A priest writes:
Your article "When not seeing.." was discussed Sunday afternoon at a gathering of my family in Houston for lunch. My family is Protestant and Catholic and we are, with rare exceptions, Democrats. We thank you for your reflection. And I know from "Virtually Normal" and other writings that the reflection is a soul portrait.
The only line I wish you had added, toward the end, is this: "And from a deep understanding of human powerlessness comes the political tradition we used to call liberalism." Your self-revelation has been immensely helpful to me. As I struggle, at age 71 years, to free myself from the grip of the god of judgment and condemnation, I am strengthened by what you have shared.
The essay is an abridgment of a central argument in "The Conservative Soul."