Commentary by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Parishioners who came to Mass on Sunday morning at Notre Dame de Lourdes Church in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania were met with a shocking surprise – pro-abortion graffiti written in black spray paint across the church doors and an exterior wall.
We received a heartbreaking call from a listener to EWTN’s Women of Grace Live show last week about her daughter who had become involved with a group known as the Twelve Tribes. Even more distressing is that the young woman took her son – our caller’s grandson – to live with the group. It was with a heavy heart that we told her what we know about the Twelve Tribes.
This is the first of a two-part question from AR: “I have been helping out an elderly women that mentioned that she has used, and would like to use again, something called Bowen Therapy. I looked it up and on one of the sites, I did see some link to meridian/accupuncture and it had a ying/yang symbol, but it really seems like simple stimulations and trying to move toxins out of the body…like what would happen if one simply had a massage. Anyway, do you have any info on this therapy and any concerns? Some of this new age stuff is obviously problematic, but I can’t help but think that some “alternative” medicine is much better than the ‘treat the symptom’ form of western medicine.”
Attendees of the first Young Women of Grace Retreat held at Malvern in July, 2018
What is a BFF? How do you find one? And – What does it mean to BE one? are just some of the topics this Young Women of Grace retreat will discuss with Catholic teens on July 13 at the Malvern Retreat House in Malvern, Pennsylvania.
Provisional figures just released from the Centers for Disease Control’s National Center for Health Statistics found that the U.S. fertility rate has hit an all-time low of 1.7 with only churchgoing Americans defying the downward trend.
May 20
“Without a doubt, the Church’s most popular and beloved expression of Marian devotion is the Rosary. It’s my favorite expression too. Love engendering love-that’s the secret of the Rosary.”
– Dr. Scott Hahn
Today’s Reflection
How does the Rosary engender love in my own life?
AG asks: “I have a question about my tattoos. When I was heavily involved with the occult I got a heart shaped peace sign, an ankh with angel wings, and a phoenix tattoo. They all meant something when I got them, but when I came back to the Church I have been trying to find a way to link them with things I believe in and the church believes. Unfortunately lazer removal and coverup jobs are way out of my budget to do. I am wondering what I should do. What would you suggest?”
May 18
“When we gaze into the eyes of Christ with the eyes of our heart, we begin to see things as they truly are. Under His gaze of love our prayer begins to resonate with the will of the Father.”
–Dr. Anthony Lilles
Today’s Reflection
How can I gaze more deeply into the eyes of Christ?
