GODSTUFF BEYOND THE SHADOW OF A DOUBT This week, I sat in a Chicago screening room with white knuckles and sweaty palms, a knot in my stomach, heart racing and an urge to jump out of my seat. You would have thought I was watching the latest installment of the “Scream” series or an apocalyptic opus about invading aliens or humanity-annihilating superbugs, rather than a period piece about clergy sex abuse. “Doubt,” the masterful screen adaptation of John Patrick Shanley’s... Read more

GODSTUFF THOMAS MERTON: A MAN FOR THIS (AND ALL) SEASONS “Merton is, in a sense, the lost soul of the 20th century, looking for redemption, looking for recovery, looking for God.” — Sister Kathleen Deignan Forty years ago this week, Thomas Merton, the Trappist monk and prolific author of The Seven Storey Mountain and other enduring works, passed from this life to the next. Merton, 53, met his end on Dec. 10, 1968, stepping out of a shower and touching... Read more

GODSTUFF READERS’ QUESTIONS FOR THE DALAI LAMA On Tuesday, I wrote about the documentary film “10 Questions for the Dalai Lama” and what I’d ask if I ever had the chance — as the filmmaker did — to spend 45 minutes alone with the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists. I asked you what you would ask if you had the chance, too. The responses were fascinating. Among them were a couple of snarky questions — for instance, “If you’re such... Read more

Gone home: Odetta Read more

GODSTUFF WHAT WOULD YOU ASK IF YOU HAD JUST 10 QUESTIONS? A couple of nights ago, I was channel-surfing, trying to find something mindless to watch after a difficult day. Something like “Liar Liar” or “Uncle Buck.” But there was nothing on — 500 channels and nada. Or so I thought. Then, I switched to the “On Demand” feature on our cable system and, after pausing a moment on “Don’t Mess with the Zohan” (I’d seen it, but momentarily considered... Read more

GODSTUFF THIS YEAR — AND EVERY YEAR — SO MANY REASONS TO GIVE THANKS There’s nothing quite like a stomach bug that arrives the night before Thanksgiving — while the birds are brining peacefully in the fridge — to sink me into a chasm of self pity. Instead of popping out of bed Thursday morning to switch on the percolator and Arlo Guthrie’s “Alice’s Restaurant” on the iPod dock, I rolled over, feverish and nauseated, and willed someone to bring... Read more

Don’t think twice It’s alright. Read more

GODSTUFF HIT THE COSMIC PAUSE BUTTON AND TAKE STOCK It probably wasn’t the last Thursday in November, and there was no pumpkin pie. The “turkey” was more likely a goose, duck or even a crane. And there were no potatoes — sweet, mashed or candied — on the menu for the first Thanksgiving feast in 1621. So say various historians and the folks at Snopes.com, who make it a point, especially this time of the year, to try to separate... Read more

GODSTUFF HOME: FINDING OUT JUST WHERE THAT IS Read more

God Girl on NPR, PBS today If you missed it this a.m., GG was on WBEZ in Chicago.You can hear the interview HERE (scroll forward to the 47-minute mark and she’s on from there to the end of the program.) And if you’re in the Chicago market, GG will be a guest on “Chicago Tonight” with Phil Ponce tonite at 7 p.m. on WTTW (Channel 11) on PBS. We think they may post clips from the show on the Web... Read more