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Pope Francis: ‘Jesus saves us from the darkness’

Vatican City, May 6, 2020 / 07:00 am (CNA).- Pope Francis said Wednesday that Christ’s light illuminates the darkness of sin in our world and in ourselves.

“It is the mission of Jesus to bring light. And the mission of the apostles is to bring the light of Jesus,” Pope Francis said in his morning Mass homily on May 6.

“The Lord saves us from the darkness that we have inside, from the darkness of everyday life, of social life, of political life, of national, international life,” he said.

Speaking from the chapel of his Vatican City residence, Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis quoted chapter 12 of the Gospel of John: “I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness.”

The pope said that “the drama is that the light of Jesus has been rejected” by many who are blinded by sin. 

“Sin blinds us and we cannot tolerate light,” he said. “It is not easy to live in the light. The light makes us see so many bad things inside us that we do not want to see: the vices, the sins.”

He continued: “We think of our pride. We think of our worldly spirit. These things blind us. They distance us from the light of Jesus.”

Conversion is an experience of moving from this darkness of the “slavery” of sin to the light of Christ, the pope said.

“Paul had this experience of the passage from darkness to light, when the Lord met him on the road to Damascus. He was blinded. Blind. The light of the Lord blinded him. And then, after a few days, with baptism, the light was restored,” he said. 

“He had this experience of the passage from the darkness, in which he was, to the light. It is also our passage, which we sacramentally received in Baptism … This is why in the baptism liturgy we receive a lit candle … because the child is illuminated,” he added.

Pope Francis said that the Lord asks us to “have the courage to see our darkness so that the light of the Lord may come in and save us.” He added that there is no reason to be afraid of the light of Jesus because he is gentle and good, and “he came to save us.”

“And this will be the struggle of Jesus. He continues to illuminate, to bring the light that shows things as they are,” the pope said. 

“He shows freedom. He shows the truth. He shows the way to go with the light of Jesus.”




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Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Parents Implementing Early Intervention for Autism: An RCT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:

Systems of care emphasize parent-delivered intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Meanwhile, multiple studies document psychological distress within these parents. This pilot longitudinal randomized controlled trial compared the parent-implemented Early Start Denver Model (P-ESDM) to P-ESDM plus mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for parents. We evaluated changes in parent functioning during active treatment and at follow-up.

METHODS:

Participants included children (<36 months old) with autism spectrum disorder and caregivers. Participants were randomly assigned to P-ESDM only (n = 31) or P-ESDM plus MBSR (n = 30). Data were collected at baseline, midtreatment, the end of treatment, and 1, 3, and 6 months posttreatment. Multilevel models with discontinuous slopes were used to test for group differences in outcome changes over time.

RESULTS:

Both groups improved during active treatment in all subdomains of parent stress (β = –1.42, –1.25, –0.92; P < 0.001), depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms (β = –0.62 and –0.78, respectively; P < 0.05). Parents who received MBSR had greater improvements than those receiving P-ESDM only in parental distress and parent-child dysfunctional interactions (β = –1.91 and –1.38, respectively; P < 0.01). Groups differed in change in mindfulness during treatment (β = 3.15; P < .05), with P-ESDM plus MBSR increasing and P-ESDM declining. Treatment group did not significantly predict change in depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, or life satisfaction. Differences emerged on the basis of parent sex, child age, and child behavior problems.

CONCLUSIONS:

Results suggest that manualized, low-intensity stress-reduction strategies may have long-term impacts on parent stress. Limitations and future directions are described.




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Weakness, Anemia, and Neutropenia in a 9-Year-Old Girl With Influenza

A previously healthy 9-year-old immigrant girl from Mexico was evaluated in the emergency department (ED) with one week of fatigue, fevers, rhinorrhea, and cough. She initially presented to her primary pediatrician, where a complete blood count revealed neutropenia, prompting referral to the ED. In the ED, she was found to be influenza A–positive. Because of dehydration, she received intravenous fluids and was admitted to the pediatric hospital medicine service. After 2 days, influenza symptoms improved, and oral intake increased. However, she was noted to have decreased bilateral lower-extremity strength, absent Achilles reflexes, decreased lower-extremity sensation and proprioception, a positive result on the Romberg sign, and abnormal heel-to-shin testing results. These findings prompted an urgent neurology consultation. After extensive imaging, laboratory evaluation, and further consultations, a diagnosis was established.




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Technology Use for Adolescent Health and Wellness

As avid users of technology, adolescents are a key demographic to engage when designing and developing technology applications for health. There are multiple opportunities for improving adolescent health, from promoting preventive behaviors to providing guidance for adolescents with chronic illness in supporting treatment adherence and transition to adult health care systems. This article will provide a brief overview of current technologies and then highlight new technologies being used specifically for adolescent health, such as artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, and machine learning. Because there is paucity of evidence in this field, we will make recommendations for future research.




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Light shines on Irish horse fair

An outreach team learns the value of sharing their personal testimonies and what a little light can do to a community.




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Teaching spiritual and physical fitness

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Failing business man finds hope and purpose

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Building sustainable businesses for transformation

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Protection and forgiveness

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Neil Cooper Review: The Importance of Being Earnest, Perth Theatre

The Importance of Being Earnest




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How to Subscribe to Podcasts on iOS, Mac, and iTunes

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Fin24.com | Lockdown | It's not all health and securocrats, the President is listening to business concerns

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Fin24.com | Black Business Council stands by tourism minister in BEE storm

The Black Business Council stood by Minister of Tourism Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane and South Africa's Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment policy.




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Changing the fortunes of the Bayash 

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The joy of Easter at a fitness centre

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Supervisory Board sets the course for after BER opening / New Chief Human Resources Officer appointed/Business plan agreed

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Shareholders support FBB and recognise business plan / Application for temporary closure of Tegel is postponed until after Easter

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Video director Rohan Edwards talks business

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CBS reimagines Equalizer and The Silence of the Lambs

NEW YORK, USA (AP) — Queen Latifah, Rebecca Breeds, and Thomas Middleditch are set to star in three new CBS shows for the 2020-21 season as the network adds a reimagined Equalizer, a show based on The Silence of the Lambs and a comedy about organ donation.




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Best botanic gardens: Inverness, St Andrews, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dawyck

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Edinburgh coach Richard Cockerill benefits from doing his business early

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Monday Interview: Building resilience against illness and climate change

By Kristy Dorsey




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Coronavirus in Scotland: Pop-up paths and cycle lanes to boost social distancing

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Majority of seabird nests made from plastic pollution build up

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Gerard Richardson: Opposites attract for weird wines

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Herald Diary at Large: Glasgow's exotic Ottoman Coffee House - and the Graeme Souness connection

IT’S been an up and down sort of day for Imran Akhtar. And in a much too literal sense, as far as he’s concerned. First, he had to clamber on top of the roof of the Ottoman Coffee House on Glasgow’s Berkeley Street, to make sure the temporary tarpaulin was still in place and keeping out the wind, rain, hail and snow. (It’s been one of those typical Scottish afternoons, with the weather behaving like a plump maiden aunt’s two-layered chocolate box. In other words, way too many delights




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'Fresh street food. In the house. Hard to beat' – Ron Mackenna's home delivery eating in review: Lebanese Street Sajeria

Thyme: Lebanese Street Sajeria




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10 Ways to Tidy Up Your Phones and PCs for the New Year

Organize your phone, tablet, and computer with these quick and easy tips from productivity expert Jill Duffy. Investing just a little time here at the beginning of the year could make a big difference for all of 2020.




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Drink with Gerard Richardson: Rose wines for your Valentine

IT only seems like yesterday that we were in the season to be jolly and, all of a sudden, romance is in the air. Before we know it, we’ll all be rolling eggs down a hill but, in the meantime, I guess we should take a look at rose, the wines of love.




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Issue of the Day: Rolling Stones are back with a coronavirus song

The Rolling Stones have released their first new song in eight years. Unlike everything else they've done in the last three decades, it's bang up to date. It even references the coronavirus crisis.




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Obituary: Saroj Lal, inspirational figure in the long fight for fairness for all

Saroj Lal




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Harvard Business Review, MBA Lessons Guide Principals' Ed-Tech Leadership

Effective management approaches are not skills principals typically learn through the traditional pathways of education. To fill the gap, they are turning to business programs and publications.





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Final Ascent: The Legend of Hamish MacInnes

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Football manager Billy Reid follows Vinnie Jones, Eric Cantona and David Beckham as he stars in movie

FOOTBALLERS are performers, we all know that. But can they tackle a film script? Can they find the head space to turn out a tricky line on a crowded set? And what of football managers? Can they take to acting? We’ve long believed them to have the ego of an oligarch and to make the demands of a dictator. Does any of this suggest those born to kick balls around a park can turn their hand to thespianism?




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Different Paths to the Same Goal: College and Career Readiness

Two recent studies of Teach to One: Math highlight the tension in math between grade-level-based accountability systems and approaches to instruction that enable more personalized paths to college and career readiness.




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Revisiting College and Career Readiness

An EL Education school in Rochester, NY, shows that giving young children real problems to solve can instill the qualities students will need as adults.




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College and Career Readiness

Only 3 percent of adults think students are "very prepared" for college when they graduate from high school, according to a Gallup survey released last week.




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College and Career Readiness

In a new exploration of dual enrollment, the Education Commission of the States calls on states to rethink their restrictive policies.




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College and Career Readiness

Students from low-income families face a bumpier road than their wealthier peers, according to the National Center for Education Statistics' annual Condition of Education data compendium.




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Straight Up Conversation: Panorama CEO on Measuring College, Career, and Life Readiness

Rick talks with the CEO of Panorama Education, an ed-tech company whose college- and career-readiness tools are currently used each year in 11,500 schools.