I still have in my heart the moment when, during the course of the pastoral visit to Turin, I was able to pause in reflection and prayer before the Holy Shroud, before that suffering face, which invites us to reflect on He who took upon himself the passion of man, of every time and place, even our sufferings, our difficulties, our sins. How many faithful, during the course of history, have passed in front of that burial cloth, which enveloped the body of a crucified man, and which completely corresponds to what the Gospels hand down to us about the passion and death of Jesus! To contemplate it is an invitation to reflect upon what St. Peter writes: ‘By his wounds you have been healed’ (1 Pt 2:24).

Indianapolis, IN. May 14, 2011 (Sat.). 2011 Quo Vadis Catholic Home School Conference, Holy Rosary Catholic Parish, 520 Stevens St, Indianapolis, IN. 8:30-5:00. Info: hfheindy@yahoo.com or www.hfheindy.org.

When you’re growing up, you can always count on your Mom to help you feel better when you’re sick. Moms instinctively know how to help their children. It has been said that no thermometer is as accurate as a mother’s hand. There is a lot of truth to that saying. Moms seem to be able to “feel” how well or how sick their children are in a way that surpasses the limits of mere medical instrumentation. When I was sick as a little boy, my mom used to buy me throat lozenges, make soup for me, comfort me, and reassure me that I’d be out playing with the other boys very soon.

Several years ago, His Excellency Cardinal Jose Sanchez was the featured speaker at the Catholic Home Education conference in Manassas, Virginia. He had traveled from Rome in his position as Prefect of the Congregation of the Clergy to give support to Catholic home schooling parents.

“It is not enough that your actions are good. You must take care that they appear so.” In Henry Fielding’s novel Tom Jones, the wise Squire Allworthy offers this advice to the young who are often negligent of the importance of manners, public appearances, and first impressions.

I am nervous about my children using the Internet, even for their studies.

Parents certainly need to be seriously concerned about the dangers of the Internet. It seems to be a law of the universe that things which have a great capacity to be used for good also have a great capacity to be used for bad. The Internet is no different. In fact, the dangers of the Internet come from the fact that it is so astoundingly useful.

May has traditionally been dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God. It is a month when we ask the Blessed Mother for special favors and graces. The Blessed Mother showed us a special way to ask for special favors and graces when she appeared to St. Catherine Labouré, a young French nun.