This Sunday's reading from the Letter of James offers what many would consider an apt description of what led Wall Street to near collapse this past year: "Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice." On the one-year anniversary of Lehman Brothers' bankruptcy filing, which sparked the meltdown, President Barack Obama traveled to New York Monday to deliver a stern message to Congress and the financial community ...

We join the psalmist's refrain this Sunday in declaring that "the Lord upholds my life." Those who feared world famine in the 1960s are praising scientist and Nobel Peace Prize-winner Norman Borlaug, who died Saturday at the age of 95. Borlaug is known as the father of the "green revolution" that led to a doubling of world food production between 1960 and 1990.

In Sunday's reading from the Book of Wisdom the just one is put to the test through a trial of patience. World powers who believe Iran has been unjustly testing their patience through its refusal to talk about its nuclear program were pleased this week that the nation had agreed to sit down to negotiations next month, the first such discussions in more than a year.

In this Sunday's gospel Jesus predicts his approaching death in terms his disciples find troubling. Executives at France Telecom, troubled by an "infernal spiral" of suicides among employees struggling to cope with corporate dislocations, announced new measures and counseling programs this week. There have been 22 suicides and 13 attempted suicides at the firm since last year.

"Some may be surprised to hear former generals and admirals talk about climate change and clean energy. But they shouldn't be, because in the military we learn quickly that reducing threats and vulnerabilities is essential well before you get into harm's way."

Almost 90 percent of U.S. home loans in 2009 have been either funded or guaranteed by the federal government.