VIEWS

Years ago, a wise friend offered up this little nugget: “I want my kids to experience disappointment. They might as well learn now while they’re young!”

En lo más profundo de su conciencia descubre el hombre la existencia de una ley que él no se dicta a sí mismo, pero a la cual debe obedecer, y cuya voz resuena, cuando es necesario …. La conciencia es el núcleo más secreto y el sagrario del hombre, en el que éste se siente a solas con Dios, cuya voz resuena en el recinto más íntimo de aquélla” (Gaudium et spes, #16).

“Deep within his conscience man discovers a law which he has not laid upon himself but which he must obey. Its voice, ever calling...

How will we testify to the greatness of our God, to the unconditional love of Christ and to the forgiveness and grace we believe we have been endowed with — even through the challenges and heartaches — if we are not joyous?

Unless you lived under a cabbage leaf for the past 30 years or so, you already know that the Mother Angelica (1923-2016) of this book’s title was the founder of the Eternal Word Television Network. As such, she became the first Catholic media personality to garner the attention of the public in anywhere near the numbers racked up by the late, much-admired Archbishop Fulton Sheen in the mid-20th century.

Last year I wrote a column about how love conquers hate. That was true then, and it’s still true now. But as global terror rages on, as global economic crises loom, and as national security concerns hang over our heads like a wet rag on our spirits, maybe it’s important to also realize that love beats fear too when the chips are down.

Recently there was a case of a woman who petitioned the state of Illinois to be able to wear a colander on her head in her drivers’ license photo as part of her religious beliefs. The woman was a Pastafarian, a member of the faux Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster invented out of the imagination of atheist activists.

“We need to return to the message of the Encyclical Humanae Vitae of Blessed Pope Paul VI, which highlights the need to respect the dignity of the person in morally assessing methods of regulating birth.” With these words in his Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis reminded us that his own teaching on marriage and the family builds on the teaching of his papal predecessors; in this particular case when it comes to contraception and the gift of new human life, he draws our attention to the prophetic voice of Blessed Paul VI.

“Es preciso redescubrir el mensaje de la Encíclica Humanae Vitae del Beato Pablo VI, la cual hace hincapié en la necesidad de respetar la dignidad de la persona en la valoración moral de los métodos de regulación de la natalidad”. Con estas palabras en su exhortación apostólica Amoris Laetitia, el Papa Francisco nos recuerda que su propia enseñanza sobre el matrimonio y la familia se basa en la enseñanza de sus predecesores papales; en este caso en particular cuando se trata de métodos anticonceptivos y el don de la nueva vida humana, llama la atención a la voz profética del Beato Pablo VI.

No matter how grim the news, no matter how appalling the latest trend in the culture, we trust in His tender care to see us through every storm.