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/* What it does: Remove spaces around the email design added by some
email clients. */
/* Beware: It can remove the padding / margin and add a background
color to the compose a reply window. */
html,
body {
Margin: 0 !important;
padding: 0 !important;
height: 100% !important;
width: 100% !important;
text-align: center;
}
/* What it does: Stops email clients resizing small text. */
* {
-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%;
-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;
}
/* What is does: Centers email on Android 4.4 */
div[style*="margin: 16px 0"] {
margin:0 !important;
}
/* What it does: Stops Outlook from adding extra spacing to tables.
*/
table,
td {
mso-table-lspace: 0pt !important;
mso-table-rspace: 0pt !important;
}
/* What it does: Fixes webkit padding issue. Fix for Yahoo mail table
alignment bug. Applies table-layout to the first 2 tables then removes
for anything nested deeper. */
table {
border-spacing: 0 !important;
border-collapse: collapse !important;
table-layout: fixed !important;
Margin: 0 auto !important;
}
table table table {
table-layout: auto;
}
/* What it does: Uses a better rendering method when resizing images
in IE. */
img {
-ms-interpolation-mode:bicubic;
}
/* What it does: Overrides styles added when Yahoo's auto-senses a
link. */
.yshortcuts a {
border-bottom: none !important;
}
/* What it does: A work-around for iOS meddling in triggered links.
*/
.mobile-link footer a,
a[x-apple-data-detectors] {
color:inherit !important;
text-decoration: underline !important;
}
-->
<!--
/* What it does: Hover styles for buttons */
.button-td,
.button-a {
transition: all 100ms ease-in;
}
.button-td:hover,
.button-a:hover {
background: #555555 !important;
border-color: #555555 !important;
}
/* Media Queries */
@media screen and (max-width: 600px) {
.email-container {
width: 100% !important;
}
/* What it does: Forces elements to resize to the full width of their
container. Useful for resizing images beyond their max-width. */
.fluid,
.fluid-centered {
max-width: 100% !important;
height: auto !important;
Margin-left: auto !important;
Margin-right: auto !important;
}
/* And center justify these ones. */
.fluid-centered {
Margin-left: auto !important;
Margin-right: auto !important;
}
/* What it does: Forces table cells into full-width rows. */
.stack-column,
.stack-column-center {
display: block !important;
width: 100% !important;
max-width: 100% !important;
direction: ltr !important;
}
/* And center justify these ones. */
.stack-column-center {
text-align: center !important;
}
/* What it does: Generic utility class for centering. Useful for
images, buttons, and nested tables. */
.center-on-narrow {
text-align: center !important;
display: block !important;
Margin-left: auto !important;
Margin-right: auto !important;
float: none !important;
}
table.center-on-narrow {
display: inline-block !important;
}
}
body {
background-color: #fff;
width: 100%;
margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
p{
line-height:20px;
}
h1, h2, h3, h4, h5{
color:#7A9534;
}
.signup a {font-family: Roboto Condensed, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;
color: #4F4293; padding-bottom:0px; padding-top: 15px;
font-weight:600; margin-bottom: 0px; text-decoration: none}
-->
Catholic Charities USA
Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Readings of the Day
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"...with their patience worn out by the journey, the people
complained against God and Moses" (Num 21:4).
Who doesn't have sympathy for the Israelites here? Forty years
of travelling in the desert, moving slowly toward the promised land,
they experienced many hardships. Daily tasks and taking care of family
were challenging. Resources were scarce. People got sick; some died.
No doubt delays and detours were required along the way. Wishing the
journey over and the promise realized is an understandable feeling.
Some of the Israelites, however, began thinking that the promise was
unattainable and a return to Egypt was preferable to wandering in the
desert. Returning to Egypt, of course, meant a return to slavery. Such
a desire indicates a weariness beyond the challenges of a difficult
journey; it suggests a loss of faith. They also forgot about God
freeing them from slavery.
God sends saraph serpents to prod the people out of their despair.
Admitting their sin, the people ask God through Moses to stop the
snakes. It's interesting what God does. Instead of wiping out
the snakes, he tells Moses to mount a bronze one on a pole so that
"whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the
bronze serpent," he or she would live. God sets up the
possibility for people to make an act of faith, which replaces their
despair with hope.
The Church sees the bronze serpent as foreshadowing the crucifix,
which is a symbol of the Christian faith. Like the Israelites,
followers of Christ can be dragged down by the journey and tempted
with despair. Does God even care about the state of the world or those
stuck in poverty or people gripped by desperation or innocent people
massacred in a war? Gazing at Jesus on the cross reminds us that the
way of faith does not evaporate hardships, but neither does it end at
death. Faith centers us on the hope of Easter and frees us to love on
earth, even when others choose to "return to Egypt."
David Werning is Director of Social Policy Engagement at Catholic
Charities USA.
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