Answering the Call
On Vacation With The Lord by Matthew Keshwah
Going on a silent retreat is like taking a "vacation with the Lord." All the distractions and responsibilities of life are removed during this time so that you can clearly listen to the still small voice of God who speaks to the heart. Recently, I went on a 30-day silent retreat following Saint Ignatius of Loyola's Spiritual Exercises. The experience was the best "vacation" I ever had. This may sound strange when you think of all the exotic places one can travel to and the many activities available to those planning a holiday. (...)

Biblical Story
Knocking Holes Into the Darkness
 by Gail Northgrave
Never realizing the profoundness of his statement, a young Robert Louis Stevenson, after watching the lamplighter one evening, told his nanny, "I'm watching the man knock holes in the darkness".
Today human lamplighters are unnecessary. Instead, we have electrical street lights which come on and shut off automatically. Likewise, I have a motion light that illuminates our driveway at night.  However, another darkness dominates our world even in daytime hours; a darkness that can only be knocked out by kind and loving hearts. These hearts are not trained by the traditional nannies, but by mothers.
One such mother is Mary, Jesus' mother.  She is known by many names: Our Lady of the Rosary, Our Lady of Fatima, Our Mother of Perpetual Help, Our Mother of Sorrows and many more.  However, my favorite title for her is Our Lady of Victory. (...)

Mantalk
War or Peace: Which Do You Choose by Richard Gribble, CSC
The 20th century will go down in history as the bloodiest in the history of the world. It was a time of great carnage, numerous revolutions, strong dictators, as well as the invention of weapons of mass destruction. The two World Wars were the first time that armies from various countries throughout the world met in a mechanized world that allowed the destruction of lands, cities, and the lives of millions people. It was the belief of some world leaders, such as Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Hideki Tojo, that force, violence and war would allow the implementation of plans that they so fervently believed were necessary for their country and in some cases the world. In the process, chaos reigned in many ways; the world was sent reeling by the disorder created by the decision to use violence to effect change. (...)

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