By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
During a question and answer session in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Robert Gates told Marines that those who disagree with the government's decision to end the ban on homosexuals serving openly in the military will not be able to opt out of their enlistment.
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"This is the definition of vice; the wrong use, in violation of the Lord's command, of what has been given us by God for a good purpose. It is right to submit to a higher authority whenever a command of God would not be violated."
St. Basil
For Reflection:
What are some contemporary examples of using wrongfully something God intends for a good purpose? (Consider this in light of the life issues, for example.). How does the second sentence of St. Basil's quote help to clarify things for me?
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TR asks:
"Please let me know how the Mobius trip, guided imagery and pendulums (in sand) are associated with the New Age. All were found to be either a part of a so called “Christian therapist’s” therapy or simply objects in his office. I also recognized the Ying Yang symbol and other small gadgets (smooth stones, etc.) in a basket that was on the coffee table in his office. Also included was a mini-Zen garden as you entered the front door.
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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
Speaking at conference in Hungary this past weekend, Massimo Introvigne of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said the number of Christians who are killed for the faith each year amounts to one martyr's life being taken every five minutes.
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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
At an open-air Mass attended by up to 400,000 pilgrims yesterday in Zegreb, Croatia, Pope Benedict XVI called upon the predominantly Catholic nation to counter the disintegration of family values and not to give in to the "secularized mentality" that living together is an acceptable replacement to marriage.
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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
The decision to fly a rainbow flag in honor of homosexuality in front of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Virginia has generated a flood of complaints from angry citizens.
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"For those who have become lazy in fulfilling the commandments and desire to banish murky obscurity, there is no better or more efficient cure than complete obedience in everything, with faith and without argument."
St. Gregory of Sinai
For Reflection:
How does obedience "banish murky obscurity?" To what extent do I obey the commandments of God and the teachings of the Church with faith and without argument? (Is there an area where I disagree with the Church and obstinately stand in rebellion, driven by my own understanding and arguments?) Am I willing to be "cured?"
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"He who is his own master is a scholar under a fool."
St. Bernard
For Reflection:
At first, this quote seems harsh. And yet, upon further reflection, it is filled with wisdom. How have I seen the truth of this in my own life as I have followed my way rather than God's way?
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"Obedience is the only virtue that implants the other virtues in the heart and preserves them after they have been so implanted."
Pope St. Gregory the Great
For Reflection:
What is the relationship between obedience and the other virtues? (Consider: humility, fortitude, hope, honesty, for example.) How does obedience preserve these virtues once we have begun to live them?
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AF asks: "What about Tae Bo for exercise?"
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