Data published last week by the British Office for National Statistics for England and Wales confirms that couples who cohabit before marriage have a much greater risk of separation and divorce than couples who don’t live together before the wedding.
Monthly Archives: December 2011
NYC Woman Charged with Illegal Self-Abortion
Police in New York City charged a 20 year-old woman with first-degree self-abortion after she allegedly used an herbal drink to terminate her pregnancy, and then dumping the fetus in the trash outside her apartment building.
Concern Grows over Seizures at Twilight Movie
The number of seizures and other physical reactions to a particular scene in the new Twilight movie is has prompted an epilepsy foundation to warn viewers away from the film.
Forgiveness
“Our friends, then, are all those who unjustly afflict us with trials and ordeals, shame and injustice, sorrows and torments, martyrdom and death; we must love them greatly for we all possess eternal life because of them.”
St. Francis of Assisi
For Reflection:
What a counter-cultural way of looking at the sufferings imposed upon us by others! How have those who have burdened me with pain and suffering become conduits leading me to eternal life? Can I, then, refuse, to forgive them?
Forgiveness
“If God has forgiven you your past, you have no right to continue clinging to it.”
Alex Rebello
For Reflection:
To what extent do I cling to my past and my past sins? According to this quote, why have I no “right” to cling to them? How can I begin to let go beginning right now? What does this say about my future actions, behaviors, and intentions?
Forgiveness
“A man turning from an evil life is bound to be rendered desperate by the knowledge of his sins, if he does not also know how good God is, how kind and gentle, and how ready to forgive.”
St. Bernard of Clairvaux
For Reflection:
To what extent has knowledge of my sins rendered me almost desperate by knowledge of them? How has God shown me His goodness, kindness, gentleness, and readiness to forgive? Have I seen this expressed by a priest in the Sacrament of Penance? How and when?
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Nancy Pelosi Calls Bishops Lobbyists
Rather than take on the thorny issue of how the birth control mandate in ObamaCare infringes on religious freedom in America, House Minority Leader and professed “devout Catholic” Nancy Pelosi dodged the question by saying she doesn’t have to agree with the U.S. bishops when they are acting like “lobbyists.”
Senate to Repeal Military Ban on Sodomy and Bestiality
Liberals in the U.S. Senate are using the National Defense Authorization Act to forward their social agenda by including a bill that will repeal the military’s ban on sodomy and bestiality.
Skylanders: Playing with Magic
AK asks: “My 8 yr old son is just dying to play a video game called “Skylander”. My first impression after about 1 minute of looking at a you tube trailer online for it was that it was “new age”. . .
Forgiveness
“Forgiveness is not something that can be bought; those to whom it is offered are bankrupts. It is capital advanced to them, which they are to repay with an interest of tears.”
Father Ronald Knox
For Reflection:
To what extent have I shown myself to be a “bankrupt?” How has God’s mercy been extended to me (think in concrete terms)? What do I think it means to “repay with an interest of tears?” Have I exhibited this disposition of heart? When, how, and why?
