A new study shows that people are more generous when they feel guilty about something—but that’s not the most interesting part. People are most generous (to others, their churches, and to charity) when they feel they’ve been forgiven for something they feel guilty about.
We’ve all felt...
I lost a friend last week and still feel the emptiness associated with grief of someone who touched me deeply.
Well, I say “friend,” but honestly those feelings of friendship were really one-sided, and based solely on one sharing of a very special summer afternoon.
Jazz pianist and composer Dave Brubeck...
During the Christmas season, it seems like I’m bombarded with mailings of charitable requests.
In a recent conversation I’ve had with a colleague of mine, I was reminded that, in this spirit of giving, we should be mindful of those needs not just for the extraordinary, but for the ordinary, everyday...
A few weeks ago my friend, Sister Mary Ann Walsh, RSM, Media Director for the US Catholic bishops’ conference, asked me if I would write a blog post for her. The annual national collection the Retirement Fund for Religious was coming up (it was last weekend in many parishes). I had told her about a...
The Jewish festival Hanukkah begins on the evening of December 8 and extends for eight days. While it is not the most important of Jewish feasts, Hanukkah recalls and celebrates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem. Because it occurs in close proximity to Christmas, many Christians in the USA are at...
