A Mother’s Good Looks
On Mother’s Day, Moms finally get to enjoy some of the fruits of their labor. The children bearing that fruit do so as a result of the combined love and discipline Mom taught them—many times, with just a look. Those…
Love’s a Gift; Life’s a Grant
No one seeking power in U.S. government gets far by touting religious beliefs. However, everyone in government puts their hand over their heart while reciting the Pledge of Allegiance—and concludes by saying “one nation under God…” So why would a…
Jesus Made the Best of Frenemies
Online workplace environments and chat room are the favorite hideouts of frenemies. Columnist Walter Winchell coined that term in the 1950s when referring to the Russians, but if Jesus had spoken English, he might have come up with it first.…
Lost or Just Cloistered in our Wilderness?
After the trials and tortures they saw their crucified Master suffer as a result of his public ministry, you can imagine Christ’s disciples yearning for a more cloistered life of solitary prayer. Such a life could have sheltered them from…
Ignorance isn’t our dominant family trait
One of the last things Jesus said before dying was “Father forgive them, they know not what they do.” That “them” might have included his disciples. Maybe that’s why, before his ascension, Jesus came back to have a few more…
Finding Wisdom through Godly Eyes
Many of us in this hyper-political world see everything through partisan glasses. Depending on your political philosophy, our society’s greatest faults require either controlling or taxing. Human bureaucracy to the rescue. From that perspective, people of the early Church (after…
The Uprising of an Easter Crop
There are dozens of Easter songs about rising and resurrection. All of them have spiritually uplifting messages about Christ’s—and therefore OUR—rising from the dead. One inspirational song about rising is about flood waters. Johnny Cash wrote “How High’s the Water,…
The Call of God’s Jazz
The Passion that we read on Palm Sunday is like a jazz score. Its truth is perceived between the notes and beyond the words. The key moments feature people doing seemingly senseless things in response to God’s call. This kind…
The Saint in Our Smile
Sunday’s gospel reading (Jn 12:20-33) shows Jesus at a crucial time in his ministry, and we’re reading it at a crucial time in our history. Toward the end of his earthly life, Jesus’ message was reaching far beyond its original…
Embrace Your Inner Barney Fife
We can learn much from Barney Fife of the old Andy Griffith Show. This hapless deputy who continuously lived in the shadow of his boss, Sheriff Andy Taylor, wore the uniform of a lawman, but not well. He was the…