CNA Columns
Five composers in three days
Earlier this month, I stopped in London for three evenings of concerts, accompanied by meetings with five composers. I had... Read more
Pope John Paul II showed the world how to carry the cross
Strange as it may seem at first, I find the key to the sanctity of Pope John Paul II in... Read more
Pastoral care of couples who are cohabitating
We are all painfully aware that there are many Catholics today who are living in cohabitation. The Church must make... Read more
‘Of Gods and Men,’ a challenge and triumph of faith
Somewhere between the parking lot and the beginning of this film, I was gently escorted from the world of speeding-tickets... Read more
Libya proves: Just war theory doesn’t go far enough
The military intervention in Libya by the United States and NATO offers new evidence that the just war theory stands... Read more
Confession is the best way to prepare for the grace of baptism at Easter
The Lenten practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving are not ends in themselves. The less we are full of ourselves,... Read more
What made John Paul II truly Great
Secular media often breezes over the most important of details. The oft repeated headline after the announcement of John Paul... Read more
Bernard Nathanson and the Church of forgiveness
After the death of Dr. Bernard Nathanson last month, we were reminded that somebody once asked him why he became... Read more
Looking for the face of God after the tsunami in Japan
I continue to watch the events unfolding in Japan with a heavy heart. Amid the ruin and suffering, we are... Read more
Lenten musical themes
Lent is tough -- not so much because of the voluntary deprivations one may undertake, but because of what it... Read more
An airport encounter
It was only the third time it had happened to me in my nearly thirty-five happy years as a priest,... Read more
President Obama visits El Salvador
Bill Clinton visited El Salvador in March of 1999 as president. There were not very many concrete results from the... Read more
Of poetry, the “sacramental sense,” and liturgical renewal
Some years ago the critic George Steiner published a provocative book called “Real Presences.” As far as I know, Steiner... Read more
Future prospects of marriage, democracy go hand-in-hand
It is a curious irony that in this moment of history, when people in a number of countries in the... Read more
Young People: Dump the 'hook-up' culture
Dump it. Drop it. Let it go. Read more
What I do and why
What do I do as a music critic? Why do I do it? Perhaps these are questions you have never... Read more
This Lent, accept God's love, reflect it to others
“The first Sunday of the Lenten journey reveals our condition as human beings here on earth. The victorious battle against... Read more
Bieber Fever
Okay, I admit it. I have Bieber Fever. I caught it from my preteen daughter after I took her to... Read more
It is time for the Church to face up to the crisis of spousal abandonment
Imagine your brother Jim discovers that his wife of 17 years, mother to their four children, is leaving him for... Read more
'New Age' is old Gnosticism
Despite the secularism of our age — or perhaps, because of it — many people are rediscovering an interest in... Read more
