Lately, the news has been infused with a couple of drops of ointment that may have soothed some readers' nerves, frayed by endless reports of conflict.

First came a report from a Wisconsin farm about the birth of a white buffalo — an event celebrated by American Indians, particularly northern Plains Indians who consider the calf a sacred creature and a prophesied harbinger of imminent harmony and peace.

Some noted that the calf is male, indicating that it signals a special message for men to emphasize their responsibility to care for their families and neighbors.

Next came news from the Vatican, where Pope Benedict XVI announced the canonization of four new saints, all of whom attained heroic life while enduring extraordinary difficulties and to whom documented miracles are attributed.

One new saint, Mother Theodore Guerin, came to the United States from France in 1840 with five other nuns to the diocese of Vincennes, Ind., where they established many schools — the first of which was the Academy of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, the first Roman Catholic women's college in the United States.

Mexican Bishop Rafael Guizar Valencia of Veracruz was also among the canonized, which included an Italian priest, the Rev. Filippo Smaldone, and an Italian nun, Sister Rosa Venerini.

Valencia risked his life during the Mexican Revolution to minister to people before being forced to flee the country because of the Mexican government's bloody persecution of Catholics. Guerin's work flourished even though she was bullied viciously by a control-obsessed bishop whom the Vatican eventually dismissed.

News about a white buffalo and new saints does not fall everywhere into welcoming hands, nor does it matter in more than a few corners of our secular world. Indeed, such news draws its share of mockery and cynicism.

But this is news that speaks about the prevailing power of humility.

In one development, people are moved to humble themselves before a white-buffalo message that inspires hope and love. In another development, the examples of four saints open an opportunity to consider how and why to persevere against cruel authority.

This may not be Page One news, but perhaps it should be. It's news that's important to think about and ask: What happens in a world without humility?