26 Aug 2025

Where Is God ?

Mystery is a normal part of every life. Mystery confronts us with the unknown, with puzzles to be solved. Modern mysteries proliferate on television and movies and, eventually, supply missing facts and rational answers. Uncertainty dissolves; the puzzle is solved. That’s that…

Not so with God, our Creator, the most beguiling, impenetrable Mystery of all.

One of God’s many inexplicable traits which boggles the mind is that God is present everywhere in the universe. To the skeptic, this Mystery is absurd: “If God is everywhere, why can't I see or touch Him?" Why does He allow suffering? Where is this God of yours?”

These challenges are rooted in human nature’s striving for rationally satisfying, logically coherent answers to every mystery. However, universal experience tells us that explanations to life’s mysteries are often lacking. Nonetheless, skeptics persist (often militantly) in their quest to know what is not of our limited human nature.

Limits

God has a particular Nature and we have a particular nature. The two natures - Divine and human - are not co-equal. We do not exist in God’s realm. We do not think as God thinks.

This gap between Creator and His creatures (us) is beyond comprehension. Yet some persons still push for clarity. When clarity is not forthcoming, they reject religious faith … and God.

So, our desire to know the ins-and-outs of mystery is fundamental to human nature, but our lack of sufficient facts about countless events is constant. Clearly, we do not know everything and cannot control everyone, even ourselves. We are born into a plethora of unknowable realities; ambiguity is a given.

Why, then, do some people ignore universal human limitations?

Because our power of human reason is often side-tracked into fruitless searches for answers to impenetrable mysteries of Creation. Often enough, the reasonable answer is an act of faith in one another or, in some instances, an act of religious Faith.

Indeed, acts of faith and putting our trust in others are common (e.g., freeway driving) but, for the self-righteous skeptic, acts of religious Faith and putting our trust in God are out of the question.

The Role Of Humility

Every act of religious Faith begins with the Virtue of Humility. Indeed, St. Augustine held that Humility was basic to all other Virtues.

Humility has been greatly misunderstood and badly portrayed in our culture. The humble person is usually seen as weak, hat in hand, eyes cast downward, kicking the dust in silent admission of his deserved inferiority.

This is, to be sure, nonsense.

Humility is courageously accepting the facts (not the prettified fallacies) about ourselves. It is facing reality, not delighting in fantasy. Humility insists that we admit truths about ourselves and others, even if/when truth hurts.

And why does truth sometimes hurt?

Because we protect our self-image. Our wayward sense of pride tends to bolster the oft-errant adulation of our ego. We often work quite hard at avoiding, not embracing, the truth about ourselves.

The Virtue of Humility is the ideal response to our nature’s self-indulgent dialogues. Why? Because Humility augments our Faith and our trust in God. Humility enhances human nature. Humility requires and bestows strength, not weakness. And believers know that the truth leads us to a new and blessed life.

Born To It

Whether we admit it or not, we are born with a need for Humility, i.e., a profound need (1) to admit the truth to ourselves, then (2) to manage the perplexing tensions between the truth and the games which our bruised ego inevitably plays.

Furthermore, we are born to embrace the Mysteries of Creation, God, self and others. As created beings, we are freely given our gifts and talents. Our Creator’s generosity to us is beyond comprehension. Given this truth, our task is to adjust our thoughts and our behavior to this reality for a lifetime with gratitude and trust. And that’s where the Virtue of Humility is essential.

All Virtues are habits we can develop to control our thoughts and behavior … but we must work to develop them. The Virtue of Humility is an acquired habit which takes effort to attain. It doesn’t come easily; accepting truths about ourselves is a life-long struggle. But Humility affords us Wisdom to understand the ways in which our unchecked ego hides truth from us.

Humility tells us to embrace Mystery, to be honest and truthful with ourselves and others, to have the good sense to stop deluding ourselves, to befriend ourselves, as God has done.

An Example

Indeed, our friendship with God is comparable to that blessed moment when our weary child nestles trustingly in our arms for a nap. As we gratefully embrace the child, we are immersed into a rare moment of reverie and tranquility. We do not ask why the child sleeps; we only rejoice that the child chooses to sleep in our arms.

At such times of unquestioned serenity, we are rightly overwhelmed by the peace of not having to know anything more than the innocence of this loving now. And we see that truth is its own reward.

At such times, the truth which Humility honors and the trust in our Creator which Humility grants us serve as our glimpse into the friendship of God, Whom we can never fully comprehend and (truth be told) need not.

Search For Meaning

So, to sum up: Our God-given gift of curiosity inclines us to want to know as much as we can in this life … but … there are limits which we must respect. Surely, it is good to pursue understanding when it may be had … but … at some point, we are wise to admit our limitations and accept the boundaries of our humanity.

We humans are sometimes incomprehensible even to ourselves. Our real task in this life (made difficult by ego’s wayward urges) is not to master what we clearly cannot master, but to control what we can, starting with ourselves.

Our best response is Humility, the doorway to self-restraint, peace of mind and contentment of spirit, to charitable forbearance of others whom we may love or, in some cases, whom we dislike.

Be clear: Humility does not advocate passivity. Humility seeks truth, candor and clarity with ourselves and others. Truth often requires action and change … and these may require prudence and much courage to overcome the lesser habits of our decades.

Finally . . .

Humility is another of God’s gifts … but we must cooperate and do the work. Humility reveals to us that we truly restless creatures who are, for some incredibly generous reason, beloved by God; restless, impatient beings who insist upon sniffing at knowledge whilst often forgetting friendship with, and trust in, our Loving Creator.

Let us never discount the value of Humility and the Mystery of God. Let us never overlook the fact that within the gift of Humility rests simple Wisdom and Faith, along with a greater measure of peace and more extensive freedom than human knowing can ever offer.

Finally, in response to our initial question, “Where Is God?” Humility urges all of us, for starters: “Look within …”

7 Aug 2025

Aging’s Challenge

A relative whom I have not seen since her perky teen years has reached the age of 81. It took me a while to wrap my mind around this realization. And, as I did, I was reminded that I, too, have aged and am (mirabile dictu) older than she.

As I mull these tidbits around in my brain, inevitable questions arise:

“After so many years, what have you done with your life? What values do you finally embrace? How will you be remembered?”

I am told that age has its prerogatives, so let me ask for your tolerance as I share a few observations with you.

To Begin With . . .

As we age, we realize that we have endless reasons for gratitude about the stunning mysteries of life into which we are immersed. At the same time, aging also reminds us of the mistakes we’ve made which o’ershadow our sincerity and obscure our goodness.

We surely know that goodness is our most desirable goal, but goodness is also a challenge which never ends. Yes, we are born with freedom to choose goodness, but our lesser propensity is to deny our mistakes and choose the easier way.

Thus, many of us spend our years distractedly, trying to fulfill our desires. Some desires are noble, others demeaning and unworthy. But, sooner or later (if we are honest with ourselves) we realize that we are not laws unto ourselves, not totally free from restraints. Like it or not, we are subject to God’s Commandments and to the limits of our created nature. It is also true that our mistakes spring from human weakness but, hopefully, as we age, we look candidly beyond ourselves to summon up courage to change what may still be our hurtful ways.

The Nip Of Reality

So, sooner or later - willingly or unwillingly - our minds take us beyond our achievements and our distractions. Our self-importance fades before the simple fact that a thousand years are but a moment in God’s eternal now. We are accountable both to God and to others with whom we share the gift of life.

Some people mistakenly believe that God uses our iniquities to gin up His anger and pummel us. Other folks seem indifferent to Divine authority which they dismiss with a wave of their hand, just as they dismiss an attentive waiter.

Whatever our response, God persists. Hopefully as we age, we learn to accept God’s compassion and love, rather than trembling at His imagined vengeance or ignoring our responsibilities to Him and to one another.

And, hopefully, with Faith renewed, we are evermore grateful for our remaining days, as age teaches us to appreciate the grand mystery of life … especially our own.

In Search Of Truth

Where do we find clarity?

For me, the answer to life’s challenging questions is found (1) in the Christian Faith - specifically, the Catholic Church - and (2) in the way of life proclaimed by the Virtues. I admit, however, that aging may bring us insight into all this, but aging does not bestow ease nor fluency to this endeavor. Why? Because our humanity is still with us, still harping with shrill egocentrism. So, even as we age, “issues” linger. For example:

• T’is still a challenge to do what is right and good, generous and kind, forgiving and selfless.


• T’is still a challenge to stifle temper and pray with serious intent for those who readily insult and knowingly offend.


• T’is still a struggle to live according to the Virtues, especially in a world which so often dismisses Virtue’s strenuous call.

Nonetheless, the validity of Christian belief is clear. For starters, History and Revelation supply overwhelming objective evidence that many Church teachings are organic to Christian doctrine, natural outgrowths of our search for Scriptural clarity over many centuries.

More than that, our experience of goodness and kindness, patience and understanding offers indisputable personal testimony to Virtue’s desirability in human affairs.

The Fundamental Error

Despite the preponderance of evidence, some skeptics still see Christian beliefs as harshly medieval, fit for brainwashed minds and stiff-necked leaders; to be obeyed from fear rather than love. Opponents often point to moral failures of Christians as “proof” that Christian doctrine is untenable.

It’s a mistake to reject Christian belief because some adherents betray its fundamental tenets, just as it would be a mistake to reject America’s founding principles because some citizens fail to live up to the Constitution. It is not the “System” which is at fault; it is the errant humanity of some followers.

So, let us be clear: the Christian message exists to nurture our relationship with God through Christ. Christ is not an unreachable ideal. He is (1) the origin of our salvation and (2) our guide in our search for personal goodness.

The cumulative evidence says: This Faith, this Church, this religion, this spirituality is a gift which God has given you and Christ bestows. You are wise to accept this gift.

Asking The Right Questions

For me, then, the answer to the core questions of life is not a matter of "What" but of "Who."

Christian Life is not about rules and punishment. It is about our two-way relationship with our loving Friend, Jesus. It is about our striving to be faithful in a relationship built on understanding and forgiveness.

This relationship offers us the Love of God through Christ. Contrary to what skeptics say, God is not vengeful, cruelty is not a Divine attribute, and God does not behave like the worst of us.

Then why do we have pain?

Pain and adversity are universal in human affairs, unavoidable experiences of the human condition … but they are not arbitrary exercises by which God displays power.

For each of us, our pain is our opportunity to unite ourselves with the example of Christ, Who suffered before us in ways both physical and emotional. Accepting His suffering was Christ’s way of revealing to us the Love-unto-death which fills our lives, a Love which few of us can match or comprehend.

In our own lives, our deliberate acceptance of unavoidable pain is our way of saying that (even when we hurt and lose heart and doubt and misunderstand and even despair) we still believe Christ is always with us, loving us, smiling with profound understanding. He trod His own painful path of lonely adversity before us, so we accept our pain and use it to unite ourselves with Him, and we do so gratefully.

Thus, Christ whispers to us: "Come on, keep going, follow me, we can do it together, for I am with you always." And, as He did, despite our weaknesses, we are given the help we need to carry our Cross, to face ourselves … to live and carry on, as He did.

The Divine Mystery

People who focus fixedly on God's anger have a misconceived vision of God’s intent in our time-limited world. True, this is an understandable human error because we are submerged in our affairs, pre-occupied with distractions. But we often miss God's goodness and Christ's patient attention when we mistakenly rely too much on our own devices and do not see beyond ourselves.

Happily, our search for meaning is why God gives us (1) the ability to know, and (2) the freedom to choose. When we study the evidence of History and finally accept the Love (not vengeance) at the center of Christian life and the Catholic Faith, we will not then be swayed by people who knowingly distort facts for their own misguided ends.

We are meant to freely choose and freely follow the Christian message where it leads - far beyond our suavely bumptious selves into the loving, forgiving world of Faith and Hope … where we are meant to be, in the first place.

Finally . . .

Finally, the question of our legacy still hovers. How do we wish to be remembered?

As I age, I realize not many of us will be long-remembered and, then, only by few. Nevertheless, I would like my legacy to be a happy whisper in the minds and hearts, souls and memories of those whom I love, those whom I try influence for God’s own purposes.

So, I pray I will be remembered with a smile, happily recalled by those to whom I strove to bring God’s own redemptive love.

I pray my legacy will be a loving memory which prompts them to do what is moral, good and kind. May they understand that nothing done for love of God and for the good of others goes unnoticed in the Divine Plan. And may they remember that even the smallest gestures of kindness are ever-rich in God’s own timeless currency.

In these ways do I hope to be remembered.

And you? How about you?

19 July 2025

Gypsy’ Wisdom

For decades, I have had a pet cat. My present pet is Gypsy, whom I found at the local animal shelter a few years ago. Gypsy had been abandoned and, despite the kindness of rescuers, she had been caged – isolated, alone - for eight months.

When I first met Gypsy, she sat silently at the back of her cage, staring at me with a look which I took as a hopeful plea. She touched my heart; I brought her home.

Now, a few years later, Gypsy is not merely a pet but a source of learning. Her furry, insistent presence raises fundamental issues. I continue to learn from her.

My learning started with Gypsy’s fears and continues to this day. Let me explain…

Fear And Understanding

When I brought Gypsy home, I naturally wished to express my affection, but she cowered in terror. Her ears flattened, her body shrank. She trembled and stiffened in fear.

Then I understood: Gypsy anticipated abuse.

Her response triggered several enduring truths which apply not only to Gypsy but to all of us. For example:

1. What we mean or intend by our words and our behavior is not always what others understand. Clarity often eludes, which accentuates the necessity for perseverance and adequate communication.


2. Another truth is that when we express affection (and, when appropriate, our love), our credibility depends on the sort of person we consistently are … not the sort of person we pretend to be, but the person we truly are. Our credibility rests on our character, our moral stability, our integrity, our consistent behavior over years.


3. Therefore, our words really mean nothing unless they are based on our Trustworthiness and credibility.


4. To be Trustworthy means we face ourselves and deal honestly with the buried habits and evasive palaver which many of us spend years grooming.


5. We need to take an inventory of ourselves, seek the insight of a true friend, and then face the truths we often avoid --- and facing truth takes a lot of Humility.


6. Misunderstandings - even deliberate distortions - will occur, but they only emphasize the necessity of perseverance and a spirit of forgiveness toward self and others.

About Trust

Gypsy’s fears also reminded me that before my affection was credible to her, I had to prove myself Trustworthy, prove that I would not give her reason to disTrust me.

And I realized the need for Trust is truly universal. The need for Trust exists in every relationship. We cannot love anyone whom we cannot first Trust. In fact, True Love rests on mutual - mutual - Trust between people whose stability, fidelity and behavior are consistent and credible over time, who work at communication and strive to resolve conflicts.

Building mutual Trust for True Love’s sake involves vulnerability which comes with transparency, altruism and a spirit of self-giving. And these Virtues (even when they are not appreciated by others) define our character and integrity.

The Bottom Line

Many people see life and relationships differently. They accept moral relativism, i.e., the belief that no moral absolutes bind us.

• They believe principles of moral Right and Wrong do not apply.


• They reject our Judeo-Christian heritage in favor of their own feelings and opinions. As Nietzsche said, “There are no facts, only interpretations.”


• They live by their individual feelings and subjective urges.


• They reject objective limits imposed by the Virtues which are central to both Christian Revelation and to Common Sense.

BUT … when anyone treats truth, facts and Revelation as merely opinion (as moral relativism proclaims), then disaster results for individuals and for nations, as experience repeatedly reveals. Yet some people never listen or learn.

So, many folks continue to pursue moral relativism’s inhumane premises. As a result, countless cultures are rife with reasons for cautionary distrust:

• Partisan politics thrives on creating doubt about opponents.


• Businesses promise customers impossible services.


• Some clergymen find exaggeration normal.


• Morally errant educators teach children to lie to parents.


• Some aspects of medical “science” argue for killing patients as a viable treatment option for the young and for elders.


• Lies and exaggerations are normalized. Virtue is denigrated. Moral wrongdoing is routine. Indifference breeds disdain for life on a vast scale.


• To say it again, history - past and present - cannot be denied.

Humanity is wise to heed the call of the Virtues and the moral basics of True Love for God, for Self and for Neighbor to which we humans are called. To honor only the Self is a losing game.

Loving Awareness

What do we do?

The most effective source of self-understanding and Trustworthy character are the Christian Virtues.

These Virtues center around Christian Charity, i.e., the Virtue of selfless Love. It elevates our character, attests to our credibility and reveals the truth about ourselves to us.

Authentic Charity demands that we give up our self-centered urges and de-humanizing actions (even the little ones) by which we cling to the false “freedoms” of moral relativism.

• Christian Love involves the Virtues of Honesty, Trust, Wisdom, Self-Restraint, Prudence, Kindness and the acts of goodness proper to an authentic sense of human unity.


• Christian Love involves Obedience to God, not to our own demented emotionality.


• We cannot speak of Christian Love and Trust without focusing on our Accountability to Truth and our obligations to one another (as the Parable of The Good Samaritan shows).


• We cannot speak of Christian Love and Trust without accepting Responsibility for our actions and the Humility to apologize for the harm we have done to others.


• We cannot speak of Christian Love and Trust and still live a life of indifference for the impact of our behavior on others or concern for the isolated lives of our neighbors.

In other words, we must love one another as we love ourselves, with empathy and altruism and self-giving. But many people find this an absurd idea … absurd…

Loving Others ? Really ?

In his book, "Moments of Reprieve," Primo Levi reflects on the "unassuageable sadness that grows on the ruins of lost civilizations." Lost civilizations grow out of morally listless citizens who possess no sense of the value of Truth and who disdain any self-sacrifice for others.

Examples: Many persons favor the eradication of some citizens – the ill and elderly, the enwombed and enfeebled. Some people do not even respect the gift of their own lives nor the limits of their own vulnerabilities, nor do they honor the gift of life all around us.

Nonetheless, everything in life (you, me, Gypsy, our pets, our children born and enwombed, our elderly, on and on) are (or should be) miraculous sources of Gratitude for us all … but is it so?

What conditions nourish our appreciation for our gift of life, even life in its smallest forms, such as Gypsy? What indeed is the point of life, including Gypsy’s? Including my own? How much dignity does any life merit? What is my life worth . . . or yours?

• Is not all life to be valued?


• Are enwombed children of no value?


• Are elders or the ill of no value?


• Who of us is to be discarded, killed for the sake of “medical autonomy” or social convenience or the false “freedoms” of moral relativism?

Finally . . .

In our self-assertive, individualistic culture, many people forget that human freedom always has limits. This one truth seems to some people as an archaic, obsolete remnant of religious fanaticism. But is it?

When our thoughts finally focus on the central concerns of life and what it means to be human, we face two daily questions:

1. How should we humans treat each other - even in small things, and


2. Why do we fail to do so?

Where do we find the most logical, reasonable answers?

Is Psychology the answer? Or is Socialism? How about Freudian psychoanalysis or, perhaps, Scientology? Is the Natural Law (which is written in the soul of every person) the key? How about the person who is “Spiritual-but-not-religious?”

In my decades of wonderment, I have found that Christianity has the best, clearest path to the issues that define our humanity, such as:

• What it means to be human;


• What is means to love yourself with intelligent fervor instead of ego-centric myopia;


• What is means to love your neighbor without seeking an edge or proving your value at his expense;


• What it means to have a Model of human behavior in the Life of Christ whose example and True Love for us all sustains and enriches one’s gratitude amid uncertainty and loneliness;


• What it means to find balance between the mysteries of our lives and the ideals which inspire us to True Love and fidelity beyond ourselves … but within our daily achievement;


• What it means to live in the real world and yet to strive for the Divine.

These are a few of the thoughts which Gypsy has stimulated over our years together. And I am brought to one conclusion: Gypsy is a clever little cat, I’d say….

29 June 2025

Miracles At Our Doorstep

Some cloudless evening, look upward into the starry sky. You will gaze into Creation, into a billion galaxies, each with millions of stars, uncountable numbers of planets, satellites and asteroids.

You will behold a Universe so vast and wondrous that it boggles understanding; a Universe of countless miracles. Here is a look: https://earthsky.org

The miraculous Universe surely merits awe … but, as time passes, some people are unmoved; the miraculous becomes uninspiring, routine, uneventful. They become indifferent to Nature’s wonders all around us … wonders of which we, too, are a miraculous part.

Think about it -- Creation’s miracles are everywhere around us - and within us. As Kilmer said, “Only God can make a tree.”

It’s Not All Rosy

While the skies seem benign and wondrous, we do live in a precarious Universe. Whether we realize it or not, risks hover.

For example, asteroid 2024YR4 is speeding our way at 40,000 miles per hour. It is the size of a football field and will approach Earth in December 2032. Originally, astronomers said 2024YR4 might create an impact equivalent to nearly 8 million tons of TNT, five hundred (500) times the explosive power of the Hiroshima A-bomb … with a 30-mile radius around the impact site.

Not to worry: the danger of 2024YR4’s hitting Earth has diminished to zero; its trajectory seems headed for our moon.

But wait!! There’s more!!!

Astronomers estimate that millions of asteroids exist in our solar system alone, not to mention earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, the sun’s explosive power, rising coastal tides.

And (get this!!) we humans create some dangers ourselves. Here’s one major example:

Professor Jesús Fernández-Villaverde, an economist at the University of Pennsylvania, warns that a global fertility crisis is now threatening humanity. “2023 was likely the first year in human history when our fertility rate fell below the replacement rate,” he reports. “The world population will start falling around 2055” - a phenomenon “never seen before, even compared to wars and pandemics.”

“The consequences for the world are momentous,” he added. “We are entering a whole new world: fertility and births are falling much faster than anyone anticipated.”

The Common Good: Our Human Touch

Sometimes we create our problems unwittingly … but sometimes we do so maliciously, ignoring our accountability to God and to the Common Good of one another – even to our unborn and to our elders.

The Common Good is simply our shared understanding of what is truly virtuous and noble, and what is vicious and base. Our shared understanding is intended to inspire us to virtuous behavior and to control our self-deception and huffy righteousness.

True Virtue leads individuals and cultures to Goodness (not to self-serving arrogance in disguise) because it informs our perceptions, values, behavior, and our shared comprehension of our true nature as human beings.

To be truly human means to believe in and express empathy, forgiveness, gratitude, intelligent love … even at our own expense … as the Christian Message proclaims.

Is this not why we are born?

Where Are We?

So … despite (or because of) the problems and challenges we face, we are wise to respect Creation, wise to accept our obligations to protect - not eradicate - human life. We are wise to accept our responsibilities for humanity’s future, even if we pay a price for our acceptance.

• The fact is that we are part of God’s Creation, not ours.


• Life is a gift from our Creator; freedom always entail limits.


• We dare not deny that the laws of Nature exist for the Common Good, not for individual aggrandizement.

Creation’s gifts should (1) rouse our gratitude and ignite our generosity and (2) stimulate our caution against our temptation to wayward Pride.

Wayward Pride feeds disregard of the guidelines and restraints in the Ten Commandments, the Scriptures, the Virtues, etc., etc. As the Psalmist says, we are well-advised to admit the shortness of our lives and our dependence on God, so that we might then begin to find true Wisdom of heart and gratitude of soul.

Life’s Trajectory

Everything in Creation (mankind as well as asteroids) follows a pattern, a trajectory, a goal-oriented path. Aristotle saw this truth when he stated these several principles about the trajectory (or goals) we humans pursue:

• All people naturally desire knowledge. Our thirst for knowledge and our ability to reason are key components of human nature.


• Moreover, by our nature we are both rational and political (i.e., community-oriented, not party-affiliated). We think and we seek communities in which we mutually engage others.


• All of us want to be happy; indeed, by our nature, we are meant to be happy.

We want to know, to do and to achieve; that’s human nature. Moreover, these traits are all related: if one is frustrated, the others are affected.

So, everything in Creation is subject to laws which define its nature, trajectory and limits. This Natural Law applies especially to humanity because we have the gifts - the gifts - of (1) Reason, (2) Choice, and (3) one another. We truly need one another.

Right Reason And Natural Law

Ideally, then, we must strive - together - to achieve the Common Good in harmony and mutual freedom. Sometimes, for the sake of trust, we must swallow our excessive Pride and calm our stony hearts with empathic insight. Why? As Philosopher Joseph Ratzinger wrote, “The harmony of freedom can only be found in what is common to all.” Sacrifice is part of living.

Thus, to be fully human we seek a shared understanding of what is virtuous and noble for us all, including control of our ego’s self-serving urges and the sacrifice of our wayward emotions. Only then are we in accord with right reason and with our consciences (individually and culturally). Only then do we act in accord with the rational ideals of human nature which God has announced.

When we act as rational beings, we naturally seek civil community in which our unruly tendencies are regulated by our responsible adherence to the parameters of Virtue and the limits of freedom which God reveals and which our just laws enforce.

The harmony of freedom is truly found only in what is commonly respected by all of us, beginning with respect for our own dignity and for all life. This means we use our reason rightly and choose correctly, in accord with the limits which our Creator has established for us. Violence in word and deed is unthinkable.

To sum it up, right reason tells us that our desire for peace and harmony is a gift from God to human nature. That gift includes our ability to choose what is reasonable and desirable for us all – to choose the Common Good over our selfish urges.

That’s what the Commandments and the Virtues are all about, and their value as guides for human nature becomes evident when we resist Virtue and inflict needless suffering merely to satisfy our errant urges and unruly emotions.

The Role Of Conscience

Our choice of Goodness and Virtue over evil is abetted by a rightly-formed conscience. A rightly-educated conscience is crucial, lest we mistake errant rectitude for Virtue, Goodness and sound morality established for us by our Creator.

Eventually, as we acknowledge God and quietly choose Virtue, Wisdom’s insights begin to illuminate our souls. Wisdom’s true source is, of course, our Creator, Who (as Aristotle realized) exists beyond the world in which we live.

We are bound to be distracted by our tasks in this world, so we don’t easily recognize Divine realities, such as Wisdom. But, as we know, we are given the gifts of right reason, conscience and choice – and all these gifts prepare us to welcome Wisdom into our souls and minds. And Wisdom teaches us to value fact over fad, Truth over flippant populism, Goodness and Virtue over selfish urges, a generous spirit over a stony heart.

Gradually, we begin to change:

To Be (Fully) Human

Some people disagree. They refuse to accept the responsibilities and the Virtues which serve the Common Good.

Philosopher Pierre Manent reminds us that we sometimes forget how to ask what it is to be human. So … we must remember that we are different from the rest of Creation because:

1. we have the gifts of right reason (our ability to think),


2. we have the gift of free choice,


3. we have the gift of an educated conscience,


4. we have one another, and


5. we have the treasury of Christian Wisdom to enlighten and inspire us as individuals and as whole nations.

We are, by our human nature, thinking and choosing beings. We can learn and can make insightful choices. These gifts are unique in Creation and must be used according to the limits initiated by our Creator.

Occasionally, we are reminded of our created status. Dramatic miracles occur, such as at Fatima and Lourdes as reminders … but is not all life and all Creation already astonishing?

Finally . . .

The evidence is ever before us: We live in a Universe of miracles which exceed our power and understanding. Yet, we are human: we can always accept or reject the evidence.

Creation (which includes us) and the Common Good (which includes us) invite our awe and respect for our Creator. May we always remember with gratitude and relief our utter dependence on His loving will, and strive – even in small things – to be as our creator intends us to be … and may we recognize in one another and in ourselves the revelation of His generosity.

7 May 2025

To Bear Witness

The election of a new Pope in the Catholic Church has raised a host of memories, some painful, some hopeful. I share a few.

When I was a child in the 1930s, Saturday matinee newsreels were our nation’s window on dramatic, often painful world events. We learned of Europe’s woes and Asia’s agonies from 30-second film clips. At that time, most of us - adults and children - were oblivious to the dangers of Naziism, and we’d never heard of Communism. American superiority nurtured the smug belief that “it couldn’t happen here” … until December 7, 1941, when we came aware that brutality thrived as our nation slept.

In those days, Catholics were often suspect in America, a distrusted minority, struggling for recognition by the Protestant majority. Catholics were sometimes laughed at (still are, come to think of it), often held in open contempt for our fealty to a “foreign power” (the Vatican supposedly dug a tunnel from Rome to the White House), our belief in the Eucharist, our devotion to the Blessed Mother, our reverence for saints … to name a few beliefs central to Catholic identity then - and now.

So, as a moral necessity and as an intellectual buffer for children, Catholics built a top-notch school system run by stern, no-nonsense nuns, whose contributions to students and to the nation are profound and lasting.

Under the strict regimen of these dedicated women, we began each day with the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States of America, as we stood and saluted our nation’s flag which hung in every classroom. The nuns taught us to honor our country and to value patriotism, to think critically, to revere truth, to say our prayers, to hold to our Faith, to practice silent virtue, even when ridiculed by our non-Catholic peers as they chanted “Fish-eaters” at us.

The Cost

America’s “pluralistic” society often blinded punitive bigots to their self-righteous cruelty toward minority citizens. It was sometimes costly to be a good Catholic but murderous hatred was directed against Jewish and Black citizens, which still occurs: Global Antisemitism Incidents Rise 107.7% in 2024, Fueled by Far-Left Surge, CAM Annual Data Study Reveals | Combat Antisemitism Movement

It was clear - even to us children - that slanderous prejudice and pejorative language and occasional violence against Jews and Blacks were as “American” as (excuse the cliché, but not the reality) apple pie.

The salient meaning of the Declaration of Independence had yet to penetrate hate-filled citizens who disdained the ideals of our Founders: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Five decades later, I visited the Nazi slaughterhouse at Auschwitz. There, at least one-and-a-half million innocent Jewish persons (including small children, called “enemies of the State”) were systematically murdered. The memories linger still…

To Remember

To this day, these memories are soul-wrenching reminders of the degree to which cruelty and brutality, self-righteous evil and intentional hatred betake our human spirit and corrupt our souls.

Our world so often forgets the dignity due to human beings, especially unborn children. We forget that brutality (even in small matters) begins:

• when we justify our bloated self-righteousness and alibi our arrogant discourtesies,


• when kindness and empathy cease,


• when we deny responsibility for what we say and do,


• when we act as if our accountability to God and one another does not exist,


• when we appoint ourselves judges of Good and Evil.

Modernism’s Excesses

Abandoning Truth and Virtue is as old as Eden. Over centuries of renewal and enlightenment, human reason and scientific inquiry have gained especial credence. Humanity finally seems able not only to control Nature, but to conquer it. Yet, the desire to elevate “Self” is a persistent and abiding human failing.

Glorification of “Self” ofttimes replaces our innate awe of God and regard for Creation’s Mysteries. Secular humanists bestow upon human reason the sole and absolute power to shape the meaning to life. Too often do we celebrate human reason with organized conceit - to the exclusion of Faith and traditional moral beliefs.

Secular humanism spawned Modernist ideology which infiltrates every aspect of today’s society - at great cost. Modernism severs us from (1) America’s historic acknowledgement of Divine Guidance in the formation of our nation, (2) the Judeo-Christian wisdom of Scripture and Tradition, and (3) respect for the limits and dictates of our shared humanity … among other fundamental realities.

This adoration of “Self” creates chaotic beliefs and cultural extremes. Examples: Modernists believe Truth is relative, that traditional morality is archaic, that “feelings” rule and impulses are our best moral guides. Some physicians deviate drastically from Common Sense (and their Hippocratic Oath to “do no harm”) in their furtherance of the transgender craze.

Modernists say we are free to satisfy our feelings, wants and desires as we please. We alone decide what’s moral, right and good (such as aborting a living child for any reason).

To the Modernist, the moral restrictions of Truth and Creation, of Nature and Common Sense are intrusive. Indeed, God does not exist. “God” is the product of some neurotic zealot’s superego, and objective morality is fiction. “Truth” is relative to feelings, trends and opinions. Natural Law is manipulated as we see fit.

The Outcomes

This abandonment of our Traditions has produced truly worrisome outcomes. Dr. George Barna reports several critical trends which now have significant impact on America’s future:

• Christian affiliation is shrinking. In just five years, about 15 million adults no longer call themselves “Christians.”


• Non-Christians and people who say they have "no-faith" (Nones) are increasing. Nones now outnumber Catholics.


• Moral relativism dominates. Two-thirds of Americans (including a majority of “Christians”) deny the existence of absolute moral truth.


• Feelings are now the leading guide to moral decisions. Three-quarters of Americans (74%) rely primarily on their emotions to determine right and wrong.


• The Bible is no longer the default source of truth. Less than one in five adults (18%) consistently turn to Scripture for moral and spiritual guidance.

Dr. Barna adds that most Americans do not any longer share a common understanding of Truth. Personal feelings and shifting cultural norms now largely define right and wrong. We witness the demise of rightly-formed conscience on a vast scale.

Americans who choose personal preference over biblical Truths ignore the lessons of History, reject centuries of Tradition and their own Common Sense. And, as they weaken our spiritual and intellectual foundations, they hasten America’s decline.

Six decades ago, General Omar Bradley insightfully wrote: "We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount... The world has achieved brilliance without wisdom, power without conscience. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants." 

Coming Of Age …

One (of many) persuasive Catholic insights is the clear realization that human beings are born to learn but … we are unaccountably resistant to the lessons of History and the guidance of Scripture.

In Catholic doctrine, our inherited propensity toward arrogant self-deification is called Original Sin. This includes our disregard of both (1) objective moral Truths which bind everybody, and (2) humility and obedience to God which reason and logic impose.

• History tells us repeatedly what’s in store when we ignore moral laws and Creation’s limits.


• We know the harm which results when we reject Traditional standards of right and wrong, goodness and evil.


• We know the chaos which comes when we deny individual and cultural conscience, and act against our Creator’s moral commands (He did, after all, invent conscience).


• In other words, we know better ….. or should…

How Long ?

Is it possible for society to survive without the guidance of History or the moral dictates of a rightly-educated conscience?

Those who deny our need for Divine intervention or ignore History thereby disregard the fact that life bestows upon us privileges and responsibilities.

• We inherit limited freedom.


• Our limited freedom is a gift, not a right.


• Freedom is always-and-everywhere conditioned by the rules and limits (implicit and explicit) which God reveals.


• Nevertheless, some people still deny their obligations to others – and to themselves.


• But the rules remain unchanged and God’s judgments hover.

Even those who preach radical freedom without rules still cannot change its limits. Freedom is always a finite gift, always limited by the situation.

We do have choices - but our choices are always limited by Creation’s transcendent realities, beginning with the dignity of all people, including unborn children.

The radical “freedoms” of Western secularism (including abortion, euthanasia, pornography, transgender ideology) are clearly eroding our Judeo-Christian foundations of Western civilization.

Finally . . .

Human dignity and the informed freedom to choose are defining factors in Catholic belief. Catholicism is (in the words of Philosopher Jacques Maritain) an Integral Humanism which holds the primacy of God in all human affairs. Freedom exercised with (1) knowledge of limits established by our Creator, (2) understanding human nature’s propensities and strengths, (3) trusting both the moral pathway set for us and the wisdom of History, and (4) studying the facts of our life’s situations with acceptance of our vulnerabilities … these are the bases of the Catholic view of personal, political, economic and cultural issues.

Given all this (and so much more) Catholicism offers what human nature yearns for:

• the benefits of Faith and a grasp of infinity in accord with the Universe all around us,


• a worldview whereby Creation is seen through eyes of the Spirit and emotions of the soul;


• various Virtues (Faith, Hope, Charity, Prudence, Justice, Fortitude and Temperance) which guide us to moral action and psychological health;


• a comprehension of Reality as both human and Divine;


• the means to unite my life with God – here and now!

Thus does the Catholic Faith reaffirm its allegiance to the dignity of human life and its Divine concern for human need.

In brief, then, Faith is a real bargain … a real gift, indeed…

21 April 2025

Nancy – The Gift Of Goodness

Recently, a young person told me of an upcoming party she was giving. She invited several dozen of her “best friends.” “Your best friends?” I inquired. “Your best friends? How many best friends do you have?”

With a straight face, she explained that her “best friends” come in categories ranging from “really close best friends” to “sorta best friends” to “week-end best friends…” and so on … and so forth…

My young “friend’s” explanation reveals a common misuse of the word “friend.” Another example is the word “love,” often misused, as when we say we “love” family and we “love” chocolate and we “love” animals … without distinction, with equal fervor.

What’s The Point ?

The point is this: Having a “best friend” is a rare event in life. Our “culture” accommodates conversational errancy, clumsy jargon and endless distortions of words. We all have connections to many persons in family, work and leisure, so for want of a better term, we call these people our “friends;” certainly, the opposite term, hostile enemies, really doesn’t fit.

But … let’s be clear: a “best friend” is someone whose fidelity never wavers, no matter what … a person whose trustworthiness is proven over years. Such a relationship is unique; even Christ’s “friends” abandoned Him. “Best friends” do not do that.

Moreover, a “best friend” embodies the Virtues we learn to value in life, but rarely find … because:

• It often takes years before we are mature enough to realize that the Virtues are crucial for trust.


• Nonetheless, Virtues are dismissed by cynics, disdained by opportunists, discarded by our “culture” which canonizes “rights” but excludes inherent responsibilities and limits.


• Many of us naively get ourselves into intimate relationships which soon sour before we wise up and clarify our dignity to ourselves and others.


• Therefore, the centrality of Virtue in human affairs may be tucked away for decades in a corner of our minds and hearts, waiting for “someone” - for that “best friend” - to awaken in us our need to give and to receive trust, loyalty, fidelity and understanding, the basics of Selfless Love.

Maturity is rare … but it is the foundation of character and authentic friendship which always rest on Virtue. Mature friendship is the whole point of marriage. Mutual fidelity, trust, selfless generosity, forgiveness and the small, but endearing, courtesies in marriage are inspired by Love and ennobled by Wisdom’s readiness to give of oneself for the good of our Beloved best friend.

Nancy Remembered

Often do I entertain such remembrance of my Beloved Nancy, my departed wife and my best friend. Over the years since she died, her memory enlightens my heart and inspires my recollections of her smiling Goodness and her extraordinary Courage.

Admittedly (as in every good marriage) it took us years to learn - to truly learn - about one another … and about ourselves.

• It took years for us to learn to give and to receive without defensively guarding the hidden agendas and conceits which lurk in every fragile ego.


• It took years to become the vulnerable, yet trusting, persons we yearned to be.


• It took years to face our reluctance to change; years to accept the grace of giving to one another.

As the years passed, we learned that, to accomplish our loving goals with one another, we needed to develop a relationship with God through Christ … needed to develop regular communication with our Creator … and we needed to do this together.

Paths To Friendship

In our desire to enrich our marriage, we gradually experienced a re-birth of our Faith. As a result, our communication with Jesus became a very personal exchange in which we would tell Him how we were facing obstacles we had created over our lifetimes.

We sought His assistance to handle our feelings of frustration and anger. We told Him how much we appreciated His willingness to be our Friend, as we spoke to Him from our hearts (He is a very good listener). True, He did not often respond as we asked, nor did He grant all we sought … but He did reveal to us that our responsibility for becoming “best friends” was ours, not His.

So, consolation from Jesus was not always forthcoming, which was itself revealing … for it taught us that the “secrets” to building our relationship with Him - and each other - were perseverance and steadiness in our Faith in Him and in one another.

We realized that God does indeed love us (all of us) and is fully aware of us, even if He does not make His awareness obvious to us on our terms. But rather than challenge God or try to excuse our impatience, we learned to revere His silences as His chosen way of speaking to us in heart and soul.

We learned that it is in God’s silences that we are truly meant to peel away our hubris, to admit our need for humility, to overcome our conceits, to acknowledge our vulnerabilities … as He slowly revealed the folly of huffy disbelief and led us to the level of trust which befit His Divine Will.

In good time, we came to believe in His personal Friendship and Love for each of us. We learned the lessons in His dying and rising again; lessons meant for each of us: that no greater Love exists than to give your life for your friend … and that is precisely what He did for us both.

And we would talk to Him and to one another, renewed in God’s good time by the insights of our Faith, which we shared with Him and with each other.

Best Friends

As decades passed, we learned to listen with humbled heart, and we saw how blessed we were, surrounded by an abundance of Love given and received. This abundance reminded us of how enriched we were by the good people in our lives … those precious people - those friends - who brought smiles to our hearts and gratitude to our souls and hope to our spirits.

And we realized the grandeur of empathy which inspired us to ask ourselves: “How might we bring Goodness and Kindness and Love into the lives of others…?”

Finally, in her latter years, my Beloved Best Friend was plagued by increasing medical problems. She bore her ills with serenity, without complaint. I recall that moment when her physicians told us they could do nothing more. As we listened, she smiled graciously, then closed her eyes and folded her hands. And, at that moment, her courage and forbearance testified to the fact that her path to personal insight, deeper Faith, stronger Hope … to God's own Love and Wisdom … was surely found in the gift of suffering which she accepted with calm equanimity and trust.

The anniversary of her death (May 1st) is shortly upon us. As I think of her, I am again reminded of a sonnet by Shakespeare which calls up many loving memories of Nancy, My Best Friend:

15 April 2025

Goodness … Wisdom’s Gift

As we grow into our elder years, the aging process insistently asserts itself, compelling us to acknowledge that our most productive years are conspicuously in the past. Most of our friends, classmates, business associates - even our beloved spouse - have gone to that “undiscovered country from which no traveler returns.”

Inevitably, then, we ask ourselves probing questions:

• What have I done with my life?


• Have I made a difference for Goodness in this world or have I selfishly pursued my own trifling wants?


• What might I have done differently – and better?


• And (this one with, perhaps, a soupcon of nostalgia), will I be remembered? By anyone? If so, for what?

Thankfully, elderhood does not stifle memory, especially our remembrances of those we love, as Elie Wiesel clearly points out in his later reflections on the human condition.

Who was Elie Wiesel? He was a Romanian Jew who was, with his family, imprisoned in Auschwitz by the Nazis. His family were murdered. Wiesel, only in his teens, survived Auschwitz and Birkenau. In his elder years, he wrote that his parents and little sister remained with him and appear, he said, in all his writings and teaching … and are ever in his dreams.

Hope In Chaos

Elie Wiesel became a prominent voice for hope amid the misery which some humans willingly inflict. He was, he wrote, “of a generation that has often felt abandoned by God and betrayed by mankind. And yet,” he added, “I believe that we must not give up on either.”

Wiesel insisted that we must never use our words as tools for the ruination of others. Rather, we should use words as instruments to foster comprehension rather than contempt. We always have a choice, he said, between inflicting suffering and humiliation on one another - or offering one another the solidarity and hope we deserve. We may choose the ugliness of hatred and revenge, or we may choose the will to oppose it. The choice is ours … and it is a defining choice which announces who we truly are.

Wiesel was awarded the 1986 Nobel Peace prize for speaking against violence in all its forms. In his acceptance, he said: "Whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation, take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented."

A Life Well-Lived

Elie Wiesel was called (as we all are called) to be a spokesperson for Goodness and Wisdom. He was fully aware of the pain and horror human beings ofttimes produce, and he was also fully aware of the overarching Goodness which can mark us all … if-and-when we wisely choose Goodness.

Goodness is within our choosing – but so is our choice to inflict pain and humiliation upon one another. Life does indeed afford all of us constant opportunity to choose Goodness over evil, Kindness over revenge, Truth over arrogance, Wisdom over self-inflicted ignorance and Faith over conceit.

As we ponder our endless opportunities to choose Goodness, we are wise to heed Wiesel’s words, for they are words of true Wisdom which abound endlessly in the parables of Christ and in His messages of Love and Unity with His Father. Wisdom - both human and Divine - urges us to choose Goodness rather than grievance, Truth rather than self-righteous alibis … and to do so at every opportunity:

• in our daily routines at work and home,


• in our brief exchanges with strangers,


• in those precious moments with family,


• with lonely persons to whom the simplest words of kindly recognition may be life-enhancing.

Wisdom … Human And Divine

Long ago, Plato and Aristotle wrote of human wisdom (not Wisdom) as a practical skill, a natural virtue to be developed; a talent to discern right from wrong, starting with recognition of one’s own ignorance.

Today, some folks think of human “wisdom” as shrewd and wily “street smarts” … or as the ability to use experience to achieve a “better life” … or as a way to outwit the competition for financial gain and the accoutrements of status … or simply to elicit the admiration of “lesser” folk.

Others of a more philosophical turn think of wisdom as the ability to understand “reality,” to resolve ethical problems and anticipate long-term consequences.

And, of course, Scripture speaks of Divine Wisdom as the crowning attribute of God, our Creator. In fact, many psalms employ endless poetic images and human terms to describe God’s Love for mankind. However, Biblical poetics confuse literal readers who do not comprehend the language of metaphor and who misunderstand the purpose of analogy … both of which are rife in Biblical descriptions of Wisdom’s grandeur.

So, let’s be clear: the Book of Wisdom is Solomon’s poetic tribute to God, his human attempt to express Divine splendor and sacred majesty of our Creator. When we attempt to adequately describe God’s Love and His Divine gifts (which are everywhere to behold), we run smack into the overwhelming limits of human speech and imagination. We face the inadequacy of language, and we’re limited by the confines of our unaided understanding.

Clearly, God, our Creator is not grasped by human categories. Human tools alone are utterly devoid of the insight necessary to correct our doubts and skepticism. We need Divine Guidance, which grants us Faith’s acknowledgement that we are indeed created and, therefore, subject to Divine limits; we are not to be governed solely by our misguided wants, feelings or ideas.

Is It Not Obvious

As individuals - and as a nation - we need Divine Guidance. Reason makes our need obvious to us. If we listen to Reason with Humility, then belief in God makes eminent sense. But … we know human Reason is often befuddled by errant cravings of undisciplined human hearts, often misled by wayward ego’s desires for self-anointing, often deluded by the sophistry of skeptics and the disdain of unbelievers.

In his usual insight, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn points out (in “We Have Ceased to See the Purpose”) that many people believe freedom is without limits, that secularism can, of itself, meet our needs” … needs which only Faith can supply.

These unbelievers proclaim that there is no supreme power greater than the “self,” and that secular “values” are the measure of all things. Solzhenitsyn continues: “Man’s needs, desires and weaknesses come naturally to be understood as the supreme imperatives of the universe. Consequently, the only good in the world - and the only thing in need of doing - is that which satisfies our feelings.”

It is obvious that until we again acknowledge our need for Divine guidance (through Faith, the Commandments, the Virtues, etc., lived in the political and the private spheres), we continue to miss the purpose of life and the meaning of Creation … which Wisdom announces to us in myriad ways.

Secular tools will not - will not - solve our problems in family or community. Until we return to our Faith in Divine Guidance and seek God's Wisdom and choose Goodness, we shall go round and round (as many are doing) and become more self-righteously ruthless and without accountability or conscience.

Finally . . .

For many of us, our elderhood makes all of this much clearer. For many of us (not all), our cumulative experience re-affirms the validity of Faith for our needy hearts and our hungry souls. Faith is the rational goal of our lifelong quest for Wisdom’s gracious embrace. Nothing else makes sense - certainly not the arrogance of a lifetime of denial and avoidance. We are surely wise to humbly admit that God Alone endures, that God alone is all … that all of life is an unearned gift from His gracious Hand.

Now, after a lifetime of seeking, we are wise to thank our generous God for Creation and for life. As we learn to savor our elder years, we are wise to realize that every new day we are again happily blessed to re-live each God-given moment.

Today is that blessed day of Faith’s insights which we have sought. Today is a lifetime’s gift, pursued yet sometimes fleeting – but always now … as Wisdom grants us the gift of Goodness and as Love blesses us, each and all.

And Wisdom’s gift says to us, “Be at peace…” and so we are.

26 March 2025

Stay The Course

I receive half-a-dozen phone calls daily from people who employ a range of “sales techniques.” Some say I am eligible for massive discounts of their product. Some say their records indicate my need for some sort of insurance. Some ask personally-probing questions about my health or my age. When I ask questions, they hang up.

It's clear these callers are routinely lying. Many people excuse these deliberate exaggerations and dishonest distortions, but excuses obscure the larger issue: excusing lies normalizes evil, and lying is an evil enterprise which intends to deceive others, to deprive others of rightful knowledge, to twist and turn words into tools of obscurity and devious excess. At root, it is an evil, dehumanizing practice.

When we passively accept or actively tell deliberate lies and distortions about others or we deprive others of truth to which they are entitled, we normalize moral evil. Deliberate lies are unquestionably evil - sinful, both in their content and in the intentions of people who willingly lie and choose to deceive.

One Reason

Why is lying -a breakdown in moral probity - so widespread?

One major cause - reported in the research of Dr. George Barna - reveals significant deterioration in many Americans’ belief in God and in the moral restraints of the Bible. Dr. Barna’s results reflect (among other troubling facts) a shift away from a biblical worldview and from God Himself. Here is the link to Dr. Barna’s impressive study: CRC-Release-AWVI-1-Feb-18-2025-Final.pdf

Another recent research study by Dr. Ryan Berge asks if America’s religious decline has leveled off. The answer is not encouraging. Here’s Berge’s link: Is Christianity No Longer in Decline? - First Things

America’s growing anti-religious attitudes are furthered by a plethora of groups and celebrities who (to quote one well-known atheist’s appeal to free speech) fear neither God nor Hell, dismiss God’s role in Creation and reject objective morality in our lives.

Contrary to the nihilist’s viewpoint, we are not cosmic accidents or genetic flukes. Human nature seeks purpose in our lives, and cumulative evidence says we are created by God Who is our origin and our end-point … even if we deny this fact and numb ourselves to the moral limits inherent in our nature.

More Than Indifference

I recall a time in our nation when Presidents publicly invoked the blessings of God upon America. Over decades, indifference crept in, then blatant disrespect and, now, open rejection of God.

Given the precarious status of life on this planet and the colossal Mystery of Creation, it seems logical and wise to honor God and observe His moral dictates; wise to seek assurances from our Creator, assurances for which human nature yearns, assurances which our fractured world can never bestow.

We live in perilous times; America’s enemies are merciless. In addition, the very Earth where we live houses forces beyond our control (tides, earthquakes, tornadoes, the unpredictable Universe around us).

Clearly, dangers exist … so it does not seem logical or rational that some people:

• are concerned only with their own comfort and conceits,


• pay no heed to moral laws which define human behavior,


• are indifferent, even hostile, to the God Who created us,


• are oblivious to the marvels and miracles of Creation,


• believe we have no soul and our lives mean nothing.

It is quite disturbing that religious commitments of Americans are on steady decline … and has been for decades.

Where To Go ?

Let me be clear: I do not encourage rending of garments nor a spate of ululation nor extermination of dissidents nor wearing sackcloth-and-ashes to the grocery. But we are spiritual, as well as material, beings – body and soul. Our soul enlivens our bodies and is meant to enlighten our minds and inspire Faith.

Since our religious quest is innate to our nature, reason and common sense even admit a source of Goodness beyond self. But we are sidetracked by our wayward ego, and we do have a choice to accept or to reject God, our Creator.

Given our need to know, I have not found a better way than the Christian path … especially the Catholic Faith. Catholicism makes enormous sense, even as the Church undergoes another historic hit from persons who (1) misunderstand or distort the substance of Catholic teachings, (2) oppose its doctrinal and moral standards, or (3) find its beliefs and practices too demanding.

Example: Catholicism does not support abortion, transgenderism, assisted suicide and other choices which secularists popularize as “freedom” or “civil rights.” Human dignity demands limits to all freedoms, as the Catholic Church vigorously believes. Human rights are not unlimited, as many secularists hold. We are not laws unto ourselves…

Limits? What Limits ?

Some denominations say everyone has a right to unlimited self-assertion. The individual is, they say, morally autonomous. “Let’s not judge,” they say. “We are all the same in God’s eyes,” as if we may say or do anything we wish. To think otherwise, they say, is prejudicial and un-Christian.

Catholicism, on the other hand, honors the limits - the God-given limits - on behavior and upholds moral demands based on the teachings and example of its Divine Founder.

As a result, Catholicism is often unpopular, as Christ predicted. It is often a counter-cultural voice to modernity’s tendency to dismiss Self-restraint, Obedience and Humility as basic habits (Virtues) in Christian life … indeed, in all human affairs.

Some Basics

The fundamental truth of Catholic spirituality is our “relationship” with God through Jesus in loving friendship. Jesus holds out His hand to us as we stumble and meander. He is always ready to assist us. He died to reassure us of His eternal commitment to us, but we have free will; we can turn away, as some do.

So, as we say, Catholic beliefs are sometimes a problem (1) for skeptics who reject Faith, and (2) for erstwhile Catholics who no longer accept the Church as their spiritual home … for various reasons:

• Some have a bad time with a testy priest or a punitive nun;


• Others are led into doubt by sinful behavior amongst clergy;


• Some find no persuasive evidence of Christ’s care;


• Some get lost in self-defeating habits and give up in despair.

In response, Catholicism teaches that Grace abounds. For Catholics, “Grace” is not merely good manners or fortuitous turn of events. Grace is a Divine gift by which we share in the life of Christ. Grace inspires us (1) to live according to the guidance of Virtue, (2) to overcome our conceits, and (3 not to give up. We persevere; even when God seems silent to our needs, and grants no consolation in times of doubt, we still persevere.

Lessons

The Church recognizes that we are blessed with the Grace of Faith, yet burdened with the anchors of our humanity. We lug around with us the good and the not-so-good. But Jesus understands our burdens, distractions, weariness, nagging doubts and sorrows. Happily, His constant response is to be always there in permanent friendship and understanding.  

Even when we doubt God, even when we waver, even when we are emotionally drained, He is constant and steady and trustworthy. His Word is a given, His friendship constant, His understanding of the human condition quite personal.

Personal? How?

During His last hours (as you recall), He burned out badly enough to ask His Father to stop all His agony, to let Him out of what was ahead. He expressed His doubts and fears, as his friends scurried into the night and abandoned Him. But He finally said that single, inspiring phrase which rings for us through history: "Not my will, but thine be done."  

So, we believe God is active in our lives every second, even when He seems silent. We believe God speaks not with thunderous revelations but, for starters, through:

• the gentle presence of Nature around us;


• the beguiling realities of our own bodies;


• the incalculable complexities of human nature;


• the trillions of planets which exist beyond our knowing;


• messages of Scripture, Tradition and the inexhaustible resources of Christian life and Eucharistic worship.

God reveals Himself to us with incredible regularity. Our task is to look beyond our own reservations and conceits … and see what is clearly, miraculously before us – constantly before us.

A Brief Summary

It is within this context of Creation’s Mysteries that the believing Catholic begins to comprehend the generosity of Christ and the mission of His Catholic Church (“Catholic” means “Universal”).

History reveals that Christ established only one church, the Catholic Church, to teach us to live in peace and authentic love, to accept redemption, forgiveness and reconciliation, to revere Christ’s brief life, and to honor His ultimate sacrifice.  

So, we persevere – as must we – because our Faith teaches us that we are ever in God’s keeping at all times:

- even when He seems silent to our needs and demands; - even when we are plagued with doubts and burdened with mean, angry thoughts; - even when we are fully aware of our sinfulness; - even when clouds of weariness hover heavily and sprinkle us with incessant travail; - even when uncertainty and negativity rule.

Sometimes silence is the sound of God listening, since He listens to us in ways far deeper than merely our words.

 So, we persevere … despite the lack of solace and consolation.

Finally . . .

Being a faithful, persevering person does not come easily. It is a struggle which even Christ endured. Thus, our struggle is a familiar struggle to Him because of His own human experience.  

So, as friends of Jesus, we will go through our doubts and uncertainty and absence of rewards and lack of clarity … just as Jesus did in His life. However, for us, the path is not one which leads us to death … but to life.  

We are given the Grace to realize that authentic meaning is found in our doubts and in the ambiguity of God's silences which test our mettle, challenge our fidelity, call forth our perseverance and reinforce our trust.

This path is the Way of our Faith, our Hope, our Love … the Way to Wisdom and to the meaning of our lives.

1 March 2025

Futility vs Purpose:
Where Do We Stand ?

Everyone has an opinion - a personal “philosophy” - about the meaning of life, the purpose of existence and God’s role in all of it. We all have some ideas about why we do what we do, about what’s moral and what isn’t, about what truly matters, about the point and purpose of our own lives.

• Some people find their “meaning” in possessing power and control over others (sometimes to the point of excess).


• Some people find purpose in accumulating wealth and piling up the accoutrements of financial affluence.


• Some people pursue a life of emotional “kicks” through fate-tempting forays against the odds.


• Some find “meaning” when they treat others as commodities to be manipulated for the aggrandizement of ego.


• Some people seek meaning in “social causes,” such as the Diversity/Equity/Inclusion craze, “cancel culture,” or the moral and medical distortions in “transgender” doctrines (see, for example, Foote v Ludlow, a recent 1st Circuit Court decision granting pro-transgender choice to minors while excluding parents from knowing about their child’s subterfuge).  


• Some people latch onto psychological categories (however ponderously shallow) for fleeting comfort to the riddles of life, Creation’s Mysteries and the infinite Universe.

Is Science The Answer ?

Many folks approach various sources of knowing with hopeful ardor, but when it comes to satisfactory insight or cohesive unity or lasting peace on mind, even tentative hypotheses of science prove bereft of long-term stability, devoid of meaning and, at times, lethal to Empathy and Goodness. Something is missing.

In fact, every secular approach to life’s meaning and Creation’s mysteries is clearly insufficient. Some approaches even exploit, rather than ennoble, hope … especially when they rely on:

1. twisted abuse of language to exploit noble intentions,


2. a shortage of Common Sense in the culture,


3. the spiritual and intellectual vulnerability of adherents, and


4. naïve enthusiasm of overly zealous people who accept errant ideologies without critical analysis.

Humane Views

Some people seek meaning in the Mystery of suffering. For example, Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor, wrote “Man's Search for Meaning.” He proposes that we find meaning (1) when we attain our goals and number our accomplishments, (2) in our relationships, especially loving relationships, (3) when we choose to view pain and suffering as having a purpose.

Sounds good … but even these suggestions raise legitimate questions:

• When we do achieve our goals, what then?


• How about lonely people who do not find (or cannot sustain) a loving relationship?


• What can possibly be the purpose of suffering or the point of loss and pain?


• Is there a practical “philosophy of life” which sustains us through spiritual darkness and intellectual doubt?”

These questions do linger with haunting insistence because:

• Human reason and logic teach us that Creation is more than we can explain by human reason and logic alone.


• Persons are more than a collection of sensory receptors with reproductive capacity.


• We have a spiritual nature at the core of our humanity. We possess a material body AND a spiritual soul.


• We are created children of God, dependent upon God’s Divine Authority for our lives, utterly reliant on His inexplicable generosity to us at every instant.


• Obviously, power in the Universe lies outside our control.


• Gratitude - not indifference or disdain - should be our response for the gift of life and for the Mystery of Creation.

With these ideas in mind, we ask: Where do we find personal meaning which (1) responds to our deepest human and spiritual needs, and (2) offers us sensible options to futility?

History’s Lessons

Of all options, Christian Traditions are our surest source for the meaning of life and Creation. The Christian Faith (particularly Catholic moral and doctrinal teachings) is unrivaled in human experience as a belief system and as a “philosophy of life.”

Christian Tradition aims at (1) developing our relationship with our Creator, and (2) honoring Wisdom which we receive through countless sources, starting with the Mysteries of Creation (who but the Creator can make a tree?).

Christian Wisdom offers us a philosophy of life which is eminently practical as well as idealistic. It is the most useful way of living especially for those who seek meaning beyond science, money, power and all the secular strivings mentioned above.

Why is this so? To begin with, Christianity offers these traits:

• Two millennia of trial-and-error;


• Unrivaled view of the dignity of Creation and human life;


• Moral doctrines - with details about how to live effectively;


• The sanctity and prestige of its Divine Founder;


• The watchful eye of the Holy Spirit Who offers options to our waywardness;


• Behavioral guidelines (i.e., Virtues) which are far more thorough and fulfilling than secular knowledge alone;


• Science (useful as it is) deals only with created entities, i.e., the “What” of Creation, which mirrors our Creator’s power;


• Only the enlightened insights of Christian revelation can explain the “Who” of Creation, i.e., God Who created us.


• These are a few reasons – for starters.

In daily living, Christian principles are beneficial to individuals, business and governments who wish to clarify ethical standards, create humane families and communities, and develop a common moral vocabulary in government, work and family life.

History is clear: America’s beliefs in Justice, the rule of law and human dignity originate in our Judeo-Christian heritage. History also demonstrates that nations need the Christian moral code which provides guiding principles for every humane society. Without Christian principles, nations have no moral compass. 

The Message

Soviet dissident Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, author of “The Gulag Archipelago,” pointed out that “…the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either -- but right through every human heart -- and through all human hearts.”

The Bottom Line is this: Our fallen human nature needs help. God offers us assistance in the guidelines of Christian life. It is up to us to choose to cooperate - to freely cooperate.

Here are some characteristics of the Christian philosophy of life:

1. Christian life teaches our accountability to God, Our Creator, and to one another, even strangers.


2. It stresses that life is not a matter of claiming our rights and freedoms, with no thought of our responsibility for the consequences of what we say and do.


3. Thus, Christian philosophy of life teaches regard for the Truth that we are responsible for our behavior.


4. Sometimes freedom is best served when it is voluntarily suspended in favor of a higher goal or is sacrificed for the good of the community, for the family or for another person.


5. Christian life urges us to generosity and goodness because life is not about how little we can for others.


6. Christian insight applies to every aspect of our lives – to home and family, to marriage and raising our children, to our business and work settings, to our social and intellectual lives … all of which are, first and foremost, moral in essence.


7. Christian life offers us specific Virtues to enliven our moral awareness so our decisions are consistent and trustworthy.


8. These central Virtues of Christian living are Prudence and Justice, Temperance and Fortitude, Faith and Hope, Love and Fidelity. Each Virtue has practical applications.


9. Legalities do not excuse us from our moral responsibilities.



Idealism Made Real




Christian insights deal with the fact that we are a weak and easily-tempted people. Consequently, self-restraint and self-discipline are involved. This emphasis on personal responsibility and repentance prompts cynical and faint-hearted folk to employ the ready excuse that Christian ideals are inhumane, too tough, too demanding or too irrelevant for “real” life. But, as Solzhenitsyn also said, without ideals we have no hope.

Evil and wickedness are constant realities we face. Saint Augustine noted that wickedness is an inherent factor in life. He pointed out that “… God could have abolished all evil, but in His omnipotence, He did not. He did the better thing: He made good come out of evil, and sanctity comes out of it …”

Thus, Christian Wisdom confronts weaknesses and temptations which beset us, celebrating the splendid idealism of the Virtues and the fact that when we seek Virtue, we seek sanctity.




What About Our Future ?




Today, deterioration of America’s moral identity occurs through the wide-spread rejection of Judeo-Christian values, which were once the unashamed bases of our nation’s moral compass.

Commenting on the moral dangers confronting America, Dr. William Donahue recently wrote that our nation now faces “… a condition where our moral compass is directed more by individual whim than sacred tenets. That is a recipe for disaster.”

Again, the lessons of history are evident and repetitive: once our lives are deprived of Faith and we disregard the moral precepts of our Christian heritage, we disarm ourselves in mind and spirit, opening ourselves to the assaults of soul-destroying evil and inhumane ideologies spawned by ignorance and conceit.

However, the bright potential for the emergence of Goodness in human nature rests in the fact that we do indeed have the gift of freedom of choice … Free will is always ours.

It is most fitting, therefore, to ask: What shall it be?




 

6 February 2024

 

The Mystery Of Goodness




We live comfortably, usually in safe environs, with little to invade “our space” except the distractions we choose. We have created an impressive array of distractions: the oft-inane blare of television, the engrossing vacuity of cell-phonitis, the brief delights of socializing, quickly-forgotten sporting events, the daily parade of political theatrics.

As a neighbor recently said, “Happiness is but a channel away…” Yet the manner of “happiness” which these diversions provide is gossamer, fleeting, not what we are destined for. See this link:
How Happiness Studies Lets Us Down - First Things

Given our national penchant for diversion, most of us pay little attention to the Miraculous Universe in which we live and breathe and exist. Occasionally we see videos of a random planet shooting across the sky in its last flaming gasp of existence. We hear of black holes a million times larger than our Sun, whirling at the center of galaxies … but we pay little heed. Why should we?




It's A Really Big Cosmos, Eh ?




After all, we have work to do, expenses to meet, kids to raise, in-laws to cope with, taxes to fret. Why worry about issues far removed from our daily cares? After all, the Universe is incomprehensibly vast and mind-boggling, so it is logical that the Mystery of Creation is the last item on our list of stuff to be concerned about.

Occasionally, a personal tragedy (e.g., loss of a loved one) reminds us of truths we’d rather avoid, such as our essential fragility on this Earth and the sobering thought that, despite our achievements, we are not really in charge of most events in our lives. Mystery hovers benignly.

Some people find these humbling truths disturbing; they seek distractions and avoid facing the fact that our state of dependence on Earth is a “given,“ intended to keep us gratefully aware of (1) the Miracle of our own lives, and (2) the Mystery of Creation, of which we are part.




The Miracle Of Creation




In fact, we are enveloped in Mystery every instant of our lives … a Divine Mystery which tells us we exist in a truly miraculous Universe. For example, in addition to Earth, there are other planets in our solar system. But our solar system is one of billions in our Milky Way galaxy … and billions of galaxies also exist. In fact, NASA soon launches SPHEREX, its latest attempt to bring coherence to the Miracle of Creation. Here’s the link:
Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

Another example: Among the billions of galaxies which exist, the closest to our Milky Way galaxy is the Virgo Cluster (about 40-70 million light years from Earth, give-or-take a light year or two). The Virgo Cluster contains billions of galaxies. Obviously, the number of star-suns in the Virgo Cluster is another cosmic incalculable.

The Milky Way and the Virgo Cluster are two of billions of galaxies out there. Even if we could count the star-suns in only one these galaxies, and then count the number of planets therein, and then measure their chemical make-up, and then chart their evolution through endless time, we would still face the same humbling questions:



• Where did these miraculous realities come from?


• What purpose does all this Mystery serve?


• What - or Who - is behind all this?



We study the “What” of Creation, the countless “givens,” but we stumble badly when we deny the “Who” of it all and hide from the real reasons why we are here on Earth.




The Clarity Of Mystery




When we study life’s Mysteries, Common Sense reveals that human reason by itself cannot possibly offer answers to questions such as “What’s the point of life, of the Mystery of Creation, of the Miraculous Universe.”

Tidy answers escape our logic, so some people approach these Mysteries impatiently, at times with ruthless intolerance, angry that tidy logic does not satisfy. In haste for closure, they often act as if they are immune from the laws and limits established by our Creator. Conceit replaces Humility. Truth is stifled. 

Nevertheless, the fact is that we are born into a plethora of Mysteries which are Divine in origin. The fact is that we are born (1) to seek answers, and (2) to find peace of soul in the Unknown -- BUT only through Faith and Humility, only by admitting that:



1. the Divine realm is central to our identity, and


2. we must rely on Faith in the Divine - not merely ourselves - for the Wisdom to understand all this.



Let Us Not Stray From Reality




Common Sense attests that we’re part of Creation, part of the Divine Plan. Moreover, Faith reveals that our lives are miraculous gifts from Divine largess. These facts are (or should be) sufficient reason for us to seek Goodness.



• Without Faith, we are limited in our understanding of ourselves and others.


• Without Faith, our perceptions of the Virtues and how they apply are deeply compromised.



Faith’s first insights, then, are that we: (1) accept the boundaries of our humanity, (2) accept responsibility and accountability for our behavior, (3) realize that the Virtues are excellent ways to conduct ourselves in daily living.

In practice, this means we acknowledge our state of dependence as a norm, not a curse. Yes, we are gifted with intelligence to clarify many unknowns in Creation. Yes, we are inspired to push the boundaries of knowledge. But, even as the Mystery of Creation stares us in the eye, we (1) must not mistake knowledge for Wisdom, and (2) must not mistake our urge for knowledge as a right to know, allowing our paltry conceits to replace the Divine.




Wisdom’s Role




Some skeptics say Faith is for quitters, a cognitive cop-out, an excuse for mental laziness. Wrong!!

Faith does not advocate intellectual passivity nor remove from life’s challenges or squelch the moral demands of Civility and Forgiveness which enrich human experience. 

On the contrary, Faith pushes us to acknowledge that we have responsibility (1) to learn and pursue knowledge, and (2) to pursue Goodness as moral agents, i.e., as persons.

Faith insists that we are responsible for the choices we make, accountable for the deeds we do. In fact, our ability to know and wisely choose define us as human beings.  

Faith insists that our true task is to revere the Mystery of Creation starting with ourselves, then our families and cultures – acknowledging that certain Mysteries in Creation are known only by Wisdom’s assent.

This is our personal task as human beings.



• It is a task of self-mastery by which we open ourselves to Wisdom’s insights.


• It is a task by which, with proper disposition, we honor the laws and limits established by our Creator.


• It is a task in which we see (maybe for the first time) the Wisdom of Virtues such as Self-Restraint, Truth, Prudence and Kindness in daily life.



Relationship: Faith’s Consolation




For many, living a life of Faith slowly introduces a form of consolation not found in distractions or displays of haughty superiority. It is a consoling relief for mind and soul - an insight which results from developing a relationship with God, our Creator, Who patiently awaits our attention.

It is a consoling moment when, through trust and perseverance, one finally drops one’s pretenses and acknowledges that we are truly God’s children in every sense. Nothing can alter our status as children of the Divine -- except our own misguided pride. 

Here is a parallel. A parent or grandparent does not ask inane questions when a child nestles in his arms for a nap. He holds that child in the moment and allows all else to cease and be at rest. As he embraces the child, he is immersed in a place of enchantment, of quiet reverie and tranquility of soul. He does not ask why the child sleeps, but rejoices that the child chooses to sleep in his arms in this moment of joyous serenity.

At such times, we are wise to submit entirely to the peace which the child’s Trust creates in us … the peace of not having to know anything more than the calm and purity of now, of this tranquil, loving moment.

Such moments of loving trust offer us a glimpse into the Eternal Now in which we are held by our Loving God, our First and Final Reality Whom we can never grasp with our intellect alone.

I believe these moments reflect the point and purpose of our humanity, the reason why we are given the Divine gift of life . . . a gift from God, Who is with us every instant.

We forget (or deny) that our relationship with God is our true purpose, so we continue to canonize reason and logic, and clamor for unseemly “rights,” as we rashly dismiss Faith and Wisdom and Virtue as enemies of reason, not realizing that within God's miraculous gift of life, Faith awaits, along with Wisdom and Virtue, Hope and Divine Love … and greater freedom than human knowing alone will ever offer.

 

28 Jan 2025

 

Work And The Soul:




The Impact Of Organizational Culture




As we know, the lasting effects of family are profound. Family is where we learn the basics of surviving as individuals and the ethical expectations which contribute to our character.

But a time comes when most of us leave our family to seek recognition and achievement - indeed, our adult identity - in the world of work.

Equipped with our particular discipline (and with a measure of lingering naivete), we flex our skills and begin to earn our way, attuned to the demands of the job, to the ethical rules of our profession and to the moral demands which permeate our culture.

The world of work offers vast opportunities. Some folks choose corporate settings; others freelance. But work eventually pulls all of us into its unavoidable orbit.




Work’s Real Meaning




The work we choose soon unveils itself as far more significant to our evolving identity than merely labor or hours or skills put forth. Work is truly an outlet for our deepest hopes and aspirations, our talents and our need to be recognized and applauded.

Our work is a profound personal investment which, for many, gives definition and meaning to our lives. Our work is a statement of our deepest Self, an expression of the values which inspire us … second only to family.

Many people choose a business organization (e.g., a corporation) as the most suitable setting in which to express their talents and find compensation. They soon learn that the company - indeed, every organization - has a “culture,” i.e., ways of thinking and acting and doing the job; a specific set of ideas and values, even dress codes, coffee breaks and a host of “dos-and don’ts” particular to that organization’s ethos. The culture is transmitted through written rules and formal procedures and, more often, through informal customs and unwritten expectations.

The combination of these factors (and the way they are enforced) sets the parameters of “belonging,” which greatly influence most people’s adult identity and security, financial and psychological. And, at the top of the organization’s culture is leadership.




Wise Leaders




Organizational cultures mirror the beliefs and attitudes of people in power, leaders whose words and decisions affect the lives of employees in countless, often subtle but discernible, ways. Wise leaders realize that customer satisfaction, repeat business and referrals rely on productive workers who do a superior job because they choose to, i.e., because they’re self-motivated.

Thus, when workers’ morale is adversely affected, the quality of their work may suffer considerably.

In effective organizational cultures, leaders and a hierarchy of managers are responsive (1) to the shifting tastes and changing moods of the buyer’s markets they serve, and (2) to the needs of the people who work for them.

Wise leaders empower their managers to implement decisions, observing the managerial chain of command … and providing example of attentive listening which respects the dignity and insight of managers and workers.

In turn, wise managers listen to their employees … especially their experienced workers. And they often ask these questions of themselves -- and of their employees:



1. What is it like for employees to communicate with me?


2. In what ways am I improving morale … or lessening it?


3. Does my behavior encourage or discourage employees to discuss work issues with me (especially workers whose experience is potentially invaluable)?



A caution: Communication with employees is not on-the-job psychotherapy; outside personal issues are not the point of manager-employee communication. However, in-house issues which bear upon morale, productivity or the dignity of employees should surely be given prompt managerial attention.




Listening




When communication falters among leaders, managers and workers, problems arise. Problems are even more complicated when leadership espouses passing fads devoid of substance or ethical coherence. And if leaders attempt to instill intrusive ideas into the culture, undesirable outcomes ensue.

Such problems are avoided when leadership is in sync with managers and employees who are affected by leadership’s decisions. Some observations:



1. Profit is essential but not at the expense of employees’ trust and good will. Contrary to Gordon Gecko’s belief, greed is not good. Leadership greed erodes trust and loyalty.


2. Isolated leadership and limited communication stifles motivation.


3. Leadership’s excessive control of decisions creates a robotic work force devoid of creativity.


4. Controlling behavior also limits employee involvement and may create an aura of undervaluing workers, leading to disengagement and (again) reduced morale.


5. Wise leaders ask qualified employees for their ideas about how employees can enhance success in their sphere.


6. Wise leaders are aware of unintended consequences and avoidable errors. Again, experience of front-line workers and managers is, at times, invaluable.


7. Trust is crucial in corporate and family life, so challenges and confrontations should be seen as invitations to maturity, not threats to managers, employees and leaders.


8. Trust demands dependability, responsibility, accountability and emotional balance among corporate citizens.


9. Leaders are unwise to mix social causes with professional performance (e.g., the politics of DEI have no place in the work setting).



Toward The Ideal




Many people spend their lives in family and work. Unfortunately, some work settings (families, too) are fraught with needless conflict and rancor which serve no good purpose. Thus, it is gratifying to behold effective organizational and family cultures in which persons demonstrate virtuous concern for one another.

Such persons are testament to the fact that there is much good in this life. There are many good people in our family and work settings … people of goodness who show us the way to peace of mind and who demonstrate the practical value and role of Virtue in everyday living.

These people also remind us that it is an inspiring and gracious moment when our dignity and our work efforts are honored, our achievement and our goodness celebrated.

The Virtues of Responsibility and Truth, Kindness and Care, Accountability and Forgiveness are considered foolish by people whose vision begins with only themselves and ends in a vacuum. Yet Kindness, Truth, Humility and other Judeo-Christian Virtues are crucial in our organizational cultures and family settings.

Why?

Because these qualities of heart and soul and spirit keep our work lives, our families and ourselves healthy and hopeful. Indeed, these Virtues are basic to all else in our lives.

We are, therefore, wise to pursue a life of Virtue in work and family.



• The Virtues elevate our fallen nature and redeem our abundant weaknesses.


• They inspire our Hope and bestow Perseverance to pull us forward.


• They take us beyond ourselves in our trusting pursuit toward the Divine Ideal.


• All this, despite the cracks in our souls, despite the mistakes we make over and over again, despite the errors to which we are all drawn.



It is in the often humdrum, repetitious routines of work and in the oft-testy, impatient encounters in family that (within life’s mysterious yet salvific mystery) we also encounter the God of our Creation … the God Who loves us so … the God Who has given us life … and family … and work.




 

17 Jan 2025

 

Family: The Beginning Of Wisdom




We all know that family life leaves its imprint on every mind and heart, every soul and psyche. Early experiences in family have lasting influence on our moral character and social behavior.

Childhood learning does not nullify adult responsibility in later life. Every adult is responsible and accountable for his/her choices and behavior. But family life is our first experience as moral persons in a morally-conflicted world.

Prior to their marriage, both should have sufficient knowledge of what marriage entails and be free from obstacles hindering the validity of their union in the eyes of God and the State … so they may knowingly express their mutual love and intention to unite in an exclusive, life-long commitment.

In marriage and family life, their God-given responsibilities are to enhance the social, spiritual and psychological growth of each other and of their children, even at the cost of personal sacrifice.




Teaching Wisdom’s Basics




Family learning revolves around the profound influence of mother (female) and father (male). Every parents’ responsibility is to raise children in sync with authentic Wisdom, both secular and sacred, human and Divine.

Authentic Wisdom (not merely knowledge) is handed down over millennia by Nature and Sacred Scripture, by family and culture, by religion and proper education, by law and tradition, by instinct and Common Sense.

In this context, human knowledge concerns the “what” and “how to” of life. Authentic Wisdom reveals the “Why” and the “Who.” Authentic Wisdom stresses (1) our need to acknowledge our dependence on our Creator, (2) Scripture’s plentiful directions about how to mature in our relationship with our Creator, and (3) the fact that we are born into the Loving Mystery of Life itself.

We live in a secularized world which is often hostile to these truths - a radically secular world of seductive values to which we are vulnerable. Thus, it is essential that family life teach us:



1. to know our responsibilities to God and one another,
2. to obey our God-given limits as created persons,
3. to recognize the fallacies of rampant individualism, and
4. to stay on the path of Virtue as responsible and accountable persons.



An example: Sexual identity is biological, even if some men believe they are women trapped in the wrong body. Science insists that every cell in that person’s body says, “Nope; you’re still a guy.” In other words, wishing does not change Nature’s realities nor exempt anyone from the limits of human “freedom.”




Standards




Clearly, age-old standards of adult behavior are central to family life and parental responsibility. Traditional standards are critical not only for family life, but also for the Common Good of society. These standards include:



• obedience to legitimate authority, i.e., to God’s Commandments and to the just laws of society;
• self-restraint in private and public affairs;
• respect for truth in word and deed;
• intelligent humility (which is not self-debasement);
• reasonable accountability for one’s behavior;
• identifying and correcting moral blind spots;
• observing norms of decency and civility;
• listening to others with open mind and heart;
• on and on.




Love And Wisdom




Today, progressive modernists seek to undermine traditional family unity. But assaults on tradition cannot change the fact that traditional family has been the foundation of civilized humanity for millennia. Traditional family teaches these ideals:



1. That we act with True Love … act as loving persons, not in a maudlin, shallow, self-centered or sexually-carefree way but in a self-restrained, generous and forgiving manner; and,


2. That in family life and in society, as responsible adults, we act with Wisdom’s insights and Virtue’s restraints, not with self-centered ambition nor indulging our oft-wayward impulses.



True Love and Wisdom – these are the abiding strengths of solid family life. In our culture of ruthless individualism, the strengths of the traditional family are critical for individual and cultural sanity and for the Common Good.

Let us examine the practical side of these strengths.




Loving As Personal Investment




What does True Love really entail?

To begin with, our culture has given the word “love” a bad rap. True Love is not merely a “feeling” or a romantic escapade or sexual indulgence. Rather, True Love is a conviction, a way of life, a consistent frame of mind and heart.

True Love is patient and kind with friends and strangers, even when tempted to intemperate harangue. In adversity, even with unkind and unlovable folks, True Love hangs on with patience and forbearance.

True Love is never jealous or boastful, nor are True Lovers conceited or oblivious to their impact on others.



• They’re not rude and do not act as if they’re superior to others, nor do they manipulate others.
• They certainly do not lie or exaggerate.
• They do not play to the crowd for admiration.
• They do not easily take offense, even when it is intended, nor do they nurse grievances and seek revenge.
• They listen with eyes as well as ears, heart as well as head.



True Lovers do not rejoice in evil, nor relish untruth nor delight in wrongdoing. They extend forgiveness and compassion, altruism and empathy. They do not twist words nor make empty promises.

They give the benefit of every doubt and make allowances for error. They seek clarity rather than self-righteous anger. They maintain trust as long as they can … and remain steady in hope. And when others fall away, True Love still perseveres. Even when rebuffed, True Love still prayerfully hangs on.




Yes, But . . .




When we were young, we thought as children. Now, we have adult responsibilities; we are (or should be) beyond our childish ways and flimsy excuses. Virtue should now make sense to us, since we are now called as adults to maintain our Faith and our Hope … and deepen our True Love.

And who, pray tell, are we supposed to love?



1. We start with the fact that God’s Love for us is a given;
2. Next, we struggle to love God - but there’s more;
3. We are also called to generous, self-restrained love
1. for our family,
2. for our “neighbors” - and strangers near and far, and
3. for ourselves – but not in conceited, selfish ways.



Intelligent self-love begins with forgiving ourselves for our past sins, offenses and negligence, and renewing our sincere intention to seek Virtue … and we persevere.

For many folks, that’s difficult, but Wisdom says, “Do it …. Now!”

This is the life of Virtue to which we are called as members of our family … and as members of countless communities.




Wisdom Imparting




These qualities have countless benefits for every community. They do not come easily to some people, and are often forgotten when emotions bubble. Nonetheless, they can become a habit, just as every habit we develop.

That’s where Wisdom comes in.

Wisdom grants us practical insights which tell us that we do indeed have choices about how we shall behave and what we shall say to others. Wisdom invites us to seek Goodness, to go beyond our ego’s huffy conceits, tp deliberately choose truth, humility and forgiveness over retaliation and ego-driven puffery.

In the same, vein, Wisdom alerts us to the fact that evil is a personal choice … just as Goodness is our choice.

Wisdom warns us not to harbor bitterness, hatred, envy or harmful ambition, not to boast about how great we are, not to forget that we shelter our own weaknesses in our private lives.

  Wisdom informs us that when we nurse envy or revenge or selfish ambition, we create moral disorder within ourselves. Wisdom advises us to be peace-loving, considerate, merciful, to seek reconciliation rather than conflict … so that we may all live in peace in heart and mind – if at all possible.




Wisdom And Words




Here is a daily example of how Love and Wisdom work:

With our words - written and spoken - we can stimulate conflict or seek harmony. Our words can possess power for good or they can corrupt relationships and create chaos. When others recognize us as reckless with our words, we lose …

So, we can promote goodness or evil by what we say and do. The choice is ours …

Learning the basics of Wisdom and Virtue begins when mother and father make these standards the family’s priorities in words and deeds. Then family life makes significant difference in who we become and what we value.




Our Choice




Our culture is besotted by specious “rights” and spurious “freedoms” which reject God’s sovereignty and disdain religious fidelity, history, science, tradition - and Common Sense.

The Christian message stands out as the only effective response which has, for centuries, supported traditional family life and honored the indispensable roles of mother and father. 

In all of this, remember that good intentions alone don’t make family life a bastion of sweet harmony. Disagreements and grumpy times will occur, and that’s OK - for a while … but …

… we must also ask one another: Are we listening to one another, facing our differences together, seeking resolution together, not closing ourselves off or catering to our conceits? Are we behaving as loving people toward one another – even when we argue?

If not, why not? Wisdom says, “Get to it . . . now!”




Finally . . .




Authentic Wisdom ever advises us to ask Almighty God to bless our family (disagreements included) and to help us bring True Love to one another … even when it hurts our ego.

Furthermore, it is wise of us to be forgiving of one another.

It is wise of us to be a source of trust and unity for one another.

It is wise of us to seek empathy, self-restraint, humility, obedience to the Commandments and to express our gratitude to God.

It is wise of us to ask that our appreciation of God’s Presence stay within our family.

And … it is wise of us to bring True Love, authentic Wisdom and practical Virtue to our family by our words and our example … through Christ our Lord. Why would we ever choose otherwise?