Author John Killinger once wrote about a meeting he had with some university students. He asked them, “What does it take to get someone’s attention these days?” The overwhelming consensus of the group was that unless something was flashy and loud, no one pays attention. I gave that some thought and tend to agree. But when you take some time to really think about those limitations, it rules out an awful lot of things.
I was in Washington, D.C., recently for meetings of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Since formal proceedings didn’t begin until the evening, I found myself one morning with a little free time. So I made my way to one of my favorite places in the city, the National Gallery of Art, which I frequented when I was a student at Catholic University many years ago.