Learning to be Quick to Listen

Today, November 13, we celebrate the feast day of St. Frances Xavier  Cabrini , a remarkable figure in the Catholic Church and the first U.S. citizen to be canonized a saint . Known as Mother Cabrini, she was born in Italy on July 15, 1850, and dedicated her life to serving immigrants and those on the margins of society.  After founding the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Italy, she journeyed to the United States at the request of Pope  Leo  XIII to minister to the growing population of Italian immigrants. Her tireless work in education, health care, and social services not only transformed lives but laid a foundation for Catholic social teaching on immigration. In 1909, Mother Cabrini became a naturalized U.S. citizen, deepening her connection to the country she would serve until her passing in 1917. She is now the patron saint of immigrants, and her legacy continues in our communities today through the work of her congregation. With compassion ...

There is controversy today about a poster that is being used to promote the upcoming U.S. Census. You can view it here but it essentially depicts the Holy Family making their way back to Bethlehem for the census. As we all know, when they arrived there was no room at the inn so they were allowed to stay in the barn and Jesus was born there. Some folks are saying that the poster is sacrilegious. I do not think it is and in fact, brings focus to Jesus just when many folks lose sight of what Christmas is all about. Maybe my logic is simplistic but I think that it depicts the truth about the birth of Jesus. It also sends the message that we should try to be more like Jesus, Mary and Joseph. The art work is not derogatory, as is often the case, and in fact is similar to what you would find on a Christmas card. I was alerted to the controversy by an article in a national newspaper. The comments on the poster are mainly about the census itself. It seems that people are very concerned that the...