As I reflect on my vocation as a priest-professor of philosophy, I realize how fortunate I am. What a privilege it is to work with young students and to serve them! I hope I never stop being grateful. 

I have come to believe that teaching a course in philosophy is analogous to preaching a homily. In both the classroom and at a Sunday Eucharist, I am inviting my listeners to accept a vision of reality. In each situation, I believe that the vision I am presenting is both beautiful and true.

It took me some time before I decided to attend one of the “No Kings” protests. I do not make important decisions easily, and whether to attend one of the protests seemed to me like a very important decision.

I am not sure how many times I have read St. Augustine’s “Confessions,” but because our new Holy Father is a member of the Augustinian order, I thought it would be interesting and spiritually beneficial to re-read some sections of the “Confessions,” to appreciate what Leo emphasizes in his talks and writings.

I found, and still find, the insight that we must allow ourselves to be open and receptive to the mystery that each person is a wonderful Idea and ideal. We are called to live our lives as self-gifts and persons ready to receive the self-gift of others.

In mentioning this course on the Catholic novel in earlier columns, I have discovered that through the columns, some readers have started courses and discussion groups on Catholic novels. That is a special reward that a columnist can receive.

I am trying to recall when I first began to think about whether capital punishment is or is not moral. I don’t recall reflecting on that question when I was in grammar school, but perhaps at Jesuit high school, Xavier, the question began to enter my mind. During my years as a student in the seminary and as a young priest, I had accepted the view that capital punishment was immoral.

At St. John’s University, a professor who has a full schedule teaches three courses every semester. I always teach a full schedule. Sometimes with three different courses. This fall semester is the first time I am teaching the same course to three distinct classes of students. The title of the course is “Introduction to the Philosophy of Person.”

The following are some of the terms that have been used to describe the film “Casablanca” — “the most romantic film ever made,” “the best film to come out of a Hollywood studio ever,” “more of an icon than a film,” “seems to have been filmed under a lucky star.” So many things could have gone wrong in creating “Casablanca” and yet all of them were avoided.

When I am invited to give a lecture on film, I often make the claim that “A Man for All Seasons” is a perfect film. What I mean is that everything in the film “works” to produce a nearly perfect film — a film that is truly a masterpiece.