"Peace on earth is not just a holiday greeting. Every Jan. 1 the pope issues a message for the World Day of Peace, reminding us that peace is practical, peace is possible, and it is our calling. Peace is practical because it is foundational; without it, we cannot achieve other aims. Catholic Relief

Before he took off for a tour of Asia in mid-November, President Bush played host to the leaders of the Big 2.5 American automakersGeneral Motors, Ford and the U.S. half of the multinational conglomerate known as DaimlerChrysler. The automakers had been hoping for an S.U.V.-sized summit conference o

Last year as we set up our Nativity set, our then two-year-old daughter asked why so many of the figures were kneeling. Plopping baby Jesus in the manger, she quickly answered her own question, "Oh. To better see God." This year we have a newborn son in our home. And as we raid the rafters

I still remember the day, back in 1953, when Mt. Everest was conquered. At the time there was great rejoicing, as Edmund Hilary and Sherpa Tensing set the first human footsteps upon the virgin snows of the mountain’s peak. It was many years later that I heard the story of how differently the t

The elections of 2006 were largely seen as a referendum on the policies of President George Bush, especially the military adventurism and looming failure in Iraq. Having learned from the defeat at the polls, the president accepted the resignation of his secretary of defense the following day. Perhap

Our family has a new baby, and this has us thinking about the nature of help. What is help? Is it the neighbor who cooked a fancy gourmet meal for us (that none of us, all sick with colds, could eat) and left our kitchen in shambles, using every pot and pan in the place? Is it the friend who decided