Richard Franz

One of the most serious crimes of global proportions is human trafficking, which in the 21st century is second only to drug trafficking in terms of magnitude. The term “human trafficking” in a broad sense is often defined as the illegal trade of humans for the purpose of sexual and labor exploitation.

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated with green—green clothing, green food, green hair and even green beer. But there is so much more behind the history of Christianity in Ireland—history that shows Patrick, the English-born fifth-century missionary, to be a “Johnny Come Lately” at best.

Are we guaranteed to be wiser and more mature in ten or fifteen years than we are today? Looking back, can we see the evidence of greater wisdom and understanding in our own lives today compared to a decade ago? If you have never put much thought into this subject, the answer might be “no”—but that could change.

If you are in the habit of telling lies, then your “pants on fire” may not be your only problem. So says researcher Susan Guibert. Research from the University of Notre Dame was presented at the 2012 American Psychological Association’s annual convention, revealing that people who were able to reduce the number of lies they told over a period of ten weeks experienced “significantly improved physical and mental health.” Interesting?

St. Nicholas, St. Valentine, and St. Patrick are, for many, familiar figures throughout the well known "holidays" occurring from December to mid Spring. Who are these “saints,” anyway? We usually think of saints as being religious, and as such related somehow to the God of the Bible. But is that true? Do we really know where saints come from, or how they are made?