If a Catholic child steals a candy bar, church doctrine calls this a small sin. But if a priest embezzles a large amount of money, this act is much more serious — a sin that severely corrupts and threatens the soul. Both of these acts involve theft, but Catholicism does not believe they have equal weight. They do not have the same “parvity of matter,” noted Father Donald Cozzens of John Carroll University, who once led a seminary in Ohio.... Read more
The loaded words appear early and often in articles about entrepreneur Philip Anschutz of Denver. The list includes “elusive,” “reclusive,” “mysterious” and many others. Most writers then note that Anschutz has not granted interviews since 1974 and the image is complete — he is a ghost worth billions of dollars. Nevertheless, Anschutz does have ideas and, on rare occasions, he shares them in public. Consider this statement about movies and the bottom line. “Speaking purely as a businessman, it is... Read more
While tweaking the original Star Wars movie for re-release, director George Lucas decided that he needed to clarify the status of pilot Han Solo’s soul. In the old version, Solo shot first in his cantina showdown with a bounty hunter. But in the new one, Lucas addressed this moral dilemma with a slick edit that showed Greedo firing first. Thus, Solo was not a murderer, but a mere scoundrel on the way to redemption. “Lucas wanted to make sure that... Read more
The preacher’s blue jeans are faded and artistically patched to symbolize the ragamuffin theme in his ministry. The speaking voice is gentle, until the occasional verbal storm shakes the room. The demons are familiar. Cigarettes, alcoholism and a lifelong struggle with guilt can give a 70-something orator an edge. Once a Franciscan priest, now a divorced Catholic layman, Brennan Manning is the only superstar on the evangelical speaking circuit who goes to daily Mass and to confession as often as... Read more
When it comes to capturing the worldview of New Yorkers, it’s hard to top Saul Steinberg’s famous cartoon entitled “A View of the World from Fifth Avenue.” It appeared — where else? — on the cover of The New Yorker. The city is in the foreground and, beyond the Hudson River, there is a void dotted with mesas, mountains and hints that Chicago, Texas, Nebraska, Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean exist. There are no steeples anywhere. This would have... Read more
Father Peter Toon is a strict traditionalist in all things liturgical, which is fitting since he leads the Society for the Preservation of the Book of Common Prayer. Thus, the Anglican priest has little sympathy for those who want to wiggle out of translating the Latin word “Credo” — the root for “creed” — as “we believe” instead of the more personal and definitive “I believe.” “Of course ‘Credo’ means ‘I believe.’ … And it’s the same thing in the... Read more
When Archbishop Iakovos first became America’s Greek Orthodox shepherd, he spent most of his time helping immigrants follow a familiar faith in a strange land. That was in 1959. By the time he finished his 37-year reign, the Turkish-born archbishop faced a different challenge — helping American converts find their place in the unfamiliar sanctuaries of Eastern Christianity. Iakovos knew that America would change the Greeks, challenging their faith and traditions. He also knew that Americans would change his church,... Read more
David Klinghoffer knew that his new book “Why the Jews Rejected Jesus” would make plenty of people angry. After all, the Orthodox Jewish journalist argues that Jesus misunderstood centuries of Jewish tradition, twisted it or rejected it outright — or all of the above. The Apostle Paul, he says, padded his Pharisee resume and may not even have been a Jew. Truth is, Klinghoffer believes Judaism is “true,” in every sense of that unpopular word. But he has discovered that... Read more
Our story begins with a liturgy entitled “A Women’s Eucharist: A Celebration of the Divine Feminine,” posted among the online offerings of the Episcopal Church Office of Women’s Ministries. Digital sleuths easily connected this rite to Tuatha de Brighid, a “Clan of modern Druids.” Then before insiders could say “Episcopagans,” critics found links between its use of milk, honey and raisin cakes and Asherah, Astarte and rituals banned in the biblical book of Hosea. As a rule, rites connected to... Read more
It was in 1931 that a young Polish nun began seeing visions that would touch the life and death of Pope John Paul II and, perhaps, offer a glimpse of the end of all things. Sister Faustina Kowalska reported seeing a merciful Jesus, with beams of red and white light shining from his heart. In her diary, the cloistered mystic described a 1935 vision in which she was told the write down this prayer as protection from divine judgment: “Eternal Father, I offer You the... Read more
Terry Mattingly
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