These days we hear a lot about “snowflakes.” These are young adults who must be protected from the least slight, whether real or imagined. Fortitude
My mother-in-law didn’t care for me. I knew that long before our engagement was announced. I wasn’t even surprised when she tried to convince my
Molly McCully Brown‘s The Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded is a magnificent collection of poems, depicting the experiences of profoundly disabled persons who, shunned
Two years ago, my mother-in-law entered a hospice facility. She was afraid to die and afraid to be alone, so I stayed at the hospice
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you
How often, especially in times of crisis, do we feel tricked by God? We think we have been duped into believing that all will be
In the book Get Us Out of Here! the late Austrian mystic Maria Simma is quoted as saying that “Love without a Cross is empty;
Being diagnosed with cancer is always a dreaded event. There are many fears: will it be terminal? How much suffering will be endured? What painful
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3) Poor in spirit. It is amazing how easy it is
I entered the Catholic Church in 2010, but my wife and I turned slowly away from the popular ideological goals and dreams of this world
The first turning point came when our car initially broke down in Hawaii. I was 6,000 miles away in Delaware, caring for my 90 year-old-parents.
One hundred years ago an angel, then Our Lady, appeared to three poor shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal. Much was recorded by Sister Lucia, one
I will never forget the trauma which my vision problems gave me growing up. I had myopia and astigmatism which made every eye test a
My friend Harry has been around for some time, and over his life he has experienced many different kinds of physical pain. So I was
Do you ever read about the saints and wonder: “Could I do it? Could I possibly endure such agony for Christ?” Fortunately, most of us
A few years back I was visiting a friend when a man in a sparkling white uniform walked out of my friend’s home. When my
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has a host of artistic problems, but its most profound failures are of moral understanding. Whereas the original novels
We all have a moment in our lives when our innocence is lost, when we come to see that the world is sometimes a dangerous
strength A few weeks ago, I visited a very devout aunt of mine in the hospital. But I had forgotten what kind of person this
My grandmother, Opal, never raised her voice. She found joy in the simplest things: reading a book, playing scrabble, or completing her crossword puzzles. Her
When times are tough, I — like many Catholics — turn to my friends, the saints. Whether you’re searching for a job, battling breast cancer,
It has frequently been said that Good Friday is meaningless without Easter Sunday. Certainly this statement is true for, as St. Paul explains, if Christ
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. What do the words of this beatitude mean? We want happiness, so we would say,
The last words a person says before dying are cherished by those who care for him or her. They are always remembered and reflect upon,
