“Gentlemen, I am a Catholic. As far as possible, I go to Mass every day. This [taking a rosary from his pocket] is a rosary. As far as possible, I kneel down and tell these beads every day. If you reject me on account of my religion, I shall thank God that He has spared me the indignity of being your representative.” – Hilaire Belloc, 1906 speech in Salford It was a calculated risk, to be sure. A man... Read more
The Duke of Norfolk: “Oh confound all this. I’m not a scholar, I don’t know whether the marriage was lawful or not but – dammit, Thomas, look at these names! Why can’t you do as I did and come with us, for fellowship!” Thomas More: “And when we die, and you are sent to heaven for doing your conscience, and I am sent to hell for not doing mine, will you come with me, for fellowship?” – From Robert Bolt’s play, A... Read more
After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Simon said in reply, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.” When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come to help them. They came and filled both boats so... Read more
Pause. There was a pause. My wife may deny it, but it was there. Oh, it was there. Our six year-old daughter had just asked my wife a very important question. To provide a little background, my daughter is a fledgling football fan. Mind you, she is also a baseball fan, tennis fan, golf fan, soccer fan, NCAA basketball fan, and Olympic sports fan. She has even begun to get that rabid inquisitiveness and that nervous pace when one... Read more
There must have been something extraordinary in His Presence. This is the thought I return to again and again when I consider Jesus Christ. And it is both a haunting and thrilling reflection. When I consider the life of Christ, it is impossible for me to stay within the limits of what the Gospels tell us. We are, after all, talking about a limitless God walking the earth. So what was it like to be in the Presence of... Read more
It is the most simple yet the most complex event in history. It started when God created man. God loved (and loves) man infinitely and imbued him with ineradicable dignity. Standards would be set and laws made that would structure and serve to guarantee the integrity of God’s most extraordinary creation. But, alas, man sinned and soiled his relationship with God and would never be able to achieve reconciliation with his Creator through his own means. As such, God would... Read more
Joy. We are about to enter a Season of Joy known as Christmastide. Advent has warmed our hearts with eager anticipation. Now, the birth of Emmanuel, “God With Us”, is nigh. The insatiable hunger of generations of prophets and peoples is about to be fulfilled in the form of a precious and trembling baby boy resting in a feed trough. It is an entry into History with such a poignancy that it irrefutably proves that our God is a... Read more
And so she fell asleep…and had dreams. Wonderful dreams. Clara had spent a magical Christmas Eve with family and friends. But perhaps most marvelous were the games played and stories woven by her godfather Drosselmeyer. His games delighted Clara, but his tale of the toy, oh the toy – the gallant Nutcracker. The tale insinuated itself into young Clara’s mind so as to bring her sweet dreams to life: a toy-become-man, a dazzling sugar-plum fairy, a land of sweets, a... Read more
“Which do you like, Dad, the boots or the shoes?” My six year-old posed a fashion query to me. A cute black dress with leggings and a purple cardigan sweater begged for the right footwear. I was the closest (in distance) authority on the issue. I looked at my scuffed slip-on dress shoes, thought strategically and asked, “Which do you like? They’re both beautiful.” Kindly, and with a wearying indulgence, she asked me again as it made “no difference” to... Read more
“Only charity can convert the soul, freeing it from unworthy motives.” – St. Bernard of Clairvaux And so Time Magazine has spoken. Pope Francis is the 2013 “Person of the Year”. Years ago, when I had an insatiable appetite for the news, I would gleefully snatch up each year’s iconic anointment of the man (or woman) who earned the hallowed title of “Person of the Year”. Presidents, despots, innovators, and iconoclasts have merited the accolade. However, Time Magazine has become... Read more
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