Toward the end of the 19th century a man in North Carolina named William Sydney Porter was convicted of embezzlement or stealing from his employer, and sent to prison. Though a convicted criminal, his short life ended up having a happy ending—for it...
A young woman preparing to bake a ham sliced off the ends before putting it into the cooking pan. Her little daughter was watching her, and asked, “Mommy, why did you do that?” The woman answered, “Because that’s the way my mother always did it...
The 20th-century Dutch Catholic priest, Fr. Henri Nouwen, noted that “we should pay attention to the people God puts in our path if we want to discern what God is up to in our lives.” How many of us sit in awe and wonder regarding the...
Pentecost is the birthday of the Church! Its conception had been very quiet: from the side of the first Adam asleep, Eve, the mother of humanity, came forth. From the opened side of Jesus, asleep in death, on mount Calvary, mother Church was...
About a month ago I went to enjoy a drink after work with a colleague of mine. I particularly looked forward to this afternoon, as it was with one of the most respected members of our school’s faculty. As our conversation began, the topic alternated...
Once there was a doctor who was known for being both a kind and caring person and a very competent physician. Over the years he became well-off financially, and was able to afford nice things, including fine clothing, but twice a year he wore a...
In January of 2013, there were two funerals, almost at the same time, of men I had known briefly in this life. One was Stan the Man Musial who died on the 19th. His funeral approximated that of kings, queens and powerful heads of state. Everyone who...
In an 1894 letter to her newlywed cousin, St. Therese of Lisieux wrote: “I am asking our Lord to be as generous to you as He was to the bridal pair at Cana. May He invariably change the water into wine! I mean, may He prolong His gift of...
