Mitt Romney was widely quoted as saying he was “not concerned about the very poor,” since they already have a safety net. The remark was roundly criticized, but betrayed a view many people hold, i.e. that the poor are somehow lacking in character or initiative.
Contrast that with a statement by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, “Every individual is worth more than the entire universe.”
This is the Christian view of life as sacred.
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Gen. 1: 26-27). Read more…
It is February again, dark and cold. Some forty Catholic schools will be shutting their doors in Philadelphia. Local public schools will be closing their buildings nights and weekends, in an effort to save on costs. As ever, there is waste and scandal in Washington. As ever, there is unrest in the Middle East.
Again, we protest, we plead, we pray. But there are times we grow discouraged, times our efforts seem to make no difference at all.
In February, when hope eludes us and summer feels as distant as the stars, we can have faith that God made even the darkness and the cold, but is not defined by them. We can have faith that summer will return, and the Light of the World endures.
“You have set all the borders of the earth; You have made summer and winter” (Ps. 74: 17).
Lord God, You appointed the seasons, adorned summer with lush meadows and winter with glistening snow. When all seems dark and cold around us; when the seed lies buried deep in the ground, and spring is a continent away; when we can find no inspiration and no audience, remind us that You are there and in control.
Remind us that You made the seasons, but do not change with them; that the earth and its cares which at times overwhelm us are held securely in the palm of Your hand.
Let the storms rage, and the sun go out. Let the seas roar. We are safe in the arms of our God, safe in the arms of Him who set the borders of all the earth.
Amen
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://avoicereclaimed.com
The Health and Human Services Dept. has issued a regulation requiring that employers provide health insurance coverage for all forms of birth control approved by the FDA, including the morning after pill. There is a religious exemption, but one so narrow many faith based social service agencies will not qualify.
Roman Catholic Bishop William Murphy of New York called the mandate “a radical incursion on the part of our government into freedom of conscience.”
In times such as these, we must take a stand on matters of conscience. That stand may put us at odds with people for whom we care.
Jesus, Himself, said, “‘I did not come to bring peace but a sword’” (Matt. 10: 34). This is not a reference to violence. Rather, it makes clear we must defend the truth whatever the cost to us.
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://avoicereclaimed.com
The Occupy Wall Street Movement has been with us sufficiently to register on the national consciousness. Many are surprised the Movement has lasted this long.
True, many of the “demands” that have surfaced are impractical to say the least. Campaign finance reform has been repeatedly rejected. Gender discrimination, though it still exists, is already outlawed. Only conspiracy addicts want millions more spent to re-investigate the 9/11 tragedy. Even prosecution of the banks, brokerage houses, and insurance companies whose actions contributed to the Great Recession is in many cases not feasible. Newly drafted laws to penalize greed and self-interest cannot be enforced retroactively.
The Occupy Movement should not, however, be dismissed out of hand. It is reflective of a deep unrest – dissatisfaction on a gut level with the consequences of extreme capitalism. That unrest makes the nation vulnerable to any demagogue who may use the opportunity for his own ends.
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://avoicereclaimed.com
Americans defend the little guy. In fact, we’re a nation of little guys. Somehow that fact has been lost. Our elected officials trade their offices for lucre, assuming we are blind to the process.
America has one of the few democracies in history. Patriots died for the principles on which this nation was built: freedom and equality. To the vast majority of us – the little guys of every color and stripe – those words still mean something. We put them into practice every day.
Oh, we’re imperfect. We bicker among ourselves over how best this experiment in self-government is to be worked out. But we manage to live together. That’s what America is all about.
If those in power no longer recognize the vital role they play on our behalf, if they’ve cheapened those principles the rest of cherish, America is in grave danger.
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
A Lawyer's Prayers 