Tom Scotus

Jesus had hundreds of followers, but only 12 apostles. To the crowds, He often spoke in parables; to His chosen few, He spoke more plainly and explained the parables. Let others prove their trustworthiness before you reveal much about yourself. Even then, be cautious. Always remember the deceitfulness of the human heart (including your own).

I’ll never forget a scene from the movie Creed. Sylvester Stallone was training a young black boxer. The two of them stood in front of a mirror, and Stallone said something to this effect, “What I found in boxing, as well as in life in general, is that the biggest enemy we have to face is ourselves.”

Suddenly, it was there — a cone-shaped, white nest under the garden shed roof at the back of my property. A few wasps crawled near the round opening at the bottom. I had never seen one before and I felt a little intimidated. But, I thought, if they leave me alone, I’d leave them alone.

This presidential election is perhaps the most important since John Kennedy defeated Richard Nixon in 1960.

I will never forget the short passage in the New St. Joseph Baltimore Catechism that described how God will judge us after we die: “… he will do it in a simple way. He will look in our hearts to find one thing — love.”