So here you are: Catholic, on top of the world, and loving everything about life. You naturally want to share the Good News with those you know, like your colleagues in the workplace. After all, having abundant life in Jesus Christ in the Catholic Church is pretty much the best thing ever! But often times [...]
A few years ago I was working in a small office of five or six people. Everybody in the office knew I was Catholic. It was hard to hide, considering I went to Mass nearly every day, a blessing afforded to me by the fact that my parish was one block away from the office. [...]
The surprising election of Pope Francis plainly was no surprise to the people who really counted: the cardinals, that is, who swiftly chose him on the first full day and fifth ballot of the conclave. While not a speed record, the timing showed the electors had no difficulty agreeing that the Archbishop of Buenos Aires [...]
For the last several weeks I’ve been teaching an online course about the role of the Catholic laity. We’d just gotten to the subject of personal vocation when the startling news came through: Benedict XVI was stepping down as pope. Posting a question that Monday morning to get my students’ discussion rolling for the week, [...]
Forty years ago today, Navy Admiral Jeremiah Denton was freed from captivity as a POW by the North Vietnamese in Hanoi. In May 2007, Admiral Denton agreed to serve as Chairman of the Thomas More Law Center’s Citizens Advisory Board. Admiral Jeremiah Denton served as United States Naval Aviator during the Vietnam War and was the [...]
Numerous self-improvement gurus recommend vocabulary-building to help business professionals make more favorable first impressions. That’s fine. But what may be even more important is to pronounce words correctly. That’s not so easy to learn … I am a child of the Central Valley in California. Farmers and ranchers and cowboys settled our fertile land. So [...]
So you walk into your office and there is a yellow post-it slip that informs you to see the boss as soon as possible. You make your way around your colleagues as their stares increase a sense of anxiety. Your heart begins to pulse faster and you even begin to perspire. You knock in the [...]
I attended two New Year’s events this season that featured bonfires. At each gathering, we were encouraged to say goodbye to anything negative that happened in 2012 by burning lists or symbolic items. These annual cleanses resonated with me because I believe that God taught me some huge business and life lessons last year. I [...]
Do you know a rebellious teen? How about an agnostic or a workaholic? Those sorts are frustrating people aren’t they? Instead of accepting the truth and peace of Jesus Christ, they run and reject. Oh, and do you happen to know Randy Hain? He is the co-editor of the Integrated Catholic Life (along with Deacon Mike Bickerstaff) [...]
In these final few days of election season, wouldn’t it be a relief to read something informative, constructive, and positive? The political scene this year is filled with negativity and misinformation; yet, we are presented with two very clear choices, at least when it comes to the presidential race. The book Indivisible provides a positive [...]
Nineteen eighty-two was not a happy year for freedom. A severe and protracted recession gripped America. Many were beginning to wonder if Ronald Reagan was going to be a one-termer. Unemployment in Britain hit a postwar high. Across the Channel, François Mitterrand was busy nationalizing banks and raising taxes. Daniel Ortega’s Sandinistas were firmly in control in [...]
One of the main criticisms of the market economy leveled by people of faith is that the market thrives on competition, incentivizing the voracious and oppositional features of human existence. Walter Rauschenbusch captured this concern in his classic exposition of what he called “the law of tooth and nail” in Christianizing the Social Order (1912). “The moral [...]
Dan Cathy, CEO of Chick-fil-A, made a simple statement that wound up creating an uproar among those who detest people of faith. Yet it inspired thousands to do as the cows in the Chick-fil-A commercials request—to eat more chicken! August 1 was a glorious day for hungry folks, people of faith, and commitment to work [...]
The way Willie Bloomquist sees it, he’s living an impossible dream. Of all the players who try to make it to the major leagues, only a relative few actually get there. Bloomquist is one of those few, but he doesn’t attribute this to his own skills. The 34-year-old Port Orchard, Wash., native says he’s not [...]
Nearing his 85th birthday on April 16 and, three days later, the seventh anniversary of his election to the throne of Peter, Pope Benedict XVI—even after so many years—apparently remained something of an enigma for many people. A small but telling incident before Easter may hold a key to understanding this unusual man. In case [...]
Last week, we talked about making good decisions — God’s way. I want to follow up on that. One may ask, “How does a Bible verse that is so abstract make sense regarding my finances.” The fact is that it does have an impact, financially and spiritually. One of the key components in our relationship [...]
Every day we make several decisions. They range from making the decision to get out of bed in the morning instead of hitting the “snooze” button, to making some major decision. Whether we are talking about our finances or any other decision, how do we discern the will of God? In the Compass Catholic classes [...]
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Phil 4:13 During the presidential contest of 2008, Barack Obama inspired millions of followers with his trademark slogan “Yes we can!” Against the odds, the little known Senator from Illinois went on to defeat the 600 pound gorilla in the 2008 Democrat primary – Hillary Clinton [...]
A very conscientious Catholic, Harold Baumeister, saw this cartoon in his hometown paper and had the conviction and gumption to do something about it! He wrote to the editor (letter follows) to let him know that he was deeply offended by this crass cartoon and that the pope and all Catholics will fight to defend our freedoms. [...]
My mother was the first one of us to encounter Distributism. (She’ll find that out when she reads this article!) But when she made the decision to cast aside a job title and paycheck, in the eyes of the world, to begin the world of our family with my father, she was on the path. [...]
In March 1964, New York City was rocked by the grisly murder of Kitty Genovese. Returning home from her job at a local sports bar, Genovese was attacked in the parking lot of her apartment complex and stabbed in the back while fleeing from her assailant. The murderer later returned to find Genovese collapsed in [...]
As an entrepreneurship educator, studying the co-founder and former CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs, has been one of the great pleasures of the profession. At times, it even feels like an indulgence given the difficulty future technology leaders will surely have in replicating his contributions. In an industry where prices were continually being pushed down, [...]
How can anyone remain interested in a religion which seems to have no concern with nine-tenths of his life? The Church’s approach to an intelligent carpenter is usually confined to exhorting him not to be drunk and disorderly in his leisure hours, and to come to church on Sundays. What the Church should be telling [...]
St. Augustine said, “In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity.” What an excellent summary of how to live out a love of Freedom. A love of our own freedom, and a love of the freedom of others. And this freedom is not simply “religious freedom” or “political freedom” but a freedom in [...]
