Inspired by Scholastica

“Act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)  Micah’s command is a favorite of mine. It has different translations, but the message is the same. To be just in all our undertakings is an obvious rule for a good life. To be fair and never take advantage of anyone seems obvious, no matter what religion or belief one holds.   Yet, many try to hide their dishonesty, lying, and misdeeds in order to appear righteous. Take, for example, the congressman who lied about his education, experience, background, and just about everything, yet thinks he is qualified to hold public office.   To love tenderly is another sign of an upright, God-fearing person. To show love to others is what children are taught from their early years. They are encouraged to treat people with kindness and love, whether they are worthy or not. Hate should have no place in our world yet, it is found in all walks of life, in all belief systems. It is the cause of much violence and ...

Did you know that wasting time can make you more productive? In a world of Zoom meetings, emails and messaging, our world can sometimes seem overwhelming. Then, there’s social media like chat rooms, Youtube, and a plethora of games. We feel bombarded by all the screen sites that capture our attention.   Is it possible to cut out a portion of time without all this technology? According to Gloria Mark, a human-computer interaction researcher, there is a way and it can make us more creative. She explains that continually switching screen tasks (she says we do it on average every 47 seconds) strains our mental capacity. These screen images stick in our brains and take up space. In addition, not getting enough sleep decreases our ability to focus on work tasks. She points out that a 20 minute walk can clear our brains and make them more productive. So, wasting time is healthy and useful in this technological world. It rids us of clutter and helps us get more work done. This is cer...

On any given day, many of us put on a happy face and try to hide our fears and anxieties. We don't want people to know about our negative attitudes and feelings. We try to hide our woundedness. Yet, it is our wounds that God wants us to acknowledge. Jesus came to heal people who were hurting. When Zacchaeus climbed up a sycamore tree to see Jesus, he also tried to hide his sins of avarice and greed. But Jesus told him to come down because he wanted to eat at his house. And, when Mary Magdalen was afraid that Jesus would shun her, he invited her to become one of his disciples. As people grow older, we tend to have regrets over the mistakes we have made in our lives. We think these missteps make us less in the eyes of God. However, Jesus says: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Mt. 11:28). Jesus did not call perfect people to accompany him. He called a tax collector who cheated people, a man who denied knowing him, a man who betrayed...