Vanier changed attitudes toward the intellectually and physically disabled in ways so deep that we can hardly comprehend it.

We celebrate, we loudly proclaim “Alleluia,” but we also hover in that upper room, wondering what this event means for the rest of our lives. As Christians, it is the question we cannot deny or avoid. It’s the pivotal question of our entire existence.

Imagine how different the story might have been if the women had not gone to the tomb while others slept, had not discovered the body gone, had not listened to the angels or had not run to tell the stunning news of Christ’s resurrection that changed everything.

Scary prayers are prayers where even the very words you say seem to convict you.

Unfortunately, in many instances, the mother-child bond is interrupted when screens are used to placate a restless toddler.

Venerable Fulton Sheen once said of worry: “Nothing is more destined to create deep-seated anxieties in people than the false assumption that life should be free from anxieties.”

If I had to point to one thing that stunted my motivation to evangelize, to go beyond highlighting cultural contributions of blacks to Catholicism to confidently asking others to become Catholic too, I’d have to admit it was racism.

A good comedian helps an audience to recognize common absurdities, inconsistencies and hypocrisies in any given cultural moment. Their real genius is helping audiences to recognize the ones in which they also take part.

People often wonder what the secret is to a successful marriage. Based on the Rowe’s relationship, the answer is love, understanding, faith, compassion, and selflessness. They don’t sound like such a secret at all.

Let this Valentine’s Day be an opportunity to let people know that they matter to us.