Rejoice in Hope

Feast of St John the Apostle

2010-12-27T15:05:00.001-08:00

Today, December 27, is the Feast of St John, the "beloved disciple", Apostle, and Evangelist.

Fish Eaters explains:

St. John was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and the brother of St. James the Greater (Feast day: 25 July) who, together, were given the nickname "Boanerges" ("Sons of Thunder") by Christ Himself. The men of Zebedee's family were fishermen, and it is possible that SS. John and James were disciples of St. John the Baptist when they encountered the One of Whom the Forerunner spoke. They were called just after SS. Peter and Andrew -- two other fishermen brothers -- left everything behind to follow Jesus, and SS. Peter, James, and John had the most prominent positions of all the Apostles.

A tradition associated with this feast day is the family members sharing a cup of wine (it may be boiled with sweet spices first to remove alcohol) with the toast, "Drink the love of St John." See more at the Fish Eaters link, above, and at Catholic Culture: St John the Evangelist.

Overpopulation: The Making of a Myth

2010-12-16T18:07:00.000-08:00

This new educational series of animated videos from PRI shows that "overpopulation is a myth," while brilliantly skewering the population control movement and its constant predictions of doom. Highly recommended for ages 12 or so and up.

Fully documented at Episode 1: Overpopulation: The Making of a Myth

Lego Nativity Scene

2010-12-11T12:08:00.000-08:00

This is cute, creative, and seasonal. I will try to put up a picture or two when my kids get them built.

Nativity Scene

Tomorrow: National Pro-Life T-Shirt Day!

2010-04-26T22:24:00.000-07:00

This year's National Pro-Life T-shirt Day is tomorrow: Tuesday, Apr 27. Wear your pro-life gear as a witness to your convictions. I bought my family's T's at Heritage House where a wide selection is available. You get to choose the design and can even have one added to the back for a little extra.

If you need to wear something dressier on that day, consider pro-life jewelry. Cute "Precious Feet" and "Precious Hands" pins, made to match a 10-week old unborn baby's in size and shape, are a popular option. Lots more here.

Prayer for Pope Benedict

2010-04-16T16:20:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday, Holy Father!

To celebrate Pope Benedict's 83rd birthday, please join in prayer for him using this beautiful prayer card from the Knights of Columbus. You can order the cards or print them from their site.

Yesterday, the Pope gave an unexpected and unscripted homily saying: "Now, under the attacks of the world that speaks to us of our sins, we see that being able to do penance is a grace and we see how it is necessary to do penance, that is, to recognize what is mistaken in our life, to open oneself to forgiveness, to prepare oneself for forgiveness, to allow oneself to be transformed. The pain of penance, that is to say of purification and of transformation, this pain is grace, because it is renewal, and it is the work of Divine Mercy."

For anyone looking for the "rest of the story" on these attacks, I recommend Jimmy Akin's blog posts:
Cardinal Ratzinger An Evil Monster?
Evil Monster Update: The Inside Story
Smoking Gun Memo In Murphy Paedophilia Case!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-05T17:24:00.000-07:00

We may have lost a battle over the health care reform bill to the culture of death, but Jesus our Lord has conquered death itself! May the joy of the Resurrection fill our hearts in this holy season.

Please join me in an Easter prayer for life, from PrayerCampaign.org:
(Click here for Spanish)

Lord Jesus Christ,
You are the Author of Life,
Who died and now lives forevermore.

May we who work and pray
That children in the womb may be protected
Always draw strength, confidence, and joy
From Your victory over death,

For you are Lord forever and ever. Amen.

A blessed Easter season to you and your loved ones!
Alleluia! He is risen!

Mar 25 - Solemnity of the Annunciation

2010-03-25T08:07:00.000-07:00

Today the Church celebrates the announcement (or "Annunciation") of God's message to Mary by the archangel Gabriel. On this day, we remember that Almighty God sent His angel to Mary to ask for her consent to His plan, and we rejoice at her whole-hearted "Yes!"

Did you know that the old name for the Solemnity of the Annunciation was the Solemnity of the Incarnation? Many people mistakenly assume that Christmas is the feast of the Incarnation when, in reality, that is the date of Christ's birth. His incarnation, the moment when he took on human flesh, occurred some nine months earlier in Mary's womb, as soon as she said "Yes" to God's request. Just a couple of weeks later, her kinswoman Elizabeth recognizes Mary as "the mother of my Lord," the Lord whom she carries incarnate in her womb. In recognition of the awesome event when the Word was made Flesh, we genuflect during the Creed at Mass on this day.

Suggestions for celebrating the Annunciation:
* Read the story of the Incarnation from Luke 1:26-38.
* Use a famous painting of the Annunciation to discuss the gospel story.
* Study it as a work of art (parent resource here).
* Pray the Angelus.
* Begin the 9-month novena of the Incarnation.

The Biology of Prenatal Development: Must Viewing

2010-03-09T19:39:00.000-08:00

National Geographic is offering a new DVD: The Biology of Prenatal Development. Dave Andrusko reviewed it yesterday in his "News and Views" column for NRLC, here.

The video, produced by The Endowment for Human Development, combines imagery of the unborn child within the womb using multiple imaging technologies with information from the medical literature. You can read Dave's review of it at the above link. It sounds like an excellent resource for introducing and studying prenatal development. I plan to order one for use in high school.

Another he-double-hockeysticks-freezes-over moment

2010-01-07T17:40:00.000-08:00

Last week, Erin Manning wrote He** freezes over: It has finally happened: Maureen Dowd has written a column that I actually sorta almost completely like.

Well, now it's happened to me: Jack Cafferty of CNN says something I agree with completely!

"President Obama hasn't even made a token effort to keep his campaign promises of openness and transparency in Government, it was all just another lie that was told in order to get elected"

Check out the video, especially the last part.

Huron Carol

2009-12-25T00:00:00.000-08:00

The "Huron Carol" is a Christmas hymn written in 1643 by St. Jean de Brébeuf, the "Apostle of the Hurons" who was later martyred by the Iroquois.

Brébeuf wrote the lyrics in the native language of the Huron/Wendat people; the song's original Huron title is "Jesous Ahatonhia" ("Jesus, he is born"). This version is performed by Heather Dale, and sung in Wendat (Huron), French and English.

H/t: Diane

Update: Find the words in Huron/Wendat, French, and a couple of different English versions here.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Novena, Dec 4-12

2009-12-04T15:54:00.000-08:00

Novena Prayer for Life to Our Lady of Guadalupe
(Spanish version -- En Español)

Oh Mary, Mother of Jesus and Mother of Life,
We honor you as Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Thank you for pointing us to Jesus your Son,
The only Savior and hope of the world.

Renew our hope in him,
That we all may have the courage to say Yes to life,
And to defend those children in danger of abortion.

Give us your compassion
To reach out to those tempted to abort,
And to those suffering from a past abortion.

Lead us to the day when abortion
Will be a sad, past chapter in our history.

Keep us close to Jesus, the Life of the World,
Who is Lord forever and ever. Amen.

Source: Priests for Life

UN Rally for the Unborn Child...you can help

2009-11-03T18:35:00.000-08:00

October 27, 2009

Dear Friend of the Unborn Child,

As I write this the UN Petition for the Unborn Child is up over 572,000 names with 87,000 new names in the last three weeks!

We intend to raise one million signatures by December 1 and present them to the UN a few days after that.

As you know the UN is the font of a great deal of anti-life propaganda. UN agencies and UN-related groups are at the forefront of making abortion a universally recognized human right. That's right, UN radicals want to make killing babies in the womb a human right. Can there be anything more wrong, more evil that that?

The UN pro-life movement has banded together to fight this movement. UN pro-lifers are at the forefront of fighting this hideous movement of killing babies. The UN pro-life movement is outspent ten million to one and out-manned one thousand to one.

We need your help right now.

We have launched a petition in defense of the unborn child and the family. The petition is based on the very good language of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which recognizes the "right to life."

This petition will be presented to the UN in December at which time we want to present one million names. We are more than half way there but we need a huge effort on your part to get us all the way there.

Would you please forward this note to all of your friends and family, to everyone in your address book?

Ask everyone to go HERE, click on your language (the petition has been translated into 18
languages!), sign the petition and send this note to all of THEIR friends!

We can make a huge splash at UN headquarters in December and let them know that the world is really pro-life, that the world really supports the unborn child, and believes that abortion is a great moral evil, the great moral evil of our time.

So, if you have not signed the petition, go HERE and sign it. And then send this note to everyone you know.

If you have already signed it, forward this note to all of your friends and family. One million names can make a difference in our UN fight for the unborn child and the family.

Yours sincerely,
Austin Ruse
President
C-FAM
www.c-fam.org
Petition Organizer

URGENT - Please call Congress now to stop abortion in health bill!

2009-10-30T10:58:00.000-07:00

This is so important I had to pass it on.

The AP accurately reported a few days ago (October 23), that the House Democratic leadership currently does not intend to allow the House to vote on an amendment sponsored by Congressmen Bart Stupak (D-Mi.) and Joseph Pitts (R-Pa.), and supported by pro-life groups including the US Bishops, which would "include the Hyde amendment restrictions in the health overhaul bill."

The AP reported: "Such an amendment would be almost certain to prevail . . . So Democratic leaders won't let Stupak offer it. Instead, it appears they may have to take the risk of letting Stupak try to block action on the underlying bill, which he intends to do by assembling 'no' votes on a procedural measure [the "rule"] that needs to pass before debate can begin."

If Pelosi succeeds in imposing her gag rule, doctors and others involved in health care could lose conscience protections, and we will be looking at an unprecedented level of federal abortion subsidies, paid for by our taxes. See Abortion and Conscience Problems in the Bills and A Pro-Life Look at the Health Care Reform Bills for details.

Thank you if you have already acted on this! Otherwise ...

Please call now to urge your Representative to oppose any Rule that does not include a debate on the Stupak-Pitts Amendment. You will find the phone number(s) and all the info you need by entering your zipcode at this link.

Suggested message: "I am a constituent with a message for Rep (Name). Please SUPPORT the Stupak (STEW-PAK) Amendment that addresses essential pro-life concerns on abortion funding and conscience rights in the health care reform bill. Please OPPOSE any Rule for consideration of H.R. 3200 that would block a vote on this amendment. It's only fair to let all our elected representatives have a say on these important issues."

When I called, the staffer for my Rep was very polite and read back the message to make sure she got it right. It only took a couple of minutes to do.

If you are unable to telephone, or in addition to making the call, please click here to send a pre-written, instant e-mail to Congress. You can add your own comments to the message if you wish.

Please pass this on to pro-life friends and family. The policies adopted in health care reform will have an impact for good or ill for years to come. It is not just a "political issue" ... real lives and freedom of conscience hang in the balance.

Thanks so much!

Don’t Be Fooled

2009-10-28T08:45:00.000-07:00

Abortion is in Health Care Reform. Share this video with pro-life friends and family. They deserve to know the truth.

Pro-life Pumpkin

2009-10-22T15:28:00.000-07:00

This is a cool pumpkin idea from ALL for All Hallow's Eve.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words ....
Click here for more info and to print the pattern.

H/t: Sarah

Pro-life free speech threatened in Chicago

2009-10-13T21:10:00.000-07:00

Dave Bereit of 40 Days for Life writes:

In a direct attack on 40 Days for Life and the rights of local pro-life sidewalk counselors, the Chicago city council on Wednesday passed a new ordinance intended to cripple 40 Days for Life and silence pro-life free speech within a 50-foot “bubble zone” around abortion facilities.

The new city ordinance will not only block sidewalk counseling and pro-life signs within 50 feet of all entrances to an abortion facility, it would also prevent any pro-lifer from being within eight feet of an abortion customer without getting that person’s permission. Anyone found in violation could be fined up to $500.

The law is such a clear violation of First Amendment constitutional rights that even the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) — no friend of the pro-life movement — sided with local pro-life interests in opposing aspects of the ordinance.

Mayor Daley has signed the ordinance, according to LifeNews.com.

So this is what "pro-choice" means: protestors have no choice to express their views and women must not be shown what their choices are.

Let's stop abortion expansion Updated

2009-10-07T07:39:00.000-07:00

Every Pro-Life American Must Tell Congress Now:
“Vote against any health care bill that does not explicitly exclude abortion!”

Health care bills in Congress could create the greatest expansion of abortion since Roe v. Wade.

1. Email now: Go to www.NRLactioncenter.com. Follow the simple directions at the bottom of the web page to send urgent messages to your U.S. senators and your U.S. House member. (Messages can be altered if you wish.) You can also check back at this URL for updates.

2. Email now: Email this alert to all your pro-life friends and relatives. Available at: www.stoptheabortionagenda.com/downloads

3. Copy & Distribute: Pass this alert out at pro-life churches and meetings.

4. Make Personal Contact with Your Senators and Congressmen: Use every opportunity: office meetings, fairs, town meetings, and other public events.

5. Telephone: Call the offices of your two U.S. senators and your U.S. House member (through the Senate switchboard: 202-224-3121 and the House switchboard, 202-225-3121). Give your zip code and you will be connected to the correct offices. Or, click here to find direct office phone numbers using your zip code.

Give the senator’s or representative’s staff your name and address and tell them to relay a message, along these lines:

[For senators:] “I strongly urge you to oppose the Affordable Health Choices Act that was approved by the HELP Committee, which would result in coverage of abortion on demand in both government and private health plans. I also urge you to oppose any other health care bill unless it explicitly excludes abortion."

[For House offices:] "I urge you to oppose H.R. 3200, the health care bill backed by President Obama. Under this bill, the federal government would operate a nationwide 'public option' insurance plan that would be authorized to cover abortion on demand. The bill would also provide federal subsidies to private insurance plans that cover elective abortions."

Check for updates at www.NRLactioncenter.com
Please copy and distribute freely.
Source: National Right to Life Committee

See here for more.

A Baby's First Months: Infinite Possibilites

2009-09-17T15:29:00.000-07:00

Get the DVD here.

Verified - current bills allow government to subsidize abortion

2009-09-05T08:54:00.000-07:00

Abortion isn't health care, but here's verification that the current bills allow government subsidizing of abortion.

FactCheck.org article "Abortion: Which Side Is Fabricating?", August 21, 2009

"Despite what Obama said, the House bill would allow abortions to be covered by a federal plan and by federally subsidized private plans. ... The NRLC’s Johnson said 'the bill backed by the White House (H.R. 3200) explicitly authorizes the government plan to cover all elective abortions.' And our analysis shows that Johnson’s statement is correct. Though we of course take no position on whether the legislation should allow or not allow coverage for abortions, the House bill does just that."

Associated Press article , "Gov't insurance would allow coverage for abortion", August 5, 2009

"Health care legislation before Congress would allow a new government-sponsored insurance plan to cover abortions. ... Since abortion is a legal medical procedure, experts on both sides say not mentioning it would allow health care plans in the new insurance exchange to provide unrestricted coverage. ... In the Senate, the plan passed by the health committee is still largely silent on the abortion issue. Staff aides confirmed that the public plan — and private insurance offered in the exchange — would be allowed to cover abortion, without funding restrictions."

Time magazine article, "How Abortion Could Imperil Health Care Reform," August 24, 2009

"The health-care reform proposed by House Democrats, if enacted, would in fact mark a significant change in the federal government's role in the financing of abortions. ... So in effect, anyone who wanted to sign up for the public option, a federally funded and administered program, would find themselves paying for abortion coverage ... Nonetheless, the new system differs markedly from the old federal policy of not involving the government in abortion services unless issues of rape, incest, or life of the mother are at play."

Time also quoted Congressman Bart Stupak (D-MI) as saying that Obama's statements during recent public events signal one of two things: either he does not fully understand the current House bill, or "if he is aware of it, and he is making these statements, then he is misleading people."

Also see:
Abortion Provisions in House's Health Care Bill Unacceptable, Says Cardinal in Letter to House
Video clip of candidate Obama's abortion promise to Planned Parenthood
List of defeated Amendments that would have excluded public funding of elective abortions

Stop the Abortion Mandate

2009-09-04T18:38:00.000-07:00

After you watch the video, head over to Stop the Abortion Mandate for more info and action steps.

Adding insult to injury

2009-08-28T11:44:00.000-07:00

New York, NY (LifeNews.com) -- New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital believes that a pro-life nurse has no legal rights to defend herself in court after she was forced to participate in an abortion.

So, first the hospital threatens to fire her if she doesn't participate in an abortion -- which Nurse Cenzon understands is murder -- and then laughs at her assertion that she has a legal right to refuse.

Again, this is why we need robust conscience protections in our laws, especially those affecting health care.

Beautiful video in this Year of the Priest

2009-07-30T12:36:00.000-07:00

H/t: Gennifer

It's happened again!

2009-07-29T17:23:00.000-07:00

This story might give pause to those who claim that conscience protections are not needed for medical personnel:

A Catholic nurse in New York claims she was forced in May to participate in the abortion of a 22-week-old fetus against her moral convictions. The nurse alleges in a lawsuit that Mount Sinai Hospital officials knew of her objections to abortion, but told her to assist in the procedure or face disciplinary action, including possible loss of her job and her nursing license.

The nurse, Catherina Cenzon DeCarlo, 35, said in a statement provided by her attorney: 'After I was forced to assist this abortion against my religious objection, I felt violated and betrayed, like I had been raped. I couldn't believe that this could happen in the United States, where freedom is held sacred.'

More

How much "common ground" is there?

2009-07-29T17:12:00.000-07:00

C-Fam interviewed Rocco Buttiglione to clarify his reported remarks on protecting the unborn child. I found this particular question and answer enlightening:

Q: Is true common ground possible?

A: There is only a limited setting where we pro-lifers and they pro-choicers can unite in a struggle together – that is where the freedom of choice of the woman is crushed, as well as the life of the child. I don’t think we need to give true pro-choicers any bribe to convince them to join the struggle with us. If it is true, as they claim, that they are not for abortion but rather for freedom of choice, then this gives them the chance to join with us to prove it.

If they don't, then they really are not pro-choice, but pro-abortion. They like abortion. They don’t think that human life must be supported, but one must reduce the world's population by any means necessary.

Also, this initiative forces people to make up their minds. Up until now, the label 'pro-choice' could be a cover for a national socialist ideology of lifeboat ethics: Because there are too many people on earth, all means are acceptable to reduce population. We see that in third world countries, abortion has been much more cruel and widespread than in Western nations.

So now we shall see if common ground is possible.

Kennedy amendment threatens pro-life professionals

2009-07-28T15:20:00.000-07:00

The Kennedy amendment is a fake -- despite its title, it does not protect conscience. Please contact your Senators and tell them you want real conscience protections in health-care reform.

The Freedom2Care alert has all the details:

Contacting your U.S. senators today can help stop a deceptive attack on life-affirming physicians, nurses and their patients who decline to participate in abortions.

Here's the problem: A U.S. Senate committee just passed a dangerously deceptive, conscience-threatening amendment to a healthcare reform bill. This is what they did:
First, the Senate HELP committee voted down good amendments that would have truly protected physicians and nurses from being forced to participate in abortions.

Then the committee passed Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy's deceptive amendment #205. This amendment pretends to protect conscience rights but would actually force healthcare professionals to participate in abortions:
Physicians and nurses would be forced to actually perform an abortion any time someone labeled the abortion an "emergency.

Of course, "emergency" would include not just medical reasons, but also emotional, financial and virtually any other reason. Nearly every abortion in this way could be called an "emergency."

By requiring an official referral, physicians and nurses would be forced to lead the patient to an abortion clinic or abortion doctor.

The Kennedy amendment gives unqualified freedom and protection to those who perform abortions. But it coerces and harms those who ethically oppose abortion.

What you can do to stop this threat:

Use the Congressional Contacts links below to personally contact your senators' offices. Tell them you are a constituent and (if applicable) a medical professional.

1. Say that you OPPOSE Kennedy conscience amendment #205 to the healthcare bill, recently passed by the Senate HELP Committee.

2. Tell them to KEEP real protections for faith-based and pro-life healthcare professionals--such as the Hyde-Weldon Amendment and the Health and Human Services conscience regulation.

Congressional Contacts:

• Contact my Senator

• Congress and Legislation

Thank you for taking a stand for life!

FOCA by any other name still stinks

2009-07-15T19:59:00.000-07:00

The tens of millions of postcards sent to Congress have convinced them that openly advocating passage of FOCA will be highly unpopular. So have they given up? No way! Instead, they have adopted a "FOCA-by-stealth" strategy, by including many of FOCA's provisions in the health care reform package.

Although the Democratic leadership has been coyly insisting that there is no abortion funding / mandate / expansion in the provisions of the bill, the way they vote tells a different story.

As FRC reports:

The Senate HELP Committee continued its markup of the Kennedy healthcare legislation yesterday. Several amendments were offered to protect conscience rights and to prevent funding or mandating of abortion. Sen. Orrin Hatch's (R-Utah) amendment to prevent funding of abortion failed. Sen. Michael Enzi's (R-Wy.) amendment to prevent the healthcare bill from mandating abortion coverage was defeated. Since there is nothing in this legislation to prevent mandating abortion as a covered service, it would be mandated--the Obama Administration health bureaucracy will see to that.

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) also offered several amendments to the Kennedy legislation. His amendment to codify the Hyde/Weldon conscience protection law was defeated. His amendment to prevent the healthcare bill from preempting state laws on abortion was defeated. With the exception of Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), the HELP Democrats voted against it. They opposed preventing this legislation from trumping various state laws, such as parental consent laws. One bright note, Sen. Coburn's amendment to protect healthcare workers' conscience rights with regard to euthanasia passed by a voice vote. The amendment ensures that doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers, including healthcare plans, are not forced to violate their conscience on the issue of euthanasia.

Click here for FRC's in-depth analysis of the HELP Committee votes.

With the exception of Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), all the Democratics on the HELP committee have refused to vote to protect conscience rights, to prevent funding or mandating of abortion, or to prevent preempting of state laws on abortion. If they are telling the truth and the health bill will not violate conscience, fund or mandate abortion, or preempt pro-life state laws, then why did they refuse to vote to put these statements explicitly in the bill?

Want to do something about it? Here are some suggestions from NRLC.

- Go to the National Right to Life Legislative Action Center, here, and take a few minutes to use the form there to send messages to your two U.S. senators and to your representative in the U.S. House of Representatives, to urge them to oppose any federal "health care reform" legislation that does not explicitly exclude abortion.

- Please TELEPHONE the offices of your two U.S. senators, give your name and address, and tell the senators' staff persons that you wish to be recorded as "opposed to Senator Kennedy's health care bill because it contains many pro-abortion mandates." The offices of any U.S. senator can be reached through 202-224-3121. Also, please TELEPHONE the office of your U.S. House member, give your name and address, and inform the staff person that you wish to be recorded as "opposed to the House Democratic Leadership health care reform bill because it contains many pro-abortion mandates." You can reach any U.S. House member's office through 202-225-3121. You can also find the direct-dial numbers (and fax numbers) for the Washington and in-state offices of your U.S. senators and U.S. House member by calling up their individual profiles on this website, here.

- Send short letters to the "letters to the editor" features of your local newspapers, in order to alert your fellow pro-life citizens to the sweeping pro-abortion mandates that the Obama White House and the pro-abortion lobby are trying to smuggle into law through "health care reform." You can find contact information for your local news media in the "Media Guide" on the NRLC website, here.

Please pray for Archbishop Chaput

2009-07-08T15:06:00.000-07:00

Tom @ American Papist writes:

"Via a friend of the Archbishop's, I am told he is to undergo spine surgery soon. Nothing too serious, I understand, but prayers should be offered up for the health and safety of this leading light in the Church in America."

Catholic Summer Reading Program for Children and Adults

2009-07-07T19:08:00.000-07:00

Looking for a Summer reading program? Check out http://www.CatholicSummerReading.com/.

This summer, why not take some time to discover the rich treasure of Catholic literature?

Aquinas and More Catholic Goods, the official sponsor of the Catholic summer reading program, would like to invite you to join in a book discussion at your parish, local Catholic store or online at CatholicBookDiscussion.com. Kids can also get involved by downloading our Catholic Kids Reading Path and filling it in as they read Catholic books during the summer.

H/t: Oremus
Cross-posted from the love2learn blog

Pray for our Nation - July 5

2009-07-03T07:53:00.000-07:00

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Call2Fall

Thank Pro-Life Democrats, help them stop taxpayer funding of abortion

2009-07-02T15:14:00.000-07:00

First, some good news: a group of Pro-Life Democrats showed their courage in standing up for Life against their party's leadership. Let's show our support for them!

And second, some bad news. Pro-abortion groups are pushing for taxpayer-funded abortions to become part of the health care reform package. Please let your Rep / Senators know that you don't want your tax money used this way.

Details below.

1. From the Susan B Anthony List:

This past week 19 pro-life Democrats, including Pro-Life Women's Caucus member Kathy Dahlkemper (D-PA), sent a letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to call for an explicit ban on taxpayer funding for abortion in health care reform legislation.

These pro-life leaders need our support and gratitude. Please write them today and thank them for standing up for the cause of Life, against their own party leadership. ...

Protecting women and the unborn should not be a partisan issue - it's a matter of basic human rights. That's why its so important to support those pro-life leaders who boldly place principle before politics.

2. Meanwhile, LifeNews reports that the pro-abortion groups Planned Parenthood and NARAL are calling on their supporters to demand taxpayer funding of abortion in health care reform. While Cecile Richards of PP uses the code phrase "comprehensive reproductive health services",

NARAL's Nancy Keenan is less deceptive in her own email to her pro-abortion forces.

"Unless we act now, the Senate could ban reproductive-health services from being covered in the new health-care system. Millions of women could lose coverage for abortion," she says. "We need your help to convince senators on the Finance Committee to stand up against this divisive anti-choice attack."

Keenan goes on to say that abortion advocates need to contact the Senate Finance Committee before it takes up the bill next week so abortion and tax-funded abortions remain a possibility under the health care reform bill it is considering.

Pro-life Americans need to do the opposite:

ACTION:
1) Please click here to send an email asking your Congressional delegation to exclude abortion funding from any health care reform bills. (1 minute)

2) Contact members of the Senate Finance Committee and urge strong support for any amendments to stop abortion coverage or taxpayer-funded abortions in the health care plan. Click here for a list of the committee members, then click on the senator's name for a direct office phone number or call 202-224-3121 and ask for the senator by name. (< 5 minutes)

Could you please offer some special prayers for priests today?

2009-06-22T16:19:00.000-07:00

From Fr. Frank Pavone at Priests for Life:

Massive Spiritual Bouquet Being Prepared for the "Year for Priests"

New York - Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, announced today that Priests for Life is inviting the laity to prepare a massive spiritual bouquet which will be presented this Fall to all the priests of the country.

The faithful are invited to pledge prayers, rosaries, chaplets, holy hours, and sacrifices for priests, that they may be protected in body and spirit, and may grow in holiness and in the fruitfulness of their ministry.

This can be done at www.YearofPriests.org.

"Priests are heralds of the Gospel of Life, and are called to stir up the gifts of God's people to build the culture of life. In our day, when restoring protection for the right to life is the top moral imperative, the Catholic faithful thirst in a particular way for the leadership of priests in this arena, and eagerly pray for it," Fr. Pavone added.

Along with pledging a spiritual bouquet, people are invited to share their stories about their favorite priests.

Pass it on!

UN Treaty Jeopardizes Homeschool Freedom in Britain

2009-06-18T15:43:00.000-07:00

The following is a press release published by Home School Legal Defense Association on June 16:

Purcellville, VA – Last week the Children’s Secretary of Britain accepted a report in full by Graham Badman which argues for an end to homeschool freedom. “While it’s disgraceful that the British government would even entertain this report it’s particularly troubling for American parents because the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) was used as the justification for this action,” said Michael Farris, Chairman of HSLDA and President of ParentalRights.org.

The Badman report uses Articles 12 and 29 of the UNCRC to justify registering the estimated 80,000 homeschooling families in Britain, forcing them to provide annual reports regarding their homeschool, granting government officials the right to enter the home and interview the children alone as well as reserving the choice of curriculum to the state.

HSLDA has been warning that the UNCRC could bring an end to homeschool freedom in the U.S., if the treaty was ever ratified by the U.S. Senate because Article VI of the U.S. Constitution says that treaties become the supreme law of the land.

For the UNCRC to be ratified it must gain a two-thirds vote in the U.S. Senate. If this happens then the UNCRC will automatically supersede all state laws and U.S. judges will be obligated to follow the provisions of the treaty. Currently, family and education laws are state-based; however, ratification of the UNCRC would transfer the jurisdiction for making family and education law to the U.S. Congress. Congress would, in turn, be obligated to follow the UN mandates contained in the CRC. The only answer at this point would be to add a Parental Rights Amendment (PRA) to the Constitution.

The Badman report is a stark reminder of how government officials in an English-speaking democracy have interpreted the UNCRC. It’s clear that the right to homeschool in America will be negatively impacted if the U.S. Senate ever ratifies the UNCRC.

To read the full United Kingdom report, click here.

To find out more about the Parental Rights Amendment, visit www.parentalrights.org.

Source - More

Corpus Christi

2009-06-15T16:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, also known by its Latin title, Corpus Christi. This is a celebration dear to my heart as Christ's Eucharistic Presence was a large part of what drew me to the Catholic Church.

As Fr. Reginald pointed out in his homily yesterday, this is an unusual feast day in that it honors a doctrine rather than an individual -- although of course the doctrine is very closely related to the Person of Christ. Catholics, along with Orthodox Christians, believe that the consecrated Bread and Wine are in fact the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ substantially present in the Eucharist.

Why do we believe this? Because Jesus taught it. Because the Apostles and early Christians accepted it. Because the Church has always believed it. Because we have been given the gift of faith in His Real Presence.

More:
Scripture on the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist
Early Church Fathers on Christ Present in the Eucharist

Point to ponder ...

2009-06-03T16:14:00.000-07:00

"The fatal flaw in our developed societies and their idolatry of science—because that's what it is, a form of idolatry and avarice for power—is that their idea of man is too vain and too despairing, too big and too small at the same time. We're less than gods but more than smart monkeys. And the glory God intends for each of us can only be found one way, through one Man." - Archbishop Charles Chaput, Using and Being Used

Cross-posted from Unity of Truth

Pro-lifers condemn Tiller murder

2009-06-01T14:26:00.000-07:00

As everyone knows by now, someone shot and killed notorious late-term abortionist George Tiller yesterday while he attended a service at Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, KS. The shooter's motives are unknown at this point, but it does appear that he acted alone.

Pro-life groups and individuals around the country have denounced the killing. This is not what we are about. Obviously, gunning down a man is not going to increase respect for the sanctity of human life. Two wrongs don't make a right.

Indeed, if someone were looking for a way to discredit the pro-life movement, this would be an excellent way to go about it. Mark Shea has an excellent quote from the late Cardinal O'Connor on this.

My own first reaction to hearing the news was one of shock and dismay: I hoped that Tiller had a chance to repent of his evil deeds before his death, and I feared that if this would be used to tar the peaceful, prayerful 99.999% of the pro-life movement as violent extremists. (As it turns out, even before the suspected killer had been apprehended, NOW was already calling for the Federal Government to use the anti-racketeering laws to go after "the anti-abortion cause." I shouldn't be surprised. This is a favorite tactic of theirs, though it defies logic to conclude that those who protest against murder are somehow encouraging murder.)

Let us pray for God's mercy on Tiller and his family, and for his killer's repentance.

Additional resources:
How should pro-lifers respond?
Biggest danger of Tiller murder

Update: NCR is reporting that, as with previous cases, the suspect is not linked to the mainstream pro-life movement.

Review: Base 10 Blocks

2009-05-30T15:21:00.000-07:00

Base 10 Blocks
Math Manipulative
ETA/Cuisenaire

The Base 10 Blocks are essentially an extension of the Cuisenaire rods idea. Available in unit cubes, ten rods, hundred flats, and thousand cubes, the Base 10 blocks are sized so that ten units will fit in the same space as a ten rod, ten ten rods will cover a hundred flat, and ten hundred flats will stack into the size of a thousand cube. Thus, they provide a hands-on way to understand and visualize the denary (i.e. base 10) number system.

In order to match the Cuisenaire rods that we already use, I ordered unit cubes in natural wood (the closest color to white), and the ten rods in orange.

I have made my own cards to go with these blocks (see picture), based on an idea in Natural Structure by Edward and Nancy Walsh. Using blank 3x5 index cards, I made cards reflecting the value of each place in the decimal system from units to thousands. Thousands are written on the full-width cards, hundreds on 3/4-width, tens on half-width, and units on 1/4-width cards. The child can match the cards to the manipulatives, and then combine them to form the number.

At first, we use the cards to simply identify the value of large numbers. Then, we add numbers together and see how this can "make" new tens. This has been the most difficult step for us. It seems that once they get this concept, extending it to the higher place values is relatively simple.

We have found the Base 10 blocks helpful in clarifying place value concepts.

Stem cells and sick children

2009-05-27T15:36:00.000-07:00

Michelle, writing on May 18:

Yesterday at The University of Notre Dame, our president made the following statement:

“Those who speak out against stem cell research may be rooted in admirable conviction about the sacredness of life, but so are the parents of a child with juvenile diabetes who are convinced that their son’s or daughter’s hardships can be relieved.”

Let’s be clear, there is no conflict here. Yes I have conviction about the sacredness of life and yes I have two children with juvenile (type 1) diabetes. I am not opposed to stem cell research and that view does not at all conflict with my Catholic faith. The Catholic Church is in fact very much in favor of stem cell research. Stem cell research shows much promise and we do indeed hope for a cure.

Where the problem lies, Mr. Obama, is in embryonic stem cell research. Research done with stem cells taken from unborn babies. Research done for the “greater good” on the backs of the most vulnerable persons in society. That, I most certainly have a problem with and frankly so should you –so should all of us! Embryonic stem cell research is immoral, unethical and downright horrific!

And you know what? It doesn’t even work. more

Free Online Seminars for Homeschooling Parents!

2009-05-27T07:57:00.000-07:00

These are wonderful resources for homeschooling parents, offered free through Homeschool Connections. Thanks, Maureen, for making them available!

From Maureen Wittmann:

Free Live Online Seminars (After clicking on link, scroll down to the bottom and click on Register)
Choosing Worthwhile Homeschool Materials (June 10)

Free Conference Talks (Recorded)
Fr. Mitch Pacwa Answers Questions on Faith & Children
Time Management for Moms 101 (Michele Quigley)
Homeschool Organization 102 (Maureen Wittmann)
Bringing Joy to Your Math & Science Lessons (Maureen Wittmann)
Homeschool Dads: Husband, Father, and Teacher (Dr. Clark & Deacon McGuirk)
Bringing an Appreciation for Art & Music to Your Homeschool (Maureen Wittmann)
Bring History Alive With Real Books (Maureen Wittmann)
Caring Connections: Maximizing the Benefits of Homeschool Family Relationships (Danielle Bean)
Homeschool Classroom Organization 101 (Maureen Wittmann)
What is Homeschooling (Dr. Mary Kay Clark and John Clark)

May 21-May 31, 2009: Pentecost Novena for Life

2009-05-20T19:49:00.000-07:00

In the days leading up to Pentecost, the disciples prayed for the coming of the Holy Spirit. We too pray for his coming, and for his power that renews the face of the earth and brings about the victory of life.
(Spanish version -- En Español)

Holy Spirit,
At the dawn of creation,
You brought order out of chaos,
Light out of darkness,
Life out of nothingness.

Breathe on us once again,
And change this culture of death
Into a Culture of Life.

Inspire in your people
A spirit of generous welcome
For each and every life,
No matter how unexpected or dependent
That life may be.

Holy Spirit,
You are the Advocate.
As you fill us with Yourself,
Make us advocates
For the unborn and all the vulnerable,

Until we are all united
In the endless life and joy
of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
One God, forever and ever. Amen.

Summer School!

2009-05-16T14:00:00.000-07:00

From Maureen Wittmann and Homeschool Connections:

We use webinar technology for our online courses. The students can see and hear the professor via a webcam and microphone. In turn, the students can communicate with the professor through the chat room or their own microphone. There is also a Power Point presentation that is viewable on the same screen. The teens love the technology.

This is an awesome opportunity to keep teens engaged and learning over the summer. These particular courses have been designed for summer time with no or light homework. Also, all classes are recorded so if you're away on vacation for a week or two, and can't access the Internet, you can simply watch the recorded event later. In fact, registered students have access to the recorded classes for 6 months for review. This is a great value for the price!

All courses require high speed internet (non-dial-up).

If you want to register, just click here. Please don't hesitate to send questions or suggestions to: Maureen Wittmann, mwittlans [at] aol [dot] com.

Here is the list of courses. Note that both of the instructors have experience teaching at the kitchen table as well as in the ivory tower. I've talked to several moms whose high school children have taken their courses. Both men are loved by their homeschool students and come highly recommended.

You can find full details plus the instructors' bios at the links below, or at the Homeschool Connections blog.

Course list:
Beowulf and Christ with Henry Russell, Ph.D
The Catholic Shakespeare: MacBeth with Henry Russell, Ph.D
The Space Trilogy and C. S. Lewis with Robert Gotcher, Ph.D
Catholic Living for Young People with Robert Gotcher, Ph.D.
Writing for College Preparatory with Robert Gotcher, Ph.D.
Short Stories by J. R. R. Tolkien with Robert Gotcher, Ph.D.
The Mass Explained for Young People with Robert Gotcher, Ph.D.

These are high school level courses. Dr. Gotcher indicated junior and senior level for the writing course. For the literature classes I would say to make sure they're mature enough to read the material, enjoy it, and discuss it.

Irena Sendler, RIP

2009-05-12T08:03:00.000-07:00

Fate may have led Irena Sendler to the moment almost 70 years ago when she began to risk her life for the children of strangers.

Irena Sendler
1910-2008

But for this humble Polish Catholic social worker, who was barely 30 when one of history's most nightmarish chapters unfolded before her, the pivotal influence was something her parents had drummed into her.

"I was taught that if you see a person drowning," she said, "you must jump into the water to save them, whether you can swim or not."

When the Nazis occupying Poland began rounding up Jews in 1940 and sending them to the Warsaw ghetto, Sendler plunged in.

With daring and ingenuity, she saved the lives of more than 2,500 Jews, most of them children, a feat that went largely unrecognized until the last years of her life.
read more here

Sendler died in Warsaw one year ago today.

Bishops: Oppose Destructive Stem Cell Research

2009-05-08T08:13:00.000-07:00

Following President Obama’s March 9 executive order, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has proposed guidelines for federally funded embryonic stem cell research. The guidelines would – for the first time – use taxpayer funds to encourage the killing of embryonic human beings for their stem cells.

This marks a new chapter in divorcing biomedical research from its necessary ethical foundation, respect for human life at all stages.

more

Please take a minute to urge Congress not to fund research that kills embryonic human beings and to register your opposition to the new NIH guidelines.

"If we stand for nothing, we begin to fall for everything."

2009-05-08T05:32:00.000-07:00

The above quote, reminiscent of Chesterton, is from Fr. Corapi:

More quotes transcribed from the video:
"Pray for the University of Notre Dame, its president, Board of Directors, and students. And pray for out bishops, for in the end the burden will rest on their shoulders to decide whether the University of Notre Dame and others like it are Catholic or not."
"The battle is not over, my friends. It has just now begun in earnest. So fight the good fight, run the race to the finish line, for in the end, we have the certain knowledge that in the end, truth will triumph over lies, light over darkness, and good over evil."

God ... America's Hope

2009-05-06T08:32:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, May 7, is the 58th annual National Day of Prayer. This year's theme, based on Psalm 33:22: "May Your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in You," is Prayer ... America's Hope.

We need to pray especially with our culture disintegrating around us, our economy in trouble, the ongoing threat of terrorism, and a national Administration repeatedly acting to advance the Culture of Death,

We need to pray because only God saves. Our hope is in Him, not in any political leader.

Let us join with millions of others to pray for our beloved nation.

For more information, or to find a gathering near you, go to www.NationalDayofPrayer.org

Review: Cuisenaire Rods

2009-05-05T15:54:00.000-07:00

Math Manipulative from ETA/Cuisenaire

When I first researched homeschooling products and resources, I spent quite some time looking at different math manipulatives. For one thing, there are so many, and for another, I love math. I remember wondering whether these colored rods would really be worth purchasing, as they are on the expensive side. And my math education, as far as I could remember, had been accomplished without a single manipulative.

Then I found Miquon Math, and immediately liked the concept. Miquon uses Cuisenaire rods as their primary manipulative, so with some trepidation, I acquired a starter set.

I needn't have worried. The rods made math so much easier for my very concrete, hands-on son to grasp. That was almost a decade ago, and now my youngest enjoys doing his math with the rods.

The concept behind the rods is simple. Each rod color is a specific length, representing a particular number of units. White rods are "units" 1cm long, reds are twice as long and represent the number 2, and so forth. A starter set comes with several of each rod from 1-10, with more of the smaller rods.

The child then uses the rods in combination to visualize basic math concepts. Perhaps it is obvious that addition can be modeled using such rods, simply by putting them end to end in a "train." However, they can also be used for subtraction, multiplication, and division, and even fractions, areas, and more. Using the Cuisenaire rods, quite young children can understand what multiplication means and can work out simple problems.

We actually own a lot of math manipulatives, including both store-bought and homemade ones, but these are the ones I use the most.

Cross-posted with love2learn.net.

Notre Dame, My Mother

2009-05-05T07:51:00.000-07:00

A lot has been said about the situation at Notre Dame and Fr. Jenkins' unfortunate decision to honor an avowed champion of abortion. But I think Lacy Dodd has some excellent thoughts on the matter.

For many members of the Notre Dame Class of 2009, the uproar surrounding the university’s decision to honor Barack Obama with this year’s commencement address, and to bestow on him a doctorate of laws, has provoked strong feelings about what the ensuing conflict will mean for their graduation.
I know how they feel. Ten years ago, my heart was filled with similar conflicts as we came closer to the day of my own Notre Dame commencement and my commissioning as an officer in the United States Army.

You see, I was three months pregnant. ...
In my hour of need, on my knees, I asked Mary for courage and strength. And she did not disappoint.
My boyfriend was a different story. He was also a Notre Dame senior. When I told him that he was to be a father, he tried to pressure me into having an abortion. Like so many women in similar circumstances, I found out the kind of man the father of my child was at precisely the moment I needed him most. “All that talk about abortion is just dining-room talk,” he said. “When it’s really you in the situation, it’s different. I will drive you to Chicago and pay for a good doctor.”

I tried telling him this was not an option. He said he was pro-choice. I responded by informing him that my choice was life. And I learned, as so many pregnant women have before and since, that life is the one choice that pro-choicers won’t support.
...
There have been many things written about the honors to be extended to President Obama. I’d like to ask this of Fr. John Jenkins, the Notre Dame president: Who draws support from your decision to honor President Obama—the young, pregnant Notre Dame woman sitting in that graduating class who wants desperately to keep her baby, or the Notre Dame man who believes that the Catholic teaching on the intrinsic evil of abortion is just dining-room talk?

Please go over to First Things and read her whole speech.

Review: My First Number Book

2009-05-01T14:49:00.000-07:00

My First Number Book
by Marie Heinst
1999, 48 pages, hardcover, DK Publishing

This delightful picture book introduces many math concepts to preschoolers. We have enjoyed working through concepts of counting, matching, sorting, sets, and sequencing. The illustrated pages make it fun for my son to discover more, less, and equal, addition and subtraction, geometric solids, and more. For example, matching begins with familiar matching pairs such as handprints, shoes, and earrings. Ideas of more or less begin to take shape as the child ponders such questions as, "Are there enough collars for the puppies?"

Sometimes your child may surprise you with an unexpected answer; for example, on a page showing five puppies and three doghouses, my son confidently assured me that "each puppy can have its own house." When I asked him how, he said, "The puppies that are brothers share a house." To him, sharing was not incompatible with the idea of being its "own" house.

The book also includes a few games. My son's favorite is a simple game involving counting backward or forward according to the roll of the die and directions on specific spaces.

Numbers are incorporated into the book in other clever ways; for example, each page number is illustrated by a string of the appropriate number of items. See if your child notices. Near the end is a section of BIG numbers, which all my children have enjoyed.

This book does an unusually good job of combining attractive photographs with effective questions designed to lead the child to discover math concepts.

I think it is currently out of print, but it's not hard to find at used book sources.

Cross-posted with love2learn.net

One Hundred Days

2009-04-30T16:16:00.000-07:00

What can a President do in just 100 days?

Unfortunately, the answer is "plenty".

From FRC, this video summaries "100 Days of Change for the Family" ...

... and, from the Susan B. Anthony List, "just some of the items on the radical pro-abortion agenda that President Obama implemented or is in the process of implementing in his first 100 days."

Repealed the pro-life Mexico City Policy, allowing your tax dollars to fund international abortion providers like Planned Parenthood.

Removed important conscience protections for medical professionals who choose to follow their conscience and refuse to participate in abortion procedures.

Increased Title X taxpayer funding – the slush fund for Planned Parenthood – to $307 million in 2009.

Restored $50 million in funding for the United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA), which funds China's One-Child policy and other abortion providers around the world. Increased funding for International Family Planning by 19% for a total of $545 million.

Nominated cabinet officials and judges like Kathleen Sebelius, Dawn Johnsen, and David Hamilton, who will do all they can to advance the pro-abortion agenda.

But, as the SBA List notes,

There are still many important pro-life laws still intact, like the Hyde Amendment, which restricts further funding of the abortion industry. We must keep up our fight to ensure that these pro-life protections remain in place.

Today is National Pro-Life T-Shirt Day

2009-04-28T07:22:00.000-07:00

Today is the 7th Annual National Pro-Life T-shirt Day. Show your support for the most basic of all human rights by wearing your pro-life clothing today.

By happy coincidence, it is also the Feast day of St. Gianna Molla, who heroically chose life for her unborn baby at the risk of her own. You can find the prayer of St Gianna and more information about this model for Christian mothers here.

When I ordered our shirts some weeks ago, I made a mistake on my order. I called to ask whether it would be possible to exchange the shirt for the right size. Though I told them the mistake was mine, Heritage House was really nice about it and sent me a replacement of the right size for no extra charge. That's what I call great customer service!

Landmark originals vs. reprints

2009-04-22T21:26:00.000-07:00

I'd like to collect the Landmark titles for my children to read, enjoy, and learn from. Unfortunately, they are out of print, but I read in mater et magistra magazine that they are being reprinted as "Sterling Point Books."

Of course I was excited, especially when I found that the titles are quite reasonably priced at a bit under $7 apiece. I got online and started looking for them, but found out that the two series are not quite the same.

For one thing, the Sterling Point books include titles not in the original Landmark series, such as The Great Escape, the story of the famous escape of Allied prisoners from Stalag Luft III during WWII.

For another, many of the titles have lost their original illustrations. I just purchased the reprint of Swamp Fox of the Revolution and happened to have access to the original 1959 Landmark title. Comparing the two, I found that all the original illustrations by Ernest Richardson were gone. Instead, there are a mere two illustrations in the new edition. One of them is a map, which, although clear and larger than the original, lacks the details present in the 1959 illustration. The other is a portrait of Francis Marion, the title character, which rather oddly portrays him in a cocked hat even though the very first page of the book states that he wore a battered old militia helmet.

I also discovered that at least this particular title had been edited a little. Specifically, the original text several times referred to Francis Marion's taciturn nature, comparing him with an Indian in this regard. The edited text omits the comparison. Here are a couple of examples:

(original) A small wizened man who walked with a swaying limp, he was swarthy, eagle-nosed, careless of appearance, and no more communicative than an Indian.
(new) A small wizened man who walked with a swaying limp, he was swarthy, eagle-nosed, careless of appearance, and a man of very few words.

(original) That was a long speech for a man as sparing of words as Francis Marion, beside whom an Indian was talkative.
(new) That was a long speech for a man as sparing of words as Francis Marion.

I guess this was done to remove the suggested stereotype of the Indian as a man of few words, but it still bothers me. I don't have the time to check the whole text of each book against the original; although this change is relatively unobjectionable, I have no way of knowing whether all the other changes are equally benign or if they are significantly more PC. At least the copyright information does note that this is an "updated" edition.

I'm hoping to find out more about the differences so that I can figure out whether I should hold out for the originals. If you have any additional info, please leave a comment for me here.

Make a difference!

2009-04-22T07:49:00.000-07:00

Based on the aphorism of St. Augustine, let us pray as if all depended on God, and work as if all depended on us.

Pray as if all depended on God.

For protection of conscience rights of medical personnel
For rights of pro-lifers to be upheld in court
Prayer to End Abortion
For the Culture of Life - Rosaries for Life

Work as if all depended on you.

Ever wonder why they don't just leave?

2009-04-17T17:54:00.000-07:00

It's a good question, isn't it? People like Joan Chissiter and Frances Kissling constantly complain about the Church: why don't they just leave?

Fr. Philip has the diagnosis:

If the Roman Catholic Church is so horribly oppressive, so unjustly bigoted, so irrecoverably patriarchal, and these features cause you so much distress and anguish, then leave! But see, you won't leave. Why? Because you have an ODD relationship with Church authority. If you join the Episcopalians, a group that will embrace you and all your moon-batness, if you join the Episco-pagans, you become the establishment. You become the norm, the regular. . .and since you are constitutionally incapable of forming a positive identity, you will cling for dear life to your oppositional-defiant identity in the RCC.

Read it all here.

Lia's Challenge: Pro-Life Video Contest

2009-04-17T14:42:00.000-07:00

Remember Lia Mills, the 12 year old whose school speech contest entry defending Life became a YouTube "viral" sensation?

The Susan B Anthony List is sponsoring a pro-life video contest for youth in her honor, with a $1000 prize. The video entries do NOT have to be videos of the student making a speech. There are two categories: 12 and under, and 13-18 years old.

When 12 year-old Lia Mills wrote her speech about abortion for a school contest, she had no idea the kind of impact it would have worldwide. Yet after her mother put the speech on YouTube, it garnered over a half a million views!

The greatest source of energy and potential the pro-life movement has is its youth. Youth have a unique perspective and voice, giving them an incredible ability to change hearts and minds. They are steadfast in their beliefs and want to share them with others! Now, Lia is challenging other young people to send in their videos and spread the pro-life message.

The SBA List wants to provide our nation’s youth with the opportunity to do just that. This new contest will award two winning videos with a $1,000 scholarship and will be featured in a Susan B. Anthony online campaign!

I think this would be a great fit for Catholic homeschoolers!

See here for full contest details.

Strong Public Support for Conscience Protection

2009-04-17T08:06:00.000-07:00

From the USCCB Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities:

New Poll Shows Strong Support for Conscience Rights in Health Care
WASHINGTON—A nationwide poll conducted on March 23-25 found that 87 percent of adults surveyed believe it is important to "make sure that healthcare professionals in America are not forced to participate in procedures and practices to which they have moral objections." Conducted by the polling company™, inc./WomanTrend on behalf of the Christian Medical Association (CMA), the survey also showed majority support even among self-identified "pro-choice" respondents for the two-month-old conscience protection regulation now at risk of being rescinded by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Deirdre McQuade, spokeswoman on abortion at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), welcomed the data and urged HHS to keep the current regulation in place.

"The Obama administration has moved to rescind a vital HHS regulation protecting the conscience rights of health care providers," McQuade said, "But according to this new survey, the majority of Americans—whether 'pro-life' or 'pro-choice', male or female, Republican or Democratic—support the regulation and oppose its rescission."
more

Nearly 75,000 emails were sent in support of conscience protections from the NCHLA and Freedom2Care sites. This number does not include those many concerned citizens who contacted the DHHS directly at their email address or via other websites, such as FRC's.

Is this for real? Updated

2009-04-15T16:53:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe that a department of the Federal Government of the United States of America could have put out such a pathetic report, free of content except for making unsubstantiated claims against the "dangers" of obviously political targets: those who are pro-life, anti-tax, pro-traditional marriage, pro-2nd Amendment, have served a military tour of duty, or are conservatives.

The DHS/Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) has no specific information that domestic rightwing terrorists are currently planning acts of violence, but rightwing extremists may be gaining new recruits by playing on their fears about several emergent issues. The economic downturn and the election of the first African American president present unique drivers for rightwing radicalization and recruitment. [my emphasis]

Translation:

We at the DHS/I&A have no data that rightwing terrorists are doing anything, or even if they exist. None. Zero. Zilch. Yeah, literally. But we are afraid our political opponents will advance because we are failing spectacularly at fixing the economy. Oh, and of course anyone who disagrees with BHO must be a racist, so we expect all the racists to join up too.

Erm, hello? This is what the Department of Homeland Security is doing? Publishing a totally unsubstantiated and speculative report claiming that people who merely happen to disagree with the views of the current Administration are actually "extremists" and probably terrorists? Does the word "propaganda" ring any bells?

Pathetic and content-free as the report is, I would not be surprised to find it referred to in all seriousness by those arguing that those rightwing [sic] extremists -- like old ladies praying the rosary outside Planned Parenthood -- need to be kept in check and lose their civil liberties in order to protect society.

Can you imagine The Media letting it slide if the government issued a similarly thin report on left-wing extremism? (Check out this "right->left translation" if you are tempted to believe there is no double standard. h/t for link: the Anchoress.)

Arizona's gain is the nation's loss.

PS An in-depth analysis is here. Please do read it.
The American Legion response is here.
h/ts: FRC, Michelle Malkin, the Anchoress

Trip Highlights: Rail Grinder

2009-04-15T08:29:00.000-07:00

I can't believe we've already been back at home for almost a month! Maybe I can consider this an extension of the enjoyment of the vacation instead of garden-variety procrastination.

On the first day out, we spotted an odd little train with some very unusual-looking cars. Dh found a convenient park with a trackside view, and we stopped and waited for the train to come by. It took a little while, but it was worth the wait!

It turned out to be a rail grinder train, and it was pretty impressive close up. The loco was followed by a couple of passenger cars with their windows blocked off, then two tank cars, and a couple of tool cars (guessing). Then came the VERY loud rail grinder cars, emitting metal grinding sounds with showers of sparks and much smoke.

They took a lot of care to avoid starting fires. They laid down some kind of retardant, plus a guy rode on the back of the train hosing down the track.

Beautiful Pro-life Song

2009-04-13T14:40:00.000-07:00

A blessed Easter to you all!

What better time to celebrate the gift of life and hope?

Singer Jaime Thietten hopes that her song will help bring healing to women afflicted by a past abortion as well as help moms choose life. Great voice, too!

"So many children lose their lives everyday," Jaime says. "People have asked me why I would want to tackle such a controversial subject at this time in my musical career. My answer is that we can't afford to wait. Lives need to be saved now. I'm not worried about what others think."

Whatever happened to Motherhood and Apple Pie?

2009-04-07T16:56:00.000-07:00

Nominated by President Obama to head the Office of Legal Counsel in the Department of Justice, Dawn Johnsen, is the latest -- and the worst so far -- of a string of radical pro-abortion nominees. The only bright side is that she says out loud what a great many feminists secretly believe about motherhood.

The Susan B Anthony List has compiled a sort of "hit parade" of Johnsen quotes:

"The argument that women who become pregnant have in some sense consented to the pregnancy belies reality…and others who are the inevitable losers in the contraceptive lottery no more 'consent' to pregnancy than pedestrians 'consent' to being struck by drunk drivers.'"
Supreme Court amicus brief she authored in Webster v. Reproductive Health Services

"The woman is constantly aware for nine months that her body is not wholly her own: the state has conscripted her body for its own ends. Thus, abortion restrictions 'reduce pregnant women to no more than fetal containers.'"
Supreme Court amicus brief she authored in Webster v. Reproductive Health Services

"Statutes that curtail her abortion choice are disturbingly suggestive of involuntary servitude, prohibited by the Thirteenth Amendment, in that forced pregnancy requires a woman to provide continuous physical service to the fetus in order to further the state's asserted interest."
Supreme Court amicus brief she authored in Webster v. Reproductive Health Services

Please write to your Senators today and oppose Dawn Johnsen's nomination to the Office of Legal Counsel

Reading these comments, I am struck by the real loathing of motherhood that Johnsen displays. I suspect most women, and especially most mothers, will find these comments to be demeaning and offensive. If you agree, please go either to the above link or here to ask your Senators to reject this nomination.

Hear, hear!

2009-04-02T14:22:00.000-07:00

Daniel Hannan is a Member of the European Parliament from South East England. Wish we had some members of Congress like this!

Conscience Protection Alert!

2009-04-01T19:21:00.000-07:00

There's one more thing we can do to protect conscience.

Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) has proposed an amendment in the Senate that would protect the right of conscience for health care workers!

The Senate is scheduled to vote on this amendment TOMORROW afternoon, April 2.

Please contact your Senators today and tell them to vote YES on the conscience protection amendment!

This is a link to an email form and takes just a minute to fill in your info and send.

PS If you haven't already send your comments to HHS, you can still do so until April 9, using the link at either the USCCB or at Freedom2Care.

Begin Pacschal Mystery Eggs today!

2009-04-01T08:27:00.000-07:00

Today is the day to begin the countdown to Easter with the Paschal Mystery Eggs.

From Hindu to Carmelite

2009-04-01T06:27:00.000-07:00

As a convert from Hinduism myself, I am always interested in others' conversion stories, with a special interest in those from India. Today, while searching for information one of my children needed, I came across this wonderful story of a Carmelite nun who converted from Hindusim over three decades ago.

Now known as Sister Mary Joseph, she says that while teaching at a Canossian Sisters' school in Bombay,

"I felt an urgent and incessant calling to a meeting with Jesus, my love for Jesus began growing and I felt a deep desire to know him, love him and serve him."

And yet her path was not easy. Again quoting Sister:

"My family was completely shattered, I had brought shame and embarrassment on the family, my parents had to suffer humiliation from my relatives, being from a very traditional and high caste Brahmin Iyengar family, and now converting to Christianity was a very big blow to our family pride."

This is a very common attitude in India. I would say that many higher-caste Indians consider conversion to be a shameful thing. It is a fact that within India most converts to Christianity come from the lowest caste and "untouchables"; it is difficult to know whether this is the cause or the effect of upper-caste Hindus' tendency to look down on converts to Christianity.

Although my own background is similar to Sister Mary Joseph's, I was fortunate in that my family, unilike hers, took my conversion very well. I am glad to say that, eventually, her family came around as well.

I want to offer just one more quote, and encourage you to read the whole article.

I suffer and pray, my calling today is: "Vicariously suffering for the world." I enter deeply into the suffering with my prayer, my prayer for the persecuted Church, the moral and ethical issues in the world, the attacks against life, the youth, the snares of temptations for the youth like drugs, pornography and such evils that exist, the breaking up of the family and also marriage, these are my deepest sufferings and prayer.

This gives me great hope. Contemplative religious are our "secret weapon" in the battle for souls.

National Pro-Life T-Shirt Day

2009-03-31T14:35:00.000-07:00

The seventh annual National Pro-Life T-Shirt Day is April 28, 2009.

On this day, all pro-life persons are invited to make a positive statement of their pro-life beliefs by wearing T-shirts with a pro-life message.

The official T-shirt for this year is a classy design with two-color printing on a black background. It's available from Heritage House in standard and women's styles, and with long ($10) or short ($8) sleeves. The message on the back reads:

If he's not alive, why is his heart beating?
If he's not a human being, what kind of being is he?
If he's a living human being, why is it legal to kill him?
Choose Life.

Or choose from dozens of other messages to create your custom shirt. Regularly priced at $11.95 for T-shirts with a single design (choose to place it on either front or back), today is the last day to get them at the fantastic special price of $5 each! Use coupon code V10T. For a little extra, you can choose from several background colors or display messages on both front and back.

Physics for High School

2009-03-26T16:27:00.000-07:00

I've been researching physics resources for high school, asking friends what they use, and checking Internet sources. Yes, it's a little early yet, but I really like physics!

Here are a couple of intriguing possibilities:
Physics in Your Life from the Teaching Company, taught by Professor Richard Wolfson

This has rave reviews ... and it sounds a lot more comprehensive than the title implies. Plus, like all other Teaching Company products, it's guaranteed to satisfy. This title is currently on sale for $100 (regularly $375).

Conceptual Physics from Kinetic Books

This is an "interactive textbook" on CD ROM. The concept seems somewhat similar to that of Teaching Textbooks, but most of the offerings are for high-school to freshman college-level physics. I found a demo on their site. Pretty cool! It seems to have a good balance between written text and activities, and also supports a variety of learning styles. Seems pretty affordable, too, at $30 for a CD that can be used for more than one student. You can add the printed textbook for another $15.

They also offer a "Virtual Lab" CD that allows the student to vary input parameters and watch the results. I wonder whether they randomized it a bit to produce realistic results. If you've done any real life lab work, you know how suspicious exact results are!

Couple of reviews online: at NSTA, and at the Homeschool Magazine

Make a Difference!

2009-03-25T14:52:00.000-07:00

Based on the aphorism of St. Augustine, we should pray as if all depended on God, and work as if all depended on us.

Pray as if all depended on God.

40 Days of Lent - 40 Days for Life
For protection of conscience rights of medical personnel
To End Abortion
Rosaries For the Victory of Culture of Life

Work as if all depended on you.

Speak out to protect pro-life doctors, nurses and hospitals or Alternate link
40 Days of Lent - 40 Days for Life
Red Envelope Project
Support Parental Rights to Protect Kids & Parents
Postcard Campaign to Stop FOCA and similar bills

"Pro-choice" = "no choice"? Updated

2009-03-21T18:47:00.000-07:00

This is so outrageous, it is hard to write calmly about it.

The Obama Administration plans to revoke conscience protection for pro-life medical professionals.

The Bush Administration put into place a Department of Health and Human Services rule that protects doctors, nurses, and other health professionals as well as hospitals from discrimination because of their pro-life views. In short, it protects the rights of health professionals and of hospitals to refuse to participate in murder. Without this type of protection, doctors and nurses are subject to coercion (losing jobs or facing other punishment) to act against their consciences. More on the rule here.

The Obama Administration has made public its intention to remove this protection from medical professionals who refuse to assist in the killing of innocents. This is not "choice" but tyranny.

By law, there must be a 30-day period for public comment before the rule change can be implemented. If people of good will can apply enough pressure, this can be stopped.

As Cardinal George points out, we recognize the right to conscientious objection in other areas as well, such as objectors to war not having to serve in the military, or those who object in conscience to capital punishment not having to carry out the death penalty. Watch the video -- definitely worth your time.

Then go to the USCCB site and click the link to submit your comment supporting conscience protection. Alternatively, go to Freedom2Care and use either the link for patients or for healthcare professionals. Both sites offer plenty of additional information and background.

The comment period ends April 9, so please act soon. And, as always, please pray for God's mercy.

Please note that this action, though similar to one of the provisions of FOCA, is completely separate from that Act.

Pope: Young People, Evangelize the Net

2009-03-20T13:26:00.000-07:00

As reported by ZENIT, Pope Benedict exhorts youth in these words as part of his message for World Communications Day, May 24.

'Dear brothers and sisters, I ask you to introduce into the culture of this new environment of communications and information technology the values on which you have built your lives,' he said. '[T]he proclamation of Christ in the world of new technologies requires a profound knowledge of this world if the technologies are to serve our mission adequately.

'It falls, in particular, to young people, who have an almost spontaneous affinity for the new means of communication, to take on the responsibility for the evangelization of this 'digital continent.' Be sure to announce the Gospel to your contemporaries with enthusiasm. You know their fears and their hopes, their aspirations and their disappointments: The greatest gift you can give to them is to share with them the 'Good News' of a God who became man, who suffered, died and rose again to save all people.'

See the full article here.

H/t: Janet

We're Back!

2009-03-18T12:33:00.000-07:00

Our family is now back home from our ~2 week road trip. I'll be posting photos and such soon.

Ah, that explains it

2009-03-15T07:46:00.000-07:00

Heard Arne Duncan speaking about charter schools. Apparently, when they talk about expanding charter schools, they mean union-run charters. With all that that implies.

Oh.

Education Reform?

2009-03-13T08:18:00.000-07:00

I just happened to hear about President Obama's speech on education reform. He's certainly talking a good line: rewarding teacher merit with pay raises, for example, and increasing the number of charter schools, even making them available where they are currently not permitted.

Somehow I find myself a little skeptical about it. The teacher unions, which Obama admits he "owes", have adamantly opposed both of these ideas. And in Chicago, his old stomping grounds, Obama was a consistent and loyal supporter of the aforementioned unions. And his appointee for the Dept of Education hails from Chicago, which has a ... shall we say less than stellar reputation for actually educating kids.

So, while I'd love to see these changes happen (some others he mentioned I'm not so enthusiastic about) I would be very surprised to see any substantive positive changes.

Paschal Mystery Eggs

2009-03-08T10:45:00.000-07:00

There are several different versions of this idea around, including a commercial variety called "Resurrection Eggs." I am not certain where the idea originated, but it may have been from the Real Learning Forums. The name of "Paschal Mystery Eggs" definitely comes from Jenn Miller's post on this thread in that forum, which also gives details of a longer version.

Here is the version that we use. Get 12 plastic eggs that can be opened and filled, and a regular dozen-sized egg-carton. Inside each egg place the listed object together with a slip of paper with the corresponding Bible verse. You may want to also include an explanation of the significance of the object, or simply discuss the significance when you open the egg. Number the eggs from 1 to 12, and place them in reverse order in the carton.

We open one egg per day beginning on the Wednesday before Palm Sunday and ending on Easter Sunday.

Fill the eggs as follows:
Day 12: Mark 12:22
a small cracker or piece of "Matzoh" to symbolize the bread & wine of the Last Supper.

Day 11: Matt 26:33
Feather or picture of rooster to symbolize the rooster that crowed 3 times.

Day 10: Matt 26:33
3 dimes to symbolize the 30 pieces of silver that Judas received to betray Jesus

Day 9: Mark 15:17
Thorns to represent the crown of thorns (rose thorns work well)

Day 8: Matt 27:31
Nail to represent the nails on the cross

Day 7: John 19:17-18
Small metal or paper cross represents the cross on which Jesus was crucified.

Day 6: John 19:23-24
A die or couple of dice to represent the lots that were cast for Jesus' clothing.

Day 5: John 19:34
Toothpick or toy lance to represent the spear which pierced Jesus' side.

Day 4: Matt 27:57-60
Piece of white cloth to symbolize Jesus's linen burial cloth.

Day 3: Mark 16:1
Cinnamon stick symbolize the burial spices.

Day 2: Matt 27:62-65
Rock to represent the stone over the mouth of the tomb.

Day 1 EASTER MORNING! Mark 16:5-6
This egg will be empty to symbolize the tomb that was empty because Jesus was risen!!

40 Days for Life

2009-02-26T16:14:00.000-08:00

40 Days for Life is back again for Lent!

After Mass on Ash Wednesday, we went to pray at the Portland site where Planned Parenthood is constructing a massive new building in a predominantly black neighborhood of the city. In spite of rain threatening, there was a good turnout, and the weather was clear for our vigil.

I was pleasantly surprised that -- even in Portland -- the supportive honks, thumbs-up signs, and waves far outnumbered the negative.

At the kickoff meeting, we also were encouraged to hear that there have now been over 1,000 lives saved because of 40 Days for Life. Praise God! More great stories and video clips here.

Please consider joining a 40 Days for Life vigil if there is one near you. (Check here for the complete list of 130+ locations.) If you are unable to do so, perhaps you could join your prayers and Lenten fasting to the campaign.

Stations of the Cross ideas for Kids

2009-02-26T07:12:00.000-08:00

These are both Montessori-inspired ideas from Catholic bloggers:

Lillian writes that she has filled boxes for each of her children with items representing each Station of the Cross. "I can't begin to say what a difference this hands-on way of praying the Stations of the Cross has transformed our Fidays during Lent. My little ones now pray along eagerly and listen intently for the station so they can rummage throught their boxes and find the appropriate symbol," she says. I'm going to make a set for my little one, too!

Meanwhile, UK Bookworm has put together a PDF file that you can use to make Montessori-style "three-part" cards of the Stations. Great for learning which Station is which. She has a similar download for the Mysteries of the Rosary as well.

H/ts: Katie and Meg

Simple Lenten practices for children

2009-02-25T08:25:00.000-08:00

Lent begins today, or, in the case of the Eastern Catholic churches, it has already begun on Monday. Here are a couple of simple practices that have in past years helped our children get into the spirit of Lent and prepare for the joy and new life of Easter.

The "crown of thorns" has been a big hit at our house. I've seen directions for making salt-dough crowns, but ours is simpler. I simply purchased at the craft store an 8" wreath made of woven twigs. On Ash Wednesday, we stick toothpicks into it to represent thorns, and place the wreath in the center of our dining table. The children get to remove one thorn for each sacrifice or act of kindness (you can make it as specific or general as you like) and their goal is to remove them all before Easter. Some years, we have cleared them all in plenty of time. In this case, we add little flowers to the wreath instead of removing thorns. The flowery wreath makes a good Easter centerpiece.

We also have done a "lenten cross" for the last several years; concpetually it resembles a Jesse Tree or Advent calendar. The original idea for this came from this article by Catherine Fournier on the Domestic Church website. I cut out two strips of brown paper and lay the short one across the long one to form a cross on the wall. Then, using the information in Fournier's article, you can do this project a couple of different ways. If your children are older, you may wish to have them take turns making an illustration for each day in Lent, while another child reads aloud the Scripture reading for the day. If you have younger children, you may prefer to draw or trace a set of illustrations ahead of time. The children then color one each day and add it to the brown-paper cross, while you read the Scripture. Save the master to use again next year. We were blessed to be given a set of illustrations by a friend when our children were young. (Thank you, Paula!)

A simple set of Stations of the Cross can go up the side of your main stairway (consider how many children will need to fit, though!), or down a hall. We made ours using 3x5 index cards with pictures cut from an illustrated book of the stations, with plastic crosses added.

I'll try to find pictures of these.

For myself, I am pondering a Personal Program for Lent.

A blessed Lenten season to you all!

Quick Review: Unveiled Hope

2009-02-21T13:09:00.000-08:00

by Michael Card
CD, Sony, 1997

I heard a single song from this CD several times on our local Catholic radio station and was hooked. I loved the joy and hope, and the promise of God's ultimate victory. It has been particularly helpful and uplifting to me during difficult times.

Based on the book of Revelation, this CD is suprisingly "Catholic" in its content. The "Holy, Holy, Holy" track reminded me of the connection between the Mass and the heavenly liturgy. Each member of my family has a different favorite among these songs, which feature a variety of musical styles.

This is my favorite Michael Card CD.

Brilliant design!

2009-02-21T08:15:00.000-08:00

Give those Honda engineers a gold star! We just had to replace the bulb in the high-mount brake light of our 1999 Odyssey minivan. Here's what we found.

First, we had to pry off a little, tightly-wedged window at the right edge of the brake light's cover. Not as easy as it sounds. Eventually, we did get it off, but it broke neatly in two, along the central narrowest part.

Next, we unscrewed the hidden screw and pulled out the housing. An amazing amount of dirt had collected in there. Still, we thought we were home free at this point.

Not so! The worst was yet to come.
We unscrewed the bulb housing to discover that the bulb was simply too large to be removed in one piece though the opening. Apparently, they had inserted the bulb from the other side of the opening and then glued the red cover into place. We had to shatter the bulb (with pliers) and shake out the broken pieces before inserting the aftermarket replacement bulb.

Which all led me to wonder whether the folks at Honda had actually tried out their own instructions to replace the bulb.

I'm just thankful the (aftermarket) replacement bulb was actually small enough to fit.

Green Comet Approaches Earth

2009-02-18T16:25:00.000-08:00

Comet Lulin is now approaching earth. This beautiful comet is unusual in a couple of different respects. For one thing, its color is greenish due to the cyanogen (CN) and diatomic carbon (C₂) it contains. And for another, it is approaching the sun "backwards" and is expected to leave the solar system once it swings around the sun. The comet has never yet been close to the sun, so that it retains many of its original gases.

There's also a neat story behind its discovery by a Chinese teen. See here for more.

Cross-posted with Unity of Truth.

It's a shame!

2009-02-17T15:22:00.000-08:00

Perfectly good old books are being destroyed by many resale stores in fear of the new CSPIA regulations purportedly designed to prevent lead poisoning in children. Do books even contain lead? It's a crying shame! Read more here, and see here for endangered books.

Happy St. Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T08:15:00.000-08:00

Ruth Andreas offers a thoughtful reflection on the roots of St. Valentine's Day:

The corrupt ruler Claudius II (of Valentine's day) sought to divorce all people, thus breaking the sacred and affectionate bond between spouses and family members.

He hoped thereby to make people more malleable, more open to the suggested ends he sought for society.

In opposition to this, St. Valentine the priest was martyred for performing the marriage ceremony "illegally".

Today, whether in the area of "re-defining marriage" or in dictating how many children husbands and wives are allowed to have, we see a return to tactics that have been tried before. This intrusion of the state into the "sacred" arena of marriage and family is wrong.

We perceive with our "feminine genius" that family life has its many challenges and yet, within the great Household of God people can find their answers.

h/t: Erin

Review: How To Win the Culture War

2009-02-13T16:03:00.000-08:00

A Christian Battle Plan for a Society in Crisis
by Peter Kreeft
Inter-Varsity Press, 2002, softcover, 120 pages

We are at war. No, not Iraq or Afghanistan. I'm talking about a much longer, more profoundly dangerous war. One whose victims number not in the thousands but in the millions. It is the war between the culture of Life and the culture of Death, also known as the Culture War.

That is the war this book is about.

I first read this book when it came out several uears ago; I re-read it a few weeks ago, and realized that I have matured as a Christian in the intervening period. The answers that struck me as not practical back then, I now realize to be eminently so. Grounded as they are in ultimate realities, they are far more real -- and practical -- than any tome chock-full of "TO DO" lists.

As Dr. Kreeft says in the Introduction,

"To win any war, ... the nine most necessary things to know are the following:
that you are at war
who your enemy is
what kind of war you are in
what the basic principle of this kind of war is
what the enemy's strategy is
where the main battlefield is
what weapon will defeat the enemy
how to acquire this weapon
why you will win

This book is Kreeft's attempt to provide us with at least this information. In writing it, he does not pull any punches. He readily admits that some will be offended. Yet, if this is so, it is because some are not willing to accept the truth. It may not warm our hearts to hear that our culture is dying, but knowing the truth is a vital first step to overcoming the culture of death.

We live in a time of confusion, in which basics realities are disregard and many seem to have simply given up exercising their power of reason and handing their minds over to whoever entertains them best. For example, consider who are the real enemies in the culture war. No, it's not liberals, or secularists, or Moslems, or indeed any group of human beings. Stumped? The book reminds us that, as the catechisms say, the real enemies are sin and the devil.

Again, what of the enemy's strategy? It is brilliant in its simplicity: attack the foundations of society -- the family, life, and reason. In two impressive chapters, we see the connection between all the attacks, and learn the methods, thereby also learning how to counter them. Specifically, he shows how the sexual revolution was the primary route to our cultural demise and remains the primary battlefield. Indeed, he argues that "we cannot win the culture war unless we win the sex war, because sex has become the effective religion of our culture." Pope John Paul II's theology of the body can help us mount the counter-revolution.

I enjoyed Kreeft's use of satirical wit to skewer many a foolish notion, and indeed to show us just how ridiculous are some of the ideas we take for granted. This little book should go a long way to clearing away the accumulated errors and replacing them with good, healthy dose of Truth.

If you are interested in defeating the culture of death and building a culture of life, I highly recommend this book.

A shorter, earlier version of this essay with only 3 main points may be found in the EWTN library.

Time 1234567890

2009-02-13T15:31:00.000-08:00

Attention all geeks!

It is now Unix time 1234567890

Check it yourself:
% perl -e 'print scalar localtime(1234567890),"\n";'
Fri Feb 13 15:31:30 2009

h/t: the other resident geek

Ghastly born-alive story

2009-02-12T12:49:00.000-08:00

Today's News and Views was only one of many to report on the horrible story of the death of a baby born alive after an attempted abortion.

This is just a bizarre story. I keep wondering whether the mom would have noticed or cared had her baby (the same baby, same age) been killed in the womb instead of after her unexpected birth. Would she have had a problem with that? Or would she have been just fine with it, at least at the time?

Or would she have been one of the many women who grieve in silence over their lost children because society tells them the abortion was "no big deal."

We know for a fact that the Medical Board and the Department of Health would have been completely unconcerned. And the general public would never have heard about it.

Where's the logic in that?

How about 'free' online schooling?

2009-02-11T14:42:00.000-08:00

The latest CHC e-newsletter has some very thoughful commentary on the relatively new phenomenon of free online schooling, based on the "why" of homeschooling.

We homeschool because our heart's desire is to provide a loving, intimate setting that simply cannot be duplicated outside the home. If we weren't seeking an education with a more 'personal touch,' to improve upon standard classroom offerings, we wouldn't be homeschooling!

'Free' online schooling is not only impersonal, it is secular. When our Holy Faith is 'added on,' it is just that: an add-on, rather than the core of our very existence. That, too, is why we homeschool, to provide an education steeped in the Reason behind all knowledge, and the Goal of all knowledge. Through online programs, the secular indoctrination that we had sought to avoid is right within our walls.

Sitting stiffly in front of a computer monitor also runs counter to the nature of all young things. Why is it that we delight in the gamboling of lambs and kittens, but insist on anchoring young children to chairs for the better part of the day? While table work has its place, homeschooled children may be educated on a rag rug in a cozy corner, at the edge of mama’s bed, or even in the tub!

Finally, a mother's touch, so necessary for emotional health in infancy, shouldn’t stop when school begins. There is a permanent, psychological benefit to parent-child interaction as we ‘sound out’ words together, snuggled in grandma’s quilt, or ‘high-five’ a beaming young scholar as he triumphantly waves his perfect spelling test. These experiences cannot be duplicated by staring fixedly at a glaring monitor. A lifeless electronic device is an abominable substitute for an enthusiastic parent.

Do we know the temptation, on days when we are weary, to let someone else educate our children? You bet. Are we biased? Yes, because we have experienced the deep, abiding satisfaction of witnessing positive results after years of Catholic homeschooling. We pray the same for you.

Review: St. Patrick's Summer

2009-02-11T06:28:00.001-08:00

A Children's Adventure Catechism
by Marigold Hunt, illustrated by Theodore Schluenderfritz
Softcover, Sophia Institute Press, 2005, 288 pages
ISBN: 192883292

I recently read St. Patrick's Summer aloud to my children. They absolutely loved it! Frequently, they begged for "just a little more," and I enjoyed it so much that I often obliged.

The set-up: Michael and Cecelia need help preparing for their First Holy Communions, but Mrs. Murphy, their teacher, is at her wits' end. She says their questions would stump a bishop. So she asks St. Patrick to help and he does so in a most unusual way: by appearing to the children, showing them events from the past, and answering their questions.

As we read, I was delighted to discover:

explanations that really make sense to kids -- and adults
Michael and Cecelia are hilariously true-to-life
the saints are wonderful characters, full of gentle humor and fun -- people I would love to have for my friends.

Reservations:

Because this book was originally written more than a half-century ago, the Catholic Church's view on a couple of items has developed since its writing. These points are:

The fate of babies who die unbaptized (ch. 5, pp. 81-2) is presented as definitely lower than that of baptized infants. However, the CCC says (m. 1261):
As regards children who have died without Baptism, the Church can only entrust them to the mercy of God, as she does in her funeral rites for them. Indeed, the great mercy of God who desires that all men should be saved, and Jesus' tenderness toward children which caused him to say: "Let the children come to me, do not hinder them,"63 allow us to hope that there is a way of salvation for children who have died without Baptism. All the more urgent is the Church's call not to prevent little children coming to Christ through the gift of holy Baptism.
In the story (also in ch. 5) St Patrick tells the children that the "Supernatural Life" that men from Adam to Jesus had access to was the same as the sanctifying grace of Baptism that we have access to in and through Christ. Whether faith in a future Messiah by those who lived before Christ's passion and death resulted in the same sort of grace as that which results from Baptism now is not clear, and a very difficult matter to understand. To treat it as if it were answered in such a simple fashion is to distort the truth. Such an assertion does not belong in a children's book; it's at best a source of great confusion and could well be false. Thanks to Maria Rioux for helping me clarify my concerns on this point.

I'd recommend this book as a highly enjoyable religion supplement for children in approximately grades 3-7, although all ages will enjoy it as a read-aloud.

Cross-posted with love2learn.net

The Mass Response

2009-02-09T10:49:00.001-08:00

Catholic Exchange offers an update on something we blogged about earlier: the grassroots campaign to offer Masses for President Obama's conversion.

456 Masses were officially recorded as being offered for our new president. It is likely that many more went unrecorded due to website and radio announcements that spread far and wide. A final tally showed Masses were said in 50 States, Washington, DC, Vatican City, Rome, Italy, Fatima, Portugal, the Dominican Republic, Australia, Haiti, India, United Kingdom, Kenya, Djibouti, Israel, Brazil, Ireland, and Canada. Not bad when you consider it was an idea that began as a single email. During Mass in Dickinson, ND, on inauguration day, a myriad of thoughts crossed Barb’s mind: “During the consecration, I could sense Christ’s broken heart, blood outpoured for our new president. I was so aware of how much Our Lord loves President Obama. He would have died solely for him. He did die solely for him, just as He did for me. His love is that immense.” She prayed: ”Lord, may I love our new president with your love. May he sense You reaching out to him and may he respond to Your love.”
...
Once upon a time, slavery was the spiritual scourge of our land. Yet, today, we have a black president. Nothing is impossible. Today, things look so bleak for the rights of the unborn. But just as the rights of Black Americans were won, so too can the rights of the unborn be won.

Read the full article here: The Mass Response

H/t: Dorothy

Review: Desperation Dinners

2009-02-06T05:52:00.003-08:00

This is my favorite cookbook! Most cookbooks are too involved for me, but not this one.

The sub-head reads: "Home-cooked meals for frantic families in 20 minutes flat." Well, there are very few times I can actually manage it in 20 minutes. It seems that someone (usually someone small) always needs a little assistance just when Mom is getting dinner together. Or perhaps I am just slow. Nevertheless, most nights I can have the entree prepared in around 30 minutes. Not bad, considering that my "pre-Desperation" meals, with the exception of pasta with red sauce from a jar, usually ran 45 minutes to an hour. Or more.

The basic concept is simple: the authors have taken a variety of recipes and pared them down to simplify and speed up preparation. For example, they use products such as bottled minced garlic or bottled ginger rather than fresh. However, they do stick to products that still convey a decent flavor. The other key is the word "meanwhile": the recipes nearly universally call for the chef to be doing something while a part of the meal is cooking and does not need direct attention.

I do tweak the recipes a little to fit our family, for example upping the spice or seasoning level on some dishes, using brown rice cooked in my rice cooker rather than the "instant" type they call for, and using canned tomato sauce rather than stewed tomatoes to suit the "chunk-free" preferences of certain family members. One adjustment I have had to make on most recipes is increasing the quantities. Maybe we are just hearty eaters, but I find that their recipes that "serve 6 generously" are too small for our family of 5.

With a variety of recipes from soups and stews to meatloaf, pasta, and pizza, most of us will be able to find a good selection of foods our families like. Sections at the end cover sides, salad dressings, and desserts. I haven't made many of these, but our standard salad dressing has become the balsamic vinaigrette from this cookbook.

Meals made from Desperation Dinners recipes appear regularly at our table, as do other recipes that I have adjusted to suit the "Desperate" style of cooking.

Novena for Michael, Amy, and their family (Feb 4-12)

2009-02-04T13:19:00.001-08:00

Guest blog by Maria R:

Most of you probably know by now that Michael Dubriel died suddenly on Feb. 3rd. [Much more information here, including how to help the family financially.] Both he and his wife Amy have been a huge blessing to many. I thought we might give back a little and work together to comfort the family through prayer. Please join me in a novena to the Holy Family.

We'll start today: One Memorare, A Prayer to St. Joseph, an Our Father and Hail Mary. St. Joseph is also the patron of departing souls, so I thought this prayer was especially appropriate.

In case you're not familiar with these prayers, I'm posting them below:

Memorare
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession was left unaided. Inspired with with confidence, I fly to you, O virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy, hear and answer me. Amen.

Novena to Saint Joseph
Oh, St. Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God, I place in you all my interest and desires. Oh, St. Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession, and obtain for me from your divine Son all spiritual blessings, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. So that, having engaged here below your heavenly power, I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of Fathers. Oh, St. Joseph, I never weary contemplating you, and Jesus asleep in your arms; I dare not approach while He reposes near your heart. Press Him in my name and kiss His fine head for me and ask Him to return the Kiss when I draw my dying breath.

A leopard really is just a big cat

2009-02-04T07:53:00.001-08:00

While traveling last summer, we visited many child-friendly locations including the Como Park Zoo in St. Paul, MN. Last week, while looking through the photos we took, I ran across this one:

It cracks me up that this leopard scratches at his log in exactly the same way as our housecat uses her scratcher.

Google Goes to Mars

2009-02-04T07:19:00.000-08:00

Electroblogster posted recently at Unity of Truth about additions to Google Earth, and now there's also Google Mars. Fun and educational, the images are composites made from NASA data. The tool works similarly to the more familiar Google Earth, with three available views: Elevation (shaded relief), Visible, and Infrared.

Links at the top enable navigation to different regions or types of formations; you can also view landing sites for the spacecraft that have surveyed Mars -- or crashed in the attempt. Finally, a "stories" link brings up a list of locations with associated articles at the joint NASA/JPL/ASU THEMIS website. The picture above is a thumbnail of one of the posters available for download at the THEMIS site.

Cross-posted with Unity of Truth.

Lapbooks with Catholic Themes

2009-02-02T05:49:00.004-08:00

I just spent a little time browsing the Faith Folders for Catholics site, and she has some very nice, fun, and easy-to-use lapbooks designed around dozens of Faith-related themes. A couple that jumped out at me as especially appropriate right now are:

St. Paul the Great Evangelizer Faith Folder

... for the Year of St. Paul

Respect Life Faith Folder

... to help kids love the Culture of Life

We've never done an official "lapbook" before, but this looks too good to pass up!

H/t: Sarah

How to Praise Children

2009-01-31T08:31:00.002-08:00

This is a fascinating video clip featuring Dr. Christine Carter. She discusses the type of praise that is helpful to children, and what type -- amazingly -- can be detrimental.

Bible Ballad: Memorizing the Books of the Bible

2009-01-30T10:30:00.007-08:00

Would you like to have your family memorize all the books of the Bible in order? Would you also like to include an idea of the contents of each book?

Look no further!

I think the rhythm and rhyme of this verse by Mary Daly simplify the task immensely. We've been working on it for the last couple of months. The oldest children have nearly the whole thing memorized now.

I've made some minor changes (improvements, I hope); click on the post title for the original.

Bible Ballad
by Mary O. Daly, modified

Old Testament

Part I: Historical Books
Genesis -- when we began;
Exodus is when we ran;
Leviticus is priestly lore.
Numbers tells the sons we bore;
With Deuteronomy, we close
The tale of Moses, whom God chose.
(The Pentateuch is these books' name;
The Jewish Torah is the same.)

Then Joshua said, "I serve the Lord.
Through all my house, he is adored."
(And Jericho fell by the shout of his men
For the praise of God was strong in them.)
Soon the Judges led in war, in peace,
Deborah among them, and Gideon with fleece.
And a loyal heart with Naomi trod,
Ruth came to Judah, and to her God.

Two books of Samuel the prophet we hold
In two books the stories of Kings are told
Two more Chronicle the housing of the ark
In Solomon's temple, with seraphic spark!
There Ezra the priest, copier of books,
became a great author the way it looks!
And Nehemiah spoke at length,
"The joy of the Lord is my strength."

Though trouble for Jews is ever the tale,
Still God sends heroes that never fail.
So Tobit was healed by the angel's craft,
And Judith took sword on her people's behalf.
And Esther with beauty and wits and prayer
Protected her people from Haman's lair
And finally (twice) the Maccabees sons
Gave limb and life for the chosen ones.

Part II: Holy Wisdom
But to worship God as He is revealed
Takes holiness more than sword and shield.
So Job is the teacher for those in sorrow,
The Psalms give praise; the Proverbs borrow
from Solomon. And Ecclesiastes writes
There's time for everything, days and nights,
And birth and death, and mourn and dance,
And build and break, and plans and chance.

There's time for love in the Song of Songs.
Then, lest we forget the rights and wrongs,
We seek deep Wisdom in Solomon's prayer
We go to her house and breathe her air.
Last, but not least (did the Jews forget?)
Ecclesiasticus* ends the set
Of the books of widsom the Bible gave
While the prophets taught how God will save.

Part III: Prophetic Words
Isaiah has words of comfort;
Jeremiah speaks of grief;
His Lamentations move the heart;
Baruch is wise though brief.
Ezechiel gives warning
and knits to life dry bones
Daniel sees Judgement,
the wrath and the thrones.
Hosea speaks of love
and promise of return;
Joel foretells the Spirit
to pour into hearts that yearn.
Amos speaks of famine
not of bread but the Word;
Obadiah warns Edom
of heaven's wrath incurred.
Babylon's prophet is Jonah
(he rode in the fish -- but how?).
Micah speaks of an end to war
when sword shall turn to plow.

"The Lord," says Nahum
"will break the yoke,"
And Habakkuk waits
for the vision's stroke.
And Zephaniah teaches us
that God will rest within
While Haggai preaches
a final end to sin.
Zechariah warns the shepherd,
"Stay beside my flock!"
Malachi, the final prophet,
speaks of the marriage lock
And teaches that in the latter days
we'll see a new Elijah
To reconcile men with sons
before the great Messiah.

These 46 books tell the ancient story
Of our faithful God and all his glory.

Part IV: The New Testament
Countless ages come and go
The plan of God seems very slow
But in the Father's perfect way,
Jesus was born and slept in the hay.
Then he grew to be healer, teacher, and friend
Til he died for love, but it wasn't the end,
For he rose in glory and sent one gift --
the Spirit of Truth -- the Gospel Lift.

So Matthew wrote for the Jews in Rome
And Mark was brief for those at home
Luke wrote for gentiles, healing and kind
While John grew old with tales to wind.
The Acts of believers next are told,
'Specially of Paul, who, brave and bold
Traveled the sea lanes, end to end
and wrote his letters to many a friend.

To the Romans he wrote that all works for good
And twice to Corinthinans how love's understood.
Then: 'You Galatians are crazy! Faith is the way!'
To Ephesians: 'Praise God, and live in the Day.'
'From my heart,' dear Philippians, 'endless thanksgiving,'
-- plus a word about Jesus and humble living.
Then to Colossians, on faith, angels, friends,
Twice to Thessalonians, preparing for ends.
Two for Timothy, though he was young
One each for Titus and Philemon.

Paul's letters amaze us, from chains or free
Yet others wrote of the mystery:
One to the Hebrews on sacrifice,
the priesthood of Jesus, and its price.
"Be doers of the word," says James in his letter,
"Follow God and His Church," exhort two from Peter.
Three letters from John speak of God and his love,
While Jude confirms authority from above.

You who read this Revelation knowing my word is true,
Guard your hearts through tribulation; I will come for you.

* Note: Ecclesiasticus is also known as the book of Sirach

How would you know?

2009-01-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

What if your society were involved in some major affront to human dignity, but most people didn't talk about it. What if the major media persisted in portraying this evil as good and those who oppose it as narrow-minded bigots, idiots, zealots, or some combination of all of these? Would you realize that this evil was in fact occurring?

Jennifer over at Conversion Diary wonders, How would you know? She offers one of the most thoughful and thought-provoking responses I have seen to this question.

Student Concerns About Evolution: Open for Discussion?

2009-01-28T06:00:00.003-08:00

Professor Michael Reiss, writing in the Guardian (UK)'s blog, suggests that students be allowed to raise doubts about evolution. He says:

So how might one teach evolution in science lessons, say to 14 to 16-year-olds? Many scientists, and some science educators, fear that consideration of creationism or intelligent design in a science classroom legitimises them.

For example, the excellent book Science, Evolution, and Creationism published by the US National Academy of Sciences and Institute of Medicine, asserts: "The ideas offered by intelligent design creationists are not the products of scientific reasoning. Discussing these ideas in science classes would not be appropriate given their lack of scientific support."

I agree with the first sentence but disagree with the second. Just because something lacks scientific support doesn't seem to me a sufficient reason to omit it from a science lesson. When I was taught physics at school, and taught it extremely well in my view, what I remember finding so exciting was that we could discuss almost anything providing we were prepared to defend our thinking in a way that admitted objective evidence and logical argument.

So when teaching evolution, there is much to be said for allowing students to raise any doubts they have (hardly a revolutionary idea in science teaching) and doing one's best to have a genuine discussion. The word 'genuine' doesn't mean that creationism or intelligent design deserve equal time.

However, in certain classes, depending on the comfort of the teacher in dealing with such issues and the make-up of the student body, it can be appropriate to deal with the issue. If questions or issues about creationism and intelligent design arise during science lessons they can be used to illustrate a number of aspects of how science works.

This sounds very reasonable to me. Note that Prof. Reiss very clearly says that he does not consider creationism or intelligent design theories to be scientifically valid. All he says is that if students have issues with evolution -- say because their parents are into creationism -- it makes a lot of sense for their biology teacher to discuss their concerns with them.

What does it say to the student when the teacher merely pooh-poohs their concerns or dismisses them without discussion? It seems to me that the most likely two outcomes are

the student decides the teacher is clueless -- therefore the science is suspect, or
the student decides his parents are clueless -- therefore their religion is suspect

Neither strikes me as a good thing. Rather, it seems far wiser to address students' concerns.

Members of the Royal Society do not agree; many called for Reiss's resignation from his position as the Society's Director of Education. It doesn't seem to much matter that what Reiss actually said and what they imagine he said are two different things.

Cross-posted with Unity of Truth.

Being Pro-Life 24/7

2009-01-27T12:22:00.001-08:00

Bobbie Hallman was attempting to carry out a simple task — make a poster from an ultrasound image.

Bobbie Hallman, left, and her daughter, Annie, hold a poster of a 12 week unborn child – Photo Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit

She ended up saving the life of an unborn child.

... people standing in line nearby began to look at the ultrasound pictures, too. Eventually, the pictures found their way back into the hands of the pregnant employee.

“She looked at them individually again and she said, ‘I can’t abort this baby.’ ” Bobbie said. “She said, ‘I was thinking about aborting this baby. I thought it was just a tissue. And, look at this.’ She was pointing to the fingers and the eyes.”

And there's more! Read the rest here: TheCatholicSpirit.com - Poster for prayer service saves a life

h/t: Rose

Review: Evangelium Vitae / The Gospel of Life

2009-01-26T13:00:00.001-08:00

Full of truth and light, this 1995 encyclical letter of Pope John Paul the Great is essential reading for all who desire a civilization of life and love. By calling evil by its true name, the Holy Father gives us the power to overcome it.

It was in Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life) that Pope John Paul coined the terms "culture of death" and "culture of life" that have since become common parlance. He explains:

we are facing an enormous and dramatic clash between good and evil, death and life, the "culture of death" and the "culture of life". We find ourselves not only "faced with" but necessarily "in the midst of" this conflict: we are all involved and we all share in it, with the inescapable responsibility of choosing to be unconditionally pro-life. (n. 28)

Among the many valuable insights that the Holy Father offers are the following:

The culture of death is that which offers death as a "solution" to societal problems. It is like "curing" illness by killing the patient.
God did not make death ... Death came into the world as a result of the devil's envy (n. 7)
The culture of death "is actively fostered by powerful cultural, economic and political currents which encourage an idea of society excessively concerned with efficiency." In other words, instead of focussing on each human being as a person made in God's image, the focus becomes what can this person do -- the value of his life becomes dependent on his ability to do something.
There exists a tremendous contradiction between the solemn affirmation of human rights on the one hand, and the practical attacks against the fundamental right to life in the very same societies.
Among the roots of this contradiction are subjectivity, a false notion of individual freedom opposed to proper solidarity, and secularism.
"the heart of the tragedy being experienced by modern man [is] the eclipse of the sense of God and of man ... when the sense of God is lost, there is also a tendency to lose the sense of man, of his dignity and his life" (n. 21)

Yet, ultimately, he offers a message of hope, the message of the Gospel itself:

It is from the blood of Christ that all draw the strength to commit themselves to promoting life. It is precisely this blood that is the most powerful source of hope, indeed it is the foundation of the absolute certitude that in God's plan life will be victorious. ...

In effect, signs which point to this victory are not lacking in our societies and cultures, strongly marked though they are by the "culture of death". (n. 25-26)

Finally, he calls every Christian to work for the culture of life:

To be actively pro-life is to contribute to the renewal of society through the promotion of the common good. It is impossible to further the common good without acknowledging and defending the right to life, upon which all the other inalienable rights of individuals are founded and from which they develop. A society lacks solid foundations when, on the one hand, it asserts values such as the dignity of the person, justice and peace, but then, on the other hand, radically acts to the contrary by allowing or tolerating a variety of ways in which human life is devalued and violated, especially where it is weak or marginalized. Only respect for life can be the foundation and guarantee of the most precious and essential goods of society, such as democracy and peace.

There can be no true democracy without a recognition of every person's dignity and without respect for his or her rights.

Nor can there be true peace unless life is defended and promoted. (n. 101)

The battle lines are drawn. Which side will we choose?

Imagine the Potential

2009-01-21T06:00:00.001-08:00

This new ad from CatholicVote has been making the rounds.

Wow! Ironic ... and brilliant!

A Positive Life Message for Inauguration Day

2009-01-20T06:00:00.003-08:00

"Whoever saves one life saves the world entire." - Schindler's List

The beautiful theme for Mr. Obama's Presidential Inauguration is taken from Abraham Lincoln, "A New Birth of Freedom." Lincoln had some very compelling things to say about Freedom.

"Freedom is not the right to do what we want, but what we ought. Let us have faith that right makes might and in that faith let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it."

He also said: "Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves."

The freedom to live is the most fundamental freedom, without which we could have no other freedoms. And thus a new birth of freedom in our country needs to be broad enough to include and protect the lives of the most vulnerable among us; most notably the disabled, the elderly, and the unborn.

Please join us in celebrating this year's beautiful inaugural theme in this more complete way. On Inauguration Day, January 20th, please use these images to encourage others to remember the important connections between life and freedom. Images can be used to replace profile pictures (on Facebook, (on Flickr, Twitter, etc.) or to highlight the theme on your blog via sidebar picture or background image. Please pass it along by linking back to this page.

"Sweeter even than to have had the joy of caring for children of my own has it been to me to help bring about a better state of things for mothers generally, so that their unborn little ones could not be willed away from them." - Susan B. Anthony

Pro-Life Rally Report - Portland Jan 18

2009-01-19T13:00:00.003-08:00

We had quite a day yesterday!

After assisting at Mass in the morning, we got lunch and then hung around in Portland for a while. The reason? The pro-life Roe v. Wade memorial rally, of course!

Usually, the rally is held in Salem, but this year, the organizers -- Oregon Right to Life -- decided to move it to Portland. What a great call! Veterans told me they had never seen anything like it in Oregon. Past years, some 500 or so had shown up to the rally outside the state Capitol.

This year, we had around 7,000!! The largest pro-life rally in Oregon history!

The rally began with the tolling of a bell once for each million babies killed by abortion. I am not usually into this sort of thing, but I found myself weeping as the slow, deep tolling made me grasp more deeply just how huge is the number of lives devoured by abortion. And this didn't even count all those innocents abroad who are victims of abortion export by IPPF and others.

But I digress ...

ORTL had a dynamic lineup of speakers, beginning with Archbishop John Vlazny of the Archdiocese of Portland who opened with prayer and then spoke of the importance of the life issues and of stopping FOCA. He said that life issues -- like abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem-cell research, and assisted suicide -- are not only "faith" issues but ethical issues, just like stealing or hurting others. That it is science, not faith, that shows that human lives begin at conception. And that while there are many social issues we should be concerned about, abortion "dwarfs" all the others. Finally, he called on us all to work tirelessly to reverse these unjust laws, saying "our voice is needed now more than ever." The crowd reacted with cheers and roars of approval as he made all these points.

The Archbishop was followed by several other speakers, including Esther Riplinger, who spoke about how abortion hurt her and about how she found healing, state Rep. Sherrie Sprenger, who spoke about the need for pro-life citizens to contact and educate their representatives in government, and pre-med student Jennifer Salame (a homeschool graduate!) who called on youth to make this struggle their own. Pastor Dale Ebel finished out the lineup with a wonderful personal story of choosing life, and ended the rally with prayer.

Lots more photos are posted at 50 million lost, and there should be transcripts of the speeches up there soon.

A very cool postscript to this is that as we dispersed after the rally and got into the Max (light rail), a man in the train asked what had been going on. Someone told him, "a pro-life rally," and he answered, "Oh, cool!"

In Portland?!? Needless to say, I was / am shocked. In a good sort of way, of course!

Those who profess to love God, but back abortion, are liars.

2009-01-18T06:00:00.002-08:00

Bishop Robert Vasa writes in his latest (Jan 15) column:

We of the Catholic faith certainly know that love of God is central to our tenets, this is the appealing part. It is hard to imagine a Catholic saying, "I am a Catholic in good standing but I do not love God." But the inspired scriptures tell us that whoever does not love his brother or neighbor does not and, indeed, cannot love God. This is the challenging part. The people of Jesus' day understood this and it was this understanding that prompted them to ask, "And who is my neighbor?" For all of us, and especially for Catholic legislators in every strata of government, it is necessary to declare, in conformity with the Natural Law and the teaching of the Catholic Church that, the pre-born child is our brother, our sister, our neighbor!

It may sound a little strong to state that legislators "hate" the pre-born child but hate is an absence of love and love means to wish another well. There is nothing about abortion that wishes the pre-born child well. The preservation of abortion "rights" is already an absence of love for the pre-born child but the passage of FOCA could be construed as nothing less than active and positive disregard, even hatred, for these our brothers and sisters. To paraphrase St. John, "If anyone says, 'I love God,' but votes for FOCA, thus showing a disregard for his pre-born brother or sister, he is a liar." Lots of things can be rationalized in government but I do not see any way in which any Catholic could rationalize or justify an affirmative vote for FOCA.

It is not necessary for your postcards to be as outspoken as this bishop but you do have an obligation to participate in this concerted effort to show love for the tiniest and most defenseless of our brothers and sisters. President-elect Obama made it very clear, prior to the election, that he would happily sign FOCA and the millions of Catholics who voted for him hopefully did so for reasons other than this promise and certainly not because of it. It seems to me that it is particularly incumbent upon these same voters to make it clearly known to their representatives that their vote may not in any way be taken as a sign of support for FOCA.

Therefore, he says:

I strongly urge all who have a glimmer of concern for the lives of pre-born children to engage themselves in this postcard campaign.

See here and here for more on the postcard campaign.