Here are your weekend must reads. A review of the latest Bob Dylan album, in which the singer-songwriter wrestles with an ongoing death to self. A new book chronicles the courage of Catholic resisters to the Vietnam War. A doula writes about dealing with the pain of miscarriage and loss.
Bob Dylan explores death to self in 'Rough and Rowdy Ways'
One bright spot for Fr. John Gribowich lately was the unexpected release of a new Bob Dylan album in June. The album, entitled "Rough and Rowdy Ways" was announced via social media after Dylan released two of its tracks earlier during the pandemic.
"Being an obsessive Dylan fan," Gribowich writes. "I very much looked forward to what the Nobel Prize laureate had to offer the world during this unprecedented time."
The singer-songwriter does not disappoint, Gribowich says and even as he approaches his 80th birthday, he is still able to reinvent himself and surprise even his most loyal fans.
"The dark sound and lyrics of the album initially suggest Dylan's personal wrestle with mortality, yet I find that this record is not a 'swan song' or the musings of an old man who is waiting to die," he says. " 'Rough and Rowdy Ways' highlights an ongoing death to self, which every person must choose to embrace."
You can read more about the album release here.
Book chronicles reckless courage of Catholic resistance to Vietnam War
YBurglar for Peace follows the trajectory of opposition to the Vietnam War, from draft resistance to massive anti-war protests, with a particular focus on a community of radical activists, including Jesuit Fr. Daniel Berrigan, Philip Berrigan and Elizabeth McAllister.
In her review of the book, Marie Dennis writes about how author Ted Glick's "intense, personal account of conversion, call, apparently reckless courage and careful discernment is a thought-provoking backdrop to the powerful anti-racism uprising and the increasingly obvious systemic failure claiming the attention of a pandemic-stressed world this year."
"He rightly recognized that most people today know very little about activities of the Catholic left during the Vietnam War; he tells that story very well," she writes. "He also rightly assumed that insights gained through his own decades of activism for peace, social justice and environmental causes could be of use to contemporary social movements. He shares those lessons very effectively as well."
Read more of the book review here.
More headlines
- When dealing with miscarriage and stillbirth, the work of a doula changes, writes Rebecca Christian. Many people do not know how to grieve these losses, or if it is even OK to grieve a baby they may have never seen
- Scripture reflections from St. Joseph Sr. Mary M. McGlone on the Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time.
- ICYMI: Questions have been raised about how the church should determine whether a lay movement should be reformed or dissolved when there is abuse or corruption
- ICYMI: In Italy, a person's support for — or opposition to — Pope Francis has a stronger connection to their political affiliation or worldview than to their faith, a recent survey concluded.
Weekend wrap-up
The Vatican's report on how disgraced ex-cardinal Theodore McCarrick was able to rise through the American Catholic hierarchy despite reports of inappropriate relationships with young men is expected to be released Tuesday. You can be sure that NCR is following this story closely. Stay tuned.
See you next weekend,
Stephanie Yeagle
NCR Production/Online Editor
[email protected]
Twitter: @ncrSLY
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