Commentary by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff JournalistIn a tragic example of why members of Congress should keep the pro-life amendments in the budget proposals being debated on the Hill, a family planning raid on a man's home in Linyi City, Shandong Province in China resulted in a government official stabbing a man to death for defending his family.
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I am not moved to love Thee, O my Lord,
By any longing for Thy Promised Land;
Nor by the fear of hell am I unmanned
To cease from my transgressing deed or word.
'Tis Thou Thyself dost move me, -- Thy blood poured
Upon the cross from nailed foot and hand;
And all the wounds that did Thy body brand;
And all Thy shame and bitter death's award.
Yea, to Thy heart am I so deeply stirre
That I would love Thee were no heaven on high, --
That I would fear, were hell a tale absurd!
Such my desire, all questioning grows vain;
Though hope deny me hope I still should sigh,
And as my love is now, it should remain.
Anonymous (16th or 17th C.) Translated from the Spanish by Thomas Walsh
For Reflection:
On this Holy Saturday I enter into the tomb with Jesus. What one area of my life is most in need of resurrection? How is Jesus showing me He wants to bring this part of me "back to life?"
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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
A state court in Illinois delivered a decisive victory to pro-life pharmacists in Illinois when it struck down a state law that compels pharmacy owners to dispense Plan B and other forms of emergency contraception, even when doing so violates their religious moral beliefs.
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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
After 70 years of state enforced atheism, Russian schools will soon be teaching religion again, crucifixes may once again be hung on the walls of schools and offices, and a building once used for programs aimed at demolishing the family will soon host an important summit addressing the demographic crisis in that country.
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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
American scientists have successfully created a human heart out of adult stem cells that could one day spare transplant patients a long and uncertain wait for a donor.
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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
The economy, an entitlement mentality and loss of respect for human life are being blamed for a drop in the U.S. birth rate to 2.01, which is less than the replacement rate of 2.1.
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Jesus:
O Mother dear, didst thou but hear
My plaint of desolation,
Thy tender heart would burst apart
With grief of separation!
I am not stone, yet all alone
I hush My soul's outcrying, --
Alone to tread the wine-press red,
To bear the pain of dying.
My lips are dumb, the night has come;
Ah! Solace I might borrow
Had I but thee to bide with Me
In this wild waste of sorrow.
Mary:
"Gentle moon and start of midnight,
Day's fierce orb, and brooklets fair,
Golden apples born of sunshine,
Precious pearls and jewels rare, --
All things glorious, all things shining,"
Thus the sorrowing Mother spake;
"E'en ye bright, transfigured faces,
Mourn with me for Jesus' sake.
"Sparkle, gleam, and glow no longer:
Only moan and mourn for Him.
Shine not, shine not, weep forever,
Till your thousand eyes are dim;
For the mighty One has fallen,
And my Beautiful is slain;
In the dense wood pierced, my Shepherd, --
Weep ye, weep ye for my pain!
O most oppressed of all oppressed,
Heart of my heart, my all, my Son!
Grief's keenest sword doth pierce my breast:
I die with Thee, my only one!
Alas! The pain is all too great,
Since, living, still I share Thy fate.
"Yes, mine Thou wert to bear and rear
Through life and light, and pain and loss;
And now, ten thousand times more dear,
I yield Thee to the cruel cross!"
Frederick Spee, S. J. (1591-1635) Translated from the German by Mary E. Mannix
For Reflection:
Today I stand at the foot of the Cross with Mary my mother. What pain, sorrow, suffering, trial, contradiction do I yield to the "cruel cross?" How does Mary give me guidance in this surrender?
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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
During testimony on behalf of the U.S. bishops before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last week, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick addressed the "growing threats to religious liberty" Catholics are currently facing in America as a result of the spread of radical secularism.
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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
Aid workers are reporting that at least 1,000 mostly Christians civilians were slaughtered this week at the Salesian Saint Therese of the Child Jesus mission in Duekoue, Ivory Coast, by Muslim troops loyal to president Alassane Ouattara, prompting many to ask if the conflict in this country is on the verge of becoming the "next Rwanda."
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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
As of yesterday, 41 Senators have stated that they plan to block any spending bill that cuts Planned Parenthood funding, a number large enough to sustain a filibuster.
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