text “Is Jesus asleep in your boat?” As Pope Benedict XVI prepared to step down from the bridge of the “The…
text “I would like to offer you a rational explanation, but I can’t figure it out.” The airline pilot’s words were not that comforting, especially since we had…
text “No man has ever been shot while doing the dishes.” It was while I was doing the dishes that I first noticed the sign above the…
text “Jesus: Mender of Broken Dreams.” As I arrived at the hospital, I felt an overwhelming sense of sadness. Before…
text “A cup of Christmas tea: Preparing for the New Year.” Some years ago, I received a copy of Tom Hegg’s little book entitled: A Cup…
text “Love at first sight: the risk of faith.” Amid the hype of “Jingle Bell Rock” and clever sales pitches encouraging us…
text “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” With the recent visit of Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, to Auschwitz,…
text Teaching morals and values to teenagers an opinion piece published in the Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest
text “Is there room for laughter during Advent?” The older woman was in her late eighties and suffered from severe diabetes…
text “Advent: Déjà vu all over again.” Yogi Berra, former catcher for the New York Yankees, was known as the Master…
text “Precious Lord Take My Hand.” The grocery store wasn’t all that busy when I shopped for a few items…
text “If it were not for hope, the heart would break.” Walking through Calvary Cemetery in St. Paul, I came across a tombstone…
text “Encounters with everyday annunciations: Discovering God in unusual places.” In my bedroom hangs a replica of Fra Angelico’s famous painting of the …
text “Come to me, all you that are weary, and I will give you rest.” Soul searching moments can take us by surprise and, with the grace of God,…
text “Hello, this is Pope Francis.” Eugenio Scalfari, a noted atheist and the editor of La Repubblica, a daily…
text “Never quit, just restart.” If she could have, she would have picked herself out of the ditch and…
text “What causes you to come back every week to celebrate the Eucharist?” This past week I received a request from the Archdiocese for a “head count”…
text “We need to live our faith instead of beating people over the head with it.” The first order of business for Jorge Marion Bergoglio after being elected…
text “Rich Man, Poor Man, Beggar Man, Thief.” “Tinker, Tailor. Soldier, Sailor Rich Man, Poor Man, Beggar Man, Thief.” …
text “Who among you received forgiveness from Jesus Christ and deserved it?” There was a slight drizzle of rain in the air and the neatly written message…
text “Hitting rock bottom: Rediscovering your seat of wisdom.” Our paths crossed many times as I entered and exited the church. She…
text “I never promised you a rose garden.” As I waited in line at the Sunnyside Gardens to pay for some flowers, a woman…
text “If you see a turtle on the top of a fencepost, you know he had some help getting there.” Humorous anecdotes have a way of telling the truth about the importance of…
text “Together we make a family.” Gathering around the hospital bed, the generations of Chenne’s family found…
text “Without Prophets for today, there will be great losses tomorrow.” An old “Peanuts” cartoon strip brings together a couple of operative…