america€¦ · for the edifica-tion and service of the faithful. i found an even more striking...

HILE WANDERING around theRoman Colosseum manyyears ago as a college stu-dent, I happened across an

unexpected sight among the tourists andthe cats: a plaque bearing the name ofPope Benedict XIV. My Latin wasn’tthe best, but I was eventually able tomuddle through a thicket of abbrevia-tions and ablative absolutes to determinethat Benedict had dedicated theColosseum in the middle of the 18thcentury to the early Christian martyrs. Amonument most of us would associatewith the glory days of the RomanEmpire (and some of its worst excesses)was also officially recognized byChristians as a hallowed shrine.

Though historians have found no con-clusive evidence that any Christians actu-ally faced martyrdom in the Colosseumitself as part of the cruel amusements ofancient Rome, Benedict’s dedication wascertainly part of a long Catholic traditionof sanctifying public and pagan structuresfor the edifica-tion and serviceof the faithful. Ifound an evenmore strikingexample of the phenomenon a few dayslater in Assisi, where I walked into anancient Roman temple to Minerva, theRoman goddess of wisdom, that had beenrededicated to Our Lady and was still inuse as a Catholic church: Santa Mariasopra Minerva.

When another Pope Benedict stepsonto American shores in mid-April, thou-sands of the American Catholic faithfulwill also pour into ostensibly secularstructures that they will then use for reli-gious purposes. Benedict XVI’s visit willinclude huge outdoor Masses at NationalsPark, the new stadium of the WashingtonNationals baseball team in Washington,D.C., and at Yankee Stadium in NewYork City a few days later.

Ever since Paul VI said Mass inYankee Stadium in 1965, papal visits tothe United States have featured thesehuge outdoor celebrations. One suchMass during a visit by John Paul II in1987 was held at Sun Devil Stadium inTempe, Ariz., presenting event organiz-ers with a terrible conundrum: shouldimages of Sparky, the smirking, pitch-fork-wielding red devil of a mascot whosevisage could be found everywhere in thestadium, be covered up out of respect forthe pope? They decided in the affirma-

tive, leading one to think that for at leasta day the structure became GiovanniPaolo sopra Scintilla.

Washington’s Nationals Park is barelyout of the wrapping paper, it’s so new—the first baseball game played there wason March 30, 2008—and the papal Masswill be one of the first memorable eventsheld in the new stadium (unless there isanyone misguided enough to think thecurrent Nationals lineup will ever beworth remembering). Like the RomanColosseum 19 centuries ago, NationalsPark rises out of the dense urban neigh-borhoods of a capital city, and was builtat enormous expense. It will hold fewerspectators (41,000 total capacity) than theColosseum, though for the papal Massadditional seating will be put up on theplaying field.

Yankee Stadium shares similar envi-rons but has a far more venerable pedi-gree: it opened in 1923 and has beenhosting baseball games (as well as footballgames, rock concerts and all the other

entertain-ments ofAmericanculture) eversince. It has

also hosted popes before, including PaulVI in 1965 and John Paul II in 1979.This year, however, is the final year forthe House That Ruth Built. Attendees atthe papal Mass on April 20 will see itsmammoth successor rising literally acrossthe street. The new Yankee Stadium isscheduled to open its doors in April 2009.It too is a project of enormous expenseand will make the current stadium obso-lete, despite its status as a temple to base-ball history. Pope Benedict XVI’s visitwill be followed less than a year later by avisit from the wrecking ball. Romans mayhave tried to preserve their monumentsover the centuries as a reminder of anempire’s past glory, but here in theEmpire State, property values trump his-torical ones.

Historical trivia will mean little, ofcourse, to those who scored precioustickets to either the Washington or NewYork celebrations. Both Masses willdemonstrate the power of the sacred totransform the mundane and the ability offaith to imbue even the most seculararena with holy meaning. At a newlyborn stadium in our nation’s capital and adying one in the world’s capital, we wel-come a visitor from the Eternal City.

James T. Keane, S.J.

AmericaPublished by Jesuits of the United States

Of Many Things

Cover art Shutterstock/Jan Martin Will

WEditor in Chief

Drew Christiansen, S.J.

Acting PublisherJames Martin, S.J.

Managing EditorRobert C. Collins, S.J.

Business ManagerLisa Pope

Editorial DirectorKaren Sue Smith

Online EditorMaurice Timothy Reidy

Associate EditorsJoseph A. O’Hare, S.J.

George M. Anderson, S.J.Dennis M. Linehan, S.J.

Matt Malone, S.J.James T. Keane, S.J.Peter Schineller, S.J.

Literary EditorPatricia A. Kossmann

Poetry EditorJames S. Torrens, S.J.

Assistant EditorFrancis W. Turnbull, S.J.

Design and ProductionStephanie Ratcliffe

AdvertisingJulia Sosa

106 West 56th StreetNew York, NY 10019-3803

Ph: 212-581-4640; Fax: 212-399-3596. E-mail: [email protected];

[email protected]. Web site: www.americamagazine.org.Customer Service: 1-800-627-9533.

© 2008 America Press, Inc.

Articles

Forestalling Disaster 9Richard J. Green and Wil LepkowskiNational energy independence is an unattainablegoal and, in any case, a foolish idea, because theworld is too economically interconnected throughtrade in resources.

A Somber Anniversary 14Thomas J. ShelleyA century ago, a promising American theologicaljournal fell victim to the modernist crisis.

Current Comment 4

Editorial Medicaid Under Assault 5

Signs of the Times 6

Morality Matters 8Building Peace Maryann Cusimano Love

Poem 19A Meditation on Henry Ossawa Tanner’s‘The Annunciation’ J. Michael Sparough

Faith in Focus 20Wisdom for My Children Kevin J. Barry

Bookings 22New Light From Biblical Scholarship Daniel J. Harrington

Letters 28

The Word 30Celebrating the Paschal Mystery; Following the Good Shepherd Daniel J. Harrington

9

14

www.americamagazine.org Vol. 198 No. 11, Whole No. 4810 March 31–April 7, 2008

Martin Doblmeier discusses his new film, “The Power of Forgiveness,” andMatt Malone, S.J., reviews HBO’s “John Adams.” Plus, from the archives,Thomas J. Shelley on John Tracy Ellis. All at americamagazine.org.

This week @ America Connects

20

Esquire profile, “our nation can’t afford to be mesmerizedby one problem.” That problem, of course, is Iraq. TheWhite House has linked the president’s legacy to at leastthe short-term success of the military surge there, even asconditions worsen in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The admi-ral also appears to have encountered an obstacle in theWhite House’s special attachment to General David H.Petraeus, the commander in Iraq and technically the admi-ral’s subordinate, who favors extending a sizable U.S. pres-ence in Iraq, preventing a timely transfer of troops to theAfghan front. The Esquire writer Thomas P. M. Barnettdid Admiral Fallon no favors by describing him as the oneperson whose opposition stood athwart the administra-tion’s march to war with Iran. As the admiral begins hisretirement, responsible officers and military officials needto keep their eyes focused on his strategic vision: success inAfghanistan and the avoidance of war with Iran.

Funds for AIDS ReliefThe U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee and theSenate Foreign Relations Committee have approved a billthat authorizes up to $50 billion for the President’sEmergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known as Pepfar, overthe next five years. The reauthorization provides assistanceto Africa and to additional countries in the Caribbean,South and Southeast Asia, and Central and EasternEurope. The bill provides funds to combat tuberculosisand malaria in addition to AIDS. Money will also be usedto train some 144,000 new health care workers to care forpeople infected with H.I.V.

Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, chairman of theCatholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, com-mented that “the new bill reflects a commitment to savinghuman lives as well as our solidarity with those sufferingoverseas. It is vital to preserve and expand proven life-sav-ing programs, especially abstinence and fidelity education,while refusing to dilute and distort a successful AIDS reliefprogram with family planning and ‘reproductive health’activities.”

Praise also came from Unaids in Geneva, which com-mended the United States for sending a strong signal thatit is committed to maintaining its leadership role in theglobal response to AIDS. The House version of the bill isexpected to reach the floor in early April. The Senateshould also pass this bill in time for President Bush topoint to this sign of the generous and compassionatenature of the American people at the Group of Eightindustrialized nations summit meeting in Japan on July 7.

The Trillion-Dollar WarFrom the beginning, the Bush administration has refusedto give an accurate and responsible reckoning of the costsof the Iraq war. From underestimating budgets to request-ing funding through special supplemental appropriations,to cutting taxes for the wealthy that resulted in financingthe war through international borrowing, financial man-agement of the war has been a case study in fiscal irre-sponsibility. With the cost of the war now close to a tril-lion dollars, the Nobel Prize-winner Joseph E. Stiglitz andLinda J. Bilmes of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Govern-ment have written an eye-opening study on the deeplyflawed economy of the war. The Three Trillion Dollar War:The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict (Norton) surveys thefinancial mismanagement and the various costs of the war(in budgetary choices, veterans’ care and undermining ofthe economy) and recommends reforms for the future.

What would one trillion dollars buy? According to theauthors, “A trillion dollars could have built 8 million addi-tional housing units; could have hired some 15 millionpublic school teachers for one year; could have paid for120 million children to attend a year of Head Start; orinsured 520 million children for healthcare for one year;or provided 45 million students with four-year scholar-ships to public universities.”

The $3 trillion figure is an estimate of the full cost ofthe war, including the years after withdrawal, with supportfor veterans, rebuilding of the military and payment of thedebt. To the authors’ credit, most of the reforms they pro-pose have to do with the compensation and care of Iraqwar veterans. They propose, for example, doubling andtripling payments to National Guard and Reserve troopsforced to do repeated combat tours and shifting the bur-den of proof from veterans to the government regardingeligibility for health care benefits.

Fallon’s VisionThe unexpected resignation March 11 of Adm. William J.Fallon, commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, afteronly a year in office raises renewed questions about theadministration’s intentions in the region. The admiral,reputed to be one of the military’s outstanding strategicthinkers, is believed to have pressed for a more rapidtransfer of troops from Iraq to Afghanistan and to haveencouraged diplomacy over military threats in dealing withIran. In a part of the world with “five or six pots boilingover,” Admiral Fallon is reported to have said in a recent

Current Comment

4 March 31–April 7, 2008 America

March 31–April 7, 2008 America 5

Editorial

MedicaidUnder Assault

EDICAID, THE HEALTH INSURANCE

program for poor people, is againunder assault. Created in 1965 throughTitle XIX of the Social Security Act, ithas been instrumental in providing

low-income Americans with needed medical care for morethan four decades, serving as a crucial component of thenation’s safety net and sustaining some of the nation’s mostvulnerable citizens. Unlike Medicare, an entitlement pro-gram for people 65 and over which is funded entirely atthe federal level, Medicaid is something of a stepchild inthe federal budget. Although it too is an entitlement pro-gram, its cost is divided between the states and the federalgovernment. The administration is now trying to shiftmore of the costs to the states, which are already strug-gling with a deeply weakened economy.

Over the past year, the Medicaid safety net has beenfraying because of a series of federal regulations whosepurpose is to reduce federal Medicaid spending by $15 bil-lion over the next five years. As a consequence, importantservices for both adults and children are in jeopardy.Children with special needs would be especially affected.The regulations would, for example, eliminate therapeuticfoster care. Through this valuable program, children withsevere emotional problems are placed in private homeswith specially trained foster parents. Judith Solomon, asenior fellow at the nonprofit and officially nonpartisanCenter on Budget and Policy Priorities, has pointed outthat therapeutic foster care has proven its worth in keepingyoungsters with disorders out of psychiatric hospitals—anoption that would involve far greater cost and would alsojeopardize a child’s chances for later being able to reside inthe community. Ms. Solomon noted that the U.S. surgeongeneral, in a 1999 report, cited this type of now-threat-ened program as an example of a best practice.

Other regulations would remove Medicaid coveragefor day habilitation. This type of program makes it possi-ble for people with developmental disabilities, like retarda-tion, to live in community-based settings rather than insti-tutions. In the former they receive the kind of personalizedassistance that maximizes their potential. Cuts in casemanagement funds represent yet another area that the reg-

ulations would adversely affect—reducing the amount oftime case managers can spend assisting people in need ofhousing and specialized services in preparation for semi-independent living in the community. The current policyallows 180 days for a caseworker to make the necessaryarrangements, but under the new rules, the time framewould be reduced to 60 days. “By limiting the amount oftime caseworkers can work with the individual,” Ms.Solomon noted, “the outcome may be less successful.” Asimilar rule would deny federal reimbursement for casemanagement carried out by child welfare workers actingon behalf of children in foster care.

Further shortsightedness can be seen in the eliminationof federal matching funds for programs aimed at parentswho may be unaware of benefits for which their childrencould be eligible. The regulations would mandate thatfunds for these purposes be restricted if the assistancewould be provided by school personnel. And yet the U.S.Department of Health and Human Services has itselfpointed out that school settings offer the best link forenrolling low-income youngsters in coverage for whichthey are eligible.

Another area affected would be Medicaid funds tocover some of the costs of graduate medical education forphysicians, interns and residents in public hospitals. Theadministration claims that such uses lie outside the scopeof Medicaid’s purpose. In fact, payments for medical edu-cation have been authorized since the very inception ofMedicaid, with both Democratic and Republican adminis-trations supportive of this use of funds.

NOT ONLY HEALTH CARE ADVOCATES, but also the nation’s gov-ernors of both parties deplored the proposed regulations attheir February meeting in Washington, D.C. They pre-dicted that shifting billions in costs to the states couldforce many states to cut back services to some of theirpoorest residents, thereby leaving still more low-incomewomen, men and children without needed medical insur-ance at a time when a recession seems all but inevitable.Congress has at least imposed a moratorium on the imple-mentation of some of the regulations until late spring.Instead of moratoriums, the better action would be toeliminate these regulations entirely. Ironically, they comeat a time when the president is trying to make permanenthis tax cuts for the richest Americans—a sad contrastbetween what the poor and the rich can expect from thepresent administration, expecially as an ill-advised warcontinues to cost the nation an estimated $10 billion amonth. Congress should act while there is still time.

M

gious vows. He is a descendent of BlessedAdrian Fortescue, a Knight of Malta whowas martyred in the 16th century.

Chaldean Bishop DecriesMurder in MosulA Chaldean bishop said the United Statesmust be held accountable for the death ofChaldean Archbishop Paulos FarajRahho of Mosul, Iraq. Bishop Ibrahim N.Ibrahim of the Eparchy of St. Thomasthe Apostle, based in Southfield, Mich.,said that the administration of U.S.President George W. Bush in particularis responsible for the terrorism andkilling of Christians in Iraq. He said theadministration is ignoring the problem.“No one is defending us,” he said March13, the day the archbishop’s body was

79th grand master. Matthew Festing,who had been the Knights’ grand prior ofEngland, was chosen March 11 to replaceAndrew W. N. Bertie, who died inFebruary. Festing, 59, will head theworld’s oldest chivalric order, founded inthe 11th century. Known officially as theSovereign Military Order of the Hospitalof St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes andof Malta, the organization was establishedto care for pilgrims during the Crusades.It lives on today as a lay Catholic reli-gious order and a worldwide humanitari-an network. The order is also a sovereignstate, holding observer status at theUnited Nations and maintaining diplo-matic relations with 100 countries.Festing, an expert in art and history,joined the Knights in 1977 and in 1991became a “professed” knight, taking reli-

CARA Surveys Catholic Lenten Practices While a majority of U.S.Catholics say they abstainfrom meat on Fridays duringLent, slightly less than halffollow other customaryLenten practices. Sixty per-cent said they do not eatmeat on Fridays during Lent,but only 45 percent said theytypically receive ashes on AshWednesday. A slightly small-er percentage, 44 percent,said that besides giving upsomething, they do some-thing positive during Lent,like giving money to theneedy or trying to be a betterperson. Only 38 percent saidthat besides meat on Fridays,they give up or abstain fromsomething else during Lent.Stronger adherence to thoseLenten practices was seen in9 out of 10 Catholic adultswho said they attend Mass atleast weekly.

The findings, releasedMarch 11, come from a sur-vey of 1,007 randomly select-ed, self-identified Catholics ages 18 or older conducted between Feb. 1-20 by theCenter for Applied Research in the Apostolate in Washington, D.C. The surveyhad a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Lenten Practice

Percentages are for Catholics who attend Mass at least once a week. From a survey of 1,007 randomly selected, self-identifi ed adult Catholics conducted in February 2008. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3.1 percent.

Source: Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate

©2008 CNS

Abstain from meat on Fridays

Abstain from other things during Lent

Do positive works, like giving money to the needy

86%

91%

59%

74%

67%

75%

born after 1981

born 1961 to 1981

Young practicing U.S. Catholics are more likely to observe Lenten obligations and traditions than those of the post- Vatican II generation.

Founder of FocolareMovement Dies at 88

Chiara Lubich, the 88-year-old founderand perpetually smiling symbol of theFocolare movement, died early March 14after what Pope Benedict XVI said was “along and fruitful life” marked by her lovefor Jesus. Lubich died in her room nearthe Focolare headquarters in Rocca diPapa, south of Rome. In a telegram,Pope Benedict offered his condolences toher family, members of the Focolaremovement and all those “who appreciat-ed her constant commitment for commu-nion in the church, for ecumenical dia-logue and for brotherhood among allpeoples.” The pope also expressed histhanks to God “for the witness of her lifespent in listening to the needs of contem-porary people in full fidelity to thechurch and to the pope.” Pope Benedictasked that all those who admired “themarvels that God worked through her”would follow in her footsteps, keepingher vision alive. Lubich’s funeral wasscheduled for March 18 at Rome’sBasilica of St. Paul Outside the Wallswith Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, S.D.B.,the Vatican secretary of state, presiding.

Knights of Malta ElectNew Grand Master In a secret and swift election, the Knightsof Malta elected an Englishman as their

6 America March 31–April 7, 2008

Signs of the Times

logues with Catholics to re-engage asbefore.” Representatives of the ChiefRabbinate of Israel had been scheduled tobe in Rome March 9-12 for their regulardialogue with the Vatican. However, therabbis asked for a clarification from theVatican about the prayer and postponedtheir trip. Pope Benedict XVI’s revisionof the Good Friday prayer applies only tothe liturgy celebrated according to the1962 Roman Missal, the so-calledTridentine rite. The new prayer removed1962 language referring to the “blind-ness” of the Jews, but it prays that Jewswill recognize Jesus, the savior, and that“all Israel may be saved.”

Sainthood Cause forMcGivney ProgressesThe sainthood cause of the founder ofthe Knights of Columbus has taken amajor step forward. On March 15 PopeBenedict XVI approved a decree of“heroic virtues” for the Rev. MichaelMcGivney, a U.S. priest who, after estab-lishing the Knights of Columbus, workedas a pastor until his death at age 38.Father McGivney can be beatified if amiracle is attributed to his intercession.Canonization, the declaration of saint-hood, requires an additional miracle.Supporters of Father McGivney’s causeare hoping he will be the first U.S.-bornpriest to be canonized. Father McGivneyfounded the Knights of Columbus at St.Mary’s Church in New Haven, Conn., in1882. The fraternal order of Catholicmen has become the largest lay Catholicorganization in the world, with morethan 1.7 million members. It sponsors awide range of educational, charitable andreligious activities.

Retiring Patriarch AffirmsHoly Land’s VocationMichel Sabbah, the retiring Latin patri-arch of Jerusalem, in a farewell pastoralletter March 1, declared that God “want-ed to manifest himself [in the Holy Land]not just to one people, but to the wholeof humanity.” Though small in number,he said, Christians are not condemned to“a diminished life on the margins.” They

recovered after kidnappers revealedwhere they had buried him. “They arekilling Christians because they areChristians.” Bishop Ibrahim said the kid-napping on Feb. 29 and the subsequentdeath of the archbishop threw into ques-tion the destiny of Christians in Iraq.Three of the archbishop’s companionswere also killed.

First Catholic ChurchOpens in QatarThe March 14 inauguration of the firstCatholic church built in predominantlyMuslim Qatar “is a sign of great hope forthe church” in the region, said the newchurch’s pastor, Tomasito Veneracion, aFilipino Capuchin priest who is the newpastor of Our Lady of the RosaryChurch. He told Aid to the Church inNeed that the construction and openingof the new church was a “historic event.”

For decades, Christians in Qatar hadto practice their faith in cramped garages,private homes and, most recently, in for-eign schools and prefabricated halls. InApril 2003 the government of this tinyPersian Gulf nation overwhelminglyapproved a new constitution that guaran-tees freedom of expression, religion,assembly and association; and the statusof local mission parishes went from beingunderground but tolerated to being legal-ly recognized. Aid to the Church in Needis a Catholic organization that funds reli-gious projects worldwide, including theconstruction of the church in Qatar.

Rabbi Expects Statementon Good Friday Prayer Jewish leaders have been assured that theVatican secretary of state will issue astatement in March saying that thepope’s revised prayer for Good Friday forthe Tridentine rite is not a call forCatholics to try to convert Jews. RabbiDavid Rosen, chairman of theInternational Jewish Committee onInterreligious Consultations, said March13 that the statement would “allow thevast majority of Jews involved in dia-


Signs of the Times

From CNS and other sources. CNS photos.

Catholic Leaders Reflecton Favre Retirement

Catholic leaders paused to reflect on thelife and career of Green Bay PackersQuarterback Brett Favre, who announcedhis retirement March 4 after 17 seasonswith the team. Green Bay’s Bishop Robert J.Banks said the player’s popularity goesbeyond his success on the football field.

People relate not only to his wife’s bat-tle with cancer, but to the quarterback’sown struggles with addiction to painkillers.“He’s faced some tough challenges andhe’s handled them so well,” Bishop Bankssaid. One way the Favres live out theirCatholic faith is through their numerouscharitable efforts. The Favres have receiveda special invitation to attend the papalMass April 17 in Washington, D.C.

share in the mystery of Christ and“remain with him on Calvary;” yet theyare called to take an active part in thetroubled life of their society and “bring avision of faith to all events.” Along withthe unrelenting Israeli-Palestinian con-flict and the Israeli occupation of thePalestinian Territories and EastJerusalem, Patriarch Sabbah cited severalchallenges facing the Holy Land’sChristians: the temptation to emigrate,failure to update the Status Quo (theagreement governing use of the HolyPlaces), extremist religious movements(Jewish, Christian and Muslim) and thepromotion of interfaith dialogue.

Colombia, the Philippines, places wherethe body of Christ is both suffering andworking toward healing and reconcilia-tion. Academics explore the intersectionsbetween these experiences and thechurch’s theology and Catholic socialteaching. These papers will be chapters ina forthcoming book on the ethics and the-ology of Catholic peacebuilding, but thestories they draw from are still being writ-ten in the experiences of the churcharound the world.

It is an important time for these con-versations. The good news is that peace-building is a growth industry. The worldis witnessing an explosion in new peace-building institutions, because of the fail-ures of governments and internationalinstitutions to sustain peace. For the U.S.Departments of Defense and State, thefailures of post-conflict reconstruction inIraq and Afghanistan led to the creationof new units responsible for reconstruc-tion and stabilization operations. Dozensof other countries and international orga-nizations, like the United Nations, havedetermined they need to create new andmore robust institutional capacities tobuild peace, and have created similar newunits. Just as Catholic teaching on the justwar became institutionalized around theworld, from the Geneva Conventions tothe U.S. military code, Catholic teachingson just peace may also be able to influencethese emerging institutions.

The bad news is that so far all of theseinstitutions have severe capacity gaps.None of them have adequate personnel orresources to pursue effectively their mis-sions and mandates. Additionally, thereare huge normative gaps. The institutionsvary widely in the kinds of peace theyseek. U.S. government efforts focus onshort-term material repair projects (roads,bridges, oil infrastructure) that mayadvance U.S. national interests and thereputation of the national government

and security forces. But these efforts oftenundermine rather than advance peace, sta-bility and reconstruction. In attempting tocomplete projects quickly during a com-mander’s short time in an area, the trustand input of the local populations are notsought. Projects benefit corrupt individu-als or warring groups (Iraq is now ratedthe second most corrupt country in theworld), escalating conflict rather than qui-eting it. Profits from post-conflict recon-struction do not go to the people in coun-try, but to U.S. private companies.Employees of private contractors in Iraqoutnumber the 160,000 U.S. troops cur-rently serving there.

Building effective civilian institutionsis key to peacebuilding and human devel-opment. But the institutions being devel-oped with funding from the Departmentof Defense for war on terrorism are mili-tary, not civilian institutions. Militaryspending in unstable countries withouteffective other government institutionsexacerbates the conflict trap. Where civil-ian authority and human rights protectionsare weak, stronger security institutionsmay not serve the common good, but mayabuse human rights and worsen conflict.

The U.S. military trains the militaryof Chad, for example, the world’s fifth-poorest and fifth-most corrupt country.Specifically, the United States trains thebattalion of Chad’s military that protectsthe increasingly unpopular president and agovernment that commits serious humanrights abuses in its efforts to stay in power.The Catholic Church and the people ofChad suffer from short-sighted and clum-sy U.S. security efforts. These efforts arebeing touted as “successes” to be replicat-ed elsewhere. The president’s 2009 bud-get requests more military monies for suchefforts, with less oversight, transparencyand attention to human rights. This is notthe kind of peace we seek. Greater atten-tion to peacebuilding is welcome. Themilitary can play a positive role, as it didafter the 2004 tsunami. But as the bishopssaid 25 years ago, “Reason and experiencetell us that a continuing upward spiral,even in conventional arms, coupled withan unbridled increase in armed forces,instead of securing true peace will almostcertainly be provocative of war.”

Maryann Cusimano Love

Building PeaceThe good news is that peace-

building is a growth industry.

‘

Morality Matters


EACEMAKING IS NOT anoptional commitment. It is arequirement of our faith.We are called to be peace-makers, not by some move-

ment of the moment, but by our LordJesus. The content and context of ourpeacemaking is set not by some politicalagenda or ideological program, but by theteaching of his Church.” Twenty-fiveyears ago, the U.S. Catholic bishops wroteThe Challenge of Peace, their historic pas-toral letter on war and peace. Mostremembered for their reflections onnuclear war, the bishops also spoke elo-quently about our moral obligations tobuild peace. They argued that we mustwork to develop a theology of peace. Theycharged universities, particularly Catholicuniversities in the United States, to con-duct “rigorous, interdisciplinary research,education, and training” in peacebuilding.They urged “all citizens to support train-ing in conflict resolution, nonviolent resis-tance and programs devoted to service topeace and education for peace,” includingspending a portion of the military budgetinstead for peacebuilding purposes.

The Catholic Peacebuilding Networkwas created to pursue our call to buildpeace. On April 7 at The CatholicUniversity of America and GeorgetownUniversity, and later from April 13 to 15 atthe University of Notre Dame, scholarsand practitioners will consider “TheFuture of Catholic Peacebuilding” on thisanniversary of The Challenge of Peace (seehttp://cpn.nd.edu).

“Peace must become a verb,” notesDavid O’Brien, of the College of the HolyCross. Reports from Catholic peace-builders around the world tell stories ofhow peace is becoming a verb in Burundi,

P‘

MARYANN CUSIMANO LOVE serves on theadvisory board of the CatholicPeacebuilding Network.

‘

ALES OF ULTIMATE DISASTER caused by global warming fill today’smedia, alongside accounts of impressive new technologies for clean,green, carbon-free, earth-saving energy. New energy corporations aredrawing investment capital in steady streams, hoping for a portion of thefinancial bonanza to come from new energy ideas: better cars, more effi-

cient boilers, vegetation that converts to oil, cleaner power plants; windmills sweepingacross prairies, hilltops and seacoasts; and solar cells arrayed from horizon to horizon,powering entire communities. Most reporters tend to cover technology news by relyingon the public relations machinery of government and corporate research laboratories.Still, their reporting on such trends has made energy a much discussed public issue. Butis the public receiving an accurate picture of what we are facing as our oil and gas


RICHARD J. GREEN was a senior research and development manager for NASA in the Apollo

program and the National Science Foundation in developing and executing the nation’s

first renewable energy program. WIL LEPKOWSKI is a journalist who has covered science,

technology and energy policy for Business Week and Chemical and Engineering News.

Energy policy for an uncertain age

Forestalling Disaster– BY RICHARD J. GREEN AND WIL LEPKOWSKI –

March 31 – April 7, 2008 America Vol. 198 No. 11, Whole No. 4810

PH

OTO

: K

YLE

SM

ITH

T

resources run out and the glaciers and ice caps melt? Or issomething critical missing? Is a meaningful discourse actu-ally taking place?

Clearly, there will not be enough oil to meet demand incoming years. Coupled with reports about atmosphericwarming, that news ought by now to have incited a level ofpublic outrage that so little is being done to create a futurewhere the world’s countries collaborate on energy policy,making something positive out of what are now insufficient-ly connected approaches by individual states or small groups.

Yet the overall picture being presented to the publicgoes something like this: We’ll just proceed here and therewith portions of this technology, portions of that, and some-how, in time, with everyone working in his or her niche, thefuture will solve itself through an automatically arrangedpattern. Keep at it with capital market and governmentfunding, and eventually a new age of energy will slip intohistory at just the right time. The picture assumes a futureof carbon-free energy for the whole world, an inevitableslowdown in the rate of global warming and the mitigationof any permanent damage from use of fossil fuels. It alsoassumes that life will proceed largely unchanged, and that asystem of global capitalism dependent on continuous, lavishspending will be confirmed. Poorer countries, as usual, willbe left out.

Rising global temperatures, however, seem certain toproduce destabilizing weather patterns, disruptions in agri-culture and bizarre disease patterns. Some economies antic-ipate boom times from warming—such as those of northernnations, which foresee lucrative oil and mineral sourcesunder a warmed and navigable Arctic ocean. On the whole,though, global warming will lead to massive disruptionsacross the planet, from more violent storm systems to dis-eases previously unknown in temperate regions to chaos inforeign affairs. No one will be unaffected. This underlinesthe need for a new sense of community among countriescaught in the web of effects from warming.

However dire the global consequences of warming,that is only half the picture. What about the simple mat-ter of producing energy for the relentless economicdemand? The geopolitical issues connected with immensecompetition for oil in the future will be as threatening asthe environmental issues related to global warming. Boththreats make energy policy a huge and pressing issue forthe United States, and we must begin planning and acting

on our energy future immediately. The “green” momentum visible everywhere, from

neighborhoods to boardrooms, is exciting, genuinelyencouraging, politically needed and technologically neces-sary. It is serious and should not be ridiculed. But neithershould “going green” be perceived as a policy that will cor-rect today’s critically dangerous course, one of slowness anddisorganization. Something much more is needed: a big,thoughtful and vigorous examination of all the existing andimpending resources and technologies, how they relate toone another and how near to an interconnected indepen-dence we and other countries can come.

Current and Future Energy SourcesNo perspective on energy policy is possible without data onthe use of and the prospects for each major energy source.The following energy assessments are based on manysources representing various energy interests.

Petroleum. The world has an assured supply ofpetroleum for 80 to 100 years. The United States presentlyaccounts for 40 percent of petroleum consumption, mainlyfor transportation and source material for a huge variety ofchemicals. Competing and increasing demands from Chinaand India because of their own needs could drain much ofthat away. In the past, oil consumed was replaced by newexploratory finds. Since reserves can no longer be so easilyretrieved, the United States cannot continue its profligateuse of oil. Added sources of petroleum are tar sands and oilshale, but their conversion to petroleum is an energy-drain-ing process that emits carbon dioxide, the notorious green-house gas. Our citizens must know that the oil supply couldbe exhausted in less than a century. We must move smartlyto conserve what we have left and develop new andpetroleum-free alternative systems and transportationmodes for the future.

Natural gas. Global supplies are reckoned to be enoughfor about 70 to 90 years. The United States currently con-sumes 23 percent of the world’s supply, mainly for heating,electric utility power generation and production of industri-al chemicals. The rationale for petroleum also holds for nat-ural gas. This fuel is precious and should be reserved foronly the most needed uses.

Coal. Our reserves are enormous: the United States hasa 250-year supply of high-quality, low-sulfur coal. Today theUnited States uses 23 percent of the coal consumed world-wide, and coal-fired plants provide close to 50 percent ofour electric power needs. But at what cost? Coal is dirty. Itis an enormous challenge to figure out how to treat andburn coal so that it does not add to greenhouse gases, in par-ticular carbon dioxide. So far, research efforts have failed toproduce low-cost technologies to convert carbon dioxide toharmless carbon products and water. The alternative is to


“Forestalling Disaster” is the first in

America's new series, “A Closer Look,”

offering in-depth perspectives on

important issues during the 2008

presidential campaign.

store carbon dioxide underground in storage containersnow used for oil and natural gas. However, many expertsdoubt such a plan will work because of the potential forleaks back into the atmosphere. Few believe that these andother approaches toward reducing the impact of coal com-bustion can save the planet from warming. But without coal,big changes in energy-generation technology will have to bemade.

Nuclear energy. This is essentially in inexhaustible sup-ply. Currently, 110 nuclear power plants meet 8 percent ofthe U.S. electrical power demand. Increased use is antici-pated, and the percentage could rise as fossil fuel usedeclines. The major issues, however, are safe, permanentdisposal of spent fuel and the reprocessing and safe recoveryof fissionable materials. Some experts believe that suchproblems are near solution. Nuclear energy stirs up intenseemotions, both for andagainst, so the issues needto be addressed andresolved in a thoughtful,considered way. Abroad,nuclear power provides 79percent of France’s electric-ity, 28 percent ofGermany’s, 28 percent ofJapan’s and 20 percent ofthe United Kingdom’s.France and Japan in partic-ular are committed to anuclear future. Given the provisions of the 2005 EnergyAct, nuclear energy is experiencing a modest revival in theUnited States; almost 30 new plants or additions to existingones are being considered for construction here. TheDepartment of Energy is also sponsoring research into newreactor systems.

Renewables. These offer an endless supply, and are there-fore the great hope of sustainable energy advocates.Renewable sources of energy include photovoltaics or solarcells for generating electricity, heat-based energy systemsfor large central power plants, systems for heating houses,wind-powered electric generation, geothermal steam,biomass (high-caloric plants of many kinds, like mill grass,corn, switch grass and sugar cane), hydroelectric dams andwave action. Renewables currently supply 8 percent of U.S.energy needs. That must rise considerably to at least 25 per-cent to 35 percent of the entire energy mix. The majorproblem with most renewables is that they are not availableat all times to meet demand. Since the sun is not always outand the wind does not always blow, research must continueon devising batteries to store the energy generated by thesesystems for use at any time.

High-tech energy. Hydrogen-generated power and fuel

cells are intriguing possibilities, but years will pass beforemass production and other efficiencies are developed thatwould bring down costs. The experts, however, assure sup-porters that the promise of high-tech energy is enormous.Nuclear fusion is another long-researched area, in which amajor breakthrough could be a panacea for all the world’senergy problems.

What Is at StakeHow should such assessments be regarded or interpreted?Not rigidly, for they are mainly benchmarks, and differentestimates emerge daily. The most important figures are theestimates of when oil will start to run out, because the priceof oil determines the cost of everything else. This gives usless than a century to develop an enduring energy infras-tructure. Time is not on our side.

Energy shortages and environmental disasters will bedefining characteristics of the future unless the world, led bythe United States, establishes an extensive but flexible planfor energy. No matter what is done or not done, stunninglifestyle changes are in the offing, and they could begin by2020. (Eskimos and other groups living within the ArcticCircle are already experiencing them.) If not enough isaccomplished, economies and urban systems couldapproach collapse. If something wise, intelligent and gener-ous takes place, however, the planet could experience a newera of human creativity.

Without cutting down on oil and natural gas use at somepoint within the next 75 years, the competition for thosefuels will reach ferocious proportions, with the UnitedStates likely exerting less control over their supply. TheAmerican Petroleum Institute dismisses the idea of seriousshortages any time soon, but petroleum use is already out-pacing the rate of new discoveries. Because of America’sown gluttonous habits, other nations will be likely to causeus serious trouble as competition intensifies. Preparationfor that time should not center on virtually claiming oil-richforeign lands as our own in the name of democracy, but ondeveloping and exploiting new, independent sources of


A consensus among energy experts todayis that national energy independence is anunattainable goal and, in any case, a foolishidea, because the world is too economicallyinterconnected through trade in resources.

mount something on the scale and intensity of an Apollo orManhattan Project. Such a venture would be worthy of agreat society. The United States, with its immense techno-logical skills and resources, must set the tone and determinethe pace.

The kind of wide-ranging debate occurring today, whileonly partial, is important. But people—the right people—have to meet and begin hammering out a serious plan.Judging by its record, the Bush administration is hardly thebase from which to start; and the current Congress, despitethe energy bill it recently passed with an emphasis onrenewable sources, is still divided as to the intensityrequired for a new policy. Nevertheless, we need a forum todevelop a plan. Initial steps could be taken by a foundationor other public group to help further define the problemsand issues. This could then serve as a blueprint for anaggressive program of action by a new administration.

One hopes that the next president will be aware of theseserious problems and will recruit experts to brief him or herfrequently on critical issues and the pace of progress. TheWhite House’s science advisers during the critical days ofthe cold war frequently served that function and were anessential adjunct to the presidency. Our next president mustrouse the citizenry about these critical issues threateningour children and then take action. It will not be easy, but itwill be necessary.

energy. Such new sources could fill both our needs andthose of other countries.

Further, it is morally imperative that we ask seriousquestions that the public can understand and that makedemands on our politicians. Our national political discus-sion must include serious talk about changing the mix of ourenergy needs, reducing them by conservation and more effi-cient technologies, producing emissions free of carbondioxide as an urgent national priority and producing both aplan and a program so that equitable amounts of energy aregenerated to meet the human needs of all countries.

A consensus among energy experts today is that nation-al energy independence is an unattainable goal and, in anycase, a foolish idea, because the world is too economicallyinterconnected through trade in resources. No country canoperate without various economic and strategic relationswith another, but countries can cut down on excessivedependence on foreign-owned resources through creative,independent approaches that are appropriate to their ener-gy needs.

Bold but Necessary ActionsWork must begin now on a crash basis to fulfill humankind’sobligation to the future through stewardship of the planet.The question is how. This country, in cooperation withother nations that have a similar sense of urgency, needs to


A

God and Globalization: Volume 1Religion and the Powers of the Common LifeEdited by Max L. Stackhouse with Peter Paris

God and Globalization: Volume 2

Edited by Max L. Stackhouse with Don S. Browning

God and Globalization: Volume 3Christ and the Dominions of CivilizationEdited by Max L. Stackhouse with Diane Obenchain

GOD AND GLOBALIZATION: Volume 4Globalization and GraceMax L. Stackhouse

Books are

available

from fine

booksellers,

or direct

from

Continuum

OUR AMERICAN ARCHDIOCESES celebrate theirbicentennial this year: Boston, Louisville, NewYork and Philadelphia. They share the samebirthday, April 8, 1808, when Pope Pius VII cre-

ated them from the original American diocese, Baltimore.All four are commemorating this anniversary year with pub-lic celebration and thanksgiving. Another anniversary willoccur in New York in June, but it will be a cause for regretrather than celebration. It is likely to pass unnoticed by allexcept a handful of people, even though its implica-tions reach far beyond the boundaries of theArchdiocese of New York: the centennial of thedemise of a bimonthly Catholic periodical calledThe New York Review.

The New York Review was a pioneer effort toprovide American Catholics with a journal thatwould keep them abreast of the latest developmentsin Catholic scholarship in the United States, GreatBritain and Europe. It originated with two diocesanpriests, Francis P. Duffy and John F. Brady, from thefaculty of St. Joseph’s Seminary, the seminary of theNew York Archdiocese located north of the city inthe Dunwoodie section of Yonkers. They broughttheir proposal to the Sulpician rector, Father JamesDriscoll, who endorsed it enthusiastically. The threethen asked the approval of Archbishop John M.Farley, who assured them that such a review wasexactly what he wanted at his seminary. “The exag-gerated restrictive policy of the ecclesiastical author-ities,” Farley said, “only succeed[s] in stifling all ini-tiative on the part of the ablest and best-disposedCatholic scholars.”

Ancient Faith and Modern ThoughtThe first issue appeared on June 21, 1905, a substan-tial volume of 132 pages. The editors described their

purpose as primarily apologetic and had even considerednaming the journal “The Apologist” or “The ApologeticReview.” The subtitle identified it as “A Journal of theAncient Faith and Modern Thought.” Each issue containedseveral articles, book reviews and a valuable section called“Notes,” written at least partially by Duffy, which provideda brief survey of recent works by Catholic scholars through-out the world.

As promised in the prospectus, the journal’s approach

MSGR. THOMAS J. SHELLEY, a priest of the Archdiocese

of New York, is professor of church history at Fordham

University, Bronx, N.Y. His most recent book is The

Bicentennial History of the Archdiocese of New York,

1808-2008 (Strasbourg: Editions du Signe, 2007).


F

A Somber Anniversary A century ago, a promising American theological journal fell victim to the modernist crisis.B Y T H O M A S J . S H E L L E Y

James Driscoll, S.S., rector of St. Joseph’s Seminary during the short life of The New York Review.

PH

OTO

S F

RO

M T

HE

AU

TH

OR

’S C

OLLE

CTIO

N

was constructive rather than polemical, and the editorsobviously tried to avoid iconoclasm. For example, two arti-cles by Francis Gigot on the last 27 chapters of the Book ofIsaiah presented the traditional analysis of authorship, fol-lowed by the then-modern theories. “Both opinions arebeset with numerous and great difficulties,” conceded theauthor, “and, on that account, the readers of The New YorkReview cannot expect us to define what is the true position.”Nonetheless, the progressive tone of the journal was unmis-takable. “The Bible nowhere says that Moses wrote thePentateuch,” Joseph Bruneau stated boldly in another arti-cle. “Nor should the authority of Our Lord be adduced insuch matters,” he added, “as He did not pretend to solve forus literary problems.”

About half the articles were written by members of theDunwoodie faculty like Gigot and Bruneau; the other halfby such high-caliber scholars as Wilfrid Ward, GeorgeTyrrell, Vincent McNabb, O.P., Joseph Turmel, M. J.Lagrange, O.P., Henri Brémond, Pierre Battifol and Walter

McDonald. The contribution of the Dunwoodie faculty wasindispensable. Driscoll himself was a well-respectedScripture scholar, as were two of his French Sulpician con-freres, Francis Gigot and Joseph Bruneau. All three hadbeen educated in Rome and Paris, where they had beenexposed to new currents in Catholic scriptural studies.Francis Duffy had spent several years at The CatholicUniversity of America as a student of Edward Pace, a psy-chologist trained in Leipzig. John Brady had earned anM.D. degree before entering the seminary. Another notablemember of the Dunwoodie faculty, Gabriel Oussani, was aChaldean Catholic born in Baghdad who had studiedSemitic languages and biblical archaeology at JohnsHopkins University.

Dunwoodie had been established only nine years earli-er as the New York diocesan seminary, with a mixed facul-ty of Sulpician and diocesan priests. By 1905 it possessedthe strongest faculty of any Catholic seminary in theUnited States. In the opinion of Msgr. John Tracy Ellis, it

was second only to The Catholic University ofAmerica as a center of American Catholic intellectuallife and the ideal place from which to launch a scholar-ly journal like The New York Review. The first issuereceived a favorable reception from the Catholic press,enhanced Dunwoodie’s reputation and left ArchbishopFarley beaming with pride. However, there was oneinterested observer who was anything but pleased withthe success of The New York Review. He had opposedthe project from the beginning and predicted that itwould end in disaster.

Storm Clouds of the Modernist CrisisThe person in question was Edward Dyer, S.S., the firstrector of Dunwoodie and by 1905 the vicar general ofthe Sulpicians in the United States. Dyer was no obscu-rantist; in fact, he shared the progressive views of hisfriend James Driscoll. He was keenly aware, however,that in Europe the storm clouds were gathering thatwould soon lead to the modernist crisis and a crack-down by the ecclesiastical authorities on the kind ofscholarship represented by The New York Review.

Dyer warned Driscoll not to rely on ArchbishopFarley to protect The New York Review and asked himto consider what attitude the archbishop would take “ifa whiff of disapprobation were wafted from Rome.”Meanwhile, the Dunwoodie Sulpicians becameinvolved in a bitter dispute with their superiors in Paris,who attempted to censor the review and their otherwritings. In January 1906 five of the six Sulpiciansresigned from the Society of Saint Sulpice. Farley wel-comed them into the archdiocese and retained them onthe faculty of Dunwoodie.


Cardinal John Farley, archbishop of New York from 1902 to 1918.

Freed now from Sulpician censorship, The New YorkReview prospered for the next 18 months with Gigot alonecontributing over a dozen articles. Then on July 3, 1907,the modernist crisis broke with the publication by the HolyOffice (as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faithwas then known) of Lamentabili Sane Exitu, a condemnationof 65 propositions culled from unidentified modernistauthors. It was followed two months later by the encyclicalPascendi Dominici Gregis of Pope Pius X, who condemnedmodernism in the harshest terms as an evolutionary philos-ophy that threatened to deprive Christianity of anyimmutable truths. There was good reason for the pope’sconcern. Today even those who regret the apocalyptic toneof Pascendi can admit that it was a skillful summary of ideasthat were circulating among some Catholic scholars.

The Catholic modernism of the early 20th century wasa many-splendored phenomenon that meant differentthings to different people, more a tendency or a methodol-ogy than the organized movement it was perceived to be inRome. Above all it was a recognition of the inadequacy ofthe desiccated Neo-Scholasticism of the day and an attemptto use the critical tools of contemporary scholarship to pre-sent the Christian message in a modern idiom.

Duffy liked to quote Cardinal John Henry Newman,saying that one should first learn to shoot around cornersbefore hoping to convert someone with a syllogism. “It isruin and shame for us,” Duffy admitted, “if our people satis-fy their mental hunger with husks and their thirst with leesbecause the wine and corn are locked in inaccessible store-houses.” “The old faith does not change and does not needto change,” he explained, “but we must find new approachesto it and new ways of presenting it.” If these words soundfamiliar, it may be because Pope John XXIII used almostexactly the same language in his often-quoted address at theopening of the Second Vatican Council in October 1962.Duffy realized the difficulty of presenting age-old truths in amodern idiom. “To do this,” he recognized, “we need menof faith, men who will not call the counsel of their own littleprejudices sacrosanct and...are not content to live lazily onscraps of begged opinions.” “They must,” he added, “be menof sufficient courage to withstand the criticism of those whosuspect a priori every idea that has not had the test of time.”

Prime Targets for the Heresy HuntersThe renowned Louvain church historian Canon RogerAubert identified three varieties of turn-of-the-20th-centu-ry Catholic modernism. Some developments, said Aubert,were completely unobjectionable and caused no controver-sy at all. Other developments were basically sound butfrightened conservatives because of the provocative way inwhich they were presented. Still other developments, saidAubert, ceased to have any Christian content and were

plainly incompatible with Christian orthodoxy.Unfortunately, Pascendi collapsed all three varieties of mod-ernism into the third kind and tarred them all with the samebrush of heterodoxy. It also touched off a panic-strickencampaign to ferret out modernist “moles” within theCatholic community that degenerated into a witch hunt.

Dunwoodie and The New York Review were prime tar-gets for the heresy hunters. The editors published the fulltexts of both Lamentabili and Pascendi. They claimed thatthe papal documents condemned only “extreme views” andcautioned readers not to extend it to include anyone “whohas ever studied biology or Hebrew.” Driscoll quickly real-ized the full dimensions of the “integralist reaction,” how-ever, as the crusade against modernism came to be called.“Nothing so violent and drastic as the recent curial docu-ments has appeared on the part of the Vatican authoritiessince the days of the Inquisition,” he said. “I can comparethe crisis to nothing but a cyclone during which peoplemust simply make for the cellar.”

To “make for the cellar” was the only option left formany Catholic scholars during the next 30 or 40 years. Onlytwo issues of The New York Review appeared after Pascendi,and the journal ceased publication entirely in June 1908.The editors claimed that a lack of subscribers forced themto suspend publication and that the review had never beenthe object of formal ecclesiastical censure. While that state-ment was technically correct, the editors came closer to thetruth when they wrote: “At its inception three years ago theeditors promised to present the best work of Catholic schol-ars at home and abroad on theological and other problemsof the day. It is the keeping of that promise, not the break-ing of it, that is the cause of the suspension of the Review.”

Driscoll, Brady and Duffy were made pastors, and Duffysubsequently became a much-decorated hero as chaplain tothe New York 69th Regiment in World War I. Few peoplewho pass his statue today in Times Square are aware of hisearlier role as a theologian. Bruneau remained a Sulpicianand was transferred to St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore.Gigot and Oussani continued to teach at Dunwoodie, butthey never published anything again.

The modernist crisis was a sad chapter in the history of20th-century Catholicism. It was mainly a European phe-nomenon, but its impact was especially severe in theUnited States, where it squelched the first fruits of a mod-est but promising Catholic intellectual development sym-bolized by The New York Review. Anniversaries shouldalways be remembered, but not necessarily as occasions forcelebration. Sometimes they are reminders of mistakes tobe avoided.


A

Msgr. Thomas J. Shelley on the legacy of

Msgr. John Tracy Ellis, at americamagazine.org.


Enjoy Fr. Martin’s award-winning memoir and discover how the saints can be our constant companions as

we find our way in the world.

James Martin, SJ$15.95 • Pb • 424 pg • 2644-1

$22.95 • Hc • 424 pg • 2001-0

Order Today! call 800-621-1008 visit www.loyolabooks.org

“An outstanding and sometimes hilarious memoir of one man’s interactions with the saints of the Roman Catholic tradition.”—Publishers Weekly

Walk with the Saints Like Never Before!


Here it begins.In such utter simplicity,

In quiet strength, at the appointed hour,With the rippled rungs of time at your feet,And the broad lines of history at your back.

At the balance of His grace in your will,Eve reborn, humanity to be redeemed

Through a child, from a virgin Whose name is Mary.

J. Michael Sparough

A Meditation on Henry Ossawa Tanner’s

The AnnunciationYet you do not blink.

In the intimacy of a bedchamberYour soul is awakened from sleep,

Fragile flesh before angelic brilliance.

Your rumpled night sheets tossed aside,You listen in peace with your whole selfTo the question that will define history.

Holding its breath for your answer,All heaven pauses.

“LET IT BE DONE TO ME…”

J. MICHAEL SPAROUGH, S.J., is director of Charis Ministries, a center for retreats and spiritual direction for young

adults in the Chicago area. Art: “The Annunciation,” 1898. Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937). Purchased with the

W. P. Wilstach Fund, 1899. Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Penn., U.S.A.

PH

OTO

: TH

E P

HIL

AD

ELP

HIA

MU

SE

UM

OF A

RT/A

RT R

ES

OU

RC

E

Poem

children (of course with a copy to yourmom).

I want to tell you about what is impor-tant to me now, at age 62, as I try to lookback and forward at the same time. Someof what I say is tinged with sadness—asense of wasted opportunity—for I havenot necessarily accomplished what I urgeyou to do.

First, it is not just cancer that is agift—it is all gift: the good things and thebad. It is all about faith, trust and, ulti-mately, love. With everything that hap-pens in our lives, God is watching andaware. Nothing happens that God doesnot allow. Even tragedies that bring us toour knees somehow have meaning in our

walk with and to the Lord. But itwon’t be until that day when wesee him face to face that we willfinally understand.

Second, it is all about love. Iknow that to love is to choose forthe other. But it is so much easierto choose when we are in love. Ithink this is the way Jesus feelsabout us—what he meant whenhe said, “Love one another as Ihave loved you!” He has fallen inlove with us—with me and withyou. And that is amazing!

I believe our goal is to nourishthe “falling in love” part—and notjust with our spouses. The more Ifall in love with Jesus, the more Iam able to fall in love—and stay inlove—with your mom. I didn’talways understand that. For along time I thought that to loveJesus in the way the saints didsomehow meant not being able tobe in love also with someone else.I lost a lot of years holding backon prayer because of this fear.Only in the last few years have I

realized that being “in love” with Jesus isthe catalyst and fertile earth that allows forbeing “in love” with everyone else.

I am enamored of the mystics. Howdid they fall in love with Jesus? Either bypure, unsolicited gift from the Lord, or byasking him for that gift and then by doingtheir part—spending ample time alone inprayer with Jesus—to allow for the gift,once given, to take root and flourish.

If we are all called to holiness, as theGospels teach, then we are all called to be“in love” with the Lord. We are all offeredthe gift. We all have the potential to bepersons of prayer—perhaps even mysticalprayer.

I have struggled for years to make

EAR CHILDREN,

This time thedoctors are serious.Before, when they

told me the risks of surgery, theyalways listed “death,” but I don’tthink they considered it a realrisk, and neither did I. This timeit’s different. The risk is veryreal. We still think I’ll survive,but....

Six years ago I was finally ableto agree with Dan Meenan, S.J.,who years before had spoken andeven preached about his own can-cer as “gift.” I wrote “The Gift ofCancer” (America, 11/20/99) as atestament to Father Dan and as away to set down my own newlyacquired appreciation for how a“bad” thing like cancer can beseen as—indeed can be—a good.Since then, each time the cancerhas come back, we’ve joked aboutits being “the gift that keeps ongiving.” It has been that indeed.

Now, because of this cancer, Ihave been given another gift.That is the gift of being forced to confrontmy own mortality in a very abbreviatedtime frame: a week and a half until thesurgery, which has now dwindled to amere three days. So much of this week wasspent just trying to get things organized,getting “stuff done.”

Now, finally, I have a brief few hoursalone to try not only to pray a bit, but alsoto write down a few thoughts—words ofwisdom, I hope—for you, my much-loved


Faith in Focus

Wisdom for My Children Reflections on the ‘ultimate gift’ BY KEVIN J. BARRY

KEVIN J. BARRY, a former chief of legislationfor the U.S. Coast Guard, is a director ofthe National Institute of Military Justice. Heis a co-author of Military Criminal ProcedureForms.

D

AR

T B

Y S

EA

N Q

UIR

K

time every day to pray. I wonder now whatmy spiritual state might have been if I hadspent time each day just being quiet andtrying to be present with the Lord—orgetting to know him—by reading theScriptures and other spiritual books.Suddenly, the time to do that may havepassed. One reason I hope to survive thissurgery is to make up for lost time andopportunity.

Why do I tell you this? Because I thinkthat taking the time to pray is the mostimportant thing you can do in life. So Iencourage you to make the effort, tospend time every day being with the Lord.Advocates of centering prayer suggest twoperiods each day of 20 minutes. With thepress of your busy lives, that is tough,especially in the beginning. But nevershould there be less than one 20-minuteperiod, if you truly seek God’s grace.

When I say good-bye to your mombefore they put me under anesthesia nextMonday, I will tell her how much I loveher, that being in love with her has been alifetime adventure and a joy. But I hopethat the last name on my lips and my lastconscious thought will be of that otherOne who loved me first, who, in the wordsof St. Francis Xavier, “hugged me to hisheart upon the cross.”

I hope I will wake up to see yourmother’s smiling face. But I know (inhope) that one day—perhaps this day—Iwill wake to see another smiling face. Ialso hope that by the time that day comes,I have more adequately responded to hisgift—the one inviting me to be “in love”with him.

I pray each of you will know this greatgift, and have the courage and generosityto respond to it. That’s the only advice Ioffer and all you will need: to walk side byside with Jesus in everything you do.

I love you very much, and thank Godfor you. Please pray for me!

Friday, Sept 23, 2005

Postscript: I am delighted to report that Ihave been the recipient of a constantstream of miracles—this surgery and thenext one six months later were successful,and for the past 20 months I've been on anumber of chemotherapy programs.Currently the cancer is again advancing,and the future is uncertain. The only thingthat is certain is that I remain as always inthe hands of the Lord.


A

HE AUTHORS of the booksdiscussed in this year’s surveyare senior scholars who havedistinguished themselves

through many years of teaching and lec-turing, original contributions to biblicalresearch and proven ability to communi-cate their learning to the general public.Their recent publications offer reliable

and establish their “plain sense.” He viewsbiblical criticism as first and foremost asemantic or linguistic and literary opera-tion, concerned with the recognition ofgenre and with what follows from thisabout the possible meaning of the texts.

Barton makes many sound and sensi-ble comments about biblical interpreta-tion today. He notes that most “historical”interpretations have arisen out of real dif-ficulties in the texts, that in its essence bib-lical criticism is neither historical nor amethod, that the plain sense can containwithin itself possibilities for finding mean-ing well beyond the literal (or original orintended or historical) sense, that biblicalcriticism owes as much to the Renaissanceas it does to the Reformation or theEnlightenment and that biblical criticismneed not be regarded as hostile to theolo-gy or the church.

Barton regards biblical criticism as arich and profound way of taking the Bibleseriously, of which ordinary Christiansshould not be kept in ignorance. Most ofhis examples are taken from the OldTestament, and he is an engaging andamiable guide to the history and currentstate of biblical scholarship. He enjoyschallenging and overturning false polari-ties and misleading judgments, and viewsthe biblical scholar’s task as serving as anenlightened and helpful guide to themeaning and significance of sacredScripture.

In How to Read the Bible: A Guide toScripture, Then and Now (Free Press),James L. Kugel offers a more critical viewof modern biblical criticism. His book isneither a manual of exegetical methodolo-gy nor a standard introduction to theBible. Rather, he explores how selectedparts of the Hebrew Bible were interpret-ed by Jews and Christians around the turnof the Common Era, and how these inter-preters have shaped our traditionalapproach to the Bible. He also examineshow these same texts are now understoodaccording to the methods and concerns ofmodern critical scholarship.


Bookings

New Light FromBiblical ScholarshipBY DANIEL J. HARRINGTON

DANIEL J. HARRINGTON, S.J., is professor ofNew Testament at Weston Jesuit School ofTheology and editor of New TestamentAbstracts.

TP

HO

TO

: S

HU

TTE

RS

TO

CK

/Q

UA

YS

IDEand accessible points of entry to important

areas within the biblical field.What do today’s biblical scholars do?

What should they do? In The Nature ofBiblical Criticism (Westminster JohnKnox), John Barton, professor of theinterpretation of holy Scripture at OxfordUniversity, contends that the main task ofbiblical criticism is to read texts carefully

Kugel, who taught for many years atHarvard and now teaches at Bar IlanUniversity in Israel, identifies himself asan observant Orthodox Jew and regardsthe Hebrew Bible as the beginning of amanual entitled How to Serve God. He isequally at home in both the traditional andthe critical approaches to the Bible. Whilenot dismissing or ignoring the criticalapproach, he favors the traditionalapproach as more appropriate to what theBible became in antiquity, and regards thisapproach as ultimately irreconcilable withthe modern critical approach. His intellec-tual heroes are such early interpreters asPhilo, Josephus, Ben Sira, Paul, the rabbisand Augustine, who were instrumental inmaking the Bible what it has become forJews and Christians and in shaping howwe read it.

Whether or not one agrees withKugel (I don’t) that the two approachesare irreconcilable, one must admire hisgreat learning, intellectual curiosity, spiri-tual honesty and ability to write clear andengaging prose. The real brilliance of hiswork resides in the short essays on variousparts of the Hebrew Bible, in which heuncovers problems in the biblical texts andjuxtaposes the two approaches to them.Here he illustrates beautifully how to readthe Bible both respectfully and critically,without losing a sense of the Bible’s con-tinuing significance.

What Kugel does for the HebrewBible on a grand scale, Frances M. Young,in Brokenness and Blessing: Towards aBiblical Spirituality (Baker Academic), doeson a smaller scale and in a more personalway, by exploring how the Church Fathershave shaped our reading of the ChristianBible. Young, who recently retired as pro-fessor of theology at the University ofBirmingham (U.K.), is best known as apatrologist with a special interest in howthe fathers interpreted and appliedScripture. But she also writes regularlyand well on biblical interpretation and onspirituality. In this short work she bringstogether her several interests by focusingon five biblical themes—the desert experi-ence, Jacob’s wrestling with God, the wayof Jesus, strangers and exiles, and desirefrustrated and fulfilled in the Song ofSongs—and examines how the ChurchFathers developed these biblical topics andwhat significance they might have forChristian spirituality today.

Young promises a biblical spiritualitythat challenges our current culture whileoffering both a realistic view of the humancondition and the wonderful gift of gracethat brings hope of transformation. Sherefers frequently to her developmentallydisabled adult son, Arthur, from whomshe has learned much about being aChristian. She characterizes the biblicalspirituality that emerges from her fiveessays as “never achieved, never self-satis-fied, never comfortable, always longing”and yet “always grace received, the fulfill-ment of promises, the acceptance ofChrist.” If you are seeking substantive,

readable and challenging spiritual reading,this is a book for you.

In recent years the publicity surround-ing Dan Brown’s novel The Da Vinci Codeand Mel Gibson’s film “The Passion ofthe Christ,” as well as exaggerated claimsby scholars about the importance of apoc-ryphal and Gnostic gospels outside thecanon have left many of us intrigued, con-fused and puzzled. Pheme Perkins’sIntroduction to the Synoptic Gospels(Eerdmans) provides not only a knowl-edgeable overview of the three canonicalGospels attributed to Mark, Matthew andLuke, but also a sound evaluation of thesignificance of those other “gospels” fromantiquity.

After explaining what a gospel is andhow we came to have the traditional four-gospel canon, Perkins describes how thegospels were written and used in the earlychurch, and what sources were available tothe evangelists. The core of her work is acomprehensive and well-informed discus-sion of each Synoptic Gospel, with regardto its distinctive narrative or plot, literaryfeatures, characterization, presentation ofJesus, community background and influ-ence. The final chapter is a systematictreatment of the extracanonical gospels,with particular attention to their relation-ship to the canonical traditions and totheir significance for understanding devel-

opments in second- and third-centuryChristianity.

Perkins has published widely in thearea of early Christian apocryphal writingsand the Gnostic texts from NagHammadi, and knows very well what thesetexts say and do not say. Moreover, she hasdrawn on her many years of teaching thecanonical Gospels to undergraduates andgraduate students at Boston College andon her longstanding involvement in parishadult education programs to produce aremarkably clear and balanced treatmentof some very complicated material. Theauthor’s long experience as a teacher, her

knowledge and love of the ancient texts,sound judgment and clarity of thoughtand expression make this introduction tothe Synoptic Gospels a trustworthy guidefor all who are perplexed about Christianorigins. It can serve as a fine textbook forcollege and seminary courses, as well as areliable survey for all those who want toknow where Gospel studies are today.

In The Pastoral Epistles: First Timothy,Second Timothy, Titus (Liturgical Press),Benjamin Fiore, S.J., who taught for manyyears at Canisius College in Buffalo and isnow president and professor of religiousstudies at Campion College at theUniversity of Regina in Canada, seeksboth to show how these very influentialNew Testament writings reflect the worldof the ancient Greco-Roman moralistsand rhetoricians and to find in themteachings of relevance beyond their orig-inal context that may be applicable tochurch audiences of any age. These twoconcerns have animated Fiore’s teachingand writing for over 25 years. His 20-pageintroduction deals with methodology andinterpretive approach, the literary charac-ter of these letters, their historical back-ground and hortatory strategy and con-text. Then he provides for 1 Timothy, 2Timothy and Titus, respectively, a briefintroduction and for each passage a trans-lation, notes on the text and an interpreta-


All these books are models ofsound biblical scholarship byauthors who have honed their skillsover many years.

been understood variously as the historyof early Christian thought or religion, adescription of diverse theologies, a the-matic or systematic synthesis, or a theo-logical interpretation engaging contempo-rary believers. In New Testament Theology:Exploring Diversity and Unity(Westminster John Knox), Frank J.Matera, professor of biblical studies atThe Catholic University of America,brings to the task many years of produc-tive research and publication as well asmuch experience as a teacher and preach-er. As far as I know, his is the first full-scale

New Testament theological treatment byan American Catholic biblical scholar.

Matera sets two goals for himself: todescribe the distinctive ways in which thevarious New Testament writings expressthe experience of salvation that God haseffected in Christ, and to identify theunderlying unity of the diverse theologiesin the New Testament. The four majorparts of his book deal, respectively, withthe theologies in the Synoptic Gospels,the Pauline tradition, the Johannine tradi-tion and the other parts of the NewTestament. Under those headings hetreats the individual documents, with par-ticular attention to their major theologicalconcerns and themes. By way of conclu-sion, Matera sketches the “diverse unity”running through the New Testament infive basic themes: humankind in need ofsalvation (anthropology and soteriology);Christ the bringer of salvation(Christology); the community of the sanc-tified (ecclesiology); the life of the sancti-fied (ethics); and the hope of the sanctified(eschatology). He observes that the term“diverse unity” is appropriate to the NewTestament, since no one way can fullycapture the mystery that is God in Christ.

Matera’s work is a remarkable synthe-sis of biblical scholarship and theologicalsensitivity. He allows the diverse theolog-ical voices in the New Testament to speakand at the same time leads readers to dis-cern connections and correlations. Thoseinterested in theology, from beginners toprofessors, can profit greatly from readingand consulting this excellent work.

Jerome H. Neyrey, S.J., emeritus pro-fessor of New Testament at the Universityof Notre Dame and current president ofthe Catholic Biblical Association ofAmerica, has been one of the pioneers inapplying social science concepts and mod-els to the interpretation of biblical texts. InGive God the Glory: Ancient Prayer andWorship in Cultural Perspective (Eerdmans),he illustrates this approach with referenceto prayers found in the New Testamentand other ancient texts. Using the tag “inother words,” he seeks to bring new lightto ancient texts with the help of methodsdeveloped in cultural anthropology.

Neyrey treats the ancient prayer pas-sages from the perspective of communica-tion between the one who prays and God.In analyzing these texts he considers theirsender or speaker, message, medium,

tion. Fiore observes that their pastoralstrategy in bringing the Gospel message tothe world is twofold: teaching the true tra-dition and demonstrating it in virtuousactions. With this volume, the SacraPagina series—the first modern, full-scale,English-language Catholic commentaryon the New Testament—is complete (dis-closure: I edited and contributed to theseries). The individual volumes are beingreprinted in paperback format, withupdated bibliographies.

New Testament theology is an irre-sistible but ambiguous undertaking. It has


receiver and purpose. He also takesaccount of the cultural assumptions thatpersons in antiquity would have broughtto prayer, especially regarding honor,reciprocity, patron-client relationships,social stratification and so on. With theseanalytical tools he offers fresh readings ofthe Lord’s Prayer, the Magnificat, thedoxologies and Jesus’ “high priestlyprayer” in John 17. He also exploresprayers in praise of God’s uniqueness, thenature of worship as communication, andworship in the fourth Gospel, in theDidache and Justin’s First Apology. Neyrey’swork places old and familiar texts in a newframework and brings them alive again.He also challenges us to rethink what wedo when we pray and why we do it.

The collection of Gnostic writingsdiscovered at Nag Hammadi in Egyptover 60 years ago has provided scholarswith access to a philosophical and religiousliterature that had been only vaguelyknown through the polemical descriptionsof some Church Fathers and a few scrapsof ancient texts. Birger Pearson, emeritusprofessor of religious studies at theUniversity of California in Santa Barbara,has proved himself to be one of the fore-most experts in the translation and inter-pretation of these very difficult texts. In hisAncient Gnosticism: Traditions andLiterature (Fortress), he presents for a gen-eral audience an accessible, comprehen-sive and balanced description and assess-ment of the Nag Hammadi texts and relat-ed works, as well as the relevant testi-monies by the patristic writers. He regardsthe Gospel of Thomas as gnostic only to theextent that its central concern is self-knowledge and was the product of a longand complex process of transmission. Healso discusses related ancient movementssuch as Hermetism, Manichaeism andMandaeism, as well as some modern vari-eties of gnosticism.

Pearson recognizes and illustrates thewide variety of ancient movements thathave been placed under the heading of“gnosticism.” Nevertheless, he offers thisoverarching definition: In gnosticism sav-ing gnosis (knowledge) comes by revelationfrom a transcendent realm, mediated by arevealer who has come from that realm inorder to awaken people to a knowledge ofGod and a knowledge of the true nature ofthe human self. He traces the origins ofgnosticism to Neoplatonic interpretations

of Plato’s Timaeus filtered through Jewishexegetical and apocalyptic traditions, and“Christianized” to varying degrees insome early Christian circles. The key devi-ation from biblical Judaism and orthodoxChristianity was the split between thetranscendent God above creation and alower creator responsible for the world aswe know it. He attributes the attraction ofancient gnosticism to the age-old prob-lems of explaining the presence of evil inthe world and how God could create aflawed world. For those confused by com-peting claims about gnosticism in the pop-

ular media, Pearson provides a readableand reliable introduction to the topic.

All these books are models of soundbiblical scholarship by authors who havehoned their skills over many years andwho are willing and eager to share theirlearning with the general public and espe-cially with those who stand in the biblicaltradition. They offer a very rich harvest ofscholarship, indeed.


From Anne Ricethe second book in her courageous and

everywhere acclaimed life of

Christ the LordTHE ROAD TO CANA

A novel based on thegospels and on the most respected NewTestament scholarship; it begins during Christ’s last winter before His baptism and concludes withthe miracle at Cana.

A beautifullyobserved novel”—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Another winner”—KIRKUS REVIEWS

The first book, Christ the Lord: Out of Egyptwas called THE BEST SPIRITUALBOOK OF THE YEAR”by Belief.net

PUBLISHED BY KNOPF • aaknopf.comAlso available as a Random House audio

“

“

“

Download a reading group guide at aaknopf.com/annerice

CHRISTTHE LORD

THE ROADTO CANA

A NOVEL

ANNE RICE

Matt Malone, S.J., reviews the

HBO miniseries "John Adams,"

at americamagazine.org.

A

administration. Primary responsibilities include,but are not limited to, student discipline and aca-demics. This is a 12-month position with a nego-tiable salary commensurate with experience.Requirements: A candidate must be a practicingCatholic; master’s degree in an accredited pro-gram, preferably in administration and supervi-sion; a minimum of five years’ teaching experi-ence, with some experience at the Catholic sec-ondary level preferred; ability to demonstratestrong leadership and communication skills.Application: Applicants must submit a letter ofinterest and résumé by April 10, 2008, to: GerardBuckley and Mark Amatrucola, SearchCommittee Chairpersons, St. Edmund Prep, 2474Ocean Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11229; fax: (718)743-5243; e-mail: [email protected]: If faxing a letter of interest and résumé, itshould be followed with an original by mail.

COORDINATOR OF YOUTH MINISTRY to developand direct shared high school/junior high pro-grams for two active parishes in the Clevelandarea. Applicant should be committed to the eightgoals of comprehensive youth ministry, possesspastoral and organizational skills, a backgroundin theology and catechesis, and previous youthministry experience. $40,000 to $50,000 withbenefits. Job description is available atwww.divinewordkirtland.org. Résumé can besubmitted by April 30, 2008, to: Rev. GeorgeSmiga, St. Noel Church, 35200 Chardon Road,Willoughby Hills, OH 44094.

DIRECTOR OF CAMPUS MINISTRY/CHAPLAIN, asan ordained Catholic priest, plans, coordinatesand directs pastoral ministry and religious activi-ties for the campus community. Fosters and nur-tures the faith life of students, faculty and staff byhis presence and through retreats, prayers andeducation in areas including social justice.Provides instruction, including catechetical;administers sacraments, specifically Eucharist,reconciliation, baptism and confirmation. Servesas principal celebrant for daily Eucharist. Leadscampus ministry team in planning and imple-menting extraordinary liturgical events, i.e. Massof the Holy Spirit, Candlelight Ceremony,Advent/Lenten services, baccalaureate and gradu-ate Masses, and those called for by special circum-stances. Oversees campus ministry staff and bud-get operations. Duly ordained Catholic priest, ingood standing with the Catholic Church. M.A. intheology required; master of divinity preferred.Three-plus years in a university setting and/orexperience with programs dealing with youngadults. Experience in a residential setting in high-er education a plus. For more information, go tothe Web site www.ollusa.edu.

DIRECTOR OF YOUTH MINISTRY sought foractive college-town parish with growing Latinopopulation. Successful candidate will have B.A.or M.A. with theological course work; experi-ence in youth ministry, in curriculum-based andliturgical catechesis, and in Renewing the Vision;strong leadership, organizational and communi-

Bound VolumesAMERICA PRESS INC. is compiling a set of boundvolumes of America for a digital scanning project.We are currently in need of Vol. 1 and Vols. 13-71. America will provide a digital copy of thescanned material in return for the volumes.Contact Tim Reidy at [email protected] or (212) 515-0111.

PositionsASSISTANT PRINCIPAL FOR STUDENT AFFAIRS.St. Edmund Preparatory High School is a privateRoman Catholic secondary school for young menand women with its roots in the Dominican tradi-tion. It is chartered by the Board of Regents of theState of New York, and accredited by the MiddleStates Association of Colleges and Schools.Located in Brooklyn, N.Y., St. Edmund Prep is anInternational Baccalaureate World school thatserves a diverse student body of 750, with a facul-ty and staff of 65 professionals. The school offersa college-preparatory curriculum and a wide vari-ety of co-curricular and extracurricular activities.It is committed to providing an environment thatencourages academic excellence in a faith-filledand supportive community. St. EdmundPreparatory High School seeks an AssistantPrincipal to serve in its two-person central office


Classified

1735 LeRoy Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94709 • (800) 824-0122 • (510) 549-5000Fax (510) 841-8536 • E-mail: [email protected] • VISIT US AT WWW.JSTB.EDU

PROGRAMS:Master of Divinity

GTU Common Master of ArtsMaster of Theological Studies

Master of TheologyBachelor of Sacred Theology

Licentiate in Sacred TheologyDoctorate in Sacred Theology

New Directions SabbaticalInstituto Hispano

JESUIT SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY at Berkeley a member of the Graduate Theological Union

TO SUBSCRIBE OR RENEW

❑ New subscription ❑ Renewal

Yearly rates are $48 for each subscription.Add $22 for postage, handling and GST onCanadian orders. Add $32 for foreign sub-scriptions. Payment in U.S. funds only.

❑ Payment enclosed ❑ Bill me

On occasion America gives permission toother organizations to use our list for pro-motional purposes. If you do not want toreceive these promotions, contact our ListManager at our New York offices.

Nam

e

Add

ress

City

S

tate

Z

IP

E-m

ail

W70

6

America

Mail to: AmericaP.O. Box 693, Mount Morris, IL 61064-7578

or call 1-800-627-9533 or visit www.americamagazine.org

FOR CHANGE OF

ADDRESSAND

RENEWAL:

Please attach themailing label fromthe front coverwhen writingabout service orchange of address.Allow 3 to 4weeks for changeof address to takeeffect. Thank you.

cation skills. Parish is integrating stewardshipinto all programs, including youth ministry.D.Y.M. is directly responsible for continuing tocreate a prayerful and dynamic environment foryouth in grades 9-12 by working with faithdevelopment team—Junior Youth Minister(grades 6-8), adult faith formation, staff, cate-chists and parents. Should want to set standardfor such ministries. Competitive salary and ben-efits. Spanish speaking a plus. Contact: D.Y.M.Search Committee, St. Thomas More CatholicChurch, 940 Carmichael Street, Chapel Hill,NC 27514, by April 21 for position availableimmediately.

SAINT CHARLES BORROMEO SEMINARY seeks afull-time CHURCH HISTORY PROFESSOR.Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary is a free-stand-ing seminary with college, pre-theology and the-ology programs. We are currently seeking to hirea full-time church history instructor who hasearned at least a licentiate from a pontifical uni-versity. For an application, interested partiesshould submit their C.V. to: Rev. DavidDiamond, Vice Rector, Saint Charles BorromeoSeminary, 100 East Wynnewood Road, Wynne-wood, PA 19096; e-mail: [email protected].

ST. ALOYSIUS SCHOOL (www.staloysiusschool.org), a highly successful inner-city Jesuit parishgrammar school of the Archdiocese of New

York, located on two campuses in CentralHarlem, seeks applications for the position ofPRINCIPAL, starting on July 1, 2008. Theschool, with total enrollment of 300, includesseparate boys’ and girls’ middle schools (grades6-8) in the Nativity model (www.nativi-tymiguelschools.org), grades 1-5, and Pre-K andKindergarten. The school has a strong and live-ly concentration in the arts, with classes andactivities in music, art, oratory and dance. Weare accredited by Middle States and our studentshave the highest test scores in our district.

Basic qualifications include: practicingRoman Catholic with commitment to thechurch’s education and social justice mission,five years’ teaching experience and three years asassistant principal.

Additional qualifications preferred include:knowledge/experience in school finance anddevelopment activities; strong communicationskills to work well with advisory board and pastor;understanding and support of multi-cultural andinclusive education. Salary is negotiable, based onexperience and degree.

Persons wishing to apply for the positionshould submit a written expression of interest,accompanied by a résumé, official transcripts andthree letters of recommendation, directly to theSearch Committee. Materials should be receivedby Monday, March 31, 2008.

Please direct all correspondence to: SearchCommittee, St. Aloysius Church, 219 West 132Street, New York, NY 10027.

ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA, Catholic StudentCenter, Des Moines, Iowa, is seeking full-timeDIRECTOR OF MUSIC AND LITURGY toserve on our campus ministry team. St. Catherineis a faith community of students and nonstudents,with a strong tradition dedicated to prayerfulliturgical celebrations. Applicant should have edu-cation and experience in Catholic liturgical theol-ogy. We seek a candidate with a background inmusic, music ministry and choral direction withorganizational skills, strong spirituality and will-ingness to work in a collaborative setting on cam-pus ministry team. Requirements: PracticingCatholic, bachelor’s degree in religious studies,liturgy or equivalent. Knowledge and experiencewith Catholic liturgy and music and good com-munication and organizational skills. Preferred:Master’s degree in liturgy; practicing musician,either piano or guitar; experience in campus min-istry. Send letter of interest, résumé and namesand addresses of three references to: SearchCommittee, St. Catherine of Siena, 1150 28th St.,Des Moines, IA 50311. Applications accepteduntil the position is filled.

RetreatsBETHANY RETREAT HOUSE, East Chicago, Ind.,offers private and individually directed silentretreats, including Ignatian 30 days, year-round ina prayerful home setting. Contact Joyce Diltz,P.H.J.C.: (219) 398-5047; [email protected]; www.bethanyretreathouse.org.


229 East Litchfield Rd, Litchfield, CT 06759

860-567-3163For further information visitwww.wisdomhouse.org or

email [email protected]

RETREAT AND CONFERENCE CENTER

WISDOM HOUSE

A WOMAN’S RETREATwith

JAN RICHARDSON

APRIL 4 – 6, 2008Friday, 6 pm (Dinner) – Sunday, 1 pm

EMBRACINGWISDOM

April 15, 2008, 7:30 p.m., Lund Auditorium7900 West Division Street, River Forest, IL

Siena CenterPriory Campus [email protected] Division Street (708) 524-9105River Forest, IL 60305 www.siena.dom.edu

E.J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post columnist, GeorgetownUniversity professor and senior fellow at The Brookings Institute, will focus on how the common good offers anagenda for political life and hope for the future. Dionnewill share reflections from decades of observing thenational political scene and his recent work on religionand American politics, Souled Out.

“TheCommonGood:Will WeEver Hear About it

in a Campaign?”

Values and PrioritiesRegarding “Curbing Medical Costs,” byDaniel Callahan (3/10): We already havemedical care rationing, and it is deter-mined by who has the money.

Countries that have a universalhealth care system address the rationingissue in a basically ethical way. They donot let market forces that at present ruleour health care systems decide whodeserves to suffer and die and who doesnot.

If we can fund the fiasco of the Iraqoccupation, we can fund decent healthcare. It is all about our values and priori-ties, our ability to question the lies andour courage to speak out.

Elaine TannesenWoodinville, Wash.

Tenable TheologyIn his review of my book, ConfrontingPower and Sex in the Catholic Church(3/10), the many kind things RichardGaillardetz says about the book take upmost of the space, and for all of thesestatements I am grateful. Unfortunately,with one devastating sentence, he takesaway as much as he has given when hesays, “I have to confess a deep frustrationwith the shoddy argumentation that ismarshalled in defense of many of his pro-posals.” My problem is that he then givesonly three examples of “shoddy” argu-mentation, and none of the three is con-vincing.

First, he says that I state that theAscension is a nonessential truth. What Ido say is that the fact that Jesus, at theend of his time on earth, returned to hisFather is an essential truth, but that theparticular means by which he did so(ascending vertically from the earth?) arenot essential.

Second, he says that I appeal to a sec-ular “parliament” as a model for churchgovernance and that a more fruitful pathwould be to speak of conciliarity, colle-giality and synodality. I do speak of con-ciliarity, collegiality and synodality, but inthe chapter he refers to I make theimportant point that these terms willremain beautiful but empty unless wegive them concrete form in specific,though imperfect, structures. Conse-quently I suggest some such structures,though I do not use the term “secularparliament” and I specifically reject theidea that the church could function as aliberal democracy.

Third, his main example concerns thefact that I question the necessity of thechurch’s teaching on infallibility, that Irefer to infallible statements whenVatican I spoke instead of acts of judg-ment and that I falsely presume that dog-matic statements are unchanging. I freely

IGNATIAN-BASED RETREATS and parish missions.Harry Cain, S.J., and Virginia Blass, D.Min.Inspiration, wit, humor and hope. Ph: (603) 927-4443; e-mail: [email protected]; www.con-cordiaministry.com.

WillsPlease remember America in your will. Ourlegal title is: America Press Inc., 106 West 56thStreet, New York, NY 10019.

AMERICA CLASSIFIED. Classified advertisementsare accepted for publication in either the print versionof America or on our Web site, www.americam-agazine.org. Ten-word minimum. Rates are perword per issue. 1-5 times: $1.50; 6-11 times: $1.28;12-23 times: $1.23. Ads may be submitted by e-mailto: [email protected]; by fax to (928) 222-2107; by postal mail to: Classified Department,America, 106 West 56th St., New York, NY10019. We do not accept ad copy over the phone.MasterCard and Visa accepted. For more informa-tion call: (212) 515-0102


Letters

America (ISSN 0002-7049) is published weekly (except for 11 com-bined issues: Jan. 7-14, 21-28, March 31-April 7, May 26-June 2,June 9-16, 23-30, July 7-14, 21-28, Aug. 4-11, 18-25, Dec. 22-29)by America Press, Inc., 106 West 56th Street, New York, NY 10019.Periodicals postage is paid at New York, N.Y., and additional mailingoffices. Business Manager: Lisa Pope; Circulation: Judith Palmer,(212) 581-4640. Subscriptions: United States, $48 per year; addU.S. $22 postage and GST (#131870719) for Canada; or add U.S.$32 per year for overseas surface postage. For overseas airmaildelivery, please call for rates. Postmaster: Send address changes to:America, 106 West 56th St. New York, NY 10019. Printed in theU.S.A.

This liturgical experience is how we, thelaity, experience theology. When thattheology does not speak to us even whenwe are both listening and desiring toexperience God, one can see how manybecome frustrated and eventually disin-terested.

Michael AnthonyYork, Pa.

On the MountaintopThank you for addressing the issue ofmountaintop removal (editorial, “KingCoal,” 3/3). This is a very serious issuethat many people who live in theAppalachian region contend with everyday, but it is generally not recognized onthe national level. Education and aware-ness are essential to addressing the issueand beginning the process to save andreclaim our land and people.

Dianna DickinsMorgantown, W.Va.

Failed LeadershipI was disappointed by the unfoundedconclusion in your editorial “Lost Sheep”(3/17) that the decline in religious partic-ipation represented in the Pew Forum

study “is proof enough of catecheticalfailure in the past two generations.” It isalso a failure of leadership to assignblame instead of encouraging solutions.

Moreover, it does not follow fromthe research that catechetical methods areto blame for the decline in religious par-ticipation. Evangelical and nondenomina-tional communities, which are increasingtheir membership, are using methodsdeveloped in Catholic catechetical pro-grams like the adult catechumenate andyouth ministry. What these communitiesdo differently is outreach, evangelizationand mystagogy.

The decline in participation in main-stream churches and ecclesial communi-ties is a cultural phenomenon brought onby many factors. The approach that JohnPaul II suggested was a new evangeliza-tion, not a new catechesis.

Your admonition against internecinesquabbles over Catholic identity shouldhave been reflected in a reluctance toassign blame and accuracy in analyzingthe study.

Andrew J. Russell Director of Religious Education

St. Mary and St. Joseph Parishes Appleton, Wis.

acknowledge that Richard Gaillardetz is afar better theologian than I will ever be,but I have difficulties with these ideas.Surely infallible judgments are expressedthrough infallible statements. Is this notwhat Pastor Aeternus itself says? Surely,also, if doctrines can develop, the prohi-bition of any discussion on the ordinationof women is out of place.

When I first heard the news that atheologian of standing had reviewed mybook, I was delighted and hoped to learnmuch from the review. While againgrateful for the many good things said, Ihave to add that I am left disappointed.

(Most Rev.) Geoffrey RobinsonEnfield, N.S.W., Australia

From the PewsRegarding “Lessons From anExtraordinary Era,” by Roger Haight,S.J. (3/17): Father Haight is correct inassessing the next steps in determininghow to make our faith understandable tothe modern church, as well as enabling usto relate this to others in an ever-chang-ing world. But this is made more difficultby our church’s movements to return to amore ritualized liturgical experience.


Letters

A Jesuit Off-BroadwayCenter Stage with Jesus, Judas, and Life’s Big QuestionsJames Martin, SJHc • 272 pages • 2582-6 $22.95 $16.07Order now and save 30%!

CALL TODAY! 800-621-1008 VISIT www.loyolabooks.com/Martin

Mention promotional code 2098. Shipping and handling are additional. Offer expires April 7, 2008.

• Can we believe the Bible? • Do Heaven and Hell exist? • Is anyone beyond God’s forgiveness?

HE WORD “PASCHAL” per-tains to the Jewish feast ofPassover, when the Exodus asthe path from slavery to free-

dom is celebrated and the Passover lamb isslain and eaten. Christians use the term“paschal mystery” to refer to Jesus’ deathand resurrection at Passover time and itssaving significance for us. At everyEucharist we renew our participation inthis mystery through the reading of sacredScripture and our sharing in the body andblood of Christ.

The Emmaus story in Luke 24 is thelongest and most elegant appearance story

Celebrating the PaschalMysteryThird Sunday of Easter (A), April 6, 2008

Readings: Acts 2:14, 22-33; Ps 16:1-2, 5, 7-11; 1 Pt 1:17-21; Lk 24:13-35

“Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into hisglory?” (Lk 24:26)


The Word

T

exhibited the characteristics of a biblicalprophet: he taught the people in wordsand deeds (miracles, symbolic actions),offered predictions about the future, calledhis people to repent and suffered hostilityand opposition. In his conversation withthe two disciples, the risen Jesus explains(probably in terms of the SufferingServant of Isaiah 53) that the Messiah hadto suffer. The encounter reaches its climaxin a meal, at which they come to recognizethat the mysterious stranger is the risenJesus. In celebrating the Eucharist today,Christians repeat the experience of thedisciples on the road to Emmaus. Wecome to know the risen Jesus in Scriptureand “the breaking of the bread.”

Today’s excerpt from Peter’s speechin Acts 2 gives a sample of early Christianpreaching, in which the interpretation ofthe Old Testament in light of the paschalmystery was an essential feature. As in theEmmaus story, the paschal mystery func-tions as the key that opens up all the mys-teries hidden in Israel’s Scriptures.

The principal images in today’s selec-tion from 1 Peter develop further the sig-nificance of the paschal mystery for us. Aswith the Emmaus pilgrims, our life in

in the Gospels. In the afternoon of thefirst Easter Sunday two discouraged disci-ples, ready to give up on Jesus and hismovement and on their way out ofJerusalem, encounter a mysteriousstranger who turns out to be the risenJesus. When the stranger interprets theScriptures for them and shares a meal withthem, they move from a plaintive “Wewere hoping” to burning hearts and shoutsof joy.

The passage takes up three majorthemes in Luke’s Gospel: Jesus as aprophet, his fulfillment of Israel’sScriptures and his shared meals. Jesus

DANIEL J. HARRINGTON, S.J., is professor ofNew Testament at Weston Jesuit School ofTheology in Cambridge, Mass.


Christ has become a sojourn or journey insearch of our heavenly home—that is, insearch of right relationship with God, thefullness of God’s kingdom and eternal lifewith God. The image of ransom orredemption refers to the paschal mysteryas that which has enabled us to be freedfrom the slavery of sin and death and freedfor life in the Spirit. The reference to “theprecious blood of Christ as of a spotlessunblemished lamb” connects Jesus’ deathwith the sacrificial system of ancient Israeland its belief that life is in the blood. Thusit suggests that his death was the perfectand all-sufficient sacrifice for sins, and thatthe blood that Jesus shed has given us newlife.

Praying With Scripture• In what sense was Jesus a prophetand the fulfillment of the propheciesin the Scriptures?

• What does the risen Jesus’ sharingmeals with his disciples say about thenature of his resurrection?

• How might today’s readings enrichyour participation in the Eucharist?

Followingthe GoodShepherdFourth Sunday of Easter (A), April 13,2008

Readings: Acts 2:14, 36-41; Ps 23:1-6; 1Pt 2:20-25; Jn 10:1-10

“I came so that they may have life andhave it more abundantly” (Jn 10:10)

HE FOURTH SUNDAY in theEaster season is GoodShepherd Sunday, with theGospel reading taken from part

of Jesus’ “Good Shepherd” discourse inJohn 10. While most of us in 21st-centuryAmerica have little or no personal expo-

sure to sheep and shepherds, thebiblical imagery is easy enoughto understand. The key ele-ment is the intimate rela-tionship between the sheepand their shepherd. Thesheep know and trust theshepherd and willinglyfollow.

This Sunday’s selec-tion from John 10 fea-tures two short parablesabout shepherds andsheepgates. The firstparable contrasts the goodshepherd with a thief or astranger. We are to imaginea large pen where the sheepstay when they are not in thefields at pasture. Unlike a thief orstranger, the good shepherd entersthrough the gate, calls his sheep by nameand leads them out. They follow him notbecause they are stupid, but because theyknow and trust the shepherd. Who is theshepherd? Psalm 23 reminds us that“shepherd” is a prominent biblical imagefor God. The point of the parable is thatas God the shepherd acts, so Jesus theshepherd acts. In John’s Gospel there is nosharp dividing line between Jesus and theFather.

In the second parable the focus is onthe gate for the sheep. Here Jesus identi-fies himself as the sheepgate. Whoeverenters the pen through him will be safeand well cared for. Here Jesus is the way tothe Father, the one who gives us directand personal access to the creator and lordof all things. This is the abundant life thatJesus promises. His promise summarizesthe spirit and goal of the Easter season. Itreminds us that our life in Christ is a pre-cious gift, and that the fullness of liferesides in the intimate relationship withGod made available for us through thepaschal mystery.

How we become part of this abundantlife is indicated by the conclusion in Acts 2of Peter’s speech at Pentecost. TherePeter proclaims that the proper responseto the good news about Jesus is to repentand be baptized “in the name of JesusChrist.” Thus we become members of theGood Shepherd’s flock.

The images of sheep and shepherd arealso prominent in today’s reading from 1

AR

T B

Y T

AD

DU

NN

E

T

Peter 2. Here Peter seeks to encouragesuffering Christians by appealing to thesufferings of Jesus the Servant of God,after the pattern set forth in Isaiah 53.Recall that there the Servant wasdescribed as “like a lamb led to the slaugh-ter or a sheep before his shearers.” Petershows how Jesus, the innocent sufferer,was a model of patience and trust in God,and that his suffering has enabled us tobecome more fully children of God (“byhis wounds you have been healed”).Through his resurrection the slain Lambhas become for straying sheep “the shep-herd and guardian of your souls.” Thisstartling transformation is a neat summaryof what Christians believe about thepaschal mystery.

Daniel J. Harrington

Praying With Scripture• How do you respond to the biblicalimagery of sheep and shepherds? Is ithelpful? Or does it put you off? Why?

• What distinctive points do the twoshort parables make about Jesus?

• What made possible the transforma-tion of Jesus from the slain Lamb tothe Good Shepherd?

An audio interview with the film-maker Martin Doblmeier, directorof "The Power of Forgiveness,"at americamagazine.org

america€¦ · for the edifica-tion and service of the faithful. i found an even more striking...

Documents