Choosing Joy and the Glass Half Full

Choosing Joy and the Glass Half Full

Joy might seem an arbitrary thing in its coming and going. That joy is hard to figure out—both what it is and where it comes from—is no surprise, given the depths of the human heart. A question that often roils in my mind is whether I can simply choose to be joyful. I...
What is Glory, and Why It Matters

What is Glory, and Why It Matters

It is remarkable how many words we use—often even important ones—without a clear notion of what they mean. Glory has been one of those words for me. Then one day I read a definition in Thomas Aquinas that fairly stopped me in my tracks. “The word glory properly...
The Key of Peace

The Key of Peace

“Peace is the tranquility of order.” St. Augustine, The City of God There are few words that exercise such a power over our hearts, and our imagination. A few years ago I was giving a lecture at a division-one university, introducing students to some basic points in...
Vulnerable Happiness

Vulnerable Happiness

“That the fortunes of descendants and of all a man’s friends should not affect his happiness at all seems an unfriendly doctrine, and one opposed to the opinions men hold.” Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics Aristotle has just argued for one of the cornerstones of his...
If Desire is Not in Vain

If Desire is Not in Vain

…for at that rate…our desire would be empty and vain.” Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics The insights of Aristotle never cease to amaze. Assiduously avoiding rash assumptions and unsupported conclusions, he nonetheless boldly makes claims that lesser minds would not dare...

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