Letter: Joy
“Let us open wide our hearts. It is joy which invites us. Press forward and fear nothing.” —St. Katharine Drexel March 19, 2022 Dear Reader, When my oldest daughter was six years old, she was under the impression that she had written Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. (Not the whole thing; it’s a long symphony — just […]
Letter: Candles & Television
“How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world.” —William Shakespeare Dear Reader, For Christmas, I received three books, one bottle of scotch, and fewer than zero television sets. Negative-one television set, to be precise. Which, eventually, led to the conclusion that candles are better than TV. […]
Letter: Comfort & Ice
“A life of ignoble ease, a life of that peace which springs merely from lack either of desire or of power to strive after great things, is as little worthy of a nation as of an individual.” —Theodore Roosevelt January 14, 2022 Dear Reader, A few days ago, a few miles away, a few dozen […]
Letter: Carnival
“The Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines.” —Isaiah 25:6 February 13, 2021 Dear Reader, New Orleans is unlike any other city. It is its own unique creation, with its own mixed but undeniable charm. Flannery O’Conner, the Southern, Catholic author, observed, “If I had […]
Letter: Hope & Predictions
“Until the day when God will deign to reveal the future to man, all human wisdom is contained in these two words,—‘Wait and hope.’” —Alexandre Dumas Advent Dear Reader, A friend wrote to inquire whether I think our national supplies of food and other critical resources will hold up. My confident answer: “I don’t know.” […]
Letter: Hope & Prediction
“Until the day when God will deign to reveal the future to man, all human wisdom is contained in these two words,—‘Wait and hope.’” —Alexandre Dumas December 17, 2021, No. 35 Dear Reader, A friend just wrote me to inquire whether I think our national supplies of food and other critical resources will hold up. […]
Letter: Wheat & Tares & Thanksgiving
[I]f there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on these things. —Philippians 4:8 Thanksgiving Dear Reader, Thanksgiving construed as a harvest festival does not hold the immediate relevance for many that it once did. Biblical parables about farms and fields are in a similar predicament. Currently, just over one percent of […]
Letter: The Metaverse & the Supply Chain
“I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis.” —Abraham Lincoln November 5, 2021 Dear Reader, The ports in southern California are still backlogged, and Christmas is on its way, but not to worry: a few hundred miles up the coast, Facebook […]