These days it seems as if people fall into opposing camps on many issues. Abortion is certainly one of the most divisive issues in our society.
But people can change their minds on issues, even polarizing ones like abortion.
Someone who exemplifies the possibility of change is Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood Clinic director. Johnson — whom I’ve heard speak — is now a powerful advocate for the pro-life side of the spectrum.
As a small child, I can remember watching my grandmother work in the garden on the family farm. It was so peaceful to be outside in such a beautiful setting.
My father also had a garden in the backyard of our house in La Crosse when I was young. As a teacher, he had summers off and had the time to plant a big garden. At harvest time, he often went through the neighborhood giving away beets, tomatoes, and other extra vegetables.
I enjoyed helping him plant and care for the vegetables and flowers (which were my favorite part of the garden). To this day, there is nothing I like better than digging in the soil and planting flowers. The smell of the dirt and the sound of insects always make me feel good.
When I’ve helped prepare and serve a meal at the Catholic Multicultural Center (CMC) in Madison, I always come away with a feeling of satisfaction.
I’ve played a role in providing a nutritious meal which the guests appreciate. And I have spent some time volunteering in our community. Hot meals are served every day of the week at the CMC, thanks to hundreds of volunteers who supply the food, get it ready, and serve it to the guests.
The CMC — like so many Church organizations — depends on volunteers. Volunteers are essential in our Catholic parishes, schools, hospitals and health care facilities, and other agencies such as Catholic Charities and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
Her work, begun in the cloister, reached across the globe, Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in a statement following the death of Mother Angelica.
“She was a convincing sign as to how even the humblest of beginnings can yield abundant fruit,” he added.
Over Easter weekend, I watched the 2014 movie Exodus: Gods and Kings, which tells the epic story of Moses and his flight from Egypt to the promised land.
This Ridley Scott film seems to be based fairly accurately on Scripture. After seeing the movie, I did need to do some research into the actual biblical passages to find out who was who. My knowledge of the Old Testament is limited, I discovered.
I was not aware that Moses was married (his wife’s name is Zipporah) and he had one or two sons. He actually lived as a shepherd for many years before God appeared to him out of a burning bush and told him to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt.
We Americans have always prided ourselves on having a democracy that operates fairly well.
Unlike some other countries, we usually settle our differences nonviolently (the Civil War being one big exception). We’ve relied on the ballot box to vote for our leaders.
But over recent years, it seems as if our peaceful way of governing has given way to nasty bickering and even violence in word and deed.
It was back in January of 2002 that we learned about the Boston Globe reporting on the scandal of widespread sexual abuse by priests in the Archdiocese of Boston.
It shocked me, as it did many Catholics. We didn’t realize at the time that Boston was the tip of the iceberg and that priests throughout the country — indeed the world — had been involved in abusing children. And what’s more, Church officials often covered up this abuse.
An order of Sisters has been quietly caring for the elderly for many years. Founded by Sr. Jeanne Jugan in 1839 in France, the Little Sisters of the Poor now serve in over 30 countries of the world.
The Sisters’ website describes their mission “to offer the neediest elderly of every race and religion a home where they will be welcomed as Christ, cared for as family, and accompanied with dignity until God calls them to himself.”
When he opened the Holy Door at the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome at the beginning of the Year of Mercy in December of 2015, Pope Francis declared that people of faith must welcome and experience God’s love and then go out into the world to be instruments of mercy.
The pope added that Christians must be “aware that we will be judged by this.” Being a Christian calls for a lifelong journey and a “more radical commitment” to be merciful like God the Father, Pope Francis said.
This year I didn’t care which team won the Super Bowl. So while I did watch most of the football game, I perhaps paid more attention to the commercials.
One of the commercials that caught my eye was one for Doritos. It featured a pregnant woman having a sonogram in a hospital. The screen showed a picture of the baby inside her womb.
The father of the baby was eating Doritos. The baby’s arms started to move towards a chip and the baby actually came out of the womb to get his own chip.
