Fr Joseph EsperIn 1985 the country of Lebanon in the Middle East was undergoing something of a civil war, marked by terrorism, bombings, and frequent fighting among rival groups. It was a very dangerous place, even for journalists—as an American named Terry...
Several centuries ago there was a famous painting showing a young man playing chess with the devil—a game in which the young man’s soul was at stake. Every chess piece on the board was clearly visible in the painting, and it portrayed the instant...
Once there was a man named Pete whose life was both difficult and inspiring. He was raised by very devout parents who did everything possible to plant and nourish the seeds of Christian faith within their son. However, when Pete grew up and got out...
Once upon a time there was a poor, unremarkable kingdom that had only one claim to fame: its king owned, as a family heirloom, a magnificent diamond of amazing beauty and perfection. He kept this treasure on display in a special room in his castle...
One Sunday afternoon in New York City, a man named Steve got on the subway and found a seat in a quiet car. Some of the people were reading the newspaper; others were dozing, and some were thinking or contemplating with their eyes closed...
One of the effects of original sin is that, as human beings, we tend to be self-centered, and often have an overly-exalted opinion of ourselves. For instance, when Napoleon was planning his great invasion of Russia in 1812, someone warned him, “Sir...
I once read an interesting philosophy volume called Ten Books that Screwed Up the World (MJF Books, 2008). The author, Professor Benjamin Wiker, identifies and describes those books he believes have had the worst influence on human history. The...
Two construction workers, Mack and Fred, were arguing about religion while working on a job one summer morning. Mack was a non-believer, while Fred had just been received into the Church at Easter. Mack sneered, “You don’t really believe all those...
Over thirty years ago an anonymous author wrote this reflection: “I was waiting for the subway train to come. It was bitter cold—near zero, with a windchill factor of 30 below zero. It was late at night, and a few of us stood inside a small shelter...
If we were to compile a list of the greatest comedy and entertainment teams of the past century, almost everyone would agree that George Burns and his wife Gracie Allen would be on that list. They had many classic routines together, in which Gracie...