It’s been a while since I took “Spirituality and Human Development,” but one of the themes I recall from the class is that our spirituality and prayer life change as we age. The accumulation of experience allows us to gain new insights into the divine and opens us to new ways of communicating with God; [...]

As anyone who’s read this site for any length of time has probably figured out, I have a passion for using new technologies to pass on the faith. Digital communication is still in its infancy and I believe we have only begun to see the effects it will have on the Church, evangelization and catechesis. [...]

Respect has no substitute; neither assistance nor obedience nor love can supply it or take its place It may happen that children are no longer obliged to help their parents; they may be justified in not obeying them; the circumstances may be such that they no longer have love or affection for them; but respect [...]

I’m a fan of the blog The Art of Manliness, which offers a useful counter to the dominate male images of our consumer culture. Brett McKay, the site’s founder, has reported on what he calls a “Menaissance,” a movement to re-establish a more classical understanding of men based on the values and style of the [...]

I’ve been out of the office the past two days on retreat with the DREs of the diocese. It was a wonderful, Spirit-filled retreat, and I’m grateful for the time “away” – until I get back to my office and see the pile of mail and paperwork on my desk! It would be easy to [...]

My best friend and his wife recently found out that they will be welcoming their first child into the world this spring. At his invitation I sent him the following thoughts about fatherhood, having endured loved it through nine years and four kids. The remarks have been edited to remove personal information. #1 – Congratulations! [...]

Every time I read an interview with Lori Gottlieb, author of Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough, I like her a little more: Men and women were asked, if they [had] any deal-breakers for going on a second date, what would those be? And men named three. If she’s cute enough… [...]

As the father of four children (ages 8 1/2 years to 4 days), Beth Lewis Samuelson’s reflections on children in church resonates with me: What does a child-tolerant church look like? First, the church —and all of us, really—must remember that where there are women, there are children. Today, with the widespread use of birth [...]

A few year’s back I heard about a remarkable challenge: make a list of 101 things to accomplish in 1001 days. The pitch goes something like this: The Challenge: Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days. The Criteria: Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that [...]