Author: Jason

Waiting for Answers

by

Jason

in Reflections

Have you ever texted someone a question and then those three little dots pop up as they formulate their reply? You know the three dots. Depending on how consequential their response is, that delay can feel like an eternity, right? We want answers now, but sometimes they take a while to come. From the very…
Nothing Newsworthy?

by

Jason

in Reflections

I received an email from a reader who told me about the restorative benefits of a recent vacation in which she mostly stayed home and didn’t “do anything newsworthy.” How often to we fall into the trap of thinking we always have to be doing something newsworthy? Our culture and social media feeds implore us…
The Divine Lego Set

by

Jason

in Reflections

An atheist observes all the Lego bricks scattered about and sees them as random and meaningless. A saint sees the picture on the box and understands that there is a purpose to all this, that it all fits together in an ordered and beautiful way. All too often, I see the picture on the box…
A Message in a Bottle

by

Jason

in Reflections

On our very first date, Kim and I agreed to live on a lake. As we began the process of getting to know each other, we got talking about our ideal place to live. For some reason, Idaho was mentioned. (When you grow up in a small town in Illinois surrounded by cornfields, almost everywhere…
My Not-So-Trusty Screwdriver

by

Jason

in Reflections

Every house, condo, or apartment needs a screwdriver. And if it offers the option to switch between a flathead and a Phillips, it’s hard to imagine a tool that’s more useful in a home. I started thinking about useful tools after reading the biography of Mother Angelica and watching a documentary on the life of…
Two Charcoal Fires

by

Jason

in How Cool Is That?!

There was a moment after Jesus’ resurrection, but before He ascended to Heaven, in which he ate breakfast with some of his disciples. It was on the Sea of Tiberius, and once again, Jesus provided some of his expert fishing tips, telling the ragtag crew exactly where to cast their net. The resulting haul of…
How Many Seeds in a Watermelon?

by

Jason

in Reflections

What do motivational posters, charismatic preachers, and embroidered pillows have in common? They regularly tell us to count our blessings. If we’re in the midst of a good day, we’d probably admit it would take a long time to count all our blessings. Maybe even longer than it would take to count all the seeds…
The Skeptic

by

Jason

in Reflections

I’ve never been an atheist. But I’ve certainly been a skeptic, especially when it comes to the Catholic Church. I went to Catholic school up to 8th grade before transitioning to a public high school. It gave me a foundation, but I didn’t own my faith. Religion was just another class, like science or math…
Relics: What Superheroes Leave Behind

by

Jason

in How Cool Is That?!

On a visit to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion about an hour north of Sheboygan, my son Ben and I were marveling at the fact that the chapel had relics of each of the original Apostles (minus Judas, of course). In the Catholic Church, a relic is a fragment of the body…
Catholic Coffee

by

Jason

in Rad Catholics

I made it thirty-seven years as a coffee virgin. It may have been our third child that pushed me over. While I’m hardly a connoisseur, I am now a fan. I’ve always been a fan of companies that embrace good design and have a sense of humor. So I was delighted to discover Catholic Coffee,…