Ignorance of the law does not mean we are free from keeping it. It is our responsibility to know what the laws are. Ignorance is no defense. Maybe that’s why there are so many lawyers.

When I was a young teenager my friends and I formed the Eddie Haskell Fan Club. Eddie was the smarmy kid on the Leave It to Beaver television show who acted sweet and nice in front of parents and other adults but was selfish with his peers and mean toward kids younger than him.

Summer was over and it was time to take one of our daughters to college. There were many farewell rituals, and then we were off, making the 1,000-mile trip across the country. With each passing mile, it seemed that our daughter became more acutely aware of how very far she was going to be from the familiarity of home.

In a Catholic wedding ceremony, couples have many choices to make, from the type of procession to the music, readings, and prayers they want proclaimed. They also choose if they want to incorporate actions like walking to Mary’s altar and praying or lighting the unity candle. When it comes time for the exchange of vows, there are many choices.

That was it: He had had it with God. The woman he loved was gone, and the job he applied for was given to someone else. He was angry, disappointed, and deeply hurt by people he trusted and thought he knew. He had had it out with God before, but this was the last straw.

Some friends gave my wife and me a welcome mat that had the words from today’s first reading on it for our 10th wedding anniversary: “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

It seems that when you are hungry, your senses conspire against you. That is why some restaurants put elaborate, full-color pictures of their meals on their menus or place sample plates in their windows.

My husband went to get the car while the nurse went over a few last-minute details about how to care for our newborn daughter, who had a serious heart defect and a diagnosis of Down syndrome. The nurse outlined the telltale signs of distress that would indicate a trip back to the hospital; she advised me on the best diapers and formula (“whatever’s on sale”). She reminded me how to swaddle the baby and how to use the suction syringe to clean her nose.

The people in today’s gospel who just “don’t get it” when Jesus tells them his flesh is the living bread from heaven remind me of a time we scared the daylights out of my younger daughter.

I received a phone call recently from a man I’ve never met who goes to my church. Someone—he couldn’t remember who—gave him my name and number because they thought I might be interested in committing to one hour a week to adore the Eucharist in our Perpetual Adoration chapel.