The Babushkas of today
Most grandmothers today are old enough to remember the Soviet Union (if only for their formidable athletes at the Olympic Games), and most were...
A precarious balance
Somewhere in our childhood, surely, we encountered the image of a trick rider, who managed to stand on the backs of two racing ponies...
Heaven is a personal encounter
Quite recently, I happened across a catechetical video from quite a large Catholic apostolate which included a segment asking people about what they imagined...
Natural law is more than nature
It might not have been the wisest move, but a robin just built her nest near the sliding door to my patio. She seemed...
A time for tears
The Way of the Cross is a popular devotion during Lent, allowing us to plumb the depths of the Paschal Mystery. It is a...
Elizabeth and the Commonweal
England’s longest reigning monarch has been mourned, acclaimed, and properly buried. Although the airwaves were replete with solemn remembrances, wistful memories, and in-depth scrutiny...
Taking our rebirth seriously
There is so much to take in over Christmastide, with all its feasts and images — not to mention the temporal responsibilities undergirding “the...
The power of small courtesies
In 1982, sociologists James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling introduced the “broken window theory” in The Atlantic Monthly magazine, suggesting that when small acts of...
No quarantine for grace
In our current trial, in which anxious people are isolated from their normal routines — including attendance at Holy Mass — we have a wonderful teaching moment to reiterate what the Catholic...
The classroom writ large
Three of my children are now parents, and they are to varying degrees intrigued with the Montessori philosophy of child rearing. While I didn’t...
