Each year, I find that I know more and more people on the other side of this earthly journey than the previous year. As we approach All Saints Day and All Souls Day, I frequently consider where those loved are now.

Some may never meet Deacon Woodus, but they’d be sharing his mission, which includes helping to meet the charges laid out in Archbishop Lori’s pastoral reflections “The Enduring Power of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Principles of Nonviolence” and “The Journey to Racial Justice: Repentance, Healing and Action.”

George Matysek’s backyard may never win landscaping awards, but the dirt where his sons play baseball has become a place where memories, family bonds and faith take root.

The Kiplinger Program based at Ohio University in Athens each year hosts a fellowship with a different theme. This year, that was “Saving Local News,” with an emphasis on concrete solutions for community news outlets. Catholic Review editor Christopher Gunty was selected as a fellow for this year’s program.

Lose no opportunity to invest quality time with children at every stage of their lives. Remind them of how precious they are. Teach them as they grow how to recognize opportunities to spread the good news of salvation that our resurrected Lord makes attainable for generations to come.  

In the Gospel of St. Matthew, Jesus tells us to let our “yes” mean “yes” and our “no” mean “no,” warning that anything more is from the evil one. Scripture scholars explain that he was condemning the misuse of oaths and calling his followers to live in truth. But I couldn’t help thinking that he was also calling us to something deeper: an integrity of heart. 

The weight of a loaded schedule is possible even in retirement, but the weight is made lighter in silence with God, and in time for stillness to stop and sip coffee instead of taking it to go.  

Slavery that was legal centuries ago is considered an abomination today. All the more reason not to categorize all situations regarding immigrants as either black or white. There are complicated areas in between, areas as gray as that early morn in Bethlehem when hope was born, giving way to a brighter dawn for all who tenaciously cling to hope for peace.  

I never did walk on water that summer long ago. But I learned that the true miracle is not defying gravity. It is allowing Christ to steady me when I sink, to calm the storms swirling around me and draw me into worship even in the midst of chaos. 

Sometimes, you even plant unintentionally, by the way you live your life. If you live like a follower of Jesus, that should show in what you do and say. By being kind and not adding to the divisiveness we experience today, you can be an example for others on how to treat our fellow humans.