“A Morality Check”

July 9, 2025

There is the saying, “Do not discuss religion or politics if you want to avoid trouble.” Some would add, “This includes morality.” Three thought-provoking quotes give us one reason for discussing morality in depth.

Philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville, who studied America’s mores, wrote, “Liberty cannot be established without morality nor morality without faith.”

Albert Einstein observed, “Force always attracts men of low morality.”

Arthur C. Clarke stated, “Morality is the basis of truth and truth is the sustenance of all morality.”

What is morality according to renowned thinkers?

Aristotle, St. Thomas Aquinas, and St. Augustine all associated morality with four moral principles that are at the heart of an esteemed moral character: Prudence, justice, courage, and temperance.

Prudence is having an open eye for the difference between good and evil and making sound judgment about what is good and what is not.

Justice’s first principle is concern for others over self and shouldering responsibility for accomplishing this.

The essence of courage is the good prompting one to give one’s life for it.

In temperance, we have the phrase "Deus temperavit corpus," meaning that God desires us to live harmoniously, avoiding intemperance from destroying us. It is the essence of tranquility --- all is in order.

The present political situation of exporting immigrants raises worrisome questions about morality. Has there been a serious examination of its good versus evil? Is it a so-called good or at its bottom an evil intent? Has immigration’s human versus inhuman equation been examined in depth? How much of it is prudent and imprudent?

Justice states God created us with a responsibility for another’s wellbeing, a moral divine law: “Love one another as you love yourself” and “Treat others as you would treat yourselves.” These divine laws are the ultimate standard for deciding the morality or immorality of a situation.

Social scientists and religious leaders assert that we are becoming an increasingly secular society that ignores God’s laws. Without God, we do not know what the good is in order to embrace it courageously.

Is injustice at the bottom of seemingly questionable, unjust laws? Are we experiencing the opposite of justice, that we are only concerned about our needs and what we can profit from the demise of immigrants?

Is there a loss of faith in the principles of morality? Have we closed our eyes in the need for more prudence, justice, courage, and temperance, the pillars of morality? History teaches that when these are missing, the passing of nations follows.  

“Craziness Gone Over the Edge”

July 2, 2025

Verruckt, pazzo, and loco are the German, Italian, and Spanish words for crazy. No matter what language is used to express craziness, it ultimately denotes something out of balance, nonsensical, and ridiculous. It can easily lead to depression, in which panic attacks, mixed-up thoughts going in wild directions, and feeling that nothing has meaning results. When we lose a sense of meaningfulness, it leaves the door open to dark emptiness and depression, feeling the world is falling apart, with nothing to look forward to.

When Christ encounters two men possessed by demons, he shows us yet another side of his love, caring for our mental stability and strength, the delightfulness of being in control of our mental processes and free from demons that can haunt us.

Presently, we live in an atmosphere of vile demons that are attacking the meaningfulness of life. Daily, the media fills us with brutal, bizarre wars. Equally crazy is the abandonment of meaningful dialogue to halt them. No longer are we endeavoring to sit down at the table with each other and seek means to end the bloodshed, atrocities, and slaughter of the innocent. Equally crazy is labeling immigrants as evil, and the inhuman manner in which they are treated. Justice and understanding the dreadful plight of being shipped off to an unknown future, with little to no safeguards, is disregarded.

The daily sound of revenge has reached the sickening point. Forgotten is the reminder in Romans 12: “Revenge is mine,” echoing the Book of Deuteronomy: “Revenge is mine, says the Lord…the Lord will vindicate his people.”

The halls of our U.S. Capitol ring with the motto, “United we stand, divided we fall,” and “One Nation Under God.” However, within those same halls, ludicrous divisions ring through them by grown-ups acting like spoiled children.

St. Augustine wrote that there are the City of God and the City of Man. Much of the craziness experienced today is due to living in a city of man that is secular. Oh yes, there are prayers recited for the country. But business then continues, crazy as ever business.

In the Prayer Room of the U.S. Capitol, there is a stained glass window with George Washington praying, “In you, Oh Lord, I put my trust.” If this were taken to heart, more hearts would be in the right place, and craziness would be out of place.

“Passing the Buck”

June 30, 2025

The idiom past the buck means shifting responsibility or blaming someone else. It describes a person who avoids taking responsibility for their actions and decisions.

The phrase originated from poker games where “buck” (originally a marker, possibly a buck knife or buckshot) was passed to the dealer, symbolizing the responsibility of dealing.

In the beginning of the Bible, God warns Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, or they will die. A subtle serpent tempts Eve, telling her, “You will not die. For God knows your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Eve eats the forbidden fruit and then gives it to Adam. Suddenly, they realize they are naked. God, seeing their nakedness, shouts, “Who told you you were naked? Did you eat from the forbidden tree? Adam replies, the woman whom you gave to me gave me the fruit. Hence, an example of shifting responsibility.

We must wonder how this story would end if Eve took full responsibility for being the first to ignore God’s command.

No doubt fear plays a leading role in shifting responsibility, fear of getting caught, retribution, and being labeled incompetent.

Shifting responsibility is becoming an increasing occurrence. Being stallworth and telling the truth when it is sought is becoming less common. Falsely shifting responsibility to another to avoid blame or to demolish an opponent has become a political weapon employed by unscrupulous connivers. For some, it is considered a clever strategy. In reality, it smacks of devilishness, the subtle serpent used on Eve in the Garden of Paradise.

C.S. Lewis once pointed out, “One of the most cowardly things of ordinary people is to close their eyes to facts.” Passing the buck is a cowardly maneuver. When we were created, God gifted us with a conscience, a moral compass for practicing truthfulness. We were not meant to misuse truth as a weapon but to defend it at all costs, especially when the responsibility for it starts with us. As it has been said, “The buck stops here.”

Aristotle’s ideal of a philosopher king was of a person who combines political leadership with philosophical wisdom, and Plato believed philosophers would make good rulers due to their love of wisdom and knowledge of what constitutes good, both of which echo Christ, who is divine goodness and is the truth, the way, and the life.

“Who is in Control?”

June 24, 2025

Control can refer to the ability to regulate, manage, or restrain something or someone. A deep concern of our modern age is the growing means that have taken over managing our lives. For example, the media controls our thinking and time. Especially controlling are the temptations of commercialism that cause some people to go into deep debt.

For parents, there are worries about enticing games and the lure of the Internet, controlling their children’s minds and use of time.

A week does not pass without new government, state, and local rules controlling the direction of our lives.

Stories abound of people who went into the wilderness to take control of their lives and escape our maverick existence.

There is no need to escape it all if we decide to take full control of our daily lives, to become its regulators and managers. And how is this accomplished?

To be a researcher is one effective way to study what exactly might be out of control and, preferably, causing undesirable addictions.

For example, what does a list of priorities look like? Priorities are very controlling because they define what is most valuable and of concern in our life. What most takes control of our thinking and actions? Should some things we consider essential be reduced to unimportance?

Another question needing to be explored: What is causing me anxiety and causing me to lose sleep and outlook on my life’s purpose?

Before looking outside of ourselves for means of controlling our lives, we need to start with ourselves and our very center. Is it out of balance? If so, what is needed to rebalance it? There is the proverb, “You must first control yourself before trying to control other matters.” Self is our principal control center, prompting us, “Physician heal first thy self.”

We live in a world of influences we have never experienced before. They are strong, appealing persuaders employing the power of psychological persuasion: flashy images, manipulation of sound, and the urgency of “Get it now, do not delay before it goes out of existence.”

In Italian we have the saying tutto a posto, everything is in place. To remain control requires we ask, “What is out of place and what is in place, what is o.k. and not o.k.? Is there something that has taken control of us needing to be put in its place? “One prudent question is half wisdom.”

“Truth or Consequences”

June 23, 2025

“Truth is about the correspondence between what is said (or thought) and what it is.” Aristotle’s quote points us to the strong connection between truth and reality. Truth also implies trust in another.

Henry David Thoreau states, “Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.” 

Thomas Jefferson believed, “Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.”

Today’s devaluation of truth is the direct antithesis of Thoreau and Jefferson’s love of truth, causing many to say, “What planet is he or she on? They are out of touch with reality.”

The opponent of wisdom is folly, a clouding of the mind that leads to the utterance, “His or her head is in the clouds, needing to come down to earth.” Repeatedly, we hear, “Who can you trust anymore?”

When truth is absent, dire consequences follow, and innocent people are damaged for life and even die. Regression replaces progression, divisions emasculate unanimity, chaos destroys order, darkness blots the sun, love turns to hate, psychological sickness becomes a plague, and hanging one’s head high is reduced to being in the dumps.

These negative observations about untruthfulness are today’s reality.

One might say, "Don’t be so negative." It is true that the present moment needs more joy and happiness; we don’t need disillusionment and nerve-racking ideas.

But is that being honest and realistic? It is true we would rather desire a Shangri-La existence devoid of hellish anxieties. As undesirable as our dishonest environment is, is there a positive lesson to be learnt from it?

In the Bible, people who were blessed by God often did not appreciate the blessings, turned their backs on God, and became hardhearted. God, in turn, created “wakeup time,” a divine process for opening up their hearts and helping them see the light. Sometimes, the wake-up times were harsh and extremely disturbing.

Dishonesty, untruthfulness, and deceit pollute the fresh air of righteousness and virtue, and they cry out for a wake-up call.

Among the qualities of the virtue of love are benevolence, peace, almsgiving, and fraternal correction. Note, it is not harsh correction but fraternal correction; to be like a firm father wanting the best for his children to be modeled on Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. It is a wake-up call to parents and teachers: Teach your children lessons needed for seeing through untruthfulness, lessons aimed at creating a bright, wholesome future.

“Confronting Fear Tactics”

June 20, 2025

There is the saying, “Nothing new.” This is especially true today. After World War I, Benito Mussolini was a rising leader of Italy who perfected the skill of fomenting fear and twisting the truth to cement his power. At first, he helped Italy get back on its feet by increasing jobs and production. Trains were now on time, and as my Italian grandparents told me, “The women donated wedding rings and jewels to financially back him.”

And then new laws appeared that excluded Jews from public office, higher education, stripped their assets, restricted their travel, and ultimately resulted in their confinement. Creating fearful tactics was Mussolini’s means for maintaining power. Fear comes in various forms. There is bodily fear of being injured or killed. Psychological fear prevents us from acting against an agent of fear. Cognitive fear in thinking I could lose everything.

Aristotle defines fear as a pain or disturbance of the mind caused by the anticipation of a destructive or painful evil. He sees it as an emotion tied to our perception of potential harm. Needless to say, among today’s psychological and cognitive fears is a possible nuclear war, innocent immigrants unjustly treated, civil wars, plagues, vicious weather, raging forest fires, and water and air pollution, to name a few.

In such situations, Pope Saint John XXIII counseled, “Consult not your fears but your hopes and dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you've tried and failed in, but with what is still possible for you to do.”

For victims of weaponized fear, many means abound for fighting and defeating it. First is to strengthen our hopes and expand our imagination creatively on how to deflate negative feelings of impossibility: to dream big, often, and beyond the present.

Next, we need to increase possibilities about what else needs to be done to combat manufactured fears. Saint John Henry Newman tells us: “To live is to change. To be perfect is to have changed often.” Do we just stand and shiver in front of fear, or do we heat up and melt it, to say, “Enough is enough!”

Finally, to raise our thoughts beyond this world, enter God’s world, and remember God has the last say, Saint John XXIII once said: “Well, Lord, I did all I could do today. It is your world. I am going to sleep.”

“The Touch of the Master's Hand”

June 16, 2025

'Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer
      Thought it scarcely worth his while
To waste much time on the old violin,
      But held it up with a smile.
"What am I bidden, good folks," he cried,
    "Who'll start the bidding for me?"
"A dollar, a dollar. Then two! Only two?
      Two dollars, and who'll make it three?"

"Three dollars, once; three dollars, twice;
      Going for three…" But no,
From the room, far back, a grey-haired man
      Came forward and picked up the bow;
Then wiping the dust from the old violin,
      And tightening the loosened strings,
He played a melody pure and sweet,
      As a caroling angel sings.

The music ceased, and the auctioneer,
      With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said: "What am I bid for the old violin?"
      And he held it up with the bow.
"A thousand dollars, and who'll make it two?
      Two thousand! And who'll make it three?
Three thousand, once; three thousand, twice,
    And going and gone," said he.

The people cheered, but some of them cried,
    "We do not quite understand.
What changed its worth?" Swift came the reply:
    "The touch of the Master's hand."
And many a man with life out of tune,
      And battered and scarred with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd
      Much like the old violin.

A "mess of pottage," a glass of wine,
    A game — and he travels on.
He is "going" once, and "going" twice,
    He's "going" and almost "gone."
But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd
    Never can quite understand
The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought
    By the touch of the Master's hand.

Myra 'Brooks' Welch

Metaphorically speaking, the auctioneer in this poem represents the marketplace where the unwanted is disposed of. The broken-down violin represents the plight of impoverished deported immigrants. The beautiful music represents their innate joyful culture; the foolish crowd are sideline onlookers, and the white hair man represents God who treasures all human being.

The metaphorical poem contains major life lessons: never to forget that every human being, no matter their background or status, is a precious gift of God deserving divine reverence, the most significant in God’s eyes. Thanks to their divine significance, each of them is blessed with unique individual gifts capable of producing heart-touching music. Today, foolish, close-minded crowds exist that have lost the valuable worth of an individual soul, a precious soul just like their own.

“The Curse of Slander”

June 13, 2025

“A stumbling block that is an obstacle or impediment that prevents progress” defines slander.

Addressing slander’s negative influence, English historian Bettany Hughes states, “Rumor, gossip, slander – single drops of poison can pollute an entire system.”

Father of the Church St. John Chrysostom would add, “Slander is worse than cannibalism.”

Years ago, a friend who was in charge of Latin American Affairs at the Bishops’ Conference gifted me a banner. On it was a group of women in a circle talking among themselves. They were “chismosas,” gossipers spreading slander.

In our Supreme Court, an ivory frieze contains the works of good and evil, slander being among the evil works. One of slander’s evils is being used as a weapon of destruction in politics, a repulsive poison used to destroy another by digging up dirt to destroy a person’s reputation.

In the frieze, truth and harmony are portrayed as antitheses to slander. This leads us to wonder about today’s leadership using slander as a weapon. What has possessed them to use this macho weapon?

Avarice, the desire to maintain power, and the fear of becoming insignificant are some of the reasons. Historically, this has been the curse of politics. General Douglas MacArthur expands on this cause: “Last, but by no means least, courage-moral courage, the courage of one’s convictions, the courage to see things through. The world is in constant conspiracy against the brave. It's the age-old struggle of the roar of the crowd on one side and the voice of your conscience on the other side.”

Weaponizing slander is despicable behavior that lacks heartfelt consideration, down-to-earth humility, and the qualities of a good human being. When practiced, it generates folly, clouding the mind needed to practice truth.

And too, it is easy to fall into the trap of gossiping. We live in an age of idle talk that makes us wonder how much cell phones contribute to this. It is so easy to pass time talking about others and not directly to them, to be a newsmonger and become a snoop immersed in the world of slander.

When all is said and done, is it necessary to get to the bottom of what is happening to our moral compass so that we can practice truthfulness and righteous virtue?

One meaning of respect is to give reverential space to another, to never invade his or her privacy or destroy their reputation --- to be grownups employing grownup behavior.

“Whose Country is This, Anyway?”

June 10, 2025

I learned from my Italian grandfather about his boat trip to America, and how the work ethic he and his countrymen possessed physically built neighborhoods in Chicago.

My Irish relatives likewise came over on a boat, having come through a potato famine that cost thousands of lives.

I have stayed at Indian reservations and experienced their plight and poverty.

It would seem that many who desire to make America great have little to no history of true greatness of the past. Greatness means being a caring, human being. It isn’t about much “success” you possess --- how much money you make or how many people know your name. It is about who you are and how you treat others. Greatness is integrity and the ability to affect those around us positively.

In Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life, Robert Bellah and his colleagues point us to the French social philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville, who examined American mores and what caused American greatness and what was damaging it.

Americans like my Italian-Irish community and American Indian communities have much to teach us. They possessed stories of exemplary life and of the virtues that define character.

My Italian mother was forever counseling, “Go with people who can raise you up and avoid those of bad character.” My Irish German father’s background taught him to tip his hat when we passed a church. And he always dressed appropriately when going to church. Simple community values passed onto us.

Today we must wonder about the state of family community values. Our immigrants were and are the backbone of the greatness of community life. Unfortunately, this is being depreciated presently. Our immigrant populations are not being lauded for the gift they are to our country, but are being portrayed as evil outcasts with no recourse to justice. Is this because American greatness is hailed as white supremacy, amassing money, and espousing rugged individualism over responsible community building? And, too, what are children’s stories teaching? Recently, under the picture of an American Indian, there was the quote, “If you don’t look like me, you are an immigrant.” Are many of today’s stories of greatness leaving out our true American history? Are they devoid of civics and the true realities of democratic greatness?

United we stand when valuable community lessons are taught; divided we fall when missing.

“Viva la Revolución”

June 6, 2025

Is the nonsensical behavior that is filling the media causing you to feel enough is enough? If so, it is time for a revolution. To create an effective revolution, however, is not easy.

The first rule is to base it on a sound ideal; what is the good it hopes to achieve? Is it based on an inherent common good and not on a personal selfish good?

Saint John Henry Newman believed conscience is the aboriginal vicar of Christ in the soul, a divine voice guiding individuals toward truth and moral decision making. Is the revolution conscientious in which reflection is taken to listen to the inner voice of Christ and embrace His moral compass?

Is the revolution’s importance so strong that a revolutionary is willing to give their life for it?

A revolution usually involves multiple idealists, which raises the question of how much mutual consultation is part of the revolutionary role. A synod is a consultation, a call to prayer, listen, and discern together what the Holy Spirit is inspiring. Is a synod environment employed in considering the correct road a revolution should embrace?

Newman states, “Life means change, and to be perfect means to change often.” Revolutions, by their nature, are meant to be change agents in hopes of creating a better life. Are they considered a sacred gift for ameliorating the present?

Often forgotten, revolutions require courage, which is defined as possessing heart. To be successful, warm-heartedness must be preferred over hard-heartedness. Confucius, Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, and Nelson Mandela are lauded peacemakers because they exemplified Christ, the Divine peacemaker, a caring, loving God.

When revolutions fail, one reason is that the above considerations have not been followed. Ultimately, failure happens when revolutions are based on secular society thinking and neglect Divine guidance. Their revolutionary hearts were missing a spiritual element.

In the 1960s, Saint Pope John XXIII called for an aggiornamento: an updating. Not only does the Church need continuous updating, but equally important, so do all nations. We are a new post-modern age in which atrocious rhetoric, the inability to tell the truth, avarice, lack of concern for the common good, and a “get-it-now-don’t-deny-yourself” society need moral updating. Yes, we need a revolution defending wisdom against folly, prudence against imprudence, far-sightedness against near-sightedness, and caring for the poor against their being conceived as non-significant. Viva la revolución!

“The Vine and Branches: A Parable for Our Age”

May 23, 2025

I was awed as I experienced a marathoner leading a blind marathoner among a crowd of runners. No doubt they had trained together for several months. And no doubt, discipline, pushing oneself to the limit, dieting properly, and enduring pain was a daily routine. More than preparation, there must have been times when they wondered, “Why am I doing this? Why the dedication?”

Seeing the blind runner holding onto a rope attached to his companion made me wonder about the faith needed to run blindly with another. They say the hearing of a blind person is much more acute than usual. Watching the blind person, I wondered, “What was he hearing and going through his mind? Seeing the enabling runner made me think of the parable of the vine and the branches: one runner attached to another, and the supportive strength the blind runner experienced. As the branches of a vine need the strength of the vine, so too does our strength depend on another.

Christ implores us to be attached to Him, to put our faith in Him, and to employ our acute hearing powers to listen to Him. He does not want us to go it alone because when this happens, it can lead to depression and a loss of meaning in life. The parable reminds us, “God desires we cross the finish line despite life’s undesirable challenges by holding Him close to complete the race. The parable of the vine and the branches symbolizes that our spiritual branches must be attached to a divine vine and also be cultivated. Watering is crucial, as are nourishing the soil and pruning.

It is a fact that daily news is filled with the disease of lies, revenge, acts of violence, and the inhumane. We live in an age that reeks of psychological death, leaving us empty and in despair. The parable of the vine and branches reminds us we are not meant to live blindly and alone, devoid of a helping companion, and we must remember to cultivate the ongoing process of renewing our spirituality and never forget we are created by a caring God who desires to be at our side.

Along a marathon route, there are water stops that restore hydration. So, too, does Christ’s wisdom hydrate us so that we have the strength to face life’s worrisome challenges and finish the race of life.

“Profound Peace”

May 19, 2025

In 1652, painter Jan Levens completed Allegory of Peace, which symbolizes the results of achieving peace. In its center sits Pax, the goddess of peace, crowned by Minerva, goddess of wisdom, signifying true peace is not simply the absence of war, but the triumph of wisdom over conflict. Below Pax’s feet is a chained and defeated Mars, the god of war.

The painting is filled with symbols of joy and prosperity that come with peace. Allegory of Peace is a mundane reminder of how we normally envision peace and its uplifting tranquility.

When Christ speaks of peace, it transcends the mundane and speaks to our very heart. It is not achieved by brave warriors in armor. Its fruits are not a tranquil life filled with horns of plenty, perpetual sunlight, and heart-moving music. Rather, it is embracing Christ’s love wholeheartedly, living it and imbibing in its divine peacefulness, in feeling complete unison with a good conscience. It is feeling I have tried my best, desiring goodness.

Throughout life, I have experienced frustrated parents enduring a wayward child who was going down the wrong path in life. They were forever sleepless due to worries over their child’s future. And yet they never stopped trying to be parents, never stopping their caring concern despite the heavy cross they carried. And then one day their child suddenly turns around one hundred eighty degrees, becoming an upright, outstanding person. As that experience is elating, more exhilarating is the peace of mind that follows; life that is in disarray comes together. Disorder is conquered by order and its tranquility.

When Christ speaks of peace, it transcends this mundane feeling of peace. It is the peace of conscience in which God’s voice is heard and acted upon within it. A divine tranquility results in being allied with God’s world and goodness; it is a voice of peace saying, “Well done, my faithful servant. As I care for you, you have cared for me and the life I desire for you.”

In Allegory of Peace, happy, rejoicing angels are everywhere. Although they depict mundane peace, their presence elevates it to a divine atmosphere.

In his encyclical Delexit Nos --- God Loved Us --- Pope Francis points us to God’s loving heart, which contains the divine message. Do you want peace? Embrace God’s love for you, live it, and inspire others to embrace it.

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

“Missionary Spirit”

May 12, 2025

Viewing the missionary pictures of Pope Leo XIV in Peru, my heart jumped, bringing back memories of my desire to be a missionary.

A movie of a missionary priest in action was my first inspiration of being a priest. In him, there was something manly and wholesome that touched me. As providence would have it, I ended up being a diocesan priest. This did not stop me from imbibing in missionary spirit throughout my life.

In Huehuetenago, Guatemala, I stayed with Maryknoll priests and nuns and experienced the schools they built, their clinic, catechizing Mayan Indians, and I participated in thirty plus baptisms in a crush of people. Montezuma’s dysentery was common, and depression was caused by prolonged periods of perpetual fog. I also talked with lay volunteers who could not wait to return home. The foreign culture and work were too much.

In San Juan de Llurighancho, Peru, I lived with Holy Cross missionaries and experienced clinics and churches overwhelmed with the poor. My companion, a Holy Cross Brother, showed me the beautiful school he built and the glass windows with which he adorned mission buildings. I also heard of the gruesome “Sendero Luminoso,” terrorists responsible for brutally killing nuns and priests.

“I have never been the same,” said a lay minister interviewee who worked in the missions. American prosperity in comparison with the slums of poor countries was cause for guilt. As I reflected on Pope Leo’s twenty years in Peru’s slums, tears swelled over my desire to be a missionary. No doubt part of my nostalgia was a first wanderlust: going to a foreign country, speaking another language, and championing the poor.

Missionary life is much more than being a champion of the destitute. It is a charisma in which the heart is inspired to serve others less fortunate than oneself; selflessness replaces selfishness. J.L. Ewin echoes the ruined lay volunteer’s missionary experience: “As long as there are millions destitute of the Word of God and knowledge of Jesus Christ, it will be impossible for me to devote time and energy to those who have both.”

At the heart of a missionary’s vision is seeing two helpless brother-orphans in the streets comforting each other, or people living from hand to mouth and experiencing deprivation due to government corruption. Christ’s loving, caring heart beating within them is the heart of missionary work.

May Pope Leo’s heart bless us with his missionary spirit.

“The Formidable Role of Universities”

May 9, 2025

In St. John Henry Newman’s Idea of a University, he defines the university’s ultimate role as not cherishing talent, genius, or knowledge for their own sake primarily, but for the sake of the Church’s children. Universities have a view to their students’ spiritual welfare and their religious influence and usefulness, with the object of training students to fill their respective posts in life better, and of making them more intelligent, capable, active members of society. The university aims to make students gentlemen and educate them as whole persons.

“A gentleman,” Newman states, “is one who never inflicts pain. He is mainly occupied in merely removing the obstacles which hinder the free and unembarrassed action of those about him, and he concurs with their movements rather than takes the initiative himself. The true gentleman carefully avoids whatever may cause a jar or a jolt in the minds of those with whom he is cast---all clashing of opinion, or collision of feeling, all restraint, or suspicion, or gloom, or resentment; his great concern being to make everyone at their ease and at home. A gentleman observes the maxim of the ancient sage, that we should ever conduct ourselves toward our enemy as if he were one day to be our friend.”

It’s no exaggeration to say our universities shoulder an impressive role in producing gentlemen and gentlewomen. This is not fictitious idealism, but a fact: universities are communities of scholars and teachers accountable for producing adults responsible for the existence of our future.

Weaponizing funding for controlling universities threatens democracy, constitutions, laws, and God’s gift of fundamental freedom. From birth, we were meant to be free. Presently, those employing dictatorship control over universities are antithetical to a university’s innate rights and meaning. Even though administrations need reminders on how to improve, that task is primarily the responsibility of their administrators. Even though universities are gifted with outside funding, the primary role of funders is to recommend, not to dictate, and not to be controlling oligarchs.

In place of the present civic university malaise, how about embracing a civil course funding program researching famous civic leaders, their rhetoric, and the methods employed to improve life? How about forgetting deportation and funding multicultural curricula aimed at a deeper understanding of our multicultural society and its role in welcoming the stranger? How about avoiding making universities enemies and practicing Newman’s principles of a gentleman? Universities are a gift, reminding us not to bite the hand that feeds us.

“The Gift of History”

May 5, 2025

History museums are being forced to forbid history that is considered to dwell on America’s shameful side overly. It is argued that today’s public deserves to benefit more from joyful, inspiring historical events.

Too much concentration on disturbing events can indeed result in over kill. When we are stuffed with the negative, indigestion follows. On the other hand, history can alert us to past failures that must be avoided. During the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette said, “Give them cake to eat.” The “them” were her starving subjects. Her tactic was meant to preserve her own opulent life. The history lesson? Opulent life by the few can lead to an uprising of the poor.

German writer Herman Hesse states, “To study history means submitting yourself to chaos, but nevertheless retaining your faith in order and meaning.” Studying past events can lead us to doubt humanity’s nobility, but also to direct us to its nobility.

On the other hand, those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat its failures.

American historian Howard Zinn warns, “If you don't know history, it's as if you were born yesterday. If you were born yesterday, then any leader can tell you anything.”

The philosopher Confucius identified history’s ultimate value in stating, “Study history, study history. In history lies all the secrets of statecraft.”

American journalist Franklin Jones reminds us to remember the powerful influence of a historian: “Perhaps nobody has changed the course of history as much as the historians.”

Lucian, an ancient Greek, enumerates the heavy duties historians fulfill: “A good historian must be fearless, uncorrupted, free, the friend of truth and of liberty, one who calls a fig a fig, neither giving nor withholding from any, from favor or from eternity not influenced by pity, by shame, or by remorse of being a just judge.”

The Indian politician B. R. Ambedkar adds, “A historian ought to be exact, sincere, and impartial, free from passion, unbiased by interest, fear, or resentment. And faithful to the truth, which is the mother of history, the presenter of great actions, the enemy of oblivion, the witness of the past, the director of the future.”

Interestingly, a synonym for reverence is seriousness. To disrespect the lessons of history, even though they are not always welcomed, is serious business, leading to a lack of wisdom needed for making our post-postmodern progress and avoiding past follies.

“Compassion for More Compassion”

May 2, 2025

The Dalai Lama once said, “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion, if you want to be happy, practice compassion.” Brene Brown points out, “Compassion is not a virtue…it is a commitment. It's not something we have or don't have…it's something we choose to practice.”

At the death of Pope Francis, the world lauded him as a person committed to warmheartedness, kindness, magnanimity, and mercy. Stevie Wonder once commented, “Mama was my greatest teacher, a teacher of compassion, love, and fearlessness. If love is sweet as a flower, then my mother is that sweet flower of love.”

Sad to say, we are in an age in which our airwaves could be filled with many more sounds of sympathy, consideration, and kindness. We are not as well-disposed as we could be. Dark clouds creating disillusionment and depression are blocking our sunlight. As negative as this may sound, it need not be. It is because there is an opportunity to develop an antidote against ill disposition and smell “the sweet flower of love.” If this is the case, wisdom would advise us, “Get to its bottom.” Interestingly, Albert Einstein has often recommended we heighten our interest frequently --- to wonder, for example, why so many people applauded Pope Francis’s compassion. Could it be that today’s news is filled with unfeeling, cold behavior, and warmhearted dialogue is on the decline? The reason Pope Francis was so lauded is that he was a breath of fresh air --- air filled with compassion. People were interested in him because he was interested in them --- disinterestedness was replaced with heightened heartfelt selfless interest. The result was inspiring wonderment.

We are blessed with a conscience that prompts us to go into our center and reflect on God’s moral compass --- to heighten our interest in following it and to wonder about its inspiring effects.

In St. John’s Gospel, on Christ’s appearance to Peter after the Resurrection, Peter must have felt brokenhearted and deeply repentant for denying knowing Christ at a moment when his friendship was desperately needed. Christ does not berate Peter and take him to task; rather, we hear, “Peter, do you love me?” The reply? “Lord, you know I love you. Then feed my sheep” --- an experience of a moment of heartfelt compassion --- God’s compassion that Pope Francis lived, and what is needed much more today.

“In God We Trust”

April 29, 2025

“You don’t know who to trust anymore” has become a disturbing theme heard around our country. What is behind untruthfulness and the anxiety it is causing?

Pope Francis pointed us out the cause of distrust and the virtue needed to contend with it: “Although the life of a person is in a land full of thorns and weeds, there is always a space in which the good seed can grow. You have to trust God.”

The weeds to which Francis referred are false news, lies, fraud, and slander, each of which are the result of untruthfulness. His counsel is to turn to God and meditate on how to cope with that which threatens our faith --- to counter distrust with trust in God.

George Elliot pointed out an undesirable outcome of distrust in stating, “What loneliness is more lonely than distrust?” Mutual trust is the center of togetherness; distrust is its enemy. Distrust is a sickness, the worst of which are depression and disillusionment. One major source of this malaise is the news, newspapers, and magazines spreading half-truths and outright lies --- weeds that can generate a life of skepticism.

Being too skeptical has a negative result: If you distrust too much, you will live in torment if you avoid becoming a doubting St. Thomas.

Stephen Covey directs us to the ultimate purpose of trust, and why preserving it is so important: “Trust is the glue of life. It's the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It's the foundation principle that holds together all relationships.” Needless to say, when the glue of truthfulness dries up and cracks, so too does fruitful communication and dialogue fall apart.

It has been said, “To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved.” We must ask further why trust is so vital. The answer is that it is the heart of I-Thou relationships, in which total trustworthiness creates open-heartedness between two people. It is the basis for unity, camaraderie, companionship, and, most importantly, loving relationships.

On a personal note, Ralph Waldo Emerson revealed: “All I have seen teaches me to trust the creator for all I have not seen.” Trust is not only our responsibility but the responsibility of a providential God. - - God has a reason for our struggle for truth. We must wonder if the thorns and weeds Pope Francis identified challenge us to live the cherished motto, “In God we trust.”

“The Gift of Divine Inspiration”

April 22, 2025

Compassionate, sympathetic, warm hearted, and tender describe Pope Francis’s gift of humanness. Translated into action, it is the desire to treat all people equally, deserving of justice and love. It is embracing the desire we were made to our God-given duty to care for others and God’s creation. It is envisioning our world as one, even though we are made up of various cultures.

When we reflect on Pope Francis’ deportment, he is more than a priest who became a pope. Much deeper than this, he is blessed with a conscience listening to the voice of God prompting him to promote goodness, beauty, and unity based on God’s caring love. When we examine his spiritual secret, we find he is a model of how to live a joyful life.

I was trained by and taught with Jesuits. One of their trademarks is discernment as an integral part of their prayer life. Going deep within ourselves to discern God’s will and how to practice it is essential to it. Discernment is not a one-time practice but is a daily exercise.

Francis told us that devotion to prayer from morning to when he retired is a daily exercise. No doubt, all his days were filled with weighing concerns. Take for example, as much as he desired to continue St. Pope John XXII’s aggiornamento, updating the church to respond to the challenges of our times, and have the church adjust to them, not all agreed --- priests, bishops, the laity, and even some cardinals were critical of him and pushed back to the point some coined him diabolical.

And when he reached out to those of different sexual orientation because he believed them to be God’s creatures, some said he was unfit to be Pope.

He was criticized as being political when he stood strong against labeling immigrants as undesirable.

He often reminded his cardinals they needed to put aside pomp and live St. Francis’s concern for the poor foremost.

The conflicts he experienced would have torn most of us apart, but not for him. He was steadfast and never lost his gentle smile. His inspiration was a blessed gift, but as he would tell us, “A gift, yes, but unworthy of me, and yes, an inspiration of the Holy Spirit at my side supporting me.”

If and when he is canonized a saint, may he be the patron saint of the privileged who govern.

“The Role of Conscience in Today’s Malaise”

April 18, 2025

While in Germany I often heard the word Angst, meaning nervousness, when addressing government. This unease goes double for our country due to nerve-racking radical changes. How do we cope with this?

St. John Henry Newman would direct us to our conscience, emphasizing that its primary role is above any earthly authority, including the Pope. Newman reminds us down deep within us is our conscience, the voice of God giving us divine guidance, a moral compass seeking truth. When followed, we become like a ship finding safe harbor sheltered from stormy seas. Following God’s voice creates order, the essence of finding peace. Newman states that to be able to hear God’s voice, contemplation and a sense of duty are required.

Today our country’s governance comportment is anything but contemplative and peaceful, which is unsuitable for contemplating God’s voice and following God’s moral compass. Our country lives in distracting, abnormal times, bombarding us with daily worries. But it need not be abnormal if a missing part to our governance is added.

American leader and politician James E. Faust helps define the missing part in saying, “To be a good father and mother requires that the parents defer many of their own needs and desires in favor of the needs of their children. As a consequence of this sacrifice, conscientious parents develop an ability of character and learn to put into practice the selfless truths taught by the Savior Himself.”

The missing ingredient in governance is the model of noble, self-sacrificing parents who respond to God's voice and practice the truths taught by our Savior. This missing ingredient also results in disrespectfulness, crude language, atrocious rhetoric, egotism, and selfishness, which are responsible for Angst.

Solon the great lawmaker once said, “Put more trust in nobility of character than in an oath. " French orientalist Ranan states, “Man is not on this earth merely to be happy, or even to be simply honest. He is there to realize great things for humanity, to attain nobility and to surmount the vulgarity of almost everybody.” These two quotes contain God's moral compass pointing to nobility and a life of righteousness.

Angst’s causes are many: irrationality, avarice, cold-heartedness, egotism, outright corruption and prejudice, the primary causes behind today’s disturbing nervousness. It is time to shout loudly: “Wherein is the conscience of those responsible for our Angst? Do they ever listen to the voice of God within them?”

“It Is All About the Money”

April 15, 2025

The wife of the Roman god Jupiter was Juno, also known as Moneta. The Romans made coins at the temple dedicated to her. For that reason, the name Moneta came to mean a place where coins are made and later simply “coin” or “money.”

Today it is no exaggeration to say the world is a temple dedicated to money. The daily stock market, global trading, economic concerns, and commercialism are a regular diet. All these uses of money show it is normal and essential. Anything essential, however, should never be dismissed as normal because, by nature, it requires in depth judgement as to its advantages and disadvantages. Wise quotes are one way to achieve this.

Henry David Thoreau observes, “Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.” No one can dispute Thoreau about money’s advantage for enhancing life because it is a welcome sign of progress.

There is the saying, “Don’t let power go to your head.”  Applied to money, it is power, and like all essential powers, it comes with its responsibilities. Without them, the door opens to irresponsibility.

Basketball coach John Wooden points us to one of those responsibilities: “Don't let making a living prevent you from making a life.” His quote reminds us of the numerous movies portraying famous people being destroyed by a lust for fame and money.

Edmund Burke cautions us about what is needed to control money: “If we command our wealth, we shall be rich and free; if our wealth commands us, we are poor indeed.”

Financial journalist B.C. Forbes circumvents the value of money qua money in defining where true richness is found: “Real riches are the riches possessed inside.”

Latin writer Pubililus Syrus seconds Forbes in stating, “A good reputation is more valuable than money.”

American author and philosopher Ayn Rand has another caution to consider: “Money is only a tool. It will take you wherever you wish, but it must not replace you in the driver’s seat.”

Evangelist Billy Graham points us to the true most values to consider when it comes to money: “The greatest legacy one can pass on to one's children and grandchildren is not money or other material things accumulated in one's life, but rather a legacy of character and faith.”

To possess adequate money creates feelings of security and peace. Knowledge in keeping it in its proper place is intelligence on how to keep it there.

“Law’s Blessings and Travesties When Misused”

April 14, 2025

In German, Ehrfurcht means awe and reverence. Presently there is a need to revisit the meaningfulness of law that is being disrespected. Salient quotes and symbols on the Supreme Court are one effective way to achieve this.

On the east side of the Court building is a stern-looking man holding a sword, symbolizing The Authority of Law. The lesson is the law’s purpose is to maintain order using firm means.

A bowed woman across from The Authority of Law is leaning on a book of laws. She is The Contemplation of Justice, signifying laws require deep reflection to be fair.

On the east side of the Court, a woman representing mercy kneels before Moses, reminding us that law must be strict but equally important, heartfelt.

Theodore Roosevelt states. “No man is above the law and no man is below it: nor do we ask any man's permission when we ask him to obey it signifying law is a sacred and no human is above it. The lesson is man must know his place.”

“The safety of the people shall be the highest law.” Aristotle points us to the law’s ultimate purpose: the common good.

“Our government... teaches the whole people by its example. If the government becomes the lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy.” In addressing anarchy, Cicero states chaos follows.

“Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it; and this I know, my lords: that where law ends, tyranny follows.” William Pitt echoes Cicero’s sentiments: lust for power leads to oppressiveness, as does Shakespeare, who states: “Lawless are they that make their wills the law.”

Philosopher Demosthenes concurs about the damaging effects of misused law: “Every dictator is an enemy of freedom, an opponent of law.”

Justice Sonia Sotomayor addresses a major problem facing today’s society, sticking to the truth. “We apply law to facts. We don't apply feelings to facts.”

Pope St. John Paul II identifies the role conscience fulfills in law. “When freedom does not have a purpose, when it does not wish to know anything about the rule of law engraved in the hearts of men and women, when it does not listen to the voice of conscience, it turns against humanity and society.”

Would that the above wisdom was taken to heart!

“Get Dirt Under Your Fingernails”

April 10, 2025

The Mayo Clinic describes depression as “A mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Also called clinical depression, it affects how you feel, think, and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems you may have trouble doing normal day-to-day activities and sometimes you may feel as if life isn't worth living.”

A quote by filmmaker and humanitarian Angelina Jolie captures the devastation of hopelessness: “I don't really want to live, so anything that was an investment in time made me angry, but also I just felt sad hopelessness is hurting you it is the fixtures and fittings that finish you off.”

Actor Sidney Poitier sees hopelessness as an unpleasant fact in pointing out, “There is no racial or ethnic domination of hopelessness it is everywhere.”

A comment by a Benedictine Abbot echoes Poitier: “Everyone at one time or another experiences depression.” I can concur with this observation having experienced unexpected debilitating depression. When it hit, my life stopped. I ended up sitting on the couch staring out the window for days on end. This, along with panic attacks, convinced me depression is overwhelming.

After twenty years directing a research office, I changed jobs and became assistant to a university president. My first job was to represent the university at a meeting in Argentina.

When I returned home, depression hit me like a bombshell. One reason was making a radical twenty-year change, going from one job to another. Thanks to an old Benedictine teacher, my depressing state did not last long. The Benedictine would periodically tell his students, “You have enough under your skullcap, get out and get dirt under your fingernails on our farm.”

I took his advice, put on old overalls, got outdoors, trimmed bushes, and worked on reworking the soil.

Within a week I was well. One reason this happened was because I moved off the couch, went outdoors, and I became active. Equally important, imbibing in nature and gardening got me outside of myself.

Not all depression can be overcome using the means above. For some in a complex situation, medical help is crucial.

Basking in sunshine, getting my hands dirty with soil, and communing with nature was magical medicine no pharmacy could produce. It is one very sound way to cope with depression.  

“Time to Turn Over the Record”

April 8, 2025

On their way to the Promised Land, the Israelites lost patience. “They complained against God and Moses. ‘Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness, where there is no food or water? We are disgusted with this wretched food!’” (Numbers 21:5)

“Perish the day on which I was born, the night when they said, ‘The child is a boy!’ May that day be darkness…May darkness and gloom claim it, clouds settle upon it, blackness of day affright it!” (Job 3:4-5)

When I was constantly complaining like Job or the Israelites, my mother would shout: “Turn over the record; that is an old canzone.”

No doubt, when the Israelites and Job complained, God must have thought: “I have heard these songs repeatedly.”

In cases like this, the American author Zig Ziglar advised: “Be grateful for what you have and stop complaining – it bores everyone else, does you no good, and doesn’t solve any problems.”

Former Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm would add: “You don’t make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering, and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas.”

Complaining about daily events is undoubtedly normal. The media, however, does not help calm us down with repeated nerve-racking reports. How do we respond to this?

Protests are common throughout the county. Yes, many protestors are right. But unless their protests create concrete action, their efforts are for naught. Following up must happen. Town hall meetings, study groups, classroom discussions, challenging publications, and similar actions are imperative.

Equally important, the truthfulness of one’s own convictions is imperative. Have they been researched? Are they fair, without prejudice, and devoid of innuendo and unfounded opinion?

Most importantly, has prayer been employed when examining the righteousness and justice of the issues under scrutiny?

We can commiserate about Job, but his desire to run from the fray is unacceptable. God did not create us to run from pressing problems. God blessed us with the brain and heart to think through a situation and to practice heartfelt courage in addressing it.

Today, there is much to complain about, and much is needed to correct the incorrect. It is time to put on our thinking caps and enlist our enthusiasm. It is time especially to pray for God’s wisdom, patience, and faith that God has a plan in all this.

“Revisiting the Nature of Justice”

April 4, 2025

“My aim is not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.”

Among all the things that preoccupy us today, those connected with justice are of urgent concern. How is it defined and why is it so concerning?

In its simplest form, justice means fairness and treating people equally, ensuring everyone receives what they deserve, and upholding what is right and lawful.

Cicero believed justice is a fundamental virtue, requiring not harming others, using common things for the common good, and private possessions for their own, and that justice is the foundation of a stable and just society.

For Saint Augustine, justice is rooted in the love of God and the pursuit of a just order, both in the individual and in society, with the understanding that true justice is not fully obtainable in this world and that earthly kingdoms without justice are mere robberies.

Several quotes define justice’s importance. Francis Bacon states, “If we do not maintain justice, justice will not maintain us.” Here we are reminded of how easy it is to lose a sense of justice.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Martin Luther King Jr. points out that the smallest injustice is not just small but can be gigantic.

“Charity begins at home, and justice begins next door.” Charles Dickens makes the point that justice is the companion of charity. In addition to being kind to another we are implored also to work toward another’s equality.

Justice Willian O. Douglas takes us the heart of justice in that it requires a wise mind seeking what exactly is true: “Common sense often makes a good law.”

Social worker Jane Addams declared, “The absence of war is the presence of justice.” This sentiment is also found on the U.S. Capitol frieze which states that the hope of American liberty is justice.

Benjamin Franklin addresses an irony of justice; it requires outrageousness to be properly practiced.

One of the urgent concerns of our times is how genuine authority can once more be established in the world. Human rights, war crimes, responsibility in the face of unjust commands, political strikes, and equality of women are all connected to justice. Our greatest and most frequent troubles today center on injustice.

If injustice seems to be reigning now, is the crux of the problem God’s benevolence, joy, and peace is not reigning? Justice requires common sense, but more so a sense of God’s role in maintaining it.

“For the Glory of God”

April 3, 2025

“My aim is not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.”

Christ’s words reflect his glory: to be one with His Father, to be in harmony.

I played in an orchestra with violinists, cellists, bass fiddlers, trombonists, and clarinetists. Although we were individuals, we were one when producing harmonic music. We “gloried” in our oneness.

Harmony comes in many forms. In a talk by Jim Lehrer of the Lehrer News Hour at Quantico, Virginia marine base, he stated Semper Fidelis means “always faithful.” When a marine sings it, it is never for himself. It is always for the marines who went before them, after them, and foremost, for those who gave their lives, their everything.

As music requires the cohesiveness of musicians, equally true marines are trained to be unified as one.

Throughout our U.S. Capitol rings the motto “In unity there is strength, divided we fall,” yet another reference to the glory contained in harmony.

As Christ’s glory is unity with His Father, so too, is the unity of oneness in an orchestra and the glory of the Marine Corps.

Marcus Tullis Cicero addresses the merit of glory in stating: “Glory follows virtue as if it were its shadow.”

We live in an era that reflects anything but virtuous harmony and its glory. Vicious disagreements lacking in harmony are filling the air. Disagreement is not always bad. When employed properly, it prompts us to examine various sides of an issue. Without disagreement, progress is impossible. And too, there is another side to the teamwork of the Marines. It is less human and more cyber driven thanks to the computer age. As necessary and glorious as are these changes what is their ultimate goal?

For Christ, obedience to His Father is his primary goal, containing His moral compass and directing us to the optimal divine good.

Presently the glory of our governance is substandard. One reason is blind love of prominence and greed. Selfish power is replacing serving the common good and the virtuous life of which Cicero speaks.

We live in a democracy in which our leadership swear an oath under God. Their heartlessness must make us wonder where their heart was when taking this oath.

“My aim is not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.” Not to serve myself but the common good.

“The Gift of Gratitude”

April 1, 2025

“Get up, pick up your sleeping-mat and walk. The man was cured at once, and he picked up his mat and walked away.” As uplifting as is this picture, something is missing; there was no thank you given to Christ from the healed man.

When something wonderful happens, it is common to hurry off like the lame man and forget to say, “Thank you.” The rush of joy easily overshadows the event.

American educator and professor Randy Pausch reminded us: “Showing gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful things humans can do for each other,” and Cicero stated: “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” Both remind us of the prominent place of thank you in life.

Please allow me to reminisce on my life’s moments that required my gratitude. My parents and relatives were a “familia” par excellence. Outstanding teachers also fit that bill. Their wisdom and compassion gifted me with cherished lessons I pass on to others now.

I was a poor student, but thanks to supportive classmates, I reversed this. Most of us were second or third generations from Italy, Poland, and Ireland. They were a gift enhancing me with cultural backgrounds.

And then there are numerous people whose compliments filled me with the spirit “I have what it takes.” A stream of continuous encouragement and support.

As a fireman, my fellow firemen with whom I worked taught me the profound meaning of camaraderie. We were not firemen but a team of devoted first responders.

Employers who gave me jobs enabled me to contribute to our family budget.

Benedictines, Franciscans, Holy Cross Brothers, and Jesuits with whom I lived blessed me with their community life and charisms.

Much of my life was spent working in universities with outstanding colleagues in research who enabled us to produce over a hundred national studies. We also worked with graduate students and secretaries from various countries, which broadened my understanding and appreciation of their cultures.

A worrisome problem facing us presently is the “trillion-dollar appetite” to fill our wallets. Is it diminishing the gratitude for our blessings?

Saying “thank you” goes many ways:

Thank you for past blessings.

Thank you for the blessings of the present.

Thank you for the gift of hope and looking forward to the future.

“Heartfelt Caring”

March 31, 2025

In 1894, Mary Cassatt painted “The Boating Party,” depicting the deep, intimate bonds between mothers and their children. In the painting, a mother is cradling her child as she gazes at the gentleman rowing the boat. The painting beautifully captures maternal love, as well as the care and responsibility the boatman shows in safely guiding the family to their destination.

The beauty of art is the way it penetrates the very soul of a subject. This is especially notable in Cassatt’s painting in which the depth of caring is captured: a mother cradling her child and a boatman devoted to both.

Music is another way of moving our soul. For example, Giacomo Puccini’s melody “Oh my dear baby” pulls at our heart strings of caring.

In Christ’s counsel to love your neighbor as you love yourself, we are implored to imitate God’s unending love for another as a way of loving ourselves.

At this year’s Players’ Championship, golfers Rory McIlroy and J.J. Spaun ended in a playoff. What happened later was astonishing: both donated their winnings. McIlroy’s donation went for children suffering from ill health or who are unfairly disadvantaged. J.J. Spaun, a diabetic, donated his prize for diabetic research. Two examples of loving caring hearts toward their neighbors.

In the encyclical Dilexit nos on the human and divine love of the heart of Jesus Christ, Pope Francis writes: “The heart is the local of sincerity, where the seat and disguise have no place. It usually indicates our true intentions, what we really think, believe in desire, the secrets that we tell no one: in a word, the naked truth about ourselves. It is the part of us that is neither appearance nor illusion but is entirely who we are.”

Recent events are raising the question, “What is the naked truth about our caring heart?”  For example, where is the humanity in treating immigrants among us?

Equally challenging is upgrading our organizations. Progress dictates that continuous organizational restructuring is absolutely necessary. But one model for achieving this is often brutal, heartless, and demeaning. We live in a post-postmodern age requiring new methods for meeting its demands. Where are the educated thinkers helping us to achieve this realistically? Where are new models being tested to make this happen? Most importantly, what is being done to match effectiveness with humane caring? Where is art’s role in inspiring caring hearts for our new age?

“The Demise of True Values”

March 27, 2025

Something important, of worth, or usefulness is the definition of value. Appreciate, cherish, prize, and treasure are synonyms.

One of today’s cherished values is possessing money for enjoying amenities like having a roof over our head, food on the table, clothing, and necessities of life. Desiring money is a natural value. It is unnatural, however, when it is treated like a god because of what it leads to: avarice and selfishness are valued over the value of dedicating ourselves to the good of others and the common good. Greed, on the other hand, leads to wars, violence, corruption, disrespect, and chaos.

At the center of true values is a caring, benevolent heart. For Homer, our heart indicates the center of the body and also the human soul and spirit. In the Iliad, thoughts and feelings proceed from the heart and are tightly bound to one another. Most importantly, the heart is the locus of desire and the place where beneficial, humane decisions take shape.

In Plato, the heart serves to unite our rational and instinctive aspects since the impulses of both the higher faculties and the passions were thought to pass through the veins that converge in the heart. From ancient times, then, there has been an appreciation of the fact that human beings are not simply a sum of different skills, but a unity of body and soul with a coordinating center that provides a backdrop of meaning and direction to all that a person experiences.

Morally speaking, the heart is the locus of sincerity, where deceit and disguise have no place. It usually indicates our true intentions, what we really think, believe, and desire, the “secrets” that we tell no one: in a word, the naked truth about ourselves. It is the part of us that is neither appearance nor illusion but defines who we really are.

Today it is no exaggeration to say deep concern exists about who we are as a nation. Welcoming strangers, freedom of speech, and generosity have been our hallmarks. Something is missing in the present emphasis: “having more money in our wallet.” Our hearts are in the wrong place. Our values are out of order. Instead of championing the common good, we are championing our selfishness; we, not others, are the main concern. It's time to stop and ask, what are we about, and what do we value exactly?

“Getting a Grip on Rejection”

March 24, 2025

In 1899 Edmund Leighton painted Off. It portrays a man walking away from a woman dressed in a floral gown. Her expression is pensive and resolute; she has rejected him. It is timely at a time when the pain of rejection is afflicting many of today’s workers.

Rejection translates as being thrown out. Experiencing the shock of dismissal can be devastating, often leading to depression and despair. For the millions of workers experiencing it, what are wise ways for confronting the pain?

French Algerian writer Albert Camus is a good place to answer this: “In the depths of winter I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” Camus starts with our inner self experiencing darkness. He does not stop here but sees darkness as a learning experience leading to sunshine. Even though we may not see the light beyond the tunnel we are urged to imagine how to get the best in our situation. And how is this accomplished? Two wise ways are found in the virtues of faith and hope.

Faith addresses our inner self, reminding us to start by believing in ourselves and to let nothing break our spirit, to believe we have what it takes to weather the situation, to not let the moment discourage us, but to take heart. Equally important it prompts us to remember we are not alone and to put our faith in God who sees our pain and always desires the best for us.

In Washington, DC, we have the proverb, “There is life beyond the Beltway.” I learned this when I was terminated after twenty years of service doing work I loved. Rejection forced me to leave the past in the past and to go “beyond the Beltway” looking for a hopeful future. Hope is a powerful virtue for overcoming disappointment. It prompts us to look forward, to awaken our imagination and enter the world of possible new horizons.

No doubt these are tough times for many losing their jobs. At Notre Dame, we had the saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Tough times can be positive in testing our toughness we often take for granted.

On the farm we have the saying, “There are many ways to skin a cat.” No, it was not intended to condone harming cats. Rather, it is a reminder to realize that many opportunities for fixing a problem are waiting to be tried.

“Recharging Our Education”

March 21, 2025

“Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence.” Ignatian discernment is “a spiritual practice that involves noticing interior movements (thoughts, feelings, desires) and using these insights to discern God's will and make decisions in alignment with faith and life's circumstances.”

Robert Frost’s comment on education and Ignatian discernment contains the very wisdom needed for contending with today’s malaise.

Malaise is a general feeling of discomfort, illness, or lack of well-being, accompanied by fatigue and a sense of unwellness. It suppresses our desire to engage in usual activities. Antonyms include depression, anxiety, and uneasiness.

Frost considers education the crux for maintaining self-confidence and even-temperedness, two ways of maintaining a strong spirit. Ignatian discernment is education teaching us how to discern the roots of interior forces influencing our thoughts, feelings, and desires and how we might align them better with our faith and a healthy, spiritual life.

When we think of education, usually we envision it as going through seasons of schooling exercises. And then the time comes when school is out. Oh, we still read and learn, but for many, our learning is less disciplined and haphazard. And too, we tend to rely on the media as our main source of learning.

John Henry Newman reminds us of education’s main purpose: to be our own thinkers and to be forever enlarging our minds. Implied is we be like poets and artists examining life’s inner soul through questioning, contemplation, discovering root causes, reenvisioning life, and exploration.

Education in Latin means to bring forth. In the case of today’s malaise, it connotes that we bring forth a discerning mind that is forever pondering life’s influence on us.

Presently, we live in an age of information glut that bombards our minds continuously. Often, it tends to shrink rather than enlarge our minds. Short sound bites make it impossible to catch our breath and unravel their truthfulness. Note how Robert Frost alludes to being open to everything but never allowing it to deprive us of self-confidence and how Ignatian discernment teaches us to increase our self-confidence and avoid the uneasiness of malaise. Simply put, both speak to keeping our spirit strong.

As athletes tune their bodies continuously to ensure an outstanding performance, so too should we be tuning our minds continuously through our educational skills. No better antithesis to malaise exists.

“Awareness of Human Nature Leading to Its Divine Appreciation”

March 14, 2025

“Avoid wasting precious time; make it add to your growth.” The philosopher Seneca’s thoughts are a wonderful way to welcome Spring. As the sun warms the earth and brings life and beauty out of it, Seneca’s words prompt us to make the most of the moment and digest it. How might we accomplish this?

The phrase “Ships passing in the night” by Henry Wadsworth teaches us about how easy it is to be unaware of the present moment. It is no exaggeration that as wonderful as the cell phone is, often it turns us into ships passing in the night, causing us to miss present beauty surrounding us.

Across from my apartment the Supreme Court is lined with Spring’s blossoming trees. Their ruby red buds are stunning. To capture their beauty, you would need to be the world’s greatest artist. As the saying goes, “Only God can make a tree.” Equally true: only God can create incredible colors.

Spring is an uplifting time; the days are longer, warmer, and brighter. It is filled with its unique spirit of delight, transforming life into sunshine. Seneca would prompt us to stop, open our eyes wide and drink in Mother Nature’s delight and tranquility.

The Canticle of Daniel transports this human spirit of delight into divine delight . . . God’s gift . . .  in prompting us to be grateful for nature.

“Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord; mountains and hills, bless the Lord.”

“Everything growing from the earth bless the Lord.”

“You springs, bless the Lord.”

“Seas and rivers, bless the Lord.”

“All you beast, wild and tame bless the Lord.”

“All you birds of the air bless the Lord.” 

 A friend whom I had not seen for some time came to visit after working at the United Nations in his role as an engineer of sustainability. As I reflected on our conversation about preserving the earth’s resources, images of rain gardens along a path I walked frequently came to mind. Studying how valuable they are to our environment, I thought of engineers who created ideas for harnessing the rain and its benefits. “If only more people embraced this technology, what a wonderful contribution for making the best of God’s gift of water,” I thought. And how much more would it succeed if done in gratitude to God! Human efforts are wonderful, but more wonderful when done in conjunction with the love of God.

“Not a Time to Lose Our Head But to Educate It Better”

March 7, 2025

“Education is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.” “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”

Our present political malaise could gain much wisdom from Aristotle’s insights into education’s role in our postmodern age.

Former president Jimmy Carter identified one good reason for focusing on education: “We have become now an oligarchy instead of a democracy. I think that’s been the worst damage to the basic moral and ethical standards to the American political scene that I have ever seen in my life.”

Throughout history, oligarchies have been viewed as coercive, relying on public obedience or oppression to exist. Aristotle coined the term oligarchy, meaning “rule by the rich.” He contrasts it with aristocracy, arguing that oligarchy was the perverted form of aristocracy.

As a nation are we making democratic progress in which the people’s civil participation is primary or is oligarchy and rule by the few taking priority? Are the voices in our democracy being heard despite differing opinions, or are they split, resulting from internal strife that does not allow for honest discussion? A cherished American motto is “In unity we stand, divided we fall.” Have we morphed into a divided society that has opened the door to oligarchy?

The above questions emphasize the need for increasing our education about today’s challenges to democracy. In today’s society, education is needed to study the principal dangers of oligarchy. Greek leaders were poets who probed the soul of their people. If an oligarchy is now threatening democracy, what is within its soul and heart? Is it a victim of avarice, greed, and pursuing exulted prominence? Money corrupts and opens the door to exploitation. This is well-known, but less well-known is the pursuit of money to balance a budget to save money. Is its main purpose to appear as the greatest country in the world?

Why aren’t these assumptions being challenged?

The French philosopher and historian Montesquieu gives us one answer: “The tyranny of a price in an oligarchy is not so dangerous to the public welfare as the apathy of a citizen in a democracy.” Have we become matter-of-fact about the dangers threatening us? Or do we genuinely believe that achieving greatness translates into wealth as the best road for attaining it?

Time to return to school and study the true meaning of greatness.

“Valuing a Worldview”

February 28, 2025

“A person’s or group’s fundamental perspective on life, including their beliefs, values and assumptions,” defines the meaning of worldview. A philosophy of life is yet another way to envision it.

Values, identities, reality, and science are core to a worldview. What principal values, for example, are necessary for ensuring a safer, just world? The Greeks espoused arete, virtue as a primary value for living together peacefully and maintaining a strong nation. Religion and having a connection with the gods were essential values for the Greeks and Romans, as were Christianity, Islam, and other religions for protecting their worlds.

Identity plays a crucial role in worldview. Take, for example, the role of identity in religion: to be a Catholic or Protestant. Then, there is cultural identity, to be Hispanic, African American, or Asian, for example.

The role of science is also part of a worldview. Most view it as possessing impressive powers of making our world healthier and for making tremendous progress.

The realities of life and death, war and peace, hunger and poverty, Mother Nature’s powers are just a few realities of everyday life that influence our life. Conceding these exist and influence our life is to live reality and the peace of mind it causes.

A worldview is a cluster of points of view that creates a picture of the world’s working. Once understanding its importance, responsibility for its progress needs to follow. Immanuel Kant defines that responsibility in stating Sapere aude, dare to think. Worldview dares us to think about its importance in understanding the influence of science, people’s identities, persuasions, and prejudices and their influence on us. It challenges us, dare we just let the world turn or do we dare to think about what is turning it?

There is another worldview we tend to forget: God’s worldview, understanding God’s role in creating the world, the rules for making it blessed and the divine world we hope to enter. If we are to possess a complete worldview, a natural and supernatural one must be included.

The German word for worldview is Weltanschauung. Sometime years back, the University of Berlin created studies in Weltanschauung as an essential part of its curricula. Today, our learning institutes would do well to duplicate this and teach students Weltanschauung; to learn they live in a world both mundane and supernatural based on points of view; to dare them to think about worldviews influencing their idea of the world.

“Understanding Greatness”

February 24, 2025

From the day a person is born, parents pray that their offspring will achieve greatness. Greatness takes multiple forms: being a scholar, political leader, outstanding musician, artist, author, doctor, lawyer, or a first-class craftsman. The list of possibilities is endless.

Let’s look more deeply into what greatness implies.

Singer Bob Marley points to virtuous greatness. “The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and ability to affect those around him positively.” Thinking of another’s welfare is greatness par excellence. Why say this? It is because we are social beings responsible for others and not just ourselves, because making another better is a God-given duty.

Russian author Leo Tolstoy likewise points us to virtuous greatness. “There is no greatness where there is no simplicity, goodness and truth.” Simplicity implies humility, and goodness and truth are the ultimate virtues supporting life’s dignity and wellbeing.

Winston Churchill reminds us, “The price of greatness is responsibility,” and Aristotle points us to one of its most difficult responsibilities, “Suffering becomes beautiful when anyone bears great calamities with cheerfulness, not through insensibility but through greatness of mind.” Greatness of mind implies big mindedness, a mind’s willingness to exert all its powers, despite the labor, to face the difficult realities of a situation. It is a mind that maintains cheerfulness, faith, and hope in the midst of difficult challenges.

African American civil rights activist Dorothy Height reminds us, “Greatness is not measured by what a man or woman accomplishes, but by the opposition he or she has overcome to reach his goals.” Here, greatness is portrayed as power to stand firm in the face of difficulties, not to lose courage in the face of threatening opposition.

Founder of the Salvation Army William Booth sees greatness including the wisdom of “letting go.” “The greatness of a man's power is the measure of his surrender.” Greatness is knowing when to step aside for the good of another and the cause, putting aside our ego.

When greatness is envisioned, so is glory. The ultimate meaning of glory is found in Christ’s glory, his obedience to His Father, and sacrifice on the cross for us.

“Recovery of A Joyful Heart”

February 20, 2025

As the days wore on, so did my sense of joy wear out. It felt as if liveliness was deserting me. Nothing worked to change this until early one morning, I suddenly found myself wheeled into the hospital emergency room for surgery.

Fortunately, the problem was not serious, and I was home in a day. Not only was hospital care terrific but after returning home I experienced a wonderful sense of joy return.

Friends hearing of my experience began calling and visiting me, bringing food, and pledging to help in any way possible. As this was happening supportive emails pouring in suddenly made me realize I not only had dear friends but a family.

Family in Latin means a group of people related either by birth or affinity and is the basis of social order.

I was brought up in an Italian environment in which we prided ourselves on being la familia, blood relatives born into a proud culture. My grandfather was born in sunny Italy and with mom, dad, and my grandmother was the sun in my life. Most memorable was the manner in which we lifted each other’s hearts. When life seemed dreary and dark we had the saying, uh fa translating life is too short, loosen up, have a glass of wine, and let life begin anew. Uplifting up hearts was a common household practice.

As caring friends came to my aid, oh how my sagging heart lifted. Their goodness brought tears to my eyes enveloping me in a spirit of thankfulness. The thought arose, “You ungrateful wretch, look at how blessed you are. Lift your head up and see the gifts of kindness around you. How could you ever be glum after this? Pay back time.”

There is the saying “a blessing in disguise.” Often, when our life goes downhill and darkens, we feel abandoned and dealt with a bad hand of cards. But are setbacks always bad? Often the life we treasured is not really what it is meant to be. It can be better. Setbacks can be a blessed time for this change of heart to happen.

No one likes ending up in a hospital. However, God often blesses us in strange, wonderful ways lifting our hearts to greater levels of joy. Interestingly isn’t it, how joy comes in so many unfathomable forms.

“Wisdom for Our Times”

February 18, 2025

To identify the essence, its core, soul, nature, reality, and authentic truth.

The above are concepts of wisdom in action that prompt us to seek the principal cause of matters.

On the subject of wisdom, the Book of Proverbs reminds us, “Happy the man who discovers wisdom, the man of discernment. . . Her ways are delightful ways for paths all lead to contentment, she is a tree of life for those who hold her fast, those who cling to her live happy lives.”

The contentment of which Proverbs speaks rings throughout daily life. Take, for example, when a doctor tells a patient, “We have discovered the core of your problem and can take care of it.” Oh, the peace of mind and wisdom’s gift of contentment when it is put into action seeking the principal cause of an illness.

Proverbs counsels us: “Do not think of yourself as wise; fear the Lord and turn your back on evil.” Like anything blessed, evil is there to destroy virtue. Not everyone wants to experience truth. Seeking truth is to seek light. Some would rather embrace darkness, the blind eye to truthfulness.

Wisdom speaks of the soul, our very center, our conscience for practicing her. Unfortunately, not everyone wants to probe their soul because it exposes their true self. Getting at “what is” is not everyone’s desire, especially in facing self, for it may mean dying to self.

The heart of a social scientist’s role is to practice wisdom, to seek the roots of a problem and its principal causes. Often, it recommends change. And often there is the kickback, “Let sleeping dogs lie.”

One role of wisdom is to define reality, the truth of the matter. This can create fear. And yet Proverbs comforts us in stating, “My son, do not scorn correction from the Lord, do not resent his rebuke; for the Lord reproves the man he loves as a father checks a well-beloved son. Happy the man who discovers wisdom, the man who gains discernment giving her gaining, for her wisdom is more reward than silver, more profitable than gold. She is beyond the price of pearls; nothing you could covet in her is equal.”

The challenges of our post-postmodern age are calling for wisdom par excellence: people willing to sacrifice time and energy in seeking the principal causes best for directing them.

“Stop!”

February 13, 2025

Whenever life loses meaning and becomes routinized, we must stop. Milling around causes us to lose meaning and purpose. Stopping allows us to take time out away from our time zone.

Hectic life is often described as a Merry Go Round. To get off it we must stop it to maintain our balance.

It is a scientific fact that an object set in motion tends to remain in motion. This is the reason seat belts are required to stop that motion, and to strap up to avoid being thrown around.

The greatest opponent to stopping is addictions. Alcoholics tell us they would welcome sobriety if it were not exceedingly difficult to stop drinking.

Friends have told me the news is causing them depression but to stop watching it is almost impossible. Others fighting weight problems confess they just cannot change their eating habits.

It is a fact that stopping certain practices enhances life and makes us feel better about ourselves. But keeping a resolution to stop is extremely difficult especially when it requires long range maintenance.

Wisdom is defined as seeking the principal cause. The word seeking is an active participle urging us to act. Often overlooked is action comes in all shapes and forms.

Once when competing in a triathlon, its first stage (the swim) shocked me. The night before the event, it had rained, causing chilly water at the bottom of the lake to rise to the surface. When I hit the unexpected icy water, I freaked out. I had two choices: to drop out of the race, or to deal with it.

Along the shore was a row of trees planted equally distant from each other. The thought occurred to me: “Time to be a little child again and take one small step at a time.” It worked. As I went from one tree to the next, I picked up speed and confidence. The end result was my best time, good enough to win a watch.

Realistically speaking addictions are very difficult to overcome. Wisdom counsels to succeed avoid trying to overcome everything at once. Taking mini steps is best. Most important is to observe those trees planted equally apart. Moving from one to the other slowly is key to building faith needed to be successful. Overcoming undesirable addictions is a mammoth task. But then “Faith can move mountains.” All we need to succeed is to stop, catch our breath and regroup.

“Exploring the Spirit of Combativeness”

February 10, 2025

“At times one wonders if a certain combativeness is not prevalent in Catholicism, a compunction to be always right and to prove an adversary wrong. A compulsion which easily leads to witch hunting in which, when turn the wrong way, hunts its witches in the church herself and finally needs to find them in Rome.”

French philosopher Blaise Pascal’s pondering addresses a reoccurring theme in today’s society: combative rhetoric employed against a person considered a foe, competitor, rival, or adversary. What needs to be considered in evaluating the pros and cons of combativeness?

The spirit of combativeness is universally praised in sports, the business world, religion, and politics. From our early education it is seen as a way to learn and get ahead. And too, we often hear of people fighting for their lives being lauded for their competitiveness and staying power, heroics teaching us of its beautiful spirit and powers of prolonging life.

Combativeness comes with responsibilities; one being enlisting skillful conversation. Author Gretchen Rubin reminds us, “Skillful conversationalists can explore disagreements and make points in ways that feel constructive and positive rather than combative or corrective.”

French writer and author Andre Gide reminds us to consider more peaceful laborious means of settling differences: “It is easier to lead men to combat, stirring up their passion, than to restrain them and direct them toward the patient labors of peace.”

Before being combative, French judge Montesquieu reminds us, as does Pascal, that competitiveness tends to walk over another and not with him or her. They point out, “To become truly great, one has to stand with people, not above them.”

Before using competitiveness Swiss writer Jean-Jacques Rousseau recommends where to begin: “Virtue is a state of war, and to live in it we have always to do combat within ourselves.”

Former president Jimmy Carter and actress Carmen Carrera urge us to recall our loving heart before being combative. “The only way to combat hate is by demonstrating empathy and love,” says Carrer.

“There should be an honest attempt at the reconciliation of differences before resorting to combat” states Carter.

Competitiveness is in our blood and runs throughout the Bible and history. It is core to life. Peace, unity, and goodness, the opposite of combativeness, are transcendental terms. Where there is one, so too is the other, blessing us with a moral compass for directing competitiveness in the right direction of unity, peace, and goodness leading to holiness.

“Community: Yesterday and Today”

February 6, 2025

“And this is what we ask you to do, give courage to those who are apprehensive, care for the weak and be patient with everyone make sure that people do not try to take revenge, you must all think of what is best for each other and for the community, be happy at all times, and pray constantly.”

St. Paul’s desire for the good of Thessalonians’ community life holds equally true for the good of today’s community life. Presently, apprehension fills the airwaves, threatening their courage to remain strong. A mounting number of the elderly are finding it difficult to afford assisted living. And how can the spirit of community joy exist in an atmosphere of constant reports of revenge?

Other modern challenges are changing community life likewise. In the past many families lived together in the same neighborhood over a lifetime. The corner family store was common. Parents and grandparents lived together. Children attended the same school, enjoying lifelong friendships with fellow students. Churches were filled with worshipers and provided services for the poor, immigrants, the divorced and separated, and parenting, to name a few of their multiple services. The style of life helped to create neighborly togetherness and esprit de corps.

Today, many families live great distances from each other. Old neighborhoods no longer exist. Living in high-rise condos and apartment buildings may be desirable or necessary, but it can also contribute to loneliness and a lack of belongingness.

What would St. Paul say about maintaining an essential element in modern community life? He would probably point us to a quote by Henri Nouwen: “Solitude is very different from a time-out from busy lives. Solitude is the very ground from which the community grows. Whenever we pray alone, study, read, write, or simply spend quiet time away from the places where we interact with each other directly, we are potentially open for a deeper intimacy with each other.”

Community life is not only living together with each other but, equally important, being intimately together. Desiring to be a loner has its place and, for some, is or is not their choice. The word companion comes from Latin, meaning “with bread” or “to break bread with another.” Intimacy in companionship is good for the heart because it lifts it up and points it to heavenliness. And, too, nothing is more important in life than having God at our side in prayer.

“Dealing with Life’s Abnormality”

February 4, 2025

“The world is a very abnormal place.”

Daily oddities, anomalies, and irregularities confirm Indian-born novelist Salman Rushdie’s observation of our disordered world. When order is lacking, so is peace, joy, and serenity thus allowing disillusionment to reign. Where might we turn to curtail these negative effects?

Philosopher Epictetus reminds us, “People are not disturbed by things but the view they take of them.” Examining our viewpoint is a good place to start. Is it too narrow or too scattered? Is it earnest to see, as much as is possible, the whole picture? How well informed is it before making a judgement? What influences it most? Most everything we do is governed by viewpoints that act like compasses directing us to the roads to take in life.

Viktor Frankl would remark, “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” We can’t change an abnormal world, but we can order our lives to cope with it better. To accomplish this implies withdrawing from daily malaise and becoming contemplative to reflect on what is needed to solidify ourselves.

Psychologist William James points us to one way to achieve this. “The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” Implied is to employ the spirit of discernment, the driving power within us needed to pull ourselves together for making true ongoing progress in life.

On the meaning of progress Fr. Romano Guardini begins with the usual ways we envision it: making great strides in science and medicine, increasing speed in completing tasks, working less, and enjoying more leisure, an improved standard of living. The list of achievements is unending but is this the essence of true progress?

Guardini then goes to its heart. “The fundamental correction of fundamental ills does not lie in the adoption of utilitarian reforms…in the last analysis, the quality of culture [true progress] is determined by the decisions of the spirit.” Progress is measured by its decision-making spirit.

Our age faces unimaginable challenges that can only be met with a determined wise spirit aimed at coping with them. St. Francis De Sales would further advise, “Never be in a hurry, do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.”

“Three Principal Institutions Under Duress”

January 28, 2025

“God has established three institutions within human society: the family, the state, and the church. Each institution has a sphere of authority with jurisdictional limits that must be respected.”

Pastor and televangelist John MacArthur identified three institutions that are in decline due to the increase in divorces and radical divisions within state governance and churchgoers. What is behind this?

Unforeseen expectations are one reason. Marriage, thought to be blissful, is often not so idyllic. Worries over sufficient income, trying to raise children in difficult environments, and spouses’ personal adjustments are not envisioned when first married.

No matter how those who govern try to do their best, disenchanted protestors are endless, especially in today’s atmosphere of global discontent.

Increasing numbers of church liberals and conservatives vying with each other are increasingly damaging godly harmony and mutual respect. Politicization in religion is becoming more irreligious than religious.

What might be a principal cause of these institutional perils?

The opposite of wisdom is folly, in which the mind becomes clouded and unable to function properly. We live in mind-blowing, irrational times that imperil our principal institutions. Most worrisome is the institution of the media. Why point to the media? Because it is a powerful institution that controls our minds. As wonderful as the media is, it is often troubling because of its control over the psyche of families, governments, and churches, and even more troubling of controlling our moral fabric.

On the subject of communication, Cardinal Carlo Martini exposes the media's devious means of controlling us: “We see that social media have long ago abdicated their true function in order to become sounding boards, even amplifiers of every kind of conflict, even interpersonal. From the tabloids and scandal-sheets to analysis of important political phenomena, the language and tone of the vehicles of mass communication are always attempting to stir up strong, exciting sensations so as to ‘market’ more news reports better than competitors. …Building on sensational, calculating which details will stir up desire, disgust, or pity, the media generate an electrifying emotional stimulus.”

From all this, a troubling question emerges: At what point do these rationales of mass communication begin to shape and complicate personal communication?

Personal communication is the heart of family, state, and church institutions. The more respectful, truthful, and a moral compass exists the more orderly and successful our principal institution’s function. When malfunctioning, look to the media’s dark side as one reason.

“Seeing the Whole of Justice”

January 23, 2025

I live across from the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., where Solon the Lawmaker, Confucius, and Moses, who are symbols of justice, adorn its east side. And too, reminders of justice as the basis of democracy ring loud throughout Capitol Hill.

As prominent as justice is, what more must be added to understand its fame fully?

The priest scholar Romano Guardini points to a virtue needed to balance justice, “Justice is good; it is the basis of human existence. There is, however, something beyond justice: the free opening of one’s heart to kindness. Justice is clear; but when it goes a step further it becomes cold. But kindness --- genuine heartfelt kindness, arising from one’s character --- warms and frees. Justice orders things, but kindness brings them forth. Justice does what suffices, what is. By contrast, kindness creates something new. In justice the human spirit attains the satisfaction of good order. But out of kindness springs the joy of a creative life.”

It is no exaggeration to say justice is at the core of daily life. Every day, new laws are crafted, court cases are heard, and people are exonerated or convicted. Efforts to maintain just order are endless. And yet we must wonder if a more enduring order was created because a kinder heart was a companion to a wise mind.

How many judges have gone out of their way to try to set a defendant straight? There is no harshness, just deep heartfelt concern for a defendant’s welfare, for a changed life, and especially for a metanoia, a change of heart.

Many police officers have done the same as welfare recipients. As bad as a person may be, no desire to crush him or her exists. Rather, there is heart-swell compassion and a desire for the joy of experiencing a person’s life change for the better and soar.

One of the unwelcomed challenges of our present age is to embrace the spirit of eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. Instead of the spirit of trying to see another’s side of thinking blindly adhering to one’s selfish side is chosen. The “my life and goods” are threatened syndrome.

Adding kindness to justice does not soften it. Rather it is an essential antithesis to heartless justice.

“Anatomy of the Lie”

January 16, 2025

“Constant lying is not aimed at making people believe a lie, but at ensuring that no one believes anything anymore. A people that can no longer distinguish between truth and lies cannot distinguish between right and wrong. And such a people, deprived of the power to think and judge, are, without knowing and willing it, completely subjected to the rule of lies. With such a people, you can do whatever you want.”

The connection between lying, truthfulness, and chaos made by German-American historian and philosopher Hannah Arendt exposes the very soul of a lie’s violence: conscience, its moral compass, and human values cease to exist. Truth and justice, the central barriers against deception, despotic power, and evil are neutered. Prudence, the basis of wise judgment, is scuttled.

Immanuel Kant would add, “By a lie, a man... annihilates his dignity as a man.”

Friedrich Nietzsche goes to the heart of lost dignity in pointing out that lying destroys the true self: “The most common lie is that which one lies to himself; lying to others is relatively an exception.” How true! We are no longer in unity with our authentic self that has been defrauded.

In Washington, D.C.’s National Archives, a quote by Russian revolutionist Vladimir Lenin was posted: “A lie told often enough becomes the truth.” This makes one wonder how many good-minded Russians have been dupped by selfish, lying politicians whose primary role is to care for them.

The quote “There are two ways of lying. One, not telling the truth and the other, making up statistics” by Josefina Vazquez Mota, a former member of the Senate of the Republic of Mexico, alerts us to how modern scientific means for understanding the truth can be misappropriated.

The French philosopher Albert Camus speaks to the heartlessness that lying creates: “Lying is not only saying what isn't true. It is also, in fact especially, saying more than is true and, in the case of the human heart, saying more than one feels.”

We must wonder if there would be more peace and kindness if people examined the depths of their hearts and the degree of callousness it might contain. Lies destroy human dignity and once gone hardness of heart follows.