I couldn't understand all the lyrics — the Spanish was centuries old, and my family lost our Indigenous language long ago. But the 17th-century songs evoked not just the birth of Christ, but the birth of Mexico itself.
The release of a major motion picture on the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer has reignited a long-simmering battle between those who seek to learn from Bonhoeffer's life and those who seek to use it for their own purposes.
Is there an approach to forgiveness that honors human agency, requires neither apologies nor reconciliation, needn't be earned or deserved, and isn't a "get out of jail free" card or a concession to undue pressure?
One can only wonder if Sri Lankan Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith has thought through the implications of not following the provisions of canon law that allow women and girls to assist at the altar, to be near the sacred.
Much-revered Mahatma Gandhi reminded Christian missionaries that "a life of service and uttermost simplicity is the best preaching" to people living in this part of the world.
Bishops dodge accountability by requiring an abusive "Litany of Lament." Massgoers should not be forced to ask for God's mercy for the crimes of clergy against children and vulnerable people. The faithful did not commit these sins.
