However well-educated we may be in the Catholic faith, it is simply too deep for any of us to plumb its depths.

A lot happened  around the Archdiocese of Seattle last year: Water damage forced students at Aberdeen’s St. Mary School to finish the year in rented space; sisters from the congregation of St. Faustina Kowalska visited local parishes for Jubilee of Mercy events; an arm relic of the apostle St. Jude visited St. Michael Parish in Snohomish; a sea ice platform for polar bears designed by third-graders at Seattle’s St. Joseph School won a national award; and Archbishop J. Peter Sartain ordained four new priests for the archdiocese in June.

Scripture tells us that before the Crucifixion, Joseph of Arimathea was “secretly a disciple of Jesus.” When he gave his own tomb for burial of the Lord’s body, his secret was out. So it is for us.

A friend recently reminded me that the deepest divide among people is not liberal and conservative, but the chasm between dog people and cat people. The affection people hold for pets and animals is visceral.

The emergence of evangelical Christian schools in recent years demonstrates what the Catholic Church has known for centuries: When it comes to imparting faith and Gospel values, there is no substitute for 30-plus hours in the classroom each week.

It’s doubtful that, when Jesus left home for his encounter with the Baptist at the Jordan River, his mother stood in the doorway reminding him he had a perfectly good job as a carpenter in Nazareth.

“But wait, there’s more!”

Catholic tradition is a treasure chest overflowing with riches, and classic Catholic spiritualities are among the most precious gems in this trove. No matter who founded them, all are “centered in Christ,” as we learn from Kevin Birnbaum’s overview of just four spiritual traditions.