It was a few days after Easter. Just another day. Tank running on empty. Time to pump some gas. More »

Has any saint received more negative press than Martha? All she did was ask Jesus to tell her sister to help her with the chores, and she ended up being branded as spiritually dull, overly anxious, or even worse, spiteful. After all, Jesus rejected Martha’s request and even told her that her own priorities were out of order. More »

Most of us have done things that we regret doing. And then, to make things worse, we might lie about what we have done in order to cover up the matter. Sometimes we get away with it, but the wrongdoing remains. At other times, things get tense, and we end up having to deceive and manipulate even more for fear that we will lose control over the situation. And in the process we lose more of our credibility. More »

In my late teens and early twenties, I could often be found in dark, smoke-filled clubs, hanging out with my friends and listening to alternative rock music. Typically, the band members played loud, angry songs and sported earrings and spiked hair. More »

Though it doesn’t even use the term stem cell, Pope John Paul II’s encyclical, The Gospel of Life, while it is challenging reading, should be required for anyone who wants to think and pray through the issues raised by stem cell research. Why? Because the truth about life in its earliest stages can never be understood until we listen to what the Author of Life has to say about it. More »

It happened years ago. I was a college student on my first visit to another country. It was past midnight, and I was on the last train speeding out of Paris toward the suburbs where my French hosts lived—or so I thought, until I learned I had taken the wrong train. More »

Sometimes when God speaks, our natural reaction is fear. We don’t understand or can’t grasp what he’s saying. Or maybe we understand just enough to see potential difficulties or dread possible consequences. Sometimes so much seems unknown that reason fails and emotion takes over—fear. More »

God’s presence in the world often leads to wonderful events that awaken us to divine power going beyond the observable laws of nature. We use the word “miracle,” which can have several different but related meanings, to describe these inexplicable events. There are medical miracles and miracles officially recognized by the church. More »