A number of years ago I came to believe in an absolute kind of way that God Is and that all things exist through Him. Prior to this time, I had believed in a God, sort of.  I was somewhat conscientious and observant of my own selective moral code.  That is, while I sometimes did the things that I considered morally relevant in the Church’s teaching, I usually did what I thought I could get away with. I went to Church and I said the words. I knew the prayers …

Around this time of year, we see lots of groups from U.S. high schools and colleges who come to the Dominican Republic for an “Alternative Spring Break.” Many of the Catholic schools organize what they call “outreach trips,” “service programs” and “immersion experiences,” or else maybe “work retreats” and “pilgrimages.” These names are all significant, and all of them refer to real values. It’s also significant, though, that many of the schools seem to go out of their way to avoid using the term “mission.”

Meanwhile, everybody else – and I …