It is said that the United States is the most highly litigious society on Earth—not really a fact we need to celebrate. The Jewish community at the time of Jesus was no less disputative.

Culture-wide, we have lost the art of dialogue. There’s no such thing as a thoughtful sharing of perspectives for the purpose of advancing understanding.

I’ve heard the unforgettably beautiful Muslim call to prayer—the Adhan, which is recited from the tall minarets of mosques five times daily—while traveling in Delhi, India; Cape Town, South Africa; and Amman, Jordan. I never dreamed I’d hear it deep in the backcountry of Michigan.

A remarkable story about Saint Francis tells of a brother who was a community leader having a very difficult time with a brother who was what we sometimes call a “repeat offender.”

Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins, and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.

Love is not blind; that is the last thing that love is. Love is bound; and the more it is bound, the less it is blind.