Many years ago, I helped arrange a retreat for the men of the parish that I was serving in at that time. The retreat was to begin on a Friday evening and conclude on Sunday morning. Twenty-five men signed up for the retreat. On Thursday afternoon...
In the Gospel of Matthew (5:38-48), Jesus speaks to us regarding our disposition. Now, perhaps more than at any other time, the obvious question might be: Should we take him seriously? At Mass, usually we give the Gospel our undivided attention, but...
On a warm Thursday evening one summer, a man named Rick was playing catch in the back yard with his eight-year-old son Jared. Rick could tell something was on Jared’s mind, but he waited until his son was ready to bring it up. Finally Jared asked...
What do you see when you look behind the jail bars? What do you think when you pass by the drug user strung out on the sidewalk? What about the man who commits suicide leaving behind his kids and mother? Do we think about how repulsive the criminal...
“Your children love you more than anyone has ever loved me.” This unsettling statement was delivered to me by a member of my dissertation committee when my children were small. I confess that I had not given significant thought to my children’s love...
Have you ever felt like a failure? Have you ever told yourself that you are too ugly or too fat to wear something? Have you ever not done an activity because you felt that you were not good enough? Have you ever told yourself you are unworthy and...
I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. (Luke 16:9) What could possibly be the meaning of such an obscure phrase? Evidently both back then and nowadays...
A teenage boy named David grew up on a farm during the Great Depression in the 1930s, and he had a big, black Scottish shepherd whom he named Teddy. Teddy was totally devoted to David, and would do anything for his master; he ran to greet him each...
