His birth name was Jorge Mario Bergoglio, but that changed on March 13, 2013 when he became Pope Francis, a humble, Jesuit priest who took the bus to work when he was cardinal of Buenos Aires. He is the first Jesuit Pope and already, in this past year, he has made a difference in the lives of many. According to...

Although faith is not an ethical value, its importance in driving ethical conduct should not be underestimated. In fact, the word faith comes from the Latin fidere meaning ‘to trust.’ According to the Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion, “Faith is an attitude or belief which goes beyond the available evidence.” This first story (Dec. 19) I saw twice on the...

After a week of protests following the grand jury decision that Officer Darren Wilson would not be indicted in the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown, another image and story took off on social media proving that compassion can win out against tragedy, and it took place at a rally 2,000 miles away. “In the hours after The Oregonian posted...

Okay, I’ve trotted out this story before. However, it is the universal message in everyday stories like this that informs my own life and that is why this story speaks to me. To begin with, it actually happened at Christmastime. Second, our smiling protagonist IS just that genuine in her intentions and her actions. That is not to say that she’s a...

One of the most compelling stories of compassion comes from Peter Westbrook. An Olympic medal-winning fencer, Westbrook sees an inextricable connection between being your best and being compassionate. His journey through anger and pain to compassion is a remarkable example for all of us to strive to demonstrate in our own lives. “I stand foremost for serving the Creator. I...

Ten miles outside of Concord, New Hampshire is a little slice of heaven called Gould Hill Farm. Located in the town of Hopkinton, Gould Hill is 60 glorious acres of apples, peaches, blueberries and pumpkins that have been farmed since the mid 1700s. With a 75-mile view of God’s country, the apples are simply the best I’ve ever had. Returning to Concord...

On this eve before Christmas, a heartwarming interview with the one man we all look forward to seeing, or at least hearing something positive from. I’m speaking, of course, of Santa Claus. So here, from December 25, 2009 is my supper with Santa. Of all the high-profile people I’ve had the opportunity to interview, Santa Claus was just about the...

One of my favorite Christmas stories first appeared December 24, 2008. Enjoy! Much of the time we tend to think of compassion in terms of the extraordinary moments, events which seem removed from our daily perspective. The Dalai Lama’s story of a Tibetan monk’s compassion towards his Chinese jailers is one example. However, not long ago, I experienced a simple,...

By now, most of us are familiar with the story of a New York City cop’s recent act of compassion. After finding a barefoot, homeless man in need of warm socks and shoes on an extremely cold night in Times Square, Police Officer Larry DePrimo walked across the street and bought the best pair of boots he could find with...

In 1999 it was Columbine; Fort Hood, 2009. The 2011 shootings in Tucson claimed six lives and U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords almost became the seventh victim of that massacre. Now, Aurora. It’s impossible to make sense of the senseless. In his 2009 book, How to Practice – The Way to a Meaningful Life, His Holiness writes, “If your life is easy...