A Toast to Silence

by The Editors

The First Things Podcast, Episode 28. Featuring: Matthew Walther of the Washington Free Beacon, dispensing wisdom and champagne; and The Power of Silence, the new book by Robert Cardinal Sarah. Continue Reading »

23 May 2017

With Cardinal Sarah, the Liturgy Is in Good Hands

by Benedict XVI

Cardinal Sarah teaches us silence—being silent with Jesus, true inner stillness, and in just this way he helps us to grasp the word of the Lord anew. Continue Reading »

17 May 2017

Disincarnate Christ

by Gabriel Torretta

Silence by shūsaku endōforeword by martin scorsesepicador, 256 pages, $16 Silencea film directed by martin scorseseparamount, 161 minutes, $19.99 Vincent Shiozuka’s life was a failure. Raised Christian in Japan, he fled to Manila in 1614 to avoid the growing Christian persecution in his native . . . . Continue Reading »

1 May 2017

Silence of the Eyes

by Peter J. Leithart

In an age of screens, we need to learn the silence of the eyes. Continue Reading »

21 Apr 2017

Silence for Silence

by John Murdock

In the end, Silence was too Christian for Hollywood and too Hollywood for Christians. Continue Reading »

24 Feb 2017

Silence of Painting

by Peter J. Leithart

On the musical silence of painting. Continue Reading »

10 Feb 2017

Silence and Sherlock

by The Editors

The First Things Podcast, Episode 21. Also featuring: Special guest Leah Libresco Sargeant and lots of spoilers. Continue Reading »

13 Jan 2017

Shūsaku Endō's Silence and Faithfulness

by Dale M. Coulter

Readers of First Thoughts will know by now that Martin Scorsese’s adaptation of Silence by Shūsaku Endō was released in select theaters on December 23. The novel warrants the attention it is getting. Set in the 1640s at the end of Japan's “Christian Century” (1549-1639), Silence is a haunting journey through one priest’s struggles to remain faithful in the most challenging of circumstances. Continue Reading »

3 Jan 2017

Silence: Scorsese’s Spiritual Masterpiece

by William Doino Jr.

Beautifully filmed and acted, Silence is as powerful as it is ambitious. Continue Reading »

2 Jan 2017

The Troubling Legacy of Shūsaku Endō’s Silence

by Roy Peachey

Shūsaku Endō’s Silence is now widely regarded as a modern classic. The initial reaction of Japanese Catholics, however, was largely hostile. Continue Reading »

27 Dec 2016