There’s a car mechanic I have known for years. Ed knew my father and worked on his cars; he knows me and my cars; he knows my wife; he knows my neighbors and their vehicles. Some years ago, my father learned that Ed had lost a son. At some point, he shared with Ed that he, too, had lost a child. . . . . Continue Reading »
“Why Did We Destroy Europe?” It’s an arresting title, chosen by Michael Polanyi for a 1970 essay that looks back on the conflagrations that consumed Europe between 1914 and 1945. (The essay can be found in Society, Economics & Philosophy, a posthumous volume of selected papers by . . . . Continue Reading »
A culture of life, therefore, means not just preserving physical life, but developing rich spiritual, intellectual, and emotional lives. Continue Reading »
Any community of refuge, especially a Benedict Option community, must find a way for its members to support one another in moving from fear to courage, scarcity to charity, walls to windows. Continue Reading »
In 1932, while covering a worker’s strike in Washington, D.C., Dorothy Day said a prayer. Since her conversion to Catholicism, she felt that she could no longer join such strikes. Joining a strike was an expression of solidarity—and fundamental philosophical differences prevented true . . . . Continue Reading »
If you arrive at Kim’s Diner before noon, your best option for breakfast is either the homemade biscuits with Texas-style white gravy or the pancakes-and-sausage plate. Lunch and dinner offerings are good, basic American food: grilled burgers and sandwiches half-wrapped in butcher paper so they . . . . Continue Reading »
If we struggle to serve God in small things, he may be generous enough to invite us into his service in dramatic ways. Continue Reading »
I achieved herd immunity many years ago. Continue Reading »
Human beings are by nature social animals. But the particularity of the “we” is always a gift. Continue Reading »
In order to pray for the people the Devil wants us to see as enemies, we need to see them as people. Continue Reading »
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