Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8 Challenging words, those. We rush through the days, harried by our jobs, by our families, by our all too many daily obligations – many of which we may not even remember undertaking. Who has time to contemplate the things in our lives which are... Read more

Looking back on his youth, back to a time when C.S. Lewis was then still an atheist, he said this about agnostics in their search for God: “they might as well have talked about the mouse’s search for the cat.” A terrifying thought that. So how should one seek God? Just how do we go about it? I suppose having a modicum of faith – a mustard seed of faith – is enough to start. And then perhaps an openness, a... Read more

I am pleased to bring to your attention an extraordinary guest blogger, Michele Antaki. Ms. Antaki is from a Syrian Catholic family and was raised in both Egypt and France. She has been a United Nations interpreter in New York for 27  years in four languages. Among other things, she worked briefly at CBS right after the 9/11 attacks where she monitored Al Jazzera. She holds an LLM from the University of Nice, France. A more complete biography can be found at the end of... Read more

  The beginning of the New Year always seems to be the perfect time to start taking better care of our physical health – or to at least resolve that we’ll try. Whether by consciously choosing more nutritious and lower calorie foods, or by becoming more physically active, or by eliminating toxins such as nicotine, or by becoming more mindful of our body’s need to regularly rest and re-charge, we understand that the road to better health usually entails making minor, and sometimes major, adjustments in our lifestyle.... Read more

It’s been an exciting year for me! A year of growth. A year of change. I am grateful to Elizabeth Scalia for taking the chance on an unknown and for allowing my voice to be heard here at Patheos. I am grateful for your taking the time to stop by, and for your encouraging me by sharing my words, and for your thoughtful comments. I hope that my writings have been meaningful, inspiring, and encouraging. I am grateful to Pier Giorgio... Read more

THIS WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON NOVEMBER 9, 2014. THERE IS STILL TIME TO ORDER THE BOOK FOR CHRISTMAS. IT’S AN IMPORTANT READ. The Catholic Church has long recognized that a not negligible number of men and women experience deep-seated homosexual tendencies. Catechism of the Catholic Church (“CCC”) 2358. It further recognizes that for many these tendencies constitute a very real trial. Importantly, the Church doesn’t try to analyze – either psychologically or theologically – why these tendencies exist. Nor does it condemn... Read more

The premise of this blog is a faith in progress. One of my goals has been to provide a window into the story of my faith as it evolves in real time. I’ve promised myself  – and you – that I will move forward with reason, rationality, a clear head, and eyes wide-open. At the same time, I cannot and will not discount the role that faith, or perhaps some inexplicable ordering of my steps (whether one calls it serendipity, coincidence, or mere fate) may play during... Read more