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It started with the Italians, whose arias rose from the balconies. They were on lockdown, but their voices rang out down empty moonlit streets. Ballads, the national anthem, improvised ditties over the barking of dogs.
Every sacrament confers sanctifying grace, but each sacrament also confers its own proper sacramental grace. In addition to sanctifying grace, the sacrament of confirmation brings an increase and deepening of baptismal grace, roots us more deeply in divine sonship, unites us more firmly to Christ, increases in us the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit, renders our bond with the church more perfect, gives us a special strength to witness, spread, and defend the faith boldly and without shame, and imprints on the soul an indelible spiritual mark with the seal of the Holy Spirit (“Catechism of the Catholic Church,” 1303).
The justices of the U.S. Supreme Court seemed divided May 6 over Trump administration rules that give employers more ability to opt out of providing contraceptive coverage in their health plans. The argument, part of a handful that will take place by teleconference during the coronavirus restrictions, took another look at an issue that has come before the court already and again, as in previous terms, it highlighted the Little Sisters of the Poor, the order of women religious who care for the elderly poor.
Bishop Michael F. Burbidge celebrated a special Mass livestreamed from the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington May 6 for students, families and all those involved in diocesan schools. “I know how much you miss being with each other and I certainly miss being with you,” he told students.
The Vatican announced that due to the coronavirus pandemic, several beatifications scheduled for May and June will be postponed, including the beatification of a mentor and friend of St. John Paul II.
Netflix, YouTube and some of the leading social media sites have improved their parental controls as viewing habits and time spent online have increased.
Pandemic restrictions have upset plans for pilgrimages and major public Masses celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of St. John Paul II. But it hasn't stopped book launches and an online film premiere about the life and legacy of Karol Wojtyla, who was born May 18, 1920, in Wadowice, Poland.
To assist with emergency food needs resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, the volunteer food pantry at Holy Family Church in Dale City is working with Prince William County to dramatically expand its food distribution capacity.
Become Christ-centered
One of the hardest lessons to learn is that your life is not about you. One could even say that to understand that idea is the secret of living. We were designed by God to give ourselves away in acts of self-forgetfulness, and we will never know happiness until we learn to do so. A light was made to shine. A fish was made to swim. A bird was made to fly. And a human person was made to live for God, and for others. Our sadness and anxiety only increase whenever we imagine our lives to be a grand self-actualization project — as if we were created only to serve our personal ambitions and to make all our dreams come true. As the Second Vatican Council states, “Man cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of himself” (“Gaudium et Spes,” 24).