The voice of hospital receptionist sounded concerned. “His name is Angel.” She was calling to inform me that a family was requesting my presence at the bedside of a man who did not have long to live. It was Ash Wednesday. I was filling-in for a vacationing pastor, so I checked the Mass schedule, then told the receptionist that I would ...

Rita, my sister-in-law, resides in a nursing home. She can no longer converse and her days pass inside the embrace of a recliner. A blank stare occupies her face. Occasionally, a slight smile plays on her lips. Today, I gaze out the window in the silence of her presence, contemplating various scenes and seasons from her life. My visit falls on t...

“The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone."  Matthew 21:42 I walked to the construction site and introduced myself to the old man standing on the scaffolding. The bricklayer put his trowel aside and climbed down. “¡Buenos dias!” We shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. I inquired about his background and s...

In Cruce Salus (In the Cross is Salvation) “Stretch out your hand,”says the Lord. "And you will live.” (Sirach 15:16-17 When I was a boy, my grandmother lived on a farm across the road from my parents’ farm. Like all grandmothers, she was the best grandmother in all the world. Each day, my brothers and I would feed her she...

Invocations from the Litany of Loreto play in my mind as I drive through Indiana and across Illinois:                                                             Morning Star                                                             Ark of the Covenant                     ...

Like a dry, weary land without water, my soul thirsts for you, O Lord. The shower swept through around 2 AM. I awoke and listened to the sound of wind and rain buffeting my house. If it were daylight, I would imagine a gleeful child aiming a garden hose at the windows and siding. In the thunder-rumble darkness, however, the undulating sound co...

This article was previously published in Sword & Spade magazine. Jared Staudt, teacher and father, explains why distinguishing faith  and reason is important when debating and explaining.   In a world that has gone mad, our greatest need in the recovery of our sanity is faith. Without it, the human mind experiences an eclipse, cu...

When I joined a team of search and rescue volunteers at Caprock Canyons State Park, I thought the job would entail rescuing for hikers who ran out of water or bandaging tourists who cozied up too close to the bison herd (for some reason, buffaloes think they own the place). Little did I suspect that "search and rescue" would include searching for r...

Been workin’ like a dog, slavin’ on the fence line Stretchin’ those wires tight…and sweatin’ in the sunshine. But I get off tonight. I got a date with a girl and we're headin' to the county fair.                                                                                           ...

The young man pulled up to my house looking for a place to bunk. He wore long hair, sunglasses and a tank top. His beat-up car was crammed—dashboard to hatchback— with clothes, boots, sleeping bags, coolers and a Coleman stove. I would have sworn he was homeless if a friend of mine hadn’t called to tell me that his nephew, a river guide from ...