The Word Among Us

February 2006 Issue

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

"Love is what prevails when the randomness of nature creates tragedy: Stuff happens . . . and sometimes very, very bad stuff happens. Tornadoes happen, earthquakes happen, hurricanes happen . . . but it is love that prevails. It is love that redeems. It is love that washes over us and fills our hearts with caring." More »

Of all the ways that the apostle Paul has been described over the centuries, one word has stood the test of time: "confident." Some have called him brash, others abrupt, and still others aggressive, but underlying all of these is Paul’s unfailing confidence in the Lord and in his calling. Not only was Paul bold when it came to proclaiming the gospel, he also had great confidence in God’s love and in his care. More »

An earthquake in Pakistan kills nearly eighty thousand people. A tsunami overwhelms the coastline of the Indian Ocean, killing more than two hundred fifty thousand people. A hurricane slams into the southern United States and causes flooding that kills nearly one thousand people. A mudslide in Central America causes six hundred people to be buried alive in a matter of minutes. More »

Special Feature

Mother Teresa often saw God in the "poorest of the poor." Twice in my life, I was one of these most needy ones. Once it was as a beggar, sitting with an empty coffee cup on the steps of churches, looking for coins from Sunday morning Mass-goers. But before that had come a time of spiritual poverty, when I was among the poorest of the poor without realizing it. It was during this dark season that I received my first alms—not from kindly passersby, but from God himself. More »

In 1831, Frédéric Ozanam left his family and home in Lyon, France, to begin studies at the University of Paris, the Sorbonne. He was eighteen, with exceptional intellectual abilities, a zest for work, and a deep faith. Within ten years, he had obtained doctorates in law and literature and was becoming one of the most celebrated thinkers and writers of his day. More »

I have a very blessed life." My breakfast companion, Julie, looked over at me with incredulity. "How can you say that?" she asked, knowing the summer I had just experienced and what lay ahead. Last June started with my husband being laid off for the fourth time, and just weeks earlier, I had been diagnosed with a potentially life-threatening disease. More »