It takes a traveler mere minutes in Rome to understand why she is called the “Eternal City.” Speeding from the airport, the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica suddenly looms from beyond the Vatican walls and time seems to turn in on itself. Insta-communications and all the glories of the present age become as passing fanciesu2014the grass that withers and fades… . Continue Reading »
King K’inich Kan Bahlum II reigned in Baalak from 685 AD to 702 AD. Like his father, the great K’inich Janaab Pakal, he was responsible for many of the most glorious architectural and artistic achievements of Mayan civilization’s “classical period;” it was he who oversaw the completion of the great pyramidal Temple of Inscriptions in Palenque, on one of whose walls he left a legend predicting that his dynasty would last until 21 October 4772… . Continue Reading »
The debate surrounding the New York Mosque, complicated by sensitivity and proximity to a place many Americans consider hallowed ground, echoes over three centuries of prejudice against Catholics. American Muslims should not have to wait so long for acceptance… . Continue Reading »
Labor Day is upon us, the long weekend that puts an exclamation point on summer’s end. I’m planning, if that’s the right word, to do nothing in particular. Rest, however, is never simple and often ambiguous. We sometimes speak of those who have died as finally at rest, or as resting in peace. It’s not a negative image, but then again it’s not positive either… Continue Reading »
I never find the time to be alone with God during the week, so I’ve dedicated this Sunday afternoon to prayer. I should check my e-mail so I won’t be distracted. It won’t take long. Thirty-two new messages, including one from the boss? I better reply right now. They might be important. Some invitations from Facebook. Those are easy to clear out so let me accept them and I’m … hmm… Continue Reading »
Thirty years ago, on Aug. 31, 1980, an electrician named Lech Walesa signed the Gdansk Accords, ending a two-week-old strike at that Hanseatic city’s Lenin Shipyards. Walesa signed with a giant souvenir pen featuring a portrait of Pope John Paul II… . Continue Reading »
Not being a fan of Glenn Beck’s, plans for his “Restoring Honor” rally flew rather under my radar nearly until the day was upon us. I wrote to a friend who is more attentive to Beck than I, asking, “What is this about, really, I’m not sure I get it.” Her answer was uncharacteristically vague and inarticulate… . Continue Reading »
BP, the company that caused the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history, has opted to funnel tens of millions of dollars through state governments rather than private charities doing the bulk of the work in the Gulf Coast region… . Continue Reading »
There, the sign that says “Sharia,” the hand-drawn letters dribbling down in streaks as though they were bleeding. And there, another sign”this one reading “No Mosque at Ground Zero” in patriotic red, white, and blue. And there, the off-duty policemen come to join in, and there, the bikers up from Pennsylvania, and there, the microphoned speakers crying out “This is our cemetery””“This is sacred ground.” … Continue Reading »
Jennifer Aniston’s big new movie made headlines this week”for flopping. The Switch, a romantic comedy about a forty-year-old single woman who wants a baby and chooses to be artificially inseminated, brought in embarrassingly low ticket sales of only $8.4 million on opening weekend. Hollywood reporters have tried to think of all number of reasons for why it flopped so badly, ranging from the myth of lazy August filmgoers to the theory that Aniston is a blockbuster buzzkill… . Continue Reading »
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