Safe Haven

I understand Senator Graham's position, and most of the others who've endorsed him. He's not Donald Trump. Who, in addition to being worthy of shame for his reprehensible conduct, either is completely ignorant, or is pandering to the completely ignorant. All that is understood. Ted Cruz is also pandering. He may not be the walking embarrassment that Trump is, but what bothers me is that he still thinks he can corral the crazy. He says almost equally absurd things--like patrolling Muslim neighborhoods is a good idea--but he does it without swearing, or at least directly insulting everyone for a few chuckles. As a result, he gets a pass. But I'm sitting here going, "Did anyone else hear that?!" If this primary were anything like normal, this guy wouldn't be anywhere near the nomination. If that bothers you, good. It means you've been hating Democrats more than listening or thinking like a sane person. Today, my social network feed is filled with Sena...

I have taken 3 political surveys in recent days, and they all show the same thing: if we put American politics today on a left-right spectrum, I'm a left-leaning centrist. Trust me, I'm surprised, too. I've always been Republican. Culturally, I identify with them. I like them. I actually don't believe government is the answer to most problems. Well, what happened? If I had to guess, I'd say that the groups of people who say, "The federal government is too big, and tries to do too much" actually have pretty different answers as to why. It may well be that in earlier days, most of those people who said that were united strongly in opposition to Soviet communism. Once the threat ended, the various philosophical fault-lines became clearer. Essentially, Reagan in 1980 was the paper over the uneasy truce between conservatism and libertarianism. That divorce was long in coming, and now it's here. Let me say it this way: If my two choices are New Deal libera...

I just saw a headline from one of those "real" Catholic sites that said, "Cardinal Who Backs Progressives..." to present such-and-such. It's Cardinal Schonborn. You could present me with pages and pages of his most troubling statements, and I wouldn't care. That is, I wouldn't worry. Ratzinger was known as a liberal once. Wojtyla, too. "But what about..." Blah, blah, blah. If you know the truth, and love the truth, you don't have to worry about what someone else does, or doesn't do. Make yourself useful, and share your life and words with someone who has no idea. We have bad bishops in every single country, in every century. What else is new? What I will say to you about beloved Cardinal Schonborn is that his Christology, called "God Sent His Son," is beautiful. You should read it. I dare you to think a bad thought after reading that, but don't. All that is to say, you may not know what you think you know, about him, or...

You know, we're not too much different than those disciples. I don't mean just in spiritual matters, but in general. If you had seen your master and teacher killed in the most ignominious way possible, you'd start to doubt yourself; you'd doubt every hope you had. The world's preeminent power, making itself known would surely throw some cold reality in your face. It's hard to blame them. If we don't get inside that, we won't understand the magnitude of what Jesus is offering us. Looking back with the eyes of faith, the whole scene is a bit chortle-worthy. If this happened today, that disciple is chiding Jesus for not watching the news. "What? Have you been living under a rock these last three days?" Can you hear it? Somebody check "The Message" right here; I bet that's what it says. And then Jesus starts what has to be the greatest sermon of all time, surely: "And beginning with Moses, and all the prophets..." Are yo...

I was 19 and 20 when I experienced a romantic relationship for the first time. We knew each other from our grade school days, and ended up at the same university. I took her best friend to my senior prom in high school. I have learned one thing for sure: don't date a girl's friends. The girl I took to prom really liked me, so she's none too pleased about the whole thing, even today. But my first love said to me, "I want to kiss you." "Uhhh, OK!" It might be a caricature to say that guys only care about sex, and physical appearance besides. In fact it is. But I also know as a man that I can easily be distracted. Whatever broken pieces need to be picked up, we'd definitely rather pick them up later. It was before my baptism as a Christian. People told me about Jesus, but not about chastity. If I hear the word "chastity" today, I still think of John Lithgow in "Footloose" first. I won't call us prudes; I'm a daily com...

Though the official day was April 23, liturgically, it's 5 years since returning home to Holy Mother Church. It seems I have lived lifetimes in these five years. There's an awful lot in that sentence, but I lack the words to share it with you. I never regretted the time before I came home, but if I knew then what I know now, I would have. Even so, my life is a testimony to the Scripture which says, "And from his fullness we have received grace upon grace." I thought today as I left Mass, "I have never been as happy as I am today." It's Easter, but otherwise, it's a normal day. On the other hand, perhaps the power of God's love is the fact that it reveals the silliness of a sentence that begins, "It's Easter, but..." There are no "buts." Jesus rose from the dead; death is swallowed up in victory! Some separated brothers were attempting to say that this Sunday is no more victorious than any other, when we celebrate the Lor...