Samuel Johnson, that great coiner of aphorisms, averred that “People need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed.” In that Johnsonian spirit, here are some reminders about what has been happening in Ukraine, for Senator J.D. Vance and others who persist in certain confusions about the situation and its implications.

Families do not need to be granted a right to educate their children, as the right already belongs to the family.

As our culture continues to make choices contrary to Catholic teaching, Catholic education has become even more important if our children are going to be well formed in the faith and apply it in their daily lives.

I pray that this is a fruitful experience for those who are there, of course. But I have to imagine that an event like this can have a profound impact far beyond the event itself.

Salvation has never been about one’s worthiness, but about one’s willingness.

Sometimes the words we rattle off without thinking are precisely the place to pause and reflect.

The frog could have crossed the road at any time, but it just happened to leap when we were in that particular spot.

If we find ourselves burdened by the worries of the world or the fears of tomorrow, we need to remember that our spirituality calls us to gratitude in the present moment.

The most substantial and life changing things scheduled to take place at the National Eucharistic Congress are available to almost every Catholic right where they are. They always have been and they always will be.

While the church expects confessions to be heard in a designated confessional under ordinary circumstances, there are times when it would be permissible to celebrate the sacrament someplace else.