The Life of Virtue

The headline on Catholic World News reads " Connecticut bishops reverse stand on Plan B ." I thought it might be informative to read such an article. I was right, but the article was not informative in the way I expected. As I read the first paragraph, I found out that the three bishops of that state had previously fought "against the passage of a new state law requiring hospitals to provide the 'emergency contraceptive'...pill to rape victims...." Also in that paragraph, I read that those same bishops now plan to "comply with the law." For a moment, I thought my brain stopped working, so I read the opening paragraph again. No, I did not misread it. Catholic bishops in Connecticut will approve the use of and "emergency contraceptive" that provides nothing less than an abortion of a fertilized egg. Why bishops? This is clearly not one of the moral "gray areas" of the Catholic Church. As Catholics, and certainly as shepherd...

At his weekly audience this morning, Pope Benedict XVI continued to teach pilgrims about the teachers of the early Church. This week's message focused on St. Gregory of Nyssa, a fourth-century bishop who lived in the region of the eastern banks of the Mediterranean Sea. Pope Benedict's words revealed to hearers that St. Gregory was a man who taught on the "innate dignity of every man and woman," and that growth in the Spirit is a daily struggle, never to be taken for granted. Moreover, St. Gregory taught that Jesus Christ provided the perfect model of holiness for all Christians, and that they ought to seek to pray like Him. On a personal note, I a favorite quote from St. Gregory of Nyssa: "The goal of a virtuous life is to become like God." Thus, I strive daily to grow in virtue, because I want to spend eternity in Heaven. God Bless.