THE NATIONAL CATHOLIC WEEKLY OCT. 5, 2009 $3.50 OF MANY THINGS PUBLISHED BY JESUITS OF THE UNITED STATES eople with what is sometimes infections that shortened their lives called a late vocation are a curi- along with the lives of their children,” EDITOR IN CHIEF Pous lot. Being one myself, I he said. Drew Christiansen, S.J. sometimes compare notes with others Finally, Bryan was assigned to work who come my way. The most recent with J.R.S. in East Africa, training EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT was Bryan Pipins, an energetic adults as teachers of basic literacy skills MANAGING EDITOR Australian Jesuit who walked about who could carry on the work after Robert C. Collins, S.J. New York last winter in sockless, san- J.R.S. moved on. “When I first visited, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR daled feet while ministering at a local after the program had already begun, I Karen Sue Smith parish. His tough constitution, tested found over 50 people in one small room ONLINE EDITOR by 13 years in the Australian army and waiting for lessons. ‘There are too Maurice Timothy Reidy several more with the Jesuit Refugee many people here!’ I said, but they CULTURE EDITOR Service in Africa, has seen him through insisted, ‘We want to learn!’ One James Martin, S.J. challenging situations on three conti- woman cried out; ‘Why do I have to LITERARY EDITOR nents. The idea of religious life crossed wait till I’m 75 to learn to read and Patricia A. Kossmann his mind even in primary school. A write?’” And learn they joyfully did, he friend of his father’s, however, advised said. POETRY EDITOR James S. Torrens, S.J. him to work after high school before J.R.S. next sent him to northern applying to enter, “to see if I really had a Uganda for further refugee involve- ASSOCIATE EDITORS call,” as Bryan put it. Odd jobs eventu- ment. Did he ever have a day off? No, George M. Anderson, S.J. ally led him to the Australian army and he replied, “but I was doing so many Peter Schineller, S.J. Kevin Clarke a three-year enrollment. The life suited different things that each task meant him and he re-enlisted. tapping into a different source of ener- ASSISTANT EDITOR But throughout Bryan’s military gy.” Five days a week he was a school Francis W. Turnbull, S.J. years, vocation thoughts remained, so a administrator, but weekends saw him as VISITING EDITOR Jesuit pastor put him in touch with the a priest in various parts of the huge Thomas Massaro, S.J. order’s vocation director. By then Bryan camp with tens of thousands of DESIGN AND PRODUCTION was in his 30s. His novice director sent refugees. Many died of cholera, he Stephanie Ratcliffe him to a l’Arche community of adults explained, partly because as rural peo- with Down syndrome, and from there ple they were not accustomed to living BUSINESS DEPARTMENT to a remote aboriginal community. In in close quarters, where sanitary pre- PUBLISHER 1999 everything changed abruptly cautions became essential. Jan Attridge when East Timor “exploded” during its Thus far Bryan had enjoyed good CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER fight for independence. The resulting health, but then he himself fell ill with Lisa Pope refugee situation led Bryan to ask and typhoid. Now back in Australia, he is MARKETING receive permission to work there with serving in a rural Jesuit parish founded Eryk Krysztofiak the Jesuit Refugee Service. for Catholics fleeing persecution in ADVERTISING After Bryan’s ordination, his Germany during the 1840s. Two Jesuits Julia Sosa provincial sent him to teach English as accompanied these early religious a second language in the Philippines. refugees, so Bryan continues to serve, if 106 West 56th Street But given his instinctive desire for con- not refugees, at least their Australian New York, NY 10019-3803 tact with the materially poor (an descendants. Ph: 212-581-4640; Fax: 212-399-3596 instinct he and I share), he also spent Our stories are vastly different, but E-mail: [email protected]; time as a parish priest, attending to we both learned that God’s call can [email protected] people in Manila’s huge garbage dump, never come too late, whether to reli- Web site: www.americamagazine.org. which is home to 70,000 of the coun- gious life—or to lay people who may Customer Service: 1-800-627-9533 try’s poorest. Picking through the also be searching to respond to a call of © 2009 America Press, Inc. dump, they scratched out a precarious their own. Each person has a vocation. existence. “The people were mostly The challenge is to discover what it is Cover: Inspired by the Time maga- from rural areas, and living in the and then to live it out. zine cover “Is God Dead?” of April 8, dump they suffered from respiratory GEORGE M. ANDERSON, S.J. 1966. CONTENTS www.americamagazine.org VOL. 201 NO.8, WHOLE NO. 4867 OCTOBER 5, 2009 ARTICLES 11 GOD MAKES A COMEBACK John Micklethwait on the persistence of belief in a secular age Austen Ivereigh 15 A FIERY GIFT A spiritual case for natural childbirth Susan Windley-Daoust 20 LOOKING FOR LOVE Encountering the problem of pain M. M. Hubele COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS 11 4 Current Comment 5 Editorial Siege Mentality 6 Signs of the Times 10 Column Classrooms for Peace Maryann Cusimano Love 22 Faith in Focus A Life Freely Given Patricia Talone 33 Poem Mary’s Cat Ethel Pochocki 43 Letters 47 The Word Just One Thing Barbara E. Reid 22 BOOKS & CULTURE 28 FALL BOOKS I Fires of Faith; The Case for God; Neither Beast Nor God; News of the World; A Pilgrim in a Pilgrim Church; Closing Time; Strength in What Remains TELEVISION “Mad Men” and the shock of recognition ON THE WEB ON THE WEB Rev. Robert E. Lauder compares Alice McDermott (right) to Graham Greene, and Susan Windley-Daoust reflects on birth and the spiritual life on our podcast. Plus, Rev. Stephen Joseph Fichter on priests who leave the church for Protestant ministry. All at americamagazine.org. 3528 CURRENT COMMENT age result from large-scale irrigation and the overuse of fer- Natural Treasures at Risk tilizer and pesticides. Worth considering, too, has been the Madagascar’s extraordinary biodiversity is suffering impact on farmers, the foot soldiers of this revolution, and increased assaults because of a political power vacuum. their families and communities. We are only now attempt- Last March the millionaire mayor of the country’s capital, ing to gauge the effect of persistent exposure to pesticides Antananarivo, with the support of the military, overthrew on agricultural communities. The toll may be high. Madagascar’s president, Marc Ravalomanana. Many of Borlaug’s goal, to rid the world permanently of the mis- the country’s plant and animal species exist nowhere else ery of widespread hunger, has not been achieved. Hunger in the world. There is now little protection in areas persists, even in the world of food plenty that Borlaug where some species now face extinction. Political turmoil helped to create. Thanks to Borlaug’s genius and inspira- has especially jeopardized the island’s lemurs, small mon- tion, there is more food, but people remain too poor to key-like animals with large eyes. Unimpeded, poachers buy it. Across Africa and Central America, in wealthy and now trap and slaughter them as “bushmeat” for luxury poor societies alike, people are hungry—not because of restaurants. drought but because of indifference, a famine of solidarity. Illegal logging, along with slash-and-burn agriculture by As brilliant as he was, Norman Borlaug probably had no subsistence farmers, has already damaged much of idea how to respond to that particularly human calamity. Madagascar’s unique environment. Mining brings another form of environmental degradation, as foreign companies dig up forests for the mineral ilmenite, which is valuable Master of None for the production of titanium dioxide, a white pigment Most people would agree that motorists and train opera- used in paper, paint and plastics. Since Madagascar relies tors should not use cellphones or send text messages while heavily on ecotourism, some commentators regard the eco- driving. Such multitasking has resulted in crashes and logical losses as killing the goose that lays the golden egg. deaths. But the environmental losses also make clear what can But what about other kinds of multitasking? Can peo- happen when political chaos reduces a country’s ability to ple do several things at once and do them well? An expec- protect its most fragile natural treasures. Efforts are under- tation that they can and should underlies the help-wanted way to reach a power-sharing agreement between ads that specify “must be able to multitask.” Multitasking Madagascar’s ousted elected president and the upstart has become something of an ideal in our fast-paced soci- media magnate Andry Rajoelina. In the meantime, howev- ety—a model of success and efficiency often aided by tech- er, environmental destruction of the island’s rare flora and nology and sleek electronic gadgets. fauna continues. It turns out, however, that the “competent multitasker” may be more fable than fact. In August researchers at The Passing Stanford University reported results of a study of media multitasking in The Proceedings of the National Academy Of the Green Revolution of Sciences. After testing 100 college students, researchers The father of the Green Revolution, Norman E. Borlaug, found that on virtually every measure the students most died on Sept. 12. Borlaug, an Iowan, was a plant scientist persistent at multitasking performed worse than those who whose tireless work has been credited with saving hun- seldom attempted more than one task at a time.