My wife had a cousin who was a world champion body builder. This cousin worked hard to develop and maintain her physical condition, and her bodily health was her key asset. Just consider the hours spent in exercise for the purpose of show! Is there something more to strive for, with an asset that we can exercise for a more lasting “physique?” The answer is yes!

The world has been riveted to the headlines coming from the Vatican since the resignation of Pope Benedict and the installation of Pope Francis, the first Jesuit pope in the long and colorful history of the Roman Catholic Church. Devout Catholics—along with nominal believers and hundreds of millions of non-Catholics—have been fascinated by the pageantry, formality, wealth, and deeply ingrained traditions of this ancient church.

Nearly all of us can recall a time in our childhood when other children pulled a prank on us or carried out a joke at our expense. Perhaps they sent us on a “snipe hunt” or on a “fool’s errand.” Most of us know what it is like to fall for incorrect information that leads us on a proverbial “wild goose chase.”

Children love stories. We all love stories. Good stories engage our minds and hearts as they subtly teach us morals of courage, honesty or many other qualities. Stories powerfully demonstrate the results of good or bad choices and of right or wrong ways of life. Stories are powerful teaching tools.

In striking down the “Defense of Marriage Act,” the United States Supreme Court today has made a ruling that virtually ensures the spread of the vile practice of “same-sex marriage.” Something that practically no one would even have dreamed of 20 or 30 years ago—the idea that two men or two women can have a valid “marriage” receiving the same benefits as a traditional marriage—has now been established as the law of the land in the United States.