“Analyze and foresee, organize and command, coordinate and control, these are the prudential duties of one who is charged with a mission of authority.”
Gustave Thils
For Reflection:
Do I believe these qualities are important to “one who is charged with a mission of authority?” Why or why not? What is the difference between being in control and being controlling? Do I emulate any of these qualities? Which? Is there one I need to grow in most? Which?
By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
Archbishop Allen Vigneron of Detroit has issued a cautionary letter to the clergy of his diocese about an upcoming conference being sponsored by the American Catholic Council (ACC), an umbrella organization comprised of some of the most radical dissident groups in the country.
By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
The leaders of three Catholic dioceses in Illinois – Springfield, Peoria and Joliet – initiated legal action yesterday on behalf of their Catholic Charities asking the courts to allow them to continue to provide foster care without recognizing the parental rights granted to same-sex and cohabiting couples in a recently enacted civil unions bill.
By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
A male inmate who repeatedly tried to castrate himself in an attempt to become a woman has filed a lawsuit against the state of Virginia, charging them with failure to provide adequate medical care in the form of a sex change operation – a case which could result in forcing taxpayers to pay for the surgeries.
By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius spoke at the first “Federal LGBT Youth Summit” on Monday, praising homosexual youth and reassuring them that they have a staunch friend in the White House.
“It is sometimes difficult to obey; it is always difficult to command.”
Gustave Thils
For Reflection:
What is the difference between “commanding” and simply telling someone what to do? What do I think should be the characteristics of a good “commander?”
(See tomorrow’s Grace Line to discover the qualities Gustave Thils believes one in authority should have.)
By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
The European Court of Human Rights has decided to intervene in a landmark legal challenge brought by four Christians which will determine if the UK’s controversial “diversity” law has been infringing on the rights of Christians to act in accordance with their faith.
By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
An Episcopal church in Bladensburg, Maryland became the first in the nation to convert to Roman Catholicism yesterday when their application was officially approved by the local bishop.
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.
“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?
