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Church could do more good if families were higher priority

Your support for people who choose to live in America without permission is troubling (CR, Feb. 7). Many fathers are leaving families behind in Central American countries to come here for money. The loss of a father’s presence in the home community is causing problems for their children. Girls are not protected and there is a big increase in out-of-wedlock births. Boys are joining gangs. This reaction to the missing fathers is very similar to the problems we saw happen to poor families when the War or Poverty encouraged fathers to abandon their children in Baltimore, so that mothers could benefit from government support.

Bless me, Father, for I have sinned

Where did it all start? Is it a Church invention? The Church’s role in the forgiveness of sins is based on the very words of the Lord to Peter and on a separate occasion to the Apostles: “I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Jesus confirmed this gift as one of the first fruits of His Resurrection. Following the Crucifixion, the Apostles were locked in the upper room filled with fear, confusion and doubt. Suddenly, on the evening of the Resurrection, Jesus appeared in their midst with the greeting, “Peace be with you.” Jesus offered them His peace, forgiveness and reconciliation and then, the grace and ability to pass this gift along: “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

In Gaza, electricity–or lack thereof–powers daily activities

JERUSALEM – The first question friends in the Gaza Strip ask each other when they meet these days is, “Do you have electricity?” “Three days a week we have no electricity for eight hours straight, depending on the area,” said Omar Shaban, project manager for the Gaza office of the U.S. bishops’ Catholic Relief Services. He said people no longer greet each other with “How are you?”

Patriots win championships

Midway through the IAAM A Conference indoor soccer season, Gary Lynch, head coach for The John Carroll School in Bel Air, told The Catholic Review that his Patriots were at a clear disadvantage since they play indoor with the same offensive and defensive mindset as they have playing outdoor soccer.

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