The most commonplace symbol of our Christmas celebration is a light shining in the darkness: a candle in the window, a star on top of a tree. The symbol is so familiar that we can sometimes fail to appreciate its distinctive message. Many lights shine in the darkness. Some of them can be brutal and
In November 1949 the year after the publication of his bestselling autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain Thomas Merton dropped a note to his old college friend Robert Lax about the latest news from the Abbey of Gethsemani quot People keep writing from India we should start a monastery there
In the more than 40 years since Vatican II the short document on the relationship of the Catholic Church to other religions Nostra Aetate has emerged as especially important Its section on the Jewish people suggests that mutual understanding and appreciation can best be furthered by biblical and
For most Christians the family is the first school of spirituality In that context we learn or do not learn the basics of morality and religion and we develop our sense of responsibility and mutual respect On Christmas Day we celebrated the birth of Jesus through whom we believe that we have e
Luke rsquo s Gospel has been described as the most beautiful book ever written One reason for that description is its infancy narrative with its familiar biblical language attractive characters and subtle theology Deliberately imitating the style of the Old Testament historical books Luke portr
Papal DiplomacyThe visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Turkey in the final days of November was by far the most challenging of any of the trips undertaken thus far by the pope. It was this pope’s first visit to a Muslim country and came after the Muslim world had been angered by his now-famous allus