Virtues

June 7, 2014
June 7, 2014
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A Simple Formula for Happiness

HappinessLast week, while I was meeting with a client, she started talking about a new crisis in her life that was causing her distress.  (For the purpose of this article, I’m going to call my client “Julie.”)  At any other time in her life, Julie would have easily been able to handle the type of crisis she was going through, but this time she was in severe distress.

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December 28, 2013
December 28, 2013
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A Duck Hunter Wins One for the Christians

Phil RobertsonOn Christmas morning, my wife sent a text message to me and our children with a link to a YouTube video.  The beginning of the video showed images from the first Christmas.  The audio that played in the background was from the segment of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” where Linus recited the famous passage from the Gospel of Luke: “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them….”

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November 2, 2013
November 2, 2013
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Relationships, Familiarity, and Contempt

ContemptAbout 10 years ago, an adorer called our home to let us know that he and his wife were not going to be able to cover their holy hour.  (For the purpose of this article, I’m going to call him Frank.)  At the time of the call, Frank and his wife were in their late 70s.  Since no one was home to answer the telephone, Frank left a message on our answering machine.

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October 30, 2013
October 30, 2013
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Going Shopping At The Nut House

The Nut HouseThere’s a business on Main Street in downtown Peoria, across the street from the courthouse, called The Nut House.  The inside of the business consists of a tiny storeroom that is lined with glass display cases along three sides.  Inside the display cases are numerous trays and jars that contain different types of candy and nuts.  On top of the display cases and on shelves attached to the walls are decorative jars that are also filled with candy and nuts.  There are at least 200 different items on display that a customer can choose from.

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October 10, 2013
October 10, 2013
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Advice From a Mother of Four Young Children

My oldest daughter, Anna (30 years old), has been married for nine years.  She and her husband, Josh, have four children, all of whom are under the age of eight.  Anna recently sent an email to everyone in our family with a suggestion:

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September 26, 2013
September 26, 2013
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Weak: “having little physical power or ability”

For some unknown reason, during the past couple of weeks I’ve been thinking a lot about the 10 principal virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  As a reminder, the 10 principal virtues are (1) her profound humility, (2) her lively faith, (3) her blind obedience, (4) her continual mental prayer, (5) her mortification in all things, (6) her surpassing purity, (7) her ardent charity, (8) her heroic patience, (9) her angelic sweetness, and (10) her divine wisdom.

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July 27, 2013
July 27, 2013
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A Catholic Judge Meets the Eternal Judge

Judge GavelI can remember it like it was yesterday — my first hearing before a judge that involved a significant legal issue.  I was 26 years old, and it was during my first year of practicing law (1983).  The day before the hearing, I received a telephone call from John Mathers, the attorney I was renting an office from.  He was out of the state on business and wasn’t going to be back in time to attend the hearing.  He asked me to cover the hearing for him, told me where I could find the file, and explained the issues in the case.

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June 15, 2013
June 15, 2013
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The Seven Pillars of Fatherhood

FatherhoodEarlier this month, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), which is a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, announced an $800,000 grant that is designed “to disseminate information about good fatherhood parenting practices by building research and practice knowledge and capacity” and to “increase positive father involvement in the lives of their children.”  (Reread what I just quoted and see if it makes any sense to you.)

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June 8, 2013
June 8, 2013
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Rebellion At A High School Graduation

Roy Costner IV

Roy Costner IV

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