americamagazine.org Media Bias for Past 90 Days

The New York City ballet brings new life to the parable of the Prodigal Son

social issue

The parable of the prodigal son is intended to be shocking in two ways. First, in a request that is almost cruel in its audacity, a son asks his father for his inheritance now, before his father’s death. The second shock is that, even after the son wastes that inheritance, the father not only forgives but rejoices at his return.
americamagazine.org     Feb 26, 2021

Searching for Beauty in the Age of Instagram

A few weeks ago, my mom came back from a trip to Moab, Utah, bearing gifts: a miniature orange buffalo made of calcite, a flamingo-pink ball cap and a half-dollar-sized hunk of fool’s gold. My family chatted around the dinner table as I rolled the cool rock around in my palm, new hat on head, letting it glint in the kitchen light. “Man, this thing should be beautiful to me,” I thought to myself. A hundred little surfaces winked gold, shadow, gleam.
americamagazine.org     Feb 18, 2021

For the first time, Pope Francis appoints a woman with the right to vote as undersecretary of the synod of bishops

33k 🔥       religion and belief

Breaking with tradition and opening a new door in the synodal process, Pope Francis has appointed a woman, Nathalie Becquart, a member of the Xavière Sisters, Missionaries of Jesus Christ, in France, as one of two new undersecretaries of the synod of bishops. As such, she will have the right to vote in the synod. It is the first time this right has been given to a woman in the synod and raises the prospect that the right could be extended to other women participants at future synods.
americamagazine.org     Feb 06, 2021

Brazil has an ally in the fight against Covid vaccination disinformation: The Catholic Church.

health

Brazil is famous for having one of the most successful public vaccination programs in the world. Every year, more than 300 million doses of serums and vaccines are produced and distributed throughout the continent-sized country.
americamagazine.org     Jan 29, 2021

Here’s what you need to know about Poland’s abortion ban — and the protests against it.

unrest, conflicts and war

Protests erupted throughout Poland in October when the federal Constitutional Tribunal ordered a near-total ban on abortion. Since then, thousands of Poles, defying the country’s Covid-19 safety regulations, have joined street marches protesting the ruling, and Poland’s bishops’ conference called for peace after protestors disrupted Masses and vandalized churches.
americamagazine.org     Jan 28, 2021

God’s voice or mine? 7 tips on what to listen to in prayer

religion and belief

Of course all prayer is mediated through our consciousness, but when I say, “What’s coming from God and what’s coming from me?” most people know what I am talking about. There is a difference between
americamagazine.org     Jan 21, 2021

Review: In the crosshairs of the F.B.I.

art and culture

On Aug. 27, 1949, Paul Robeson, the All-American footballer, opera star and popular music performer of “Ol’ Man River” and other songs, was set to headline a benefit concert in Peekskill, about 30 miles north of New York City. Presented by People’s Artists, a union music organization co-founded by Pete Seeger, the concert was to benefit the Harlem chapter of the Civil Rights Congress for the defense of individuals accused under the 1940 Smith Act of being members of the Communist Party USA.
americamagazine.org     Jan 21, 2021

Can defendants get a fair trial at the Vatican? The Vatican decides it doesn’t want to hear Italy’s answer

crime, law and justice

ROME (AP) — The Vatican on Monday abruptly abandoned its extradition request for an Italian woman wanted on embezzlement-related charges in a case that could have tested whether Italy considers the Vatican a place where someone can get a fair trial.
americamagazine.org     Jan 19, 2021

MLK believed there was ‘no slave nor free’ in Christ. A trip to Alaska taught me there’s no Black, white or Eskimo either.

religion and belief

One of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s favorite Bible verses comes from the letter of St. Paul to the Galatians: “In Christ, there is neither Jew, nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (3:28). Raised Catholic, I was familiar with those words. But it took an unforgettable trip to Alaska for me to appreciate what they might mean in my own life.
americamagazine.org     Jan 18, 2021

What will it take to end to the death penalty? Catholic activists say a more visceral approach is needed.

crime, law and justice

The federal death penalty will almost certainly be suspended under President Biden, and great strides have been made to reduce the use of the death penalty at the state level. But the work of putting an end to capital punishment is far from done, and recent events have pointed to the need for a conversion of U.S. culture from death and vengeance.
americamagazine.org     Jan 13, 2021

Amazon Prime’s ‘Sound of Metal’ explores a musician’s journey into deafness—and himself

art and culture

Darius Marder’s directorial debut “Sound of Metal,” now streaming on Amazon Prime, is in many regards a simple film. It stars Riz Ahmed (“The Night Of”), who plays Ruben Stone, a punk metal drummer who loses his hearing. The film’s low-budget production is a study in how quality filmmaking can be achieved with few resources.
americamagazine.org     Jan 09, 2021

My Prayer as I Struggle With Our Nation After the Capitol Riot

1k 🔥      

I hold those who violently betrayed democracy.I see your bruises from elitism, your fury from being ignored, your lament for the lack of opportunity to climb the ladder as your father did. I see the ways in which the American dream has failed to deliver on its promise, has left so many in empty towns with hollowed echoes of an economic future. I’ve repeatedly witnessed your despair explode into white supremacy, xenophobia, toxic masculinity and violence. You’re being targeted, manipulated and lied to for President Trump’s gain.
americamagazine.org     Jan 09, 2021