Last night, several friends from NET took me out to Junior’s in Times Square to celebrate my new job. It was a wonderful night, and reminded me of something I scribbled down several years ago: “Friendship is, at its best, a prayer. It is, after all, an act of faith. It is sacred. It is an epistle, delivered from one person to another. In its best moments, friendship is a canticle that celebrates, a parable that teaches. In the close... Read more
Do you miss the ’70s? Does this bring back memories? Yes, I confess: I once looked just like that. That’s eerily similar to the kind of clothes I wore to my Catholic high school over 30 years ago. (Ah, leisure suits, too!) The horror, the horror. To see more, if you can bear it, visit James Lileks’ new site dissecting that groovy time. Read more
“I remember driving through downtown Denver and out and past the Coors Brewery. The main road quickly turned into a single lane in each direction. A small river ran next to the road and the water level was high due to the melting snow from the mountain. The scenery was almost post-card perfect. I continued to drive a short distance when a sign warned of a small tunnel ahead. Sure enough, the tunnel appeared. As I entered the tunnel, I... Read more
A classic performance of a classic old hymn. (You can read the story behind it here.) Ladies and gentlemen: Miss Ethel Waters. Read more
Seriously. Have you noticed the resemblance? The celebrated Archbishop of New York could be a dead ringer for the Oscar-winning genius behind “Toy Story” and “Cars.” (The latter just won a Life Achievement award from the Motion Picture Academy.) Read more
A few years ago, a friend gave me a wonderful book: “Why Faith Matters” by Rabbi David J. Wolpe. He’s a popular author and commentator based in Los Angeles. In his book, he talks a lot about his own life and lessons he’s drawn from various crises – including a battle with cancer. At one point, he writes about his grandfather, who died when his father was only 11 years old. The boy, an only child, ended up bearing much... Read more
A few years ago, a friend gave me a wonderful book: “Why Faith Matters” by Rabbi David J. Wolpe. He’s a popular author and commentator based in Los Angeles. In his book, he talks a lot about his own life and lessons he’s drawn from various crises – including a battle with cancer. At one point, he writes about his grandfather, who died when his father was only 11 years old. The boy, an only child, ended up bearing much... Read more
You probably remember this story from earlier in the week. Now the billboard in question has officially been removed: New York’s Archbishop Timothy Dolan has a few things to say about all this on his blog: Here in New York, a billboard was recently displayed, that simply stated “The most dangerous place for an African-American is in the womb.” This message was accompanied by a photograph of a young, African-American girl. Is that message unpleasant? Is it upsetting? Does it... Read more
A classic performance of a classic old hymn. (You can read the story behind it here.) Ladies and gentlemen: Miss Ethel Waters. Read more
I think we need this now, more than ever. I found this on a prayer card they give out at St. John the Evangelist Church in New York City… O Jesus, Eternal Priest, keep your priests within the shelter of your sacred heart, where none may touch them. Keep unstained their anointed hands, which daily touch your sacred body. Keep unsullied their lips, daily purpled with your precious blood. Keep pure and unearthly their hearts, sealed with the sublime mark... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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