By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
New York Archbishop Dolan's fears that same-sex marriage laws will lead to the acceptance of polygamy will come one step closer to reality tomorrow when lawyers representing the polygamist stars of "Sister Wives" file a lawsuit challenging Utah's bigamy law - a case believed to be the “strongest factual and legal basis for a challenge to the criminalization of polygamy” ever filed in the federal courts.
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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
An unidentified man is threatening to do bodily harm to an Arkansas priest who he claims abused his child, prompting the bishop of Little Rock to issue an urgent appeal to all parishes to help find this man and the victim of the alleged crime.
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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
The Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee has announced plans to investigate a 37-page report issued last week by Americans United for Life (AUL) which outlines Planned Parenthood's long record of violating state laws in its abortion practice.
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"Restraining my impatience cost me so much that I was bathed in perspiration."
St. Therese of Lisieux
For Reflection:
How consoling to know that the Little Flower struggled so with patience - at least once! Am I willing to "sweat" to acquire this virtue? St. Therese pray for me!
(See tomorrow's Grace Line for one saint's suggestion on how to increase patience.)
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A Quebec man who belongs to a New Age cult that believes the world will end in 2012 is being investigated by France for allegedly using the internet to encourage people to commit suicide.
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Commentary by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
With no mention of any of the thousands of success stories attributable to modern natural family planning (NFP) methods,
The New York Times has published a 1,000 word diatribe against the practice based solely on the story of one couple who ended up divorced after having more children than they wanted.
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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
A 12 year-old girl from Jhorpara, India deliberately committed suicide in order to donate her organs to sick family members and to spare her family the expense of providing a dowry.
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"Be patient with everyone, but above all with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but instantly set about remedying them - every day begin the task anew."
St. Francis de Sales
For Reflection:
Why is practicing patience with ourselves a good way to learn to be patient with others? How can I begin anew today to set about remedying my own imperfections?
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"Only the strong man can exercise living patience, can take upon himself again and again the things that are; only he can always begin anew. Patience without strength is mere passivity, dull acceptance, growing accustomed to being a mere thing."
Romano Guardini
For Reflection:
What characteristic marks a patient person? Why? Do I see myself as this kind of a person? Why or why not?
(See tomorrow's Grace Line for encouragement if you feel you fall short.)
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"We can resist or change many things according to our wishes; but basically we must accept what comes and is given to us. To understand this and to act accordingly is patience. Anyone who is unwilling to do this is in constant conflict with his own existence."
Romano Guardini
For Reflection:
To what extent do I accept what comes and is given to me? How can I bring myself into conformity with the permissive will of God?
(See tomorrow's Grace Line by Father Guardini to discover the characteristics of a patient person.)
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