Abba Father

 I came across a picture today that I had received of my nephew on his first day of second grade.  I was struck by his radiant smile and eyes shining with pride, purity, and eagerness as he faces another school year.  He is being raised by his grandparents.  Their adult daughter, my nephew’s mom, has […]

Hopeful News for Divorced Catholics

Read my remarks and insights in CNN's extensive coverage of Pope Francis's Exhortation "On Love in the Family"

I assumed that Friday, April 8, 2016, would start out like every other day that week. It was Spring Break and I had spent the week sharing some major quality time with my 6-year-old son while my wife was in Florida relaxing with some of our other kids. I was wrong. The pope had published his post-synodal apostolic […]

Eject Button

What do getting divorced, remarried, and divorced again in less than nine months, leaving your kids to become a groupie for a rock band, and moving to South America all have in common? They are all real choices made by people during their first year of divorce. Why would people make such obviously poor decisions? […]

Abba Father

I came across a picture today that I had received of my nephew on his first day of second grade.  I was struck by his radiant smile and eyes shining with pride, purity, and eagerness as he faces another school year.  He is being raised by his grandparents.  Their adult daughter, my nephew’s mom, has chosen a very […]

Pre-Approved

My daughter recently graduated from school and was embarking on a major job search. It was rather nerve-wracking for her as she marketed herself to prospective employers. She spent hours working on her resume until it was just right. She would meticulously do her hair and makeup, and make sure she was dressed perfectly. Then, […]

Lucky

By reading through the Gospels, the evidence is clear: Christ was focused on healing. It was one of the main acts of compassion that He performed as He traveled around spreading His message of love and the kingdom of God. As word spread of His healing miracles, people came from all over Israel to find Him […]

Separation Anxiety

When my son was two-years old he went through what’s commonly known as separation anxiety. If I stepped out of the room for a brief moment and he lost sight of me, he would panic. This panic took the form of blood-curdling screams, not the kind that are soliciting attention, but guttural, terrified calls for help. […]

Far From Perfect

I was sitting in my seat (right-hand, aisle, thank you very much!), engrossed in my magazine, when I heard a man say in a rather loud voice, “Excuse me, Ma’am!” Startled, I looked up to see a very overweight man in the seat one row up trying to flag down the flight attendant. When she […]

Aim High

The low point in my divorce came on Christmas morning, about two months after my divorce was filed. I actually got a call from my attorney; he wanted to discuss some aspect of my divorce (he didn’t celebrate Christmas since he was Jewish). I remember getting off that call and thinking, “I will be so […]

Mishmash

Recently, I traveled out-of-town to a major American city. Fortunately, there was a Catholic Church within walking distance from my hotel. One morning, I arrived just as Mass was starting and slipped into a side pew. I was struck by two things. First, the incredible beauty of the church. The painted ceilings, marble columns, and […]