“And so this is Christmas, and what have you done?” That’s how John Lennon’s Christmas carol begins. No Frosty the Snowman, no Rudolph, no Jingle Bells. He gets right to…
A few years ago, Bob Dylan was asked about his plans. “I’m looking forward to some dreams,” he answered. “Excuse me?” the befuddled interviewer replied. “It says right there in…
Every December 6th, my friends and I take time to remember Philip Berrigan, the legendary anti-nuclear activist who died eight years ago. This year, on December 7th, five friends will…
Last August, during a visit with friends from Ireland, I learned that a great meteor shower was going to happen one night. So late that evening, we put out chairs,…
As we celebrate Thanksgiving, Obama, Congress and the Pentagon continue our wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan. Thousands of U.S. soldiers march through these impoverished lands, bringing fear and the…
Most days, I can’t escape the media hype about our inglorious, immoral institutions which glorify the Almighty dollar or the Almighty bomb—evil entities such as Lockheed Martin, Goldman Sachs, BP,…
“Welcome to this beautiful border!” Bishop Ricardo Ramirez said to the crowd. “Why is this border so beautiful? Because of the people of faith who live along the border! This…
You probably never met him, but if you read these weekly columns, you already know him. Ted Gordon, 52, was a close friend of mine who helped me by editing…
I’ve been crisscrossing the country recently, destined for college auditoriums and churches. There I speak of the dire state of our spirits, tainted as they are by greed and war,…
December 2nd marks the thirtieth anniversary of the abduction, rape and killing of four U.S. churchwomen—Maryknollers Ita Ford and Maura Clarke, Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel, and Maryknoll lay missioner Jean…