Opinion

I have been writing articles for Catholic newspapers for nearly 25 years. I've also written several books about stewardship. Earlier this year, I published my first novel, "Father Turiddu: Savior of the City," inspired by the life and ministry of an 82-year-old priest in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Msgr. Sal Polizzi.

Some things make you feel just a little more alive.

Hearing a moving song. Helping someone in need. Reading words that make you cry. Seeing a sunset with breath-taking colors.

And the feeling is multiplied immeasurably if you are sharing those experiences with someone special.

Indeed, love completes us as human beings.

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Jason Motte wasn't always comfortable talking about his faith, but after being around other faith-filled players on the team he has done an about-face.

Motte's attitude is shaped by his faith. Instead of ripping up the clubhouse after a bad game, he remains calm. And when he has a good game, he knows it isn't God putting zip on his fastball. "God isn't worried about whether the Cardinals won today. All I can try to do is get the next guy out no matter what has happened before," he told sportswriter Rob Rains.

Already our nation and secular culture have signaled a desire to engage in intentional efforts that can find solutions to our immigration policies and legislation.

The public arguments and discourse found in the news and on the Internet on comprehensive immigration reform are plentiful and passionate. As with many issues, the public narratives on immigration range from sheer indifference to committed political activism. One example that highlights these shifts in perspectives is our recent national election, especially in relationship to the value of the Hispanic vote.

Our new pope's vision for the Church is especially relevant during Holy Week and Easter, the holiest days of the Church year.

A reporter from Catholic News Service has pointed out that as pastor of the universal Church, a pope must consider how his gestures, statements and decisions will be received by the widest possible audience. Pope Francis' humility and accessibility, he wrote, plainly underscore his avowed desire that the Church be close to the poorest and least powerful.

I first encountered Joseph Ratzinger in 1974 when I was a graduate student at St. Meinrad School of Theology in southern Indiana. I was preparing to write my master's thesis in systematic theology, and I was reading some really "heavy" theologians. When I first began reading "Introduction to Christianity," I discovered that then-Father Ratzinger was an exception. He was not only profound and insightful; his book was well written (even in translation from the original German) and inspirational, and his teaching was clear as crystal.