Religion

With Christmas decorations sometimes going up before Thanksgiving, and even Halloween, it may seem unnecessary to prolong Christmas. However, Catholics and many other Christian traditions can extend Christmas into the second week of January.   We do so because the overwhelming and joyful reality of the...

There comes a time, perhaps many times in life, when our faith is challenged and the religious path that we have chosen is questioned by unbelievers. Sometimes this line of questioning leads to social pressures that can lead a once faithful person to question...

What is happiness? We all look for happiness, but happiness is in our own actions, not in our possessions.  Happiness is about what we do every day. Happiness is not just about being a good person and doing nothing, but about doing good, doing the right thing,...

At the beginning of this year, I am reminded once again of the connection among all people. I heard just a couple of days ago that former President Jimmy Carter believed that there was a spark of the divine in all of us. I...

March Madness: the one month of the year when people suddenly develop strong opinions about obscure college basketball teams they’ve never watched before. But March Madness isn’t just a bunch of upsets and slam dunks—there are also some spiritual truths in all the action....

My grandparents lived in the small town of Provo, Utah in the 1940s. Grandpa was the city’s fire chief and both he and grandma were well known and respected in the community.  One evening while driving home from a firemen’s banquet, a drunk driver crossed...

Members of the faith community of South County were disturbed, saddened and angered when we were made aware of a hate incident against our brothers and sisters in the Muslim community. For Muslims, this is the holy month of Ramadan, a time of fasting and...

With so much contention, conflict and evil as well as social, economic and personal problems, these days peacemakers are needed more than anything. Nothing will bring us more peace and tranquility in our lives than being a peacemaker. Being a peacemaker doesn't mean doing nothing...

What does freedom taste like? As Jews celebrate the weeklong holiday of Passover (Pesach) beginning this Saturday night (April 12), the interactive ritual of a Passover Seder provides a rich learning experience to literally taste freedom.  The book of Exodus details the story of Passover...

With all the excitement over the election of the American Pope Leo XIV, it is appropriate to ask: what does a pope do? While a pope has several titles, the two most important would be Vicar of Christ and Successor of Peter. A vicar in...