As we continue reflections during Respect Life Month, we should reflect on the standard of living in this country and how it impacts children and families.
We all need food, clothing, and shelter to live healthy, happy lives. Yet statistics show that 46.2 million Americans are living below the poverty line. That means that many families have to make hard choices as they face hunger and can’t afford housing or health care for themselves and their children.
Respect for all human life certainly begins with the unborn baby, but it should continue by respecting human life at all its stages.
In October we celebrate Respect Life Month. This is a special opportunity for Catholics to reflect on issues involving respect for all life from womb to tomb.
During October, I will focus on various life issues in the “Editor’s View,” starting at the beginning of life. I also encourage people to read the special Respect Life section and other articles in this week’s print edition and online edition of the Catholic Herald.
Human life begins at conception. The union of the egg and sperm includes all the genetic material needed for the baby to grow and develop.
Those of us who take drugs by prescription realize we depend on those drugs to lower our cholesterol, keep our blood pressure under control, and do many other things to keep us healthy or prevent more serious health problems.
Some studies have shown that almost half of Americans take at least one prescription drug. And half of our senior citizens take three or more prescription medications.
We all know that the cost of drugs continues to rise. Plus the number of people who are uninsured or underinsured also keeps going up.
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| “Family Day — A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children” will be held on Monday, Sept. 26. |
When I was growing up, our family ate all of our meals together at home. This included breakfast, lunch, and supper. We sat around our kitchen table, often lingering to talk after the food was gone.
Mealtime became an opportunity to share our plans for the day, to find out what we thought about the day’s news, and even to debate various issues. My parents always encouraged open discussion, even on such topics as politics and religion.
With our own children, my husband and I also encouraged shared meal times. We almost always ate dinner together, even delaying the meal for sports and after-school activities so that we could sit down and share a meal.
I think our children — now grown with children of their own — enjoyed those times to eat and talk with each other. Now we like getting together with our extended families for meals. Even the grandchildren from babies and up are brought to the table when possible to join with the family for hors d’oeuvres and the meal.
God continues to call people to serve the Church as priests, deacons, and members of religious orders. In recent years, it seems as if more people are answering God’s call in the Diocese of Madison.
In some ways it doesn’t seem like 10 years since the events of 9/11. I can still remember September 11, 2001, when I was on vacation in Dublin, Ireland, with my mother-in-law and my daughter.
It was upsetting to be away from our country while it was being attacked, but the Irish people gave us their support during that time of tragedy. Ireland even held a day of prayer and remembrance for the victims of 9/11 on September 14, 2001.
Bishop Robert C. Morlino told members of the Serra Club of Madison that he appreciates their efforts in encouraging and supporting Church vocations.
A new federal mandate on health care coverage is posing a threat to the religious freedom of Church-affiliated employers, including Catholic hospitals, universities, and charitable institutions.
Health insurance plans are being required to provide reproductive services for women including contraceptives and sterilization procedures, as well as for drugs that may cause an abortion both before and after implantation.
Soon millions of students from pre-school through college will be heading back to school. Many of them will be walking, riding their bikes, or taking the bus to and from school.
I can still remember walking about eight blocks to Blessed Sacrament School in La Crosse (we did get car rides in bad weather) when I was in grade school. When I was older, I was able to ride my bicycle.
