No one wants to be at a funeral. It means that a loss has occurred, hearts broken. But there are few other instances in which doing something we dread so deeply can mean so much.

The Harry Potter series helped me to create a fulfilling life after being betrayed by my family and the church as a survivor of incest abuse.

Rutilio Grande, S.J., who will be beatified on Jan. 22, has much to teach us about how to live a life of Christian discipleship.

Each of these practices can be done in two to five minutes and require no religious background. And I promise that over time, they really can improve your life.

The truth is that there was nothing wrong with my first wife when we got married. And there was nothing wrong with me. I don’t need to offer up witnesses, and my privacy, to prove otherwise.

My dad was and is an alcoholic. Al-Anon gives me a framework for naming my situation, taking responsibility for my actions and making changes so that I can live a (more) emotionally sober life.