worth noting . . .

THE FATHERHOOD OF GOD . . . One point Jesus made crystal clear in his teaching is that God is his Father and our Father. True Christians invoke God the Father every day. In this issue Professor Paul C. Vitz, a psychologist at New York University who is also a convert to Catholicism, gathers abundant evidence from psychology to show that the idea of the fatherhood of God has a positive influence in helping both men and women achieve gender identity and human maturity. Some feminists reject Church teaching that God is their Father. Dr. Vitz argues that they are wrong not only in theology but also from the point of view of psychology (p. 7).

THE POPE AND ECUMENISM . . . There is no doubt that Pope John Paul II takes the ecumenical directive of the Second Vatican Council very seriously. In his 1995 Encyclical Letter, Ut Unum Sint, he lists the ecumenical task as one of his "pastoral priorities." This month we are offering you a penetrating article on this matter by Fr. J. Michael Miller, C.S.B. He sees the Pope's theology of communion as basic to his efforts to achieve Christian unity (p. 20).

PRAYERLESS RETREATS FOR PRIESTS . . . With the advent of ongoing formation of priests after ordination, it might help to consider what is actually going on in some of these so-called "retreats." This month a young priest, Fr. John J. Lombardi recounts for us his experiences at one of these workshops. According to him, the one he was subjected to concentrated more on humanistic psychology than it did on growth in the Catholic faith and increased holiness by following a program of proven asceticism. Should our priests be subjected to self-esteem facilitators, sensitivity sessions and meaningless psychobabble? (p. 28)

FULL OF PARADOXES . . . The Christian faith and the life based on it is full of paradoxes, that is, apparent contradictions which, upon closer examination, turn out to express the truth. In this issue Fr. Victor B. Brezik, C.S.B., highlights a few paradoxes, such as Christ as both God and man, the Bread of Life which is not bread but the Body of Christ. If a priest is to represent Christ to the people he must, like Jesus, be a sign of contradiction (p. 43).

-K.B.