# data[].attributes.body
Catholics were helping those impacted by Cyclone Fani in India, Bangladesh. Cyclone Fani was a category four cyclone struck India's Odisha state. Catholic Relief Services explained that preparations were being made to ensure the safety of residents in Odisha and Bangladesh. Cyclone Fani is heading in that direction. They were distributing supplies to Cox's Bazaar refugee camp in Bangladesh. That refugee camp had almost 1 million Rohingya refugees reside.
(Catholic News Service, https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/catholics-assist-those-impacted-by-cyclone-fani-in-india-bangladesh-88850)

# data[].attributes.body
Pope Francis went to the tiny Balkan nation of North Macedonia to pay tribute to a tiny saint who accomplished big things: St. Teresa of Kolkata.

Mother Teresa was born Agnes Ganxhe Bojaxhiu to Albanian parents in Skopje Aug. 26, 1910, so after paying the obligatory formal visit to North Macedonia's president, Pope Francis went May 7 to the memorial and museum built on the site of the church where she was baptized. The church was later destroyed in an earthquake."Moved by the love of God," the pope told the president, Mother Teresa "made love of neighbor the supreme law of her life."

At the memorial, Pope Francis did not speak about the saintly founder of the Missionaries of Charity, but after praying silently before her relics, he praised God for the gift of her life and prayed for her intercession for North Macedonia.
https://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2019/pope-draws-lessons-from-mother-teresa-in-city-of-her-birth.cfm

# data[].attributes.body
Jean Vanier, the founder of the L’Arche and Faith and Light communities, which support people with disabilities and their families, died in the early morning of May 7 at age 90, surrounded by family, according to a statement from L’Arche. He had been living in a nursing home since mid april . Mr. Vanier inspired countless people with his simple message that people with disabilities are teachers.
A former naval officer and professor, Mr. Vanier resigned from his teaching position to form the first L’Arche community, in which people with and without disabilities live and work side by side. He embodied an idea he often preached: that people best learn to love by climbing down, rather than up, the ladder of wealth and social success.
https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2019/05/07/jean-vanier-living-saint-who-ministered-people-disabilities-dies-90

# data[].attributes.body
Can you find God in a black hole?
An image came out April 10 showing a black hole, but this can encourage our faith because we have never felt or seen a black hole, but we know it is there because we see the shadows and what it does. These images tell us that there really is something in the center of these galaxies. The more research we are doing the more we realize that black holes exist and will soon be able to state their properties. we have direct proof that a black hole is more than a theoretical construct. It’s a “thing.” So if St. Ignatius was right to inspire us to “find God in all things,” the black hole certainly qualifies.
https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2019/04/10/can-you-find-god-black-hole

# data[].attributes.body
Title: Pope draws lessons from Mother Teresa in city of her birth

Pope Francis went to North Macedonia to pay tribute to “a tiny saint who accomplished big things: St. Teresa of Kolkata.” Pope Francis went on May 7 to the memorial and museum built on the site of the church where she was baptized. The church was later destroyed in an earthquake. After his visit, he advised young people to think of Mother Teresa when contemplating how to better the world. She could not have imagined what her life would become, but "she kept dreaming and tried to see the face of Jesus…She dreamed in a big way, and this is why she also loved in a big way." Mother Teresa liked to call herself "a pencil in the hands of God," the pope said, and when she gave God control of her life, God "began to write new and amazing pages of history with that pencil." Each of us is called, like Mother Teresa, to take life seriously and make something beautiful of it.

(https://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2019/pope-draws-lessons-from-mother-teresa-in-city-of-her-birth.cfm, Catholic News Service)

# data[].attributes.body
Pope Francis urges Swiss Guard to witness to the joy of faith

“During your stay in Rome, you are called to witness to your faith with joy, so that the many people you meet, especially at the entrances to Vatican City, can be favorably impressed by the spirit in which you do your work", said the pope early on the fourth of may to the Swiss Guard. The pope made sure to mention this prior to the 6th of May which is when the 23 recruits of the Swiss guard will be swearing into their positions. The job is one of "faith and loyalty" which will require the guards to make sure to do their job with care and "experience the dedication, professionalism, and love with which [they] carry out their activity".

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-urges-swiss-guard-to-witness-to-the-joy-of-faith-71235

# data[].attributes.body
The entire staff of Women's Church World, the women’s magazine that comes out once a month alongside L’Osservatore Romano, the official Vatican newspaper, resigned on March 26. Their reasons were numerous: The magazine’s editor, Lucetta Scaraffia told the Associated press that the new editor of L’Osservatore Romano, Andrea Monda, had attempted to take over her position; the editorial board wrote that L’Osservatore Romano had undermined Women Church World by recruiting women contributors who held competing viewpoints; and that these actions have led to “a vital initiative...being reduced to silence, to return to the antiquated and arid method of the top-down selection, under direct male control, of women who are perceived as being reliable,” according to an open to Pope Francis signed by Ms. Scaraffia. Ms. Scaraffia described how the women—mostly religious sisters—working in the Vatican have often been overlooked or dismissed by the men they work for. Often these women are not compensated for their work or do not receive contracts guaranteeing their compensation. She said they are bound by an expectation of unconditional obedience that keeps the sisters and their religious communities in financially unstable positions that are vulnerable to abuses of power, particularly in the houses of bishops and cardinals where religious sisters do the cooking and cleaning.

# data[].attributes.body
Esther Harber, a lay missionary who attended Holy Rosary Parish in the Bronx, informs the press that she was raped by a priest in 2010. Early that year, she told a priest during confession that she had been sexually abused as a child, and was struggling with bitterness as she worked through it. The priest who raped her nine years ago was a Nigerian named Father Edwin Erhimeyoma, who came to New York for doctoral studies at Fordham University. When Harber went to him for confession, she said that he tried to "baptize [her] in the Holy Spirit," which involved being prayed over in order to stir up the graces of baptism and confirmation. She also told reporters that she was "extremely uncomfortable and kept asking him to back away, and he finally did." Harber is not naive. She knows the story isn’t over yet. And for now, she’s waiting, and praying, for change.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/speaking-out-hopeful-and-waiting-for-change-90175
Catholic News Agency
JD Flynn

# data[].attributes.body
This isn't necessarily a news summary, but I thought it was important to put here. This is a trailer for a documentary about a priest whom Coretta Scott King called "a giant of the Civil Rights Movement." youtu.be/PFSqf0GUwtg
I found this video from a tweet by James Martin Sr.

# data[].attributes.body
In Canada, the death percent from anesthesia has gone up to 1 in 100 people. this is very alarming this month by Health Canada, showed that from January to October of 2018, a total of 2,613 people in Canada received “medical aid in dying,” amounting to 1.12% of all deaths. Only one person self-administered their own lethal does in physician-assisted suicide. The church prays for Canada and all the people going through surgery
CNA
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/more-than-1-of-deaths-in-canada-caused-by-euthanasia-95595

# data[].attributes.body
In Canada, the death percent from anesthesia has gone up to 1 in 100 people. this is very alarming this month by Health Canada, showed that from January to October of 2018, a total of 2,613 people in Canada received “medical aid in dying,” amounting to 1.12% of all deaths. Only one person self-administered their own lethal does in physician-assisted suicide. The church prays for Canada and all the people going through surgery
CNA
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/more-than-1-of-deaths-in-canada-caused-by-euthanasia-95595

# data[].attributes.body
Lawmakers in Georgia and Tennessee have advanced bills that would ban most abortions when a fetal heartbeat is detected, usually around six weeks of pregnancy. If they become laws they will face legal challenges, as similar laws have been ruled unconstitutional in the past. The House Bill 481 in Georgia passed 93-73 in Atlanta. The Bill includes exceptions for pregnancies that are a result of rape or incest, and proved by a police report filed by the women. Also, exceptions are made for a pregnancy deemed life threatening to the mother. In Tennessee, the House Bill 77 passed 65-21, the same day as Georgia. Tennessee's Catholic Bishops are opposing the state's heartbeat bill as well as the states leading pro-life group. Other states have made similar laws, but they have never been put into effect as they were ruled unconstitutional. Planned Parenthood has said they will file a suit against Tennessee if the heartbeat bill becomes a law. The American Civil Liberties union also vowed to challenge the heartbeat bill in several states. As an alternative, the bishops voiced “urgent support” for the “Human Life Protection Act,” an bill which would, in the event that Roe were overturned, trigger an automatic ban on abortion in the state.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/heartbeat-abortion-bans-move-forward-in-tennessee-georgia-96081

(Catholic News Agency, Rattiya Thongdumhyu

# data[].attributes.body
Faith Communities Gather at U.S.-Mexico Border
Standing next to the border of the U.S. and Mexico border, Bishop Mark J. Seitz talked about two migrant children who tragically died while residing in U.S. custody. "Innocents have died because we have done everything to keep them from finding a dignified life," Bishop Seitz said. "The desert speaks, because on this land has fallen the blood of many who are trying to pass to find a dignified life, and we can hear the shouts of land telling us that our policies have consequences." While President Donald Trump has sent troops to the region and doubled down on plans to expand the building of the border wall, Church leaders and Catholic communities working on migration issues believe that migrants who flee poverty and violence in Central America should not get a cold response from the U.S.
(Source: https://angelusnews.com/news/david-agren/the-desert-speaks-faith-communities-gather-at-u-s-mexico-border)

# data[].attributes.body
Volunteer gardener at crisis maternity home provides balm for the wounded
Jana Hukriede, a volunteer at Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri's LifeHouse Crisis Maternity Home in Springfield, is always looking for bargains on gardening supplies and planning which vegetables to plant when in the numerous raised beds at the home's 11-acre property. Hukriede has helped create a caring community focused on meeting the needs of pregnant women and young mothers challenged by homelessness, domestic violence or addictions. Her garden has become a significant food source for LifeHouse residents.
(Source: https://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2019/volunteer-gardener-at-crisis-maternity-home-provides-balm-for-the-wounded.cfm)

# data[].attributes.body
Hero priest rescued Crown of Thorns from Notre Dame cathedral fire

Priest Jean-Marc Fournier is credited to saving the crown of thorns that is Jesus is believed to of worn.  Fournier, who is in his 50s and currently serves as the chaplain for the Paris Fire Brigade, is no stranger to disasters — he tended to the injured and prayed over the 89 people killed in the 2015 Bataclan attack. He also served in the Diocese of the French Armed Forces for seven years and survived an ambush that killed 10 soldiers in Afghanistan.
(Source: https://nypost.com/2019/04/16/hero-priest-rescued-crown-of-thorns-from-notre-dame-cathedral-fire/)

# data[].attributes.body
Why as Christians we need to read widely--- and deeply
It is important that we as Christians read to learn about the people that are different than us. As Joyce Carol Oates once said, "Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another’s skin, another’s voice, another’s soul.” Reading books about other types of people gives us the perspective to understand where they are coming from and acting more, Reading should remind us that God has not limited to understanding and we should try to be like him. Not exploring other perspectives can often lead to ignorance, sin or immaturity. Sometimes reading other perspectives can make us uncomfortable but it is important in our growth.
(Source: https://www.americamagazine.org/arts-culture/2019/04/08/why-christians-we-need-read-widely-and-deeply)

# data[].attributes.body
Faith Communities Gather at U.S.-Mexico Border
Standing next to the border of the U.S. and Mexico border, Bishop Mark J. Seitz talked about two migrant children who tragically died while residing in U.S. custody. "Innocents have died because we have done everything to keep them from finding a dignified life," Bishop Seitz said. "The desert speaks, because on this land has fallen the blood of many who are trying to pass to find a dignified life, and we can hear the shouts of land telling us that our policies have consequences." While President Donald Trump has sent troops to the region and doubled down on plans to expand the building of the border wall, Church leaders and Catholic communities working on migration issues believe that migrants who flee poverty and violence in Central America should not get a cold response from the U.S. https://angelusnews.com/news/david-agren/the-desert-speaks-faith-communities-gather-at-u-s-mexico-border

# data[].attributes.body
People can find peace by visiting those who suffer, pope says
People who feel restless or lacking inner peace will discover it when they visit those who are experiencing great difficulty, suffering, illness or persecution, Pope Francis said. Jesus’ wounds are a source of peace “because they are the sign of Jesus’ enormous love” as he conquered evil, sin and death with his crucifixion and resurrection, the pope said April 28 before praying the “Regina Coeli” with visitors gathered in St. Peter’s Square. “It is as if Jesus were saying to all of us, ‘If you are not at peace, touch my wounds,'” which are also present in the problems, difficulties, suffering, illnesses and persecution so many people experience today, the pope said.

“Are you not at peace? Go. Go on and visit someone who is the symbol of Jesus’ wounds. Touch Jesus’ wounds” because they are a source of his peace and mercy, he added.
Catholic Philly (Carol Glatz http://catholicphilly.com/2019/04/news/world-news/people-can-find-peace-by-visiting-those-who-suffer-pope-says/)

# data[].attributes.body
Hero priest rescued Crown of Thorns from Notre Dame cathedral fire

Priest Jean-Marc Fournier is credited to saving the crown of thorns that is Jesus is believed to of worn.  Fournier, who is in his 50s and currently serves as the chaplain for the Paris Fire Brigade, is no stranger to disasters — he tended to the injured and prayed over the 89 people killed in the 2015 Bataclan attack. He also served in the Diocese of the French Armed Forces for seven years and survived an ambush that killed 10 soldiers in Afghanistan.
https://nypost.com/2019/04/16/hero-priest-rescued-crown-of-thorns-from-notre-dame-cathedral-fire/

# data[].attributes.body
On Monday, April 15th, at around 6:30 pm local time, a fire erupted at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. The cause of the fire is not certain, however, authorities say it could be connected to the renovation work the cathedral is undergoing. The 850-year-old cathedral has survived world war, plagues, and political turmoils throughout France's history. It is said that the fire erupted in the attic hence why most of the roof was destroyed by the flames. The area around the cathedral was evacuated. It is a very devastating event and everyone is very emotional. The church remains hopeful in the rising of the Notre Dame Cathedral again and continues to keep Paris in its prayers.

https://www.catholicherald.com/News/National__cause_unknown/

# data[].attributes.body
Learning to Live in the Moment - Even When You're Busy

Make the most of your time: play worship songs or praise music on your commute that will give you a daily opportunity to connect

Share the burden: Life can feel overwhelming if you try it alone. Walk around your neighborhood with a friend and pray or discuss spiritual matters. Or start a book club and focus on a spiritual concern you share.

Slow down: kids often notice beauty that we don't even notice. We need to slow down and see the beauty of God's creation.

Practice Chatting with God: Throughout the day practice talking with God over even the smallest things and when you see something awesome thank God. At night it can be very easy to collapse, but think of it as prime time to check back in with God whether it's meditating or using a prayer guide.
https://bustedhalo.com/life-culture/learning-to-live-in-the-moment-even-when-youre-busy

# data[].attributes.body
Title: The Gospel according to Winnie the Pooh

This article starts by discussing doubting Thomas. It states that it is understandable that St. Thomas would struggle to believe that Jesus was alive again, because people do not usually rise from the dead. The article also says, “it’s certainly not Thomas’ fault that he had not read Winnie the Pooh. Like the Gospels, it had not yet been written. If St. Thomas could have read any of these stories, he would have understood the way love works.” When Tigger, the energetic tiger who lived with the other characters in the Hundred Acre Woods, first looks into a mirror he doesn’t realize he is seeing himself. He exclaims that he has found someone just like himself even though he thought he was the only one. Jesus loved His disciples and they loved him. The disciples found in Jesus their true selves, even if they did not yet recognize it.

Jesus said something similar to the character of Christopher Robin on the night of the last supper. Pooh once said, “how lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard” and Christopher Robin responded, “Forever isn’t long at all when I’m with you” and “We could just be we; forever you and me.” Jesus gave himself to us through the Eucharist so that we can be together forever. “Holy Communion is Jesus’ way of saying, ‘Forever isn’t long at all when I’m with you.’”

(https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2019/04/24/gospel-according-winnie-pooh, By: Terrance Klein, American Magazine)

# data[].attributes.body
Pope Francis said that no one should be afraid that God has allowed there to be different religions in the world. "But we should be frightened if we are not doing the work of fraternity, of walking together in life" as brothers and sisters of one human family, he said. His general audience reviewed his customary in Morocco from March 30-31. "People might ask themselves, 'Why is it the pope visits Muslims and not just Catholics?'" the pope said. Catholics and Muslims are both "descendants of the same father, Abraham," he said, and the trip was another step on a journey of "dialogue and encounter with (our) Muslim brothers and sisters." Pope Francis said people also may wonder why God allows there to be so many different religions in the world. "What God wants is fraternity among us," he said, which is why "we must not be frightened by difference. God has allowed this." But it is right to be worried when people are not working toward a more fraternal world, he added.

(https://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2019/people-should-not-fear-difference-but-division-pope-says-at-audience.cfm, Catholic news Service, Carol Glatz)

# data[].attributes.body
Pope Francis donated $500,000 to aid migrants stranded at the US border in Mexico. The funds were collected from the Peter's Pence collections and will be distributed throughout the projects that sixteen Mexican dioceses and religious congregations were promoting. There were twenty seven projects. Peter's Pence released a statement saying “In recent months, thousands of migrants have arrived in Mexico, having travelled more than 4,000 kilometres on foot and with makeshift vehicles from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. Men and women, often with young children, flee poverty and violence, hoping for a better future in the United States. However, the US border remains closed to them.” The donation was intnded to assist the people who arrived in Mexico in 2018 in six migrant caravans. All of them were stranded without a home and were unable to enter the United States. The Catholic Church hosted thousands of them in hotels within the dioceses or religious congregations.
(Vatican News, https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-04/pope-francis-central-american-migrants-aid-peters-pence.html)

# data[].attributes.body
Pope Francis will visit the Balkan nations of Bulgaria and North Macedonia over May 5-7. He will encourage the nations' small Catholic communities, reaching out to the Orthodox and to Muslims and paying tribute to two popular saints. On April 17, the Vatican released a full schedule for the trip. On Sunday, May 5,  Pope Francis will meet with the Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov in the airport's governmental lounge. There will be a welcoming ceremony on the square outside the presidential palace. He will meet with other governmental authorities, diplomatic corps, and other civil leaders. There will be religious ceremonies going on as well. On May 6,  the Pope will visit a refugee camp, celebrate Mass, have lunch with the bishops of Bulgaria,, and will deliver a speech. On the last day, May 7, there will be a farewell ceremony at Sofia Airport and Pope Francis will meet with Prime Minister Zoran Zaev at the presidential palace.
(Catholic News Service, https://angelusnews.com/news/catholic-news-service/vatican-publishes-updated-schedule-for-popes-visit-to-balkan-nations)

# data[].attributes.body
On Saturday, April 27, Pope Francis sent a video message to the leaders of South and North Korea. In the message, he expressed his hope for a future of peace and unity for the peninsula on the anniversary of the inter-Korean summit. This event is known as the first time a North Korean leader stepped foot into the South Korean capital since the 1950–1953 Korean War. Pope Francis has been an active supporter of diplomatic efforts to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula. The pope also prayed that the Korean leaders may be able to reach solutions “capable of ensuring the development and well-being of all.”
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-sends-message-of-peace-to-the-korean-peninsula-18024
Catholic News Agency
JD Flynn

# data[].attributes.body
Born in a refugee camp in Tanzania, she came to Portland at age 5 unable to speak or understand English. She couldn't pass her first year of kindergarten. At the end of April, Nishimwe will share her vocal and inner power at a national poetry competition in Washington. It will be livestreamed online at arts.gov. Nishimwe won first place for her recitation of "Love's Philosophy," by Percy Bysshe Shelley, an English Romantic poet; "If We Must Die," by Jamaican-born Claude McKay, a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance; and "Worth," by Marilyn Nelson, whose work examines race, feminism and the ongoing trauma of slavery in America.
https://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2019/as-refugee-child-she-knew-no-english-now-as-teen-shes-poetry-champ.cfm

# data[].attributes.body
Volunteer gardener at crisis maternity home provides balm for the wounded
Jana Hukriede, a volunteer at Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri's LifeHouse Crisis Maternity Home in Springfield, is always looking for bargains on gardening supplies and planning which vegetables to plant when in the numerous raised beds at the home's 11-acre property. Hukriede has helped create a caring community focused on meeting the needs of pregnant women and young mothers challenged by homelessness, domestic violence or addictions. Her garden has become a significant food source for LifeHouse residents.
(Dennis Sadowski, Catholic News Service)
https://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2019/volunteer-gardener-at-crisis-maternity-home-provides-balm-for-the-wounded.cfm

# data[].attributes.body
Can ‘Star Trek’ explain free will?

It’s imprecise to describe the Final Frontier of Trek-dom as safe—full of curious, sometimes threatening life forms as it is. Yet the Trek world has the advantage of being wonderfully predictable. You can absolutely count on the senior officers of your ship to get you through intergalactic catastrophes, time travel, alien romances gone awry, even death many times over. You can also rely on whoever’s running sick bay to find a cure for anything that disrupts your DNA and scatters it, but the most fundamental and reliable aspect of the Star Trek universe is the Prime Directive. Love it or hate it, you know that “noninterference with the destiny of other worlds” is the lens through which all situations will be assessed and addressed.These intrepid crews of the United Federation of Planets who trek through the stars consider themselves scientists. But they’re really more like witnesses to interstellar cultures unfolding in endless variety. Their aim is not to proselytize, instruct, judge, or persuade.
Starship crews are supposed to pass through space and time, take it all in alertly, and not touch anything, like well-behaved children in a china shop. That’s what the Prime Directive insists you do: leave everything the way you find it and pack out your trash as you go. The Prime Directive is an elevated and elegant ideal. The universe is full of magnificence and mystery. Any mortal one of us is too infinitesimal to preside over its vastness with our subjective scolding and condemnation. The Prime Directive is a profoundly respectful way to travel through time and space—even if you never leave this planet. Each generation of starship captains extols the beauty of the Directive, giving rapturous speeches about its timeless relevance and superiority over other moral doctrines. The Prime Directive is preached as vigorously as any gospel through the galaxies.

This flexible perspective on the Directive might explain the theological tension between the free will of human beings and the divine interference in history posed by Jesus. Didn’t God create everything and then let us go to pursue our free destinies? Sure. We may eat of the tree or not. We may observe the Ten Commandments, or only two, or none at all. We may love one another or demolish one another. We may choose to serve the one God or many gods or just ourselves.

In the full bliss of freedom as we navigate history, God may seem to sit above or beyond our choices like a benign witness, not interfering in our decisions no matter how unnerving and self-destructive they may be. Until. That moment of “until” happens on the apparent margins of events. After Cain commits the first murder, for example, God marks the assailant for protection from retaliation. While brooding clouds gather over the primeval sky, God initiates a nautical conversation with Noah.
(US Catholic, Alice Camille, https://www.uscatholic.org/articles/201904/can-star-trek-explain-free-will-31703)

# data[].attributes.body
Las Vegas is taking part in a new nationwide program which is hoping to reduce chronic homelessness in the area by 20% in the next 5 years. Las Vegas is one of five cities taking part in the Healthy Housing Initiative. It is a partnership between Catholic and other cities. St. Louis is also taking part in the initiative! Deacon Thomas Roberts, president and CEO of Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada, said the partnership simultaneously tackles shelter issues and the root problems beneath many cases of chronic homelessness – mental health and addiction. Within five years, the project hopes to have built 100 homes, in either one or two buildings. Roberts said this will be enough to support 20 percent of the just over 500 chronically homeless individuals surveyed to be in south Nevada. He explained that the chronically homeless are those who have been homeless for at least two years. The initiative also includes mental health offices in the housing units and transportation on and off of campus. The initiative is a practical implementation of social justice, rooted in faith.

(Catholic News Agency, Perry West)

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/catholic-charities-unveils-plan-to-fight-chronic-homelessness-in-southern-nevada-66531

# data[].attributes.body
At least 200 people were killed in explosions Easter morning, detonated in churches other sites across Sri Lanka. Hundreds more are reportedly injured.

At 8:45 a.m., explosions were detonated during Easter Mass at churches in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, and in Negombo, a city 20 miles to its north. At the same time, a bomb exploded at a service at the evangelical Zion Church in Batticaolo, on Sri Lanka’s east coast. St. Anthony’s Shrine was the Catholic church targeted in Colombo, and St. Sebastian’s is the Catholic parish in Negombo.
Pews were shattered by the blast at St. Anthony’s Shrine in Colombo, and floors and ceilings were covered in blood. The shrine is the most well-known Church in Sri Lanka, and is designated the country’s national shrine. The first chapel on the Church property was built during Sri Lanka’s Dutch colonial period, when Catholicism was mostly forbidden on the island.There were also explosions Sunday morning at three luxury hotels in Colombo, and explosions outside a zoo and a private home Sunday afternoon.
JD Flynn, Catholic News Agency.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/sri-lanka-easter-church-and-hotel-bombings-kill-at-least-100-53835

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A better choice than late-term abortion: perinatal hospice care

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
My teenage daughter recently developed a headache and fever bad enough for her to tell me: "Mom, I need to go to the emergency room. Please, take me now." At the E.R. we learned that not only was she running a fever of 102, but her heart rate was well above what it should have been for a 15-year-old.

# data[].attributes.body
My summary got clipped when I tried to upload it and completely deleted when I tried to put the link  of my article, but It created the thing above, so maybe that contains my summary. This article was very good and talked about ow there is a better choice than late term abortion. It showed that most women who want to get a late term abortion are not doing it out of a life or death situation, but for comfort. The other option is called perinatal hospice care. This gives the baby the best chance at survival. There is a really cool story in the article as well.

# data[].attributes.body
Father Carlos Martins preaches that for Catholics to reach heaven, they must possess forgiving hearts, participate in the sacraments and live their Christian identities to the fullest. Father Martins, a member of the Companions of the Cross community, travels around the United States and beyond speaking about the faith, and providing people with tangible evidence to pursue their devotion in the exposition and veneration of sacred relics. While non-Catholics might find the veneration of relics unusual or even strange, it is solidly rooted in Scripture and an important tradition of the Catholic Church, the priest explained during a 60-minute presentation before the exposition. Saints and their relics are not worshipped, but honored in a manner that acknowledges God's work in their lives, he said.

Father Martins, 44, who said he was an atheist before he joined the Catholic Church while in college, said he has felt blessed by all the goodwill and healings via the relics.

(https://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2019/honoring-saints-can-heal-body-soul-says-priest-leading-relics-tour.cfm, Catholic news Service, Anthony Wooden)

# data[].attributes.body
Sri Lanka Easter Church and Hotel Bombings Kill at Least 200:
At approximately 8:45 am on Sunday, bombs were blown up during Easter Mass at churches in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, and in Negombo. At least 200 people were killed in the explosions Easter morning. At the exact same time, explosions also occurred at a service in a Zion Church in Batticaloa, which is on Sri Lanka's east coast. St Anthony's Shrine is the most well-known Church in the country and was the first chapel on the Church property built during Sri Lanka's Dutch colonial period when Catholicism was mostly forbidden on the island. To add to this massacre, there were also explosions at three luxury hotels in Colombo as well as outside a zoo and a private home late afternoon. There hasn't been any group to claim responsibility for the multiple attacks, however, a police spokesman said, "Seven people have been arrested in connection with them."
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/sri-lanka-easter-church-and-hotel-bombings-kill-at-least-100-53835
Catholic News Agency
JD Flynn

# data[].attributes.body
Title: Feet First

This Thursday, Holy Thursday, we entered the Triduum. Mass is different this night. For the only time all year, we start the mass by taking off our shoes and socks and using soap, water, and towels. In John’s gospel, Jesus washed everybody’s feet that night, and he said: “For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you” (13:15). How each parish goes about this differs slightly, sometimes it takes more than an hour as the entire parish of people come barefoot and someone washes their feet. Then each whose feet had been washed could choose to kneel down and wash the feet of another. Everything we bring with us of the world, what we think of as “ourselves,” breaks down here. That is how we are helped to enter the Triduum. Now we are ready to travel through the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

(http://www.uscatholic.org/church/2012/03/feet-first, Gabe Huck, US Catholic faith in Real Life)

# data[].attributes.body
Notre Dame Cathedral in France caught on fire this past April 15. The fire started around 6:30 in the evening. The 850 year old cathedral that had withstood wars and revolutions caught on fire for unknown reasons. The fire started in the attic of the cathedral, which caused the iconic steeple to catch on fire. Notre Dame had been started to crumble, so the Archdiocese of Paris opened an urgent fundraising appeal in 2018. An hour after the fire started, firefighters started to contain the fire. The fire consumed the upper portion of the cathedral and the main steeple was filled with flames, eventually causing it to collapse into the church. Emergency responders entered the cathedral in an attempt to preserve priceless art and statues from destruction.
(https://www.catholicherald.com/News/National__cause_unknown/ Catholic News Service

# data[].attributes.body
The president of France and the archbishop of Paris have vowed to rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral after a devastating fire, continuing what a professor of architecture described as the natural lifecycle of a historic building."Like all historic monuments Notre Dame Cathedral is the result of hundreds and hundreds of years of development with an initial idea, a long and labor-intensive construction process, design changes, additions, demolitions and remodeling over and over again as fashions and usages change. So, from the initial construction, which began in 1160, the cathedral "was transformed multiple times," he told Catholic News Service in Rome, where he regularly teaches. When one looked at Notre Dame before the fire, "we weren't seeing the cathedral as it was built, we were seeing it through layers of change." The pope also expressed his confidence that the cathedral would be rebuilt and continue its vocation as "a sign of the faith of those who built it, the mother church of your diocese, (and) the architectural and spiritual heritage of Paris, France and humanity."
https://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2019/hope-from-the-ashes-president-archbishop-vow-to-rebuild-notre-dame.cfm

# data[].attributes.body
The mural, which had a reveal celebration on March 21, was created by Mario Figueroa Jr., a native Houstonian whose art is featured across the city. He rendered St. Thomas, a 13th-century Italian Dominican friar and doctor of the church, behind an outline of the downtown Houston skyline and the name of the city. An abbreviation of the school, U.S.T., is highlighted in red script. The figure of St. Thomas is flanked on either side by drawings of the Chapel of St. Basil and of Link Lee Mansion, which houses the office of the university president. The saint’s halo resembles the walking labyrinth that is adjacent to the chapel, itself a replica of a labyrinth on the grounds of the cathedral in Chartres, France.
https://www.americamagazine.org/arts-culture/2019/04/12/meet-catholic-graffiti-artist-who-created-giant-st-thomas-aquinas-mural

# data[].attributes.body
The perfect pitch Dominican Sister Mary Jo Sobieck threw prior to a Chicago White Sox game last summer not only went viral but is still out of the park. First, there was a bobblehead in her image and now, she has her own baseball card.
Not bad for a theology teacher at Marian Catholic High School in Chicago. And in baseball terms, it's a double, because the money she gets for the cards goes directly to her school's scholarship program. Sister Mary Jo also gets to throw out the pregame pitch April 11 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis before the Cardinals' game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, which isn't bad for the sister who also happens to be a Cardinals' fan.
https://www.americamagazine.org/arts-culture/2019/04/12/nun-who-threw-perfect-pitch-mlb-game-getting-her-own-baseball-card

# data[].attributes.body
Police fatally shoots man at Catholic church during Palm Sunday Mass

In Rushville Nebraska, a man was fatally shot during a Palm Sunday mass. No other injuries were reported Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. The Nebraska State Patrol says the man was suspected of an assault at another Rushville address and was spotted at the church. He’s been identified as 32-year-old Clarence Leading Fighter. It is unclear whether the man was armed.
CRUX, Associated Press (https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2019/04/15/police-fatally-shoots-man-at-catholic-church-during-palm-sunday-mass/)

# data[].attributes.body
The Catholic high school student at the center of the encounter with a Native American tribal leader at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington filed a $250 million lawsuit against the Washington Post. The suit is 38 pages long and claims there are no less than 6 false articles. It also claims that the newspaper ignored to report on both sides of the story and impugned individuals perceived to be supporters of the president. The teen is represented by Todd McMurtry of the Covington-based law firm Hemmer Defrank Wessels and by L. Lin Wood, an Atlanta attorney involved in high-profile defamation suits. In January, Sandmanns, the teenager's family, sent over 50 letters to various media outlets and journals warning of possible legal action. According to The Washington Post, the newspaper's spokeswoman, Kristine Coratti Kelly, said: "We are reviewing a copy of the lawsuit, and we plan to mount a vigorous defense."

(America Jesuit Review, Carol Zimmermann)

https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2019/02/20/covington-catholic-student-sues-washington-post-250-million

# data[].attributes.body
Catholic apple farmer sues over market ban:
A Michigan farmer is suing the city of East Lansing after he was prohibited from selling organic apples at the city's farmer market - the reason has to do with his religious beliefs. The owner of the Country Mill Farmer's Market, Steve Tennes, was inquired in August of 2016 on his Facebook page if he would host a same-sex wedding. Tennes, a devout Catholic, said that he would not, due to his religious beliefs. As a result of his response, Tennes was blocked from attending future farmer's markets. The Facebook description on the Country Mill Farm’s page says “Our family farm seeks to glorify God by facilitating ‘family fun on the farm’ and feeding families.” In addition to apples, the farm also grows peaches, blueberries, and pumpkins, and has a winery. Country Mill Farms briefly stopped hosting weddings in response to the backlash but has since resumed.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/catholic-apple-farmer-sues-over-market-ban-28564
Catholic News Agency
Christine Rousselle

# data[].attributes.body
In Panama City the World Youth Day was held, and young Catholics brought light to some of the environmental injustices. Saying that so much has changed and will continue to change for the worse if we don't stop it. That the world doesn't belong to one group or religion, but that it's the world's home and we should come together and help it.
https://www.ncronline.org/news/quick-reads/manifesto-world-youth-day-calls-attention-environment

# data[].attributes.body
Perry West talks about a Catholic church in San Diego where they have put up signs in the parking lot reminding parishioners of the graces they have received at Mass. On Thursday, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church erected nine placards listing the fruits of the Holy Spirit. The parish’s pastor, Father Anthony Saroki, told Catholic News  that the goal is to help parishioners focus on a life with Christ and the acquisition of spiritual fruits. "Even just those words, the power of those words – reading them, thinking about them – brings us into that contact with that reality which is that life in Christ and the Spirit. The fruits of the Spirit are a good representation of what that life is.”
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/calif-parish-hopes-parking-lot-signs-will-foster-fruits-of-holy-spirit-98138

# data[].attributes.body
Title: A Catholic Guide to Holy Week Symbols

In this article, the author discusses the meaning behind the symbols used during Holy Week. First, she discusses Palm branches. Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday, named after the palm branches the Jews used to praise Jesus as he entered Jerusalem. Palms are an important symbol in Jewish history, in biblical times they symbolized victory over oppressors. This is why Catholics use palms on Palm Sunday to welcome their Savior. Second, the bread and wine recall Jesus’ institution of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper on the day before his crucifixion. Third, a towel recollects the moment when Jesus wrapped a towel around his waist and washed his Apostles’ feet at the Last Supper. Next, the cross has become the iconic symbol of Catholicism. It was first a symbol of death, but after Jesus rose it has become the sign of salvation. Lastly, fire symbolizes that Jesus is the Light of the World. Fire demonstrates Jesus’ power to lead the world out of darkness when he defeated death that first Holy Saturday by rising again. There are many significant symbols used during Holy Week, and each has a deeper meaning than originally meets the eye.

(https://bustedhalo.com/ministry-resources/a-catholic-guide-to-holy-week-symbols, by: Dolores Smyth, bustedhalo.com)

# data[].attributes.body
What the Bible Tells Us About Being Body Positive
We all tend to struggle with body image in a world that's hyper-focused on our physical appearance. Here are some meaningful Bible verses that speak to me about loving my body.
In the face of day to day decisions, we should ask what Jesus would do. In John 8:23 he says "you belong to what is below, I belong to what is above. You belong to this world, but I do not belong to this world”. If we really want to be like Jesus, we have to deal with obsessions such as putting too much emphasis on how we look.
Psalm 139:14: “I praise you because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works! My very self you know.” God created me in His image. If I am disrespecting my body than I am disrespecting God. Another verse I liked was 1 Corinthians 6:19- “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?”. This verse evokes a passion in me to take care of my body.
https://bustedhalo.com/ministry-resources/bible-tells-us-body-positive

# data[].attributes.body
Human trafficking is 'crime against humanity,' pope says
Human trafficking denies the human dignity of a victim, as Pope Francis says. On April 11th, the pope says that human trafficking, "in its multiple forms, is a wound in the humanity of those who endure it and those who commit it." "Trafficking," the pope said, is "an unjustifiable violation of the victims' freedom and dignity, which are integral dimensions of the human person willed and created by God. This is why it must be considered, without a doubt, a crime against humanity."
Francis praised women religious, in particular, but also all Catholics working to stop human trafficking and assist the victims. Before offering his blessing to conference participants, he prayed that God would "bless all the victims, console them, be close to the many who suffer from being despised, humiliated, commercialized."
Some forms of human trafficking, for example sex trafficking, are well known, he said, but there also is a growing trafficking in newborn babies and in women who can serve as surrogates."The birth mothers are often poor and feel they have no choice but to sell themselves or their children for money," he said.
(https://www.ncronline.org/news/justice/francis-chronicles/human-trafficking-crime-against-humanity-pope-says, Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service)

# data[].attributes.body
Why as Christians we need to read widely--- and deeply
It is important that we as Christians read to learn about the people that are different than us. As Joyce Carol Oates once said, "Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another’s skin, another’s voice, another’s soul.” Reading books about other types of people gives us the perspective to understand where they are coming from and acting more, Reading should remind us that God has not limited to understanding and we should try to be like him. Not exploring other perspectives can often lead to ignorance, sin or immaturity. Sometimes reading other perspectives can make us uncomfortable but it is important in our growth.
https://www.americamagazine.org/arts-culture/2019/04/08/why-christians-we-need-read-widely-and-deeply
America Magazine
Katelyn Beatly

# data[].attributes.body
The Catholic high school student at the center of the encounter with a Native American tribal leader at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington filed a $250 million lawsuit against the Washington Post. The suit is 38 pages long and claims there are no less than 6 false articles. It also claims that the newspaper ignored to report on both sides of the story and impugned individuals perceived to be supporters of the president. The teen is represented by Todd McMurtry of the Covington-based law firm Hemmer Defrank Wessels and by L. Lin Wood, an Atlanta attorney involved in high-profile defamation suits. In January, Sandmanns, the teenager's family, sent over 50 letters to various media outlets and journals warning of possible legal action. According to The Washington Post, the newspaper's spokeswoman, Kristine Coratti Kelly, said: "We are reviewing a copy of the lawsuit, and we plan to mount a vigorous defense."

(America Jesuit Review, Carol Zimmermann)

https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2019/02/20/covington-catholic-student-sues-washington-post-250-million

# data[].attributes.body
Pope Francis said in his message for World Communications Day that social media are anti-social, anti-human and anti-Christian when they are used to increase differences, fuel suspicion, spread lies and vent prejudice. The Catholic Church and all people of goodwill see great potential in social media when the "net" and "networks" bring people together, help them share useful information and educate one another, he said. But, the pope wrote, people's "social web identity is too often based on opposition to the other, the person outside the group: We define ourselves starting with what divides us rather than with what unites us, giving rise to suspicion and to the venting of every kind of prejudice -- ethnic, sexual, religious and other." Pope Francis' message for World Communications Day, which most dioceses will celebrate June 2, cites a passage from Ephesians, "We are members one of another," and focuses on moving "from social network communities to the human community."

(https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2019/01/24/pope-reflects-using-social-media-good, America; the Jesuit Review, Cindy Wooden)

# data[].attributes.body
Red and white thread embroidered on handkerchiefs bring attention to those who suffered in the drug war between America and Mexico. The original purpose of the Red Fountains was to raise a voice for the victims of the violence. This movement has spread all over the world; each piece displays information in Spanish about victims. A handkerchief was chosen to represent drying tears. While some pieces are completed, many are still a work in progress; in 2018 238 deaths were reported.
https://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2019/red-embroidery-on-white-handkerchiefs-memorializes-victims-of-violence.cfm Catholic News Service, by Laura Vallejo

# data[].attributes.body
https://bustedhalo.com/ministry-resources/plan-personal-spiritual-retreat
How to Plan a Personal Spiritual Retreat
Sometimes you need to reconnect with your religion, or need to see what another religion is like. For Shemaiah Gonzales, this is what she needed to convert to Catholicism. She spent the evening at a Benedictine retreat, and this is what she needed to gather his thoughts about religion and what she believed. Now she is suggesting readers to do the same. Conversion is not needed, but rather the need to reconnect or grow closer to your faith. The monks at these retreats are very helpful with the scheduling process, and you can even join them in prayer. Sometimes, all you need is the quiet of the monastery to remind you that God is here for you.

# data[].attributes.body
Last month, reports about college admissions fraud involving 33 parents revealed the extent to which some will go to to get their children admitted into the best colleges. The story has gained lots of attention worldwide and has inspired a lot of conversations over social media. This scandal tells us more about who we are and where we are headed as a culture. College students face massive amounts of anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. This new college admission fraud makes it seem as if the rising levels of stress and anxiety among high school and college students is overfilling and spilling into lives of parents and other guardians.
(The Jesuit Review, Bill McGarvey, https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2019/04/04/were-sacrificing-our-kids-mental-health-college-admission-industrial)

# data[].attributes.body
Drawing Closer to God by Letting Go
Psalm 23 invites us to open our clenched fists and release whatever we are clinging to so fiercely, whether it is the deep grief of losing someone we love, the depletion of our souls by unexpected hardship or our own need to act as if we are in charge of our lives. God is in control. You are here, your rod and your staff will protect me, you will comfort me. Perhaps as we prepare for the Holy Week that is to come, we will trust fully in God, knowing that whatever our circumstances, we need fear no evil, “for you are with me.”
https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2019/04/08/drawing-closer-god-letting-go
America, The Jesuit Review, Elizabeth Kirkland Cahill

# data[].attributes.body
After three girls in Juba, South Sudan were killed in a fire at a Catholic girls boarding school last month, the local Catholic diocese and state government have announced that they plan to repay the two families of the girls with 93 cows. The fire occurred at night on Thursday, March 21st. One of the victim's dormitory was badly burned and still smoldering after the fire was contained. The two girls who died were very young; Hellena Amou (8) and Deborah Angeth Dor (7) were both found in sleeping positions in their dorm rooms. The rest of the 100 boarders escaped unharmed. The fire took place at the primary boarding school at the Sacred Heart Parish, Don Bosco Mission of Tonj in the Rumbek Diocese of South Sudan. The exact cause of the fire is still unknown, and Father Antimi Paul, a Salesian priest at the mission said that they may have "a lead in the possibility that this could as well be a deliberate attack by an arsonist. At the moment all activities came to stand still, school closed, hospital closed and Sister and Priest are indoors so traumatized living in fear of revenge,” he said.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/cattle-paid-to-south-sudan-families-after-girls-died-in-catholic-school-fire-13411
Catholic News Agency
JD Flynn

# data[].attributes.body
Choose your words carefully

In a room full of anxious ninth graders, you could hear a pin drop. Before handing out the math exam, we began with silent prayer. Pray for clarity or to remember what you studied, she instructed, for if we did not study, prayer was not going to magically deliver the answers. Prayer before an exam is a moment so ubiquitous that it can become reflexive. Yet this was precisely when Sister Marilyn urged us to be deliberate and careful. Years of Catholic schooling emphasized the importance of prayer, but she was the first to emphasize the importance of how and for what we pray.
Words matter. Consider instead, “We pray for members of the military deployed, for their safe return, and for peace in all communities experiencing war and violence.” It is possible to include a specific prayer for deployed parishioners without sacrificing our collective prayer for peace. Scripture urges us to approach God with humility. Nowhere is this clearer than in the juxtapositions of Ash Wednesday. As we collectively acknowledge our sinfulness, marked publicly with a cross, “Remember you are dust and unto dust you shall return.”
Through prayer we shape our communities and ourselves. In faith we believe prayer is powerful. For these reasons, Pope Francis has called for global prayer vigils for Syria and for a humane response to the global migration crisis. And always, humility and discernment are paramount. It is not enough that we pray. How we pray matters. Our language makes a difference.

(https://www.uscatholic.org/articles/201904/choose-your-words-carefully-31692, Meghan J. Clark, US Catholic)

# data[].attributes.body
On April 1, Pope Francis talked about abortion. He talks about a scenario where a woman is raped. He said he could understand the desperation the woman in such a scenario might feel, but that “it is not lawful to eliminate a human life to solve a problem.” He thinks that taking a human life won't solve any problems. Francis said that women in crisis pregnancies should not be left “on the street,” but “thanks to God,” there is an increased awareness in the last decades of the need to help women in difficult situations.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-even-in-desperation-abortion-wont-solve-problems-80967

# data[].attributes.body
Australia sees drop in Catholic population of 2.7% between 2011-2016

Australia’s Catholic population fell by 2.7% between 2011 and 2016.The Catholic population was at nearly 5.3 million in 2016 compared with more than 5.4 million in 2011. Catholics comprised 22.6% of the country’s total population in 2016, down from 25.3 percent five years earlier. “The drop in the number of Catholics is concerning and the bishops are keen to understand what’s behind it and respond as positively as possible,” Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane, president of the Australian bishops’ conference, said i. He also pointed to recent data on falling Mass attendance, surmising that government inquiries and “related revelations about child sexual abuse as well as a general drift away from religious practice and a broader trend of disaffiliation” have contributed to reducing Australia’s Catholic population.
Catholic News Service, CRUX (https://cruxnow.com/church-in-oceania/2019/04/07/australia-sees-drop-in-catholic-population-of-2-7-between-2011-2016/)

# data[].attributes.body
Title: 4 Ways Lent Can (Still) Change You

This article starts by discussing Lent’s impact on our lives. Much like the ashes we received on Ash Wednesday, Lent is something that has already disappeared for many in today’s stressful world. This is unfortunate because Lent can change our view of the world and better our lives. The article discussed four different ways that Lent can change us. First, we are told to “remember the ashes.” The message of “from dust to dust we shall return” is not pessimistic, but rather realistic. When we remember that we are mortal we appreciate our lives even more. The ashes teach us to be more grateful for the people and things in our lives that are already there. Even though the ashes are physically gone, if we live with the idea of impermanence, we will be more grateful. Second, “recognize that sacrifice is truly an act of beneficial simplicity.” When we give things up during Lent, the simplicity practiced allows us to gain a greater appreciation of what is in our lives. Third, Lent gives us the opportunity to be compassionate in new ways. Almsgiving, which is one of the hallmarks of Lent, is giving of ourselves to others in our family and friends. Fourth, “prayer gets a fresh start.” By putting ourselves in the presence of God in the morning as we reflect on these four ways, we can allow Lent to be a time of change for us. The prayer life we always promised ourselves we would start or strengthen comes to life. “When God’s will and our will intersect, we become free, more whole, and life changes for the better.”

(https://bustedhalo.com/ministry-resources/experiencing-spiritual-intrigue-4-ways-lent-can-change-you, Busted Halo, Dr. Robert J Wicks)

# data[].attributes.body
How to Cope When Other People Let You Down
Being let down can range from something minor or major like serious betrayal. We often feel hurt, angry, and rejected. Jesus was many times let down, but he was compassionate and understood. Here are some lessons on how to handle situations when others let us down.
1. Don't jump to conclusions Ask yourself whether it's in someone's character to deliberately fail you. There may be good reasons.
2. Try not to take it personally
3. Have an honest conversation
4. Seek support from a trusted friend or adviser
5. Work at forgiveness

We are only human, so it's natural to feel angry, hurt, and betrayed when we are down. However, we can always control how we react.
https://bustedhalo.com/life-culture/how-to-cope-when-other-people-let-you-down

# data[].attributes.body
Speaking to young detainees at a penitential liturgy in Las Garzas de Pacora Juvenile Detention Center in Panama Jan. 25, the pope said society creates "an adjective culture" that prefers to immediately label people as good or bad rather than truly getting to know them. The detainees -- wearing white World Youth Day T-shirts - chanted "Esta es la juventud del papa" ("We are the pope's youths.") Many wore rosaries around their necks or held them in their hands. In a message sent to journalists, the Vatican said the pope's drive around the neighborhood of Pacora was "a sign of closeness to the people who live in this periphery."

Pope Francis told them, "Keep fighting, all of you, to seek and find the paths of integration and transformation." "The Lord will bless, sustain and accompany you."

(https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2019/01/25/jesus-love-does-not-use-labels-pope-tells-young-detainees-panama, America; The Jesuit Review, Junno Arocho Esteves)

# data[].attributes.body
Pope Francis acknowledged that members of the Catholic clergy have abused nuns. In the past, he has been criticized on how he's handled this topic. Many are dissatisfied with the Vatican's response of many sexual-abuse scandals recently. "There are many nuns within the church who are suffering." These scandals were first brought to the table about a year ago, and the pope just addressed it, leaving many people across the globe furious.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/02/05/pope-francis-confirms-catholic-clergy-members-abused-nuns/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.a0f01f75a346 The Washington Post, written by Max J. Rosenthal and Michelle Boorstein

# data[].attributes.body
The bishop of Colombia is encouraging humanitarian aid for Venezuela. Colombia shares a border with Venezuela and says that the people of Venezuela are suffering tremendously. The Church has been responding to the crisis in Venezuela from the beginning. Bishop Victor Manuel Ochoa Cadavid of Cúcuta said that when Maduro's government began deporting Colombians in August 2015, the Church in Cúcuta “began its services to the brothers experiencing hardship.” The Diocese of Cucuta has been serving thousands of people who cross the border daily. Since 2015, they have distributed a million good quality warm serving without counting emergency servings. When the food runs out, they find pasta and fish to serve for them. No child, man, or women goes without having something to eat. This is all possible through 800 committed volunteers from parishes and ecclesial movements who are joined by priests and nuns.

(Catholic News Agency, ACI Prensa [sister agency of CAN])

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/colombian-cardinal-encourages-humanitarian-aid-for-venezuelan-people-48068

# data[].attributes.body
Unplanned had to overcome an R-rating, which mean that girls old enough to have an abortion in some places without their parents’ knowledge couldn’t go see a film about abortion without a parent or legal guardian. Unplanned is based on a book by Texan Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood clinic director who quit in 2009 after, she says, personally witnessing an ultrasound-guided abortion she was asked to assist in. She then did a 180-degree turn and is now an ardent pro-life activist. According to Twitter, Unplanned was not suspended on purpose, but rather was linked to another account that had violated Twitter’s rules. When one account violates those rules, the system then cracks down on linked accounts to mitigate the risk that the original banned account would simply move accounts. After reviewing this case a second time, Twitter decided the Unplanned account should not be affected by the other’s suspension and restored it.
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/kateohare/2019/04/pro-life-unplanned-abby-johnson-abortion/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=FBCP-CAT&utm_content=April2019

# data[].attributes.body
Chances are that if you’ve gone to a superhero movie anytime in the past several years, you’ve noticed something about the genre as a whole: Comic books, and even more so comic book movies, are largely a male-dominated field. Thankfully, studios are beginning to see the error of their ways, and there’s no better example than the new film Directed by Patty Jenkins and starring Gal Gadot as Diana of Themyscira/Wonder Woman, the film stands firm among its counterparts, breaking records and bringing in more than $200 million opening weekend. The successes enjoyed by “Wonder Woman” only strengthen the movie’s assertion that not only can women stand on equal footing with men, but that everyone is ultimately better off when they do. It is a big step in culture to make a women superhero movie.

https://bustedhalo.com/life-culture/wonder-woman-success-box-office-equality

# data[].attributes.body
Quebec bill would bar religious symbols for government employees
A bill introduced recently in Quebec would prevent government workers from expressing their religion through religious symbols during office hours. The bill would ban religious symbols belonging to all faiths including Muslim headscarves, Jewish yarmulkes, and crucifixes. The intent behind the legislation is "to assert the secularity of the state and to specify the requirements that flow from it," said Simon Jolin-Barrette. The bill has sparked controversy as many claimed its an act of discrimination and an "affront to religious freedom." Bills like this have been declared unconstitutional in the past by some governments and constitutional by others. These symbols are extremely important to the faithful and should not be banned.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/quebec-bill-would-bar-religious-symbols-for-government-employees-42789

# data[].attributes.body
The marketplace, not elected officials, should decide whether a company should open an outlet in a particular location, said San Antonio Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller. The archbishop was asked what he thinks of the San Antonio City Council's 6-4 vote March 21 to exclude Chick-fil-A from a list of restaurants that could operate at San Anton International Airport. The vote was to exclude the restaurant because the company supports traditional marriage. He later stated that "it is best in this circumstance that elected officials not restrict a restaurant chain's right to conduct business. Let the marketplace decide, and consumers will select which businesses to support--or not to support-- with their dollars, as they always do."

https://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2019/texas-looking-into-city-vote-to-bar-restaurant-chain-over-marriage-views.cfm
Catholic News Service

# data[].attributes.body
"Arizona Home helps women rebuild lives after prison"
After leaving prison, both men and women face challenges finding housing, finding employment, patching up relationships with family members and friends, etc. A criminal record, no matter how serious, makes live much more difficult to live. In Flagstaff, Arizona, a inmates in a women's home run by Catholic Charities have been receiving serious help getting back on their feet. This house, known as the Juniper House, opened in 2016 and has already helped 55 women re-enter society after leaving jail. The project works with women who went through a sobriety program completed during incarceration known as Exodus. The Juniper House only can host eight women at a time, so the wait list keeps growing. The women that go through the program set goals maybe to complete their education, or to reunite with family members, or to focus on jobs. Past friendships might push women back into substance abuse and criminal records might make it difficult for the women to find work. This program is by no means easy for the women that go through it. Juniper House's goal is to minimize the stress women face as they exit incarceration and to give those women possible shot at finding work, remaining substance free, and moving forward with their lives.
(Perry West, Catholic News Agency, https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/arizona-home-helps-women-rebuild-lives-after-prison-43714

# data[].attributes.body
"Growing Closer to Jesus This Easter"
As humans we can lose sight of the impact of God's love. Easter provides the perfect opportunity to refresh our minds. So how can we grow closer to Jesus this Easter season?
- Live a Christ-Like life: dedicate your time through volunteering and serving the less fortunate. “He said also to the man who had invited him, ‘When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.’” (Luke 14:12-14). Apply these words by tying to serve your community this Resurrection Sunday. Practicing God's love each day honors His sacrifice.
- Connect with Family: Try a few if these Easter-oriented family activites like host a Bible study, talk about some of your sins and learn how to help each other, and encourage open dialogue with your children. These activities will help bring the mind and heart to celebrate Easter to its fullest.
- Worship and Spread the Word: make an effort to regularly attend worship and invite friends or other family members to join you. Remember the people on holidays who are lonely.
https://www.spwoc.com/growing-closer-to-jesus-this-easter/

# data[].attributes.body
‘Harry Potter’ books burned at Catholic parish in Poland
Priests in a Catholic Parish in Poland burned the Harry Potter Series because they believed the books have evil forces. Images from the burning at Gdansk’s Mother of Church parish on Sunday were posted on Facebook by Catholic foundation SMS z Nieba (SMS from Heaven,) which uses unconventional means to carry out its religious work. In the pictures, an African wooden mask, a small Buddhist figure, figurines of elephants and books on personality and magic, and J.K. Rowling's books are all burning. The objects were brought in by churchgoers who were encouraged by the priests to clear their homes of objects that had evil forces.
Monika Scislowska, Washington Post (https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/harry-potter-books-burned-at-catholic-parish-in-poland/2019/04/01/d2e9f8b4-549c-11e9-aa83-504f086bf5d6_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.0eb559ff6f5b)

# data[].attributes.body
Praying With Your Eyes: How to Get Started With Visio Divina

Visio Divina is a form of prayer based off the well known Lectio Divina. Visio Divina is Latin for "divine seeing." To pray using it, you slowly contemplate a photo, piece of artwork, or anything else that visually invites God to speak to us on a deeper level. This type of prayer can be practiced alone or with a group. Just find some inspiration, pay attention to your thoughts and feelings, listen for God’s voice, and respond to Visio Divina. Using this as a tool for praying can create a unique spiritual experience.

https://bustedhalo.com/ministry-resources/praying-with-your-eyes-how-to-get-started-with-visio-divina

# data[].attributes.body
(Source: bustedhalo.com)

# data[].attributes.body
There is some confusion about whether Jesus has brothers and sisters after he mentions having brothers on multiple accounts in the Bible. Is is possible that the belief that Jesus was an only child was nothing more than a misconception? We do not know if the brothers he is speaking of specifically are whole brothers, half brothers, or spiritual brothers or friends. It is suspected that Jesus is referring to his half brothers. Apparently, the virgin Mary was recorded as having other children after Jesus with her husband, Joseph. I guess we will never know certainly whether Jesus had brothers and sisters or not.

https://www.uscatholic.org/articles/201312/did-jesus-have-brothers-and-sisters-28224
US Catholic
Author: Meghan Murphy-

# data[].attributes.body
Conversion therapy is isn’t helping anyone, two films show

Two films about gay teenagers whose evangelical Christian parents send them to “conversion therapy” programs to become heterosexual recently came out last year. First came the indie film The Miseducation of Cameron Post, which won the top prize at last year’s Sundance Film Festival. It was released in August and, at this writing, has gone to most of the usual streaming services. Then three months later came the Hollywood production Boy Erased, with proven stars Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe playing the parents. In the wake of the Supreme Court same-sex marriage decision, a cinematic crusade against gay conversion camps might seem like beating a dead horse. But Danny Duncan Collum attests that there are still corners of America where the fact that homosexual orientation is not a matter of choice needs all the affirmation it can get. This is especially true for young people who are still bullied and harassed in schoolyards where a Hollywood movie will carry more weight than a Supreme Court decision.
Boy Erased, set in small-town Arkansas, is based on a memoir by Garrard Conley, who, in 2004, was sent to a “conversion therapy” center. Its depiction of the program’s tactics can be taken as factual, and the picture we get is grim. Clients are yelled at, accompanied to the bathroom, beaten with Bibles, and forced to make videotaped confessions of their sexual sins.

(https://www.uscatholic.org/articles/201902/conversion-therapy-isn%E2%80%99t-helping-anyone-two-films-show-31663, USCatholic, Danny Duncan Collum)

# data[].attributes.body
Title:  When ‘Only’ Is More Than Enough: How Beans and Rice Became Our Weekly Dinner Tradition

In this article, the author discusses a story that took place at the end of what seemed to be another typically frantic day in her house. She was behind schedule, her husband was running late, her baby’s nose was running, and her toddler was running around with unbounding energy. Her toddler stopped to ask her, “What’s for dinner?” She had planned to make a stuffed chicken and broccoli dish but hadn’t had time to even begin grocery shopping, yet. She glanced in her sparse pantry and the only thing she could come up with was beans and rice. She prepared it in twenty minutes, thanks to a package of quick cook brown rice, and, in only one pot, had dinner ready for her family. She served her children, expecting a protest, demand for more, and accusations of not enough. However, she was surprised. Her son asked, “What is this?” She promptly responded, “Well it’s only beans and rice.” He happily said, “Oh. I like only beans and rice.” He was not alone, so did the rest of the family. Everyone ate their share without complaint. No one went hungry. The author explains that this dinner tradition saved her sanity and gave her family a new appreciation for food and family. She had been stressed with ways to teach her children about the season of Lent. She wanted a toddler-appropriate way to explain to her children about sacrifice and repentance. Eating only rice and beans has been part of the solution and has become a weekly menu item meant to keep her family grounded in what really matters. By eating only beans and rice, they are stepping away from extravagance and, instead, focusing on the fact that they all have food. She spends less time in the kitchen and more time with her family. By doing less, she is gaining more and is reminded that “simple is enough.”

(https://bustedhalo.com/ministry-resources/when-only-is-more-than-enough-how-beans-and-rice-became-our-weekly-dinner-tradition, Katie Waite)

# data[].attributes.body
In an in-flight interview with reporters on the papal plane yesterday, Pope Francis drew a distinction between his own personal beliefs regarding celibacy and what might be required for the church to provide proper pastoral care. “Personally, I believe that celibacy is a gift to the church. Secondly, I’m not in agreement with allowing optional celibacy. No!” However, he continued, “there could only be a possibility in these far, faraway places—I think about the islands in the Pacific. It’s something to think about when there’s a pastoral need; there the shepherd has to think about the faithful.”

(https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2019/01/29/explainer-will-pope-francis-allow-married-priests, America; the Jesuit Review, James T Keane)

# data[].attributes.body
Pope Francis recently said that when we pray the Our Father we should pray for other's needs. He says we should not pray for ourselves but rather others. We should pray for others as if they are the only one in the world who is suffering. In a continuation of his weekly catechesis on the “Our Father,” Pope Francis focused on the prayer’s repeated use of the words “you” and “us,” rather than an individualistic “I” in his Wednesday general audience. Pope Francis says we should look to Jesus's example of praying for and helping others. Pope Francis also warns us not to be hypocrites by seeking attention when you pray, but rather do it when no one is looking. “Saints and sinners, we are all brothers loved by the same Father,” Pope Francis said.

(Catholic News Agency, Daniel Ibanez)

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-there-is-no-i-in-the-our-father-91147

# data[].attributes.body
From the late 19th through the mid-20th centuries, boxing was one of the most popular sports in the United States, generating journalistic attention and crowds that sometimes surpassed those for football and baseball. Pugilism, as it was once known, was especially popular among immigrant Catholics. As late as the 1970s, boxing saturated U.S. Catholic culture. There were parish boxing clubs and matches sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, sermons about boxing by prominent bishops, and boxing columns in Catholic periodicals. Boxing lessons were common in parish schools, and priests served as trainers at all levels of the sport, a few working with titleholders like Sonny Liston and Joe Louis. The close association between boxing and American Catholicism also showed up in books and films. A number of books by or about Catholic boxers offered meditations on the relationship of the sport to physical as well as spiritual health.
https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2019/03/08/why-boxing-was-most-catholic-sport-almost-100-years

# data[].attributes.body
Patron Saints to help you get through the oscars
St. Genesius- patron of actors
Known primarily for being the patron saint of actors, Genesius also is the protector of torture victims, who, considering all of the Oscar campaigning and publicity that happens, may be one and the same.

St. Jude-  Patron of Lost Causes and Desperate Situations
One of Jesus’ original supporting characters, Jude is known as the patron saint of lost causes and desperate situations. This association came about because of a letter Jude wrote to the Churches of the East, in which he told them that the faithful must keep going, even in difficult circumstances. With those thoughts in mind, think of all those nominees with no wins — or those who havent been nominated— and offer a prayer for them to St. Jude. Or better yet, it’s probably a good idea to pray for more diversity in american nominations... Lost cause indeed!
https://bustedhalo.com/life-culture/6-saints-to-get-you-through-the-oscars

# data[].attributes.body
In Ecuador, in many indigenous Kichwa communities, women spend their lives with the roles of mother, wife, and cultivator of crops for their family. Recently, other corporations and people have entered their ancestral land on the Amazon to harvest precious minerals and resources. Patricia Gualinga is a 49-year-old woman living in one of these communities. Many Kichwa women have stepped up and started participating in environmental activist circles. Some claim they did this because of their abuses since the exploitation has started. There will soon be a Vatican gathering where women will have a voice. One of the main focuses is to raise awareness and an action plan to fight environmental degradation and its consequences (like global warming). Women from all over the country and from many indigenous communities have been invited to attend.
https://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2019/women-in-amazon-take-more-prominent-role-in-environmental-protection.cfm Catholic News Service, written by Rhina Guidos

# data[].attributes.body
Can a baby be baptized during Lent?
Technically a baby can be baptized during Lent by a priest, but they shouldn't. Lent is humanity's desert time, humanity's time of suffering leading up to Jesus' resurrection.  During Lent, we build up to Jesus' resurrection, so we shouldn't baptize any children throughout these forty days. There are, of course, exceptions. Lent takes up 6 weeks out of the 52 weeks in a year and the Church places a huge emphasis on baptizing babies. Typically parishes keep baptism ceremonies during Lend more private and less celebrated. The Church doesn't forbid anyone from being baptized during Lent but we should try to avoid baptizing babies throughout the forty days of suffering.
( Busted Halo, Busted Halo Show with Fr. Dave Dwyer,   https://bustedhalo.com/podcasts/can-baby-baptized-lent)

# data[].attributes.body
Prayer may not always lead us to the desire outcome, leaving us to wonder: does God listen to, or even hear, our prayers? The first step to tackling this question is to define prayer. Prayer is a gift from God which we use with humility to express our covenant relationship and honor our communion and unity with him. In some cases, the effects of these prayers are apparent, namely through miracles. However, we do not know God's heart. All we know is that when we pray, we open ourselves up to God completely, and in doing so, we may find that God is not changing his mind, but instead our hearts.  Therefore, the more we pray, the deeper our relationship with God becomes, making us better people more open to grace and love.  So, even if God does not seem to respond to every request we voice, the benefits of prayer are boundless and should be taken advantage of.

Source: Busted Halo, Fr. Steven Bell
https://bustedhalo.com/ministry-resources/summer-school-2013-june-12

# data[].attributes.body
Young Parkland voters’ ballots were rejected at much higher rate than state average in November
With all the violence in the world right now, many people are debating gun laws. It is always important to put your voice out there, and one of the best ways to do that, we thought, was by voting. But, for many Parkland students who were struggling after watching many of their friends get killed, they were unable to even vote because of Florida's mail in ballots often being rejected and made impossible to fix the issue. People under 30 in Florida are the ones having the most difficulty with this, and many are beginning to wonder if voting is even worth it if often your vote isn't even counted.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/parkland-youths-ballots-were-rejected-at-much-higher-rate-than-state-average-in-november-election-research-finds/2019/03/24/1745cdc8-3c31-11e9-aaae-69364b2ed137_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.363a3b736103

# data[].attributes.body
How to follow in the footsteps of Holy men and women.

1. Rights and Responsibilities

Our Catholic faith teaches us that every human being has a fundamental right to life, dignity, and basic necessities. And we each have the responsibility to support the rights of our neighbors. Salvadoran Archbishop and martyr Saint Oscar Romero lived this responsibility. He was a modest, pastoral cleric who wanted only to serve his people and trust the government to do likewise. But when he saw his people being oppressed and murdered, Romero realized he could not in good conscience ignore his moral duty to speak and to act. Even though it cost him his life, Romero realized that when the structures of government and society fail to respect basic human rights, the Christian has a moral responsibility to protect the rights of all people.

Get involved:

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Campaign for Human Development is dedicated to acting on our common social responsibilities to our communities and our neighbors in need. Any number of community service organizations right in your own parish, neighborhood, or hometown are surely looking for people willing to get involved. Websites such as Volunteer Match or Idealist can help you find opportunities in your area.

2. Life and Human Dignity

Our most fundamental right is the right to life and dignity, as we are made in the image and likeness of God. We use the image of Christ’s Seamless Garment from the Crucifixion to represent our belief that human life should be cherished in total, from conception until natural death. Pope Francis recently drove this point home when he amended the passage in the Catechism regarding the death penalty. Where previous Church teaching allowed for governments to administer the death penalty “if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor,” the new text charges civic authorities to strive toward a deeper commitment to a consistent life ethic. “The Church teaches that ‘the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.’”

Get involved:

Sister Helen Prejean is probably best known for inspiring the movie “Dead Man Walking” in 1995. She continues to advocate against the death penalty at sisterhelen.org. But our obligation encompasses the entirety of human life. Check out what your local diocese offers for pro-life resources. Or volunteer to work with the elderly. Or volunteer to help victims of domestic violence or suicide prevention.  There are many organizations hoping for your help.

3. Option for the Poor

Everyone has a right to the basic necessities of life – food and drink, clothing and shelter. We call this the Universal Destination of Goods. The rich and bountiful resources of the Earth are God’s, intended for the good of all people and not merely a select few. Jesus identifies himself with the poor and the suffering. Whatever we do (or fail to do) for the poorest among us, we are serving (or ignoring) Christ himself . Saint Teresa of Calcutta, founder of the Missionaries of Charity, was especially conscious of this. She would tell her fellow sisters of the order to observe how a priest at Mass handles the Eucharist with tenderness and devotion. “Do not forget,” she said, “that Christ is the same Christ you touch in the poor.”

Get involved:

The U.S. Catholic Bishops and Catholic Relief Services work around the world through Catholics Confront Global Poverty, and to better encounter Christ in the poor, check out your local food pantry, soup kitchen, or homeless shelter for volunteer opportunities.

4. Family and Community

Humans are by design social beings. When God created humankind, he said it was not good for us to be alone, so we find our fulfillment in family, in community, and in society. Before converting to Catholicism, Dorothy Day was a Communist radical. After her conversion, one of her friends said she had always been too spiritual to be a good Communist. In Catholicism, she perhaps found the ideal she had been seeking: Communal life with deep spiritual roots. Day’s Catholic Worker movement brought together a motley assortment of radicals and activists, artists and anarchists, pilgrims, panhandlers, and prostitutes. Modeled after the early Christian communities, where “everything they owned was held in common,” and all was “distributed to each as any had need,” the goal was, as Day liked to put it, “to make the kind of society where it is easier for people to be good.” This chasing after the perfection of God’s Kingdom amongst imperfect humanity was, and is, a challenging lifestyle, but she believed that what we build in this life is the foundation of the life to come, and that means learning to live together and to love one another. Especially when it’s difficult.

Get involved:

Today, the Catholic Worker has active communities throughout the country and the world. Check their website for a directory of houses in need of volunteers.

5. The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers

We all spend a lot of time working. It is how we cooperate in God’s work of Creation, and as such all work should have an inherent dignity to it. That includes ensuring that workers receive a just wage for the work they do. For both the worker and the employer, work should be about more than income. A founding member of the Jesuit order and a close companion of Saint Ignatius Loyola, Saint Peter Faber was only recently canonized by Pope Francis. Around the same time, National Catholic Reporter published an article suggesting him as the patron saint of business. He was a pioneer in understanding business as a moral agent in society. On observing an area of rampant poverty, Faber once wrote, “Perhaps if we had a flair for business … we could concern ourselves more with this problem.” He saw that business, rather than charity, can be a sustainable and long-term solution to widespread poverty. He also recognized the “flair for business” as a spiritual gift, which could be cultivated to serve the common good.

Get involved:

Business and ethics can be uneasy partners in the current socio economic climate, but regional groups and organizations are popping up all over. My own diocese in Burlington, Vermont, recently started a Catholic Professionals Network. And a quick Google search turns up similar groups around the country. Check your local area for a Catholic Business Network, a Businesses for Social Responsibility organization, or a local Rotary Club chapter. These organizations help local business owners support their communities and work to uphold the common good.

6. Solidarity

In the Apostles’ Creed, we profess our faith in a Church that is one (unified) and catholic (universal). What this means, simply put, is that all the people of the world are our brothers and sisters in Christ. In 1987, at a time when economic globalism was becoming a major force around the world, John Paul II wrote the encyclical Sollicitudo rei Socialis, with a heavy focus on the need for global solidarity. We are our brothers’ (and sisters’) keepers. As our culture, our economy, our lifestyle, becomes more globalized we have to recognize the impact we have on others. Basic things like where we shop and what we buy can support, or exploit, workers in poorer parts of the world. Solidarity takes a bit of effort in educating ourselves and learning how we can best help our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Get involved:

During World War II, a small prayer group came together. They recognized that Catholics across Europe were at war with each other – the Body of Christ was literally divided amongst itself. From this, Pax Christi grew into an international organization dedicated to peace and unity.

7. Care for God’s Creation

As mentioned earlier, the Earth and everything on it belongs to God and is entrusted to us for the good of all. Saint Francis of Assisi had a deep and unique understanding of creation as a sacred gift from God to all. He called the Earth, the sun, the wind, and the water his brothers and sisters because all are created by God. It has taken several hundred years to fully appreciate his wisdom. Creation is not a resource to be exploited, but God’s gift to be treasured and protected.

Get involved:

The Franciscan Action Network carries on the work of Saint Francis of Assisi through education and activism. In addition to their environmental work, they are involved in issues of human life and dignity, and bringing peace to the world.

(Source: https://bustedhalo.com/ministry-resources/catholic-social-teaching-in-action-how-to-follow-in-the-footsteps-of-holy-men-and-women)

# data[].attributes.body
What does God take delight in? Our trust.

As people. we like to break the rules. Whether it is bedtimes, speed limits, or homework assignments we break obedience.  We also do this with our promises to God. We fall into a routine with our faith life, and we may show up to weekly mass but not get the spiritual nourishment it can provide. God takes no delight in our empty Sunday sacrifices when they do not connect to our inner life. We are invited, today, to listen—and as the psalmist today colorfully puts it, God has even done us the courtesy of digging out our ears so that we can hear.
America the Jesuit Review
https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2019/03/25/what-does-god-take-delight-our-trust

# data[].attributes.body
Can a Baby Be Baptized During Lent?
In a Busted Halo podcast, Christina, the speaker, shares that her nephew will soon be baptized, however, she heard that baptisms shouldn't be performed during Lent. She asks her priest, Father Dave, if this is true, and if so, why? He explains that baptisms are allowed during Lent, but they shouldn't occur. His explanation for why it shouldn't occur is because Lent is our desert time leading up to the waters of Baptism at Easter. Father Dave also explains to Christina that there are of course exceptions. The Church does not force families to wait six weeks to baptize their children. Some parishes celebrate infant baptisms during Sunday Mass throughout Lent, while other parishes keep baptism ceremonies more private, but they occur after Lent.

https://bustedhalo.com/podcasts/can-baby-baptized-lent
Busted Halo

# data[].attributes.body
Georgia and Tennessee have created bills about abortion that say that if a fetal heartbeat is detected, then abortion will be banned. People are expecting controversy to arise about this if the law is eventually passed. The bill has an exception involving rape, which may calm some people's anger. Another exception is also is if the mother's health is in danger, then the law would not apply. Gov. Bill Lee has said he will sign the heartbeat bill into law if it makes it to his desk. There is controversy about this future bill because not everyone believes that abortion should be illegal. Maryland, Minnesota, Florida, West Virginia, Mississippi, Illinois, and South Carolina are currently considering heartbeat legislation.
Catholic News Agengy
(Heartbeat abortion bans move forward)
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/heartbeat-abortion-bans-move-forward-in-tennessee-georgia-96081

# data[].attributes.body
Just one hour before he set out for the United Arab Emirates, Pope Francis made a powerful appeal to “the interested parties” and “to the international community” to end the humanitarian crisis in Yemen in which some 10 million people risk starvation. Francis said he was following “with great concern the humanitarian crisis in Yemen” where “the population is exhausted by the long conflict” and where “so many children are suffering famine but are not able to have access to the deposits of food” that are in the ports. He called on them to “urgently favor the observance of the international accords that have been reached, to ensure the distribution of food and work for the good of the population.”

(https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2019/02/03/arriving-uae-pope-challenges-his-hosts-help-end-yemen-crisis, America; the Jesuit Review, Gerard O'Connel)

# data[].attributes.body
As Catholics, we have always been promised eternity with God, but what does that really mean? Right now, we have no concept of what eternity is going to be like; we do not have the mental capacity to be able to. It seems like our only option is to either reject this idea or accept it and trust that we will be saved. It is said that eternity with God is "the true answer to all of our longings". We will not want anything more, for we will be eternally satisfied by God's love. Eternal life is a form of ultimate fulfillment, and if we allow ourselves to trust that this could be our fate as Catholics will allow us to enjoy our earthly lives with the comfort of knowing God will be with us eternally.
Simply Catholic
Author: Charles Pope
https://simplycatholic.com/what-will-eternity-be-like/

# data[].attributes.body
How the ‘pop art nun’ inspired a leap of faith
After 10 years of life, ministry, and putting down roots in Central Virginia, Sister Rhonda Miska had just moved to a motherhouse of women religious, following an intuition she hoped was God’s call.  Instead of keeping “becoming a nun” as a vague possibility tucked in some out-of-the-way corner of my consciousness, she needed to either walk through the convent door or close it.  Corita—the “pop art nun”—entered the scene for her when she day-tripped to Pittsburgh’s Warhol Museum to see the “Someday is Now” exhibit. When the museum’s stainless steel elevator doors slid open, she faced an enormous reproduction of Corita’s “Immaculate Heart College Art Department Rules.” She stepped out of the elevator, feeling immediate consolation with the opening words: “Find a place you trust and then try trusting it a while.”

(https://www.uscatholic.org/articles/201902/how-%E2%80%98pop-art-nun%E2%80%99-inspired-leap-faith-31662, Sister Rhonda Miska, USCatholic)

# data[].attributes.body
Title: The Most Incredible Miracle Ever (is a Surprising One!)

The writer of this article discusses a time in his life in which he was going through a difficult time and prayed that God would "give him a sign." This type of prayer is usually a kind of begging for someone bigger to be in charge and have a plan. People typically pray this type of prayer when they feel truly desperate. They pray it because, like a small child, they want to know that a loving caregiver is there and in charge. The author of the article had just received some bad news and felt like his life was falling to pieces. However, he quickly learned that God uses hardships in life, the unfortunate and terrible circumstances, to remind us to draw nearer to Him. The author discusses that when he prayed for a sign, he received one almost immediately. The author was riding with some friends in a car when a particularly meaningful song came on the stereo. This song had not just been a meaningful song in a mix of other equally meaningful songs that he'd listened to often, it was the meaningful song that had gotten him through countless challenging times. He couldn’t believe it. Moments after his heartfelt prayer, the song had begun. Then suddenly, the next song came on. Since receiving bad news, he'd been listening to this particular song on repeat, over and over, for weeks. There it was, playing in the car, just after the other song. He was stunned and broke down in a mess of emotions. In hindsight, he reflects, it seemed a little silly that he truly believed God sent him two songs on a random iTunes playlist. However, he realized the most powerful kind of miracle is powerful precisely because it was so personal.The amazing aspect of this miracle is not like Jesus feeding the five thousand or casting out demons in front of crowds of onlookers. The incredible part of this miracle was that it was tailor-made for him. That the God of the universe descended from heaven to bend down and demonstrate just to him that He cared. God of all Heaven and earth cares so much about us that He would reach down through all space and time and everything to demonstrate He cares.

(by K. Albert Little,  https://www.patheos.com/blogs/albertlittle/the-most-incredible-miracle-ever/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=FBCP-CAT&utm_content=March2019,  Pateos)

# data[].attributes.body
Activists emphasize urgency, hope at Catholic divestment conference

Leading international climate advocates in the Catholic Church stressed the need for urgency to effectively organize to combat climate change at a March 15 conference on fossil fuel divestment in Washington, D.C. On the same day, thousands of students around the world participated in the global Youth Climate Strikes to protest inaction on climate legislation. So far, over 120 Catholic organizations have announced their intention to cut fossil fuels from their portfolios, including "Caritas Internationalis and the bishops' conferences of Ireland and Belgium."
National Catholic Reporter (https://www.ncronline.org/news/environment/activists-emphasize-urgency-hope-catholic-divestment-conference)

# data[].attributes.body
Ten ways to deepen our relationship with God

1. First start by listening to him- most important thing we can do is to be present and listen
2. Cultivate Silence- Things that distract us divert our attention to God, so try to enjoy silence
3. Seek Humility- When we see our sinfulness we can ask for forgiveness, patience, and mercy.
4. Cultivate Honesty- the most painful but important honesty is telling the truth to ourselves about our own motives and actions. Modern life is filled with lies. Honesty allows the mind to breathe and think clearly
5. Seek to be holy- Holiness means "other than". Scripture says to be in the world, but not of the world
6. Pray- God certainly wants to hear that we need and love and fear.
7. Read- Scripture is the living word of God. Reading also shuts out the noise that distracts us from God
8. Believe and act- In the real world, feelings that endure follow actions that have substance.  The more sincere we are in our discipleship, the closer we will come to Jesus Christ.
9. Nobody makes it to heaven alone- We all need friendship and community
10. Nothing is more powerful than that Sacraments of Penance and Eucharist in leading us to the God we seek
http://catholicphilly.com/2014/02/archbishop-chaput-column/ten-ways-to-deepen-our-relationship-with-god/

# data[].attributes.body
12 ways parishes can support people with mental illness

From preaching to political activism, Catholics can show solidarity to people with mental illness in a variety of ways.

1. Support people. An integral part of recovery for people with mental illness is to have a supportive faith community to rely on for their spiritual needs.
2. Be informed about the available resources in your community. People with mental illness and their families will often go to a clergy person and/or parish leaders first.
3. Incorporate specific prayers for those suffering with mental health issues into prayers at worship services. This lets a faith community know that the community prays and cares for people with mental illness. The prayer sends a welcoming message and lets people know that their community supports them.
4. Preach on the subject. Include references to persons with mental illness in homilies about social justice, caring for the poor, discrimination, and compassionate outreach to others. Avoid words or phrases in all sermons and communications that add to the stigmas against mental illness.
5. Give the peace and justice ministry the opportunity to get involved in the systemic problems surrounding mental illness. The failure of the mental health system to meet people’s basic needs is a moral issue. At least one half of the prison population and one third of people suffering from homelessness have some kind of mental illness.
6. Engage in political activism, either through letter writing or direct action.Since much of the problem with obtaining adequate care comes from the lack of funding for existing programs and decent wages for health care workers, state legislators are key to improving the system.
7. Include information about mental illness in the church bulletin or newsletter. This should be a series of articles rather than one or two. This not only keeps the information readable instead of giving parishioners too much to digest at one time, but it also keeps the issue in people’s minds instead of just making it a one-time thing.
8. Include mental illness in healing prayers and services (e.g., anointing of the sick). This gives a sign to the community that all illnesses are included in a parish’s care. Faith communities have to be particularly sensitive in this area, as there is a history of misguided prayer: Mental illness is not demon possession or God’s lack of love for us. It is a disease like any other. 8. Include mental illness in healing prayers and services (e.g., anointing of the sick). This gives a sign to the community that all illnesses are included in a parish’s care. Faith communities have to be particularly sensitive in this area, as there is a history of misguided prayer: Mental illness is not demon possession or God’s lack of love for us. It is a disease like any other.
9. Host speakers on the topic of mental illness. The Chicago Archdiocesan Commission on Mental Illness, The National Catholic Partnership on Disability, The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the American Psychiatric Association, and the Mental Health Association are just a few of the good resources for information and speakers.
10. Institute a peer-to-peer ministry program. People with mental illness often do not have a circle of friends, and an important element to recovery and healing is a caring community.
11. Develop liturgies. Join with your diocese or other local faith communities to have an annual liturgical celebration of persons with a mental illness, their families, and mental health workers/professionals.
12. Promote the dignity of the individual. God loves us each as we are. Use “people first language” (e.g., phrases like “people with a mental illness” rather than “the mentally ill”). No one wants to be known as a disease.

(The Editors of US Catholic https://www.uscatholic.org/articles/201903/12-ways-parishes-can-support-people-mental-illness-31669)

# data[].attributes.body
When we go to Mass, there say sometimes be some confusion on when we should bow. How often do we do it? Are we not doing it enough? The whole reason why we bow it to show respect and reverence to God. There are two types of bows, a head bow and a body bow. A head bow is the lesser of the two, with the body bow being more profound. A body bow is made at the altar and when receiving the Eucharist. Some choose to do a head bow during the Creed. We should not be overthinking when we should bow or if we are doing something wrong. We should be in a reverend state of mind at all times during the Mass, which is why we bow anyways.
Simply Catholic
Author: Unknown
http://simplycatholic.com/when-should-we-bow-at-mass/

# data[].attributes.body
New Jersey may become the next state to approve assisted suicide. The New Jersey senate legislative committee voted on February 7. The bill would permit doctors to prescribe a lethal doses to patients with terminal illnesses. The Catholic Church is opposed to physician-assisted suicide, as well as all other forms of suicide. Those opposed to assisted suicide point out that it has the potential for abuse and that many recipients of it are not actually terminally ill. Furton explained to CNA that the majority of patients who pursue physician-assisted suicide do so due to fears of “being a burden on others” or because they “suffer from despair, loneliness, or feelings of unwantedness.” The New Jersey law would be limited to adults and would need the consent of 2 physicians that agree that the patient seeking to die has less than 6 months to live. In order to receive the lethal does, the patient would have submit 3 requests to a doctor and they must be witnessed by 2 people, one of which cannot be a family member.

(Catholic News Agency, Christine Rousselle)

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/assisted-suicide-bill-advances-in-new-jersey-31295

# data[].attributes.body
Cardinal George Pell in Australia was sentenced to six years in prison. He had recently been found guilty of sexually abusing two boys. Pell is trying to appeal the verdict with a court date set for June 5. He was found to have sexually assaulted two choirboys in a cathedral, both of which were under the age of 16. The judge had to take into factor Pell's age and health problems, since he is 77. He said he realized that "each year you spend in custody" would represent a large portion of the remainder of his life. "You may not live to be released from prison," he said. The judge also reminded us that these assaults happened 20 years ago and Pell has done no harm since then. However, he ordered the cardinal as a sex offender and sentenced him to prison.

( https://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2019/judge-sentences-cardinal-pell-to-six-years-in-prison-on-abuse-charges.cfm Catholic News Service author not listed )

# data[].attributes.body
The role of godparent developed out of the task of sponsor in the catechumenate during the early Church. The function of the sponsor was to insure that a person was ready to receive all three sacraments of initiation — baptism, Eucharist and confirmation — and then to help him or her live out the Christian life. In the early Middle Ages, when infant baptism became firmly established, a sponsor was called a “ patrinus, ” or “godfather,” a term that is retained in popular use although the proper term still is sponsor. While the early Church understood that a sponsor, or godparent, had a definite, hands-on function, all too often today being a godparent is viewed as a ceremonial honor. A good godparent is also, insofar as possible, positively involved in the ongoing faith experience of their godchild. This doesn’t mean merely being physically present at baptism or confirmation, but taking as active a role as practical in preparation for first reconciliation and first Communion, as well as later in life with marriage or holy orders.

http://simplycatholic.com/handing-on-the-gift-of-faith/