In John’s Gospel this weekend, we hear the familiar story of Lazarus of Bethany, brother of Mary and Martha. Lazarus was a good friend of Jesus of Nazareth. So good a friend, in fact, that when Lazarus fell ill, his sisters sent a message to Jesus—hoping that Jesus would come to work a miracle and restore Lazarus to full health. You know the story: Jesus didn’t come. Rather, he continued on the road, preaching along the way. By the time... Read more
An old friend of mine, Michael Jayson, sent me this video recently, and I know you’ll love it, too! Michael and I worked together in the ‘80s at Christian station WMUZ in Detroit. We once broadcast live from The Palace of Auburn Hills, which was presenting a performance of “Young Messiah” with an ensemble of well-known Christian recording artists. Later, Michael and I were colleagues again at the University of Detroit Mercy. Anyway, here—singing from the Third Part of Handel’s... Read more
WHAT DO THESE PEOPLE HAVE IN COMMON? Actors John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Jim Nabors, Faye Dunaway, Vincent Price, Susan Hayward and Patricia Neal Academics and intellectuals Hadley Arkes (Amherst), Mortimer Adler (Great Books), Robert Bork (Yale), G.K. Chesterton Royalty King Charles II ( Great Britain ) Artist Peter Paul Rubens Heroes of the Old West Kit Carson, Buffalo Bill and Doc Holliday Musician Dave Brubeck Politicians John Ellis (Jeb) Bush and Newt Gingrich Famed coach Knute Rockne (Notre Dame) Playwrights... Read more
OK, here they are: All 56 of the “mistakes” in Norman Rockwell’s 1948 cover for the Saturday Evening Post I’ll bet you didn’t find them all—some are so obscure, or so stuck in time that modern-day readers might not notice. Anyway, I promised I’d give you the answers. Have a fun-filled day! 1) Two different moldings on the cupboard, 2) Woodpecker head on crane’s body, 3) The coffeepot’s spout is upside down, 4) Barbed wire instead of clothesline, 5) Insignia... Read more
He who lives without folly isn’t so wise as he thinks. –François, Duc de La Rochefoucauld When I was a kid, I remember poring over the April Fool’s Day illustrations by Norman Rockwell, which graced the cover of the Saturday Evening Post. You know the ones: They’re full of “mistakes” which the reader must identify. On April 1st, for some reason, people think it’s fun to do goofy things and to fool one another. I had a friend who served... Read more
I wasn’t really there, in the orphanage. My imagination is at work and has produced, no doubt, a jumble of truths and conjecture and flourishes. But here is the story, as I see it. * * * * * The boy was only four when his father, a truck driver, died, leaving him with his brother and his young mother to fend for themselves. Try as she might, his mother couldn’t afford to keep her children in her care; and so... Read more
I have a liberal policy toward Facebook friend requests. Priests from Santa Clara, college kids from Boston, teens from Poughkeepsie, moms from Atlanta, fashion models from Paris, missionaries from Libya: I accept them all. That doesn’t mean I read everything they write. I block games and applications, for example—so if you’re cleaning my fish tank every week, God bless you, but don’t expect me to reciprocate by feeding your black phantom tetras. If you’re reaching new levels in Mafia Wars,... Read more
Today, March 19, is the feastday of St. Joseph, husband of Mary and adoptive father of Jesus. But what do we know about this gentle man who was entrusted with the care of the Son of God? Not much. We know a little about him from the Gospel of Matthew and that of Luke. He was just, yet compassionate. When, during the period of his betrothal to Mary, he discovered her to be pregnant, he did not want her to... Read more
May you have good friends aplenty, And may they be as faithful and reliable As the morning’s sunrise each day. May you have warm words on a cold evening, A full moon on a dark night And a road downhill all the way to your door. May every hair on your head turn into a candle To light your way to heaven; And may God and His Holy Mother Take the harm of years away from you. ... Read more
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