There’s a pivotal scene in the Clint Eastwood Western, “Unforgiven,” where two hired guns talk about the killing they just pulled off. One of them, a newbie, feels pangs of guilt and contrition. Then he tries to justify what the two of them just did, telling his grizzled partner, “I guess they had it comin’.” […]

As we enter the season of waiting—otherwise known as Advent—it might be helpful to think of those for whom waiting is an intolerable way of life. These are people longing for what our faith tells them should be a constant spiritual presence. Yet, they can’t reach out and touch it with THEIR faith. The result […]

If you ever need proof that our sins of omission are as bad as or worse than any sins we commit, look no further than humanity’s reaction to Nazi Germany. History has judged those who let the Holocaust happen as no better than those who ignited it.   One of the best descriptions of such […]

If our lives are investments God makes to maximize the profit we return, we have to believe the wisdom reflected in the Book of Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, supporting the old maxim, “there’s strength in numbers.” Two are better than one: They get a good wage for their toil. If the one falls, the other will help […]

Many believe scientists become atheists as they decode the secrets of the universe. Turns out, the more information they uncover, the closer many of them get to God. Author Melanie Phillips, in her book “The World Turned Upside Down—the Global Battle over God, Truth and Power,” writes that “science was motivated from the start by […]

All Saints Day is a good time to meditate on what a saint is. In many cases they’re simple people who were either martyred or persecuted for their fearless dedication to God. I grew up in a time when we thought saints were history. We didn’t realize they lived among us, too. My family and […]

The City of Independence, Ohio provides a welcome packet to new residents. Among the services and amenities detailed is a program called “25 & Alive,” designed to help parents get their children through this obstacle course called life until they reach 25. The brochure describes the “science” behind the goal of getting your kid beyond […]

If you’ve seen “The Chosen,” the crowd-funded streaming TV series about the life of Christ, you know its creators have taken some liberties with the gospels to make them more accessible to modern (and young) audiences. One liberty is their depiction of Matthew—the tax collector turned disciple of Christ. He’s portrayed as “on the spectrum,” […]

People suffering with some misfortune are often told “Pray. It really works.” Some might argue this is a bit disrespectful. To God, I mean. Trying to make something work requires calculation and assumes some level of control on our part. “If I do this, something good will happen.” Seems a bit manipulative—like carrying a good […]

The New-Hollywood stars who tried helping their kids cheat their way into college could have learned a valuable lesson from the ghost of an Old-Hollywood star: Boris Karloff. In one of his lesser known roles for a 50s-era TV anthology series (Studio One), Karloff played a scientist about to receive the Nobel Prize for his […]