Reflection Starter from Elizabeth Barrett Browning

"God's gifts put man's best dreams to shame." - Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Domestic Violence Awareness Month

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. It is designed to be a time of raising awareness of domestic violence throughout the United States and its devastating effects on families and communities. It is also a time to remember those who have died because of domestic violence and to recommit to efforts to end violence within homes and communities.

Domestic violence refers to a violent confrontation between family or household members involving physical harm, sexual assault, and/or fear of physical harm. Family or household members include spouses, former spouses, those in (or formerly in) a dating relationship, adults related by blood or marriage, and those who have a biological or legal parent-child relationship.

Domestic violence may include acts of violence intimidation, threats, psychological abuse, and/or isolation to coerce and to control the other person. Violence itself may not happen often, but it may remain a hidden and constant terrorizing factor. Domestic violence may also include psychological violence, such as intense and repetitive degradation, creating isolation, and controlling the actions or behaviors of the spouse or other individual through intimidation or manipulation to the detriment of that individual.

Although a look at statistics indicates that domestic violence is a major problem, we don’t really know how common it is because people often do not report it. Domestic violence occurs among women and men of all ages and all levels of income and education. Many times victims of violence suffer in silence because they do not know where to turn, where to find guidance and support.

Presidential Proclamation:

Presidential Proclamation – National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, 2018

In a related initiative, a number of celebrities, athletes, corporate leaders, and advocates are collaborating, via a series of public service announcements, to generate awareness for domestic violence and sexual assault and encourage bystanders to help. This NO MORE campaign is designed to galvanize greater awareness and action to end domestic violence and sexual assault.

For more information about this initiative, please visit:

NO MORE

Background information and resources:

National Coalition Against Domestic Violence

National Network to End Domestic Violence

National Resource Center on Domestic Violence

Domestic Violence Awareness Project

National Domestic Violence Hotline

Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Maine Coalition To End Domestic Violence

Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence

New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence

Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Vermont Network Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of good people in the medical/nursing professions.

ESPN Host Was Locked In Her Own Body

Imagine being mentally aware of what's going on around you, but being unable to talk, move, oreven blink your eyes. That's what happened to ESPN broadcaster Victoria Arlen when she was just a young girl. She has now chronicled her story in a memoir called Locked In, and I spoke to her about it on Christopher Closeup.

In 2006, Victoria began experiencing unexplained pain, weight loss, and tiredness. Doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with the previously energetic fifth grader, so they kept saying, "It's all in her head." As time passed, she lost the ability to walk, control her arms, swallow food without choking - and her head felt like it was being "squeezed in a vise." Again, doctors found no reason for her symptoms, so they moved her to a hospital wing that dealt with psychiatric patients.

There, Victoria was physically and verbally abused by the medical staff who seemed to think that being rough would snap her out of her condition. Through it all, she prayed to God for healing, but her pain got so unbearable that she believed she was going to die. Suddenly, a Bible verse popped into her head: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9). Victoria said she felt calmness and the love of God surround her.

She regained consciousness and got out of that hospital, but her medical problems remained and she ended up in a different hospital where she fell into a coma for over a year. In 2009, Victoria's mind awakened, but she couldn't move any part of her body. The only hope she received came from the visit of a Catholic priest from Africa named Father Bashobora, who prayed with her family and told them, "In time, she will be healed." One day, Victoria received a new medication that unintentionally eased her pain. More importantly, she was able to blink, which allowed her to communicate with her family again and begin recovery.

Though confined to a wheelchair, the sports-loving teen practiced swimming, which led to her winning a gold medal in the 2012 London Paralympics. In 2015, she earned a job as a broadcaster on ESPN. In 2016, she learned to walk again. And in 2017, she became a competitor on Dancing with the Stars.

Despite the cruelty Victoria endured in the past, she opens her book with Jesus's quote from Luke 23:34, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." She told me, "Being able to sit down with my pastor and dive into the words, that Scripture stuck with me. . . . It's very true that forgiveness is not for them, but for my own sake so that I can be free from the stronghold of that abuse."

Victoria needed to forgive another major blunder by her doctors as well. While visiting a specialist in 2013, he reviewed her medical history and quickly deduced that she had two conditions called "Transverse Myelitis" and "Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis." He told her that "a simple round of steroids" could have prevented the inflammatory process that nearly killed her. The realization that all of her troubles could have been avoided knocked the wind out of Victoria, but she chose to focus on the future instead. She concluded, "Leaning on the ones I love the most - and knowing that God is bigger [than everything] - is a huge part of what keeps me going."

This essay is a recent "Light One Candle" column written by Tony Rossi, Director of Communications, The Christophers; it is one of a series of weekly columns that deal with a variety of topics and current events.

Background information:

The Christophers

Reflection Starter from Luke

"Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows." - Luke 12:6-7 (from today's Gospel reading)

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for those who contribute to ministries that serve the poor.

On the Little Sisters of the Poor Begging Ministry in Los Angeles

"The 2007 GMC Savana Cargo Van with 200,000 miles on the odometer pulls off the exit a little past 9 o'clock on this Friday morning.

"It's August 31, one day after the Little Sisters of the Poor marked the 150th anniversary of the religious community’s arrival in the United States from France.

Two of these 'begging sisters' in full white habits are in the back seat, silently reading their prayer books. While driver Gustavo Magallanes has made good time in the express lane of the 110 Freeway from San Pedro, they were slow getting started on their collecting, and the Little Sisters are 15 minutes late.

"Sister Pauline sits back, concern still creasing her face. They must stop at the meatpacking place first. And she's well aware that the best pickings at the East Los Angeles food bank are before the line opens. But, oh, no, now gates are going down at a train crossing, the lone engine blowing its whistle. 

Turning to Sister Maureen O'Grady, the community's other begging nun, she asks: 'Let's pray to St. Joseph?'

"They do. The engine reverses its course. And the gates go up.

"'You see,' Sister Pauline points out to the ride-along up front from Angelus News. 'I'm telling you, praying to St. Joseph works.'"

A recent California Catholic Daily article reported on the Little Sisters of the Poor and the begging they do as part of their ministry.

To access the complete California Catholic Daily report, please visit:

California Catholic Daily: Little Sisters still begging in LA (4 OCT 18)

Background information: 

Little Sisters of the Poor

Reflection Starter from Charles Swindoll

"Because God gave you your makeup and superintended every moment of your past, including all the hardship, pain, and struggles, He wants to use your words in a unique manner. No one else can speak through your vocal cords, and, equally important, no one else has your story." - Rev. Charles R. Swindoll

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the many ways in which You help us to see and understand Your beauty in music of various genres.

Br. Columba Thomas, O.P., on Contemplating Beauty in Music

"Amidst the Church's vast treasury of sacred music, there can be a tendency for certain gems to collect dust over the centuries, only to be rediscovered, polished up a bit, and placed on more prominent display, where they can be admired for their glorious beauty and even used to aid contemplation and prayer. Such is the case with the works of Josquin des Prez, an iconic French writer of sacred Renaissance polyphony, who until the past few decades was perhaps the most respected and influential composer that hardly anyone outside a Western music history class ever heard of."

In a recent commentary and using the work of Josquin des Prez, Brother Columba Thomas, O.P., offered a reflection on how to contemplating beauty in music.

To access Br. Michael's complete post, please visit:

Dominicana: Contemplating Beauty in Music (16 OCT 18)

Reflection Starter from Ralph Waldo Emerson

"This time, like all times, is a very good one,if we but know what to do with it." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

National School Bus Safety Week

This week, the week of 15-19 October, is National School Bus Safety Week. This year's theme is "My Driver – My Safety Hero!"

Background information:

NAPT: National School Bus Safety Week

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: School Buses

National Association for Pupil Transportation

National School Transportation Association

American School Bus Council

Connecticut School Transportation Association

Maine Association for Pupil Transportation

School Transportation Association of Massachusetts

New Hampshire School Transportation Association

National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services