Despite signing up with the Do Not Call Registry, we regularly hear from telemarketers. I’ve read suggestions on how to let them know how unwelcome their intrusion is. However, I figure they’re doing a crummy job for lousy pay. So I hear them out and then say, “No thank you.” My husband shows similar […]

I’ve had some health problems recently — nothing serious, but unpleasant. Illness can make it hard to pray. Fortunately, I don’t have to struggle alone. Mother Church has words for me when I cannot find my own. I know that every day, someone is praying for me. It might not be by name, but at […]

When it comes to the saints, I’m drawn to those whose lives resemble mine. I can’t always figure out what Jesus would do. However, among the 8,000-plus saints, blesseds and venerables, there’s always someone suitable to my present need. Some remain friends for life. When I was eight, a Catholic neighbor gave me a tiny […]

I’ve met five convicted murderers in my life. What was striking about these men was how ordinary they were. They weren’t anything like Michael Corleone, Hannibal Lecter or Norman Bates. They were real human beings, not creations designed to sell books or movies. Made up murderers are usually serial killers, criminal geniuses or skilled assassins. […]

What would you pay to be forgiven for shoplifting? What if I told you that all your sins could be forgiven? Now what would you pay? But wait, there’s more! For a limited time only, God will not only forgive your sins but will also provide you with the grace to resist sin in the […]

Thank heavens Lent is over, and not just because I can eat dessert again. I recognize the value of some deep reflection on my sins and what leads me to sin. However, too much makes me nervous. I suspect that when Satan can’t stop us from praying, he tempts us to spend all our prayer […]

It usually happens when I’m at a party with lots of drinking and laughter. One fellow starts joking about dumb haoles. As the cracks get crueler, other guests look nervously at me. “Not you, Kathy,” they assure me. “You’re different.” That bothers me somewhat. I’m just as representative of the white race as whichever Caucasian […]

We hear a lot lately about “income inequality.” The implication is that the rich are forcing everyone else to live in poverty. Several Bible passages appear to support an anti-wealth bias. A closer reading, however, shows that it is the misuse of wealth that brings condemnation, not its possession. Indeed, other verses suggest that God […]

  Whenever Christians quarrel with the secular culture, our opponents use the same defense. Christians shouldn’t try to impose their values on non-Christians. As one woman told me, “Jews don’t eat pork, but we don’t insist that you abstain. Why can’t you show the same tolerance over abortion?” I don’t want to talk about abortion […]

My grandfather retired from the piano company at age 73, but within months he’d started a new job selling cars. My mother said that Gramma made him go back to work. “She married him,” Mom explained, “for better or worse, but not for lunch.” It’s a cute story, and the sympathy cards I received when […]