran, and also Saudi Arabia, France and the United States,” he said. “Everyone has an inter- Dioceses Downsize to Pay est in Lebanon, and that’s not good for Abuse Settlements our country,” Bishop Kassarji said. “We The scandal of sexual abuse by members are Lebanese and we want to govern our of the clergy continued to have a major own country by ourselves.” Brig. Gen. financial impact on U.S. Catholic dioce- Francois Hajj was killed in the blast in ses in 2007 as multimillion-dollar settle- Beirut’s Baabda neighborhood near the ments were reached with abuse victims presidential palace. Hajj was slated to and dioceses funded their share by selling succeed Gen. Michel Suleiman as head of church property, reducing staff and, in at the military if Suleiman is elected presi- least one case, soliciting contributions dent. from priests and lay Catholics. In California alone, financial settlements Bloodshed Desecrates from decades-old abuse cases exceeded $1.8 billion after the statute of limitations the Holy Land was lifted for one year. The Diocese of While the political implications of say- San Diego began bankruptcy proceedings ing the Holy Land is holy can be debat- early in 2007 just as the Diocese of ed, a Catholic priest and a Jewish and a Spokane, Wash., and the Archdiocese of Muslim scholar agreed that the land is Portland, Ore., emerged from bankrupt- being desecrated by bloodshed, fighting cy brought on by costly abuse settle- and claims of exclusivity. The three ments. In early December, the Diocese of speakers, who have worked together in Davenport, Iowa, agreed to an abuse set- Jerusalem, spoke about their religions’ An 86-foot Christmas tree is seen lit against tlement of $37 million. The agreement, teachings about the land during a Dec. the backdrop of St. Peter's Basilica at the which required the approval of the 11 conference sponsored by the Vatican Dec. 14. bankruptcy judge to take effect, will allow Cardinal Bea Center for Judaic Studies the diocese to come out of bankruptcy, at Rome’s Pontifical Gregorian Sheltered under a tree and concealed by which it filed last year in anticipation of University. Yehezkel Landau, who burlap and scaffolding, the Nativity scene the sex abuse lawsuits. Two years before directs a program at Hartford in St. Peter’s Square—still under con- filing, the diocese had reached settle- Seminary in Connecticut called struction—was designed to place the ments with abuse victims totaling more Building Abrahamic Partnerships, said Holy Family in Joseph’s carpentry work- than $10.5 million. This fall, the San he believes “the holy land of Israel- shop. The Vatican office in charge of the Diego Diocese and the San Bernardino Palestine is God’s primary laboratory crèche’s construction took its inspiration Diocese agreed to pay $198.1 million to on earth for the practice of justice and from Matthew’s Gospel account of the settle lawsuits brought by 144 people loving kindness.” Michael McGarry, a birth of Jesus: “When Joseph awoke, he who claimed they were abused by church Paulist priest who is director of the did as the angel of the Lord had com- personnel between 1938 and 1993. Tantur Ecumenical Institute in manded him and took his wife into his Jerusalem, emphasized the importance home. He had no relations with her until of Christians reflecting “on the place of she bore a son and he named him Jesus.” Lebanese Catholics Mourn the land of Israel and its meaning for The central scene was designed to be Slain Leader the Jewish people.” Mustafa Abu-Sway, Joseph’s dwelling and his carpentry work- director of the Islamic Research Center shop with angels hovering above from a Catholic leaders in Lebanon denounced a at Jerusalem’s Al-Quds University, said small balcony, according to a Dec. 13 car bomb explosion that killed a top that while most Muslims believe the written statement by the office for tech- Maronite Catholic military official in a Holy Land was given to them in a per- nical services for Vatican City. The scene neighborhood of Beirut. “The war in petual endowment in the seventh centu- was to be flanked by another carpentry Lebanon is not finished,” Chaldean ry, the only way he sees to resolve the shop and an inn. Joseph lived and worked Bishop Michel Kassarji of Beirut told competing claims over the territory is to in Nazareth, while “Jesus was born in Catholic News Service from the bishop’s emphasize “the primacy of human life Bethlehem of Judea,” as Matthew’s residence, which is located near where over that of land.” account also confirms. The Vatican the bomb exploded Dec. 12. “The big Nativity scene is by tradition unveiled problem is for Christians in Lebanon. From CNS and other sources. CNS photos.

January 7-14, 2008 America 7 Pope Praises Kuwait’s Efforts for Human Rights group” Dec. 7 caused him concern. “I am urgently expressing my sincere closeness and solidarity in these regrettable circum- stances,” the pope wrote in a letter pub- lished on the Web site of the Venezuelan bishops’ conference. He said he was keeping the cardinal in his prayers, encouraging him “to stay true [to] the fulfillment of your pastoral mission.” Cardinal Urosa said in a statement that he was not physically harmed in the attack.

Interfaith Gathering to Light Historic Menorah The Rev. David Garcia, rector of San Fernando Cathedral, said the annual Kuwait's new ambassador to the Vatican, Suhail Khalil Shuhaiber, presents his credentials to Catholic-Jewish Hanukkah commemora- Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican Dec. 13. tion in San Antonio, Tex., was an oppor- tunity to illustrate how people of various Children must be educated in moral role in the delicate process of recon- faith traditions have worked with one values, in their own religious and cul- ciliation which offers the only sure another over the years. “Each one,” he tural heritage and in respect for the hope for a resolution of the many said, “has added a wonderful richness that religious beliefs of others, Pope complex problems affecting the only their tradition could give.” Good Benedict XVI said. Welcoming Suhail Middle East,” the pope said. relationships among different faiths in Khalil Shuhaiber as Kuwait’s new “Interreligious and intercultural dia- San Antonio is what distinguishes it as a ambassador to the Vatican Dec. 13, logue for the promotion of peace,” premier city, he added. the pope praised Kuwait for its efforts especially between Christians and to promote democracy, human rights Muslims, is “essential for overcoming and dialogue within its borders and misunderstandings and forging solid throughout the Middle East. After the relations marked by mutual respect country’s invasion in 1990 by Iraq and and cooperation in the pursuit of the a seven-month occupation, Kuwait common good of the whole human has continued “to play an important family,” the pope said.

Report Analyzes Church church leaders provide “protection and Response to Abuse Crisis restoration” for priests accused of abuse who are later found innocent and called Although the church has taken positive for “greater speed” in investigating and steps in its response to the sexual abuse responding to abuse allegations. The full crisis, more needs to be done, according report is available online at: to a five-year report on the crisis released www.usccb.org/nrb/nrbreport2007.pdf. Dec. 13 by the National Review Board, the lay group that oversees the U.S. Violence Against Catholic bishops’ compliance with child protection policies. The report, addressed Venezuelan Cardinal to U.S. Catholics on the fifth anniversary Pope Benedict XVI expressed his concern of the board’s establishment, called the over the recent violence aimed at church’s response to the crisis “impres- Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino of Caracas, sive” but also noted that its “work is only Venezuela. The cardinal announced he beginning.” It said church officials must had been verbally assaulted and that the The visit of the Magi is portrayed in a stained-glass window at St. Michael's do a better job providing victims with the vehicle he and his driver were in was vio- Cathedral in Toronto. The feast of the help they need and should also help lently attacked by a group of people in Epiphany of the Lord in the Catholic Church Catholics at the parish level understand downtown Caracas, the capital. In a brief in the West is Jan. 6, 2008. It commemo- how best to respond to victims and their letter dated Dec. 9, the pope said the rates the adoration of the newborn Christ by families. It also recommended that news “of the aggression...by a violent the Magi, or Wise Men.

8 America January 7-14, 2008 Reflection Place

Child—though she would not recognize

Sacred Space for herself in the role of “wise visitor from the East”—is her work to express the wisdom

and spirit of the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises in terms of her own native Transformation ‘ images and stories, so that others might engage with them more fully. Then comes John. Of Polish descent, The cost of living our vocation is to his father suffered dreadfully as a prisoner ‘ in Siberia when Poland was overrun by the be fixed and rooted in the cold soil. power blocs of wartime Europe, and he became the victim of a brutal Stalinist incarceration. The justice genes live on in John, and the fruit he bears is to be a quiet, insistent, unrelenting investigator and CCORDING TO the Swiss imagination since Homo sapiens took his exposer of the human rights violations that painter Paul Klee, “the artist is first bipedal steps here and told stories lurk undetected beneath the surface of our like the trunk of a tree, draw- around the campfire in the equatorial Western democracies. ing up through its roots in the night. And Bridget, whose ancestors suffered unknown soil below what will This was a sacred tree, not only the ravages of the Irish famine and subse- Abring life to the branches above: leaves, because of its ancient lineage, but because quent brutalities which must be laid at the flowers and fruit, a life of which he or she it was the community’s birthing tree. door of the British military occupation. knows nothing.” Whenever a pregnant woman came to Bridget has every reason to be embittered That strikes me as a pretty apt descrip- term, she would enter into the hollowed- by the memories her life draws up from tion of the priestly calling, as well as the out sanctuary of the baobab, give birth to the soil of history, but she has transformed call of every believer, to be deeply in touch her child and remain there with her young those memories into the often unregarded with the power of an invisible reality, and until the umbilical cord fell away. Every service of the “border children,” who have to be willing to be a space where that real- child in the village had first seen the light grown up in the shadow of tensions in ity is transformed by God into infinite of day within the enfolding shelter of that Northern Ireland, teaching them to beat possibilities of leaf, flower and fruit. tree. It had literally borne the fruit of the their inherited swords into ploughshares But the cost of living this vocation is to human family in that place, delighted for a different world. be fixed and rooted in the cold winter soil, them with its large white flowers and These are three of my Magi today. to stand firm through both storm and nourished them with its gourd-like fruit. They are three among many. They are drought, to be constant in all weather, to When I gaze at my miniature baobab, who they are because they are living true trust that God is with us wherever we may I rejoice in the fruits that 2007 has borne. to their deepest vocations. They are birth- find ourselves, standing alone yet standing Epiphany is a good time to celebrate the givers, sturdy and courageous, who draw for others. gifts life has brought to our own messy from the God of transformation abiding My personal reminder of this call is a stables, and especially those people whose within them and give freely of the fruit baobab tree, or at least a raffia representa- personal rootedness in God has borne that grows from that deep rootedness. tion of one that I brought back from fruit that has nourished us. What might it take to respond to such South Africa. The importance of the I think of Puleng, a black South a vocation—the call to bring to birth, to baobab first caught my attention when I African woman, born and raised in the make incarnate, the riches that we draw watched a television documentary filmed troubled township of Soweto on the mar- upon when we put down the roots of in Tanzania. In a remote rural village gins (in every sense) of Johannesburg. As a prayer into the soil of God’s mystery? Two stood an ancient baobab, already com- small child and a growing, questioning things perhaps: first that we really do put pletely hollowed out by the passing of the teenager, she lived through the worst and down those deep roots, taking the time to centuries. Its roots reached deep into the the best of Soweto’s history as well as the be still, in prayer, before the mystery we African earth. Its branches stretched out to post-apartheid struggle to build a just and call God, and then that we allow the fruit the brilliant blue skies and the star-laden peaceful future for her nation. Her roots to be God’s concern and not ours. We may canopy that have captured the human have drawn from Africa’s earth the knowl- never know how the tree of our life bears edge of hunger, fear and anger but also a fruit, or for whom, but we are asked simply MARGARET SILF lives in Staffordshire, deep faith and unquenchable hope. She is to entrust the fruiting to God. England. Her latest books are Companions transforming these raw materials into a May the hollows of our own hearts of Christ: Ignatian Spirituality for Everyday powerful ministry for peace and reconcili- become spaces of transformation where Living and the Catholic Press Association ation. God can come to birth in new ways for award-winning The Gift of Prayer. Puleng’s particular gift to the Christ planet earth in 2008. Margaret Silf

January 7-14, 2008 America 9 January 7-14, 2008 America Vol. 198 No. 1, Whole No. 4800 CNS PHOTO BY REUTERS

An Iranian protester shouts slogans against the U.S. and Israel during a Jerusalem Day demonstration outside the University of Tehran before Friday prayers Oct. 28. Two days earlier, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had called for Israel to be “wiped off the map.”

A proposal to promote regional stability Iran and the Bomb: Defusing Tensions – BY ALON BEN-MEIR –

LTHOUGH THE RECENTLY PUBLISHED National Intelligence Estimate has changed the nature of the international discussion about Iran’s nuclear ambition, it has not answered the question of Iran’s ultimate intention to acquire nuclear weapons. Whereas the intelligence estimate suggests with “high probability” that Iran froze its nuclear weapons program in 2003, Aneither the United States nor Israel, distrustful of Iran’s intentions, believe that the find- ings warrant a new reconciliatory approach toward Iran. Yet the new report offers the

ALON BEN-MEIR is professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at New York University. He is also the Middle East project director at the World Policy Institute.

10 America January 7-14, 2008 Bush administration an opportunity and imposes a new obli- stopped its uranium enrichment program, Iran was swim- gation to engage Iran through direct and unconditional ming in oil money, more than $100 billion in hard curren- negotiations in an effort to defuse the nuclear issue and sub- cy. Meanwhile, Tehran has been dismissive of the United stantially improve the prospects for regional stability. Nations Security Council resolution calling on it to end its uranium enrichment program by the end of August 2007. How We Got Here Tehran’s governing clergy Iran’s insistence on its right to is counting on Russia and enrich uranium, which is a pre- China, with their substantial requisite to developing nuclear oil and gas interests in Iran, to weapons, remains at the core of prevent any meaningful eco- the dispute. Regardless of how nomic sanctions from being consistent that may be with the imposed on it by a future provisions of the Non- Security Council resolution. Proliferation Treaty of which Iran Moreover, the lessons learned is a signatory, Tehran’s behavior from the Bush administration’s and defiance of the international direct negotiations with North community continues to raise Korea were not lost on Iran. serious questions about its real Pyongyang’s adamant refusal intentions. Iran has hidden much to give up North Korea’s of its nuclear development pro- nuclear program before sitting gram for 18 years, and it contin- face-to-face with the ues to seek industrial scale enrich- Americans, and then receiving ment of uranium; it supports much of the economic incen- Islamic and Arab extremism in tives along with security guar- Iraq, Lebanon and Afghanistan; it antees that it demanded, gave repeatedly threatens Israel’s existence; and it consistently the Iranian clergy a strategy. Iran’s propensity for playing undermines the Arab-Israeli peace process. These actions for time was only encouraged by the administration’s inabil- reveal Tehran’s ambition to be the region’s hegemon, possi- ity to fashion a coherent policy that could mobilize the bly armed with nuclear weapons once it chooses to restart international community to act in concert against Iran. its development program. But while the Bush administra- Stalling and resorting to ambiguities and contradictions tion is right to condemn Tehran’s unsavory activities, it was have well served Iran’s designs. As a result, the Bush admin- wrong in its approach and policies toward Iran before the istration has had to settle for ever-reducible leverage. new intelligence estimate was made public, and the admin- Now it must capitalize on the new National Intelligence istration is certainly wrong now. Estimate, depart from its current policy toward Iran and For nearly seven years the Bush administration has chart a much bolder course of action. failed to articulate a coherent policy toward Tehran and bring it to heel. Mr. Bush’s wishy-washy approach permit- A New Way Forward ted Tehran to outwit Washington in the game of brinkman- Any new policy of the Bush administration must begin by ship and gain the time it needed to make tremendous ending all public denunciations of Iran and reintroducing progress, at least until 2003, toward acquiring the know- some civility to the public discourse. The United States how for making nuclear weapons. The Bush administra- should not stoop to the level of Iran’s President Mahmoud tion’s refusal to conduct direct negotiations, its obsession Ahmadinejad by trying to match his outrageous public pro- with regime change and preoccupation with Iraq have given nouncements. It must consider Iran’s national mind-set, Iran the leverage to refuse to negotiate on America’s terms which is nurtured by religious ideology that has little or while emboldening it to defy Washington without fear of nothing to do with reality. Ahmadinejad and his kind revel reprisal. in denunciations of the United States and now feel particu- Meanwhile, Britain, France and Germany, representing larly emboldened by the U.S. intelligence community and the European Union, have made little headway in their on- the attention paid it by the administration. The Iranian again off-again negotiations with Iran. By the time they president may even welcome another Bush misadventure, finally presented Iran, more than a year ago, with a so-called one that will finally destroy what is left of America’s prestige generous economic incentive package and a promise that and power in the wake of the Iraq war. the Americans would enter into the negotiations if Tehran From the time Mr. Bush labeled Iran as a member of the

January 7-14, 2008 America 11 axis of evil, followed by constant repudiation and criticism approach would allow Tehran to continue to enrich urani- of its behavior, Tehran simply intensified its anti-American um only during the negotiations. Permanent suspension of and anti-Israeli activities. enrichment would be the result, rather than the precondi- By all assessments, Iran has reaped the greatest benefits tion, of the negotiation, satisfying Iran’s main demand and from the Iraq war. The war has provided Iran with a historic giving the regime a face-saving way out. The presence of opportunity to establish Shiite dominance in the region, Russia and China at the negotiating table would be critical, and its aggressive pursuit of a nuclear weapons program especially if no agreement is reached. By including these deters any challenge to its strategy. Tehran is fully cognizant two parties, the United States would demonstrate that it that the successful pursuit of its regional hegemony has now had negotiated in good faith and exhausted all possible become intertwined with the clout that a nuclear program diplomatic options. bestows, even if it is not intended to lead to the develop- During the negotiations, the Bush administration ment of nuclear weapons, as Iran claims. Now that interna- should offer a detailed economic incentive package so that tional pressure on Iran is likely to recede following the new Iran knows precisely what the potential gains are and what intelligence estimate, it is most unlikely that Iran will give the possible losses would be, should it decide to turn down up its uranium enrichment program at this juncture, unless the American/European offer. Regardless of the size of the it concludes that the price will be too high to bear. economic incentive, since Iran fears America the most, The second phase of the new American policy should Tehran, like North Korea, will likely insist on a non-bel- offer Iran a way out. The administration can make a real ligerent agreement with the United States, which could case against Iran and resolve the impasse by not insisting eventually lead to the establishment of normal relations and that Iran suspend the enrichment of uranium as a precondi- regional security. Surely this would require the Bush admin- tion of direct negotiations with Tehran. The White House istration to abandon its desire for regime change and accept must enter into direct and unconditional negotiations, the Iranian clergy as the legitimate government of Iran. along with its European partners and with Russia and The United States has no other realistic option. Any China, for a limited period of, say, three months. During political change in Iran must come from within, and it is the this time, the parties must hammer out a negotiated settle- U.S. threat that pushes the government to tighten its grip ment that satisfies both the United States and Iran. This on power and therefore keeps the regime in place. There is

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12 America January 7-14, 2008 a growing moderate and powerful constituency in Iran that even if imposed by the United States and the European recognizes the importance of normalizing relations with the Union alone, while not excluding the use of other coercive United States. This constituency can become far more vocal measures as may be deemed necessary. in promoting significant social and political reforms without The Bush administration must also seek better working being accused of disloyalty, provided that their government relations and cooperation with the International Atomic is no longer threatened by the United States. Energy Agency. In the final analysis, this agency is the non- proliferation watchdog; it and the administration must not And If Negotiations Fail... work at cross-purposes. So far, the Iranian government has Should the negotiations break down after three months skillfully played the I.A.E.A. against the United States, man- without any agreement and Iran still refuses to halt its ura- aging to gain not only more time but also legitimate cover nium enrichment, the Bush administration would then be in under the agency rules. That is precisely what prompted a much stronger position to mobilize the international com- President Ahmadinejad to state in his speech of September munity, especially Russia and China, to consider punitive 2007 at the United Nations General Assembly that Iran’s measures against Tehran. In the wake of the National nuclear issue is no longer political but technical in nature Intelligence Estimate, neither Russia nor China will support and can be resolved between the I.A.E.A. and Tehran with- a new set of U.N. sanctions. Yet both Russia and China have out outside interference. Although the I.A.E.A. director, tremendous oil and gas interests in Iran and are therefore Mohamed ElBaradei, welcomed the new National vested in finding a peaceful solution to the impasse between Intelligence Estimate, he strongly suggested that the new Iran and the United States. Neither wants to risk long-term report “should prompt Iran to work actively with the multibillion dollar investments. Russia and China, however, I.A.E.A. to clarify specific aspects of its past and present will cooperate with the United States only as long as they nuclear program as outlined in the work plan and through are convinced that the Bush administration is now willing to the implementation of the additional protocol.” In any exhaust all diplomatic channels. future negotiations, Tehran should have no choice but to To be sure, the conditions under which negotiations accept unfettered inspection by the I.A.E.A., while observ- should be conducted must convince Iran that a failure to ing total and complete transparency in all of its nuclear reach agreement could lead to crippling economic sanctions facilities with no exception.

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January 7-14, 2008 America 13 Understanding Israel’s Position intentions discerned from religious convictions, which One other critical issue must be kept in mind. If the Bush requires a more nuanced intelligence analysis that a more administration fails to end Iran’s nuclear program peaceful- detached examination tends to yield. For this reason, Israel ly, it will be left to Israel, which remains convinced that Iran does not accept the freezing of Iran’s nuclear program in is still actively pursuing nuclear weapons, to deal with Iran. 2003 as nonreversible. In fact, Israel believes the program Concerning Iran’s nuclear program, Israeli intelligence may has already been reversed and that Iran’s ambition to reach be more accurate, specifically because of Israel’s pervasive industrial levels of uranium enrichment only reinforces this human intelligence in the region. Although America and contention. Israel share, among other things, pertinent intelligence, For Israel, the point of no return (the point at which their respective intelligence communities do not always Tehran masters the technology to produce nuclear reach the same conclusion. For one thing, feeling consis- weapons) looms ever closer. Israeli intelligence circles and tently threatened by Iran, Israel delves much deeper into government officials disagree with the new intelligence esti- mate; they still believe that Iran could master the technology in less than two years, not the five to seven years estimated by the C.I.A. Iran’s president has repeatedly and unambiguously threatened Israel’s right to exist. No Israeli gov- ernment would be so foolish as not to take these threats very seriously. After reading the new National Intelligence Estimate, Israel’s Defense Minister Ehud Barak suggested, “It is our responsibility to ensure that the right steps are taken against the Iranian regime. As is well known, words don’t stop mis- siles.... We cannot allow ourselves to rest just because of an intelligence report from the other 'PSĄJOH %JTDJQMFT BOE .JTđJPOBčJFT PG
side of the earth, even if it is from our greatest friend.” The war in Lebanon gave Israel a rude awakening. A nuclear Iran does not merely +FTVT $IčJTU intend to “eradicate the nuclear prestige of he United States Conference of Catholic Bishops uses the collected funds Israel” as the Iranian newspaper Kayham edito- T to support pastoral grants in 23 Latin American countries, as well as related rialized recently, but, many Israelis believe, to work of the Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development. eradicate Israel itself. From the Israeli perspec- tive, the Iranian threat is extremely real and the Pastoral grants have funded projects like v Seminaries throughout Latin America international community must open its eyes to v Catechetical programs in Peru the looming danger. v Lay leadership training in the Dominican Republic During his remaining year in office, v Catechist training in Argentina President Bush has to choose between defus- v Formation programs for religious in Mexico ing the tension with Iran while promoting v Pastoral health initiatives in Central America regional stability and continuing his bellicose Your generous gift enables your fellow Catholics in Latin America and denunciation of Tehran, which could lead the Caribbean to participate more fully as disciples in the life of the inadvertently or by design to a violent con- Church and as missionaries to the world. flict. It was the Bush administration that COLLECTION FOR THE CHURCH IN LATIN AMERICA turned down Iran’s offer in early 2003 to Please contact us for more information on how you can make a difference. negotiate a comprehensive peaceful settle- ment between the two sides. The burden is Collection for the Church in Latin America now on Mr. Bush. Only through face-to-face Office of National Collections • United States Conference of Catholic Bishops 3211 Fourth Street, NE, Washington, DC 20017-1194 negotiations will his administration be in a (202) 541-3050 position to discern the true intentions of the Visit us at www.usccb.org/latinamerica Iranian government, completely remove the Copyright © 2007, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, D.C. All rights reserved. nuclear threat and put in place the building Photo: Msgr. Carlos Quintana Puente blocks of peace and stability. A

14 America January 7-14, 2008 From Thames to Tiber Tony Blair and the politics of conversion Editor’s note: Tony Blair converted on Dec. 21, 2007. An updated version of this article appears on our web site www.americamagazine.org.

BY AUSTEN IVEREIGH

ILL HE OR pope. “But the trouble is WON’T HE? that miracles in England The answer are rather hard to come is yes, very by.” Wlikely; but the reception This was followed by into the Catholic Church of what the British press the former British prime called the “papal chiding.” minister, Tony Blair, is One newspaper quoted proving hard to tie down to the mother of the mistak- a date. The word in Rome en savior in “Monty was that it would happen in Python’s Life of Brian,” November at a private ser- with the headline “He’s vice conducted by the not the Messiah, he’s a Archbishop of Westmins- very naughty boy!” The ter, Cardinal Cormac Vatican’s spokesman, Murphy-O’Connor. But Federico Lombardi, S.J., that date has come and described the exchange as gone. One British newspa- un franco confronto, which per says there are fears The Times said was Blair’s conversion could Vatican-speak for a row, impede his role as Middle but which Father East envoy—why, it is not Lombardi insisted meant clear—and pins the event “full, direct and friendly.” with suspicious certainty to Take your pick. Whatever next Easter. it was, it was over hot-but- The announcement was ton issues with which supposed to have been Blair’s premiership has made last June when Blair, been identified in Catholic then still prime minister, minds: embryonic stem saw Pope Benedict XVI and cell research, gay mar- the two men spent at least riage, abortion, the Iraq 10 minutes in private con- war. But was Pope versation. But quizzed on Benedict speaking to Blair the matter by The London as a head of government or Times, Blair said on that as a future convert? occasion that things were “not as resolved as they Faith and British Politics might be.” Cardinal Tony Blair, former British prime minister and current special envoy to the Playing in the back- Murphy-O’Connor, it has Middle East, smiles next to a model of the Church of the Nativity during a visit ground of this “will-he- since been reported, advised to Bethlehem on Dec. 11. won’t-he” intrigue are the prime minister against Blair’s revelations in a making the announcement until after he on his way to sainthood,” Blair told Pope recent BBC documentary that while stood down. Benedict, presenting him with a picture of prime minister, he feared being seen as a

CNS PHOTO/EMILIO MORENATTI/POOL VIA REUTERS “Here is a well-known convert who is John Henry Newman. (Newman was the “nutter” if he failed to keep his faith famous 19th-century convert from below the radar. It is a grand irony that in AUSTEN IVEREIGH is a writer and journalist Anglicanism who “poped”—as Anglicans the United States, where church and and former adviser to Cardinal Cormac scornfully put it—in 1845 and became a state are separated by high constitutional Murphy-O’Connor. cardinal in 1879.) “Ah yes,” sighed the walls, it is helpful for politicians to speak

January 7-14, 2008 America 17 often of God; whereas in Britain, where against and you are a hypocrite. or to throw stones to keep him from the the Anglican Church is “by law estab- The head of state, the queen, on church door. It has been to engage Blair lished” and the state is officially whose behalf the prime minister governs, in the kind of preparation every novice Christian, it is advisable for politicians to must swear to uphold the Protestant faith. Catholic must undergo. Not a few priests steer well away from the subject. “We Even poor Prince William will be unable have been involved in the process, which don’t do God,” Blair’s press secretary, to marry a Catholic without giving up the has been going on for some time. Alistair Campbell, once famously throne—an astonishing anachronism. remarked. And in his The Road to Rome interview Blair explains One can only imagine what Campbell meant. Blair’s struggles on his “If you are in the way to the faith of his American political sys- Most attractive to Tony Blair wife, Cherie, and their tem or others then you four children. Blair’s can talk about religious is the church’s vast international background is in liberal faith and people say Anglo-Catholicism; his ‘Yes, that’s fair enough’ reach, its commitment to favorite theologians are and it is something they Leonardo Boff and respond to quite natu- the poor, its capacity for Hans Küng, not Joseph rally,” he says in the mobilization against injustice Ratzinger and Hans BBC documentary. Urs von Balthasar. Blair “You talk about it in our and its courage to stand firm belongs to an ecclesial system and, frankly, tradition in which the people do think you’re a on unpopular issues. gate is wide and bridges nutter. They sort of are more important [think] you maybe go than borders. When, off and sit in the corner many years ago, he was and commune with the reprimanded by man upstairs and then come back and say, ‘Nutter’ or Hypocrite? Cardinal Basil Hume, the former arch- ‘Right, I’ve been told the answer and There is no constitutional bar to a prime bishop of Westminster, for publicly that’s it.’” minister being a Catholic, but, like many receiving the Eucharist at Westminster He is not exaggerating. Consider the elements of an unwritten British consti- Cathedral, Blair was heard to splutter, reaction to a television interview Blair tution, this has never been put to the test. “What would Jesus have made of that?” gave last year in which he spoke of his ago- British politics has largely deferred to the Unlike most Anglican converts nies over the war in Iraq. “That decision consensus view that if you start to unpick (3,981 adults crossed from the Thames to has to be taken and has to be lived with, one strand of a messy ball of wool, the the Tiber in 2005) Blair’s attraction to and in the end there’s a judgement that, whole thing will unravel, and pretty soon the church lies less in its doctrinal clarity, well, if I think you have faith about these you’ll have disestablishment and the hor- or impatience at the Church of England’s things…is made by other people,” he said, ror of French secularism. eternal wranglings over gay priests and adding: “If you believe in God, it’s made A little indication of what would have female ordination, or even its confident by God as well.” The headlines? “God been in store for the Catholic Blair—and “otherness”—its sacramentality and very Told Me to Go to War, Says Blair.” a good indication of why Cardinal un-British mysticism and supernatural- Little surprise, then, that Blair has Murphy-O’Connor may have been ism. Most attractive to Tony Blair is the kept his religious views private, and even stalling him—comes in a recent church’s vast international reach, its less surprise that if he had been tempted to Telegraph article headlined “To many of commitment to the poor, its capacity for convert in office, there was no shortage of us he isn’t a nutter but a hypocrite.” mobilization against injustice and its counsel against the idea. There would Damian Thompson, editor in chief of courage to stand firm on unpopular have been a host of questions: how can a The Catholic Herald, points out that issues—a courage he always admired in Catholic oversee 200,000 abortions a year, “Catholics have not forgotten that the Margaret Thatcher. (Blair himself has appoint Anglican bishops, encourage former P.M., although claiming to demonstrated it more than once in his British experiments on embryos and oppose abortion, consistently voted with premiership.) approve gay marriage? These are not hard-line pro-abortionists at a time when Yet it is a big leap for him to accept questions asked of Anglican, atheist or he was already attending Mass. This they the magisterium, to assent to dogmas, to Protestant prime ministers, because public regard as sickening hypocrisy—and they promise obedience to positions that, were opinion assumes that such persons are not wonder why Cardinal Murphy- he to have adopted them publicly, would beholden in the same way to a higher O’Connor is so silent on the matter.” have killed his political career at the start- authority. But for a practicing Catholic, it Yet the response of popes, cardinals ing blocks. That is why, now that he has is a no-win situation. Vote with the and priests to Blair’s desire to become a left office and remains determined—as Vatican and you are a Roman stooge; vote Catholic is not to organize an auto-da-fé far as we know—to become a Catholic, it

18 America January 7-14, 2008 is worth pausing before using a word like “hypocrite.” For it is one thing is to hold Catholics in public life to account: to question how Judge Antonin Scalia can be in favor of the death penalty, or John Kerry of abortion. But it is another to call them hypocrites, to pretend to know what choices have faced them and why they made the decisions they did. Prying into a man’s conscience is something we can do only with trembling, which is why it is left to spiritual directors and priests under the seal of confession. Even less should people question the sincerity of a former prime minister who has long been a Catholic “of desire.” Better to trust in the sincerity of that desire, if it is put there by the Holy Spirit (and that is for his clergy advisers to judge), while the rest of us hold out our hands in welcome. A

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January 7-14, 2008 America 19 LIBRARIANS: This index can be removed and bound into Vol. 197.

AmericaTHE NATIONAL CATHOLIC WEEKLY Index Volume 197

July 2-9 to December 24-31, 2007

Aloud for ourselves. Karen Sue Smith. 2 D 24 Benedict XVI: peacemaker. Drew Christiansen. Catholic call to the common good. Alexia Kelly 10 Jl 16 and John Gehring. 16 O 15 (Replies 30 N 19, 38 D 10) BERGMAN, INGMAR A Farming with junk. Kyle Kramer. 25 O 15 Ingmar Bergman, theologian? Richard A. Blake. ABORTION (Replies 29 D 17) 29 Au 27 Amnesty and abortion. 5 O 29 (Replies 42 N 5, 37 Glory they give. Patricia A. Kossmann. 2 O 1 D 3, 36 D 10) God and politics. Matt Malone. 9 D 17 BERNSTEIN, ELIZABETH In defense of human life. John F. Kavanaugh. In highland county with Donald McCaig. Michael Nobel women’s initiative. George M. Anderson. 8 N 26 Fedo. 29 O 15 14 O 8 Life of civilizations. Drew Christiansen. 2 N 19 AFRICA Newark remembers. Terry Golway. 9 Jl 30 BLAKE, RICHARD A. Forgiveness unbound. Jeffry Odell Korgen. Two surprise guests. Karen Sue Smith. 23 D 24 See FILM 19 S 10 Guns and chocolate. 4 S 10 ANDERSON, GEORGE M. BOEGEL, ELLEN K. “Racist dictator.” 4 O 8 Mexico’s drug violence. 22 D 3 Partial-birth decision. 17 Jl 16 Template for post-treaty Darfur? Barbara E. Joe. Nativity-model schools go international. 16 My 7 11 O 1 (Replies 31 Jl 2) BOLE, WILLIAM Trip or treat. Maryann Cusimano Love. 8 O 22 Nobel women’s initiative. 14 O 8 American and catholic. 10 Jl 2 (Replies 37 Au 13) Will Darfur dance again? John H. Ricard. 9 N 19 Woman of peace. 32 S 10 — Of Many Things — BOOKS AND READING AL-OMARI, GHAITH Concrete help. 2 N 26 Aloud for ourselves. Karen Sue Smith. 2 D 24 Plan for a workable Jerusalem. 26 Au 13 (Replies Deck the shelves with books aplenty. Patricia A. 30 O 22) ARRUPE, PEDRO Kossmann. 30 D 10 Love will decide everything. Kevin F. Burke. Editor, mentor, friend. Leo J. O’Donovan. 25 D 3 AMERICAN LIFE 18 N 12 (Replies 30 N 19) Seizing the imagination. Jim McDermott. 13 N 12

ASIA Myanmar’s anguish. 5 D 17 Power of Japan. Karen Sue Smith. 15 O 22 Women and human freedom. 4 N 19 B BARRY, WILLIAM A. Friend of God. 27 N 12

BASSETT, WILLIAM W. Church records and the courts. 15 O 29 (Replies 37 N 12, 30 N 19, 37 D 3)

BENEDICT XVI Benedict XVI and the synod of bishops. Kevin E. McKenna. 15 D 10

America January 7-14, 2008 Index, Volume 197 20a Flannery O’Connor’s religious vision. George H. its history and place in the sacrament of Niederauer. 9 D 24 orders. 31 Jl 30 Foster literacy. Patricia A. Kossmann. 2 Jl 30 Peters, F. E. Voice, the word, the books: the Glory they give. Patricia A. Kossmann. 2 O 1 sacred scriptures of the jews, christians and Great catholic books. 4 O 15 muslims. 24 N 19 Jailhouse blues. 4 O 1 Politkovskaya, Anna. Russian diary: a journalist’s Real magic. 4 Au 13 final account of life, corruption, and death. Words that make music. James S. Torrens. 26 O 8 29 D 24 Pontifical International Marian Acade. Mother of Writing, or typing? 4 O 22 (Replies 36 N 12) the lord: memory, presence, hope. 26 N 19 Rees, Matt Beynon. Collaborator of Bethlehem: BOOK REVIEWS an Omar Yussef mystery. 32 O 15 Ahmed, Akbar. Journey into islam: the crisis of Ringwald, Christopher D. Day apart: how jews, globalization. 32 D 3 christians, and muslims find faith, freedom, Anastos, Ernie. Ernie and the big newz: the adven- and joy. 33 Jl 30 tures of a tv reporter. 32 D 10 Rushing, Josh, with Sean Elder. Mission al jazeera: Anderson, C. Colt. Great catholic reformers: from build a bridge, seek the truth, change the Gregory the Great to Dorothy Day. 31 N 5 world. 38 S 10 Atwood, Margaret. Door: poems. 34 N 5 Sandel, Michael J. Case against perfection: ethics Badaracco, Claire Hoertz. Prescribing faith: in the age of genetic engineering. 33 Au 13 medicine, media and religion in american Schroth, Raymond A., S.J. American jesuits: a his- culture. 32 O 1 tory. 25 N 26 Barber, Benjamin R. Consumed: how markets cor- Shrader-Frechette, Kristin. Taking action, saving rupt children, infantilize adults, and swallow Inchausti, Robert, ed. Echoing silence: Thomas lives: our duties to protect environmental citizens whole. 34 Au 13 Merton and the vocation of writing. 25 Jl 2 and public health. 34 O 1 Beauregard, Mario, and Denyse O’Leary. Spiritual Jenkins, Philip. God’s continent: christianity, Smith, Jean Edward. FDR. 31 S 17 brain: a neuroscientist’s case for the existence islam and europe’s religious crisis. 24 Jl 16 Soelle, Dorothee. Mystery of death. 33 Au 27 of the soul. 34 D 24 Katsoris, Nick. Growing up with Loukoumi. Sutton, Matthew Avery. Aimee Semple McPher- Blight, David W. Slave no more: two men who 32 D 10 son and the resurrection of christian escaped to freedom. 32 D 10 Kenneally, Christine. First word: the search for America. 27 O 8 Brague, Rémi, trans. by Lydia G. Cochrane. Law the origins of language. 24 D 17 Taylor, Charles. Secular age. 24 O 22 of God: the philosophical history of an idea. Kraybill, Donald B., Steven M. Nolt, David L. W. Thomas, Nancy Smith. Moravian christmas in the 32 N 12 Amish grace: how forgiveness transcended south. 31 D 10 Califano, Joseph A., Jr. High society: how sub- tragedy. 25 D 17 Thubron, Colin. Shadow of the silk road. 25 O 22 stance abuse ravages America and what to do Kreeft, Peter. Before I go: letters to our children Vermes, Geza. Nativity: history & legend. 32 N 5 about it. 41 S 10 about what really matters. 30 D 10 Weisman, Alan. World without us. 23 N 19 Callahan, Sidney. Created for joy: a christian view Kurtlantzick, Joshua. Charm offensive: how Wilde, Melissa J. Vatican II: a sociological analysis of suffering. 25 S 24 China’s soft power is transforming the world. of religious change. 36 O 1 Cherry, Kelly. Hazard and prospect: new and 23 S 24 Wright, Charles. Littlefoot. 24 S 24 selected poems. 27 N 26 Lakeland, Paul. Catholicism at the crossroads: Wright, Franz. Earlier poems. 32 S 17 Corey, Dale. Inventing english: the imaginative how the laity can save the church. 32 Au 27 Wuthnow, Robert. After the boomers: how twen- origins of everyday language. 31 D 10 Langewiesche, William. Atomic bazaar: the rise of ty-and-thirty-somethings are shaping the D’Antonio, William V., James D. Davidson, Dean the nuclear poor. 30 O 29 future. 23 D 17 R. Hoge, Mary L. Gautier. American Lilla, Mark. Stillborn God: religion, politics, and catholics today. 30 Au 13 the modern west. 31 D 3 BURKE, KEVIN F. Etzioni, Amitai. Security first: for a muscular, Lundin, Roger, ed. There before us: religion, lit- Balancing human and divine. 13 S 17 (Replies 37 moral foreign policy. 33 O 29 erature, and culture from Emerson to Wen- O 15) Evangelisti, Silvia. Nuns: a history of convent life. dell. 34 S 17 Love will decide everything. 18 N 12 30 Jl 30 Malloy, Richard G. Faith that frees: catholic mat- (Replies 30 N 19) Fadiman, Anne. At large and at small: familiar ters for the 21st century. 31 D 24 essays. 39 S 10 Mamet, David. Bambi vs. Godzilla: on the nature, Fernández, Eduardo C. Mexican-American purpose, and practice of the movie business. catholics. 29 N 5 25 Jl 16 Ficocelli, Elizabeth. Lourdes: font of faith, hope, Martel, Yann. Life of Pi: deluxe illustrated edition. and charity. 32 D 24 31 D 10 Finan, Christopher M. From the palmer raids to McCann, Colum. Zoli: a novel. 27 Jl 2 C the patriot act: a history of the fight for free Munro, Alice. View from Castle Rock: stories. CALVEZ, JEAN-YVES speech in America. 31 N 12 26 Jl 2 Seizing the imagination. Jim McDermott. 13 N 12 Frank, Robert. Richistan: a journey through the Médaille, John. Vocation of business: social justice american wealth boom and the lives of the in the marketplace. 31 O 29 CATHOLIC CHURCH—HIERARCHY new rich. 34 D 3 Newman, Katherine S., and Victor Tan Chen. Benedict XVI and the synod of bishops. Kevin E. Ghahramani, Zarah. My life as a traitor. 32 D 10 Missing class: portraits of the near poor in McKenna. 15 D 10 Govan, James L. Art of the crèche: nativities from America. 29 N 26 Bishops on citizenship. Frank Monahan. 19 N 5 around the world. 31 D 10 O’Brien, George Dennis. Finding the voice of the (Replies 36 N 12, 36 D 24) Hampl, Patricia. Florist’s daughter: a memoir. church. 27 O 1 Bishops on citizenship. Matt Malone. 18 N 5 30 O 1 O’Collins, Gerald, S.J. Jesus our redeemer: a (Replies 36 N 12, 35 N 26, 37 D 10, 36 D Heft, James L., S.M. Passing on the faith: trans- christian approach to salvation. 25 O 8 24) forming traditions for the next generation. O’Connor, Joseph. Redemption falls: a novel. Church records and the courts. William W. Bas- 31 O 15 28 O 1 sett. 15 O 29 (Replies 37 N 12, 30 N 19, Hennessy, John. Bridge and tunnel: poems. O’Donoghue, Aileen. Sky is not a ceiling: an 37 D 3) 27 Jl 16 astronomer’s faith. 36 N 5 Dinosaur ponders the latin mass. Emil A. Wcela. Howell, Georgina. Gertrude Bell: queen of the Oliver, Mary. Our world. 30 D 10 17 O 8 (Replies 29 O 22, 38 O 29, 44 N 5) desert, shaper of nations. 34 Au 27 Osborne, Kenan B., O.F.M. Permanent diaconate: Getting higher marks. 4 O 8

20b Index, Volume 197 America January 7-14, 2008 Good news from Brazil. Francis Chamberlain. 21 DIETZ, KLAUS Au 27 (Replies 38 O 15) Christ and secular Sweden. Jim McDermott. I need your help. George B. Wilson. 16 D 17 15 D 24 Love of church and nation. 4 O 15 Mutually enriching. John J. Strynkowski. 21 S 17 DiGIACOMO, JAMES J. (Replies 37 O 15, 38 O 29) Educating for a living faith. 12 S 10 (Replies 38 O Not easily told. Dennis M. Linehan. 2 D 17 15, 37 O 29) Two red hats. Dennis M. Linehan. 5 N 19 DIPLOMACY CATHOLIC CHURCH—HISTORY Halting start. 4 D 17 American and catholic. William Bole. 10 Jl 2 (Replies 37 Au 13) DONAHUE, JOHN R. Church in Qatar. 4 O 15 Jesus and the kingdom of God. 16 S 17 (Replies 37 Church’s changing face. Andrew M. Greeley. O 15) 30 Au 13 Dinosaur ponders the latin mass. Emil A. Wcela. DONNELLY, DORIS 17 O 8 (Replies 29 O 22, 38 O 29, 44 N 5) Lovingly observant: interview with Susanna Hes- Facing the inquisition. Ivan J. Kauffman. 25 D 10 chel. 10 Je 18 (Replies 39 Jl 30, 37 S 17) Latin liturgy and the jews. Anthony J. Cernera and Eugene Korn. 10 O 8 (Replies 29 O 22) DOWLING, JANE MARTINEZ What ever happened to Ireland? Andrew M. Giving back: interview with Jane Martinez Dowl- Greeley. 20 Jl 16 (Replies 45 S 10) ing. Jim McDermott. 29 S 10 (Replies 44 O 1) CATHOLIC EDUCATION CURRAN, THOMAS B. Accessible holiness. William J. O’Malley. 20 Jl 30 15 minutes to let God lead. 27 O 15 DUBOIS, MARCEL (Replies 45 S 10, 30 O 8) Righteous gentile: Marcel Dubois (1920-2007). Don’t rock the boat. 4 O 29 CZERNY, MICHAEL David Mark Neuhaus. 22 O 1 Educating for a living faith. James J. DiGiacomo. Kingdom of God in the time of AIDS: an inter- 12 S 10 (Replies 38 O 15, 37 O 29) view with Michael Czerny. Jim McDermott. ECOLOGY Eye and I. William J. O’Malley. 9 D 10 22 O 15 Eco-asceticism. Kyle T. Kramer. 21 N 5 (Replies Faculty “problem.” Wilson D. Miscamble. 26 S 10 36 N 12) (Replies 21 O 8) Eco-benedictines. 4 O 8 15 minutes to let God lead. Thomas B. Curran. 27 O 15 ECONOMICS Future without parish schools. Terry Golway. Capitobesity. John F. Kavanaugh. 10 Au 27 8 D 10 Catholic social teaching meets wall street. Mary Giving back: interview with Jane Martinez Dowl- DE Ellen Foley McGuire. 14 N 19 ing. Jim McDermott. 29 S 10 DANNEELS, GODFRIED Investing in the future. 4 Au 27 (Replies 44 O 1) Liturgy 40 years after the council. 13 Au 27 Investment, not subsidy. 4 O 1 High taxes, empty desks. Terry Golway. 8 N 12 (Replies 30 O 8) Loan crisis. 4 S 24 (Replies 30 N 19, 36 N 26, 28 D 17) Paying down the debt. Terry Golway. 8 S 17 My confirmation blunder. Reynold Joseph Paul DAVIES, MAXIMOS Plight of G.M. Terry Golway. 8 O 15 (Replies 44 Junker. 25 O 29 What divides orthodox and catholics? 15 D 3 N 5) Necessary ending. 4 N 12 (Replies 28 D 17) Trip or treat. Maryann Cusimano Love. 8 O 22 Not too spiritual. James T. Keane. 2 S 24 (Replies 38 O 15) DEATH PENALTY ECUMENISM Killing the death penalty. 4 D 24 Church of Christ and the churches. Richard R. CERNERA, ANTHONY J. Waiting for good news. David Walsh-Little. Gaillardetz. 17 Au 27 (Replies 43 O 1) Latin liturgy and the jews. 10 O 8 23 D 10 Experience of light. James Massa. 19 D 3 (Replies 29 O 22) Faith-filled openness. Drew Christiansen. 2 S 17 Model for the world. Drew Christiansen. 2 D 10 CHAMBERLAIN, FRANCIS Quakers. James Martin. 2 N 5 Good news from Brazil. 21 Au 27 What divides orthodox and catholics? Maximos (Replies 38 O 15) Davies. 15 D 3 (Replies 28 D 17)

CHINA EDUCATION Church in China. Drew Christiansen. 2 Au 13 “Best colleges,” poor report. Jim McDermott. 5 S Love of church and nation. 4 O 15 24 Peculiar grace of failure. Valerie Schultz. 25 S 17 CHRISTIANSEN, DREW Stifling freedom of speech. 4 N 5 Benedict XVI: peacemaker. 10 Jl 16 Holy men and women. 9 O 29 (Replies 36 N 26) ENGLAND, MARY JANE Jerusalem, 1967-2007. 10 Au 13 (Replies 30 O 22) Diagnosing the U.S. health care system. 9 D 3 Liturgy and the political Isaiah. 28 D 3 Place of divine encounter. 18 Au 13 ENVIRONMENT (Replies 30 O 22) Deforesting the Amazon. 4 Jl 2 — Of Many Things — Eco-asceticism. Kyle T. Kramer. 21 N 5 (Replies Adapting to diversity. 2 O 8 36 N 12) Church in China. 2 Au 13 “Forget it, Jake, it’s chinatown.” 4 D 3 Faith-filled openness. 2 S 17 Greenpeace and logging. 4 N 12 Life of civilizations. 2 N 19 Green renaissance. 5 Jl 16 Ministering angels. 2 O 29 (Replies 37 D 3) Vanishing birds. 4 Jl 30 Model for the world. 2 D 10

America January 7-14, 2008 Index, Volume 197 20c ETHICS 27 O 15 Following conscience. 5 D 10 In defense of human life: II. John F. Kavanaugh. GAILLARDETZ, RICHARD R. 8 D 24 Church of Christ and the churches. 17 Au 27 Partial-birth decision. Ellen K. Boegel. 17 Jl 16 (Replies 43 O 1) See also KAVANAUGH, JOHN F. GARCIA-RIVERA, ALEJANDRO EUROPE Faith and the poor. 11 S 17 (Replies 37 O 15) Christ and secular Sweden. Jim McDermott. 15 D 24 GEHRING, JOHN Experience of light. James Massa. 19 D 3 Catholic call to the common good. 16 O 15 Prime minister Brown. 4 N 5 (Replies 30 N 19, 38 D 10) Stiff upper lip. 4 Jl 30 GLENDON, MARY ANN EVANGELIZATION Searching for Bernard Lonergan. 17 O 1 (Replies Christ and secular Sweden. Jim McDermott. 37 O 29) 15 D 24 Educating for a living faith. James J. DiGiacomo. GOLWAY, TERRY 12 S 10 (Replies 38 O 15, 37 O 29) Future without parish schools. 8 D 10 New, lay face of missionaries. Vincent Gragnani. High taxes, empty desks. 8 N 12 (Replies 30 N 19, 12 Jl 30 (Replies 37 Au 27, 38 S 17) 36 N 26, 28 D 17) Newark remembers. 9 Jl 30 Paying down the debt. 8 S 17 Plight of G.M. 8 O 15 (Replies 44 N 5) Cost of discipleship. 39 Au 27 Emmanuel. 30 D 17 GRAGNANI, VINCENT Faith and hope. 39 Jl 30 New, lay face of missionaries. 12 Jl 30 (Replies 37 Family values. 38 D 24 FG Au 27, 38 S 17) Fire, baptism and division. 38 Au 13 FAGIN, GERALD M. Follow the leader. 30 Jl 2 Doubter gives lessons in faith. 22 N 12 GREELEY, ANDREW M. Humility in prayer. 31 O 22 Church’s changing face. 30 Au 13 Lost souls. 47 S 10 FAMILY LIFE What ever happened to Ireland? 20 Jl 16 Money and spirituality. 39 S 17 Aloud for ourselves. Karen Sue Smith. 2 D 24 (Replies 45 S 10) Motley crew. 31 D 17 America’s children. Donald Kerwin. 10 S 24 Not just exotic visitors. 39 D 24 Brother Lawrence and the chimney bird. Stephen Perseverance and holiness. 39 N 12 Martin. 27 D 24 Persistence in prayer. 39 O 15 Comfort the sorrowful. Virginia M. Lucey. Promise and fulfillment. 39 D 3 20 O 29 (Replies 36 N 26) Resurrection and the communion of saints. 47 N 5 Death’s door. Michael Sean Winters. 21 O 22 Rich and poor. 31 S 24 Family’s ignatian journey. Lisa Kelly. 28 Au 13 HIJ Rich fool. 38 Jl 30 Great mystery. 4 Jl 16 (Replies 43 O 1) HABESCH, CLAUDETTE Roots of christian spirituality. 31 N 19 Living parish. Dennis M. Linehan. 2 Jl 2 Voice from east Jerusalem. 15 Au 13 Salvation and the savior. 39 D 10 Ministering angels. Drew Christiansen. 2 O 29 (Replies 30 O 22) Surprising teachings on prayer. 31 Jl 16 (Replies 37 D 3) Thanksgiving as public witness to God’s action. Newborn. James Martin. 21 D 24 HARRINGTON, DANIEL J. 31 O 8 Our mother’s funeral. Dennis M. Linehan. Advent hopes and challenges. 39 N 26 Today. 39 O 29 28 Jl 30 Banquet wisdom. 38 Au 27 Two dimensions of faith. 47 O 1 Surprise child. James T. Keane. 29 D 10 Both Mary and Martha. 30 Jl 16 Who is your neighbor? 31 Jl 2 Two surprise guests. Karen Sue Smith. 23 D 24 Who will be saved? 39 Au 13

FARRELL, BRIAN R. HEALTH CARE Rights of detainees. 18 S 24 (Replies 29 O 22) Diagnosing the U.S. health care system. Mary Jane England. 9 D 3 FEDO, MICHAEL Illness, here is thy sting. Jim McDermott. 27 N 5 In highland county with Donald McCaig. 29 O 15 Keeping children healthy. 5 S 10 Kingdom of God in the time of AIDS: an inter- FILM view with Michael Czerny. Jim McDermott. Illness, here is thy sting. Jim McDermott. 27 N 5 22 O 15 Ingmar Bergman, theologian? Richard A. Blake. Struggle for the soul of medicine. Myles N. Shee- 29 Au 27 han. 9 N 5 (Replies 30 N 19, 37 D 3, Man for our season. Richard A. Blake. 19 N 26 36 D 10) — Single Works — Michael Clayton. 19 N 26 HIRSCHFIELD, ROBERT Sicko. Jim McDermott. 27 N 5 Israel’s rebel rabbi. 23 Jl 2

FINE ARTS HOMELESSNESS From great silence. 4 N 19 Demolitions in New Orleans. 4 D 17 Visiting the age of Rembrandt. Leo J. O’Donovan. 24 N 12 HUMAN RIGHTS Conscience and information. 4 N 12 FRANCIS DE SALES Myanmar’s anguish. 5 D 17 15 minutes to let God lead. Thomas B. Curran. Nobel women’s initiative. George M. Anderson.

20d Index, Volume 197 America January 7-14, 2008 14 O 8 JOHNSTON, WILLIAM KERPER, MICHAEL Torture and the C.I.A. 5 N 5 In mystic silence. 19 N 19 (Replies 37 D 10, 28 D My second first mass. 29 D 3 (Replies 36 D 24) 17) HUNGER KERWIN, DONALD Food stamps. 5 Jl 30 JUDAISM America’s children. 10 S 24 Hanukkah and the miracle of self-renewal. Daniel IGNATIUS LOYOLA F. Polish. 20 D 10 KOLVENBACH, PETER-HANS 15 minutes to let God lead. Thomas B. Curran. Messiah is coming. Daniel Polish. 21 S 24 “Let us look together to Christ.” Jim McDermott. 27 O 15 Model for the world. Drew Christiansen. 2 D 10 9 N 26

IMBELLI, ROBERT P. JUNKER, REYNOLD JOSEPH PAUL KORGEN, JEFFRY ODELL Word incarnate. 14 S 17 (Replies 37 O 15) My confirmation blunder. 25 O 29 Forgiveness unbound. 19 S 10

IMMIGRATION JUSTICE KORN, EUGENE America’s children. Donald Kerwin. 10 S 24 Rights of detainees. Brian R. Farrell. 18 S 24 Latin liturgy and the jews. 10 O 8 Dreams on hold. 5 N 26 (Replies 29 O 22) (Replies 29 O 22) Identifying immigrants. 4 D 10 It starts in Mexico. Tim Padgett. 11 O 15 (Replies KOSSMANN, PATRICIA A. 42 N 5) Deck the shelves with books aplenty. 30 D 10 Out Tancredo-ing Tancredo. 4 D 17 — Of Many Things — Foster literacy. 2 Jl 30 INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE Glory they give. 2 O 1 (Replies 37 O 29) Christ and secular Sweden. Jim McDermott. KL 15 D 24 KAUFFMAN, IVAN J. KRAMER, KYLE T. Conversion/covenant. 4 Au 13 (Replies 45 S 10) Facing the inquisition. 25 D 10 Eco-asceticism. 21 N 5 (Replies 36 N 12) Model for the world. Drew Christiansen. 2 D 10 Farming with junk. 25 O 15 (Replies 29 D 17) Righteous gentile: Marcel Dubois (1920-2007). KAVANAUGH, JOHN F. David Mark Neuhaus. 22 O 1 Capitobesity. 10 Au 27 KRIEG, ROBERT A. Godforsakenness. 8 O 1 (Replies 30 O 22, 43 N 5) Jesus as savior. 18 S 17 (Replies 37 O 15) IRAQ In defense of human life. 8 N 26 Diplomatic surge. 5 O 8 (Replies 37 O 15, In defense of human life: II. 8 D 24 LABOR 37 O 29) Inevitability. 8 O 29 Hollywood’s drama. 4 N 19 Grim task. Maryann Cusimano Love. 8 N 19 Three amigos. 9 Jl 2 Restoring worker choice. 5 Au 27 (Replies 28 D 17) (Replies 38 O 15) Iraq’s abandoned refugees. 5 O 1 KEANE, JAMES T. Not easily told. Dennis M. Linehan. 2 D 17 Surprise child. 29 D 10 LAITY Role of international moral authority in Iraq. Cor- — Of Many Things — New, lay face of missionaries. Vincent Gragnani. nelius F. Murphy Jr. 18 Jl 2 Impossible has happened. 2 O 15 (Replies 43 N 5) 12 Jl 30 (Replies 37 Au 27, 38 S 17) What we owe Iraq. 4 S 24 Not too spiritual. 2 S 24 (Replies 38 O 15) Who lost Iraq? 4 S 10 LATIN AMERICA KEELER, WILLIAM H. Colombia, an unusual poster child. Maryann Cusi- IRELAND Model for the world. Drew Christiansen. 2 D 10 mano Love. 9 Au 13 Great trust. Maurice Timothy Reidy. 2 Jl 16 Good news from Brazil. Francis Chamberlain. 21 What ever happened to Ireland? Andrew M. Gree- KELLY, ALEXIA Au 27 (Replies 38 O 15) ley. 20 Jl 16 (Replies 45 S 10) Catholic call to the common good. 16 O 15 It starts in Mexico. Tim Padgett. 11 O 15 (Replies 30 N 19, 38 D 10) (Replies 42 N 5) ISRAEL Mexico’s drug violence. George M. Anderson. 22 Behind the “security” wall. Maria Leonard. 21 Jl 2 KELLY, LISA D 3 Christians need not apply. 4 O 22 Family’s ignatian journey. 28 Au 13 Rights activists attacked. 4 O 1 Dignity in division. Daniel Levy. 24 Au 13 “Shut up,” he explained. 4 D 10 (Replies 30 O 22) Israel’s rebel rabbi. Robert Hirschfield. 23 Jl 2 LAW Jerusalem in jewish consciousness. Gerald M. Church records and the courts. William W. Bas- Meister. 13 Au 13 (Replies 30 O 22) sett. 15 O 29 (Replies 37 N 12, 30 N 19, Jerusalem, 1967-2007. Drew Christiansen. 10 Au 37 D 3) 13 (Replies 30 O 22) Injustice to workers. 4 Jl 2 Place of divine encounter. Drew Christiansen. 18 It’s a dog’s life. 4 S 17 Au 13 (Replies 30 O 22) Man for our season. Richard A. Blake. 19 N 26 Plan for a workable Jerusalem. Ghaith Al-Omari. President’s man. 5 S 17 (Replies 37 O 15) 26 Au 13 (Replies 30 O 22) Race and the war on drugs. 5 O 22 Righteous gentile: Marcel Dubois (1920-2007). Restoring worker choice. 5 Au 27 David Mark Neuhaus. 22 O 1 (Replies 38 O 15) Voice from east Jerusalem. Claudette Habesch. 15 Rights of detainees. Brian R. Farrell. 18 S 24 Au 13 (Replies 30 O 22) (Replies 29 O 22) Stifling freedom of speech. 4 N 5 JABUSCH, WILLARD F. Waiting for good news. David Walsh-Little. One man’s decision. 27 Au 27 23 D 10

JAGERSTATTER, FRANZ LEONARD, MARIA One man’s decision. Willard F. Jabusch. 27 Au 27 Behind the “security” wall. 21 Jl 2

JOE, BARBARA E. LEVY, DANIEL Template for post-treaty Darfur? 11 O 1 Dignity in division. 24 Au 13 (Replies 30 O 22)

America January 7-14, 2008 Index, Volume 197 20e LINEHAN, DENNIS M. Christ and secular Sweden. 15 D 24 MOTHER TERESA Our mother’s funeral. 28 Jl 30 Giving back: interview with Jane Martinez Dowl- Friend of God. William A. Barry. 27 N 12 Two red hats. 5 N 19 ing. 29 S 10 (Replies 44 O 1) “In my soul.” James Martin. 14 S 24 — Of Many Things — Illness, here is thy sting. 27 N 5 (Replies 37 O 15) Living parish. 2 Jl 2 Kingdom of God in the time of AIDS: an inter- Not easily told. 2 D 17 view with Michael Czerny. 22 O 15 MURPHY JR., CORNELIUS F. “Let us look together to Christ.” 9 N 26 Role of international moral authority in Iraq. LITURGY Seizing the imagination. 13 N 12 18 Jl 2 Latin liturgy and the jews. Anthony J. Cernera and — Of Many Things — Eugene Korn. 10 O 8 (Replies 29 O 22) How one begins. 2 S 10 (Replies 30 O 8) NEILSEN, MARK Liturgy 40 years after the council. Godfried Dan- Roommates. 2 D 3 (Replies 28 D 17) Taking the long view. 25 Au 27 neels. 13 Au 27 (Replies 30 O 8) Liturgy and the political Isaiah. Drew Chris- McGARRY, CECIL NEUHAUS, DAVID MARK tiansen. 28 D 3 Seizing the imagination. Jim McDermott. 13 N 12 Righteous gentile: Marcel Dubois (1920-2007). My second first mass. Michael Kerper. 29 D 3 22 O 1 (Replies 36 D 24) McGUIRE, MARY ELLEN FOLEY No news? 4 D 3 Catholic social teaching meets wall street. 14 N 19 NIEDERAUER, GEORGE H. Flannery O’Connor’s religious vision. 9 D 24 LONERGAN, BERNARD McKENNA, HORACE Searching for Bernard Lonergan. Mary Ann Glen- Horace McKenna, apostle of the poor. Kevin NINEMIRE, PETER don. 17 O 1 (Replies 37 O 29) O’Brien. 28 S 17 (Replies 38 O 15) Treatment, not prison. 13 My 28 (Replies 30 Jl 16, 37 Au 27) LOVE, MARYANN CUSIMANO McKENNA, KEVIN E. Colombia, an unusual poster child. 9 Au 13 Benedict XVI and the synod of bishops. 15 D 10 Grim task. 8 N 19 (Replies 28 D 17) Postwar program that worked. 9 S 24 MEDIA Trip or treat. 8 O 22 Church basement ladies. 4 N 26 Going soft. 4 S 17 LUCEY, VIRGINIA M. Hollywood’s drama. 4 N 19 OPQ O’BRIEN, DAVID J. Comfort the sorrowful. 20 O 29 (Replies 36 N 26) How the media shape elections. Dotty Lynch. 11 O 22 (Replies 44 N 5) American and catholic. William Bole. 10 Jl 2 LYNCH, DOTTY Illness, here is thy sting. Jim McDermott. 27 N 5 (Replies 37 Au 13) How the media shape elections. 11 O 22 (Replies In a bad way. Maurice Timothy Reidy. 2 N 12 O’BRIEN, KEVIN 44 N 5) Ingmar Bergman, theologian? Richard A. Blake. 29 Au 27 Horace McKenna, apostle of the poor. 28 S 17 Just a little more faith. James Martin. 27 O 29 (Replies 38 O 15) Replay it, Sam. 4 S 10 O’COLLINS, GERALD Three amigos. John F. Kavanaugh. 9 Jl 2 Challenge for theologians. 23 S 17 MEISTER, GERALD M. (Replies 37 O 15) MN Jerusalem in jewish consciousness. 13 Au 13 MALONE, MATT O’DONOVAN, LEO J. (Replies 30 O 22) Bishops on citizenship. 18 N 5 (Replies 36 N 12, Editor, mentor, friend. 25 D 3 35 N 26, 37 D 10, 36 D 24) MIDDLE EAST Visiting the age of Rembrandt. 24 N 12 God and politics. 9 D 17 Church in Qatar. 4 O 15 O’HARE, JOSEPH A. — Of Many Things — Moderating voice. 4 O 29 God and constitution. 2 O 22 More light than heat. 4 N 5 Alpha and omega. 17 N 26

MALONEY, ROBERT P. MINISTRY O’KEEFE, VINCENT T. Genealogy of Jesus. 20 D 17 New, lay face of missionaries. Vincent Gragnani. Seizing the imagination. Jim McDermott. 12 Jl 30 (Replies 37 Au 27, 38 S 17) 13 N 12 MARTIN, JAMES Bless me, father. 13 My 21 (Replies 37 Au 27, MISCAMBLE, WILSON D. O’MALLEY, WILLIAM J. 45 S 10) Faculty “problem.” 26 S 10 (Replies 21 O 8) Accessible holiness. 20 Jl 30 (Replies 45 S 10, “In my soul.” 14 S 24 (Replies 37 O 15) 30 O 8) Just a little more faith. 27 O 29 MONAHAN, FRANK Eye and I. 9 D 10 Most infallible sign. 13 Ap 2 (Replies 45 S 10) Bishops on citizenship. 19 N 5 (Replies 36 N 12, OVEIS, FRANK Newborn. 21 D 24 36 D 24) — Of Many Things — Editor, mentor, friend. Leo J. O’Donovan. 25 D 3 Coming around. 2 My 28 (Replies 31 Jl 16) MONTGOMERY, ANNE PABLE, MARTIN Quakers. 2 N 5 Woman of peace. George M. Anderson. 32 S 10 Rebuilding Christ’s church. 22 Jl 16 MARTIN, STEPHEN MORALITY PADGETT, TIM Brother Lawrence and the chimney bird. 27 D 24 Catholic social teaching meets wall street. Mary Ellen Foley McGuire. 14 N 19 It starts in Mexico. 11 O 15 (Replies 42 N 5) MASSA, JAMES Following conscience. 5 D 10 PAPACY Experience of light. 19 D 3 Man for our season. Richard A. Blake. 19 N 26 Partial-birth decision. Ellen K. Boegel. 17 Jl 16 Benedict XVI and the synod of bishops. Kevin E. McCAIG, DONALD Role of international moral authority in Iraq. Cor- McKenna. 15 D 10 In highland county with Donald McCaig. Michael nelius F. Murphy Jr. 18 Jl 2 Benedict XVI: peacemaker. Drew Christiansen. Fedo. 29 O 15 Waiting for good news. David Walsh-Little. 10 Jl 16 23 D 10 Church in China. Drew Christiansen. 2 Au 13 McDERMOTT, JIM See also KAVANAUGH, JOHN F. Place of divine encounter. Drew Christiansen. 18 “Best colleges,” poor report. 5 S 24 Au 13 (Replies 30 O 22)

20f Index, Volume 197 America January 7-14, 2008 How the media shape elections. Dotty Lynch. SAINTS 11 O 22 (Replies 44 N 5) First visitors. 5 D 24 In defense of human life: II. John F. Kavanaugh. Friend of God. William A. Barry. 27 N 12 8 D 24 Godforsakenness. John F. Kavanaugh. 8 O 1 Independence day. 5 Jl 2 (Replies 30 O 22, 43 N 5) Inevitability. John F. Kavanaugh. 8 O 29 Holy men and women. Drew Christiansen. 9 O 29 Limits of color-coding. 4 Au 27 (Replies 36 N 26) National shame. 5 My 28 (Replies 30 Jl 16) “In my soul.” James Martin. 14 S 24 Out Tancredo-ing Tancredo. 4 D 17 (Replies 37 O 15) Partial-birth decision. Ellen K. Boegel. 17 Jl 16 One man’s decision. Willard F. Jabusch. 27 Au 27 Party politics. Karen Sue Smith. 2 Au 27 Politics of fear. 5 D 3 SCHLABACH, GERALD W. President’s man. 5 S 17 (Replies 37 O 15) Praying in the wild. 35 S 10 Prime minister Brown. 4 N 5 Stiff upper lip. 4 Jl 30 SCHULTZ, VALERIE Toward more intelligent intelligence? 4 D 24 Peculiar grace of failure. 25 S 17

POVERTY SCIENCE Concrete help. George M. Anderson. 2 N 26 Eye and I. William J. O’Malley. 9 D 10 Horace McKenna, apostle of the poor. Kevin Scientific illiteracy. 4 Jl 30 O’Brien. 28 S 17 (Replies 38 O 15) “Racist dictator.” 4 O 8 SCRIPTURE First visitors. 5 D 24 Pope and the president. 4 Jl 2 Genealogy of Jesus. Robert P. Maloney. 20 D 17 See also WORD (col.) PARISH LIFE Future without parish schools. Terry Golway. SENNOTT, CHARLES M. 8 D 10 Heartbreaking year. 9 N 12 Living parish. Dennis M. Linehan. 2 Jl 2 RS RACISM My confirmation blunder. Reynold Joseph Paul SHEEHAN, MYLES N. Junker. 25 O 29 Christians need not apply. 4 O 22 Struggle for the soul of medicine. 9 N 5 (Replies My second first mass. Michael Kerper. 29 D 3 Klan group under fire. 4 S 17 30 N 19, 37 D 3, 36 D 10) (Replies 36 D 24) Race and the war on drugs. 5 O 22 Partner for the pastor. Thomas P. Sweetser. 25 Jl SHRIVER JR., DONALD W. REFUGEES 30 (Replies 38 S 17, 29 S 24, 43 O 1) Honest patriotism. 14 Jl 2 Colombia, an unusual poster child. Maryann Cusi- PHILOSOPHY mano Love. 9 Au 13 SILF, MARGARET Adapting to diversity. Drew Christiansen. 2 O 8 Iraq’s abandoned refugees. 5 O 1 Big dreams, daily details. 9 Jl 16 Searching for Bernard Lonergan. Mary Ann Glen- Not easily told. Dennis M. Linehan. 2 D 17 Coal to diamond, frog to prince. 8 D 3 don. 17 O 1 (Replies 37 O 29) Great divide. 8 O 8 REIDY, MAURICE TIMOTHY Less is more. 11 S 10 POEMS Great trust. 2 Jl 16 Treasures of darkness. 8 N 5 (Replies 38 D 3) Capista, Joseph. In the event of a fire. 43 S 10 In a bad way. 2 N 12 Cavanaugh, Jenn. Miss Vera speaks. 32 Au 13 SMITH, KAREN SUE RELIGIOUS AND CLERGY Cirino, Leonard. Little secrets. 35 D 3 Matthew’s story. 19 D 17 Doud, Katherine Kavanaugh. Boat house. 35 O 29 Eco-benedictines. 4 O 8 Power of Japan. 15 O 22 Doyle, Brian. On cleaning out a friend’s refrigera- Godforsakenness. John F. Kavanaugh. 8 O 1 Two surprise guests. 23 D 24 tor.... 30 N 12 (Replies 30 O 22, 43 N 5) — Of Many Things — Fandel, John. One afternoon. 31 N 26 Horace McKenna, apostle of the poor. Kevin Fleming, Anne. Chewing. 30 S 17 O’Brien. 28 S 17 (Replies 38 O 15) Hart, William. Paperboy. 27 N 19 “Let us look together to Christ.” Jim McDermott. Mariani, Paul. Mantra for a dark december night. 9 N 26 19 D 24 Like a cedar of Lebanon. Michael G. Rizk. 22 O Martin, Paul. Writing on air. 24 Jl 2 29 (Replies 30 N 19) Thurston, Bonnie. Job. 34 Jl 30 Love will decide everything. Kevin F. Burke. 18 N 12 (Replies 30 N 19) POLISH, DANIEL F. Righteous gentile: Marcel Dubois (1920-2007). Hanukkah and the miracle of self-renewal. David Mark Neuhaus. 22 O 1 20 D 10 Searching for Bernard Lonergan. Mary Ann Glen- Messiah is coming. 21 S 24 don. 17 O 1 (Replies 37 O 29) Seizing the imagination. Jim McDermott. 13 N 12 POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT Taking the long view. Mark Neilsen. 25 Au 27 Bishops on citizenship. Matt Malone. 19 N 5 Truth will out. 4 Au 27 (Replies 36 N 12, 35 N 26, 37 D 10, Woman of peace. George M. Anderson. 32 S 10 36 D 24) RICARD, JOHN H. Bishops on citizenship. Frank Monahan. 19 N 5 (Replies 36 N 12) Will Darfur dance again? 9 N 19 Blame the terrorists? 4 Jl 16 RIZK, MICHAEL G. Candidate index. 4 D 24 Food stamps. 5 Jl 30 Like a cedar of Lebanon. 22 O 29 God and constitution. Matt Malone. 2 O 22 (Replies 30 N 19) RUFFT, ELLEN God and politics. Matt Malone. 9 D 17 Honest patriotism. Donald W. Shriver Jr. 14 Jl 2 Visitation. 19 O 22

America January 7-14, 2008 Index, Volume 197 20g Aloud for ourselves. 2 D 24 SWEETSER, THOMAS P. Party politics. 2 Au 27 Partner for the pastor. 25 Jl 30 (Replies 38 S 17, 29 S 24, 43 O 1) SOCIETY OF JESUS Christ and secular Sweden. Jim McDermott. WXYZ 15 D 24 Horace McKenna, apostle of the poor. Kevin WALSH-LITTLE, DAVID O’Brien. 28 S 17 (Replies 38 O 15) Waiting for good news. 23 D 10 “Let us look together to Christ.” Jim McDermott. 9 N 26 TUV WAR AND PEACE TECHNOLOGY Love will decide everything. Kevin F. Burke. Chad’s child soldiers. 4 Au 13 Connecting, disconnecting. 5 Au 13 18 N 12 (Replies 30 N 19) Colombia, an unusual poster child. Maryann Cusi- Eco-asceticism. Kyle T. Kramer. 21 N 5 (Replies Our mother’s funeral. Dennis M. Linehan. 28 Jl mano Love. 9 Au 13 36 N 12) 30 Dignity in division. Daniel Levy. 24 Au 13 It’s in the mail. 4 O 29 Roommates. Jim McDermott. 2 D 3 (Replies 30 O 22) Proving innocence by DNA. 4 N 26 (Replies 28 D 17) Diplomatic surge. 5 O 8 (Replies 37 O 15, Replay it, Sam. 4 S 10 Searching for Bernard Lonergan. Mary Ann 37 O 29) Glendon. 17 O 1 (Replies 37 O 29) Following conscience. 5 D 10 THEOLOGY Seizing the imagination. Jim McDermott. Fool’s errand? 4 Jl 16 Balancing human and divine. Kevin Burke. 13 S 13 N 12 Forgiveness unbound. Jeffry Odell Korgen. 17 (Replies 37 O 15) Sin and scandal. 4 N 26 19 S 10 Challenge for theologians. Gerald O’Collins. 23 S Grim task. Maryann Cusimano Love. 8 N 19 17 (Replies 37 O 15) SPIRITUALITY (Replies 28 D 17) Faith and the poor. Alejandro Garcia-Rivera. 11 S Adapting to diversity. Drew Christiansen. 2 O 8 Guns and chocolate. 4 S 10 17 (Replies 37 O 15) Alpha and omega. Joseph A. O’Hare. 17 N 26 Halting start. 4 D 17 How one begins. Jim McDermott. 2 S 10 (Replies Big dreams, daily details. Margaret Silf. 9 Jl 16 Heartbreaking year. Charles M. Sennott. 9 N 12 30 O 8) Brother Lawrence and the chimney bird. Stephen “Jaw, jaw,” not “war, war.” 5 O 15 Jesus and the kingdom of God. John R. Donahue. Martin. 27 D 24 (Replies 30 N 19) 16 S 17 (Replies 37 O 15) Coal to diamond, frog to prince. Margaret Silf. Jerusalem, 1967-2007. Drew Christiansen. 10 Au Jesus as savior. Robert A. Krieg. 18 S 17 (Replies 8 D 3 13 (Replies 30 O 22) 37 O 15) Doubter gives lessons in faith. Gerald M. Fagin. Liturgy and the political Isaiah. Drew Chris- Jesus’ self-consciousness. William Thompson- 22 N 12 tiansen. 28 D 3 Uberuaga. 17 S 17 (Replies 37 O 15) Family’s ignatian journey. Lisa Kelly. 28 Au 13 Moderating voice. 4 O 29 Mutually enriching. John J. Strynkowski. 21 S 17 15 minutes to let God lead. Thomas B. Curran. More light than heat. 4 N 5 (Replies 37 O 15, 38 O 29) 27 O 15 Nobel women’s initiative. George M. Anderson. Word incarnate. Robert P. Imbelli. 14 S 17 First visitors. 5 D 24 14 O 8 (Replies 37 O 15) Genealogy of Jesus. Robert P. Maloney. 20 D 17 One man’s decision. Willard F. Jabusch. 27 Au 27 Great divide. Margaret Silf. 8 O 8 Place of divine encounter. Drew Christiansen. 18 THOMPSON-UBERUAGA, WILLIAM “In my soul.” James Martin. 14 S 24 Au 13 (Replies 30 O 22) Jesus’ self-consciousness. 17 S 17 (Replies 37 O 15) Plan for a workable Jerusalem. Ghaith Al-Omari. (Replies 37 O 15) In mystic silence. William Johnston. 19 N 19 26 Au 13 (Replies 30 O 22) (Replies 37 D 10, 28 D 17) Postwar program that worked. Maryann Cusi- TORRENS, JAMES S. Less is more. Margaret Silf. 11 S 10 mano Love. 9 S 24 Words that make music. 29 D 24 Matthew’s story. Karen Sue Smith. 19 D 17 Power of Japan. Karen Sue Smith. 15 O 22 Not too spiritual. James T. Keane. 2 S 24 (Replies Rights of detainees. Brian R. Farrell. 18 S 24 TORTURE 38 O 15) (Replies 29 O 22) C.I.A. and torture. 4 O 22 Praying in the wild. Gerald W. Schlabach. Template for post-treaty Darfur? Barbara E. Joe. Torture and the C.I.A. 5 N 5 35 S 10 11 O 1 Rebuilding Christ’s church. Martin Pable. Thanking our soldiers. 5 N 12 (Replies 38 D 3, 38 TRAUTMAN, DONALD W. 22 Jl 16 D 10, 28 D 17) How accessible are the new mass translations? 9 Surprise child. James T. Keane. 29 D 10 Toward more intelligent intelligence? 4 D 24 My 21 (Replies 29 Jl 2, 29 Jl 16, 37 Jl 30, 29 Treasures of darkness. Margaret Silf. 8 N 5 Veterans day 2007. 4 D 3 S 24, 43 O 1, 43 N 5) (Replies 38 D 3) Visitation. Ellen Rufft. 19 O 22 Two surprise guests. Karen Sue Smith. 23 D 24 Voice from east Jerusalem. Claudette Habesch. 15 VIOLENCE Au 13 (Replies 30 O 22) Klan group under fire. 4 S 17 SPORTS Will Darfur dance again? John H. Ricard. 9 N 19 Mexico’s drug violence. George M. Anderson. Impossible has happened. James T. Keane. 2 O 15 Woman of peace. George M. Anderson. 32 S 10 (Replies 43 N 5) 22 D 3 Play ball! 4 S 24 (Replies 37 N 12) Newark remembers. Terry Golway. 9 Jl 30 WCELA, EMIL A. One man’s decision. Willard F. Jabusch. 27 Au 27 Dinosaur ponders the latin mass. 17 O 8 (Replies Rights activists attacked. 4 O 1 STRYNKOWSKI, JOHN J. 29 O 22, 38 O 29, 44 N 5) Mutually enriching. 21 S 17 (Replies 37 O 15, Truth will out. 4 Au 27 38 O 29) Violence against women. 4 D 10 WILSON, GEORGE B. Women and human freedom. 4 N 19 I need your help. 16 D 17 Musings of an old-time confessor. 25 My 21 (Replies 45 S 10) All America articles from 2000 until the present are WINTERS, MICHAEL SEAN available to subscribers at americamagazine.org. A Death’s door. 21 O 22 Simply click on “archives” to scroll through past WORD (col.) issues, or select “advanced search” to search by See HARRINGTON, DANIEL F. author, title or keyword.

20h Index, Volume 197 America January 7-14, 2008 American Catholics In the New Gilded Age BY DANIEL J. MORRISSEY

HAT A DIFFERENCE a ing their pensions vanish. depressed the once-booming stock mar- few months make. Early Now, however, it has become appar- ket. The credit markets have suddenly last summer, knowledge- ent how perilous all this newfound wealth become unpredictable, causing corporate able observers were saying is. An inflated housing market has come shake-ups to be put on hold. Anxious thatW we live in a new gilded age. The com- crashing down, along with the fortunes of investors look to the Federal Reserve and pensation of top business leaders had all kinds of investors who were hooked find temporary reassurance. reached astronomical levels, with C.E.O.s into its unstable values. Hedge fund Any reassessment, though, of the being paid on average almost 400 times investors have discovered that some of wobbly and uneven prosperity of recent what the typical worker earns. And that their holdings were backed by subprime times must take into account its political did not even count what some business mortgages, and the ensuing insecurity has underpinnings. The masters of the uni- officials had been stealing verse in the new gold- from their shareholders en age of greed were in a string of scandals. aided and abetted by Even the Enron-scale the only tangible corruption of the post- achievements of the bubble period was being Bush administration: eclipsed by the latest its tax reductions and trend in corporate klep- deregulatory schemes. tomania, options back- Every profile of con- dating. temporary American Officers of more than Catholics must come 150 public companies to grips with the have been under investi- uncomfortable fact gation for manipulating that a majority of the the prices of their stock Catholics who attend so that they could grab church every week illegally even more of voted for George W. their firms’ gains. Bush in 2004. Meanwhile, private equi- Maybe pragmatic ty kingpins have been considerations were buying and chopping up uppermost in their companies. The annual minds at the time. compensation of three American Catholics hedge fund managers have been doing fairly reportedly topped $1 bil- well in the recent lion; one of them boasted economy, at least of eating $400 worth of according to a study by crabs for lunch. All this Lisa Keister, a profes- took place while the mid- sor at Duke dle class was being University, who was restructured into oblivion cited in a New York and retirees were watch- Times column on May 25 by David Brooks. DANIEL J. MORRISSEY is a Their forebears may professor and former dean have been digging at Gonzaga University A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. “Officers of more than 150 canals and working in School of Law in Spokane, public companies have been under investigation for manipulating the prices of their stock domestic service in the so that they could grab illegally even more of their firms’ gains,” writes Daniel J. Morrissey. Wash. late 19th century when CNS PHOTO FROM REUTERS

22 America January 7-14, 2008 the tycoons of that gilded era were amassing their fortunes. Now, however, www.catholicsoncall.org most descendants of such Catholic immigrants have an education to add to a work ethic they inherited from their grandparents. According to Brooks, they at Catholic Theological Union have become full partners in America’s prosperity. Catholics On Call Young Adult Conferences 2008 But have Catholics really been cashing June 5-8 (extended weekend program) and August 3-8 (week long program) in? Lawrence H. Summers, a former pres- Catholic Theological Union, Chicago ident of Harvard University, famously noted that Catholics are still underrepre- Featured Topics and Speakers for June and August Conferences: sented in the most lucrative profession of “Spirituality of Call”, Donald Senior, CP the new economic era: investment bank- “Dynamics of Prayer”, Robin Ryan, CP ing. With a touch of irony, one might say “What is Discernment and How Does It Happen?”, Bishop Robert Morneau that for all their financial success, mem- “What is the Church and Why Would I Want to Serve It?”, Panel of ministers bers of the faith are still not fully partici- “Religious Life Today”, Mary Charlotte Chandler, RSCJ pating in the social injustices of our time. Perhaps such inhibited behavior results “Lay Ministry in the Church”, Sheila McLaughlin, Angela Appleby Purcell and Darrell Paulsen from a fear of achieving more than their tradition would consider acceptable. But For young adults, ages 18-30, considering service in the Church as lay maybe such scruples are also owing to ecclesial ministers, religious sisters or brothers, or priests. something more significant: a recollection This conference is offered without charge for participants. of the seemingly quaint notion that gain- Application deadlines: postmarked by March 1 (June Conference) and ing the world can sometimes cost you your May 1 (August Conference) soul. For more information and an application packet, contact Catholics On Call. Phone: 773.371.5431 or email: [email protected] Yet a larger question remains for American Catholics who are serious about Catholics On Call is funded by the Lilly Endowment, Inc. the social implications of their faith: Can they be a positive force to confront the gross economic inequities of our time? For a while, things did not look good, but Director of Pastoral Formation that trend appears to have stalled; in gen- eral Catholics voted for more politically The Director of Pastoral Formation at Saint Meinrad School of Theology progressive candidates in last year’s con- oversees all areas of pastoral formation for the School of Theology’s semi- gressional elections. nary formation program. Responsibilities include: arrange ministry place- ments and ministry supervisors for seminarians in a two-year philosophy There are other hopeful signs that (pre-theology) program and a four-year theology program, conduct work- U.S. Catholics are ready to take a more shops for seminarians and supervisors, coordinate learning agreements, active role against income inequality. serve as liaison to pastoral placements (summer and year-long pastoral Pope Benedict XVI, no radical on many internships), organize theological reflection groups, guide seminarians matters, has spoken of capitalism as an through CPE application process and arrange on-campus interviews, pre- “ideological promise that has proven pare pastoral formation workshops, and prepare and oversee yearly budget false.” Catholics, after all, are the heirs of for pastoral formation. The Director of Pastoral Formation reports to the both the Hebrew prophets who railed Vice-Rector of the seminary and serves on evaluation and formation teams. against economic oppression and the early The candidate should be a Roman Catholic priest in good standing. Other followers of Jesus, who held all things in qualifications include: experience in seminary formation and familiarity common. with the Program for Priestly Formation and other USCCB guidelines for pas- Perhaps no saint better encapsulated toral formation; experience in parish ministry and the ability to work with the message of equality and human digni- parish priests and staffs; a doctoral degree (preferably in the area of cate- ty at the heart of the Gospels than did chetics or pastoral care); proven organizational, teaching and supervisory Vincent de Paul, who said we must ask skills. Submit curriculum vitae, with letter of application and three profes- forgiveness from the poor for the charity sional references to: Fr. Denis Robinson, OSB, Search Committee Chair, we give them. If our country is ready to Saint Meinrad School of Theology, 200 Hill Dr., St. Meinrad IN, 47577. enact social policies to curb the shameful Questions may be directed to the same or e-mailed to drobinson@ saintmeinrad.edu. Review of applications will begin February 8, 2008. excesses of our new gilded age and better distribute the abundant wealth of our soci- ety, Catholics ought to be front and center in that movement. A

January 7-14, 2008 America 23 Faith in Focus At Journey’s End The last in a series for Advent and Christmas BY MAURICE TIMOTHY REIDY

HE FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY ly conclude that since the spiritual heart of tion, and that God would take care of signals the coming end of a Catholicism is in Rome, ours is a Western their needs. long journey. For the church, it religion. The story of the Magi is a Pilgrimage is not a common pursuit T is a crowning celebration in reminder that the Christ Child came to for Catholics today, but travel can still be the Christmas calendar, which is near- an occasion for spiritual reflection. ing the termination of a liturgical arc Leaving home can be an unpleasant that began with the first Sunday of experience, one that reminds us that Advent and Matthew’s admonition to we are ultimately dependent on God. be prepared for Jesus’ coming, “for you Even the most meticulous planner do not know on which day your Lord cannot foresee every event that may will come.” Of course the Epiphany happen on the road. Something also celebrates the end of the journey always surprises. So we must put our of the three kings, which begins in the faith in God knowing that despite air- East and ends beneath the star in port delays, missed trains or unfamil- Bethlehem. iar languages, we are not alone. The story of the Magi is com- Of course the Magi probably pelling, almost fantastic. Men from the traveled in style on their way to East, guided only by a star, find their Bethlehem. Wherever they were way to a stable to worship the son of from, these kings almost certainly God. One can see why Matthew had servants in tow. And unlike most included it in his narrative; it immedi- pilgrims, these men knew nothing of ately piques the reader’s interest. Kings the Christ Child they would ulti- bearing exotic gifts bowing before a mately find. They simply followed a newborn infant: just what child is this? save all peoples. The Catholic Church is star, a most rudimentary form of global The story is also an excellent piece of truly a universal church. positioning system. Yet they had faith that propaganda. Matthew was writing at a All we know about the Magi con- they would find their way. time when the question of whether a cerns the end of their journey. What Jesus begins his own journey after his Gentile could become a Christian was happened along the way remains a mys- baptism in the Jordan, the feast that fol- much disputed. Paul ministered to the tery. Theirs was the first Christian pil- lows Epiphany in the liturgical cycle and Gentiles, but others believed Christians grimage; and in the centuries since they concludes the Advent-Christmas season. had first to undergo certain Jewish initia- made their trip, millions of Catholics From his home in Nazareth, through tion rites before professing the faith. have followed their example. Pilgrimage Galilee and on to Jerusalem, he preaches Matthew sides with Paul’s view, remind- is among the richest of Christian tradi- to both Jews and Gentiles, tax collectors ing readers that among the first to recog- tions, one that continues to this day in and prostitutes. After Jesus’ resurrection nize Jesus’ divinity were three men from places like Santiago de Compostela in and ascension, his apostles begin their own the East (who have since come to be Spain and Knock in Ireland. journeys to the ends of the Roman Empire known by the exotic names of Caspar, The spirituality of pilgrimage teaches and beyond, bringing Christ’s message to Melchior and Balthasar). that we can draw closer to God by con- all who would hear it. That these men were of varied ances- templating his graces as we travel toward Perhaps in their travels they found try has not been lost on the millions of him. It is a physical manifestation of the themselves in the land of the three kings, ethnic Catholics who celebrate the feast of spiritual journey that we seek to undergo where the first journey to Christ began. It the “Tres Reyes” with a special enthusi- during seasons like Lent and Advent. seems only appropriate that years after asm. Sometimes we in the West incorrect- Pilgrims would often travel rough roads that fateful pilgrimage to the newborn and depend on strangers for shelter at Christ, word of the risen Christ would MAURICE TIMOTHY REIDY is the online editor night. They believed that physical hard- reach the home of those intrepid travelers ART BY JULIE LONNEMAN of America. ship could help enable spiritual purifica- from the East. A

24 America January 7-14, 2008 Film

Byzantium,Texas Meditations on evil in border country BY RICHARD A. BLAKE

Tommy Lee Jones stars in a scene from the movie “No Country for Old Men.”

S A TITLE, No Country for and pure, undiluted evil. Gundersen’s (Frances McDormand) Old Men boasts a noble ances- A useful comparison comes to mind. hugely pregnant body: cold and warmth, try. It traces its roots through Quentin Tarentino attempted similar evil and goodness, death and life. A the novel by Cormac reflections in his two “Kill Bill” movies. In their current film, the Coens lead McCarthy to the opening line of William With his own encyclopedic knowledge of us through the desert of the Texas border Butler Yeats’s poem “Sailing to American film history, he relied on the country. This is not the vast ennobling Byzantium.” In the poem Yeats yearns to genres he most admired: science fiction, desert of John Ford’s Monument Valley leave the ephemeral world of “whatever is martial arts and the tradition of comic that our heroic ancestors crossed as they begotten, born and dies” for Byzantium, a book superheroes. As a result, the story built a nation. This is a land of scorpions, land of art, imagination and consequently lifted its audience into a realm of obvious rattlers and flies. An inept hunter misses immortality. By keeping McCarthy’s title fantasy. The films were playful and never his shot and a wounded animal hobbles for their mesmerizing new film adapted pretended to be “real,” even though the off with the herd leaving a trail of blood in from his work, Joel and Ethan Coen sig- ideas they probed were deadly serious. the sand. In John Ford’s films John nal that they have striven to reach beyond The Coens draw upon other traditions: Wayne never missed, and fallen animals the American naturalism that character- the detective story, the western, the police never bled. In this Coen film, the land is izes Hollywood movies and create some- procedural and the gangster saga, each of traversed not by noble stallions but by thing “of hammered gold and gold enam- which relies on the illusion of plausibility battered pickup trucks, a secluded border- eling.” They’ve transformed the narrative for its effectiveness. The result for the land suitable for clandestine drug deals. style of American genre films into a poet- Coens is myth posing under an easily per- And if the deal goes sour, it is a place ic and philosophic reflection on time and meable veneer of reality. where the swollen corpses of men and

CNS PHOTO/MIRAMAX/PARAMOUNT VANTAGE eternity, on myth and reality, on morality A Coen film looks “real,” yet the their pit bulls will remain undetected for landscape plays an eloquent mythic role days, or weeks, or forever. RICHARD A. BLAKE, S.J., is professor of fine in the dramatic action. In their earlier A mythic story may be set in time, but arts and co-director of the film studies pro- masterpiece, “Fargo” (1996), the barren in fact it transcends time. The Coens set gram at Boston College in Chestnut Hill, North Dakota countryside provided a their film in the dusty towns of south Mass. menacing counterpoint to Marge Texas sometime in the 1980s. In an open-

January 7-14, 2008 America 25 TO SUBSCRIBE OR RENEW ing voice-over narrative, Sheriff Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), a third-generation ❑ New subscription ❑ Renewal police officer, looks back to the old days, Yearly rates are $48 for each subscription. Add $22 for postage, handling and GST on Canadian orders. Add $32 for foreign subscriptions. Payment in U.S. funds only. when many of his predecessors, like his

❑ Payment enclosed ❑ Bill me grandfather, never wore a gun. This

On occasion America gives permission to other organizations to use our list for promotional purposes. If you seemingly random observation cuts the do not want to receive these promotions, contact our List Manager at our New York offices. boots out from under the western myth For change of address and renewal: Please attach the mailing label from the front cover when writing about ser- that the “wild west” was tamed by the set- vice or change of address. Allow 3 to 4 weeks for change of address to take effect. Thank you tlers. According to a conventional reading Name: of American history, these larger-than- Address: life men used their six-shooters to create a www.americamagazine.org

America City: State: ZIP: Garden of Eden out of the howling

E-mail: wilderness and set the nation on its irre- versible trajectory of progress. It’s not so. Old-time outlaws never conducted multi- million-dollar drug deals outside town and for some unexplained reason killed all the witnesses with automatic weapons. Today no officer would ever think of appearing on duty without his gun. In a conversation with Sheriff Bell, one old- timer laments an end to sanity and order that started when young people began to feel free to walk the streets of his small town in Texas with green hair and “bones in their noses.” Like myth itself, evil knows no boundaries of time. As the years have passed, Sheriff Bell has grown tired in his work. A calm and competent professional, he has learned well from his experience. He knows the limits of his power. While younger officers urge rushing off in pur- suit of their adversary, he imposes restraint until they can devise more realis- tic plans that offer some prospect of suc- cess. He has clearly surrendered the illu- sion that he can impose order on the fron- tier. He is satisfied to arrest one criminal at a time, even though he knows another one will appear tomorrow. The grind has sapped his strength. He walks slowly and speaks deliberately. His close-fitting uni- form shirt shows the bulge of a middle- aged physique. Evil, in its timeless form, appears in the person of Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem). Although the film is set in the 1980s, he wears a helmet of hair that might have been fashionable among rock stars 20 years earlier. His name and the trace of an accent in his voice leave his origin in doubt, since evil has no geo- graphic or ethnic identity. He first appears in handcuffs, being led into a police cruiser by a young, inexperienced deputy, who proves no match for his pris- oner. What brought about his arrest? It

26 America January 7-14, 2008 makes no difference. He begins his ram- one faces is not necessarily the objectifi- within. Neither the glorious colors of page of murder carrying a tank that may able other but the force that lurks deep sunset nor the bleaching light of noonday be oxygen for asthma, or a welder’s torch within the subconscious of every human can mask the horror. to torment his victims, or something else. being. The film casts its shadow far beyond The menace that radiates from his huge “No Country for Old Men” borders Texas. It penetrates into the heart of the frame makes everything he touches an on perfection in technique. The sparse human condition in its universal manifes- instrument of death, even something that soundtrack, almost devoid of music, cap- tations, as Yeats would have it, “what is might be a medical device to sustain him tures the delight and menace in natural past, or passing, or to come.” A if he has a lung condition. sounds: traffic, labored breathing, foot- Unlike many zombie-like incarna- steps in a darkened hallway, wind in the James T. Keane, S.J., reviews tions of evil, Chigurh speaks freely, even desert. The skies over the desert press “The Golden Compass,” though he uses language not to commu- down over the characters as though the nicate, but to intimidate. In a beautifully vast landscape of Texas can provide no at americamagazine.org. scripted scene, he challenges the owner of hiding place from the monster that dwells a convenience store to toss a coin, but he will not reveal the stakes. He leaves little doubt that he will not hesitate to kill the man whether he chooses heads or tails. The elderly man senses the crisis, but he can do nothing to stop the relentless force of evil embodied in his customer. His life or death is a matter of pure caprice. Capricious violence threatens the human characters, just as it did the life of the antelope wounded in an opening scene. Chigurh kills because it is his nature to kill. Remorse plays no more role in his life than it does in the conscience of the inept hunter. One merely accepts a violent world because nothing can neu- tralize this force of impersonal, unfocused violence. His victims, whether implicated in crime or resolutely innocent, remind him that he will gain nothing by their deaths. He agrees. They reason with him; they plead for their lives. Then he pulls the trigger. Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) thinks he can outwit Chigurh and survive, but he might as well try to outwit a tsunami. He thinks he can build a new life with the money he discovers among the dead in the desert. As a Vietnam veteran he has his own history of violence, but now he has a wife, Carla Jean (Kelly Macdonald), and the semblance of a human existence with her in a trailer park. The match is uneven. Chigurh is not a human person but an abstraction. Bullets cannot kill him. Broken bones cannot divert him from his predetermined path. Police work cannot apprehend him or deter him. He is simply a remorseless part of the human condition. Sheriff Moss, pondering retirement one more time, seeks under- standing of Chigurh and his own life by recounting his dreams to his wife, Loretta (Tess Harper). The destructive monster

January 7-14, 2008 America 27 Book Reviews

prevail in Iran’s calculus, the answer would urban country and has a highly concen- The Heat’s be yes. If a search for martyrdom prevails, trated population. There are only a few the answer would be no. Parsi believes major towns, and these contain most of Turned Up that Iran will not commit national suicide the Jewish people of Israel. Tel Aviv, Haifa, Ashkelon, Beersheba—the list is Treacherous Alliance short. A successful nuclear strike on these The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran towns with just a few weapons would and the U.S. destroy Israel as a country. It might be By Trita Parsi possible that a retaliatory strike could be Yale Univ Press. 384p $28 made, but what would be the point, ISBN 9780300120578 revenge? On the basis of this thinking Israel In large part, this book about U.S.- simply does not accept MAD as a basis for Iranian-Israeli international relations sets making decisions concerning whether or out to make a case for the progressive sec- not to “wait and see” whether countries ularization of the post-revolutionary like Iran prove to be rational actors. From Iranian state. In Treacherous Alliance Trita the Israeli strategic point of view the risks Parsi, adjunct professor of international involved in this gamble are simply too relations at Johns Hopkins University, great. As a result Israel is inclined toward argues cogently that the fires of Islamic pre-emptive attack against evolving nucle- zealotry as the main determinant in ar threats. The Bush administration Iranian foreign policy were largely burned speaks of the need to prevent the acquisi- out in the holocaust of the eight-year Iran- tion of the knowledge necessary for Iraq war. His command of the details of Iranians to make nuclear weapons. From state relations in the period is impressive, that, it seems likely that Israeli strategic but he does not quite convince me of the thinking in this matter has become complete disappearance of Shiite zealotry American thinking as well. in Iranian external relations. Iran has con- and that therefore a Middle East stabilized Finally, Israel’s reach with regard to tinued to be the largest state sponsor of through fear of mutual assured destruc- Iran’s nuclear program and bomb delivery religiously inspired terrorist activity. That tion is possible, indeed desirable if the systems is not sufficient. There are a great fact is hard to ignore. Iranian program eventually produces many Iranian targets. They are scattered Nevertheless, Parsi convinces that deliverable weapons. The recently and “hardened.” Distances to Iran’s facili- Iran has largely become a “rational actor,” released “key judgments” of a U.S. ties are long. Israel has a limited number to use the terminology of international National Intelligence Estimate on Iran of tanker aircraft for refueling. Israel’s relations. That is, Iran can be expected to elevates doubt as to whether or not the strategic strike force is not large enough to make logical decisions based on consider- Iranian program is about weapons, but deal decisively with these targets using ations of national survival, power and neither Olmert nor Bush seem inclined to conventional weapons. Civilians want to prosperity in the Middle East. If these be governed by such doubt. believe that the provision of “bunker- considerations are congruent with the Neither the United States nor Israel buster” bombs by the United States would goals of Shiite eschatological dreams, then accepts the idea as yet that Iran is a coun- give Israel the needed capability. In fact, so much the better from the point of view try like all other countries, subject to this would not be enough firepower to do of the government in Teheran. In the deterrent pressures. Israel has made it same way, Iranian clandestine “meddling” clear that with regard to nuclear weapons, The Reviewers in Iraq can be seen as serving state aspira- it does not accept deterrence as a principle Patrick Lang, a retired army colonel, in making decisions. The Israeli logic in tions for regional dominance as well as served as a Middle East analyst and head of help for Shiite brethren. this is quite simple. Strategic bombing tar- human intelligence for the U.S. Defense The existence of an Iranian nuclear gets (nuclear) come in two varieties: Intelligence Agency during the 1990s. program (possibly a weapons program) counter-force (bases, missiles, aircraft, Emilie Griffin of Alexandria, Va., writes and makes the issue of whether or not Iran can etc.) and counter-value (population cen- speaks often about the spiritual life. Her lat- be expected to act rationally in situations ters). Israel’s own counter-force targets est book is Simple Ways to Pray: Spiritual threatening national survival very impor- could conceivably be “hardened” and Life in the Catholic Tradition (Rowman & tant. To be blunt, the main question that defended enough to ensure sufficient sur- Littlefield, 2005). must be asked is whether or not Iran can vival for a retaliatory strike. This “second Cecilio Morales has covered economic pol- be deterred from first use of nuclear strike” capability is the basis of any MAD icy as a journalist in Washington, D.C., since weapons out of fear of annihilation by the deterrent solution. 1984. He is executive editor of the weekly United States or Israel. If state interests On the other hand, Israel is largely an Employment and Training Reporter.

January 7-14, 2008 America 29 the job. Would Israel decide that nuclear Priests + Brothers + Deacons + Sisters weapons must be used? Who knows? Then there is the issue of routes to the targets. Iraq, Turkey and Saudi Arabia Congregation would have to be overflown, but none of these countries would give permission. of the What would the United States do? Surely America would not shoot down Israeli air- Blessed Sacrament craft in such a situation. In fact, the United Is God calling YOU Vocation Minister: States would be politically powerless to 440-442-7243 stop a first wave of attacks. to be an Apostle of The United States would be blamed [email protected] for the attacks across the world, prompt- the Eucharist? www.blessedsacrament.com/vocation ing an asymmetrical Iranian response in Iraq, the Persian Gulf and across the world. The truly frightening thing about this scenario is that the United States might have very little warning beforehand. There might be even less control over events as they developed. Parsi’s book provides a useful source of facts and background for contemplating this conundrum. Patrick Lang

God- Attentiveness Poetry Contest The Road to Emmaus Poems are being accepted for the 2008 Pilgrimage as a Way of Life By Jim Forest Foley Poetry Award Orbis Books. 190p $16 ISBN 9781570757310 Each entrant is asked to submit only one typed, unpublished For many readers, Jim Forest is inextrica- poem of 30 lines or fewer that is bly connected to The Catholic Worker not under consideration else- movement, which he joined in 1961 when where. Include contact informa- he was a part-time student at Hunter tion on the same page as the College and after his discharge from the poem. Poems will not be U.S. Navy as a conscientious objector. In returned. Please do not submit his earlier books he has written well about poems by e-mail or fax. Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton and other Submissions must be postmarked memorable figures he knew. He is not between Jan. 1 and March 31. only a memoirist, but also a biographer, historian and fine spiritual writer. Poems received outside the designated period will be treated as regular poetry In The Road to Emmaus Forest views submissions, and are not eligible for the prize. the spiritual life from a special angle: that The winning poem will be published in the June 9-16 issue of America. of pilgrimage. This is a worthwhile explo- Three runner-up poems will be published in subsequent issues. ration. Beginning with simple parallels to other life-metaphors—the journey, the Cash prize: $1,000. path, the road—Forest plumbs new depths in the understanding of pilgrimage. Send poems to: Foley Poetry Contest He draws very pointedly on haunting lit- America, 106 West 56th Street, New York, NY 10019 erature, like Bilbo Baggins’s song in Lord

30 America January 7-14, 2008 of the Rings: “The road goes ever on and features of these shrines. Of the Golgotha on/ Down from the door where it chapel he writes: “Cluttered as it is with began....” pre-Reformation religious imagery, this Forest begins with a limited notion chapel can be a disorienting place for that comes easily to American school chil- Protestant visitors. They may also be dis- concerted to witness the physical venera- tion exhibited by pilgrims belonging to the older churches. Yet once inside the chapel, the most undemonstrative visitor tends to be moved by this climate of quiet....” Soon Forest moves into a spirituality of darkness. In a chapter called “Dark Places, Dark Paths” he quotes the words of John of the Cross: “If you wish to be sure of the road you are traveling, close your eyes and walk in the dark.” His the- ology is sound, for he connects anxiety and desolation to a spirituality of the cross. But Forest also describes pilgrimages to mod- ern history’s dark places, where a memory of anguish is stirred: the Dutch synagogue of Alkmaar; the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam, where Otto Frank’s family hid out from the Nazis; the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968; the Memphis Auction Stone near the dren: pilgrims are “a community of storm- Mississippi River, where slaves were once defying, black-clad English Puritans who bought and sold; and the Burkle Estate, a crossed the Atlantic on the Mayflower.” stop on the Underground Railroad in But by eighth grade, Forest’s definition Memphis, where slaves were smuggled expands. Soon he leads us to the estab- through to freedom. lished Catholic devotional practice exem- One crucial stop on the journey takes plified by Chaucer’s Canterbury pilgrims. us into Forest’s own time of trial. In a Pilgrimage is a religious journey with the chapter called “Illness as Pilgrimage,” the shrine or relics of a saint or martyr as its author describes how when he was diag- destination. But the author quickly moves nosed for kidney disease, he resisted the beyond definitions. His book is itself a pil- onset of the illness and the possibility of grimage, and a very modern one at that. dialysis. Now he has been in dialysis since However much the author draws on January 2006, and his description of this ancient Catholic devotions and sacred aspect of “pilgrimage” is a telling spiritual spaces, still his principal focus is on the reflection. There are times when Forest inward journey—informed by his own. resisted making any religious interpreta- The result is touching. tion, seeing his illness as merely “rotten One chapter is entitled “Thin Places.” luck.” But later he reports a change of Without saying in so many words that heart. “What I had desperately hoped to God is more intensely present in given avoid is now normal. I now spend nearly locations, still Forest honors the sacred twelve hours a week—fifty hours a month, places of a long Judeo-Christian history: six hundred a year—at the dialysis clinic. Mount Sinai, where Moses received the Dialysis is part of the core structure of Law; the holy island of Iona in Scotland’s each week.” Inner Hebrides; and the Holy Sepulchre Forest reports that he has had to of Jerusalem, which occupies the pre- rethink how to use his drastically reduced sumed locations where Jesus was crucified, work time. Who among us cannot on buried and rose. One striking feature of some level identify with such loss, such this chapter is Forest’s willingness to diminishment? But Forest has come to see describe certain awkward or embarrassing a spiritual meaning in it all: “It finally

January 7-14, 2008 America 31 dawned on me that the hospital I dreaded of a session of dialysis, Forest sometimes can tell us about living through adversity visiting is actually holy ground. My main says to the nurse, “Thanks for saving my with a deeply thankful heart. pilgrimage these days is the unprayed-for life.” The spiritual fruit of his ordeal is Emilie Griffin blessing of regularly going to a place gratitude. where everyone is sick, caring for the sick, I found myself remembering—all at or visiting the sick.” Through reflection, once—what Cornelia Connelly some- Forest has connected the dependence of times said to her sisters: “How often do Corporations the sick person with being poor in spirit. you thank God for being delicate?” The sick person is “by definition on the “Delicate” was Connelly’s Victorian Are Not Citizens ladder of the Beatitudes. Each of us may euphemism for being inclined to sickness. still have quite a lot of climbing to do, but, In reading Forest’s fine book I came to Supercapitalism thanks to illness, at least we’ve made a understand how much the Catholic tradi- The Transformation of Business, start. We are on the first rung.” At the end tion—and the experience of the saints— Democracy, and Everyday Life By Robert B. Reich Knopf. 288p $25 befaithful ISBN 9780307265616

At EMU I found a close-knit “Feeling discomfort, fellow citizens? Do community that emphasized learning you have a mild pain in the Congress and through your faith and experiences to bloating in the White House? Does glob- alization cause belching, nausea or heart- help shape you into a more balanced burn? Here’s something with a very low and compassionate person. risk of side effects.” So the pharmaceutical industry might Mike Zucconi ’05 Home church: St. Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic try to sell Robert Reich’s new book, albeit Major(s): Communication/Journalism and history with the disclaimer that the economist and Cross-cultural studies: South Africa/Lesotho Clinton administration secretary of labor is brilliant at diagnosis and at offering emu.edu medicine that is not mere placebo. But, be forewarned: it may take a change in atti- EMU, in Virginia’s scenic tude to ingest his pill. Shenandoah Valley, prepares Reich takes up the familiar U.S. students to live in a global context socioeconomic challenges of the 21st cen- to “do justice, love mercy and walk tury—job off-shoring, mass layoffs, the humbly with God.” (Micah 6:8) stagnation of household middle- and low- incomes accompanied by explosive gains among the very, very rich—and refuses to serve commonplace assumptions on silver platitudes. Neither corporate conspiracies, nor Ronald Reagan, nor neocon social Darwinism—in brief, none of the usual suspects are to blame for what fundamen- tally has been happening to the U.S. econ- omy even during the booming 1990s. It all began long ago with the end of what he calls the “Not So Golden Age,” the period from 1945 to 1973, in which wages doubled in a generation and produc- tivity soared. The major labor-manage- ment pacts of the late 1940s and ’50s, cou- pled with the National Labor Relations Act, the New Deal regulatory agencies and quiet arrangements among major corpora- tions to avoid price wars created what was once described by Catholic news reporter Arthur Jones, originally a financial journal- ist, as the “mildly heroic” era of American capitalism.

32 America January 7-14, 2008 This was the era of the auto industry’s ered in a new era of trans-Pacific contain- “little Swedens” of womb-to-tomb er shipping. Rather than return empty, the employment and social protections that shippers began to pick up Japanese cars allowed a generation of blue-collar work- and other products for delivery in the ers’ children to go to college and shed United States. manual labor. The late Msgr. George G. Yet if you really want to find out who Higgins fought so valiantly, yet with mod- is responsible for rising inequality, for the est success, to expand this to the migrant loss of good union jobs and job security workers for whom he negotiated. for families, for the millions (including In September, the United Auto children) without access to health care, Workers pact with General Motors, look in the mirror. It’s our fault. Reich allowing the carmaker to relieve itself of puts it more gently: “The fact is, most of pension obligations in exchange for rela- us are consumers and investors, and as tively modest assurances of job security, such are benefiting enormously from sounded the final death knell of that era. supercapitalism.” That is if you weren’t watching, Reich Take Wal-Mart. Its prices make it explains. possible for many more of us to buy con- The oil crisis of the early 1970s and sumer goods. The mega-retailer has an Carter administration-era deregulation of enormous influence on the economic major industries, leading to the breakup of behavior of suppliers and very broadly on even the telephone monopoly, set the prices even beyond the doors of its stores. stage for the rough-and-tumble competi- Moreover, any pension plan with invest- tive environment of today, in which cor- In reading Supercapitalism, the reader ments in Wal-Mart has enjoyed gains. porations have to move plants to countries will be surprised to learn, for example, that Should consumers beg to pay more? where workers will work for pennies of the the U.S. auto industry began to face Should pension fund managers seek to U.S. wage dollar—or face bankruptcy. All domestic competition as a side effect of lower the retirement savings of their cus- that was needed was an end to the cold war the Vietnam War. Reich explains that tomers? Reich doesn’t think that is rea- and the start-up of enabling technologies when the U.S. military built a superport at sonable to ask. that would make competition possible Cam Ranh Bay to satisfy its gargantuan Consumer and capital markets have from all over the globe. supply needs, it also unintentionally ush- managed to aggregate our demands very

January 7-14, 2008 America 33 efficiently, so that we can buy the best for In focusing on solutions, Reich sounds the lowest price and achieve the highest very much like the current House possible returns from our savings, all at the Democratic leadership. In lieu of re-regu- same time. The problem is that the deci- lating airlines or hobbling trade with sion-making institutions of democratic China and India, for example, Reich capitalism are failing to aggregate the would favor a plan identical to the bill pro- demands of citizens nearly as efficiently or posed this year by Rep. Jim McDermott, responsively. Democrat of Washington, to expand Again, this is our fault. “The awkward unemployment insurance and offer wage truth is that most of us are of two minds: insurance and job training to those who As consumers and investors we want the are laid off. great deals. As citizens we don’t like many That new rules are needed is widely MAKE THE CONNECTION of the social consequences that flow from agreed on by all who see the malaise of WITH AMERICA CLASSIFIED. them,” Reich writes. “Our desires as con- widening inequality. The key is how to get Classified advertisements are accepted for publi- sumers and investors win out because our from here to there. In that respect, Reich cation in either the print version of America or values as citizens have virtually no effec- falls short. One gets the sense that he is on our Web site, www.americamagazine.org. tive means of expression—other than in withholding the detailed advice he has or Ten-word minimum. Rates are per word per issue. 1-5 times: $1.50; 6-11 times: $1.28; 12- heated rhetoric directed against the wrong will give Sen. Hillary Clinton, Democrat 23 times: $1.23; 24-41 times: $1.17; 42 times or targets.” of New York, if she is elected. more: $1.12. For an additional $30, your print Do not bother attempting to shame Nonetheless, Reich’s book provides ad will be posted on America’s Web site for one corporations, Reich argues. They have no an acute enough assessment, free of obvi- week. The flat rate for a Web-only classified ad is feelings, and their executives must squeeze ous ideological baggage, such as few poli- $75 for 30 days. Ads may be submitted by e-mail out profits or be fired. He eloquently and cy analysts of his level have delivered in to: [email protected]; by fax to (928) Cecilio Morales 222-2107; by postal mail to: Classified precisely exposes much of the congres- years. Department, America, 106 West 56th St., New sional hand-wringing over corporate mis- York, NY 10019. To post a classified ad online, go deeds as show trials meant to appease pub- Correction: Before I Go: Letters to Our to our home page and click on “Advertising” at lic opinion—stirring but ultimately inef- Children About What Really Matters, by the top of the page. We do not accept ad copy over fective. Instead, he says, change the rules Peter Kreeft, is published by Sheed & the phone. MasterCard and Visa accepted. For of the game. Here I wish Reich had been Ward not Paulist Press (Am. 12/10/07). more information call: (212) 515-0102. more prescriptive. We apologize for this.

34 America January 7-14, 2008 Classifieds social ministry. Washington, DC 20017-1194; Fax: (202) 541- Office of Human Resources (J.P.H.D.), U.S. 3412; e-mail: [email protected]. No telephone Conference of Catholic Bishops, 3211 Fourth calls, please. E.O.E M/F/D/V. Bound Volumes Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20017-1194; Fax: (202) 541-3412; e-mail: [email protected]. No SUPERINTENDENT OF CATHOLIC SCHOOLS. The AMERICA PRESS INC. is looking to acquire a set telephone calls, please. EOE/M/F/D/V. Archdiocese of Seattle is seeking a faith-filled, of bound volumes of America for a digital scan- experienced Catholic to serve as its Superinten- ning project. A complete set is preferred, but par- DIRECTOR OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION. St. dent of Catholic Schools beginning July 1, 2008. tial sets are also acceptable. In return for the vol- Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Frisco, Tex., The Superintendent of Catholic Schools umes, America Press will provide a searchable seeks a Director of Religious Education for our oversees the articulation, promotion and imple- CD or DVD set with the full contents of the Faith Formation program from pre-K through all mentation of a vision of Catholic schools that magazine from 1909 until the present. For more facets of adult education. A master’s degree in reli- flows from the mission of the local and universal information contact Tim Reidy at reidy@ameri- gious education or related field preferred. church and ensures the long-term health and camagazine.org, or Ph: (212) 515-0111. Bilingual a plus. Qualified candidates should send vitality of Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of a résumé and letter of interest by e-mail to David Seattle. Positions Utsler: [email protected]. The successful candidate for this position will CHANCELLOR: This full-time position is responsi- possess the following qualifications: a graduate ble for general administration and oversight of the DIRECTOR OF YOUTH MINISTRY sought for active degree in education, administration or related Pastoral Center. The Chancellor has direct college-town parish with growing Latino popula- field; possession of or ability to obtain responsibility for archives, personnel and finance. tion. Successful candidate will have B.A. or M.A. Washington State superintendent’s credentials; at Administrative and consultative leadership skills a with theological course work; experience in youth least 5 to 7 years’ school administrative experience must. Focused and strategic planning qualities ministry, in Lectionary-based catechesis, and in in Catholic schools, preferably at two levels (ele- critical to organizational development and per- “Renewing the Vision”; strong leadership and mentary, secondary and/or university level); sonnel management throughout the Diocese of communication skills. Parish is integrating stew- demonstrated management and leadership experi- Las Cruces. Team player, people oriented, com- ardship into all programs, including Youth ence including budgeting and staff supervision; puter literate and Roman Catholic. Bilingual Ministry. D.Y.M. is directly responsible for con- ability to identify, articulate, affirm and transmit (English/Spanish) preferred but not required. tinuing to create a prayerful and dynamic envi- Catholic traditions and faith; commitment to This is a position appointed by the Bishop. The ronment for youth in grades 9-12 by working with excellence in Catholic school education; excellent position will be available March 1, 2008, although faith development team—Junior Youth Minister oral, written and interpersonal communication this is negotiable. Please contact Elizabeth (grades 6-8), adult faith formation, staff, catechists skills; demonstrated success working in a multi- Grinnell at (575) 523-7577 to express interest in and parents. Should want to set standard for such cultural environment; and must be an active mem- this position. ministries. Competitive salary and benefits. ber of a parish/faith community in good standing Contact D.Y.M. Search Committee, St. Thomas with the Catholic Church. CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER. Diocese of Lafayette, More Catholic Church, 940 Carmichael Street, Competitive salary and excellent benefits. If La., has a position opening for a Chief Financial Chapel Hill, NC 27514 by Jan. 28 for position interested, visit our Web site, www.seattlearch- Officer. The individual in this position would be available immediately. .org/jobs/Chanceryjobs, or call (206) 382-2070. responsible for management of all diocesan finan- cial activities and shall provide general fiscal over- HISPANIC MINISTRY DIRECTOR. St. Francis of Retreats sight to all central offices/programs with immedi- Assisi Catholic Church is a rapidly growing parish BETHANY RETREAT HOUSE, East Chicago, Ind., ate supervision of the Office of Parish Finances in Frisco, Tex., with a large and vital Spanish- offers private and individually directed silent and the Office of Accounting Services. Must be a speaking community. We seek a director to over- retreats, including Ignatian 30 days, year-round in practicing Catholic. Salary negotiable. Please send see all aspects of Hispanic ministry in the parish. a prayerful home setting. Contact Joyce Diltz, résumé to: Office of Human Resources, Diocese A qualified candidate must be bilingual and bicul- P.H.J.C.: (219) 398-5047; bethanyrh@sbcglob- of Lafayette, 1408 Carmel Ave., Lafayette, LA tural and possess a degree and/or experience rele- al.net; www.bethanyretreathouse.org. 70501. (Résumés will be accepted by U.S. Post vant to pastoral ministry. Send a résumé and let- only.) ter of interest by e-mail to David Utsler: dut- [email protected]. JESUIT SUMMER RETREATS three to 30 days. COMMUNICATIONS AND RESOURCE DEVELOP- Anchorage, Alaska. Panoramic setting. Then tour MENT MANAGER. The U.S. Conference of PROGRAM COORDINATOR. The U.S. Alaska’s grandeur. (907) 346-2343 ext. 215; Catholic Bishops, Department of Justice, Peace Conference of Catholic Bishops has an immedi- www.holyspiritak.org. and Human Development has an opening for a ate opening for a Program Coordinator within Communications and Resource Development the Office of Cultural Diversity in the Church. Volunteers Manager, who will play a central role in the Responsibilities include developing project FRANCISCAN COVENANT PROGRAM seeks full- department’s communication strategies. The plans, designing brochures, coordinating special time mature Catholic volunteers to live, pray and Communications and Resource Development interest activities, maintaining Web site and work in community with Franciscan Friars at Manager manages the communications systems designing and producing a newsletter. retreat houses and missions in California. for the Department of Justice, Peace, and Applicants should possess an undergraduate Ministries include hospitality, maintenance, Human Development, including Web sites, degree, proficiency with Microsoft Word, bookkeeping, administration, gardening and serv- electronic communications, databases, etc. The Power Point, Excel and Publishing; strong writ- ing the poor. One year renewable. Under 67, Communications and Resource Development ing, editing and speaking skills in both English healthy, married or single. Contact: (760) 757- Manager is also responsible for non-collection and Spanish, as well as planning and organiza- 3651, ext. 173 or [email protected]. resource development and creative promotion tional skills. Experience working with culturally planning to support the annual parish appeal for diverse communities and familiarity with pas- the Catholic Campaign for Human toral and social issues that affect the culturally Wills Development. Bachelor’s degree in communica- diverse groups in the Catholic Church a plus. Please remember America in your will. Our tions, theology or related field, 5 years of expe- U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Office legal title is: America Press Inc., 106 West 56th rience in communications, promotions and/or of Human Resources, 3211 Fourth Street, N.E., Street, New York, NY 10019.

January 7-14, 2008 America 35 Salvatorian Letters Priests and Brothers… Fuzzy Focus Regarding “My Second First Mass” Proclaiming Christ’s Love (12/3): While Father Kerper’s insights to the World! about priestly service are to be applauded, there is a troubling impression that read- For more information, contact: ers can be left with from comparison of Fr. Scott Jones, SDS presiding at the “extraordinary form” Society of the Divine Savior 1735 Hi-Mount Blvd. versus the “ordinary form” of Mass. He Milwaukee, WI 53208 writes, “I actually felt liberated from a (414) 258-1735, ext. 104 persistent need to perform, to engage, to scott@salvatorians.com be forever a friendly celebrant.” One www.sdsvocations.com wonders where he received this impres- sion (not from his seminary liturgical for- mation, it is hoped). There is nothing about presiding at the Novus Ordo that indicates that the priest is supposed to perform or be friendly in a superficial sense. Many liturgy documents, including the current General Instruction of the Roman Missal, are clear that the priest is at the service of the liturgy. If there is a lack of reverence in the Mass, or if it seems too priest-centered, the problem is not with the rite; the problem is with the way we are doing the rite. Father Kerper’s statement that the focal point when he celebrated the Tridentine Mass was not the priest but the gathering of the people is therefore somewhat confusing. The priest should not be the focus for either form of Mass. In addition, how can the focal point be the gathering of the people in the form of the rite where the people are clearly following along with what the priest does? The liturgical actions in the Tridentine Mass are centered on the actions of the priest instead of on the actions of the body of Christ, the gath- ered assembly as a whole, priest includ- ed. We should never forget that the two forms of the Mass represent starkly dif- ferent ecclesiologies. (Rev.) Joseph DeGrocco Director of Liturgical Formation Seminary of the Immaculate Conception Huntington, N.Y.

Patriot Games In the editorial “Thanking Our Soldiers” (11/12), you did the expected and politi- cally correct thing to do in celebration of Veterans Day. We have come to a place in American political culture where everyone must “support the troops” or be labeled unpatriotic. It is a major psycho-

36 America January 7-14, 2008 Letters logical force, along with perpetual fear, Union Yes ing abortion is a fact that all reputable that is used by the national propaganda I found “What Divides Orthodox and biologists agree on: no animal changes machine to keep us all in line. Catholics?” (12/3) very enlightening in species during the course of its life cycle. Veterans Day, of course, had its ori- explaining why such ecumenical dialogue There can be metamorphosis (e.g., from gin in authentic and sincere gratitude has only gotten “close” for so many years. caterpillar to butterfly), but no change of for the sacrifices made by our soldiers Yes, the facts are usually more complex species. That means that from the time of in wars of necessity that were actually than meets the eye for those of us not conception on, biologically the human fought to preserve our sovereignty and directly involved. It is discouraging if pre-born is human. This is a scientific freedoms. But the current war is differ- such union will take place only if the issue, not just a religious one. ent. It is actually destroying our free- “faithful Christians must do the rest,” as Robert Sargent doms to preserve the militaristic ambi- the article concluded. These “faithful Carrollton, Tex. tions of those now in power. It is an Christians” are looking for and need illegal war of aggression based on leadership from the clergy. Do we (on Photo Finish trumped-up evidence, lies and political both sides) not have this leadership? The two primary candidates for the U.S. corruption. Practically, lay Christians, taught to be presidency, one a Democrat (Hillary Real patriotism defends the truths followers, will not act without such. Clinton), the other a Republican (John and principles on which our nation was Don Jones McCain), pictured on your cover of founded and which, for the most part, San Jose, Calif. 12/17 are precisely the two persons have guided us for 200 years. Real patrio- whom I most fondly hope will not be tism renounces the twisted agenda that Contemplation in Action nominated by their parties. has hypnotized and mesmerized our What a blessing to hear again from In the case of the Democratic candi- country, trashed our constitution and William Johnston, S.J., (“In Mystic date, you reinforce the claim of repudiated international law. Silence,” 11/19). For years Father “inevitability” that is being advanced in Hugh B. Skees Johnston has enriched anyone interested her campaign. Rather, for the single Miamisburg, Ohio in Christian mysticism and especially its Democrat you should have pictured the potential for dialogue with Eastern reli- intellectually brilliant Senator Barack Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off gions. I hesitate to take exception to any- Obama, a candidate who would certainly “What Divides Orthodox and thing he writes. However, his reference be a most welcome replacement for the Catholics?” by Maximos Davies, (12/3) to “pure Carmelite contemplation” may incumbent resident of the White House. was enlightening on the conflict the title lead some to think that Carmelite con- James F. Bresnahan, S.J. describes. templation as described by Teresa of Chestnut Hill, Mass. Since both our Catholic Church and Ávila and John of the Cross is not for the Orthodox are churches of apostolic those engaged in active ministry. Sharing or Solutions? succession, we should be able to achieve Cloistered Carmelite nuns practice the In “I Need Your Help,” by George B. reconciliation. This divide has, in my ministry of prayer on behalf of others. Wilson, S.J., (12/17) the imagined bishop opinion, been created and fostered Some offer spiritual guidance to those the author creates dismisses the “big” through human actions and jealousies. not members of their cloister, and still options (to address the priest shortage) as The way both sides of this divide others engage in an apostolate of print. blind alleys. Unfortunately but truly, such consider the various issues reminds me of More to the point, John of the Cross unproductive resignation has become stan- the old song with the line, “You say po- was a very busy friar, whose ministries of dard operating procedure. About the “pos- tay-to and I say potah-to.” I personally spiritual guidance and administration sible strategies,” he suggests we “share do not care for a lot of high formality and kept him constantly on the road. ideas.” But that’s as far as it ever goes. ceremony, but I would have no problem Carmelite contemplation, like all con- Almost half a century ago, Balti- being associated with those who do. templation, nourishes one for whatever more’s Cardinal Lawrence Shehan Let us hope and pray that this argu- God calls one to be or to do. engaged the esteemed sociologist Dean ment will be settled amicably. Keith J. Egan Hoge to address this same subject. Just as President, Carmelite Institute John L. Coakley Jr. today, we were discussing the “big South Bend, Ind. Kansas City, Mo. options” and “possible strategies.” Way back then, Hoge asserted that the “worst America (ISSN 0002-7049) is published weekly (except for 11 com- Scientific Facts bined issues: Jan. 7-14, 21-28, March 31-April 7, May 26-June 2, thing we can do is nothing.” Sadly, that is June 9-16, 23-30, July 7-14, 21-28, Aug. 4-11, 18-25, Dec. 22-29) As John F. Kavanaugh, S.J., recently by America Press, Inc., 106 West 56th Street, New York, NY 10019. exactly what we’ve done! Periodicals postage is paid at New York, N.Y., and additional mail- pointed out in “In Defense of Human Would so little have been ventured, ing offices. Business Manager: Lisa Pope; Circulation: Judith Palmer, (212) 581-4640. Subscriptions: United States, $48 per Life” (11/26), there is a lot of confusion were we more concerned for the folks in year; add U.S. $22 postage and GST (#131870719) for Canada; or regarding the issues of abortion and stem add U.S. $32 per year for overseas surface postage. For overseas the pews? airmail delivery, please call for rates. Postmaster: Send address cells. (Rev.) Brian M. Rafferty changes to: America, 106 West 56th St. New York, NY 10019. Printed in the U.S.A. What is often not brought up regard- Lake Shore, Md.

January 7-14, 2008 America 37 The Word Jesus Goes Public The Baptism of the Lord (A), Jan. 13, 2008 Readings: Is 42:1-4, 6-7; Ps 29:1-4, 8-10; Acts 10:34-38; Mt 3:13-17 “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Mt 3:15)

HE BAPTISM OF JESUS inau- acceptance of death for the sins of gurates his public ministry as humankind, and Jesus’ coming up from an adult. From Matthew’s the water was an anticipation of his res- infancy narrative we have urrection. alreadyT learned that Jesus is the Messiah, What happens when Jesus comes out Son of God, Son of David and King of of the water is another epiphany, this time the Jews. From Matthew’s description of of Jesus the adult. It too is narrated with John the Baptist we know that John was rich biblical symbolism. The new possibil- preparing the way of the “Lord” and ity of communication between God and looking forward to the “mightier” one humankind through Jesus is expressed in coming after him. At last, Jesus the adult turn by the images of the heavens open- comes to John at the Jordan River to ing, the dove-like descent of the Holy What John seek his baptism. In doing so, Jesus steps Spirit (see Gn 1:2) and the voice from the onto the public stage. heavens (Psalm 29). The voice speaks in Matthew’s account of Jesus’ baptism is the third person singular (“This is…”), Saw unique in including a conversation indicating a public event, not merely a pri- Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (A), Jan. between John and Jesus. When John vate religious experience or vision on 20, 2008 objects and insists that Jesus should be Jesus’ part. The voice combines key phras- Readings: Is 49:3, 5-6; Ps 40:2, 4, 7-10; baptizing him, Jesus dissuades him on the es from the Old Testament: “my son” (the 1 Cor 1:1-3; Jn 1:29-34 ground that “it is fitting for us to fulfill all Davidic king as God’s adopted son, righteousness.” The idea seems to be that Psalms 2 and 110), the “beloved” (Isaac in “Now I have seen and testified that he in John’s baptism of Jesus, the divine plan Gn 22) and “with whom I am well is the Son of God” (Jn 1:34) was being carried forward. pleased” (the Servant of God in Is 42:1). What was the problem? On the one From the start of his public ministry we OHN’S GOSPEL DOES NOT include hand, John’s baptism involved repen- know who Jesus is. a direct account of Jesus’ baptism. tance and forgiveness of sins in the face Today’s selection from Peter’s speech Instead it supplies the testimony or of the coming kingdom of God. in Acts 10 reminds us that while John bap- witness of John the Baptist and his J reflections on who Jesus is. By con- Presumably Jesus did not need that. On tized Jesus in water, God anointed Jesus the other hand, John proclaimed that the with “the Holy Spirit and power.” In our sidering what the Baptist saw in Jesus, we “mightier” one would bring a better bap- own baptism we are privileged to have may see more clearly what we can hope for tism, not with water only but with the been incorporated into Jesus’ life, death from Jesus. Holy Spirit and fire. Why then did Jesus and resurrection and granted the gift of In his first chapter John the Evangelist accept John’s baptism? In doing so Jesus the Holy Spirit. We could do so because develops an overture or prologue to his identified with sinful humankind and in Jesus’ baptism by John all righteousness account of Jesus’ public ministry as well as thus expressed his full solidarity with us. was being fulfilled. his death and resurrection. He gives spe- Along these lines Pope Benedict XVI has cial attention to the various titles applied suggested in his book Jesus of Nazareth Praying With Scripture to Jesus, ranging from Word of God to that Jesus loaded all our guilt on his the glorious Son of Man; taken together shoulders and bore it down into the • Why do you think Jesus accepted these titles highlight the decisive impor- depths of the Jordan. In this way, the John’s baptism? tance of Jesus. Today’s selection devoted baptism of Jesus by John marked his • How do the titles attributed to to the testimony of John the Baptist focus- Jesus by the heavenly voice prepare es on Jesus as the Lamb of God, the bear- for Matthew’s portrait of Jesus in the er or vehicle of the Holy Spirit and the DANIEL J. HARRINGTON, S.J., is professor of rest of the Gospel? Son of God. New Testament at Weston Jesuit School of • What is the relationship between John testified that Jesus is “the Lamb Theology in Cambridge, Mass. Jesus’ baptism and our baptism? of God who takes away the sin of the ART BY TAD DUNNE

38 America January 7-14, 2008 world.” This imagery evokes the Old Testament rituals of sacrificing an animal to God as a way of atoning for sins and restoring right relationship with God. For early Christians the image of Jesus as the Lamb of God expressed the conviction that Jesus died for us and for our sins and made possible a right relationship. Theologians call this justification. Through the Lamb of God we can hope for forgiveness of our sins and right rela- tionship with God. John also testified that at the baptism the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus, and that Jesus became the primary bearer or vehicle of the Holy Spirit. This in turn qualified Jesus to baptize with both water and the Holy Spirit. In his Last Supper discourse Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit upon the community of his follow- ers. He calls the Holy Spirit the Paraclete, a word that combines the Spirit’s roles as consoler, guide and defender. Through the Spirit of Jesus we can hope for the gift of the Holy Spirit and the possibility of CAMPUS MINISTRY living “in the spirit.” John testified that Jesus is the Son of GRADUATE INTERNSHIP God, a title that evokes the figure of the Villanova University offers a two-year graduate Campus Ministry Servant of God described in Isaiah 49. Internship for those pursuing a graduate degree in the academic field There the servant has the mission to pro- of their choice. All applicants should be graduated from college as of claim God’s saving power not for Israel August 2007. One year of general work and/or volunteer esperience alone but for all nations. As the Son of is preferred. Faith-filled applicants are a “must” and need to be God, Jesus addressed God as his loving willing to share their journey of faith in God with others. Interns father. And Jesus invites us to share his work and live in freshmen residence halls modeling, building and own unique relationship of intimacy with living Christian community. They offer students opportunities to God. Through the Son of God we are develop personally and spiritually through liturgy, service projects, God’s children now. We can stand along- retreats and evening of reflection. Interns receive room and board, side Jesus and call upon God as our father tuition remission and a stipend. too. What did John see in Jesus? What can Application information is available through our Web site: we hope for from Jesus? Through Jesus www.campusministry.villanova.edu we can hope for forgiveness of sins, right e-mail: [email protected] relationship with God, the guidance of the or telephone: 610-519-4479 Holy Spirit and permission to approach Deadline is February 15, 2008 God with confidence and even boldness as Villanova, Pennsylvania befits the spiritual brothers and sisters of Jesus. This is what Paul means when he describes Christians as “sanctified in Christ Jesus” and “called to be holy.” Rome More news Daniel J. Harrington and analysis may be far from the Praying With Scripture away, • How do you respond to the image of Vatican. Jesus as the Lamb of God? but it is • How is the gift of the Holy Spirit related to Jesus? here in Subscribe today. • Do you ever think of Jesus as your America. 1-800-627-9533. brother?

January 7-14, 2008 America 39