By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
Thanks to intense lobbying on Capitol Hill, the office of “Safe School Czar” Kevin Jennings, a radical homosexual activist who was devoted to introducing homosexuality into the nation’s public schools, has been eliminated along with nearly three-quarters of its funding.
“Grandma,” called my almost five-year old granddaughter from the backseat of the car.
“Yes, Julia,” I replied.
“Grandma, do you know Jesus’ phone number?”
“No darling, I don’t. But sometimes I sure wish I did!”
“Well, how do we talk to Him?”
“Oh,” I said, “we just have to pray — even in our hearts — and He hears us.”
“How do we know what He says back?”
“Julia, Jesus always answers us. But we hear His answers in our heart. We have to listen very carefully.”
Things were quiet for a few minutes.
“Julia, what are you doing?” I asked.
“Shhhh — Grandma. I’m listening.”
Are you listening today?
“And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. ” — 1 Kings 19: 11-12
“My chosen shall not labor in vain.”
Isaiah 65:23
For Reflection:
How do these words bring me hope and faith today? To what extent do they instill the ability to remain patient “until the coming of the Lord?”
Happy Independence Day! 
Blessed John Paul II said, “Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.”
Today, this holy concept of freedom is being challenged from Supreme Court decisions to decisions made in our local schools and communities. In the face of it all, we can become discouraged, beleagured, and sick at heart.
Let me offer a bit of encouragement I received this morning as I offered a prayer for our country. These words are given to us by the prophet Isaiah in chapter 35. May we find in them hope for our day and time, and direction for our actions: Read the rest…
“An indispensable requirement in the apostolate is faith, which is often shown by constancy in speaking about God, even though the fruits are slow to appear.”
St. Josemaria Escriva
For Reflection:
To what extent do I give in to discouragement? Does it cause me to give up? Am I willing to “stay the course” for the sake of souls?
“Fly a thousand miles from saying, ‘I was in the right: it was not right for me to suffer this, they had no right to do such a thing to me.’ Do you think there was any question of rights when Jesus suffered the injuries which were so unrighteously inflicted on Him?
St. Teresa of Avila
For Reflection:
How does the “rights” and “entitlement” mindset of our contemporary culture affect me with regard to the virtue of patience? What practical steps or strategies can I take to alleviate its influence?
“We must wait for God long, meekly, in the wind and wet, in the thunder and lightning, in the cold and the dark. Wait, and he will come. He never comes to those who do not wait.”
Father Faber
For Reflection:
How do I endure my waiting? Meekly? Lovingly? Hopefully? Confidently? I will ask God to give me the grace to see Him even as I wait.
“Be patient, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it until it receives the early and the late rain.”
James 5:7
For Reflection:
Sometimes I think God is not mindful of my circumstance. What insight does this scripture passage give me about the workings of God in my life? Am I willing to exercise patience in this regard?
Commentary by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
Priests at Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Little Italy, California, which is at the center of a heated controversy over a funeral service for an openly homosexual man, say the whole episode was misrepresented to the public by homosexual activists.
By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
In spite of the gross lewdness that took place during last weekend’s “Gay Pride” parades, the mainstream media mostly whitewashed it out of their coverage.
