Religion

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:...

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...

“Lord, you have apportioned to your people the manifold gifts of the Spirit: Grant amid the changes of the world that your Church may abide, and be strengthened in ministry through continuous outpouring of your gifts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and...

The past two months have been a painful period in Jewish history. On Oct. 7, as Jews around the world were celebrating the holiday of Simchat Torah—rejoicing with the Torah—the season of darkness arrived early with Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel. Now we are...

Whenever I feel like life is difficult or my circumstances are less than desirable, I think of the story of the ancient Israelites, led by Moses out of Egypt into the wilderness as found in the Holy Bible.  They wandered from land to land for...

I am fascinated by etymologies, the origins of words. As we approach Thanksgiving, I’m thinking about the origin of our English word “thank.” It comes from the P.I.E. (Primitive Indo-European) root tong, to think. Thank is related phonetically to think, as sang is to...

As I taught in my Religion article in April, “True and lasting happiness is not distant. It is within us; we must just allow oneself to sit still, to let go of all thoughts and be quiet in the present moment.” Meditation is the path...

It was a joy and blessing to be able to attend PRIDEFEST 2023 in Morgan Hill on June 1! The Pride Month kickoff and flag-raising was exciting, inspiring and hopeful.   Exciting because of the energy in the air and on the lawn at the Morgan...

What has your summer been like? Hot? So hot you had to stay inside? Are you one of the people working outside who aren’t allowed to take a break? Are you one of the people who goes to the hospital because of burns from...

Do you have a prayer room? Is there a room or destination that is “your place” to connect with God? The garden across the Kidron Valley was a place where Jesus went to pray and connect with his father. It is there that Jesus...