[NOTE TO READER: In paragraph 22, the Hebrew word ruach is pronounced “ROO-ark.”] The promise of Pentecost is baptism. “The one coming after me,” the Baptist promised, “will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” This Pentecostal promise speaks not of some infantile christening, the dribbling of water across the crown, water wiped…

Hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunami waves fascinate us. Their destructive force seems to come out of nowhere to wreak havoc upon man and nature. Television gives many people the chance to watch their devastation from a safe distance, so that they mean only fantastic images in the mind’s eye. A different experience falls to…

In Miss Manner’s «Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior,» much is made of thank-you notes, especially thank you notes for wedding presents. One of her sample letters reads as follows: Dear Aunt Patience: Rhino and I are thrilled with the magnificent silver sugar shaker you sent us. It adds not only beauty and dignity to our…