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Television host, sports junkie, husband, father—all of these could describe this popular ESPN personality. His Catholic faith keeps him grounded.
“I can talk for hours about giving voice to people, and, oddly, my job is to silence people with a mute button, ” says Reali, 39, laughing. “But I trust they know it’s done with a wink. “
Before my husband, Mark, and I had kids, one of the things we agreed on was that we would try to always eat together as a family. We both had great memories of time spent with our siblings and parents around the table. It was cherished time, so we wanted to continue that with our own kids.
Fast-forward to when we actually had kids, and we quickly learned that those idyllic dinners of our childhood and adolescence had a dark underbelly that our parents never warned us about. And that was the hard work that went into pulling off those dinners.
Her kidnappers gave her the name Bakhita, meaning “fortunate. ” Her life in captivity wasn’t quite so. Born in Darfur in 1869, Josephine Bakhita was taken by Arab slave traders when she was 9.
Holy people are always ready to show creation’s inner connections. Knowing such people draws us closer to God, whose goodness was revealed through the life of Francis of Assisi.
We may be tempted to think that Francis lived at a time when holiness was easier. An honest look at his life reveals a very different and grittier story. Through God’s grace, Francis learned to make the most of the hand that was dealt to him. He used his talents as best he could, but he knew, as Saint Paul had told the Corinthian Christians centuries before, “God gives the growth.”
This pediatric hospice models respect for life, brief as it may be.
From abortion to stem-cell research, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ pro-life committee is working hard to educate and empower Americans to save lives.
The prophet Isaiah wrote at a time when violence and war were the order of the day. The people of Israel had been conquered by the Assyrians and would later be taken into exile. And yet Isaiah could speak of a hope rooted in the Lord’s call for justice and for peace. Our own world seems to be increasingly violent. We might think that Isaiah’s vision is further away than ever before.
Saint Francis could have become a carnival sideshow all by himself if he had failed to foster an attitude of humility. Whatever good we accomplish is due much more to God’s grace and mercy than to our talents and cleverness. This spirit prompted Francis to keep his stigmata a secret as best he could. Many people probably would have given Francis too much credit and God too little credit for this unique gift.
Saint Francis of Assisi once summed up the mission of the community he founded. “Brothers,” he said, “we have been called to heal wounds, to unite what has fallen apart, and to bring home those who have lost their way.”
This month is a time for Americans to celebrate both food and family in our land of plenty. But what happens when plenty becomes too much, when surplus turns into waste?
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