Inspiring: Lucia, one of the Fatima visionaries, once explained what Mary meant by sacrifice in the following way:
"By sacrifice, Our Lady meant the faithful fulfillment of one's daily duty... Many people imagine that penitence means the practice of great austerities and as they have neither the strength nor the generosity to undertake such austerities, they are discouraged and fall into a life indifference and sin."Humor:
A little boy opened an old family Bible and was amazed when a dried up oak leaf pressed between one of the pages fell out. "Look Mom!" he cried out,"It's Adam's pants!"Political Commentary: From Linda Bowles:
the Democratic Leadership Council, an organization of "moderate" Democrats, ... are now making the case that presidential candidate Al Gore lost the election because he deserted the political center and set up camp on the wrong side of America's cultural divide.Whew! Luckily he didn't separate me from my wife!
It is an easy case to make. Gore called on one group of Americans to declare war on other Americans. He promised to lead the fight to protect: the people from the powerful, workers from bosses, old people from greedy pharmaceutical companies, the noble poor from the filthy rich, criminals from brutal cops, the sexually different from the Boy Scouts, pregnant teen-agers from their parents, teachers from accountability, atheists from prayer, environmental extremists from reality, school children from God, sinners from Jerry Falwell, minorities from a level playing field, trial lawyers from those who would ban legal extortion, women from men, children from parents, government workers from tax cuts, politicians from the law, everyone from the judgment of others, and the Democrat Party from the Constitution.