Friday, November 28, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
In Memory of Baby Ella Rose Cook July 17, 2008
Baby Ella was born on July 17, 2008. Four days earlier I had been admitted to the hospital as I spontaneously dilated and Ella's water sac had begun descending into the canal at just 21 weeks gestation. I was told by many to just "get it over with" and begin induction as Ella would not likely live. However, my wonderful husband and I would not choose certain death when I had the option to lie in the hospital in the trendelinberg position to ease the water sac back through the cervix. After 48 hours of doing so, there was no change in my condition. Ella was still exposed to infection as was myself, but we were not about to give up. Two more days went by and we hung onto the hope that something would change. However, the only thing that did was that Ella and I now had an infection and there was no way to turn back the clock for her. My wonderful doctor (who was the only medical professional who refused to give up on us) delivered the news on that Thursday around 12:40pm. It was no longer my duty to try to save Ella...if we wanted to see her alive, we would have to deliver her as soon as possible. With my family beside me, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl who was perfect in every way. My husband and I baptized her immediately and we witnessed her tiny body move and her delicate hand grasp the ring that her daddy tried to place on her fingers...she was so strong. And Ella began to suck on my finger as I brushed it against her tiny cheek. It was a beautiful experience that we enjoyed for 20 minutes until it was time for God to take her home. This video was played at her funeral and we want to share our baby with everyone we can...what a gift we had. Mommy and Daddy love you, Ella Rose! xoxoxoxoxo
*May God Bless Ella Rose up in heaven, and her mommy and daddy, for sharing their beautiful daughter with the world! She is proof that every life is precious, and a gift from God!
God Bless!
~Georgia
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Italian Nuns Refuse to Kill Eluana Englaro!
By Hilary White, Rome CorrespondentMILAN, November 17, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) –
The nuns who run the hospice in which Eluana Englaro has been living for 14 years have refused to carry out the court order to remove her food and hydration tube. On Friday, the highest court of appeals of Italy upheld a previous court’s ruling that Eluana Englaro, the young disabled woman who has been in a state of diminished consciousness since being in a car accident in 1992, may be killed by the removal of her food and hydration tube.
In a letter published in yesterday’s Avvenire, the daily newspaper of the Italian Bishops Conference, the Misericordine nuns of Lecco said, “Our hope, and that of many like us, is that the death by hunger and thirst of Eluana, and others in her condition, will not be carried out.”
“That is why, once again, we maintain our availability, today and into the future, to continue to serve Eluana. If there are those who consider her dead, let Eluana remain with us who feel she is alive. We don’t ask anything but the silence and the liberty to love and to devote ourselves to those who are weak, poor and little in return.”
At the same time, the Secretary of Welfare, Eugenia Roccella, said in a statement today that there is “no obligation” for government-funded health care facilities to implement the decision of the Court of Cassation that patients can be dehydrated to death.
Legal experts have said that it is possible under Italian law for the sisters to apply for permission from the courts to be appointed Eluana’s legal guardian. Monsignore Ignacio Barreiro, the head of the Rome office of Human Life International told LifeSiteNews.com that such a possibility could be a real glimmer of hope for saving Eluana’s life.
“It’s more than reasonable,” he said, “that someone who wants to keep the person alive should be appointed the guardian, rather than the person who’s ready to kill her. You don’t have to have a doctorate in theology to say that; it’s just common sense.”
Msgr. Barriero, who was an attorney before being ordained to the priesthood, added that it is a basic principle of law that “you cannot have a conflict of interest between the guardian and the person who is under guardianship. The purpose of a guardian is to look after the well being of the person.”
550 delegates of the Movement for Life, meeting in Montecatini for the 28th National Congress of the Centers for Aid to Life, have written to President Giorgio Napolitano to ask him to “enforce his highest moral authority” to allow Eluana Englaro “to continue to be cared for and loved by the Sisters of Lecco.”
Giulio Boscagli, Assessor to the Family and Solidarity in the region of Lombardy in which Eluana lives, agreed with the nuns, saying, “The ruling of the Court of Cassation seems to have lost sight of the reality” that Eluana is not dead but alive, although currently in a “seriously disabled condition.”
The desire of the nuns to care for Eluana as though she is “a daughter,” he said, “is the right path, the path taken by all those who daily take care of people who are in a vegetative state or very seriously disabled.” Boscagli pledged the “closeness and support” of the Regione Lombardia for the nuns.
At the same time, the decision of the Court of Cassation has alerted lawmakers to a legal loophole that could be used to sanction euthanasia. Justice Minister Angelino Alfano said that parliament must “fill the legislative vacuum in place” that has allowed the court to rule against Eluana.
Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Eluana Englaro to Die by Dehydration after Italian High Court Ruling
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/nov/08111405.html
The nuns who run the hospice in which Eluana Englaro has been living for 14 years have refused to carry out the court order to remove her food and hydration tube. On Friday, the highest court of appeals of Italy upheld a previous court’s ruling that Eluana Englaro, the young disabled woman who has been in a state of diminished consciousness since being in a car accident in 1992, may be killed by the removal of her food and hydration tube.
In a letter published in yesterday’s Avvenire, the daily newspaper of the Italian Bishops Conference, the Misericordine nuns of Lecco said, “Our hope, and that of many like us, is that the death by hunger and thirst of Eluana, and others in her condition, will not be carried out.”
“That is why, once again, we maintain our availability, today and into the future, to continue to serve Eluana. If there are those who consider her dead, let Eluana remain with us who feel she is alive. We don’t ask anything but the silence and the liberty to love and to devote ourselves to those who are weak, poor and little in return.”
At the same time, the Secretary of Welfare, Eugenia Roccella, said in a statement today that there is “no obligation” for government-funded health care facilities to implement the decision of the Court of Cassation that patients can be dehydrated to death.
Legal experts have said that it is possible under Italian law for the sisters to apply for permission from the courts to be appointed Eluana’s legal guardian. Monsignore Ignacio Barreiro, the head of the Rome office of Human Life International told LifeSiteNews.com that such a possibility could be a real glimmer of hope for saving Eluana’s life.
“It’s more than reasonable,” he said, “that someone who wants to keep the person alive should be appointed the guardian, rather than the person who’s ready to kill her. You don’t have to have a doctorate in theology to say that; it’s just common sense.”
Msgr. Barriero, who was an attorney before being ordained to the priesthood, added that it is a basic principle of law that “you cannot have a conflict of interest between the guardian and the person who is under guardianship. The purpose of a guardian is to look after the well being of the person.”
550 delegates of the Movement for Life, meeting in Montecatini for the 28th National Congress of the Centers for Aid to Life, have written to President Giorgio Napolitano to ask him to “enforce his highest moral authority” to allow Eluana Englaro “to continue to be cared for and loved by the Sisters of Lecco.”
Giulio Boscagli, Assessor to the Family and Solidarity in the region of Lombardy in which Eluana lives, agreed with the nuns, saying, “The ruling of the Court of Cassation seems to have lost sight of the reality” that Eluana is not dead but alive, although currently in a “seriously disabled condition.”
The desire of the nuns to care for Eluana as though she is “a daughter,” he said, “is the right path, the path taken by all those who daily take care of people who are in a vegetative state or very seriously disabled.” Boscagli pledged the “closeness and support” of the Regione Lombardia for the nuns.
At the same time, the decision of the Court of Cassation has alerted lawmakers to a legal loophole that could be used to sanction euthanasia. Justice Minister Angelino Alfano said that parliament must “fill the legislative vacuum in place” that has allowed the court to rule against Eluana.
Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Eluana Englaro to Die by Dehydration after Italian High Court Ruling
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/nov/08111405.html
Support, In Word and Deed, the Dignity of Human Life
Column by Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila, D.D.
Bishop of Fargo
Printed in the November 2008 issue of New Earth,
the Newspaper for the Diocese of Fargo
On Nov. 4, 2008, the United States witnessed an historic event in the election of the first African-American president. With his election as president we have seen our nation take great strides forward in the civil rights movement and the rights for all peoples regardless of race. I congratulate President-elect Barack Obama and assure him of my prayers and the prayers of the faithful of the Diocese of Fargo in the immense responsibilities that he will undertake as president. One of those prayers will be for the conversion of his heart and mind to recognize the dignity of human life from the moment of conception until natural death and the truth that no government has the right to legalize abortion.
In his acceptance speech on Nov. 4, President-elect Obama stated, “I will listen to you, especially when we disagree.” I pray that President-elect Obama will listen when it comes to the question of the unborn and not impose the intrinsic evil of abortion on the consciences of so many who know the truth that abortion is the destruction of a unique innocent human being. The President-elect in his voting record and his speeches has revealed that he is one of the strongest supporters of legalized abortion, as well as the “Freedom of Choice Act” (FOCA). In this he directly opposes the divine law of God concerning the dignity of each human life, and so he strongly disagrees with the position of the Catholic Church. On a purely political level, he even disagrees with the majority of Americans, who at least want some limits on abortion. The Church, and most especially bishops and priests, will need to make the teaching of the Church known to every Catholic.
The Catholic Church teaches throughout her history the truth of the dignity of human life from the moment of conception until natural death. This truth was recognized by our country until 1973 with the decision of Roe v. Wade. Today this truth is known even more clearly through reason and science. Every one of our lives began at the same moment: when an egg and sperm came together in our mother‟s womb, formed one cell, and began to divide. It is truly marvelous and beautiful when you observe the truth through the technology of modern science.
Throughout the last several months I have been surprised and saddened at how little some Catholics know and accept the teaching of the Church on the matter of abortion. As a bishop I have received mail from Catholics with diverse complaints. Some state that I haven‟t spoken forcefully enough and that it is my fault that the truth about abortion is not clearly taught in parishes. Others write and state that they are Catholic and pro-choice, and see themselves as faithful to Christ and the Church. Catholics need to promote the Gospel of Life and understand, as Pope Benedict XVI and his predecessors have made definitive and clear, that the question of the moral legality of abortion is non-negotiable. It is always and everywhere wrong, and this moral truth must be enshrined in law in every civil society.
I want to look at misunderstandings in Catholic teaching that I have encountered over the last several months. Most know that since theChurch names several intrinsic evils or disorders, and I urge all Catholics to study these. Certainly the most serious is the destruction of innocent human life, such as abortion (CCC 2270-72), euthanasia (CCC 2277), the intentional killing of non-combatants in war and genocide (CCC 2313). Catholics must come to understand that every intrinsic evil undermines the dignity of the human person as created in the image and likeness of God and must never be condoned or supported.
Another misunderstanding among some Catholics is that abortion is just one issue among many issues. They will say “I am not a one issue person.” It is true that all Catholics must be concerned about the just ordering of society, which means concern for the economy, immigration, the war in Iraq, health care, taxes, etc. All of these impact the dignity of the human person and the flourishing of society. Different prudential judgments may be made about how to prioritize and address these matters in light of the teaching of the Church. Nevertheless, there are fundamental rights that no civil society may take away. The fundamental right to life is essential to all other rights (CCC 2273). Therefore the right to life, from the moment of conception until natural death, is the first among all rights and the first issue that must be taken into consideration, acted upon and protected. The Bishops of the United States spoke of this in their 2007 document on faith and public life, “The direct and intentional destruction of innocent human life from the moment of conception until natural death is always wrong and is not just one issue among many” (Faithful Citizenship 28).
The Second Vatican Council taught, “For God, the Lord of life, has conferred on men the surpassing ministry of safeguarding life in a manner which is worthy of man. Therefore from the moment of its conception life must be guarded with the greatest care, while abortion and infanticide are unspeakable crimes” (Guadium et Spes 51). Our late Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, in his encyclical, Evangelium Vitae, taught “Abortion and euthanasia are thus crimes which no human law can claim to legitimize. There is no obligation in conscience to obey such laws; instead there is a grave and clear obligation to oppose them by conscientious objection. …the apostolic preaching reminded Christians of their duty to obey legitimately constituted public authorities (cf. Rom 13:1-7; 1 Pet 2:13-14), but at the same time it firmly warned that „we must obey God rather than men‟ (Acts 5:29)…In the case of an intrinsically unjust law, such as a law permitting abortion or euthanasia, it is therefore never licit to obey it, or to ‘take part in a propaganda campaign in favour of such a law, or vote for it‟” (emphasis added, EV 73).
Catholics, regardless of their affiliation with a political party, must always support the dignity of human life from the moment of conception until natural death, and they must enact good laws which do so. Thus Catholics, be they judges, politicians, or voters, who support Roe v. Wade or “assisted suicide” by any type of legislation or candidate, place themselves outside of the law of God and the Church each time they vote in support of so-called abortion rights or rights to die. Each Catholic who is a member, works for or donates to a political party has the obligation to transform party platforms, to put forward candidates who respect life, and to avoid cooperation in advocating abortion through either platform policies or candidates who oppose life.
A grave misunderstanding concerns the relationship between the distinct missions of the Church and the State and what it means to live one‟s faith in the world. The Second Vatican Council lamented that “[the] split between the faith which many profess and their daily lives deserves to be counted among the more serious errors of our age” (GS 43). In many ways this dichotomy has increased regrettably in the past 40 years through the removal of religious and moral values from the public square. Indeed the mission of the Church and the task of the State are distinct, but they are never completely separate. The constitutional distinction between Church and State is found in the non-establishment of a state religion. However, this is not the denial of the entry of God or moral convictions into the public square.
The misinterpretation of the separation of Church and State as the denial of the entry of God or moral convictions into the public square reveals the reality that the religion predominately lived today is that of secular atheism, the denial of God, whether directly through the works of Richard Dawkins and modern academia, or more subtly through practical atheism, living day-to-day life as if God didn‟t exist. Some Catholics in the separation of their faith from decisions in the political order abandon God and embrace secular atheism. Secular atheism goes hand in hand with secular humanism, namely, the idea that man alone can order society and the common life of the human race and that God has no part in this order. Secular humanism can never flourish, because the moment society abandons God‟s law it also abandons humanity. Abandoning the truth is directly opposed both to our ideals as Christians and to the founding principles of our country as seen in the Declaration of Independence which acknowledges the “laws of nature‟s God” and “the Creator.”
President George Washington declared in his farewell speech in 1796, “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them.” Our forefathers had no concept of a civil and democratic society separated from belief. They knew that such a society would either never survive or, if it survived, would seriously undermine the rights and true freedom of peoples, particularly the freedom to practice religion.
Every faithful Catholic has a responsibility to promote the teachings of the Church in the world and to live them out. The Second Vatican Council in Lumen Gentium reminded the laity that “…by their very vocation, [they] seek the kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and by ordering them according to the plan of God….They are called there by God that by exercising their proper function and led by the spirit of the Gospel they may work for the sanctification of the world from within as a leaven” (LG 31). Being faithful to the call and mission given to us by God can never be limited to Sunday worship, but requires the surrender of our complete and entire lives. If we are faithful Catholics, everything we do will be influenced by our relationship with God, his truth, his love and his constant inspiration. If we withhold the beauty and truths about human life from our nation‟s laws, we diminish our society.
Over the next several months, Catholics will be called upon to witness to the preservation of the fundamental right to life from the moment of conception until natural death. As Pope John Paul II reminded Catholics in 1988, “ the common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights -- for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture -- is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition of all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum determination . . . everyone has the mission and responsibility of acknowledging the personal dignity of every human being and of defending the right to life, some lay faithful are given particular title to this task: such as parents, teachers, health workers and the many who hold economic and political power” (Christifideles Laici 38). In his recent visit to the United States, Pope Benedict reminded us that “[Christian truths] alone can guarantee respect for the inalienable dignity and rights of each man, woman and child in our world—including the most defenseless of all human beings, the unborn child in the mother‟s womb” (Benedict XVI, Homily at Mass in Yankee Stadium, April 20, 2008).
Over the next several months and years I invite you to join me and continue to work diligently to promote the Gospel of Life. I encourage all of the clergy and laity of the Diocese of Fargo to work toward this goal and foundational truth. Regardless of which political party a Catholic belongs to, he or she must work tirelessly for life and the protection of the unborn child.
As we celebrate Thanksgiving, let each one of us give thanks to God for the gift of our own life, the gift of our Catholic faith, and the gift of our country. I give thanks to God for the blessing of being a bishop and for being able to serve the faithful of the Church of Fargo. My fervent prayer for this Thanksgiving is that every Catholic and every person of good will might come to know the truth of the dignity of human life from conception to natural death and support this truth both in word and deed.
Bishop of Fargo
Printed in the November 2008 issue of New Earth,
the Newspaper for the Diocese of Fargo
On Nov. 4, 2008, the United States witnessed an historic event in the election of the first African-American president. With his election as president we have seen our nation take great strides forward in the civil rights movement and the rights for all peoples regardless of race. I congratulate President-elect Barack Obama and assure him of my prayers and the prayers of the faithful of the Diocese of Fargo in the immense responsibilities that he will undertake as president. One of those prayers will be for the conversion of his heart and mind to recognize the dignity of human life from the moment of conception until natural death and the truth that no government has the right to legalize abortion.
In his acceptance speech on Nov. 4, President-elect Obama stated, “I will listen to you, especially when we disagree.” I pray that President-elect Obama will listen when it comes to the question of the unborn and not impose the intrinsic evil of abortion on the consciences of so many who know the truth that abortion is the destruction of a unique innocent human being. The President-elect in his voting record and his speeches has revealed that he is one of the strongest supporters of legalized abortion, as well as the “Freedom of Choice Act” (FOCA). In this he directly opposes the divine law of God concerning the dignity of each human life, and so he strongly disagrees with the position of the Catholic Church. On a purely political level, he even disagrees with the majority of Americans, who at least want some limits on abortion. The Church, and most especially bishops and priests, will need to make the teaching of the Church known to every Catholic.
The Catholic Church teaches throughout her history the truth of the dignity of human life from the moment of conception until natural death. This truth was recognized by our country until 1973 with the decision of Roe v. Wade. Today this truth is known even more clearly through reason and science. Every one of our lives began at the same moment: when an egg and sperm came together in our mother‟s womb, formed one cell, and began to divide. It is truly marvelous and beautiful when you observe the truth through the technology of modern science.
Throughout the last several months I have been surprised and saddened at how little some Catholics know and accept the teaching of the Church on the matter of abortion. As a bishop I have received mail from Catholics with diverse complaints. Some state that I haven‟t spoken forcefully enough and that it is my fault that the truth about abortion is not clearly taught in parishes. Others write and state that they are Catholic and pro-choice, and see themselves as faithful to Christ and the Church. Catholics need to promote the Gospel of Life and understand, as Pope Benedict XVI and his predecessors have made definitive and clear, that the question of the moral legality of abortion is non-negotiable. It is always and everywhere wrong, and this moral truth must be enshrined in law in every civil society.
I want to look at misunderstandings in Catholic teaching that I have encountered over the last several months. Most know that since theChurch names several intrinsic evils or disorders, and I urge all Catholics to study these. Certainly the most serious is the destruction of innocent human life, such as abortion (CCC 2270-72), euthanasia (CCC 2277), the intentional killing of non-combatants in war and genocide (CCC 2313). Catholics must come to understand that every intrinsic evil undermines the dignity of the human person as created in the image and likeness of God and must never be condoned or supported.
Another misunderstanding among some Catholics is that abortion is just one issue among many issues. They will say “I am not a one issue person.” It is true that all Catholics must be concerned about the just ordering of society, which means concern for the economy, immigration, the war in Iraq, health care, taxes, etc. All of these impact the dignity of the human person and the flourishing of society. Different prudential judgments may be made about how to prioritize and address these matters in light of the teaching of the Church. Nevertheless, there are fundamental rights that no civil society may take away. The fundamental right to life is essential to all other rights (CCC 2273). Therefore the right to life, from the moment of conception until natural death, is the first among all rights and the first issue that must be taken into consideration, acted upon and protected. The Bishops of the United States spoke of this in their 2007 document on faith and public life, “The direct and intentional destruction of innocent human life from the moment of conception until natural death is always wrong and is not just one issue among many” (Faithful Citizenship 28).
The Second Vatican Council taught, “For God, the Lord of life, has conferred on men the surpassing ministry of safeguarding life in a manner which is worthy of man. Therefore from the moment of its conception life must be guarded with the greatest care, while abortion and infanticide are unspeakable crimes” (Guadium et Spes 51). Our late Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, in his encyclical, Evangelium Vitae, taught “Abortion and euthanasia are thus crimes which no human law can claim to legitimize. There is no obligation in conscience to obey such laws; instead there is a grave and clear obligation to oppose them by conscientious objection. …the apostolic preaching reminded Christians of their duty to obey legitimately constituted public authorities (cf. Rom 13:1-7; 1 Pet 2:13-14), but at the same time it firmly warned that „we must obey God rather than men‟ (Acts 5:29)…In the case of an intrinsically unjust law, such as a law permitting abortion or euthanasia, it is therefore never licit to obey it, or to ‘take part in a propaganda campaign in favour of such a law, or vote for it‟” (emphasis added, EV 73).
Catholics, regardless of their affiliation with a political party, must always support the dignity of human life from the moment of conception until natural death, and they must enact good laws which do so. Thus Catholics, be they judges, politicians, or voters, who support Roe v. Wade or “assisted suicide” by any type of legislation or candidate, place themselves outside of the law of God and the Church each time they vote in support of so-called abortion rights or rights to die. Each Catholic who is a member, works for or donates to a political party has the obligation to transform party platforms, to put forward candidates who respect life, and to avoid cooperation in advocating abortion through either platform policies or candidates who oppose life.
A grave misunderstanding concerns the relationship between the distinct missions of the Church and the State and what it means to live one‟s faith in the world. The Second Vatican Council lamented that “[the] split between the faith which many profess and their daily lives deserves to be counted among the more serious errors of our age” (GS 43). In many ways this dichotomy has increased regrettably in the past 40 years through the removal of religious and moral values from the public square. Indeed the mission of the Church and the task of the State are distinct, but they are never completely separate. The constitutional distinction between Church and State is found in the non-establishment of a state religion. However, this is not the denial of the entry of God or moral convictions into the public square.
The misinterpretation of the separation of Church and State as the denial of the entry of God or moral convictions into the public square reveals the reality that the religion predominately lived today is that of secular atheism, the denial of God, whether directly through the works of Richard Dawkins and modern academia, or more subtly through practical atheism, living day-to-day life as if God didn‟t exist. Some Catholics in the separation of their faith from decisions in the political order abandon God and embrace secular atheism. Secular atheism goes hand in hand with secular humanism, namely, the idea that man alone can order society and the common life of the human race and that God has no part in this order. Secular humanism can never flourish, because the moment society abandons God‟s law it also abandons humanity. Abandoning the truth is directly opposed both to our ideals as Christians and to the founding principles of our country as seen in the Declaration of Independence which acknowledges the “laws of nature‟s God” and “the Creator.”
President George Washington declared in his farewell speech in 1796, “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them.” Our forefathers had no concept of a civil and democratic society separated from belief. They knew that such a society would either never survive or, if it survived, would seriously undermine the rights and true freedom of peoples, particularly the freedom to practice religion.
Every faithful Catholic has a responsibility to promote the teachings of the Church in the world and to live them out. The Second Vatican Council in Lumen Gentium reminded the laity that “…by their very vocation, [they] seek the kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and by ordering them according to the plan of God….They are called there by God that by exercising their proper function and led by the spirit of the Gospel they may work for the sanctification of the world from within as a leaven” (LG 31). Being faithful to the call and mission given to us by God can never be limited to Sunday worship, but requires the surrender of our complete and entire lives. If we are faithful Catholics, everything we do will be influenced by our relationship with God, his truth, his love and his constant inspiration. If we withhold the beauty and truths about human life from our nation‟s laws, we diminish our society.
Over the next several months, Catholics will be called upon to witness to the preservation of the fundamental right to life from the moment of conception until natural death. As Pope John Paul II reminded Catholics in 1988, “ the common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights -- for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture -- is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition of all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum determination . . . everyone has the mission and responsibility of acknowledging the personal dignity of every human being and of defending the right to life, some lay faithful are given particular title to this task: such as parents, teachers, health workers and the many who hold economic and political power” (Christifideles Laici 38). In his recent visit to the United States, Pope Benedict reminded us that “[Christian truths] alone can guarantee respect for the inalienable dignity and rights of each man, woman and child in our world—including the most defenseless of all human beings, the unborn child in the mother‟s womb” (Benedict XVI, Homily at Mass in Yankee Stadium, April 20, 2008).
Over the next several months and years I invite you to join me and continue to work diligently to promote the Gospel of Life. I encourage all of the clergy and laity of the Diocese of Fargo to work toward this goal and foundational truth. Regardless of which political party a Catholic belongs to, he or she must work tirelessly for life and the protection of the unborn child.
As we celebrate Thanksgiving, let each one of us give thanks to God for the gift of our own life, the gift of our Catholic faith, and the gift of our country. I give thanks to God for the blessing of being a bishop and for being able to serve the faithful of the Church of Fargo. My fervent prayer for this Thanksgiving is that every Catholic and every person of good will might come to know the truth of the dignity of human life from conception to natural death and support this truth both in word and deed.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Catholic Bishops Urge Huge Anti-FOCA Campaign to Stop Abortion Expansion
Baltimore, MD(LifeNews.com) -- Meeting on the second day of their annual conference, the nation's Catholic bishops urged an aggressive campaign to oppose the pro-abortion bill expected to be the centerpiece of the Barack Obama administration. They also mentioned concerns about Catholic hospitals being forced to do abortions.
The FOCA bill, known as the Freedom of Choice Act, is the number one goal of abortion advocates, who feel emboldened by Obama's election.
It would not only make unlimited abortions throughout pregnancy a national law but it would overturn the laws in all 50 states designed to reduce abortions.
During the meeting, the bishops appeared united in their call for an aggressive campaign to defeat the measure in Congress or to take it to court if it becomes law.
Archbishop George Niederauer of San Francisco urged his colleagues to oppose FOCA "early and often, both with members of Congress and with the new administration."
At the end of the discussion, the bishops voted to authorize Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, the president of the national conference of bishops, to release another strong statement against the bill as the USCCB has done already.
The statement included talking points saying that the Catholic bishops were willing to work with Obama on common issues like the economy, immigration and health care, but ready to strenuously oppose any efforts to expand abortions further.
"The church is also resolute in opposing evil," and the bishops are "completely united and resolute in our teaching and defense of the unborn child from the moment of conception."
The bishops also expressed concern about FOCA because it could overturn protections for Catholic hospitals that don't want to do abortions.
Some of the bishops, during the discussion, went as far as saying the Catholic Church should be willing to close some health facilities rather them allow them to be subject to a mandate to do abortions from the Obama administration.
Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Chicago spoke up about the threats to Catholic health care under the bill.
"It could mean discontinuing obstetrics in our hospitals, and we may need to consider taking the drastic step of closing our Catholic hospitals entirely," Paprocki said. "It would not be sufficient to withdraw our sponsorship or to sell them to someone who would perform abortions. That would be a morally unacceptable cooperation in evil."
"I do not think I'm being alarmist in considering such drastic steps," he said. "We need to respond in a morally appropriate, responsible fashion."
During the campaign, Obama promised the bill [FOCA] would be the first he would sign as president. The FOCA measure would overturn state laws such as bans on taxpayer-funding of abortion, parental notification and consent, informed consent for women, and conscience protections for medical facilities and personnel.
Experts say FOCA could increase abortions as much as 125,000 per year.
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
November 11, 2008
http://www.lifenews.com/nat4568.html
The FOCA bill, known as the Freedom of Choice Act, is the number one goal of abortion advocates, who feel emboldened by Obama's election.
It would not only make unlimited abortions throughout pregnancy a national law but it would overturn the laws in all 50 states designed to reduce abortions.
During the meeting, the bishops appeared united in their call for an aggressive campaign to defeat the measure in Congress or to take it to court if it becomes law.
Archbishop George Niederauer of San Francisco urged his colleagues to oppose FOCA "early and often, both with members of Congress and with the new administration."
At the end of the discussion, the bishops voted to authorize Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, the president of the national conference of bishops, to release another strong statement against the bill as the USCCB has done already.
The statement included talking points saying that the Catholic bishops were willing to work with Obama on common issues like the economy, immigration and health care, but ready to strenuously oppose any efforts to expand abortions further.
"The church is also resolute in opposing evil," and the bishops are "completely united and resolute in our teaching and defense of the unborn child from the moment of conception."
The bishops also expressed concern about FOCA because it could overturn protections for Catholic hospitals that don't want to do abortions.
Some of the bishops, during the discussion, went as far as saying the Catholic Church should be willing to close some health facilities rather them allow them to be subject to a mandate to do abortions from the Obama administration.
Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Chicago spoke up about the threats to Catholic health care under the bill.
"It could mean discontinuing obstetrics in our hospitals, and we may need to consider taking the drastic step of closing our Catholic hospitals entirely," Paprocki said. "It would not be sufficient to withdraw our sponsorship or to sell them to someone who would perform abortions. That would be a morally unacceptable cooperation in evil."
"I do not think I'm being alarmist in considering such drastic steps," he said. "We need to respond in a morally appropriate, responsible fashion."
During the campaign, Obama promised the bill [FOCA] would be the first he would sign as president. The FOCA measure would overturn state laws such as bans on taxpayer-funding of abortion, parental notification and consent, informed consent for women, and conscience protections for medical facilities and personnel.
Experts say FOCA could increase abortions as much as 125,000 per year.
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
November 11, 2008
http://www.lifenews.com/nat4568.html
"The Freedom of Choice Act(FOCA): The Danger We See at this Moment," STATEMENT by President of United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Francis Cardinal George, OMI
President of the USCCB
Archbishop of Chicago
November 12, 2008
"If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do its builders labor; if the Lord does not watch over the city, in vain does the watchman keep vigil." (Psalm 127, vs. 1)
The Bishops of the Catholic Church in the United States welcome this moment of historic transition and look forward to working with President-elect Obama and the members of the new Congress for the common good of all. Because of the Church's history and the scope of her ministries in this country, we want to continue our work for economic justice and opportunity for all; our efforts to reform laws around immigration and the situation of the undocumented; our provision of better education and adequate health care for all, especially for women and children; our desire to safeguard religious freedom and foster peace at home and abroad. The Church is intent on doing good and will continue to cooperate gladly with the government and all others working for these goods.
The fundamental good is life itself, a gift from God and our parents. A good state protects the lives of all. Legal protection for those members of the human family waiting to be born in this country was removed when the Supreme Court decided Roe vs. Wade in 1973. This was bad law. The danger the Bishops see at this moment is that a bad court decision will be enshrined in bad legislation that is more radical than the 1973 Supreme Court decision itself.
In the last Congress, a Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) was introduced that would, if brought forward in the same form today, outlaw any "interference" in providing abortion at will. It would deprive the American people in all fifty states of the freedom they now have to enact modest restraints and regulations on the abortion industry. FOCA would coerce all Americans into subsidizing and promoting abortion with their tax dollars. It would counteract any and all sincere efforts by government and others of good will to reduce the number of abortions in our country.
Parental notification and informed consent precautions would be outlawed, as would be laws banning procedures such as partial-birth abortion and protecting infants born alive after a failed abortion. Abortion clinics would be deregulated. The Hyde Amendment restricting the federal funding of abortions would be abrogated. FOCA would have lethal consequences for prenatal human life.
FOCA would have an equally destructive effect on the freedom of conscience of doctors, nurses and health care workers whose personal convictions do not permit them to cooperate in the private killing of unborn children. It would threaten Catholic health care institutions and Catholic Charities. It would be an evil law that would further divide our country, and the Church should be intent on opposing evil.
On this issue, the legal protection of the unborn, the bishops are of one mind with Catholics and others of good will. They are also pastors who have listened to women whose lives have been diminished because they believed they had no choice but to abort a baby. Abortion is a medical procedure that kills, and the psychological and spiritual consequences are written in the sorrow and depression of many women and men. The bishops are single-minded because they are, first of all, single-hearted.
The recent election was principally decided out of concern for the economy, for the loss of jobs and homes and financial security for families, here and around the world. If the election is misinterpreted ideologically as a referendum on abortion, the unity desired by President-elect Obama and all Americans at this moment of crisis will be impossible to achieve. Abortion kills not only unborn children; it destroys constitutional order and the common good, which is assured only when the life of every human being is legally protected. Aggressively pro-abortion policies, legislation and executive orders will permanently alienate tens of millions of Americans, and would be seen by many as an attack on the free exercise of their religion.
This statement is written at the request and direction of all the Bishops, who also want to thank all those in politics who work with good will to protect the lives of the most vulnerable among us. Those in public life do so, sometimes, at the cost of great sacrifice to themselves and their families; and we are grateful. We express again our great desire to work with all those who cherish the common good of our nation. The common good is not the sum total of individual desires and interests; it is achieved in the working out of a common life based upon good reason and good will for all.
Our prayers accompany President-elect Obama and his family and those who are cooperating with him to assure a smooth transition in government. Many issues demand immediate attention on the part of our elected "watchman." (Psalm 127) May God bless him and our country.
Francis Cardinal George, OMI
www.priestsforlife.org/
President of the USCCB
Archbishop of Chicago
November 12, 2008
"If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do its builders labor; if the Lord does not watch over the city, in vain does the watchman keep vigil." (Psalm 127, vs. 1)
The Bishops of the Catholic Church in the United States welcome this moment of historic transition and look forward to working with President-elect Obama and the members of the new Congress for the common good of all. Because of the Church's history and the scope of her ministries in this country, we want to continue our work for economic justice and opportunity for all; our efforts to reform laws around immigration and the situation of the undocumented; our provision of better education and adequate health care for all, especially for women and children; our desire to safeguard religious freedom and foster peace at home and abroad. The Church is intent on doing good and will continue to cooperate gladly with the government and all others working for these goods.
The fundamental good is life itself, a gift from God and our parents. A good state protects the lives of all. Legal protection for those members of the human family waiting to be born in this country was removed when the Supreme Court decided Roe vs. Wade in 1973. This was bad law. The danger the Bishops see at this moment is that a bad court decision will be enshrined in bad legislation that is more radical than the 1973 Supreme Court decision itself.
In the last Congress, a Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) was introduced that would, if brought forward in the same form today, outlaw any "interference" in providing abortion at will. It would deprive the American people in all fifty states of the freedom they now have to enact modest restraints and regulations on the abortion industry. FOCA would coerce all Americans into subsidizing and promoting abortion with their tax dollars. It would counteract any and all sincere efforts by government and others of good will to reduce the number of abortions in our country.
Parental notification and informed consent precautions would be outlawed, as would be laws banning procedures such as partial-birth abortion and protecting infants born alive after a failed abortion. Abortion clinics would be deregulated. The Hyde Amendment restricting the federal funding of abortions would be abrogated. FOCA would have lethal consequences for prenatal human life.
FOCA would have an equally destructive effect on the freedom of conscience of doctors, nurses and health care workers whose personal convictions do not permit them to cooperate in the private killing of unborn children. It would threaten Catholic health care institutions and Catholic Charities. It would be an evil law that would further divide our country, and the Church should be intent on opposing evil.
On this issue, the legal protection of the unborn, the bishops are of one mind with Catholics and others of good will. They are also pastors who have listened to women whose lives have been diminished because they believed they had no choice but to abort a baby. Abortion is a medical procedure that kills, and the psychological and spiritual consequences are written in the sorrow and depression of many women and men. The bishops are single-minded because they are, first of all, single-hearted.
The recent election was principally decided out of concern for the economy, for the loss of jobs and homes and financial security for families, here and around the world. If the election is misinterpreted ideologically as a referendum on abortion, the unity desired by President-elect Obama and all Americans at this moment of crisis will be impossible to achieve. Abortion kills not only unborn children; it destroys constitutional order and the common good, which is assured only when the life of every human being is legally protected. Aggressively pro-abortion policies, legislation and executive orders will permanently alienate tens of millions of Americans, and would be seen by many as an attack on the free exercise of their religion.
This statement is written at the request and direction of all the Bishops, who also want to thank all those in politics who work with good will to protect the lives of the most vulnerable among us. Those in public life do so, sometimes, at the cost of great sacrifice to themselves and their families; and we are grateful. We express again our great desire to work with all those who cherish the common good of our nation. The common good is not the sum total of individual desires and interests; it is achieved in the working out of a common life based upon good reason and good will for all.
Our prayers accompany President-elect Obama and his family and those who are cooperating with him to assure a smooth transition in government. Many issues demand immediate attention on the part of our elected "watchman." (Psalm 127) May God bless him and our country.
Francis Cardinal George, OMI
www.priestsforlife.org/
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
"Conquer Evil with Weapons of Love," Fr. Frank responds to a THREAT-told he should LEAVE the U.S.A.
I received the following message on my blog ( www.priestsforlife.org/blog ) the day after the elections:
Urgent--to Fr. Frank. Says: November 5th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR FATHER FRANK PAVONE
I am predicting that there will be more anti-abortion terror because of this election. I AM ALSO PREDICTING THAT THIS TIME IT WILL BE ANSWERED IN KIND BY PRO-CHOICE COUNTERTERRORISTS, who will mount similar terrorist attacks against well-known right-to-lifers. FATHER FRANK will be a natural target for pro-choice counterterrorists.
I therefore advise you, Fr Frank, if you read that there has been another abortion-clinic shooting or bombing, get out of town immediately. Take a vacation abroad. Go visit the Vatican. If there is another act of anti-abortion terror, your life will not be safe in the USA.
Good luck.
Some other pro-life leaders received a similar message, and it has been reported to law enforcement.
Pro-abortion extremists call the pro-life movement “violent.” Yet it’s the most peaceful movement of social reform in our nation’s history. In fact, the most confrontational aspect of our movement, Operation Rescue, brought about over 70,000 arrests from 1987 to 1994, yet not a single one of them was for violent activity.
We also know that any time a movement is as big as ours, there will be a handful of people – disconnected from the movement – who embrace violence as a tactic. The same was true of the civil rights movement and the abolitionist movement.
But of no movement is it more true than the pro-abortion movement. It’s just that the public doesn’t know of their fanatical violence. It starts in the womb, of course – the very action they promote as a “right” is in fact violence. “Typically, the skull is brought out in fragments rather than as a unified piece,” abortionist Martin Haskell testified in court in 1999 regarding the legal “D and E” abortion procedure (Wisconsin, Case No. 98-C-0305-S).
And their violence extends beyond the womb. Just visit www.prochoiceviolence.com to see that our movement has been able to document 8519 acts of violence (and counting) by the other side. Pro-abortion fanatics have attacked pro-life demonstrators, have kidnapped women to force them to abort, have murdered born babies, and much more.
So for the visitor to my blog to send that message just reinforces the truth about the “abortion-rights” fanatics. Violence is their way of life.
But why blame Obama? Of course, he is the most pro-abortion person elected to the Presidency. Perhaps they’re thinking back to President Clinton, whose attempts to stop peaceful intervention coincided with the killing of some abortionists. Or perhaps they’re thinking of President Kennedy’s assertion, "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."
But we already have a peaceful revolution – and not only is it possible, it’s growing! As long as I have anything to say about it, there won’t be any “anti-abortion terror.” Instead, there will be peaceful vigil, 24-hours a day, around abortion centers. That both stops abortions and stops the killing of abortionists.
Urgent--to Fr. Frank. Says: November 5th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR FATHER FRANK PAVONE
I am predicting that there will be more anti-abortion terror because of this election. I AM ALSO PREDICTING THAT THIS TIME IT WILL BE ANSWERED IN KIND BY PRO-CHOICE COUNTERTERRORISTS, who will mount similar terrorist attacks against well-known right-to-lifers. FATHER FRANK will be a natural target for pro-choice counterterrorists.
I therefore advise you, Fr Frank, if you read that there has been another abortion-clinic shooting or bombing, get out of town immediately. Take a vacation abroad. Go visit the Vatican. If there is another act of anti-abortion terror, your life will not be safe in the USA.
Good luck.
Some other pro-life leaders received a similar message, and it has been reported to law enforcement.
Pro-abortion extremists call the pro-life movement “violent.” Yet it’s the most peaceful movement of social reform in our nation’s history. In fact, the most confrontational aspect of our movement, Operation Rescue, brought about over 70,000 arrests from 1987 to 1994, yet not a single one of them was for violent activity.
We also know that any time a movement is as big as ours, there will be a handful of people – disconnected from the movement – who embrace violence as a tactic. The same was true of the civil rights movement and the abolitionist movement.
But of no movement is it more true than the pro-abortion movement. It’s just that the public doesn’t know of their fanatical violence. It starts in the womb, of course – the very action they promote as a “right” is in fact violence. “Typically, the skull is brought out in fragments rather than as a unified piece,” abortionist Martin Haskell testified in court in 1999 regarding the legal “D and E” abortion procedure (Wisconsin, Case No. 98-C-0305-S).
And their violence extends beyond the womb. Just visit www.prochoiceviolence.com to see that our movement has been able to document 8519 acts of violence (and counting) by the other side. Pro-abortion fanatics have attacked pro-life demonstrators, have kidnapped women to force them to abort, have murdered born babies, and much more.
So for the visitor to my blog to send that message just reinforces the truth about the “abortion-rights” fanatics. Violence is their way of life.
But why blame Obama? Of course, he is the most pro-abortion person elected to the Presidency. Perhaps they’re thinking back to President Clinton, whose attempts to stop peaceful intervention coincided with the killing of some abortionists. Or perhaps they’re thinking of President Kennedy’s assertion, "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."
But we already have a peaceful revolution – and not only is it possible, it’s growing! As long as I have anything to say about it, there won’t be any “anti-abortion terror.” Instead, there will be peaceful vigil, 24-hours a day, around abortion centers. That both stops abortions and stops the killing of abortionists.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Friday, November 7, 2008
Politics from a TRUE Catholic Perspective ~ A Post-Election Analysis
I woke up on Wednesday morning grieving the death of my country. I actually felt as though the country had lost its' soul. What has troubled me the most was seeing many nuns, priests, and well-informed Catholics with Obama buttons, bumper stickers,hats,'Catholics for Obama' yard signs,etc. This created confusion among Catholics, despite the valiant and most forceful vocal efforts of many wonderful Bishops across the nation who CLEARLY and ARTICULATELY reminded Catholics that we cannot vote for a pro-abortion candidate, period. It is against the teaching of the Catholic Church. What part of "Thou Shall Not Kill" don't people understand? The point is they chose to REJECT the teaching of the Catholic Church. After this experience, one thing remains abundantly clear: at least we know now where people stand.
This election afforded the opportunity to not only talk politics, but also, about morality. From my personal experience, conservative Catholics wanted to talk about both; liberal Catholics didn't want to talk about either.
Archbishop Charles Chaput points out in his book Render Unto Caesar,
"Limited government is also "under God" because the political realm must find, in its own perfect manner, ways to bring about as much justice, peace, and order as circumstances allow. To do this, the secular depends on virtues that it cannot generate from within itself. In this sense, Christianity must stand above and in tension with democracy while respecting the properly political. By forming people in virtues the world cannot, the Church provides a vital public service, especially in democracy."
Chaput reminds people about "The role the church has played throughout history in shaping the public square." He says, "For Catholics, politics--the pursuit of justice and the common good--is part of the history of salvation. No one is a minor actor in that drama. Each person is important."He quotes Paul Johnson in his classic, A History of Christianity, "It was the Christian spirit of mutual love and communal charity which most impressed pagans."
He points out American Social Scientist Rodney Stark's conclusions of how the Church conquered the Roman Empire in The Rise of Christianity, "Christianity did not grow because Constantine said it should, by celebrity conversion, opportunism or coercion, but because Christians practiced what the church preached. It was mainly by the force of her beliefs and teachings." Christians lived their faith as the most important factor in their daily choices and actions. And that active witness of faith had revolutionary consequences.
Obviously many Catholics freely chose to ignore and reject the teaching of the Catholic Church, no matter how clearly it was presented to them. The economy is what drove these catholics to leave their faith at the voting booth door.
It is what drove many Catholic Priests & nuns in prominent schools to falsely teach our young kids that it is ok to vote for Barack Obama.
Here is what St. Paul tells Timothy about "False Teaching and True Wealth" in Timothy Ch.6 v.3-10,
"Whoever teaches something different and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the religious teaching is conceited, understanding nothing, and has a morbid disposition for arguments and verbal disputes. From these come envy, rivalry, insults, evil suspicions, and mutual friction among people with corrupted minds, who are deprived of the truth, supposing religion to be a means of gain. Indeed, religion with contentment is a great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, just as we shall not be able to take anything out of it. If we have food and clothing we shall be content with that. Those who want to be rich are falling into temptation and into a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all evils, and some people in their desire for it have strayed from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains."
So how do we recover what we, as Catholics, have lost?
Phil Lawler, author and director of the Catholic Culture Project, referring to the Catholic vote, clearly concludes, "To repair the damage, we must recognize that the problem is not restricted to abortion, nor to defense-of-life issues. Indeed it is not, strictly speaking, a political problem. To restore the integrity of the Catholic vote, we must first restore the integrity of the Catholic faith, and rebuild the foundations of a Catholic culture."
"Ultimately," Chaput poignantly states, "I believe that all of us who call ourselves American and Catholic need to recover what it truly means to be "Catholic." We also need to find again the courage to be Catholic Christians first--not in opposition to our country, but to serve its best ideals."
I have mourned and grieved, and now, more than ever, I am ready to join the front lines and to put my faith into action.
In closing, I recall the book of Timothy 2:18,19:
"Through them may you fight a good fight by having faith and a good conscience. Some, by rejecting conscience, have made a shipwreck of their faith."
God Bless!
~Georgia
This election afforded the opportunity to not only talk politics, but also, about morality. From my personal experience, conservative Catholics wanted to talk about both; liberal Catholics didn't want to talk about either.
Archbishop Charles Chaput points out in his book Render Unto Caesar,
"Limited government is also "under God" because the political realm must find, in its own perfect manner, ways to bring about as much justice, peace, and order as circumstances allow. To do this, the secular depends on virtues that it cannot generate from within itself. In this sense, Christianity must stand above and in tension with democracy while respecting the properly political. By forming people in virtues the world cannot, the Church provides a vital public service, especially in democracy."
Chaput reminds people about "The role the church has played throughout history in shaping the public square." He says, "For Catholics, politics--the pursuit of justice and the common good--is part of the history of salvation. No one is a minor actor in that drama. Each person is important."He quotes Paul Johnson in his classic, A History of Christianity, "It was the Christian spirit of mutual love and communal charity which most impressed pagans."
He points out American Social Scientist Rodney Stark's conclusions of how the Church conquered the Roman Empire in The Rise of Christianity, "Christianity did not grow because Constantine said it should, by celebrity conversion, opportunism or coercion, but because Christians practiced what the church preached. It was mainly by the force of her beliefs and teachings." Christians lived their faith as the most important factor in their daily choices and actions. And that active witness of faith had revolutionary consequences.
Obviously many Catholics freely chose to ignore and reject the teaching of the Catholic Church, no matter how clearly it was presented to them. The economy is what drove these catholics to leave their faith at the voting booth door.
It is what drove many Catholic Priests & nuns in prominent schools to falsely teach our young kids that it is ok to vote for Barack Obama.
Here is what St. Paul tells Timothy about "False Teaching and True Wealth" in Timothy Ch.6 v.3-10,
"Whoever teaches something different and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the religious teaching is conceited, understanding nothing, and has a morbid disposition for arguments and verbal disputes. From these come envy, rivalry, insults, evil suspicions, and mutual friction among people with corrupted minds, who are deprived of the truth, supposing religion to be a means of gain. Indeed, religion with contentment is a great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, just as we shall not be able to take anything out of it. If we have food and clothing we shall be content with that. Those who want to be rich are falling into temptation and into a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all evils, and some people in their desire for it have strayed from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains."
So how do we recover what we, as Catholics, have lost?
Phil Lawler, author and director of the Catholic Culture Project, referring to the Catholic vote, clearly concludes, "To repair the damage, we must recognize that the problem is not restricted to abortion, nor to defense-of-life issues. Indeed it is not, strictly speaking, a political problem. To restore the integrity of the Catholic vote, we must first restore the integrity of the Catholic faith, and rebuild the foundations of a Catholic culture."
"Ultimately," Chaput poignantly states, "I believe that all of us who call ourselves American and Catholic need to recover what it truly means to be "Catholic." We also need to find again the courage to be Catholic Christians first--not in opposition to our country, but to serve its best ideals."
I have mourned and grieved, and now, more than ever, I am ready to join the front lines and to put my faith into action.
In closing, I recall the book of Timothy 2:18,19:
"Through them may you fight a good fight by having faith and a good conscience. Some, by rejecting conscience, have made a shipwreck of their faith."
God Bless!
~Georgia
"There is still a God in Heaven!" ~ A Message from Fr. John Corapi, SOLT
The American people have now made it abundantly clear who they want to lead them, and the policies and practices that this president-elect has represented for some time, they can now claim as their own. Actions have consequences, and I am sure God has duly noted what our priorities are in the US of A. Economic matters would seem to take precedence over moral matters; money more important than life itself to most people (I guess they don’t consider almost 50,000,000 innocent children murdered by abortion part of life).
Now we shall see what the fruit of such a tree will be. I predict that we won’t have to wait long. In recent months we have seen “corrections” in the stock market, housing market, and banking industries. Now we’ll see if God orchestrates a “correction” in a country and a world that has demonstrated quite clearly that it prefers convenience and wealth to life itself.
Regardless of whatever happens next, remember there is still a God in Heaven and He loves you. He is infinitely merciful—and He is infinitely just as well.
God Bless You
Fr. John Corapi
Now we shall see what the fruit of such a tree will be. I predict that we won’t have to wait long. In recent months we have seen “corrections” in the stock market, housing market, and banking industries. Now we’ll see if God orchestrates a “correction” in a country and a world that has demonstrated quite clearly that it prefers convenience and wealth to life itself.
Regardless of whatever happens next, remember there is still a God in Heaven and He loves you. He is infinitely merciful—and He is infinitely just as well.
God Bless You
Fr. John Corapi
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
"Take Courage, I have conquered the world!"
A few nights ago, I began to ponder the time in which Jesus was born, and the darkness of the world under Herod's rule. How Joseph must have felt when, "The angel of the Lord appeared and said, 'Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.' What must have been going through Mary's mind, as she fled, tired and heavy of heart, to an unfamiliar place while Herod killed millions of babies in his bloodthirsty search for the newborn King? A few nights ago, I could only imagine.
Tonight, as the world rejoices, my heart is filled with grief. As a mother raising a beautiful little girl in this world, I have come that much closer to understanding what Our Blessed Mother must have gone through.
Let us pray for the grace to get through these times by reflecting upon the words of Her Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, Who said,
"Amen, Amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy." (Jn 16:20) "So you also are now in anguish. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you."(Jn 16:22) "I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world." (Jn 16:33) "Blessed Be God!" ~ Georgia
Tonight, as the world rejoices, my heart is filled with grief. As a mother raising a beautiful little girl in this world, I have come that much closer to understanding what Our Blessed Mother must have gone through.
Let us pray for the grace to get through these times by reflecting upon the words of Her Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, Who said,
"Amen, Amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy." (Jn 16:20) "So you also are now in anguish. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you."(Jn 16:22) "I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world." (Jn 16:33) "Blessed Be God!" ~ Georgia
Electing Obama “A Grave Mistake,” National Priest Leader Declares
“Americans have made a grave mistake in electing Barack Obama to the presidency,” Fr. Pavone wrote. “He said during the campaign that he does not know when a human being starts to have human rights. How can one govern from that starting point of ignorance? Governing is about protecting human rights; to do it successfully, you have to know where they come from, and when they begin. The President-elect has already failed that test miserably.”
Fr. Pavone sounds a note of defiant confidence, declaring that the pro-life movement is winning in the culture and that “a new chapter of the pro-life movement has just begun. …We will keep marching toward that pro-life America we seek, and won’t stop until we get there.”
Fr. Pavone sounds a note of defiant confidence, declaring that the pro-life movement is winning in the culture and that “a new chapter of the pro-life movement has just begun. …We will keep marching toward that pro-life America we seek, and won’t stop until we get there.”
Monday, November 3, 2008
DEAR MR OBAMA Sgt Joe Cook Iraq Veteran
Watch closely at the end of this 1:55 video, it may just bring you to tears!
God Bless America!
~Georgia
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Obama's Pro-Abortion Record
100% of funds raised go directly to Pro-Life efforts
This is, by far, the BEST prayer book I have ever read!
Not just a prayer book for teens...but for people of all ages! You will LOVE it! Order your copy TODAY!
Dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe
Patroness of the Americas, Intercessor for the Pre-born
Web Pages referring to this page
Link to this page and get a link back!
Chinese
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Russian
Spanish
