Before his ordination, a priest in the Midwest worked as an airline desk agent. On one occasion, a snowstorm paralyzed the airport. People lined up for reroutes, but it was impossible. He said an unnamed (widely recognized) celebrity lost his patience and demanded, “Do you know who I am? Do you!”...

Various psychological tests claim to promote self-understanding. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, for example, helps us identify our personality types. Years ago—perhaps less so today—the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) was used to screen out potential psychopaths from sensitive...

Those of us who lived through the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s understand the gradual breakdown of taboos. Playful rock and roll music (“I want to hold your hand”) devolved over the years into drug-crazed acid rock and even rape lyrics (don’t ask). When we heard the lyrics (always a...

The crucifix affixed above the altar signifies that the Sacrifice of the Mass participates in the one Sacrifice of Jesus for our redemption. The Cross defines our worship and provides the path to salvation. But the roadmaps of redemption and salvation vary in the post-Reformation era of fragmented...

Jesus says, “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Lk. 14:11) Humility is a virtue that avoids arrogant self-estimation. Integral prayer helps us to know our limitations. The Gospel reveals Jesus’ ceaseless prayers to the Father. Jesus is...

An amusing Jewish-mother joke worthy of a Seinfeld episode goes like this: A mother telegraphs her daughter with an urgent message. “Bad news coming tomorrow, begin worrying today.” The account of Mary and Martha in the Gospel is lovely. The gentle repetition of Martha’s name is a charming...

The old Janis Joplin tune goes, “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.” Sorry, Janis. With freedom, we gain everything. The only obstacle to our freedom is sin. God created us in freedom. He placed the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden as a...

In 1510, Dominican friars arrived in Santo Domingo and refused absolution to colonists who would not repent of their exploitation of the Indians. The refusal was not cruelty; it was spiritual medicine. Among those shaken was Bartolomé de las Casas, a landowner whose estates relied on forced Indian...

In the 1970s, an old man with disheveled white hair sat in front of the White House holding a sign that read, “Repent, the end is near.” After fifty years, joking about the end of the world is less carefree, as anxiety quietly creeps in. The end is indeed near for many of us inching toward the top...

G.K. Chesterton said the reason we get angry is that we’ve never learned to argue well. Argument helps us to identify and solve conundrums, and directs efforts to maintain justice and overcome human suffering. Our ability to argue well includes the capacity to identify unwavering first...