Two Justins
Today is, or rather was, as I am getting to this rather late, the memorial of Saint Justin Martyr, an early apologist for the...
To Be a Pilgrim: Thanksgiving as a Pilgrimage
Thanksgiving, for most people here in America, is something of a precursor of Christmas that initiates a deluge of holiday hits playing ad...
Primal Rage
This morning, as I begin this column, ten people at a community college in Oregon were killed by yet-another loner gunman, seeking some kind...
Discouragement in Prayer
Discouragement has to be one of the most debilitating feelings. It's not so much depressing as it is zapping of any kind of energy...
How to Defeat Euthanasia: A Personal Story
As the ten-horned apocalyptic beast called euthanasia lies in wait at our door and we begin to reflect on how to protect our loved...
Brendan’s Voyage
Today commemorates Saint Brendan, the sixth century Irish monk, the 'Navigator', whose main claim to fame is a supposed seven year trans-Atlantic voyage in...
Why Are Catholics Not Holier Than They Are? Father Paul Quay’s ‘The Mystery...
(I thought this memorial of the great Jesuit Saint Francis Xavier was a fitting day to post this adaptation of an address I offered...
Magisterial Clarity and Ambiguity
There is an old saying that the three rules of real estate are ‘location, location, location’. A similar rule applies to public speaking: ‘brevity,...
The ‘Perfect’ Relationship
Anybody heard of Pinterest? If you haven’t, count your lucky stars because you’ve just "gained" back hours and hours of time to waste on...
Life’s Purpose
On this feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, and the World Day of Prayer for the Sick, here is a gem from our archives,...