By His humble obedience Jesus Christ has opened the way for us to reach the heights of heaven.
Month: April 2011
Divine Mercy events planned
Two events in the Diocese of Madison will celebrate the Feast of Divine Mercy on Sunday on May 1.
Charity: a connection with life
When a recent series of health problems prevented me from my usual daily activities, including daily Mass, I felt loved by the attentions of my family.
They bought my groceries, picked up my prescriptions, and took me to the doctor. I found myself saying, “Okay, Lord, I get it. That’s why you gave me so many kids. Now give me back my independence.”
Tracing ancestors makes history come alive
Must we live through a lot of history before we love history? Must we be an antique before we appreciate antiques?
My fascination with ancestors just took off this year when Janine, my daughter-in-law, discovered a Luxembourg Museum in her Wisconsin territory. For Christmas she and my son John bought me a year’s membership and took me for a visit soon after. What an exciting adventure!
Redemptive suffering is part of being a Christian
It is not easy to block out the multiple cries of pain and suffering that permeate the world. It is almost deafening.
All one has to do is turn on the radio, read the newspaper, watch television, or go online. We are bombarded with news of pain and suffering, almost to the saturation point. I think of the people in Libya, Haiti, Japan, and others affected by war and natural disasters. It gives me an overwhelming feeling.
Good people suffer
A couple of years ago I attended several lectures on the martyrs of El Salvador who were killed during a civil war that took place there in the 1970’s and ’80s. Archbishop Oscar Romero, four women missionaries, and several Jesuits — only to name a few of hundreds of people — were brutally murdered because they spoke out against the intense suffering of the Salvadoran people and a system of government that perpetuated it.
Easter reminds us that the best is yet to come
A widow told her son she sometimes wished that when she died, she could be buried with a fork in her hand. When he asked her “why,” she explained that at a banquet, the head waitress often requests that we keep our fork because the best is yet to come.
She told her son because of our faith in the resurrection, and God’s mercy, that after death the very best is yet to come — the priceless gift of eternal life. Christ’s resurrection gives us hope of enjoying eternal happiness in heaven.
Humanity of unborn babies
To the editor: […]
Public broadcasting does not deserve public support
To Mark Pattison:
I am writing in response to your column in the March 31 issue of the Catholic Herald about the defunding of public broadcasting.
I am very surprised and shocked at your overwhelming support! Do you not see the very liberal-mindedness of the PBS programming? Multiple shows constantly reaffirm the lie that evolution is a fact and not just an unproven theology.
Also, what about shows like In the Life that constantly affirm homosexuality?
In time of crisis, there must be peace and discourse
To the editor:
In a time of crisis in our land, our people are called to repent, to pray, and to praise God. We are to be a prayerful, sacrificial people. We are to be a “Light for the World.”
We are to forgive and start anew. We are to recognize that God calls us to reconciliation. We must reach out to our neighbor — to start anew and seek the highest holiness.
The common ground must be love, peace, charity, and respect for others. Our history of kindness must be carried forward without reservation for past hurts.
Article was an insult to gun owners who are law-abiding and qualified to carry guns
To Stephen Kent:
Your article in the April 7 issue of the Catholic Herald was an insult to every gun owner.
You generalize the population as unqualified to own a weapon. Evidently you are not a gun owner nor were you raised in a conservative hunting family.
I assure you that I, my family, and my children are just as qualified as most police officers or even more so.