Michael Himes was one of my favorite contemporary Catholic theologians. I met Michael when he was 14 years of age and had just graduated from grammar school. I had been a priest for about a month at that time. 

I confess that I have felt a little insecure writing this series of columns based on the thoughts of psychiatrist Viktor Frankl. Because I am neither a psychologist nor a psychiatrist, I was concerned about whether I was interpreting Frankl’s thoughts accurately, but I considered his insights so excellent that I wanted to take a chance and share them with others. 

Rereading Viktor Frankl’s book, “Man’s Search for Meaning” (Simon and Schuster, A Clarion Book, 145 pp.) has been a very enlightening experience for me. I was recently stunned by his description of a societal problem that he wrote about more than 60 years ago.

Re-reading Viktor Frankl’s “Man’s Search for Meaning” (Simon and Schuster, A Clarion Book, 1959, 145 pp.) has been a really interesting experience for me. The book is challenging me to reflect on how important I believe meaning to be in my life and in the life of others. I have come up with an imaginary example that I think may help to illustrate the crucial role that meaning should play in everyone’s life. 

In writing last week’s column based on Viktor Frankl’s wonderful book “Man’s Search for Meaning” (Simon and Schuster, A Clarion Book, pp. 145), I felt a little insecure writing about psychology. Not being a psychologist, I was nervous about whether I was accurate in how I explained Frankl’s logotherapy or meaning therapy.

am not a psychologist or a psychiatrist. I have never been in therapy. I do have a friend who is a psychologist and he often answers questions about psychology that I have. What I do have is a strong interest in psychology, especially how it relates to a philosophy and theology of the human person. 

Recently I spent a night in bed turning and tossing and hoping that sleep would arrive. It initially was a terrible experience. Probably many reading this column have had similar experiences. But even a sleepless night can provide a moment of grace. Friends tell me that when they cannot sleep, reciting the rosary helps them to be at peace and to sleep. 

As I reported in last week’s column, Gabriel Marcel (1889-1973) is my favorite philosopher.

My favorite existentialist philosopher is Gabriel Marcel. His insights into the mystery of the human person are beautiful, even inspiring. But reading him is demanding. One of the best essays I have read explaining Marcel’s vision of the human person and God is in Father Francis M. Tyrrell’s wonderful book “Man: Believer and Unbeliever” (New York: Alba House, 1974, 415 pp.).

The last two columns were about existentialist philosophers. One was about Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855), the first existentialist and a deeply religious Christian, the other was about the most famous atheistic existentialist, Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980).