When the novel Sybil came out in 1973, the idea of having 16 different personalities was shocking. Today it’s not only normal, but expected. Online social media split us into our business selves, our party selves, our family selves, our…
It takes faith to be afraid of God. That’s why the following headline in a recent edition of The Wall Street Journal’s Op-Ed section was such an attention grabber: Are Atheists Afraid of God? This was a commentary about a…
If you were like me in high school, any subject that ended in “ometry” made your eyes crust over. If I couldn’t see any practical application of its complexity to my simple life, I reasoned, why expend my few and…
The phrase, “There are no atheists in foxholes,” is appropriate to remember on Memorial Day. It’s also fitting that this year’s holiday falls on the same weekend as the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. On Memorial Day…
Boastfulness is a luxury that seldom lends comfort—not even to the boaster, ultimately. A boast is often made at someone else’s expense. I’ve been guilty of enjoying sweet flattery without acknowledging others who might have deserved a share of that…
We can thank lawyers for adding “Devil’s advocate” to the American vocabulary. It’s a process where someone takes the opposing side of an issue to test the strength of one’s own case. We may have friends who do this with…
This edition of our mass blog is a prayer for Angela. She’s one of this year’s St. Michael confirmation candidates for whom Father Pete asked parishioners to devote some time in their daily conversations with God. Each of these students…
Church ushers get to witness some amazing transformations every Sunday. Some people come in the front door carrying a smartphone and wearing the urgency of world affairs on their face. As you greet them they walk past with their eyes…
The history of mankind is rooted in the ordinariness of evil. According to the Book of Genesis, Cain killed his brother Abel for no more serious a reason than jealousy. Ever since, murder has become a common way for humans…
While jogging through our public square the other morning the weekly message posted by the Methodist church caught my attention: “A truly happy person enjoys the scenery along a detour.” Coincidentally, I was thinking about this Sunday’s mass readings for…