Religion

Every year, on the full moon day of the sixth lunar month, Buddhists worldwide come together to honor Vesak, which commemorates the birth, enlightenment and passing of the Buddha. More than a religious observance, Vesak signifies humanity’s collective journey toward wisdom, compassion and inner...

Jewish teachings emphasize the importance of “rachamim,” which is usually translated as compassion or mercy. We first read about rachamim when it is used in Exodus 34:6-7 in the Hebrew Bible. It is one of the 13 attributes used to describe God. In the...

In our busy lives here in Morgan Hill, Gilroy and beyond, we often feel stressed by traffic, work deadlines or daily chores. We look for peace in vacations, shopping or other external things. But what if the real source of happiness has been inside us all...

Methodists have long been known as “a singing people.” I am not a good singer, but I can say that I am a passionate and, hopefully in God’s ears, a beautiful singer. Singing is one of the important parts of my life and in...

There has been too much senseless violence caused by firearms in this country. Recently, three nine-year olds were killed at a Nashville Christian school and an unarmed African-American teenager, Ralf Yarl, was shot in Kansas City because he rang the wrong doorbell. Here in...

The word “foreigner” gets bandied around a lot in the news. Often, it’s a term reserved for people from another country, but it’s frequently used to describe anyone who looks or acts differently.   I want to share my own experience with a foreigner in Morgan...

There are lots of signs of Halloween around our communities. Ghosts, skeletons, Jack-O­ Lanterns, gravestones and the like. Americans spend more money on Halloween decorating than any other holiday except for Christmas. In the growing darkness of our daylight hours diminishing, we seem to...

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...

Our nation is facing a new crisis.  Our young people are battling mental health issues, depression and self-harm at rates far, far higher than older generations. A study by Murmuration found that members of Gen-Z—people born between 1997-2012—are about twice as likely as older Americans...

The Father of our nation, George Washington, had a remarkable correspondence with the first Catholic Bishop in the United States, John Carroll. At the time Catholics were, at best, 1% of the population of the young nation and were living in only two states:...