Questions from Carlos

My college classmate and longtime dear friend Carlos, writing from Monterrey, Mexico, knows how to pose difficult questions. Speaking of the murderer at Fort Hood, he asks:

The guy was a citizen, so what does “citizenship” mean?  What should the core values of citizens be? Can  a religion like Islam, many of whose members  hold “anti-American” views on the structure of society, be free like other religions are?  What should be the values/beliefs of people joining the military?

The freedom of one person’s belief  vs the well being of  society. What should  society’s attitude be towards newcomers  who don’t share some of the core values, or may implicitly threaten them?

He wants me to respond but, as of now, the questions go beyond my knowledge and wisdom.

Speaking Out in Later Life

Later life can be a time of liberation. If I ever doubted this, I would be convinced immediately by the example of my old friend, Father Michael Gillgannon, who recently wrote an open letter critical of his bishop.

For a priest of the Catholic Church to take on his bishop takes guts. Most members of the diocesan clergy would sooner dive into a snake pit than challenge their appointed (and anointed) leader.

Continue reading →

Mystery of the Years

We live in a new era of history, one in which living to be old has become routine, at least for most of us. In the 20th century Americans gained 30 years in life expectency, more than had been reached in the preceding 5,000 years of human history.

What a mystery! Too much reality for us to grasp.

A Neighbor’s Death

A few months ago, one of our neighbors died. I felt greatly saddened by her loss.

She was a remarkable woman, much respected by those who knew her. Over the previous two and a half years, she had drawn admiration for her courage in the face of the painful disease that eventually led to her death.

The woman’s family announced the sad event in a death notice published in the Boston Globe. This notice ran for three successive days.

Continue reading →

Victories of Spirit

Great spiritual traditions have always taught the same message: there can be no foolproof security on earth. At this point in history no one needs to be convinced of this fact. What we do need is light on how to live in an insecure world. We want to know how to adjust to a new situation marked by threats that cannot be identified in advance.

Continue reading →

An Archbishop’s Memoir

Call me a religion junkie if you will. Maybe that’s why I have taken such intense interest in the recently published memoir of an archbishop.

Still, the life story of Rembert Weakland, A Pilgrim in a Pilgrim Church, may hold fascination for others too. It offers a detailed portrait of a man who has been monk, prelate, scholar, musician, and, ultimately, penitent.

Continue reading →