The Graces of Advent

As we move into Advent, it will be profitable for us to remember some very important things.

1.  Advent is the beginning of a new liturgical year in the Western Church.  As such, it is appropriate, I think, to use this time as a period of renewal of our spiritual lives.  Allow yourself to become more immersed in prayer; pray often to take advantage of the wonderful graces that come from this season.  Attend Mass daily to receive the grace that comes from the Eucharist.  Renew your soul in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Use the newfound graces to do God's will to help those in need.

2.  Thank God for every blessing over the year that you can think of.  Every happy moment, every loving friend and family member, every grace, is a gift from God Almighty.  Thank Him and praise Him fervently.

3.  Prepare yourself to celebrate the birth of Christ by reading the Scriptures and reflecting on them.  Lection Divina, and ancient practice of spiritual reading, is especially valuable.  Use it.

Have a blessed Advent, filled with grace.

It's About Time

November 27, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - With the Patrick Kennedy Communion flap and the recent action of the Bishops of Spainhaving opened up the issue of denying communion to pro-abortion politicians, it is worthwhile to review the position of the Vatican on the matter.

Since the controversy came to a head in 2004, the stance from the Vatican on the matter has been clear and consistent.  For the Pope and top Curial Cardinals in charge of the matter there is no question about the responsibility to deny Holy Communion to Catholic politicians who obstinately support abortion. In fact, the issue was closed as early as 2004 with a letter from Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI.

Full article can be found here.

I must say, it's high time we all started getting serious about this.  Why should the Body and Blood of our precious Lord be given to those who so obstinately deny the right to life for the unborn?  Catholics who support abortion are unworthy to receive the Eucharist, plain and simple.

Obama Makes No Mention of God in Thanksgiving Proclamation

Via LifeSiteNews

[link]

To all Catholics who voted for Obama:  That "hope and change" still working out for you?

The Top Ten Turkeys of 2009

This year was filled with joy, happiness and a sense of improvement, despite the hard times we have been having.  This year was also filled with a motley collection of boobs, stooges, bunglers and just plain nitwits who made us all throw our hands up and shout "WHY!?".

Therefore, in honor of this Thanksgiving, I hereby present my list of the top ten turkeys of 2009.

10.  Sarah Silverman:  Star of her own Comedy Central program and first class foul-mouth, Sarah Silverman is no stranger to controversy -- though she certainly is one to civility.  Silverman hit rock bottom however, with an October 2009 obscenity laced tirade against world hunger.  Her solution?  

“What is the Vatican worth, like 500 billion dollars? This is great, sell the Vatican, take a big chunk of the money, build a gorgeous condominium for you and all your friends to live in…and with the money left over, feed the whole f---ing world.”

The Catholic League was quick to point out that the Church operates more hospitals and feeds more of the world's poor than any other private organization, and regularly runs a deficit due to all her giving.  Therefore, for firing her mouth off without thinking --again-- Sarah Silverman has earned herself the tenth spot on this list.

9.  Chris Matthews:  MSNBC anchor and host of Hardball Chris Matthews is well known for his aggressive interviewing style.  He's also become well known for a November 23rd interview with Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, RI, in which he gave the Bishop an insulting lecture on the Church's refusal to support the Senate version of the health care reform bill.  At issue?  The fact that the bill is expected to be amended to include public funding of abortion services.  Matthews refused to even allow the Bishop to respond and instead attacked the Church for it's refusal to compromise her moral principles.  For that, he has earned the number nine spot on my list.

8.  Phil Attey and ChurchOuting.org:  The Church is no stranger to hatred from the militant homosexual movement for its uncompromising support for traditional marriage.  Phil Attey, a DC homosexual activist and self-described "Liberal-Gay-Ardent Obama Supporter" (try saying that one ten times fast), took this to the next level with his new project ChurchOuting.org.  The sites purpose is as follows:

According to one news report, “Attey is going to approach priests he thinks are gay, and warn them that they better stop lobbying against gay people, seeing how gay they are…or…else?”

 In other words, to intimdate priests into compromising the Church's moral teachings by objecting to her condemnation of homosexual "marriage", or risk being outed to the world.  For making friends and influencing people -- through blackmail, Phil Attey and ChurchOuting.org earn the number 8 spot on my list.

7.  The European Court of Human Rights:  Ostensibly in place to protect the basic rights of all Europeans, the European Court of Human Rights must have an exception clause in its charter when it comes to Christians.  On November 3rd, the Court ruled that all crucifixes in Italian classrooms must be removed.  Because displaying the symbol of Italy's majority faith violates human rights, they say.  Needless to say, the Italians weren't too happy about this, and displayed some serious intestinal fortitude when mayors across the country ordered the crucifixes to remain in place, defying the ruling.  For showing callous disregard for the rights of Italian Catholics to display their faith in public, the European Court of Human Rights earns the lucky number seven spot on my list.

6.  The Freedom from Religion Foundation:  The supposed "voice" of America's atheists, the Freedom from Religion Foundation made waves with its "Imagine No Religion" billboard campaign.  That one was certainly bad enough, but the Foundation had the dubious honor of kicking off the nation's culture wars in 2009 by demanding that the Detroit suburd of Warren remove a municipally funded nativity scene, arguing that it violated the Constitution by being a public display of faith (ok I made that last part up, but it sure seems they think that way).  For once again demanding America's religious heritage be kicked to the curb, the Freedom from Religion Foundation earns the number six spot on my list.

5.  Van Jones:  Obama's "Green Jobs Czar" (as if the word "czar" isn't bad enough) attracted controversy in 2009 when several embarassing little snippets came to light, including...

- His association with STORM (Standing Together to Organize a Revolutionary Movement), a Marxist political group that candidly advocated a communist revolution in America.

- His advocacy for the release of convicted cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal

- The fact that his name appeared on a petition issued by 9/11Truth.org, a website that contends that the 9/11 terrorist attacks were an "inside job" perpetrated by the Bush Administration.

For being a political hack of the Obama administration and hiding his radical past, Van Jones earns the fifth spot on my list.

4.  The University of Notre Dame:  Formally one of the great institutions of Catholic higher learning in the country, Notre Dame elected to sacrifice it's Catholic identity on the altar of "hope and change" when it conferred an honorary law degree on President Barack Obama in 2009.  Obama's persistent support of abortion-on-demand and homosexual "marriage" flew in the face of the Church's 2000 year old moral teachings, an as a Catholic institution, the school had a duty to stand for those teachings, yet failed to.  For discarding its Catholic identity in favor of political correctness, the University of Notre Dame earns the number four spot on my list.

3.  The CCHD (Catholic Campaign for Human Development):  Every November 22nd, Catholics around the country receive little envelopes asking for donations to support the the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), the anti-poverty arm of the USCCB.  The mission of the CCHD is "to address the root causes of poverty in America through promotion and support of community-controlled, self-help organizations and through transformative education".  In 2009 however, investigative reporting by EWTN and other Catholic news outlets revealed that CCHD funds have gone to organizations that support the opposite of good community -- mostly through pro-abortion and pro-homosexual "marriage" activities.  Among these organizations are;

- ACORN
- Chinese Progressive Association
- Los Angeles Community Action Network
- Women's Community Revitalization Project
- San Francisco Organizing Project
- Young Workers United
- Preble Street

The USCCB's reponse; defund just two of these groups; Chines Progressive Association and Young Workers United... after they were funded.

For flagrantly defying Church teaching by financially supporting groups which promote evil, the CCHD earns the third spot on my list.

2.  Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN):  ACORN first gained public notoriety in 2008, when evidence surfaced that ACORN staffers were committing voter fraud in several states by submitting fake voter application forms, adding untold numbers of votes for Obama that simply didn't exist.  In 2009, ACORN went even beyond that.  Activists Hannah Giles and James O'Keefe, released a hidden camera video from an investigation they undertook of ACORN offices in Baltimore, Washington D.C., Brooklyn, San Diego, San Bernadino, Philadelphia and Los Angeles.  Posing as a prostitute and a pimp, the pair videotaped ACORN staffers giving advice on home loans, tax evasion, and disguising the identities of underaged prostitutes brought in from El Salvador.  ACORN's response was to accuse the pair, without any evidence whatsoever, that the videos had been dubbed over or staged in some way.  The only thing they got was that their relationship with the 2010 U.S. Census was terminated.  For giving advice on how to sell children as sex slaves and then making false accusations to save their own collective skin, ACORN earns the number two spot on my list.

1.  President Barack Obama:  Elected on a wave of "hope and change" grandstanding, despite that fact of his consistent support of abortion-on-demand, infanticide in the form of partial-birth abortion, and homosexual "marriage", President Barack Obama made many grandiose promises, nonetheless that he would shrink the deficit.  Instead, he piled on $787 billion in pork and earmarks in his "economic stimulus" bill, and piled on further billions rescuing failing companies and banking institutions, adding to the already bloated federal deficit.  In addition, he threatens to add further billions by passing a massive health care bill including a "public option" (read, gateway for government run healthcare) into law.  For breaking his promise to the American people and saddling our children and grandchildren with massive federal debts, President Barack Obama earns the number one spot on my list.

Thanksgiving Novena

Please join me over the next nine days praying this novena.

To pray it, simply think of something that you are thankful for, one each day, and say a short prayer of thanksgiving to God Almighty, along with a trifecta (1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, 1 Glory Be).  I will be posting the prayers I say in my blog each day.

God Bless, and Happy Thanksgiving.

FVDKZ2QCZJHH

Society's Tolerance of Evil

Society has grown and changed over the years.  Unfortunately, for every great good that has come about, great evil has followed not to far behind.  And, increasingly, our society has begun to tolerate evil in its various forms.

Many will argue that there is no longer any such thing as good and evil.  Those notions died a long time ago, they say.  There are no good or evil, only what we perceive.  This is a false notion.  There is, and will always be, acts that are inherently evil, just as there are acts that are good.

Our society has become numb to those inherently evil acts.  Evil actions happen everyday, and not just the ones that make the headline news.  Every single day, great sins are committed; thousands of unborn babies die in abortion mills; married couples use contraception, closing out the marital act to new life, and do so with no thought whatsoever; the airwaves are infested with pornography, excessive violence, and other morally unacceptable acts, and no one says anything about it; people treat their fellow human beings as trash for any perceived reason, no matter how slight, and show an utter lack of conscience and remorse for their actions because they think such things are an acceptable way to deal with people.

It's inescapable; as our society loses its moral underpinning, as provided by the Church, the religious institutions and the traditional family, we have begun to tolerate these inherently evil acts.  Now, whenever we see these little acts of evil being performed, we either ignore it or, in worse cases, we cheer it on.  We find justification for our sinful acts, and rather than trying to change things for the better, we continue on our path, a path leading us toward ruin.

We must learn to recognize evil and combat it.  We must find our moral underpinnings again.  We must, before our society falls completely under.

The Solemnity of Christ the King

From Catholicculture.org

The way to "enter" into God's Kingdom "does not permit shortcuts"; rather, "every person must freely welcome the truth of the love of God. He is Love and Truth and both love and truth never impose themselves: they knock at the door of the heart and mind and, wherever they may enter, they bring peace and joy. This is God's way of reigning; this is his project of salvation, a 'mystery' in the biblical sense of the word, which is a plan that is revealed little by little throughout history." — Pope Benedict XVI

The Feast of Christ the King was established by Pope Pius XI in 1925 as an antidote to secularism, a way of life which leaves God out of man's thinking and living and organizes his life as if God did not exist. The feast is intended to proclaim in a striking and effective manner Christ's royalty over individuals, families, society, governments, and nations.

Today's Mass establishes the titles for Christ's royalty over men: 1) Christ is God, the Creator of the universe and hence wields a supreme power over all things; "All things were created by Him"; 2) Christ is our Redeemer, He purchased us by His precious Blood, and made us His property and possession; 3) Christ is Head of the Church, "holding in all things the primacy"; 4) God bestowed upon Christ the nations of the world as his special possession and dominion.

Today's Mass also describes the qualities of Christ's kingdom. This kingdom is: 1) supreme, extending not only to all peoples but also to their princes and kings; 2) universal, extending to all nations and to all places; 3) eternal, for "The Lord shall sit a King forever"; 4) spiritual, Christ's "kingdom is not of this world".

— Rt. Rev. Msgr. Rudolph G. Bandas

 Litany of Christ the King:

Antiphon: The Lamb that was slain is worthy to receive power and divinity and wisdom and strength and honor: to Him be glory, and empire for ever and ever.

V. He shall rule from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth.

R. All kings shall adore Him, all nations shall serve Him.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Christ, have mercy upon us.

Lord, have mercy upon us. Christ the King, hear us.

Christ the King, graciously hear us.

Who didst receive crowns and tribute from the Magi,

May all nations serve Thee, O Lord.

Who rulest by love the Holy Family of Nazareth,

May all nations serve Thee, O Lord.

Who, as King, served Thy people in the example of filial obedience,

May all nations serve Thee, O Lord.

Who drawest to Thy realm the fishermen to be fishers of men,

May all nations serve Thee, O Lord.

Whose Kingdom is not of the spirit of this world,

May all nations serve Thee, O Lord.

Who art King not of the Jews alone but of all creation,

May all nations serve Thee, O Lord.

Who wast mocked in false purple by the little rulers,

May all nations serve Thee, O Lord.

Who wast crowned with piercing thorns,

May all nations serve Thee, O Lord.

Who wast nailed to Thy throne on Golgotha,

May all nations serve Thee, O Lord.

Who didst ransom Thy people by the royal Sacrifice of Calvary,

May all nations serve Thee, O Lord.

Who didst purchase Thy Kingdom with the Blood of the Atonement,

May all nations serve Thee, O Lord.

Who in Thy Resurrection wert the First-born from the dead,

May all nations serve Thee, O Lord.

Who in Thy glorified body art risen triumphant,

May all nations serve Thee, O Lord.

Who art throned and crowned at the right hand of Thy Father,

May all nations serve Thee, O Lord.

In Whom are all created things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible,

May all nations serve Thee, O Lord.

Beneath Whom are all thrones and dominations,

May all nations serve Thee, O Lord.

Beneath Whom are all principalities and powers,

May all nations serve Thee, O Lord.

By Whom all things consist,

May all nations serve Thee, O Lord.

To Whom all the nations of the earth are subject,

May all nations serve Thee, O Lord.

Through Whom all things are reconciled unto Thy Father,

V. His power shall be an everlasting power,

R. And His Kingdom a kingdom that shall not be destroyed.

That the peoples of this world may know themselves subject to Thee,

We Beseech Thee, hear us.

That they may put off their vainglory,

We Beseech Thee, hear us.

That they may dispel the evils laicism has brought upon society,

We Beseech Thee, hear us.

That they may hearken to Thy fiat,

We Beseech Thee, hear us.

That they may bow their heads before Thee,

We Beseech Thee, hear us.

That they may know Thy reign is eternal,

We Beseech Thee, hear us.

That they may submit to Thy just and gentle rule,

We Beseech Thee, hear us.

That they may recognize Thy Vicar on earth,

We Beseech Thee, hear us.

That they may freely accept his rule for Thy sake,

We Beseech Thee, hear us.

That they may know that Thy Church, being Thee Thyself, cannot die as nations die,

We Beseech Thee, hear us.

That the Gentiles may be restored to mercy,

We Beseech Thee, hear us.

That to Christ the King all things may be restored,

We Beseech Thee, hear us.

That in the Prince of Peace true peace may by all be found,

We Beseech Thee, hear us.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world:

Spare us, O Christ our King.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world:

Hear us, O Christ our King.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world:

Have mercy on us.

V. His power shall be an everlasting power, which shall not be taken away:

R. And His Kingdom that shall not decay. Alleluia.

Let us pray. Almighty, everlasting God, Who in Thy beloved Son, King of the whole world, hast willed to restore all things anew: grant in Thy mercy that all the families of nations, rent asunder by the wound of sin, may be subjected to His most gentle rule. Who with Thee liveth and reigneth in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end,

R. Amen.

Prayer to Christ the King:

O Jesus Christ, I acknowledge Thee as universal King. All that has been made, has been created for Thee. Exercise all Thy rights over me. I renew my baptismal vows, renouncing Satan, his pomps and his works; and I promise to live as a good Christian. In particular do I plege myself to labor, to the best of my ability, for the triumph of the rights of God and Thy Church.

Divine Heart of Jesus, to Thee do I proffer my poor services, laboring that all hearts may acknowledge Thy Sacred Kingship, and that thus the reign of Thy peace be established throughout the whole universe. Amen.

The Feast of the Presentation of Mary

From the Liturgy of the Hours, Volume III:

This feast commemorates the dedication of the church of Saint Mary which was built in Jerusalem near the site of the Temple.  With Christians of the East, the Latin Church also recalls on this day the tradition according the which Mary as a small child was presented to the Lord by her parents in the Temple.


Prayer:

Eternal Father, we honor the holiness and the glory of the Virgin Mary.  Mary her prayers bring us the fullness of your life and love.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.  Amen.

Friday Penance

Throughout the ages, the Church has observed Friday as a day of penance.  Catholics around the world are required to perform some act of penance on Friday.

Why do we do this?  The answer is simple; Friday is the day that our Lord Jesus Christ died upon the cross, and in doing so redeemed mankind.

By performing penance on Friday, we unite ourselves with the Cross.  As he suffered for us, so we deny ourselves some comfort for His sake.  We fulfill Christ's command to deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow Him (Mark 8:34).  

The way one peforms Friday penance varies according to location.  The norms for the United States, where I live, are that one must perform some act of penance of their choosing.  A good way to do this is to give up something one enjoys for the day.  The traditional act of penance, however, is that one abstains from meat on Friday (something that is still required on Lenten Fridays).  However you perform it, remember that you are doing it for one reason only; to honor our Lord's sacrifice upon the cross.

God Bless.

Prayer Request

I might have a job lined up.  Please keep me in your prayers that I might finally find employment.

Sunday Mass Readings: November 15, 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

First Reading:  Daniel 12:1-3
"At that time there shall arise Michael, the great prince, guardian of your people; It shall be a time unsurpassed in distress since nations began until that time. At that time your people shall escape, everyone who is found written in the book.  Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake; some shall live forever, others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace.  But the wise shall shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament, And those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever. 


Psalm:  Psalm 16:5, 8-11
The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; thou holdest my lot.


 keep the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.


Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also dwells secure.


For thou dost not give me up to Sheol, or let thy godly one see the Pit.


Thou dost show me the path of life; in thy presence there is fulness of joy, in thy right hand are pleasures for evermore.


Second Reading:  Hebrews 10:11-14, 18
And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.  But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, then to wait until his enemies should be made a stool for his feet.  For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.  Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.


Gospel:  Mark 13:24-32
"But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.  And then they will see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory.  And then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.  "From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near.  So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates.  Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away before all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.  "But of that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

Nor'easter

If any of you have been watching the weather, a big nor'easter came through my area.  My power was knocked out for a bit and the city is flooded.

Being the weather buff that I am, I'll try and take some pictures of the area for you guys.  A little something to pass the time.

Pax Christi

Why Do We Need Purity?

The answer is simple: impurity is devastating.  Rampant sexual immorality, objectification of women into sex objects, glorification of sexual promiscuity and the wide and easy availability of pornography have created a climate where impurity is the order of the day and sexual restraint is viewed a backwards, which has had a devastating effect on the psyche of this country and is partly responsible for our society's moral implosion.

Why do I say this?  Well, consider it in the light of the following.

1.  Impurity destroys marriages:  Addiction to pornography causes a person to objectify the human body and human sexuality.  Sex loses it's procreative and unitive purpose ("babies and bonding") and becomes a simple means of selfish gratification.  Husbands (and in some cases wives) become increasingly dependent upon sexual pleasure.  Over time, the demand for more sexual pleasure places a strain on the marriage, causing the impure party to seek pleasure outside the marriage (in a worst case scenario) or takes one into more sexual sin which places even more strain on the marriage until it finally breaks.  The fact that America's rampant divorce rate jumped when the "Sexual Revolution" of the 1960s came about speaks for itself.

2.  Impurity warps one's view of human sexuality:  God created sex, and as such, it is good.  But He created it with for two very specific purposes, as explained in the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

"Sexuality, by means of which man and woman give themselves to one another through the acts which are proper and exclusive to spouses, is not something simply biological, but concerns the innermost being of the human person as such. It is realized in a truly human way only if it is an integral part of the love by which a man and woman commit themselves totally to one another until death....The spouses' union achieves the twofold end of marriage: the good of the spouses themselves and the transmission of life. These two meanings or values of marriage cannot be separated without altering the couple's spiritual life and compromising the goods of marriage and the future of the family.  The conjugal love of man and woman thus stands under the twofold obligation of fidelity and fecundity.  (CCC 2362-2363)

Sex was created for the twofold purpose of procreation and unity of the spouses in the context of a valid marriage between one man and one woman; for the transmission of new life into the world, and for the purpose of bringing the spouses into an act of self-giving love for each other.  Sex is sinful when it is sought for any other reason.  This is why lust is considered to be such a grave sin; the seeking of sex for the purpose of selfish satisfaction of one's own pleasure perverts the sexual act away from its God-ordained purposes and destroys the notion of sex as a life giving act in the mind of the person.  The more impure acts one indulges in, the worse this perversion gets.


3.  Impurity destroys the ability of a person to form healthy relationships:  Sexual pleasure is a very powerful force.  If it is not tempered by proper sexual morality, formed in accordance with Christian virtue, it is like an addiction; like drugs, one must seek out more sexual impure acts in order to feed one's addiction.  Such a need makes it impossible to form meaningful relationships with members of the opposite sex; one's perception is destroyed by their addiction, and they see them not as a human worthy of dignity, but as an object to be used for their own pleasure.

4.  Impurity is spiritually lethal:  Pornography, lust, fornication, masturbation, and others are all mortal sins because they are a misuse of the sexual faculty by taking sex outside of its purpose; "babies and bonding" in the context of a marriage between one man and one woman, as explained in the above paragraphs.  But even more devastating is the fact that lust and others are "gateway" sins.  From personal experience, these sins led me to commit even greater sins because the grace that was once present in my soul was no longer there; mortal sin had removed it.  This is true for others; sexual addiction leads one to commit more and more sin in order to feed it.  Only the saving grace of Christ can help the person.

Impurity is not just something we can ignore.  It's something that eats away at us, and can destroy the way we look at sex.  The only cure for impurity is a return to chastity and the observance of Judeo-Christian sexual values.  Our society is in desperate need of such a return.

Time to get to work, I think.

Veteran's Day

Every year on November 11th, our country gathers together to honor those who have served in our armed forces, fighting to defend our country and the liberties we hold so dear.  Heroes have been born in every major conflict this country has ever fought, from the American Revolution to the Iraq War, and continue to be forged to this day.  

These heroes need our prayers.  Let's give them to them, shall we?

Before you turn off the lights at night, I want everyone who reads this blog to say this prayer for our servicemen and women, and for all those heroes who have served and continue to serve.

God bless.

Heavenly Father, you have always blessed those who have fought to protect the innocent and their fellow man.  Just as you were with Judah Maccabees as he fought against the Greek rulers and liberated Jerusalem from them, be now with the men and women of our armed forces.  We ask you to keep the safe and bless them mightily.  Be with our veterans who have returned from foreign battlefields.  Comfort them in adversity and bless them with the love of their family and the appreciation of a grateful nation.  Send down your Holy Spirit to be their guide and protector.  We make these, as all of our petitions, through Christ our Lord.  Amen.


Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, pray for them.


Saint Joan of Arc, pray for them.


Saint Brendan, pray for them.


Saint Maurice, pray for them.

A Call to All Pro-Lifers

WASHINGTON, DC, November 9, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Abortion supporters are furious over the House's passage of the health care reform bill HR 3962 with the pro-life Stupak-Pitts amendment, which would continue to ban the funding of most abortions by the government.

Planned Parenthood said that the bill with the pro-life amendment "would leave women worse off after health care reform than they are today"  and promised further effort so that women "do not become second-class citizens in a newly reformed health care system in the United States."

The amendment passed late on Saturday, November 7th, with 176 Republicans and 64 Democrats supporting the amendment and 194 Democrats voting against it.  The amendment prohibits the funding of abortion by the new federal government insurance program - the "public option" - and also prohibits the use of new federal subsidies to purchase an insurance program that covers abortion.

The anti-life forces are gathering in the wind.  This is a call for all pro-lifers to rise up and defend the Stupak-Pitts Amendment.  I encourage all who read this to write to your senators and representatives to keep the amendment in the bill.  Start petitions and protest to pressure lawmakers to keep it in the bill.  Don't let the culture of death make any headway here.

House Passes Health Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C., November 7, 2009 11:15 p.m. Eastern Time (LifeSiteNews.com) - The U.S. House passed the historic health care reform bill Saturday evening by a very close 220 to 215 vote. The Democrats needed 218 votes to pass the bill. One Republican voted for the bill.

The bill includes the Stupak Amendment which basically contains the provisions of the long standing Hyde Amendment prohibiting any coverage of elective abortion by a government program.

The bill still requires approval by the Senate.

A loss for fiscal conservatives like myself, but hopefully a victory for the unborn.

Though I have doubts that the pro-choice fanatics that make up the Senate Democrats (including phony Catholics like Nancy Pelosi) will allow it to pass with the Stupak Amendment.

Christianity Is Not A Religion?

Yeah, you heard that right.

This is an apparently common belief amongst evangelicals, especially those of the fundamentalist branch.  The refrain is that the Christian faith isn't a religion, but a "personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ".  Yep, that's what they boil it down to; you and Jesus, no one else.

Some even go as far as to associate religious structure with devil worship and the Whore of Revelation, but I might be stretching that, so don't quote me.

Let's see how the dictionary defines religion

1.	a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

2.	a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.

3.	the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices: a world council of religions.

4.	the life or state of a monk, nun, etc.: to enter religion.

5.	the practice of religious beliefs; ritual observance of faith.

6.	something one believes in and follows devotedly; a point or matter of ethics or conscience: to make a religion of fighting prejudice.

7.	religions, Archaic. religious rites.

8.	Archaic. strict faithfulness; devotion: a religion to one's vow.

Pay close attention to number two.

Number two tells us a religion is a set of beliefs and practices agreed upon by it's practitioners.  Does Christianity fulfill this?  Let's make a short of list of the things most Christians agree upon.

1.  The Holy Trinity:  one God in three Persons

2.  The divinity of Christ

3.  The atoning death of Christ on the cross and His physical resurrection from the dead.

4.  The Virgin Birth

5.  The Second Coming

There you have it.  Seems the Christian faith does have a basic set of beliefs.  What about practices?  Most Christians I know of do at least one or more of the following.

1.  Daily prayer

2.  Attendance at weekly services

3.  Evangelization

4.  Aid to the poor and needy

Common practices?  So it seems.

It would appear then, that the Christian faith does indeed meet the definition of a religion.  Why then, do so many believe it isn't?

It all boils down to, in my humble opinion, two things:

1.  A dislike of having to live by a standardized moral code.

2.  The common evangelical belief that the Church that Jesus established is an invisible of union of all believers, rather than a divinely appointed institution.  What does that mean for them?  It means they don't have the authority to interpret Scripture for themselves, even though the Bible never says they do in the first place.

Suffice to say, you are a Christian, you practice a religion.  Religion is not a bad word, especially when the religion you practice is the one true faith once and for all delivered to the saints.

Popeater.com: Ian McKellen 'Proudly' Rips Leviticus 18:22 Out of All Bibles

Note to hotel managers: unless you want it to be altered forever, remove that Bible from Sir Ian McKellen's bedside drawer before he shows up.

In a Q&A with Details magazine, the openly gay 'Lord of the Rings' star admits to a habit of tearing out the Bible passage that condemns homosexuality -- Leviticus 18:22 -- every time he finds one in his hotel room. The passage: "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination."

"I'm not proudly defacing the book," he asserts, "but it's a choice between removing that page and throwing away the whole Bible."

McKellen says his actions have inspired others to do the same. "I got delivered a package of 40 of those pages that had been torn out by a married couple I know. They put them on a bit of string so that I could hang it up in the bathroom."

 Are you guys sure that this is the same guy who played Gandalf?  He sure isn't acting like him.

It's one thing to disagree with us.  It's another to actively destroy something we consider to be the Word of God.  I expected better of someone who was knighted by the queen for his acting accomplishments.

LifeSiteNews: Nun Defiant Following Rebuke, but Stops Abortion Escorting

HINSDALE, Illinois, November 4, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Sr. Donna Quinn has reportedly ceased serving as an abortion escort at an Illinois abortuary after receiving a reprimand from her Dominican community.  But according to statements published in the Chicago Tribune Wednesday, the nun remains defiant, claiming her abortion volunteerism protected women from "being physically assaulted" by pro-lifers.  At the same time, local pro-life advocates have responded by calling Quinn's portrayal of their peaceful protest activities "unbelievable" and "without basis."

Some just never learn, do they?

                                                                                    

Victory!

Late reporting but...

http://www.wvec.com/news/topstories/stories/wvec_local_110309_election_day_a.m..27dca255e.html


Hoorah. It's time to get some REAL change in this country. Let's hope this is the start of the trend.

The Feast of All Souls

Just as the Church yesterday celebrated all those who have died in the friendship of God and now worship Him in heaven, known and unknown, today the Church celebrates those who have died likewise in the friendship of God but are being purified in purgatory.  Today is the Feast of All Souls.

"On this day is observed the commemoration of the faithful departed, in which our common and pious Mother the Church, immediately after having endeavored to celebrate by worthy praise all her children who already rejoice in heaven, strives to aid by her powerful intercession with Christ, her Lord and Spouse, all those who still groan in purgatory, so that they may join as soon as possible the inhabitants of the heavenly city." — Roman Martyrology

On this day, Catholics around the world pray for those who are being purified in purgatory, to help them to attain the Beatific Vision.  As such, it is incumbent on Catholics to pray for the faithful departed, especially those who have passed on in their families and parishes.

- Priests are permitted on All Souls Day to say up to three Masses for the faithful departed; attend Masses offered for such and ask your priest to say a Mass for someone who has died.

- Pray the Divine Office for the Dead this day.

- Offer a rosary for the faithful departed in purgatory.

- Visit a cemetary, select a few graves and offer prayers and self-denials for those buried there (a plenary indulgence for the souls in purgatory is given for those who do this, provided all the other conditions for a plenary indulgence are met).

These are just a few suggestions for things you can do for the holy souls in purgatory.  Remember to pray with fullness of heart and mercy.

God Bless.

The Feast of All Saints

Today is the Feast of All Saints.  On this day Catholics and other Christians who celebrate this holy day gather together to honor those who have passed on in the friendship of God and now enjoy the bliss of heaven.

Today the Church celebrates all the saints: canonized or beatified, and the multitude of those who are in heaven enjoying the beatific vision that are only known to God. During the early centuries the Saints venerated by the Church were all martyrs. Later on the Popes set November 1 as the day for commemorating all the Saints. We all have this "universal call to holiness." What must we to do in order to join the company of the saints in heaven? We "must follow in His footsteps and conform [our]selves to His image seeking the will of the Father in all things. [We] must devote [our]selves with all [our] being to the glory of God and the service of [our] neighbor. In this way, the holiness of the People of God will grow into an abundant harvest of good, as is admirably shown by the life of so many saints in Church history" (Lumen Gentium, 40).

Do you have a patron saint?  Ask him to pray for you for whatever intention you may have today.  If you don't have a patron saint, ask a few of your favorites to pray for you.  Read up on the lives of the saints as well.  Their stories contain important lessons on how Christians are to live.  Their writings contain treasures of wisdom open for us.  Seek those treasures out.

God bless and happy All Saints Day.