Reluctant are the Brave

A wise management axiom goes, “if you’re not afraid, you don’t understand the situation.” That may be why the business world seems to love reluctant leaders. According to a recent article in the “bible” of the business world, the Harvard…

Not Hungry, yet Starving to Death

We’re starving. Our culture is, at least. In advanced stages of starvation, appetite is lost—as is the energy to consume anything of substance. Apathy also sets in. Sound familiar? We’ve binged on news of moral apathy for quite some time…

Living through Decades of Mysteries

Whether we pray it or not, our lives can be like the mysteries of the rosary—joyful with glimpses of sorrow or sorrowful with hints of joy. Much of that depends on our own spiritual health and that of our families.…

The Gift for One Who Has Everything

What’s the first Christmas gift you remember receiving? Whatever it was, it was probably what you always wanted—and it was also probably from mom and/or dad. Somehow they always knew your heart’s desire. Now, do you remember the first Christmas…

The greatness of the least

A famous quote from William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night applies to the stars of each of our three readings for this third Sunday of Advent: “Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great. Some achieve greatness. And others have greatness…

Truth takes courage, gives peace

As we prepare for the Christmas season, it might be useful to contemplate how we resemble our kids. Childhood is when we master situational righteousness. Think of the little child waiting in the department store line summoning up the guts…

Protection from the Enemy Within

In this age of security insecurity, the best solution is the oldest: get to know your neighbors. That rule applies double if your neighbor’s house has a monster generator and a bomb shelter stocked with supplies. But even if you…

Getting broken pieces to fit perfectly

People like to identify themselves using job titles. Our sense of integrity seems tied to our specialties. But for those with faith, our integrity must come from collaborating with each other to make something out of our brokenness. Yes, we’re…

Mining Value from Our Big Dig

We can all learn a valuable lesson about intrinsic value from our canine friends. Think about how dogs instinctively retrieve bones they’ve buried. They sense what a bone can mean to their survival—so they’ll not only find it a secret…