One of my favorite poets is Robert Frost. Of all his writings, my favorite is "Mending Wall."  It's the story of two New England farmers who go out each spring to…

AN IRISH BLESSING May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back.  May the sun shine warm upon your face;  The rains fall…

When you were a child, how many times did you beg your mom or dad: “Please give me another list of rules and regulations.” Right. I thought so. Never. But how…

We all have skepticism in us. Think about these phrases:  “Open wide now, this isn’t going to hurt a bit.”  “It is easy to assemble. Just follow the directions.”  “Please,…

As the worshipers arrived on a late November morning at the Lutheran Church in White Lake, North Dakota, they were met by a rather disturbing sight.  An apparently homeless beggar…

A few years ago at Mass, I was sitting near a woman who had a small boy on her lap. He looked to be almost three years old. It was an…

You may have heard about the man who died. St. Peter told him he had a choice. He could either go to heaven or to hell. Of course, the man…

One of the commencement traditions at Harvard University is in the Senior Class Chapel. On the morning of their graduation, seniors gather in Memorial Church to hear the minister offer words…

I've always thought that Jesus got himself crucified because he refused to be the kind of Messiah the people expected him to be.  They wanted a revolutionary, didn't they? Someone who would…

Among the apostles, the one absolutely stunning success was Judas, and the one thoroughly groveling failure was Peter.  Judas was a success in the ways that most impress us: he was…