QUOTES TO PONDER
Published July 22, 2010 | 
“Were we directed from Washington when to sow, and when to reap, we should soon want bread.”
–Thomas Jefferson
Democrat policies equal unemployment
Obama’s Electronic Health Records Czar: HIV Status and Abortions Need Not be Included
Published July 22, 2010 | By Matt Cover, Staff Writer, CNSNews, July 21, 2010
Dr. David Blumenthal, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, is the official at the Department of Health and Human Services responsible for the electronic health records program. (HHS photo)
Blumenthal’s office, a subdivision of the Department of Health and Human Services, was created by the stimulus law specifically to generate the standards and regulations that will govern the federally mandated use of EHRs.
Section 3001 of the stimulus law charges the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology with overseeing the “development of a nationwide health information technology infrastructure that allows for the electronic use and exchange of information” that, among other things, “reduces health care costs resulting from inefficiency, medical errors, inappropriate care, duplicative care, and incomplete information” and “provides appropriate information to help guide medical decisions at the time and place of care.”
The law requires Blumenthal’s office to set “specific objectives, milestones, and metrics with respect to the following: (i) The electronic exchange and use of health information and the enterprise integration of such information. (ii) The utilization of an electronic health record for each person in the United States by 2014.”
In order to get hospitals, doctors and other health care providers to comply with the creation of EHRs for “each person in the United States by 2014,” the stimulus law provided for federal bonus payments to be made to providers who generate records complying with the federal standards by 2014. Health care providers that do not use EHRs that meet the federal standards by 2014 will have their Medicare and Medicaid payments progressively diminished as a penalty for failure to comply.
Last week, Blumenthal held a press conference with HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Dr. Donald Berwick, the recently recess-appointed head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services(CMS), to announce the final regulation for the EHRs.
The regulations state that a user must be able ”to create an electronic copy of a patient’s clinical information, including, at a minimum, diagnostic test results, problem list, medication list, medication allergy list, and procedures” and that this electronic information must be in a ”human readable format.”
In an interview videotaped on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, CNSNews.com asked Blumenthal whether abortions and HIV tests must be included in an EHR, as the new regulations, on their face, seem to suggest.
“The regulations that came out state that hospitals and doctors have to provide problems lists, medications [lists], diagnostic test results, copies of those things in the electronic health record,” said CNSNews.com. “Does that mean that a test result like, say, an HIV test or a procedure like an abortion would have to go on an electronic health record”
Blumenthal said, “Any specific information recorded in the record is an issue between the doctor and the patient, not an issue that this regulation specifies.”
CNSNew.com followed up: “So, when it says a ‘test result,’ if they did an HIV test they wouldn’t have to put it in the record?”
“It’s between the doctor and the patient,” said Blumenthal.
CNSNews.com asked: “So what does have to go in there?”
“The information that the patient and the physician agree needs to be in the record,” said Blumenthal.
CNSNews.com asked: “So you can say, ‘I don’t want this in my health record, I don’t want that in my health record, in my EHR’”?
Blumenthal responded: “Exactly the same thing in the paper world would pertain in the electronic world.”
Before speaking with Blumenthal, CNSNews.com asked the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) via email whether abortions and STDs must be included in the new EHRs, and if abortions and STDs need not be included what other surgical procedures and diseases could be excluded from the EHRs. If in fact abortions and STDs could be excluded from the EHRs, CNSNews.com also asked HHS to point out where specifically the law exempted abortions, STDs or any other procedures or diseases from being included in the records.
Peter Garrett, the spokesman for HHS’s Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, responded by email.
“Nothing in the HITECH electronic health record regulations or in our policies touches on or requires the recording of any particular type of health information in a particular patient’s personal health record,” Garrett said in an e-mail.
“That is between the doctor and patient,” Garrett wrote. “The EHR incentive program is a voluntary program. If a physician chooses to participate, they are not required to record any specific type of health information and the physician needs the patient’s consent in order to record any of their personal health information. As with all medical records, protecting the privacy of patients’ heatlh information is a top priority and informational privacy will continue to be protected as EHRs become more widely used.”
The “incentive program” Garrett refers to is the system of bonus payments the government will make to health care providers that implement EHRs by 2014. Garrett did not mention the penalty system that diminishes a health-care provider’s Medicare and Medicaid payments if it does not comply with the EHR mandate by 2014. As the January 13, 2010 edition of the Federal Register noted: “Section 1848(a)(7) of the Act provides that beginning in CY 2015, EPs who are not meaningful users of certified EHR technology will receive less than 100 percent of the fee schedule for their professional services.” Continue reading
The Gospel and Humor
Published July 22, 2010 | …Humor is like seasoning on food – everything is flat without it…..
TIM KELLER, CATHOLIC EDUCATION RESOURCE CENTER
 |
|
Saint Padre Pio
|
I was reading a review of the movie Prince Caspian in a newspaper for urban downtown-types, and the article dripped with sarcastic, sneering, smirking humor that, among other things, referred to Susan’s horn as a phallic symbol. Humor is like seasoning on food – everything is flat without it. But something was amiss here. I began to ask myself, “Does the gospel have an effect on our sense of humor?” The answer has to be yes – but why and how?
Your humor has a lot to do with how you regard yourself. Many people use humor to put down others, keep themselves in the driver’s seat in a conversation and setting, and remind the listeners of their superior vantage point. They use humor not to defuse tension and put people at ease, but to deliberately belittle the opposing view. Rather than showing respect and doing the hard work of true disagreement, they mock others’ points of view and dismiss them without actually engaging the argument.
Ultimately, sarcastic put-down humor is self-righteous – a form of self-justification – and that is what the gospel demolishes. When we grasp that we are unworthy sinners saved by an infinitely costly grace, it destroys both our self-righteousness and our need to ridicule others. This is also true of self-directed ridicule. Some people constantly and bitterly mock themselves. At first it looks like a form of humility, or realism, but really it is just as self-absorbed as the other version. It is a sign of an inner discomfort with one’s self, a profound spiritual restlessness.
There is another kind of self-righteousness, however, that produces a person with little or no sense of humor. Moralistic persons often have no sense of irony, because they take themselves too seriously or because they are too self-conscious and self-absorbed in their own struggles to be habitually joyful.
The gospel, however, creates a gentle sense of irony. Our doctrine of sin keeps us from being over-awed by anyone (especially ourselves) or shocked by any behavior. We find a lot to laugh at, starting with our own weaknesses. They don’t threaten us anymore, because our ultimate worth is not based on our record or performance. Our doctrine of grace and redemption also keeps us from seeing any situation as hopeless. This “ground note” of joy and peace makes humor spontaneous and natural.
In gospel-shaped humor, we don’t only poke fun at ourselves. We also can gently poke fun at others, especially our friends, but it is always humor that takes the other seriously and ultimately builds them up as a show of affection. We are not to be “perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously – no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption.”[1]
So how do we get such a sense of humor? That’s the wrong question. The gospel doesn’t change us in a mechanical way. To give the gospel primacy in our lives is not always to logically infer a series of principles from it that we then “apply” to our lives. Recently I heard a sociologist say that, for the most part, the frameworks of meaning by which we navigate our lives are so deeply embedded in us that they operate “pre-reflectively.” They don’t exist only as a list of propositions and formulations, but also as themes, motives, attitudes, and values that are as affective and emotional as they are cognitive and intellectual. When we listen to the gospel preached, or meditate on it in the Scripture, we are driving it so deeply into our hearts, imaginations, and thinking that we begin to “live out” the gospel instinctively.
 When we listen to the gospel preached, or meditate on it in the Scripture, we are driving it so deeply into our hearts, imaginations, and thinking that we begin to “live out” the gospel instinctively.
|
I have definitely seen the gospel transform a person’s sense of humor, but it would be artificial to say that there are “gospel-principles of humor” that we must apply to our lives. It just happens as we believe the gospel more and more.
Endnote:
[1] C. S. Lewis, “The Weight of Glory,” in The Weight of Glory: And Other Addresses (New York: Macmillan Co, 1949), 46.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Timothy Keller. “The Gospel and Humor.” Redeemer Report (June, 2008).
http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/civilization/cc0357.htm
The NAACP Cries Racism
Published July 22, 2010 | ….The NAACP’s video recounting the “racism” of the Tea Party had plenty of objectionable signs suggesting Obama was a fascist and “It’s 1939 Germany all over again.”….
Almost from the moment Barack Obama declared he would run for president in 2007, our enraptured media elite has been accusing anyone who would stand in Obama’s way with racism. The question was never whether Obama was ready to govern the country, but whether the country was ready for the historic awesomeness of Obama.
Pity the NAACP. We now have a black president, and they must convince (racist) America that there still exists the need for a national association to advance “colored people” in our society. How to do it? Identify and condemn as “racists” anyone or any group opposed to Barack Obama.
Apparently you cannot sincerely oppose a crushing tax burden, a useless “stimulus” bill, ObamaCare, or any other element of his socialist agenda without being tagged as a bigot.
In case there was any doubt that the NAACP was carrying water for the White House political machine, Michelle Obama appeared before the NAACP convention and insisted there was still persistent racism in America, and the group’s founders would “urge us to increase our intensity” – to fight for President Obama.
The merger is so obvious they could now be called the NAA-DNC.
Now the NAACP has found its mojo. It is slandering the Tea Party as “racist.” In an article on CNN.com headlined “The Tea Party Must Police Itself,” NAACP chief Benjamin Jealous smeared the entire movement: “The avowed racist David Duke notes that thousands of Tea Party activists have urged him to run for president. When the Tea Party marches by, Duke thinks it’s his fiesta.” Since when did the NAACP – or anyone else, for that matter– give a hoot what David Duke thinks of anything?
On its own website, the NAACP continues to rehash all those unproven allegations that “respected members of the Congressional Black Caucus reported that racial epithets were hurled at them as they passed by aWashington, DC health care protest.” But let’s stop calling them “unproven allegations.” Let’s call them what they are: lies. There is no video evidence that this ever occurred, but the NAACP doesn’t care about the evidence in its kangaroo court. They even repeated that “Representative Emanuel Cleaver was spat upon during the incident.” In the real world, Cleaver quickly walked away from his own story when video footage proved it wasn’t true.
The NAACP’s video recounting the “racism” of the Tea Party had plenty of objectionable signs suggesting Obama was a fascist and “It’s 1939 Germany all over again.” Someone needs to research the meaning of the word “racism.” It gets better. The NAACP-endorsed video of purportedly racist signs even includes two shots of Confederate flags and “hateful” messages like “We Need a Christian President” and the sitcom catch phrase “What You Talking About, Willis?” A poster imposing Obama’s face with a Mr. T Mohawk hairdo next to the words “Gimme Yo Change” may be odd, but it’s not racist. It sure sounds like there weren’t many racist signs at Tea Party rallies if that’s all they could muster.
But “Bush Lied, Thousands Died” – that’s okay.
The bigger problem for the NAACP is that it has its very own racists. Andrew Breitbart’s Big Government website revealed video of a NAACP banquet where U.S. Department of Agriculture appointee Shirley Sherrod talked about how she didn’t want to help a white farmer because he should be helped by “his own kind.” The contempt in her voice, in her face, and in the audience’s laughter is unmistakable.
So where are all those news outlets which dutifully covered the NAACP’s attacks on the Tea Party now? The network evening news and morning news shows avoided this racist video entirely on the first day.
Nevertheless, the cable news networks picked it up, and within hours, Shirley Sherrod had resigned from the Agriculture Department. Sherrod was clearly furious that her racist remarks were exposed. CNN analyst Roland Martin asserted that Sherrod had to go, because with a political appointment, remarks like this ruin the perception that Sherrod would be fair in distributing government help. Sherrod screamed right back at him that he was “clearly from a different world” than the deeply racist world she lived in.
The bottom line is not only that Sherrod needed to go – but that the TV elite must stop ignoring this, and stop pretending that black racism and discriminatory attitudes do not exist. If Obama’s election was supposed to heal our race relations, then the media should put this controversy back on his desk and press him to address it.
Mother Pregnant With 2 Babies, Not Twins
Published July 22, 2010 | 
According to AOLNews.com, July 17:
A UT woman is pregnant with 2 babies, but they’re not twins….
Angie Cromar was born with a rare condition called didelphys, which means she has 2 uteruses. It didn’t pose a problem for her previous pregnancies, and the 34-year-old has given birth to 2 healthy children before.
But this time, she’s conceived in both uteruses. During her 1st ultrasound exam, Cromar and her doctor discovered that she’s carrying 2 fetuses at different stages of development, one slightly older than the other.
“[He said] I’m 5 weeks and 4 days in one, and 6 weeks and 1 day in the other,” Cromar [said]…
The chances of this happening are estimated to be 1 in 5 million. “Probably less than 100, so far, worldwide, have been reported,” [Dr. Steve] Terry, [Cromar's Ob/Gyn] said. “So she’s a member of a small, elite club.”
Cromar herself is a labor and delivery nurse, and knows the complications her condition can bring: chances of pre-term labor and low birth weight….
Here’s a news story and very interesting ultrasound…
US Catholic Bishops Publish Social Media Guidelines for Catholics
Published July 22, 2010 | By Randy Sly, 7/21/2010, Catholic Online
U.S. Bishops Offer a Synthesis of Best Practices
Online social media communities are vast and are growing at a rapid pace.
The USCCB’s guidelines can be a very good basic primer, especially for those who have just set foot for the first time in this strange land that is ‘ready for harvest’.The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has now published a list of guidelines regarding social media. These guidelines, along with the newly formed Office of Digital Media, underscore the serious commitment of the USCCB toward new technologies.
WASHINGTON, DC (Catholic Online) – The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has now published a list of guidelines regarding social media. These guidelines, along with the newly formed Office of Digital Media, underscore the serious commitment of the USCCB toward new technologies.
The new social media guidelines were published in response to and support of the Holy Father’s call to involvement in the digital world found the his World Communications Day message. They provide basic principles for responsible engagement with social media as Catholics as well as a glossary of terms that are commonly used to explain this brave new world.
As the document states, “Social media is the fastest growing form of communication in the United States, especially among youth and young adults. Our Church cannot ignore it, but at the same time we must engage social media in a manner that is safe, responsible, and civil.
“Online social media communities are vast and are growing at a rapid pace. For example, there are more than 400 million active users on Facebook, which is greater than the population of the United States. Given the size and scope of these communities, they offer excellent forums for the Church’s visibility and evangelization.
“The key question that faces each church organization that decides to engage social media is, How will we engage? Careful consideration should be made to determine the particular strengths of each form of social media (blogs, social networks, text messaging, etc.) and the needs of a ministry, parish, or organization.”
Among the matters covered in the brief document is the need for “Rules of the Road.” For anyone who has even dipped his toe in the waters of social networking, rude and vulgar postings, personal attacks and verbally abusive behavior is easily encountered.
The guidelines urge those who host sites to be sure that a “Code of Conduct” is clearly stated. They use the example of the Code of Conduct from their own Facebook page, which reads as follows: “All posts and comments should be marked by Christian charity and respect for the truth. They should be on topic and presume the good will of other posters. Discussion should take place primarily from a faith perspective. No ads please.”
The online world has often been referred to as “the new wild west.” As the Holy Father calls the church to a more aggressive participation, it’s good to remember our responsibility as Catholics to represent Christ and His Church well as we get more involved.
We are seeing the marketplace move online with the building up of a virtual townsquare. While social media is no substitute for the real face-to-face communication, it serves as a new and exciting extension, as communication expert Marshall McLuhan would propose.
The USCCB’s guidelines can be a very good basic primer, especially for those who have just set foot for the first time in this strange land that is white unto harvest. You can view the guildelines by clicking here.
—–
Randy Sly is the Associate Editor of Catholic Online and the CEO/Associate Publisher for the Northern Virginia Local Edition of Catholic Online (http://virginia.catholic.org). He is a former Archbishop of the Charismatic Episcopal Church who laid aside that ministry to enter into the full communion of the Catholic Church.
http://www.catholiconline.com/national/national_story.php?id=37479
Bachmann on Tea Party Caucus: We’re Here to Listen, Not Control
Published July 22, 2010 | 
Rep. Michele Bachmann stresses that her Tea Party Caucus is not a puppet for the grass-roots conservative movement, nor does it pull the strings for tea partyers nationwide.
Rather, the brand-new House caucus aims to give people a voice, the Minnesota Republican vowed after the caucus’ initial meeting Wednesday.
“We want to have a bigger earphone to listen to the people,” CNN quoted Bachmann as saying after two dozen Republicans kicked off the caucus in a closed-door meeting. “We may possibly meet next week. Our goal is to continue an ongoing dialogue in real time.”
Nearly 30 GOP House members have signed on for the caucus, including Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence, Republican Study Committee Chairman Tom Price; and National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Pete Sessions.
House Minority Leader John Boehner and Minority Whip Eric Cantor notably declined to join, but CNN reported that Bachmann is not treating their absence as a snub.
On the other hand, the GOP leadership was less than pleased with Bachmann’s decision to start the Tea Party Caucus, according to NBC News.
On her own, the congresswoman introduced paperwork with the Democratic leadership to establish the organization late last week and won approval on Monday.
“We are not the mouthpiece of the tea party,” The Washington Post quoted Bachmann as saying at a news conference after the first caucus meeting. “We are not taking the tea party and controlling it from Washington, D.C. I am not the head of the tea party, nor are any of these members of Congress.
“The people are the head of the tea party.”
Tea party leaders view the caucus favorably but dismiss media contentions that caucus membership will determine who gets tea partyer backing.
“I think the voters will look a lot deeper in all of these races than whether people say they belong to this caucus or not,” Mark Meckler, national coordinator of the Tea Party Patriots, tells Newsmax. Continue reading
Skunked
Published July 22, 2010 | | By Carol Platt Liebau, Townhall, Wednesday, July 21, 2010 |
Below, Meredith recounts the denouement of the Shirley Sherrod tape story. It seems to me that there’s little doubt The White House was outwitted by Andrew Breitbart (albeit inadvertently; he says he received the video in edited form). In fact, The White House’s haste to push Sherrod out was actually defensible in some sense — insofar as the administration was trying to prove that it was equally serious about condemning racism by blacks against whites as that by whites vs. blacks. And surely we can all agree that racism in any of its forms is ugly and wrong. The video really had The White House in a bind, whatever they did. Had Sherrod not been fired immediately, no doubt many Americans would have been insisting, with some justification, that such remarks by whites against blacks wouldn’t be tolerated for a minute. By firing her immediately, however, without knowing all the facts, the administration has been put in a terrible position, and one that will surely undermine its standing with some in the African-American community, among the president’s most fervent supporters. Maybe the lesson for all of us is that we need to develop less of a hair-trigger when it comes to racial issues. But that won’t be easy in a country that routinely hears from people like Jeremiah Wright and Jesse Jackson. And in the aftermath of this debacle, surely everyone involved –from The White House to the media — has some obligation to explain what they knew, and when. http://townhall.com/blog/g/343ee577-b358-4083-96b7-e9372aba0e1d
|
WOW! OBAMA SIGNS MASSIVE NEW GOV’T REGULATIONS — AT REAGAN BUILDING!
Published July 22, 2010 | By JIM KUHNHENN, AP, July 21, 2010
EXCERPTS: ….Republicans portray the bill as a burden on small banks and the businesses that rely on them and argue it will cost consumers and impede job growth. Republican Rep. Darrell Issa of California called Obama’s bill-signing a “charade” that ignored the root causes of the financial crisis……..
…..”While President Obama pats himself on the back today, families and small businesses are bracing for yet another big-government overreach that will make it harder to create new jobs,” said the House Republican leader, John Boehner of Ohio……
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100721/ap_on_bi_ge/us_financial_overhaul_11
SUCKER PUNCH; LUNACY; NO ADULT SUPERVISION
Published July 22, 2010 | 
Michael Voris: Hate is Good! 07-21
Published July 22, 2010 | Why Hate IS a family value!
As usual, popular culture has it all backwards. Hate IS a family value. Please watch this episode of the Vortex and pass it along to friends and family.
http://www.youtube.com/user/RealCatholicTV#p/a/u/0/PTkpgsnbZwg
This program is from RealCatholicTV.com
Constance McMillen Case Has Put Every U.S. High School ‘in Jeopardy’: AFA
Published July 22, 2010 | By Kathleen Gilbert, July 20, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com)
JACKSON, Mississippi – A Mississippi school district’s decision to capitulate to the demands of a teen who sued for permission to wear a tuxedo and bring her same-sex partner to a high school prom has done great harm to high schools across America, the American Family Association’s Bryan Fischer told LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) Wednesday morning.
The Itawamba County School District agreed this week to pay $35,000 in addition to legal fees to Constance McMillen, who became a darling of the homosexualist movement for suing the school after it cancelled the prom rather than allow her to bring her same-sex date. The district has also agreed to let the court enter a judgment against them, and follow a “non-discrimination” policy regarding teens who call themselves homosexual – a move the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) hailed as a precedent-setting victory for Mississippi.
AFA’s Director of Issue Analysis, Bryan Fischer, told LSN that the decision amounts to “homosexual activists shaking down rural taxpayers for 35 grand.”
“It’s a shame that the school district capitulated, because their capitulation in the face of the homosexual agenda in the end is going to mean that every high school in America is going to have to let transvestites in full drag attend their senior proms,” he said.
By not engaging the court battle, said Fischer, the district “compromised the ability of every high school in America to defend natural norms of sexual expression.”
Fischer expressed frustration that Otoswmbada school district turned down expert pro bono legal service, and instead hired an attorney “who did nothing more than negotiate the legal terms of their surrender.” Continue reading
US-funded effort to legalize abortion in Kenya could date back 10 years
Published July 22, 2010 | 
The exposure of some grantees “may only be a tip of the iceberg,” the congressman claimed, reiterating the possibility that U.S. funding for an effort which would expand legal abortion could violate U.S. law.
Speaking at a Wednesday press conference, Rep. Smith (R-N.J.), ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, said that U.S. involvement in the Aug. 4 constitutional referendum should be limited to ensuring the vote on the proposal is “free, fair and without violence.”………….continued………
GOSPEL & MEDITATION: Love Till Death and Beyond
Published July 22, 2010 | July 22, 2010
Memorial of Saint Mary Magdalene
John 20: 1-2; 11-18
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ´I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.´” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.
Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, I come before you wanting to grow in my knowledge of you and wanting to grow in love for you. I want to show my love by truly loving others as you have loved me. My falls are many, yet I trust in your grace never to stay down and always to get up. I trust that your mercy will change my heart. So I stand before you, ready to listen to your words and ready to unite myself more perfectly to your most holy will.
Petition: Lord, grant me a love similar to Mary Magdalene’s passionate love for Christ.
1. The Lone Guard How sad Mary Magdalene must have been as she sat and wept outside our Lord’s tomb! Our Lord had healed her soul; he had cast seven demons from her heart. She had stood at the foot of our Lord’s cross, along with the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. John. She had washed our Lord’s feet with her tears; now her tears flow down her face. She’s alone. Or rather she experienced an existential loneliness in the face of the bitter events of Good Friday. But she wasn’t alone. We are never alone in our suffering. Do I suffer alone, or do I open my heart to Our Lord in all my trials?
2. Called By Name How Mary Magdalene must have endeared herself to our Lord. The other followers were locked up in their rooms. Yet here was this simple, humble woman, trying to accompany our Lord in the only way she knew. We have much to learn from this beautiful soul. How she moved the heart of Jesus! She’s the first one he appears to after his resurrection. What a gift. What a gift to have the Risen Lord say your name. Despite her anguish she wishes to honor her Lord who she is about to discover is God. In moments of trial and pain, do I remember to honor God with my thoughts, desires, intentions and actions? Does he remain number one for me no matter what I’m going through?
3. The First Messenger As Mary Magdalene touched our Lord’s heart, he would now touch hers, and she would become the apostle to the apostles. She’s the first one to announce to the world that our Lord has risen from the dead. Jesus is the Lord of life. What was moving through her heart as she hurried towards the apostles? Let’s ask Christ for that gift – to have the same zeal as Mary Magdalene did as she went to proclaim that she had met the Risen Lord! Am I a witness to the saving message of Our Lord including, or especially, in the midst of great personal suffering?
Conversation with Christ: Jesus, I want to endear myself to you just as Mary Magdalene did at your tomb. Then, fill me with the joy you instilled in her heart on that first Easter morning.
Resolution: Today I will see how I can help at my parish, in imitation of Mary Magdalene’s assistance to our Church 2,000 years ago.
http://www.regnumchristi.org/english/articulos/articulo.phtml?se=363&ca=975&te=735&id=20302
TODAY’S SAINT: ST. MARY MAGDALENE
Published July 22, 2010 | CATHOLIC NEWS AGENCY, JULY 22, 2010
Mary Magdalen was so called either from Magdala near Tiberias, on the west shore of Galilee, or possibly from a Talmudic expression meaning “curling women’s hair,” which the Talmud explains as of an adulteress.
In the New Testament she is mentioned among the women who accompanied Christ and ministered to Him (Luke 8:2-3), where it is also said that seven devils had been cast out of her (Mark 16:9). She is next named as standing at the foot of the cross (Mark 15:40; Matthew 27:56; John 19:25; Luke 23:49). She saw Christ laid in the tomb, and she was the first recorded witness of the Resurrection.
The Greek Fathers, as a whole, distinguish the three persons:
- The “sinner” of Luke 7:36-50;
- The sister of Martha and Lazarus, Luke 10:38-42 and John 11; and
- Mary Magdalen.
On the other hand most of the Latins hold that these three were one and the same. Protestant critics, however, believe there were two, if not three, distinct persons. It is impossible to demonstrate the identity of the three; but those commentators undoubtedly go too far who assert, as does Westcott (on John 11:1), “that the identity of Mary with Mary Magdalene is a mere conjecture supported by no direct evidence, and opposed to the general tenour of the gospels.” It is the identification of Mary of Bethany with the “sinner” of Luke 7:37, which is most combatted by Protestants. It almost seems as if this reluctance to identify the “sinner” with the sister of Martha were due to a failure to grasp the full significance of the forgiveness of sin. The harmonizing tendencies of so many modern critics, too, are responsible for much of the existing confusion.
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint.php?n=309
JINDAL TO OBAMA: “Let Us Go Back to Work!”
Moratorium Is Bad For Our Security & Economy