The Vatican is calling the death of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi the end of a “harsh and oppressive regime” that was based on power instead of human dignity.
Yearly Archives: 2011
Faith and Family-Friendly “Mighty Macs” Movie Opens Tonight
The inspirational story of the women’s basketball team from a small Catholic college that soared to fame in the 1970s is the basis of The Mighty Macs, a family-friendly film that debuts today.
Catholic Voters Cool to President’s New Outreach to Religious Voters
Even though the Catholic vote helped to propel President Barack Obama into office in 2008, three years of anti-life and anti-family policies decisions combined with his open disdain for the principles of religious liberty has resulted in a chilly response to the president’s new outreach to religious voters.
Paula D’Arcy’s New Age Connections
MC asks: “Do you know anything about Paula D’Arcy and the Gift of the Red Bird book.She is doing a retreat in my diocese and I just wanted to know if this is New Age.”
The Rosary
“Contemplating the scenes of the Rosary in union with Mary is a means of learning from her to ‘read’ Christ, to discover his secrets and to understand his message.”
Pope John Paul II
For Reflection:
To what extent is Mary helping me to “read” Jesus better? What impact is this having on my life of prayer and my daily life?Â
Guests for Dinner
I love to invite friends and family to my home for dinner! It is part of a long-standing tradition my husband, Anthony, and I began early in our marriage. Though he has gone to his eternal reward, it has brought me much pleasure, consolation, and no small amount of joy to continue this tradition.
I have found through the years that a small gesture of hospitality has the capacity to do so much. It can be a soothing balm to a troubled spirit, a healing gesture that resolves an estranged relationship, a happy celebration to highlight key moments in a person’s life, a gift of presence when a sign of solidarity is needed. It can also be just plain fun! Today, scheudules are so busy that gestures of hospitality are frequently omitted from the family agenda.
But, as women, we have an innate desire to bring people together. And, when this desire is united to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, great things can happen.
Just this week, I hosted a small dinner party at my home. Among the guests was Father Philip Scott, F.J. It was clear that this get-together was ordained by God. The Holy Spirit was abundantly present. Indeed, the old charismatic song holds true: “Great things happen when God mixes with man!”
One of the fun highlights of the evening occurred when Father Philip asked me for a “bib.” Given that he lives in Peru and realizing he probably didn’t mean the kind a baby wears, I asked him if it was an apron he wanted. He said, “Yes, an apron.” I offered him a variety (apron drawer open as you can see), and he selected my Women of Grace apron — once again confirming to me that “real men love women of grace.”
I would categorize this evening as one of those that is blessed — and, as many blessings are — a great deal of fun!
Who might God be prompting you to ask to dinner and what joy might He have in mind for you? I can assure you,it is well worth extending the invitation!
Father Philip and friends, thanks for a great time!
Study: Reality TV Having Negative Impact on Girls
A new study assessing the impact of reality TV on the behavior of young girls has found that those who view these shows regularly accept and expect a higher level of drama, aggression, and bullying in their own lives, and measure their worth primarily by their physical appearance.
Records Reveal 26 New Gardasil-Related Deaths Last Year
Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced yesterday that it has received new documents from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) detailing reports of adverse reactions to the vaccination for human papillomavirus (HPV), Gardasil, including reports of 26 new deaths since 2010.
Number of Women Religious in Steep Decline
Dismal numbers released last month at the annual assembly of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), an organization recently investigated by the Vatican for its support of female ordination and homosexuality, may foreshadow the end of many orders in the U.S.
The Rosary
“The contemplation of Christ has an incomparable model in Mary. In the recitation of the Rosary, the Christian community enters into contact with the memories and the contemplative gaze of Mary.”
Pope John Paul II
For Reflection:
As I pray the Rosary, do I make a mental effort to see Jesus through the eyes of Mary? When I next pick up my beads, I will ask Mary to help me see her Son through her so that I might know Him more perfectly.
