SummaryWeaving a collection of memorable magazine columns, John Clark has a heartwarming reflection on family, beginnings, and possible destinations. When I started writing a monthly article for Seton Magazine sixteen years ago (it was a “newsletter” back then), I wrote quite a bit about my children. Over the past years, however, I haven’t mentioned my children as often in columns, so I thought I’d provide you long-time faithful readers with an update. Lisa and I have been blessed with nine children here on Earth. (We also suffered three miscarriages, so we believe that there are three Clark ..read more

SummaryOur children’s success will be bolstered by teaching them not to fear failure; people who try (and fail) the most tend to succeed the most. “Do or do not. There is no try.” So says the little Jedi Master Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back. Yoda says these words in response to Luke Skywalker after Luke states that he’ll “give it a try.” Since that movie was first shown in theaters four decades ago, Yoda’s saying has worked its way into pop culture. Chances are, someone has said it to you, and/or you’ve seen the saying as a meme. Well, I’ve had about forty years to think about it, and I thi ..read more

SummaryA special service is held on Wednesday of Holy Week when all are invited to receive Holy Unction for the healing of soul and body The services of Holy Week in the Byzantine tradition are rather more extensive than in the Roman Church. Each day is dedicated to one aspect or another of Jesus’ final week before the events of Good Friday. The three days following Blossom Sunday or Willow Sunday (known as Palm Sunday in the West) commemorate aspects of the Lord’s teachings during his final visit to Jerusalem. These three days are dedicated to Christ the Bridegroom, Who is about to consummat ..read more

SummaryTwo humble saints show us why we must travel beyond merely knowing “about” God and come to know intimately the Three Persons Who IS God. Satan knows much more about theology than any human being could in this life. He also knows more about loving God, as well as about serving Him. There’s something about that word “about”… Certainly, Satan knows all about the mechanics of theology; after all, he has been in the direct presence of God in ways we, in time, can comprehend only in the vaguest way. But the devil’s knowledge does him no good. Despite his superior intellect, he insists on lov ..read more

SummaryUse the two traits of these three heroes to help stand up for your faith and freedom in an age that wants you to give up. June 3, 1781 On this night, one lone Virginian was on a mission. On this same night, the daring but infamous British Colonel Banastre Tarleton and 200 dragoons were riding toward Charlottesville. He, too, had a mission: to capture the state’s governor, Thomas Jefferson, and the members of the legislature who had gathered in Charlottesville to escape the troops of General Cornwallis. Having driven his dragoons at a hard pace, Tarleton and his men paused to rest and r ..read more

SummaryJohn Clark comes to realize that the greatest version of honoring his father and following the Fourth Commandment—is to be a good father. As every Catechism student can tell you, the Fourth Commandment is “Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother.” It’s one of the easiest commandments to memorize; what proves difficult is explaining the commandment’s central importance to the Christian life. In the second part of the Decalogue, it occupies the very first position. And just as there are cardinal virtues, this seems to be a cardinal commandment—upon which the rest of the commandments hinge. Saint ..read more

SummaryJohn Clark is confident that he will walk in his father’s footsteps all the way to the house built for him in heaven. And he knows just how to find it. January 10, 2022, Bruce Clark passed to eternal life. For the eighty-six years of his life, he was many things: son, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, athlete, soldier, pilot, carpenter, entrepreneur, and musician. Since I began writing this column fourteen years ago, I have devoted many pages to describing these pursuits. But if you readers will indulge me one last entry about my father, I would like to tell you about th ..read more

SummaryBeginning in kindergarten, the infusion of Catholic Faith and building upon what students have already learned, has been an unwavering commitment at Seton. To pass Seton’s online American Government course, each student must write a rebuttal to the infamous Roe v. Wade decision. Specifically, the students must explain how Judge Blackmun’s majority decision was legally and constitutionally incorrect. Over the years, thousands of students have passed the class, and we have seen some magnificent papers. It is no exaggeration to say that some of these papers are not merely on a college lev ..read more

SummaryHow can we fathers foster a healthy interior life for our children? John Clark offers that we must encourage our children to have a conversation with God. In the past two years, significant attention has been paid to protecting our physical health. In response to the marked increase in depression, much has also been written about mental well-being. Yet little consideration has been paid to spiritual health. In fact, spiritual needs are viewed by portions of society as subservient—if not altogether worthless—in relation to physical and mental ones. As the heads of our families, however ..read more

SummaryOur Christian response must be to encourage and help those around us persevere, to get up and fight the good fight. After all, we’re in this fight together. During the process of writing a new course for Seton called “Virtue-Based Leadership,” I have spent considerable time reading Aquinas’ Treatise on Virtues. In my research, I have come to appreciate the relationship between encouragement and the virtue of perseverance. When we consider Cicero’s definition of perseverance as “the fixed and continued persistence in a well-considered purpose,” it becomes easy to see the essential role ..read more