Upgrade your state of reunion

Judging from the top viral videos, we’re all suckers for reunions—especially those involving military people who have been separated from their families for many months. You can see hours of these moments online—including those involving pets reacting to their returned…

The King who got into Herod’s head

“How many thousand of my poorest subjects are at this hour asleep! O sleep, O gentle sleep, nature’s soft nurse, how have I frighted thee, that thou no more wilt weigh my eyelids down and steep my senses in forgetfulness?…

An Appointment with Father Time

In the early 1960s, writer Rod Serling used his Twilight Zone TV series to tell enlightening parables for his time. They often had a shocking twist at the end. If Serling were alive today, this Sunday’s mass readings might have…

Faith ignites perpetual light

Watching the movie “The Song of Bernadette” the other night made me think of Christmas tree lights—the old annoying series-wired kind.  A string of these lights goes dark when one bulb goes bad. But using the glass-half-full perspective, you could…

Prayer offers us a stronger leg to stand on

The running gag throughout A Christmas Story (the movie about a boy and his coveted b-b gun) is how Ralphie keeps leaving little clues for his parents about what he wants for Christmas.  He’s afraid his wish would never be…

Crumpled but redeemable

Would you take the time to stoop and rescue a crumpled, filthy piece of paper from the sidewalk on your journey to an important appointment? You probably would if you recognized Ben Franklin’s face peering through the dirt. That little…

Waiting for Wisdom to conquer us

It’s easy to believe that Hollywood detests anything to do with religion, but it’s hard not to notice their tendency to imitate scripture by using parables to tell the truth about humanity.  A new movie, “Arrival,” is a good example.…

Hiding in shade without shelter

English Mountaineer George Mallory made history not only for his attempts to climb Mt. Everest, but for his three-word answer to the question of why he kept trying. “Because it’s there.” In Mallory’s view, this mountain’s very existence gave his…

Filling our hole in the universe

We’ve all had those days where life felt like a big cosmic game show. On those days when the world throws its toughest puzzles at you it can be hard just figuring out the rules or your role in the…

Turning the Bully Pulpit into Stubble

Welcome to the end of the world. How does it feel after these few days into the post-election Armageddon many Chicken Littles expected? Probably the same as the week before Election Day. No matter who wins any elected office, the…