“But I don’t understand!” How many times have I said these very words concerning something I was going through in my life? If I had a nickel for every time I said this or heard this, especially from my children, I’d be very wealthy. The truth Is I really don’t understand many things. As I look around my society, the people and the place I love so very much, I don’t understand…

“OK, so let me get this straight? You just threw yourself in front of the punch and took it for the guy? And look, the only thing you got out of it was a black eye!” My buddy just didn’t understand why a fellow officer would put himself in harms way for a “civilian” during a domestic dispute call. After all, what was in it for him. But of course my buddy…

This is the crux of the matter. This is the issue that stands at the heart of the human conflict about God. This is the basic difference between Christianity and all other forms of religion. This is a big deal! She said “Yes!” Right here during our Lenten journey the Church brings us to one of the six feasts of the Theotokos, the Virgin Mary. And it is the Feast of the…

There’s a prevailing notion that the mere granting of mental assent is believing. But is that really true? Does simply saying you think something is true mean you truly believe it? I know we live in a society that likes to reduce life to “manageable” sizes. We want to reduce achievement to “imagine the possibilities.” We want “positive thinking” to replace the hard work of following through. We want the mere good…

Here’s a brain teaser for you: One special place sets you free to make all places special; but if all places are special without one particular place being special then no place is special! Huh? Sorry this comes on a Monday morning, but it never hurts to get the intellectual juices flowing early! It’s the concept of “sacred space” that is at the heart of most serious theology. The revelation that a…

We live in an age where “marvelous” and “wonderful” have been tamed. We hear these words and immediately get excited about the “good” things happening! But this definition that “marvelous” and “wonderful” always mean “pleasant” and “positive” things is a reflection of our own shallow age. Through centuries of human existence, these words have also conveyed dread and fear. A “Marvel” and something that causes “wonder” can flow equally (and usually more…

It is said that the greatest chess players “see” at least 4 moves ahead at all times. This is why they can anticipate their opponents’ moves and be ready for them. This is also a huge advantage in military strategy. The best generals know their adversary so well that they can anticipate the moves of their adversary and then plan for a counter strategy. In fact, it has been said that the…

Years ago, in my police officer days, I got assigned to the local DUI Task Force. This was a multi-jurisdictional team of officers specifically trained to combat driving under the influence and a direct result of the work of Mothers against Drunk Driving that had formed in our community. I really loved this assignment because of our extra training and the fulfilling opportunity to really make a difference. One of the most…

They even have a name for it; it’s thanatophobia. Of course it’s based on the Greek word for death – Θανατος and φοβος – literally the fear of death. It can become so bad in a person that they are terrified of dying every waking moment. Horrible! And yet, we live in such a death denying culture we even comment at funeral homes “Does’nt he look good? He looks almost alive.” We have…