Do Believers Have Their Act Together?

I vividly recall when, as a kid, I learned that a priest who was popular nationally for his ultra-traditionalist, anti-Semitic radio broadcasts, was excommunicated by the Catholic Church for insisting ...

The Problem with “Chosen Families”

Listening to a radio broadcast recently, I heard an interview of a woman who was advocating for more freedom for women. Basically, she said that women should be free from ...

Are We Becoming “Junkified?”

One of my favorite all-time Saturday Night Live characters was Debbie Downer, a fictional person created and portrayed by the show’s regular, Rachel Dratch. Debbie could always be counted on ...

Can the Ordinary Become Extraordinary?

When I read gospel passages like the following from the Gospel of John – the whole of which was read in Catholic and other churches a few weeks ago – ...

What Hiking and “Church” Have in Common

My wife, Amparo, and I were blessed over the Labor Day weekend by a visit from our son, Sean, his wife and two sons, aged 8 and 10. They live ...

How Could God Possibly Love Us?

I don’t recall how, but I recently came across the above painting of St. Jerome by a 15th century Italian artist named Benvenuto Tisi da Garafalo. Being nearly illiterate in art, ...