Auntie is in Ireland...

...to give a talk at a conference in Dublin.   My self-chosen topic for my talk is St John Paul and his message about family, human dignity  and the value of each human life. His message is not widely understood. People like to think of the Church as having "strict rules",  which can be affirmed, broken, or changed depending on whether or not you agree with them.  But it's not like that at all. God calls us to fullness of life, to be part of his glorious idea for his beloved humanity - humanity so beloved that he arrived to become one of us...and the Church is custodian of the truth of all that,  and can too easily mess things up if she becomes a nagging voice talking about rules instead of a mother who explains and teaches and cherishes the truth...