In these days of heightened political partisanship, our loyalties are always courted and often divided.

Who are you, really? Most of us can’t give a one-word answer to that question.

The royal head count in the familiar Christmas carol is a little off. Epiphany is the story of five kings at the very least. Of course, we have to begin by admitting we don’t know that the Magi were kings in any technical sense.

There’s no intrinsic reason why a new year should be any different from an old one. While we’re conscious of having turned a page on a whole new calendar, New Year's Day is really no more than just another sunrise.

“Merry Christmas.” We greet each other this way at this time of year, casually or with warmth, and a host of meanings attend the phrase.

One of the great mysteries of Christian faith concerns the silence of God. It’s the one mystery that can make or break us as believers.

None of us is a stranger to doubt. Sometimes our lack of confidence is a small matter, as when we doubt the suitability of our clothes for an upscale occasion. We may wonder whether a new acquaintance has been favorably or negatively impressed by us, or if an old friend is annoyed by something we’ve done or failed to do.

I was at a liturgy celebrating the reunion of old classmates, and the song leader invited us to turn to page so-and-so to sing that chestnut from my Boomer youth: "Let There Be Peace on Earth."

Action heroes, credit cards, and Christmas Day. What do these three things have in common? They provide instant gratification for our chronic desire to see results.

"Priest, prophet, and king.” These are the titles conferred upon Jesus and upon all those baptized in his name. If given the choice of only one of these titles, most of us would opt for king. Prophets are terribly unpopular people who make a career out of antagonizing others and are consequently prone to violent deaths.