There’s a saying that good leaders have to play chess, not checkers.

It will surprise no one who knows me well that I am terrible at chess. It’s not so much a lack of skill (although that’s part of it) as a lack of effort. I find chess exhausting. To succeed at this complex game of strategy, you have to see not just the board in front of you, but the person in front of you — and more than that, you have to consider not just what is, but what could be.

What do we think when we see Jesus coming to save us?

The first thing the Apostles scream is “Ghost!” when they catch sight of Jesus walking towards them on water. That always makes me laugh. After all they have witnessed thus far as the companions of the Messiah, they see someone walking on water and they still react like extras in a bad episode of Scooby-Doo.

“Why aren’t there miracles anymore?”

I’ve heard people say this more than once. Usually, it is someone who is a believer in Christ but not a Catholic, because Catholics understand that miracles happen at every Mass, to say nothing of the other miracles the Church recognizes. But even some Catholics often find themselves wondering why it’s been so long since God gave us a good show. A good sun-dance in the sky. A good, flashy reason to believe.