Faith

Henry J. Knott Jr., a philanthropist, developer and adviser to many of Baltimore's most prominent political and civic leaders, was highly praised yesterday for the courageous way that he waged his eight-year battle with leukemia. "He was such a cheerful fellow," said former Gov. William Donald Schaefer, the state comptroller and a longtime friend. "That wonderful smile always made you feel good, even when he didn't feel good. He did not fear death. He knew he was sick and he knew he was going to die, and he told everyone that was the case.

"Was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk one night and decided they'd go kill some Americans? What difference -- at this point, what difference does it make?" That was how then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton famously brushed off the question of when she knew that the attacks on the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11 that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were, in fact, a terrorist assault and not a "protest" of an anti-Islam video that got out of hand.

Cities are like gardens; we cannot command their growth ("The mayor's mission," Dec. 11). Families, like plants, need good soil in which to put down roots and flourish. The "good soil" of Baltimore has always been its churches and synagogues. These provided the moral and spiritual center around which families lived, neighborhoods grew and developed. Everything else - school improvement, crime reduction, entrepreneur investment, job creation, sanitation, family structure and functioning - depends on this moral and spiritual ground which, by the way, is not primarily the job of government.

Scoring goals behind his back or behind his head comes naturally for Maryland's Jay Carlson. He was taught to shoot every way possible by his father Chip, who played at Johns Hopkins. “When I was younger, my dad told me to score however you can,” the sophomore attackman recalled Tuesday afternoon. “I remember playing in the backyard and my dad just fed me and I was just kind of having fun with it and it ended up working pretty well for me. So I just kept it going. It can be risky, but I just try to get it in the goal when I can.” As the No. 9 and sixth-seeded Terps (10-3)

Osama bin Laden was killed by an elite group of Navy SEALs and, like many people, my first reaction was "wow. " After that, however, things got a bit more complicated as I struggled with my human and patriotic feelings in the context of my faith. Politically and strategically, the United States achieved an important symbolic victory in the death of bin Laden. I remember well the night of Sept. 11, 2001, when our congregation put aside a previously scheduled event to pray for those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks.

Once, years ago, while explaining the art of spiritual healing, a wise woman taught: "You can't speak of the spirit to someone lying in a wet bed. " Before invoking the awesome, the ethereal, the Ultimate, we have to change the sheets. The same holds true on a global scale. How can we speak about things of the spirit, about caring for each other, about peace and kindness and justice and mercy, when the world we are mucking around in is a mess? Healthy bodies and healthy cultures do not thrive in sick environments.

Have you heard about the Jesus rifles? ABC News broke the story last week. It seems there was this fellow named Glyn Blindon, who used weapons of war to speak for his faith. Mr. Blindon, who died in a 2003 plane crash, was the founder of Trijicon, a Michigan company that has a $600 million contract to provide gun sights to the U.S. military. Apparently he had a policy, which survived him, of inscribing coded references to Bible verses on the gun sights he manufactured for high-powered rifles used by U.S. service personnel.

"This is a team of faith," said Ravens wide receiver Anquan Boldin following his team's miraculous win over the Denver Broncos in the playoffs this year. Head Coach John Harbaugh likewise has asserted the same. As a follower of Jesus, I think the team's boldness is inspiring, and I appreciate how the coaches and players give glory to God. A month removed from Super Bowl Sunday, it still feels good to be on the side of humility and faith. Kevin Kane, Bel Air Text NEWS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun local news text alerts

Just what is this little cub up to? Good thing its mama is there to catch him or her. The spectacled bear, just four months old, was playing at the zoo in Cali. (Tremarctos ornatus), born in captivity four months ago, is seen with its mother at the zoo in Cali Zoo in Colombia.

Local leaders of the Catholic, Mainline Protestant and black churches are planning to speak this evening in favor of in-state tuition breaks for illegal immigrants at Maryland's public colleges and universities, advocates said. Archbishop William Lori of the Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore, Bishop Eugene Taylor Sutton of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, Pastor Alvin Gwynn Jr. of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance and others are scheduled to gather at 5 p.m. at the chapel at Morgan State University.

BOSTON -- The Orioles' trade of veteran right-hander reliever Luis Ayala allowed the team the get back to a conventional 12-pitcher staff and seven-man bullpen - and the move was also a show of confidence in Rule 5 pick T.J. McFarland. McFarland must stay on the roster all season or else the team will likely lose him back to the Cleveland Indians. “I still have to perform,” said McFarland, who tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings in his major league debut on Saturday. “The security is there a little bit, but not really because I still have to get outs.

I was quite puzzled by Dan Rodricks ' recent column on Dr. Ben Carson ("Ben Carson's biblically based conservatism," March 31). Why would an open-minded person such as Mr. Rodricks put down Dr. Carson for his belief in the written and spoken word of God? I respect Dr. Carson's Christian views and values, and I find it alarming how easily they were dismissed by Mr. Rodricks. G. Todd Guntner Text NEWS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun local news text alerts

Washington College may have pulled Ted DiSalvo after one half of the team's eventually 16-9 loss to Centennial Conference foe Franklin & Marshall last Saturday, but the program's faith in the junior goalkeeper hasn't wavered. Coach Jeff Shirk said that DiSalvo is still the primary starter, and he will open the Shoremen's league contest against Muhlenberg this Saturday in his usual position. “Teddy's our guy,” Shirk said of DiSalvo, who has recorded an 8.26 goals-against average and a .572 save percentage in all nine of the team's games “He's played great all year.

There are rebuilding jobs at other colleges and universities throughout the country, and then there is trying to turnaround a program at one of the nation's service academies. Few know the difficulties involved with that better than Navy lacrosse coach Rick Sowell. As an assistant, he helped turn around the program at Georgetown, and then did the same as coach at St. John's, Dartmouth and Stony Brook. And if you can win at Dartmouth, you can win anywhere - but maybe not as quickly at Navy.

The media cover Ray Lewis' faith and his role as spiritual leader of the Ravens frequently. Ray Lewis makes it so. Anyone who has seen him once knows that he understands how to use pageantry to reveal deeper meaning. From taking off his jersey following the post-season win over the Indianapolis Colts to reveal a shirt with "Psalms 91" emblazoned across it to the inimitable way he enunciates each syllable as if he were beseeching God (even when he is talking about what he ate for breakfast)

In the grand scheme of things, most of the issues that seem important to a particular generation fade with time, even as the things that are truly important remain so throughout the ages. Thus, it isn't much of a surprise that people in Harford County feel strongly enough to turn out in substantial numbers in Bel Air to talk about a decision being made half a world away by people over whom they hold no sway. The decision being considered that drew a crowd over the weekend at St. Margaret Catholic Church in Bel Air is that of who will be the next pope.

Lawrence Sherwood Faith, a retired Baltimore County teacher, died Sunday after a long illness with heart disease and cancer. The Catonsville resident was 73.A graveside service for Mr. Faith will be private.Mr. Faith was born March 14, 1917, at his family's home in Berkeley Springs, W.Va., one of 16 children of Harry Erastus Faith and his wife, the former Bertha Elizabeth Barnhart. He was fond of telling stories from an austere childhood, one of the most memorable being a scheme to make money by trapping muskrats.

"This is a team of faith," said Ravens wide receiver Anquan Boldin following his team's miraculous win over the Denver Broncos in the playoffs this year. Head Coach John Harbaugh likewise has asserted the same. As a follower of Jesus, I think the team's boldness is inspiring, and I appreciate how the coaches and players give glory to God. A month removed from Super Bowl Sunday, it still feels good to be on the side of humility and faith. Kevin Kane, Bel Air Text NEWS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun local news text alerts

When the Providence coaching staff decided last spring that Bilal Dixon didn't fit into its plans for the 2012-13 season, the 6-foot-9, 245-pound center quickly thought of one guy he'd like to play for in his last year of eligibility. "[Pat] Skerry was my man," Dixon said of Towson's second-year coach, a former Friars assistant. "My freshman year I redshirted [at Providence], and Skerry was the head coach of the redshirting squad. He let me play my game. We used to go at it. " Never mind that Dixon fielded inquiries from several high-major schools interested in adding a battle-tested Big East veteran at the 5. Never mind that Dixon had never heard of Towson before Skerry got the coaching job there one year before.