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Regulars
Friday, 20 November 2009
The path to nationhood for the East Timorese people was never going to be easy. After a few centuries of oppressive colonial rule by Portugal, including Japan's occupation during World War II, the East Timorese suffered Indonesia's brutal 24 year occupation and the killing and starvation of over 100,000 people. - Stephanie Thomas, The Bilum
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Regulars
Thursday, 19 November 2009
Did Jesus ever say "Mum, I wish it wasn’t so hot?" Did He ever say "It’s too wet to go to school today?" Did He ever sleep in when He shouldn’t have? Did He ever kick his dirty clothes under the bed instead of putting them in the laundry basket? - Bill Farrelly, Marist Messenger
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Regulars
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
Sadly, martyrdom has received a good deal of bad press in recent times. Misguided religious extremists believe that they can gain a high place in heaven by destroying themselves and others in the name of religious martyrdom. It is the polar opposite of the true martyrdom of good people being prepared to give their lives so that others might have a richer life. - Fr Chris Gleeson, Madonna
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Regulars
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
Like many others, the UCA martyrs were killed for the way they lived, that is, for how they expressed their faith in love. They stood for a new kind of university, a new kind of society, a "new" church. The Jesuits and their colleagues concluded that they could not limit their mission to teaching and innocuous research. - Fr Dean Brackley, Thinking Faith
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Regulars
Monday, 16 November 2009
A line drawing of Jesus carrying his Cross adorned his light blue T-shirt as he stood, waiting for Mass to begin, occasionally moving to make space for the steady stream of men heading towards the makeshift confessional. One or two of them appeared incredibly sad, one of them perhaps not far from tears. - Sr Janet Fearns, Catholic Herald
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Regulars
Friday, 13 November 2009
In an age which has witnessed a decline in Christianity on the European continent, Pope Benedict XVI boldly calls for a rebirth of Christianity in Europe. In an age which has been beset by disunity in the ranks of those who bear the name Christian, he has undertaken an extraordinary mission of Church Unity. His prophetic and pastoral response to Anglicans seeking full communion in the safe harbour of the Catholic Church is one among several courageous and prophetic actions taken by this quiet, diminutive, and humble "servant of the servants of God." - Deacon Keith Fournier, Catholic Online
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Regulars
Thursday, 12 November 2009
Jails now house not only serious offenders, but all those people whom society does not know what to do with. These include the homeless, the mentally ill, the unemployable. It seems to me we are becoming more and more intolerant as a society of people who are not earning money, not fitting in and being good consumers, who are in some way handicapped or "different". - St Columban's Mission Society E-News
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Regulars
Wednesday, 11 November 2009
Men initiate men into a world of disrespecting women and bad behaviour from the moment they arrive at college, revelling in the "boys will be boys" and "tradition" nonsense which has been used for far too long to justify a hideous culture. - Carina Garland, The Punch
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Regulars
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
It is difficult to over estimate the degree to which the vote in the House, passing a comprehensive health care reform bill, was a huge victory for the Catholic Church. Yes, for the USCCB, but also for a view of the world that the Church, at times alone, has sustained in the face of the radical individualism of American culture. The belief that health care is a right, not a privilege, took a giant step towards legislative enactment. - Michael Sean Winters, America
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Regulars
Monday, 09 November 2009
Over nine years ago one of the Catholic Church's finest canon lawyers, Father James Provost, a professor at The Catholic University of America, published an exceedingly important article in America magazine, "What If the Pope Became Disabled?" Father Provost died a month later at the age of 60. Unfortunately, his urgent words of advice in that article have still not been acted upon. - Fr Richard P. McBrien, Tidings
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