For such a seemingly meek man, Mr. Rogers wielded a lot of power in his neighborhood. Many young adults grew up watching Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood on Public Television, finding solace in his humble, friendly, accepting manner. He offered them the…
A half century ago, my mother had a Scotch tape dispenser with this little piece of Pennsylvania Dutch wisdom inscribed on its side: “We grow too soon old and too late smart.” In today’s era of pervasive marketing, the Scotch…
Charles Krauthammer had every reason to welcome death. As if being paralyzed from the neck down weren’t enough, recently this award-winning journalist and commentator was diagnosed with inoperable cancer that left him with weeks to live. By the standards of…
A well-dressed elderly couple rang our doorbell the other day. After sharing greetings, one question from them told me they were either insurance salespeople or Jehovah’s Witnesses. “Are you worried about your future?,” one asked. “Who’s asking?,” I asked. “We’re…
See if you can guess where and when the following text first appeared: “A good turn need only be a very small one; if it is only to put a halfpenny into a poor box, or to help an old…
Cops are often criticized for trying to play God. Most good cops try to avoid that impression, but they can’t help relating to God—or at least to His son. One veteran cop I knew demonstrated that by his seating choice…
Nothing is uglier than a bad separation—except a separation with a restraining order. We’re witnesses to the aftermath of humanity’s separation from God in this Sunday’s liturgy honoring the solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. In…
“Fake news” is the cliché of our current political environment. But as a concept fake news is as old as scripture. Matthew described its spread in his gospel account of Christ’s resurrection (Sunday’s gospel reading). The guards posted at Christ’s…
The 2000-year survival of Christianity is Christ’s greatest miracle—because it’s eternal, as he is. When you think how drastically culture and language change in the course of only a century, you realize how amazing it is that people are still…
Before his Ascension, Christ promised his apostles the gift of the Holy Spirit. That gift was the power behind their Acts. But imagine if they had received that gift in their pre-Pentecost state—when their egos and wish for the comforts…