The Sunday reading from the Acts of the Apostles says “there arose no little dissension and debate” in Antioch over whether or not circumcision was required of Gentile men interested in joining the early Christian community. There is also debate and dissension today over whether Syria . . .

“May God have pity on us,” begins this Sunday’s responsorial psalm. Many a hungry person in Somalia during that nation’s terrible 2011 famine surely voiced a similar prayer. A report published Thursday reveals that the famine killed an estimated 260,000 people, half of them under the age of 6. The estimate is more than double . . .

Dissent in Antioch about the status of Gentiles was resolved through the intervention of Paul and Barnabas and the elders in Jerusalem. Dissent in the military about the status of a newly created Distinguished Warfare Medal to be awarded to cyber-warriors such as drone operators who never set foot . . .

As we move deeper into the Easter season this Sunday, Jesus prepares his disciples for his Ascension with these words: “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me tell you, ‘I am going away and I will come back to you.' ” The editors . . .

“The kidnapping of two men of peace is a sign of the terrible violence that is destroying the fabric of Syrian society.” 

60 percent of Americans said they were disappointed or angry about the U.S. Senate's recent rejection of gun-control legislation; 23 percent said they were relieved or excited by the same news.