Feast of St John the Apostle

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

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

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!

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

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!

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

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

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

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.