One evening, while teaching a group of college students, I explored an idea set forth by the 18th-century Scottish philosopher, Adam Smith. In his Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776), Smith noted that each of us have...
The readings for our Eucharistic celebration on the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time offer a clear suggestion which is as great as it is unusual. It is the call to serve each other and to give our life in ransom for many. Unless we were ever held for...
Years ago, I was reminded of the old Broadway play Funny Girl, starring Barbra Streisand. I vividly remember taking a lady friend during Christmas week in 1965 to see what proved to be her last performance. I was most touched by Streisand’s...
I was exhausted. Thirty years ago, after having been coaxed into running for a political office, I had just spent a year campaigning. On election evening, the votes were tallied and the good people of the town where I lived rendered their collective...
Polls reveal that a large majority of Catholics have a positive view of Pope Francis. However, far fewer look to him for moral guidance. (In one study, only 11% did.) It is therefore difficult to know how many Catholics are...
No matter how self-confident and bold we might feel we could all have certain people who intimidate us. We sense a majestic aura around them, weightiness and a penetrating force emanating from them that leaves us with no place for hiding our...
