In this age of billion-dollar corporate bankruptcies and catastrophic foreclosures, the apocalypse, as a time of cataclysmic events, appears to be now. Yet as a time of divine revelation and the victory of good over evil, the apocalypse seems destined to remain in the future.

In the first reading, the prophet Malachi reveals that the same fire can destroy or heal, depending on how we've lived our lives. A good analogy in modern life might be how we react to stress. All of life involves some stress.

In the wake of the recent election and at a time when political conflict in the U.S. is as entrenched as perhaps any time since the Civil War, it is interesting to recall the words of a little-known figure from before the Civil War, Illinois Governor Joseph Duncan, who was elected in 1834.

At a leadership retreat, two teams were given the task of  getting from point A to point B on a huge Twister-like grid. The rules were very specific about what moves forward, backward, and sideways were legal and which weren't. It was very apparent that a straight run by every team member would not do the trick.

In my first year of priesthood, I was privileged to bring Holy Communion monthly to a 95-year-old woman who was being cared for by her only surviving child, a 75-year-old man. There were some months when her health was better than his, and she found herself taking care of him. She was a remarkable person.

"When did you stop beating your wife?" So goes the trick question, designed so any answer you give will leave you embarrassed.

In the eyes of Jesus' followers, for Jesus to find value in a tax collector was similar to a farmer prizing a black sheep.

Redemption is a matter of the heart. Zacchaeus' heart was in the right place.

The woman's healing and reconciliation was complete. For the first time in a long time, she felt perfect joy.

When I am rested and spiritually restored, I can quiet the drone of commentary, but the more stressed and exhausted I am, the more I find myself with little patience or kindness for anyone who crosses my path.