It was the Christmas holidays of 1966 and I was going to visit my girlfriend who lived in Louisville, Ky. I planned to drive the “Grape”…. a recently purchased ‘55 Chevy for which I had paid $85. When my sister first saw the purple & white two tone coupe, she said, “it looks like an  “Electric … Continue reading “The Electric Grape” →

Originally Posted March 5, 2021 We live in a time where it’s difficult to know how to respond to various situations. Evil often seems to be moving un-opposed. What is a Christian to do? How should he respond?  Without prudence, we can end up on the “extremes” in our response. On one end we can “throw … Continue reading “Prudence” →

Originally Posted March 4, 2021 It was the kind of play we all dream about…. the game is tied….you get the ball with only a couple of seconds on the clock,  you drive over the half court line, dodge a defender, and let fly a long jumper… the ref’s arm goes up signaling a “3” …… … Continue reading “Some Good News” →

Dewey defeats Truman: The most famous wrong call in electoral history. The Chicago Daily Tribune will forever be known for this major communications faux pas. Communications … getting the right information is critical.  It’s especially important when we’re communicating with the Lord…. hearing from God.   “Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as … Continue reading “Pay Attention” →

What is it about competition, the need to be first or at least the need to beat the person next to you? I had a good friend growing up who was very competitive … he just had to win. It did help him to achieve many things on the athletic field and in his career. … Continue reading “Race For Last Place” →

There are many striking stories of Jesus’s days on earth after the resurrection. We learn so much about the Lord’s care and concern for us and also about his followers and what they were thinking. You often hear “after all the apostles had witnessed over the previous three years, how could they not believe in … Continue reading “Let’s Go Fishin…” →

There’s a retired priest at our parish. He is great … an excellent teacher, filled with the Holy Spirit, having lived many years serving the Lord … a wonderful witness of Jesus Christ. He once noted in a homily, “you know, I’m not getting any younger… I’m getting older… no, I’m actually old.”  Well, as an … Continue reading “Friends of The Aged” →

Whenever I find myself “out of peace”, it should prompt me to ask “why”. Why am I out of peace…why am I not content…why am I uneasy…. what’s going on? It’s a grace to actually pause long enough to ask these questions. When I don’t pause, I tend to move quickly into the “blame game”, … Continue reading “Stop, Look, & Listen” →

Originally Posted March 3, 2021 Having finished eating breakfast at a conference several years ago, I got up to take my tray to the cleanup area. Suddenly I dropped the tray on the floor... big crash, plates and food strewn around … a real mess. As I knelt down to begin cleaning it up, a … Continue reading “He Will Help Us Clean Up the Mess” →

Originally Posted March 2, 2021 In the movie “Silence” a story about Jesuit missionaries in Japan during the 17th century, there is a character named Kichijirō. He is an alcoholic fisherman who fled Japan to save himself from the persecution of Christians; his entire family had refused to renounce their faith and were killed …. yet he had renounced … Continue reading “God Forgives 7 X 70” →