And Jesus replied, “Then every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old.” (Matthew 13:52) This is an obscure yet intriguing sentence...
In the final scene of Frank Capra’s 1946 movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, George Bailey is toasted as “the richest man in town.” Why? Now, if you have seen this classic movie, you will remember that after his father died, the burdens of...
Over 100 years ago there was an elderly widow in Scotland whose only son had gone to America to seek his fortune. He became very successful and prosperous. This didn’t help the widow, however; she was so poor the entire community had to support her...
In 1923 an important business meeting was held in Chicago, and among those attending were nine of the world’s most successful money-makers: the presidents of the largest independent steel company, utility company, and gas company; the greatest wheat...
The Milan Cathedral (the Duomo) is one of the largest and most beautiful in all the world. There are inscriptions over the three main entranceways. Above the right-hand door are the words, “All that pleases is but for a moment.” The words over the...
“Just give it to the poor” Recently, those words were hurled at me by a friend. His thoughts, I suppose, are fairly representative of many Catholics frustrated with the current state of affairs in many U.S. dioceses. Specifically, with...
Once upon a time there was a court jester who said something so foolish that the king, as a joke, handed him a staff and said, “Here, jester; take this and keep it until you find a bigger fool than yourself.” Many years later the king, now a very...
