Paul McMullen finds boundless inspiration from young people.

It’s been three weeks since a man with a grudge and a rifle shot down the doorway to the Annapolis Capital and murdered five of its employees, among them two colleagues. Every one of those 21 days has been required to process the mysteries of life and what can only be described as survivor’s guilt.

After open-heart surgery, Paul McMullen’s gratitude is keener than ever.

Those who turn a blind eye to the children  who are victims of human trafficking; young refugees from Afghanistan or Syria; or the young ones among us who do not have ample food, clothing, shelter and education, contribute to their neglect.

Reading Archbishop Lori’s pastoral letter on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s principles of nonviolence prompted Paul McMullen to consider his actions – and inaction – on issues of race and discrimination.

Social media pronounces that there has never been this much discord and downright hate in our nation. I wasn’t around for the Civil War, but do recall the mess that was 1968.

We are powerless, conversely, to stop acts of nature – God. We are, however, in position to help with the cleanup caused by both the divine and humanity.

There is a reason the obituary section is dubbed the Irish sports pages; for me, there is nothing melancholy about remembering absent friends.

Whatever happens, darkness at the break of 2:48 p.m. Aug. 21 is going to be another grand moment with creation.

Growing up with a love for baseball, the future Bishop William C. Newman didn’t stop playing the game even after he entered the seminary.