The souls of our shoes: A reflection on Egypt

On Thursday night, as Mubarak defiantly refused to step down from the presidency, the demonstrators in Cairo’s Tahrir Square held their shoes high above their heads, making visible their soles and directing them symbolically toward Mubarak.  In the Arab world, this action—showing someone the sole of your shoe— is a sign of upmost disrespect.  Raising …

Modern day prophets

The theme of this year’s Ignatian Family Teach-In is “Prophetic lives: Caminando juntos (Walking together).” This idea is taken from the words of Oscar Romero, the former archbishop of San Salvador who was murdered while saying Mass in 1980.  During the brutal civil war, he advocated for the protection of the poor in his country, …