Focus

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  Some qualities of happy families

  Oct 01, 2014

  The Russian writer Leo Tolstoy in Anna Karenina wrote: “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”

  
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  What makes families happy?

  Oct 01, 2014

  Do you know any families who do not hope for happiness? I don’t. But most of us have trouble defining “happiness” precisely.

  
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  Fatherless at the Depth of our Being

  Oct 01, 2014

  Anthropologists tell us that father-hunger, a frustrated desire to be blessed by our own fathers, is one of the deepest hungers in the world today, especially among men.

  
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  On how we react to criticism and opposition

  Sep 25, 2014

  Have you ever noted how we spontaneously react to a perceived threat? Faced with a threat, our primal instincts tend to take over and we instantly freeze over and begin to shut all the doors opening to warmth, gentleness, and empathy inside us.

  

• Food For Thought

  Sep 25, 2014

  When it comes to politics and religion, we could take a take a page from politicians and religious leaders who regularly meet to talk, even when their beliefs are at odds.

  

• A Christian above all, even politics

  Sep 25, 2014

  I feel incredible reverence for God. And I love the Bible. But let’s face it, someone could’ve made things a little clearer for us modern folks.

  

• For Christians, going beyond the labels

  Sep 25, 2014

  Liberal and conservative. The definitions of these terms are seldom spelled out. Usually, they are presumed.

  

• “Bishops, don’t waste your energy antagonising each other”

  Sep 25, 2014

  The address Francis gave during yesterday’s audience with bishops who were appointed over the last year was one of the more significant speeches of his pontificate.

  
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  Will synod bishops in Rome grasp the Indian family situation?

  Sep 25, 2014

  At least one Indian archbishop will speak at the Synod on the Family called by Pope Francis in Rome a fortnight from now.

  
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  Church educates through actions; not theoretical lectures

  Sep 19, 2014

  During his general audience Pope Francis continued to reflect on the Church as mother, explaining that she teaches us by example how to go to the essential point of the Gospel, which is mercy.