It's a happy coincidence when the Solemnity of the Assumption falls on a Sunday. We get to share this delightful hour together in a way that's not possible mid-week, weary after work or on a hurried lunch break. The gospel reading is a rare one: Have you noticed there are no men in it?

The tangible world has it all over the metaphysical when it comes to grabbing our attention. Our five senses regularly feed us a constant stream of information about what’s going on and what’s worth our notice.

The brain is a disorderly vehicle for thinking: untidy and easily distracted. It also has the unnerving tendency to act like a sieve whenever we’re trying to remember something important, meanwhile fastening stubbornly on the disturbing incident we’d most like to forget.

These days, one of the most serious health problems in the country is obesity. Dieting has become a lifestyle, with its attendant choices: all protein and no carbs, or the other way around? Vegetarian or vegan? Many of us realize there is a complex array of issues underlying all this weight, some of which are emotional, psychological, economic, and a few that are hormonal.

Distinguishing between leaders and followers is a little harder than might be expected. At first glance, we are tempted to point out that the leader is the person out in front. Fair enough. But who or what is he or she following? What motivates the leader to take that particular direction in the first place?

My mother didn’t believe in training wheels. When all the other kids on the block were getting “two-wheeler” bikes to replace their tricycles, theirs came with an extra set of little wheels on the back—just in case. But my mother didn’t adhere to that worldview. “It won’t help you learn to balance,” she said. “And balance is everything.”

Back in seminary, we used to practice the art of debate for a semester, as a prerequisite for our first course in preaching. (Anybody who thinks debate has nothing to do with preaching ought to stand in the back of the church after Mass sometime and listen to people arguing with the homilist.) I remember the day our instructor passed out the positions for the next debate. I was assigned to participate in a discussion of political solutions to the problems of poverty in our community.

Years back, one unforgettable day I sat and watched my father as he died. There’s not much we can do for the people we love in this hour but pray and be present. I had recited all the mysteries of the Rosary, all the mysteries of life and love and suffering, during the weeks before his death. But after he was gone, I sat with his body and prayed only the glorious mysteries. In the end, we believe, all that’s left for the faithful is glory.

Interesting things happen when Jesus gets near water. It may turn into wine as it did at Cana, though that was atypical. A voice from heaven could make declarations of his favored status, as occurred near the Jordan. Healings might take place, as at the pools of Bethesda, or disciples could be made, as in Galilee.

There may be two main ways to get religion wrong. One is to presume it has nothing to do with the material world. So forget political and social realities, pray harder, and concentrate on the spiritual life because it’s the only forum that counts.