Who are the great geniuses of history? There are certainly many who shaped the daily lives of people of their time … and well beyond.

We are many decades into the phenomenon of shopping for “gated communities” of like-minded people. So many do not experience that they are welcome.

If I asked you, I suspect most, without having any further details, would say they would rather be in a banquet setting than a court of law.

On 9/11 we immediately think of the pain and suffering, the injustice of the attacks. This leads to a defensive stance united against our enemies. The emotions run deep.

Pope Francis just keeps on going… well beyond what most consider normal for a man of his age and physical conditions.

Just imagine! You spent a lot of time, money, and energy in preparing a dinner party… perhaps a wedding or a birthday.

I am willing to bet that most of us think of Labor Day as marking the last hurrah of summer or a day of supposed “fantastic sales.” 

Six months ago, Pope Francis began a 16-part reflection on old age by asking the Holy Spirit to help us understand and appreciate the great contribution that the elderly can make to a just and fraternal society.

A late 19th-century artist, James Tissot,  graphically posed a question for us today. In his depiction of the Ascension, he asks, “Why do you stand looking up into heaven? (Act 1:11)

I found my path back to Galilee with the help of Pope Francis. For me, it was by way of a homily he preached in Canada.