Short takes on many topics
The wet look As a great admirer of Richard Alleva's movie criticism, I was pleased to see the headline on your January 16, 1998 cover, "Richard Alleva reviews Robert Duvall's The Apostle." I...
...Can't we all disagree...
...Truly, it is the consistency of effort, in small, humble, yet meaningful ways ("to do small things with great love") that has enshrined Mother Teresa in the hearts of the world...
...Coverage of these matters by the U.S...
...McCarthy may have been swept up in the emotion of her friend's new appointment, but do the editors have the same excuse...
...media is extremely poor...
...For Christians in the Holy Land, housing is a major concern...
...Having belatedly read "Disputed Questions" [November 21, 1997[, and after rereading Eugene McCarraher's "Smile, When You Say 'Laity'" [September 21, 1997], I cannot see why you had any difficulty in deciding to publish the article in the first place...
...The site, by the way, looks great, and I'm looking forward to using it often...
...ROBERT E. TOBIN Yonkers, N.Y...
...LEON J. SUPRENANT, JR...
...JOHN A. WEIHRER Houston, Tex...
...Literarily speaking, we believe Ms...
...Habeas corpus...
...i ~ ~i~ '~i~ ~ At the Fancy Feet Boutique ~ ib~ i~i iii...
...DANIELLE AMATO La Jolla, Calif...
...It was an Oblate priest, Richard Simon (1638-1712), who inaugurated the historical-critical method m his three-volume Histoire Critique du Vieux Testament (1678...
...The Missionaries follow a similar rule...
...It is easy to overlook the subtle distinction between the acts of the compassionate, spiritcentered person and those of the "humanitarian...
...But, though Ambassador Boggs is a woman of considerable power and influence, McCarthy is the first to report that she can restore life to the dead...
...for the answer to the question is irrelevant to the need...
...Or, as Thomas Merton wrote, "In a word, the whole Christian life consists in seeking the will of God by loving faith and carrying out that blessed will by faithful love...
...It is important for your readers to know about such difficulties...
...Congratulations to Abigail McCarthy for her tribute to Ambassador Lindy Boggs, a fine public servant ["Active Duty," January 16, 1998...
...Comprende...
...Poplin successfully communicated what the Missionaries of Charity truly believe about prayer...
...January 16, 1998], Luke Timothy Johnson writes that the historical-critical method was derived from Protestantism...
...Gordon Marino Let's acknowledge our ill-gotten gains...
...TIINA ALEMAN Housing in the Holy Land Thanks for the editorial, "Fleeing BethIehem" [December 19, 1997...
...8 Re: Clinton & Lewinsky E.J...
...After reading a letter to the editors about the new site in the September 12, 1997 issue, I spent a fruitless hour or so first combing the entire issue looking for some clue about where to point my browser, and then searching for you on Yahoo, Lycos, and AltaVista...
...Quite surprising, though, was her report that among the guests at the festivities surrounding Boggs's swearing-in were "Katherine Graham and Millie [Mrs...
...It's certainly why I subscribe...
...Poplin makes clear that the awareness of and response to the needs of others become the opportunity for each of the Missionaries of Charity to fulfill her own life goals...
...SteubenvilIe, Ohio The writer is vice-president and secretary of Catholics United for the Faith...
...Perhaps the heroic example of this frail woman, who found the strength to serve the poorest of the poor through a life devoted to her Eucharistic Lord and his church, provides an invitation for us to re-examine our own opinions and agendas through the penetrating lens of faith...
...I have a Jesuit friend who directs a center for terminal AIDS patients...
...Commonweal 4 February 13, 1998...
...The anti-Zahn letter [Correspondence, December 5, 1997] is a reminder that there are many who do not appreciate the extraordinary heroism of conscientious objectors like Zahn, who went against everything being said by our leaders and even against the advice of his own church and comrades in order to do what he thought right...
...I found you...
...Our, comma, apologies...
...Now, however, I wonder why he works waist-deep in water rather than at a keyboard like the rest of us...
...It is, however, intriguing that your criticisms of Mother Teresa are based on her espousing--and proclaiming in word and action--teachings of the church...
...From the editors: Well, yes...
...And the beat goes on: I've just mailed photocopies of items from the issue of January 16, 1998 to several people who may be interested...
...Faulting Mother Teresa Regarding your defense [Correspondence, December 5, 1997] of your editorial on Mother Teresa [September 26], I concur that sound journalism requires an honest, even-handed presentation...
...JOHN LESCROART North Palm Beach, Fla...
...From the production editor: We have recently submitted sixty-plus key words to all the major search engines, including those you've mentioned...
...May the disciples of Mother Teresa continue their splendid efforts...
...Unless "literally" is used to make a distinction from "figuratively," it's probably being misused...
...I literally believe such imprecision harms communication...
...I've always wondered whether the drawing accompanying Alleva's reviews accurately captures his appearance...
...Caring' vs...
...PETER STEINFELS New York, N.Y...
...But it cites a sentence by Craig Claiborne-"There are people in the world who literally do not know how to boil w a t e r ' - - t o illustrate a second meaning: "really, actually...
...Dionne, Jr...
...Can one believe anything literally...
...Literally' & literacy Call me old-fashioned, but I bridle at the current usage of literally to mean really or actually, or simply to add emphasis, as in your author Mary Poplin's assertion that the Missionaries of Charity "literally believe that God provides all that is needed through prayer" ["No Humanitarian," December 19, 1997...
...Please, do not ever sidestep the controversial...
...That bothers me a little...
...1 7 1 8 The American Clock A View from the Bridge Celia Wren The hallowing of memory in Arthur Miller's work...
...Catholic community to keep us posted on events in the Holy Land, since things there are not always what they seem to be...
...The energy expended by the public sector on documentation, qualification, and verification serve (in Poplin's words) to "distance the server from the served...
...curing' Though I have subscribed to your remarkable magazine for more than twenty years, this is my first comment to the editors...
...I was even more excited, if a bit puzzled, by the dramatic cover photograph that pictures this event...
...I Amistad Titanic Richard Alleva The battle f o r words Ilan Stavans Translators to the rescue...
...I I HITLER'S WILLING EXECUTIONERS Joseph D. Policano An exhibit raises questions about the German army in World War II, and the sparks fly...
...Clifford Thompson A search for identity...
...It is only in this sense that it can be said that the method derived from Protestantism...
...and, even more significantly, to "distance the server from his or her own life mission...
...BROTHER DAVID CARROLL, F.S.C...
...bands" [italics added...
...I appreciate reading views that do not always coincide with mine, and I especially appreciate the responses to the articles...
...A footnote: In a recent issue of the (Continued on page 4) Commonweal 2 February 13, 1998 E February 13, 1998 / Volume CXXV, Number 3 Correspondence Short takes on many topics 2 Editorial Ancient warriors 5 Who knows ? 6 Postcard from Havanna Mary Pat Kelly 6 Notebook A death in the family Patrick Jordan 7 Love is the measure John Garvey It's as necessary and as natural as gravity...
...If you try searching again after reading this reply, it's likely that you'll find us at home...
...We did it first In his excellent article, "So What's Catholic about It...
...New York, N.Y...
...Graham's late husbands were on hand...
...The writer is assistant to the secretary general of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association...
...Tip'] O'Neill, Linda Johnson Robb and Eunice Kennedy Shriver, and their husCorrection @ Because of the poor penwomanship of one editor and the benighted eyesight of another, Elena Cabral's name was misspelled in the January 30 issue of Commonweal...
...It inspired a lot of meditation and cogitation...
...2 0 The End o f the Novel o f Love by Vivian Gornick Sara Maitland Bob the Gambler by Frederick Barthelme Valerie Sayers Authority by Eugene Kennedy & Sara C. Charles The Problem of Trust by Adam Seligman Carl L. Bankston III Commonweal Associates A short thank you and a long list...
...JOSEPH QUINTON Lake Worth, Fla...
...Beware Vidal New Year's greetings, and thanks for the information and insights your magazine has given me in the past year...
...A usage note adds, however, that it's incorrect to say "he was literally breathing fire," where the word is used to mean "figuratively," which is "almost the opposite of its true meaning...
...Isn't that why Commonweal exists...
...405, New York, NY 10115 _9 (212) 662-4200 _9 http://www.commonwealmagazine.org (Continued from page 2) New York Review of Books, Gore Vidal tells us that novel reading is dead...
...It is only when we are given the opportunity to question and then investigate that we can achieve our potential and can come to appreciate the glorious wonder of God's creation...
...And no...
...The first definition of "literally" in our American Heritage Dictionary says it means "in a literal or strict sense...
...It was probably the turmoil occasioned by the Protestant Reformation that explains the hostility of Catholic theologians toward Simon...
...O'Neill's and Mrs...
...REV...
...One can, and many do, believe in a literal reading of the Bible, but that is something different from literally believing...
...If you don't tell your reviewers, they will continue to recommend the enjoyable works I learn about in your pages...
...with My Punk Ballerina Black & blue Margaret C. Szumowski 14 Patrick Hall 2 2 2 4 2 5 2 7 3 1 Commonweal _9 475 Riverside Drive, Rm...
...It is a great service to the U.S...
...ROGER BERGMAN Omaha, Nebr...
...I BLACK & AMERICAN: WHAT DOES IT MEAN...
...It is prompted by Mary Poplin's perceptive article, "No Humanitarian: A Portrait of Mother Teresa" [December 19, 1997...
...Thank you so much for including your e-mail and website information in recent issues...
...I am reminded of the words of the late Henri Nouwen, which I paraphrase: It is important that we "care for" as opposed to "cure" those in need, for in caring we are "sharing with," while to cure often reflects the posture of the strong toward the weak, serving mainly to demean the recipient...
...9 APOLOGIZE FOR SLAVERY...
...You might want to submit the URL to those search engines to help others who are trying to locate your site...
...Judging from the response, the article made people think...
...Never has he asked his residents how they acquired the virus...
...From the editors: The editors have no excuse but can provide one for the author: the comma before "and their husbands" was a copy editor's unwarranted addition...
...As a fan of Tip O'Neill, I would like to believe that, in one sense at least, Mrs...
...How wise...
...ALBERT C. PIERCE Alexandria...
...Protestant scholars picked up on Simon's work and developed it...
...Bossuet and other French theologians were highly critical of his work and forced the Holy Office to put it on the Index...
...We apoIogize...
Vol. 125 • February 1998 • No. 3
