Heroic Mother Dies to Save Her Baby's Life
An Oklahoma woman who opted to forego chemotherapy to treat her head and neck cancer for fear that it would harm her unborn child, died just days after the baby girl was born.
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The Rosary
"The proficient who would thus live a little better each day by the spirit of the Rosary, would reach the contemplation of the mystery of Christ, a certain penetrating understand of the life of the mystical body, or of the Church militant, suffering, and triumphant. Under the continual direction of Jesus and of Mary Mediatrix, he would enter increasingly into the mystery of the communion of saints."
Reginald Garrigou- Lagrange
For Reflection:
According to this quote, what is contemplation of the mystery of Christ? How can the Rosary help us to do this? To what extent do live the spirit of the Rosary?
Pope Announces "Year of the Faith" for 2012-2013
Pope Benedict XVI has announced plans to invoke a "Year of the Faith" for 2012-2013 in order to "give new impetus to the mission of the whole Church to lead men out of the desert in which they often find themselves, to the place of life, of friendship with Christ."
"Wonder Vitamin" Guru Commits Suicide in Jail Cell
Don Lapre, best known for his infomercials selling "The Greatest Vitamin in the World" and facing a fraud trial that could land him in jail for 60 years, committed suicide two weeks ago in an Arizona jail cell.
Critically Injured Toddler Left to Die in Streets of Chinese City
International outrage is growing over surveillance video showing a two year-old girl being hit and run over by two vehicles in the streets of Foshan, China with no passersby offering to help.
Protestors Desecrate Church in Rome
The Italian version of the "Occupy Wall Street" movement turned violent in Rome this weekend and resulted in the desecration of a Catholic church where a statue of the Virgin Mary were destroyed.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) is reporting that rioters broke into the 18th century church of Santi Marcellino and Pietro near St. John Lateran square where much of the violence was centered.
“When I came down, I saw the entrance door had been smashed in,” the church’s parish priest, Father Giuseppe Ciucci, was quoted by Italian media as saying.
“The Virgin Mary’s statue, which was at the entrance, had been taken away and I saw it had been thrown into the street and smashed,” he said.
“I went into the sacristy and I saw the door there was also destroyed. The large crucifix at the entrance had been vandalized,” he added.
Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said he "condemned the violence and the fact that a church was desecrated by some protesters who broke in and destroyed some images." He called the clashes between police and protesters "horrific."
During the course of the melee, hooded protesters torched cars, smashed banks and hurled rocks at police. The perpetrators of the violence were said to have infiltrated the larger and more peaceful demonstration of malcontents who turned out to protest Italy's high unemployment, political class, and $83 billion in austerity measures that resulted in the raising of taxes and the cost of health care.
About 70 people were injured during the demonstrations which results in millions of dollars in property damage.
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Photo is by Alessandro Bianchi of Reuters
The Rosary
"[The Rosary's] form is that of a prayerful and contemplative presentation, capable of forming Christians according to the heart of Christ."
Pope John Paul II
For Reflection:
Have I experienced my own heart being conformed to that of Christ as I have prayed the mysteries of the Rosary? Have I witnessed an increased desire for virtue in my life? How have my attitudes, habits, actions, and reactions come under the influence of Christ as a result of my prayer time?
(Read the next three Grace Lines to see how this is accomplished through the Rosary).
The Rosary
"Christian prayer tries above all to meditate on the mysteries of Christ, as in lectio divina or the Rosary. This form of prayerful reflection is of great value, but Christian prayer should go further: to the knowledge of the love of the Lord Jesus, to union with him."
Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2708
For Reflection:,br> How can meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary help to move me toward "the knowledge of the love of the Lord Jesus, to union with him?"
The Rosary
"Meditation engages thought, imagination, emotion, and desire. This mobilization of faculties is necessary in order to deepen our convictions of faith, prompt the conversion of our heart, and strengthen our will to follow Christ."
Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2708
For Reflection:
How does this depiction of Christian meditation differ from other ideas of meditation presented in the secular culture? Why do you think all of the faculties of the soul are helpful in entering into prayer? How can I engage my intellect, imagination, emotion and desire when I pray the Rosary?
Two New Studies Raise Concerns About Vitamin Safety
Two new studies on the efficacy of vitamins released this week reveal that taking vitamins may not be as harmless as previously thought.
