I saw an amusing article today, probably drawn from last night’s Academy Awards, featuring photos of Oscar winners and Oscar nominees posing with their former selves. It’s pretty cute, so check out all nine pictures if you’d like here. My interest was piqued, though, by two stars in particular: Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey, who won Best Actor in a Lead Role for his role in Dallas Buyers Club. And Sandra Bullock, who was nominated for her role in Gravity but... Read more
There’s power in cleavage? That was the claim of a recent Detroit Free Press article by columnist Georgea Klovanis which had me steaming. “Cleavage,” the article informed me, “is a powerful, powerful thing.” The article quoted Elisabeth Dale, who calls herself a “breast expert” and who writes a blog titled The Breast Life. “Breasts are very magical,” says Dale. “…They have the power to sustain life. They’re a huge part of a woman’s own sexuality. They’ve been taken over by... Read more
Lent is approaching; and if you’re like me, you really do try during Lent to find more time for prayer, more opportunities for quiet reflection, more impetus to draw nearer to Christ. This year, I have an idea: I’ve been listening to Lent at Ephesus, the third and most recent CD from the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles. I had it in my car; but for me (at least this year), the driving-in-the-snow-and-potholes thing hasn’t worked very well—the road... Read more
On Ash Wednesday, the Archdiocese of Detroit will embark on a “Year of Prayer for a New Pentecost” which will last through Easter Sunday of 2015. Parishes in the Archdiocese have been asked to include in their weekly bulletin this weekend a letter from Archbishop Vigneron, explaining the Year of Prayer. The letter asks Catholics to pray the prayer from 1961, which was included by Pope John XXIII in his announcement of the Second Vatican Council. The prayer reads: “Renew... Read more
Pope Francis is running a fever and has had to cancel this evening’s planned visit to the Pontifical Major Roman Seminary near the Basilica of St. John Lateran. Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See Press Office, confirmed that the pope is indisposed and running a slight fever, and explained that his doctor advised him to cancel the scheduled appointment and to rest. There is no news yet as to when the visit with Rome’s seminarians will be rescheduled.... Read more
“It is worth following the example Jesus Christ gives us–an example of commitment, of service, of selfless love, of the struggle for justice and truth.” This is the message from Pope Francis this morning to members of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, who had just concluded their plenary session; but it is a message for all of us, as well. The Commission had focused in its sessions on the millions of young people in Latin America and the Caribbean... Read more
The penitential season of Lent is an opportunity to grow in holiness and grace. As we look forward to Ash Wednesday, are you seeking inspiration to help you grow closer to God? For Lent 2014, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops has released a helpful calendar which offers inspiration from Pope Francis, as well as advice and ideas for observing Lent in our homes and our parishes. Click here to access the full calendar, including daily links to stories of... Read more
Move over—It’s getting crowded in this galaxy! On Wednesday, February 26, NASA confirmed reports that it had discovered 715 new planets outside our solar system. The newly discovered planetary bodies are what are called “exoplanets”–that is, planets which, although within our galaxy, do not revolve around our sun. All the new planets are in systems like our solar system, in which multiple planets circle a star. All are closer in size to Earth than to the much larger Jupiter. Four... Read more
I was one of those kids who really wasn’t sure what I’d like to do after graduating high school. An honors graduate with specialization in business classes, I found an office job—working as an executive secretary for Michigan Blue Cross-Blue Shield. For several years before beginning college, I boarded a bus each morning for the 15-mile commute to my office in downtown Detroit. So it was that on Monday, July 24, 1967, the day that life changed for the city... Read more
This made me laugh: A study by the California-based Wine Institute has reported that the Vatican City-State consumes more wine per capita than any other country in the world. In fact, according to the Wine Institute, the Vatican’s wine consumption is nearly double that of Italy as a whole. * * * * * BUT DIDN’T THEY KNOW ABOUT THIS? Actually, there are several reasons why wine is used in Rome—apart from... Read more
Seasons of Grace
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