The Harrisburg Conspiracy: The Berrigans and the Catholic Left

Praying for Enemies September 1, 2020

by Jim Forest “But I say to you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”[1] In a single sentence Jesus links love of enemies with prayer for them. In fact prayer is the essential first step without which love of enemies would be hardly possible. If we have any interest in attempting […]

Contemplation and Resistance: A Dialogue Between Thich Nhat Hanh and Daniel Berrigan August 29, 2020

Source: WIN magazine, vol ix, nr 17, June 4, 1973, pp. 4-10 What follows is the slightly edited transcript of a conversation recorded in Paris January 4 between Thich Nhat Hanh and Daniel Berrigan, the one a Buddhist monk and Zen master, the other a Catholic priest well known for animosity to draft records and […]

Conscience and War: Saying Yes, Saying No August 28, 2020

by Jim Forest [written for the journal The Wheel and published in the Spring-Summer 2020 issue. See:https://www.wheeljournal.com.] Terrence Malick’s new film, A Hidden Life, is closely based on the life of Franz Jägerstätter, an Austrian farmer who was beheaded in Berlin in 1943 for refusing to make an oath of allegiance to Hitler or serve […]

Christ’s Attack on Hell April 20, 2020

The icon most often displayed in Orthodox churches and homes during the Paschal season portrays Christ’s attack on hell. “You have descended into the abyss of the earth, O Christ,” the Orthodox Church sings at Pascha, “and have broken down the eternal doors which imprison those who are bound, and like Jonah after three days […]