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Joke of the Week

          Little Kids -- on Marriage

-HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHOM TO MARRY?
You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming. - Alan, age 10

HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?
You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids. - Derrick, age 8

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?
Both don't want any more kids. - Lori, age 8

WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE?
Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough. - Lynnette, age 8

WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?
When they're rich. - Pam, age 7

IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?
It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them. - Anita, age 9

HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN'T GET MARRIED?
There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn't there? - Kelvin, age 8

HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?
Tell your wife that she looks pretty even if she looks like a truck.- Ricky, age 10

Three Saints: Women who Changed History --  Genevieve of Paris, Catherine of Siena, and Teresa of Avila, by Joan Williams. Acta Publications, 2006.
- http://tinyurl.com/2a52c7

These three saints have been dubbed disobedient, rebellious, and even heretical, yet today besides being called holy, the author notes that they have contributed to public life in various ways. Cultural restrictions would have them stay in their "cloister," but they entered into public arenas, into politics, and came to influence public decisions that made serious impact for good or evil in the lives of many.

When Attila the Hun was about to plunder Paris, Genevieve intervened and protected many citizens were who doomed to be victims of death threats. This saint was part of the fifth century attacks by barbarians who threatened the Roman Empire. The author says that Genevieve influenced the world not only by great holiness but also by her natural political talent, organizational ability, and c1earthinking skills.

Catherine of Siena, the 24th child in the Italian Bennicasa family, braved prejudice against women and involved herself in the politics of the Catholic Church and the state. Unafraid of the hierarchy and possible loss of reputation, she wrote scathing letters that pointed out their sins and frailties, and showed them the right path toward peace and righteous living. She nursed the sick during epidemics, traveled the countryside spreading the Gospel, and died at the early age of 33. 

Teresa of Avila, an early lover of luxuries and the easy life, came to her senses and introduced reforms in her Carmelite cloister, much to the consternation of her own Sisters. She founded several cloisters and insisted on the strict living of the rule. It is written of her that she was labeled a heretic because she encouraged the practice of mental prayer. Teresa was unafraid of aristocratic dominance and challenged the status quo of Spanish society by her own lifestyle.

- Thanks to Sr. Irene Hartman, O.P.  for this review.

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Saint of the Week

- August 14th St Maximilian Kolbe (1894-1941)
Born near Lodz in Poland he was drawn to the Franciscan Order of which his parents were Tertiaries (his father joined the Polish patriots in the 1st World War and was hanged by the Russians). Maximilian studied in Rome and was ordained in 1919, though his career was bedevilled by tuberculosis. Realising the need for effective Christian teaching through publishing, he set up presses operated by lay brothers at Niepokalanow, near Warsaw. The community there eventually numbered no less than 762 friars. After the German invasion of Poland, the friars community there was initially dispersed but then reformed as a refugee camp for Polish Christians and Jews. Maximilian was arrested as a "journalist, publisher and intellectual" and sent to Auschwitz in May 1941 where he continued his priestly ministry discreetly, hearing many confessions and smuggling in bread and wine for Mass. If anybody escaped, others from the same bunker were chosen to be starved to death. When this fate was about to befall a married sergeant with children, Francis Gajowniczek, Maximilian offered to take his place. He prepared all the prisoners in the death cell No. 18; by August l4th only four were still alive, and Maximilian was given a fatal injection. He was canonised in 1982, when the man whose life he saved was still living, and able to attend the ceremony in Rome.
- http://tinyurl.com/39w4ly

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Web Site of the Week

Beliefnet.com discussion forum on Christian spirituality.
- http://tinyurl.com/28qcvn