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“The fast is a time for me to remind myself, to reclaim myself, to be in charge of my body and not simply respond to random physical promptings. This is just something that I look forward to more and more every year and it gives me more time to recognize my strength in prayer.” More
The humanitarian crisis mounts as hundreds of thousands of refugees flee war in Syria; people under the age of 30 leave behind traditional religious affiliations but not necessarily religious beliefs; and Jean Vanier wins the 2015 Templeton Prize for “affirming life’s spiritual dimension” in his dedication to helping the mentally disabled. More
“I put myself into their place. I would be in the same situation. I would be the one who escaped from the war, from this conflict, and they came here and you know Turkish hospitality,” says Savas Metin, general secretary of the Turkish nongovernmental aid organization called Kimse Yok Mu. “They came to our country, and it is our duty to help them.” More
“A couple of years ago the responses we saw from local communities hosting Syrian refugees—not the government, but just your average person—very impressive,” says Daryl Grisgraber, senior advocate at Refugees International. “But four years on that can only be kept up for so long.” More
“You have a generation that is saying we are tapping out of religion in many ways. But what they are not saying is that we are tapping out of a serious search for meaning in life,” says Erwin McManus, pastor and founder of MOSAIC church in Los Angeles. “In fact, if anything there is an incredible and profound hunger in millennials saying if there is something beyond this life I want to connect to it.” More
Forty-two years ago, in a village south of Paris, a French-Canadian created a home where the mentally disabled could live in dignity and where others could learn from them the value of sharing and acceptance. There is now a worldwide network of these communities called L’Arche, the French word for Ark, a symbol of hope. More
Read more of Judy Valente’s May 4, 2006 interview in Chicago with Jean Vanier, founder of L’Arche, a worldwide network of communities for the mentally disabled. More
The growing appeal of ISIS and other extremist groups in the West; for-profit companies that try to solve social and environmental problems; and the gospel music and spiritual journey of five blind boys from Alabama. More
Young recruits to radical Islam “don’t have the knowledge base to fend off manipulation of the religion that these groups are doing to convince them this is the way they can be the best Muslims they can be,” says security studies professor Mia Bloom. More
“It’s an opportunity for us to not just think about the bottom line, which is important. But there are other things that are as important,” says Suzanne McDowell, co-CEO of King Arthur Flour Company. “The environment, our society, community, all of our shareholders—not just the bottom line.” More