Some friends and I were smoking cigars and chatting on the porch of a Brooklyn house during a summer evening in 2010. One of the friends recommended that I read Dostoevsky’s the Brothers Karamazov. Education had taught me that the book was a classic. Experience had taught me that not all “classics” are all that […]

Mother Angelica, the spunky Italian nun, once quipped, “If it wasn’t for people, we could all be holy.” And it’s simply true. Which of us has not thought at one time or another that the path to sainthood would be so much easier if it were not for so-and-so who is a real thorn in […]

…the greatest man would justly be reckoned a brute if he were not civil to the meanest woman.” Martine’s Handbook (1866) The crisis today in the relationships of men and women is multi-faceted. The general lack of manners in their interaction is both an indication and a cause of the crisis. Women are to be reverenced, always […]

This post is part of a series. One of the times Jesus says “Go!” is pretty scary.  In the Gospel of Luke He sends His disciples on a preaching mission saying, “Go your way; behold I send you out as lambs among wolves” (Luke 10:3).  I live on a little farm and I can tell […]

I used to know a woman who talked incessantly. She had an extreme case of logorrhea, and from her lips poured forth a torrent, no a tidal wave of words. Conversations with her were far from a two-way dialogue. Rather, they were a one-sided assault. Even making a simple comment in response to something she said was well […]

If you read anything by St. Francis de Sales, you come away with the impression that he was patience incarnate. He talks endlessly about the wonderful benefits of meekness, gentleness, and kindness—especially to those who deserve it least. Yet, many don’t realize that this great saint struggled for most of his life with a fiery temper […]

Imagine Adam and Eve, in perfect joy walking in the Garden of Eden; the very Paradise created especially for their enjoyment.  Everything they needed was there; everything, including freedom.  The freedom to choose right or wrong; the freedom to disobey their Father.  Any parent understands this bittersweet gift. Along slithers the slimy serpent, who takes […]

This post is part of a series on dating and marriage. Previously, I wrote a list of things you should look for in a wife. Now, you might be thinking, That’s nice, but how on earth do I find a quality woman? That’s a fair question. The problem in answering it is that there are dozens of […]