With the election of Francis I of Argentina as leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics, questions abound. Will he liberalize his church, perhaps relaxing the celibacy requirement for priests and seeking a greater Vatican role in the political life of Europe and beyond? Will he be the final pontiff before Christ’s return? Was his election in fact predicted by a medieval monk?

Nothing in this life is perfect, is it? Yet, many strive for perfection. Olympic athletes strive for perfect 10 scores. No mistakes or errors. But what about perfection in behavior? Is perfection required of a Christian?

You’ve probably seen a house of cards. Some people can make amazing structures out of simple playing cards, leaning them together by fours until they have used a whole deck or more. However, no matter how fantastic the finished work is, we all know that nothing holds it together; the whole “building” is fragile and will eventually fall. Such is the nature of any edifice that lacks cohesive power: without a binding force, it will come apart, often with disastrous results. Thus we get our cliché: “It will fall like a house of cards!”

There is a strange connection, a recurring theme in some well-known places around the globe, spanning different cultures with diverse religions. In Vatican Square, Mecca, Jerusalem and even in Washington, DC are found prominent, architectural monuments: huge stone obelisks which have their origins in ancient Egypt. It seems incongruous that such disparate locations and cultures around the world would feature monuments based on this ancient symbol.

“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.” That old saying that simply means one should not be unappreciative for gifts. Yet, many are less-than-thankful about the “gift” described in the news recently as the “horse-for-beef scandal” now affecting Europe and the United Kingdom.