A decade ago, at World Youth Day, Pope Francis spoke about God’s role as our judge: “God judges us by loving us.  If I embrace his love then I am saved; if I refuse it, then I am condemned—not by him but my own self.  That is because God never condemns; he only loves and […]

For local sports fans, it is the best of times and worst of times as major league baseball gives way to the national football league.  The worst season the Royals ever had was in 2005 when we won only 56 games against 106 losses.  We’re on a similar pace for the season’s finish this year.  […]

I salute those who live, learn, work, worship, dine, or do volunteer activities in the inner city.  Urban centers tend to get abandoned by sprawling populations, but we know that, just as with a human body, the core must be strengthened so that the rest of the body can stay strong.  The more we stay […]

I recently came across a thirty-year-old newspaper clipping about angels (Advice from the Angels by Tanya Barrientos, Knight-Ridder News).  It caught my attention, especially its encouragement for us, mere mortals, to avail ourselves to angles in our midst, visible and invisible, and to approach life—all of life—with grace.  The article referenced a book, Ask Your […]

As part of a community or community of faith, part of a city or civic community, part of a family or group of friends, we’re always interested in what’s coming up, or when and where we might gather next, or how our attention will get redirected.  As adults, we’re also interested in youth and young […]

The moral eco system of our human society has evolved during our lifetime, yet it lacks excellence—and probably always will.  For women and racial minorities, in particular, who experienced oppressive and alienating cultural norms half-a-century ago, we’ve made virtuous strides, though it is an arduous slow walk for many.  It is a similar trek for […]

Like many Catholics, I have a rosary that I carry in my pocket.  I’m not sure how I got into the habit, but it has been with me for most of my life.  I go through lots of rosaries because they tend to eventually break: a tiny strand of its metal gets caught on a […]

Polarity is natural but polarization stymies progress and stability.  Community and communion are good, but communism is not.  Secularity is a reality, but secularism is damaging.  The clerical state can be holy, but clericalism is evil. Comedian and social analyst, George Carlin, offered numerous ponderances on words we use and phrases we say in which […]

For the past five years or so, I have met periodically (roughly quarterly) with a group of guys who desire to deepen their spiritual lives.  Their nucleus is the Rockhurst High School Class of 1990, though a few others, including a couple of Miege grads, got in.  Some of them have known each other since […]

Quite often, church officials, when told by parishioners about something that is not in-line with ecclesial norms (even if they agree with it), will say: “Please, don’t tell me…”  The issue might center around what they’ve chosen to do with the ashes of a spouse or loved one, that their child is cohabitating with a […]