archives

The current issue of NCR features a column by Colman McCarthy entitled , ' A Necessary War ? ' . Therein he raises the question about the absence of the war resisters in Ken Burn's new film about WWII. There is a new film featuring the imprisonment of the Conscientious Objectors and the plight of other resistors but it has received far less money for promotion as has a recent book on the subject.

Fr. Andrew Greeley writes in his Chicago Sun-Times article, at suntimes.com, that the Mr. Mukasey , despite his seemingly palatable demeanor, is disposed to turning the U.S. into a military dictatorship by effectively allowing the Chief Executive to repeal the Congressional checks provided in the Constitution and justify a perpetual state of war. Greeley is not exaggerating the seriousness of the situation.

The current issue of NCR features an editorial entitled ' Seeking the Fullness of Mary '. In it the author expresses a desire to enlarge on the universal imagery of the Divine Feminine as expressed in the experience of Catholic devotion. Fr. Andrew Greeley has written an extraordinary exposition on this subject titled ' The Mary Myth '. He goes into the anthropological roots of the Feminine as Divine Image and gives compelling evidence for its value as a balance to the masculine dominance in place in the Church today.

When President Nicanor Duarte of Paraguay arrived at the Vatican on Monday for a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI, he planned to present the pontiff with a multi-colored poncho as a symbol of Latin America -- home to almost half the world's 1.1 billion Catholics, and a region dubbed by Pope John Paul II as "the Continent of Hope."

[Editor's Note: Bishop Gumbleton delivered this homily in Austria on Sept. 23. He was part of events leading up to the beatification of Franz Jägerstätter. A report of the beatification, which happened Oct. 26, will be available in the next issue of NCR.]

As always, when we listen to God's word in the midst of our weekly Eucharist, we must try to listen within the context of what is happening in our lives. A month from now, according to the declaration of Pope Benedict, Franz Jägerstätter will be declared blessed, to be venerated by the whole church as one whose example we can follow and whose intercession we can seek.

NCRcafe New Search for Ultimate Reality
Marie Schickel Rottschaefer is the facilitator.
Its goal is to give a brief overview of developments that have relevance
for us in the early 21st century, particularly in seeking solutions
for pressing people and planet problems.
Discussion Number Fifteen November 2007

A PERSONAL FAITH PERSPECTIVE

CONTINGENT BEING DERIVED FROM ORIGINAL BEING