In A Tight Place with Profanity

Sometimes it’s hard to know what to do, and sometimes it isn’t. The other night I had a flight to Atlanta and was lucky to get upgraded to business class. It was late, I was tired, and lights were low. People were reading, checking their phones, watching their tablets. I leaned back and drifted into half-slumber until a voice exclaimed, “Oh man, that’s f—-in’ awesome.” Continue Reading »

What We’ve Been Reading (& Listening To)

I am skeptical of memorials which work harder to bring their subject to life than mark its death, which is why I found respite in the book shop. There I picked up a copy of Lawrence Wright’s Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11. It is an engrossing (the word used for enjoyment when enjoyment is a word one can’t use) read, detailing how Al Qaeada rose unnoticed except by a few unheard men before seizing everyone’s attention. The history feels like a warning. Continue Reading »

On Marriage and Temple Desecration

The Vatican is sponsoring this week (Nov 17–19) an international colloquium on the complementarity of man and woman in marriage called Humanum. It is sponsored by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith along with the Pontifical Council for the Family, the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. The curial sponsors reflect the broad import the Vatican is giving this three-day event, as well as its significance for ecumenism and inter-religious cooperation. Continue Reading »