John Joseph, who received the 2001 Catholic Campaign for Human Development’s Cardinal Bernardin New Leadership Award for his race relations and anitpoverty work while a student at Ole Miss, said in accepting his award, “Our love for others demonstrates that we recognize God’s love for us.”

In this Sunday’s reading from Acts, Peter’s mind and heart are opened when he stops putting limits on the power of God. In that moment (“while Peter was still speaking these things”) the Holy Spirit touched everyone within earshot.

Religious claims are a dime a dozen. You think Hindus and Mormons believe some outrageous things? Try Catholics. Virgin Birth, heaven and hell, the resurrection of the dead—none of that has a shred of “evidence” to back it up.

All you need is love,” one of the most celebrated pop singles ever—written by the Beatles in 1967—said little more than: “All you need is love.

My cousin has decided to become a cop. She’s 39 years old, and the cutoff to enter the academy is 40. She smoked like a chimney and drank like a fish before she decided to make this startling career shift.

When I was a kid my brother Pat and I used to get in arguments with the neighbor kids. We went to Catholic school and they went to public school, and often the rhetoric devolved into snide comments about Catholics vs. “publics.”

Jesus tells us that whatever we ask of God in his name will be given us. With this promise we make known our needs.

Love one another as I love you. The lectionary readings this week offer a very interconnected message.

We, too, should shape our cross in suffering for one another as the Savior taught us; in giving our lives for those very ones who would take it from us, as he so lovingly did; in spending ourselves for our neighbor, not only in agreeable things, but also in those which are painful and disagreeable . . . . —Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622)