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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist A new study of at the University of California has found women who take hormonal contraceptives such as birth control pills are interfering with the way they recall information.

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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist During a meeting with young married couples at the closing ceremony of Italy's Eucharistic Congress, Pope Benedict XVI gave sage advice to families on dating, commitment and the false belief that living together before marriage can somehow guarantee a happy future.

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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist The brave young mother of conjoined twins who refused to accept her doctor's advice to abort the children, has given birth to two girls who she named Faith and Hope.

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"Do not say that you have chaste minds if you have unchaste eyes, because an unchaste eye is the messenger of an unchaste heart." St. Augustine

For Reflection: What is the connection between what we look at and what we do? How is it that the eye is the messenger of the heart? What fills my eyes? How can religious artwork in my home and in my office, in my car and in my area of recreation help me to remain chaste?

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Just what we need - another weird reality show from Discovery's TLC that promotes "irregular" lifestyles. First it was Sister Wives which tries to portray polygamy (which is illegal in the U.S.) in a positive light, now it's an eight-week series that peaks into the life of a Long Island woman who claims she can talk to the dead.

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Earlier in the Spring, I was in Methuen, Massachusetts at St. Monica Catholic Church giving a day's retreat for women. In my talk, I spoke of the loss of my son, Simon, and my husband Anthony in 2004 and 2007 respectively. I shared about the consolation I received from the prayers of so many, and the maternal beatitude our Blessed Mother continues to show me. Following the talk, a sweet woman approached me with a knowing smile. She lost her son, too, she said. And then, quietly and simply, she told me her story. Her son was on Flight 11 out of Boston on September 11, 2001, which crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center at 8:46 AM. A young man full of promise and hope. A young man who, she later discovered, was well-known for his concern and care for the less fortunate and the poor. For her, like for me, Our Blessed Mother had been and remains a consolation and a conduit of hope. This dear mother had a particular devotion to Our Lady of Beauraing and found in her and through her a "cause for joy" in the midst of her sufferings. Indeed, this graced woman had found a way to suffer well. I have been reading a little book published by Sophia Institute Press by Marguerite Duportal called "How to Make Sense of Suffering." This mother came to mind when I read this passage from this little gem of a book: "Suffering willingly borne before God, in His presence, under His eyes, while the soul is in union with Him 'who is,' in union with all the good emanating from His power, becomes supremely sweet and consoling. This enduring of affliction for religious motives is opposed to that consuming sorrow of rebels against God and of unbelievers. The benefits deriving from this kind of suffering become inestimable, if only we are able to say these words from the bottom of our heart, in every sad or merely painful circumstance of life, 'My God, I believe, I hope, and I love You. I accept." Such a reading causes us to ask some questions of ourselves: "To what extent have I suffered well in the major tragedies entrusted to me? Can I do better? Is there something now that is a present plight? What can I do today to help make this a means of union with God? I will be forever grateful for the witness of this dear woman. May God bless her as she continues to see her tragedy with supernatural vision and for her courage which unites all of it to the Cross of Jesus, Our Lord. May each of us do the same.

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Commentary by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist In an effort to fight what they call "censorship," the American Library Association (ALA) is once again sponsoring a Banned Books Week for school students during which time children will be provided with books that have been banned from library shelves because of inappropriate content.

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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist In a letter to New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan marking the tenth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Pope Benedict XVI condemned the violence of that day, saying that the tragedy was compounded by the perpetrators' claim to be acting in God's name.

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Commentary by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist Biased press coverage isn't just leaning to the right or the left. In the case of the uber-liberal Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), it means actually doctoring the words spoken by Barack Obama to correct his mistakes.

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"Purity? They ask. And they smile. They are the very people who approach marriage with worn-out bodies and disillusioned minds. How I wish your bearing and conversation were such that, on seeing or hearing you, people would say: this man reads the life of Jesus Christ." St. Josemaria Escriva For Reflection: Why does an unchaste life lead to "worn-out bodies" and "disillusioned minds?" Does my bearing and conversation speak of my relationship with Jesus Christ?  

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