“He has done all things well,” the people conclude of Jesus in this Sunday’s gospel after he heals a man who was both deaf and had a speech impediment. When it comes to economic competi-tiveness, however, the U.S. is not doing as well . . .

The Letter of James this Sunday cautions against putting the pretences of those who enter the assembly in “gold rings and fine clothes” ahead of God’s care and concern for the poor. Saying the church is “200 years out of date,” former archbishop of Milan Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, S.J. gave a scathing portrayal of a bureaucratic church . . .

“The Lord protects strangers,” the psalmist declares this Sunday. Catholic colleges do a pretty good job at that, too, at least according to an increasing number of Muslim students who choose to attend Roman Catholic schools rather than secular ones . . .

The second reading this Sunday encourages early Christians to “adhere to the faith” but also to “show no partiality” among believers. Contemporary Christians appear to be taking that counsel to heart, with a large number of evangelicals willing to support a Republican presidential ticket . . .

“The international community is not drawing a clear red line for Iran, and Iran does not see international determination to stop its nuclear program."

A recent WIN-Gallup poll showed that the number of Americans who said they are religious dropped from 73 percent in 2005 to 60 percent. The number of people who reported they were atheists rose from 1 to 5 percent.