A friend of mine who teaches homiletics recently examined and compared dozens of Christmas sermons published by seven major 20th-century theologians. She was happy to report that the divine love figured prominently in those sermons. The seven theologians all converged in proclaiming that the birth o
If the church that hosted my first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting had been Catholic, I wouldn’t have gone near it. The religion I had been brought up in made me so angry in those days that I boycotted it in any way I could. But since the church was Presbyterian, I condescended to take a rear sea
We sit at the kitchen table in our pajamas, the late morning sun filtering through the windows. The Washington Post lies untouched on the table, along with bagel crumbs and big mugs of tepid, strong coffee. It is New Year’s Eve day, and four of us, our college friendships eight years young now
On the day after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday several years ago, I sat on my living-room sofa fuming at the television set. My wife entered the room and patiently asked me what news story had caused me such exasperation. I had just watched the national director for the American Red Cross urge
Our Christmas gift to subscribers this year is our new Web site. We are very excited about it and believe you will find it informative and useful. Come visit us at: www.americamagazine.org. On our Web pages, you will find practically everything that is currently printed in the paper edition of Ameri
None Turned Away
I was delighted to read the column by George M. Anderson, S.J., about Paterson, N.J., and, in particular, Eva’s Village and Sheltering Program (11/12). The author was correct in pointing out the surging needs of the poor and afflicted in Paterson. Fortunately, Eva
Our Christmas cover this year, painted by Ansgar Holmberg, C.S.J., depicts children from around the world adoring the infant Jesus. When Sister Ansgar first mailed us a rough draft of this painting, she wondered: Should Jesus be receiving the world from us, or should he be offering it to us?Christ d