Failure to Communicate

The other day I posted about the disappointment I had in the way my parish handled the Proposition 2 issue. I was disappointed, because where I attended Mass in Michigan, whenever a ballot initiative came up that a priest could and should discuss "from the pulpit" they took that opportunity. Yet here in Alaska, I saw nothing that came close to active support.

Leading up to the election I made sure that I did what I could in terms of supporting the proposal. I posted about it on my blog, linked to the Catholic Anchor, linked to the APR website, and I even wrote to my parish urging them to support the measure publicly in various ways that were available. I received in return a we are looking into it response. What we got was a brief mention during announcements that a letter from the Archbishop had been printed and was placed near the bulletin. (Not in the bulletin, not stuffed in the bulletin, not even NEXT to the bulletin... but near it. Not to mention it was a word document copy and not on official letterhead.) This... non-action disappointed me. But I offered it up, did what I thought was proper in terms of my own response, and let it go. Prop 2 passed, and I was happy.

Until I read the Catholic Anchor's post from the Archbishop. It stung me like lemon juice on a cut. When I read the post, I wasn't upset by what was said, no, I was upset by what didn't happen. Here is the part that got me (emphasis mine):

So for a year leading up to today’s vote, the Catholic bishops of Alaska – Archbishop Schwietz, Bishop Edward Burns of Juneau and Bishop Donald Kettler of Fairbanks – rallied Alaska’s Catholics to support the parental notice initiative.

From Anchorage, Archbishop Schwietz sent letters to the diocese’s 32 parishes and published statements in the Catholic Anchor encouraging his flock to sign a statewide petition required for the ballot proposition, collect other signatures and otherwise “actively support” the parental notice initiative.

He prompted priests to address the issue from the pulpit and post notices in parish bulletins. Parishioners were urged to collect petition signatures on church property and in their neighborhoods.

...

“The support of the Catholic Church played a crucial role in our success,” Minnery observed.

Once the state certified the petition, a ballot question was prepared for the August primary election. And the Knights of Columbus sprang into action. Councils from around the state, along with the national Catholic men’s group, raised over $80,000 for radio and television advertisements in support of Proposition 2. Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood – the nation’s largest purveyor of abortion – and other abortion supporters poured over $800,000 into opposition ads, setting up a David-versus-Goliath media battle.

As the August vote drew near, notices supporting Proposition 2 appeared in Catholic Church bulletins and prayers were offered at Mass.

Sherry Grenier of the Respect Life group at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in South Anchorage distributed yard signs and bumper stickers. And on busy intersections, Catholic families including St. Benedict parishioners Megan Walsted and her children joined throngs of supporters waving “Yes on 2” signs to rush hour drivers.

On election day, Alaska’s Knights of Columbus offered rides to the polls. In Anchorage, the group provided 23 rides to voters who lacked transportation, reported District Deputy Cal Williams.

...

What did our parish not understand? We didn't hear it from the pulpit. I even emailed them and asked for it. In fact... you want to know the real sting, Ms. Lisa Murkowski attended Mass at our parish the Sunday before election day. What a chance to publicly speak out against the vile of abortion, with the captive audience of a Catholic Senator who has a less than stellar Pro-Life record. Instead... we heard a homily about community...and respect...and differences.

We didn't have it in our bulletin either. I emailed the links for the bulletin inserts. I offered my time, talent, and treasure to help stuff the bulletins or do whatever it took. Instead... we got a letter near the bulletins.

Now I have never said where I am a parishioner, and I will continue to keep that off the interwebs. That being said, this pushes me ever close to revealing that. My purpose and goal has never to bring scandal or spotlight upon my neighbors, friends, and faith family.

That being said... we failed here. Sure some of us went to vote, and I pray that others voted Yes on two. But as a parish? We failed. We ignored our Bishop, in fact, we defied our Bishop. He said in his post:

It is a core issue for Catholics, who believe the relationship between parent and child is sacred – and not one to be broken by others, including abortion practitioners.

We weren't part of the success. We were too afraid. To afraid to stand up and say anything, too afraid to support the teachings of the faith, and too afraid to stand up to our church leadership and demand they fulfill their obligation to authority.

We failed to proclaim the Gospel to one another. I say we, because we are a parish community. We are only as strong as our weakest link. We win as a team, and lose as a team. As individuals, we might be OK... but that shouldn't be good enough for anyone. If we truly believe in what the Eucharist is... then we failed. For it is supposed to unify and create the communion with one another that only it can bring. Therefore, we failed. We did not communicate the message of our God to one another, and therefore failed in communicating it to the world.

I know people from my parish know who I am. I don't hide who I am on my blog, I also don't advertise. Our parish business is our own. But if we are unwilling to stand for this most basic teaching of the faith... we will fall for anything, and should that be kept quiet? Our parish, and others like it, must do a better job of teaching the faith. We aren't the only ones. In many parishes in the area Catechesis is laughable, ministries are wacky and questionable, an inconsistent (or worse sometimes: heterdoxical and even heretical) message is conveyed about the teachings of the faith, and the liturgical life is about as inspiring and sacred as an Alaskan grey sky. It is harder and harder to refrain from saying these things. I do want to be charitable, but at some point silence becomes an enabling effect. How come Anchorage parishes have Respect for Life groups? The answer is not because they asked for it. We ask for things. I know of at least 4 people that have offered themselves carte blanche to various parishes to no avail. We must become an authentic Catholic community.

The sick and twisted irony of this situation is that in a mere month or so we are going to celebrate "Respect for Life" month. Will we hear this message then? Will we have people stand up and have dinners, breakfasts, and get into Diocesan papers showing how Pro-Life we are? Every last parishioner at our parish, and at any parish that doesn't consistently hear a Pro-Life anti-abortion message, should demand to know why not. This can not be an issue that is used for clout, fame, or religious-political popularity.

We have abortion clinics in our surrounding towns, but no parish Pro-Life/Anti-abortion ministries... why not? We have prisons and therefore prison ministries... why isn't the same true for life issues? For those that say: "You don't need the parish." You are right... buy my point is why not?

We have failed to communicate to one another the importance of this issue. So instead we communicate another message. We tell each other that innocent life doesn't matter. We communicate that Social Justice is free trade coffee and taking kids on mission trips. (Don't get me wrong, valid, necessary, and important things... but not sufficient.) We communicate that Social Justice works are about something else... We have failed to communicate though, the Gospel. So we have failed in our Catholic duty. I cannot stand for this...and neither should you. This is one issue... but there will be others. Issues like this are toxic to the faith, they mock God and they rot the core of our parish. Once the core is gone... what fruit can survive? Do not let the silence prevail.

**N.B.:
I was informed of a post by Msgr. Charles Pope. It addresses the issue of preaching and priests. It is a very informative and insightful piece. It quotes Pope St. Gregory the Great and his instruction on preaching. You can read it here: (Link)

Alaska Proposal 2: Pure Social Justice

Non-Alaskan readers, this post is for you as well, so don't be scared off by the title. I use it simply as a means with which to illustrate my point.

What does it mean?

Social Justice. What in the world does it mean? If you asked 5 people you would get 6 definitions. Sure they would all more than likely be correct, but you wouldn't really have a solid answer... you would have a bunch of, well, opinions.

The term has become a hot topic in most modern parishes. The modernist Catholic front has used it as a battle cry. They use it in a way that hearkens to the action of Jesus, and His purpose here on earth. (I don't want to dive into the theological implications of that statement, but I think it is fair to explain it in those terms.) They make it hard to argue with their programs and projects, and although my purpose is not to deconstruct their causes in a theological way, I do want to point out an inconsistency. The problem isn't really with what they are doing, but more with what they aren't.

The Silent Scream

How many of you readers know of things at your parish that are done under the umbrella of Social Justice? Prison Ministry, "Option for the Poor", Environmental Ministry, etc... we see them all the time. All of them are completely valid ministries that the Church should be participating in, but not at the expense of other ministries. What exactly do I mean? I mean the Pro-Life ministry. I mean Child Catechism ministry. I mean Teen, Young Adult, and Family Ministries. We cannot be good stewards of the One True Church to others, if we are not first good stewards of ourselves.

The Archdiocese of Anchorage for example, has a good webpage that discusses these ministries on their web page dedicated to Catholic Social Teaching. The modern trend is unfortunately not so inclined to include the Pro-life battle as a ministry under the umbrella of Social Justice. I can't put my finger on exactly why that is the case. I will concede that in some parishes the Pro-Life ministry is so large and so strong, that it does take on a life of its own. This should be seen as a positive thing. At the other end of the spectrum are parishes that don't have a large Pro-Life ministry and don't include it in their Social Justice ministry either. This is what is perplexing and heart-wrenching.

Pro-Life as Social Justice...

Why isn't the Pro-Life battle seen as the penultimate Social Justice cause? This isn't to say that it is the most important in some hierarchical (read: funding priority) sense, but in a philosophical sense. When we see our parish from afar, what do we want to see? What are the big sparkling gems to we want to project to the world? Again, this is not to say that the ministries which Catholic Parishes participate aren't worthy. They are. In fact, they are crucial to a broad and authentic parish evangelism. Yet, included in that vision must be an active and vibrant Pro-Life ministry.

When we think of Social Justice we think of doing the work of Jesus in societal areas where the most defenseless and vulnerable of people exist. Where is that more prevalent than in the unborn child & mother relationship? I would argue that the unborn child & mother relationship is the most sacred social issue of our times. Therefore, it should be the focus and philosophical battle cry of the Catholic Social Justice movement.

The Link

The idea of Pro-Life work being Social Justice Ministry might seem a little tenuous to some, but I assure there is a link. You see, when we as Catholics decide to undertake some action in the name of ministry, we are saying something about our faith. Our action is part of a two-fold call to holiness. Ora et Labora ~ Work and Pray. Why then would we not include in our Social Justice ministry that are which is so symbolic and central to the anti-Christian secular world? Why does the Social Justice "worker" not champion the Pro-Life cause? (NB: I do not mean to say that all who work in the aim of Social Justice ignore the Pro-Life movement. I know I am using a very broad brush. My point, and I think a fair one, is that many (most?) parish Social Justice ministries do not engulf the Pro-Life cause under their banner.)

So the link, what is it? Well, my argument is that it isn't (a link), but that it should be. Let me explain that awkward sentence. The Link that should exist between all Social Justice causes in the ministry of Social Justice should be the Pro-Life battle. Why? Well, because at a very simple, but not overstated, level - life is the genesis of all other necessity. Therefore, every cause that falls under the banner of Social Justice ultimately has a Pro-Life component to it. The philosophy upon which the principles and teachings of the Faith rest in regards to Pro-Life ideas is ultimately the same set of philosophical precepts which guide other Catholic Social Justice. Pro-Life philosophy is the Why behind all the other causes championed by the Church.

We must demand that the Social Justice movement not ignore the important heart of Catholic Social Teaching. As parishioners in the Catholic Church we must require of our spiritual leaders, both lay and clergy, their desire and commitment to the Pro-Life battle. For true Social Justice we must include those in our society that are given no voice, no choice, and no justice. We must be consistent and philosophically sound in our desire for peace and justice. We must stand for innocent life... we must protect the unborn. Otherwise... what do we really stand for? What are we really trying to protect?

Alaska Proposal 2

In Alaska we will exhibit our belief in our commitment to this idea of Social Justice. Proposal 2, which is a parental notification measure, will be decided upon on August 24th, 2010. This issue should ring through the sanctuaries and bulletins of every single Catholic Church in Alaska over the next 7 days. Every priest, deacon, and lay leader should have YES ON 2 on the tip of their tongue. Ballot initiatives like this one are at the forefront of the Social Justice movement and should be treated as such. Rarely can a collective group more readily affect worldly change than through the ballot box. Unfortunately, we rarely see Social Justice issues on ballots. They usually are relegated to the courts and the editorial columns.

Here though, Alaskan Catholic Parishes have an opportunity to make their commitment to Social Justice readily apparent. This is a golden opportunity for all those that champion the causes of the meek, vulnerable, and disadvantaged to shine as advocates and warriors of the Catholic Faith. We must pray that those in positions of leadership and authority will rise to the occasion and show the world their commitment to Life and the dignity and sanctity of the teachings of Holy Mother Church.

Alaska's Proposal 2 - YES!

I haven't blogged about proposal 2 in a while. This is due mostly because of the happenings in Anchorage. For my non-Alaskan readers... I promise I will get to more universal topics, but this one is important even if you aren't an Alaskan Voter.

We haven't heard it in our area during any homilies lately... but that doesn't mean that this issue isn't CRUCIAL to Alaskan Catholics. (For the record, I cannot make it to daily Mass, due to my job and the times in which daily Mass is held in my area.)

I plan on doing more posts soon, but the Catholic Anchor is doing a bang-up job with their coverage. So head over there and check out their posts.


And remember to vote on August 24th.

St. Michael Warrior Award to: 'Rebecca aka The Mom'

You know that saying: "The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword"... well I have found a prime example of that. Rebecca, better know as: aka the Mom, had one of those moments that warriors LONG for. Those of you that seek confrontation will understand this... especially those of you who work VERY hard at restraining yourself and being charitable in most situations, even if it goes against your will and desire.

aka the Mom was faced with one of those situations where her principles, morals, and dignity were tested by fire. She had two choices... one path required truth, honor, loyalty... the other only required submission, acceptance, and comfort. The first path required her to face fear, confrontation, scorn, mocking and ridicule. The other meant safety, politeness, and ease.

She chose the former. Not because it was confrontational... but because it was right. She wrote about it on her blog... not to brag, but to make a point: There's an Irony There

Here is an excerpt:

"I love when the homeschoolers come in here." She said in a mock whisper to her co-worker. "We get to see the look on their faces as they discover that teaching kids is hard and you have to be smarter than they thought."

With jokes about my lack of intelligence still carrying across the open space, I set about answering the question of why my child hadn't gotten the chicken pox vaccine. It didn't help that I had a space one line long. How do I reduce my faith, politics and health philosophies into one line? I finally settled on "The varicella vaccine is cultured in fetal tissue. As a Catholic, we can not materially cooperate in any way with the intentional destruction of human life."

~~~

It was then that the loud-mouth from next door came in waving the objector form. "You need to re-write this," she demanded... Go to: "Shoved to Them" - to read the rest

Defend Us In Battle

To all those that read this, and the account above: THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT BY ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER, 1 JULY 2010, DEFEND US IN BATTLE HAS AWARDED

THE SAINT MICHAEL WARRIOR AWARD

TO:  REBECCA 'aka The Mom'

FOR EXCEPTIONALLY VALOROUS ACTION IN THE FACE OF OVERWHELMING ODDS AND DIRECT HOSTILE AGGRESSIONS AS THE MOTHER FOR A CHILD IN NEED OF SPECIAL EDUCATION. aka THE MOM'S EXCEPTIONAL COURAGE, DEDICATION TO CHILDREN, AND ADHERENCE TO TRUTH AND HONOR DIRECTLY CONTRIBUTED TO THE SUCCESSFUL DEFENSE OF HER FAMILY'S PRINCIPLES AND MORALS. HER REMARKABLE PERFORMANCE AND INTELLECTUAL PROWESS IN THE MIDST OF ATTACK UNDOUBTEDLY PRESERVED THE EVERLASTING SOULS OF HER FAMILY, HERSELF AND REFLECTS THE HIGHEST STANDARDS OF CATHOLIC FAITH AND TRADITION. aka THE MOM'S ACTIONS WHILE ENGAGED IN COMBAT OPERATIONS DURING THE BATTLE AGAINST EVIL REFLECT GREAT CREDIT UPON HER, THE CATHOLIC BLOGOSPHERE AND THE ONE TRUE CHURCH.

GIVEN UNDER MY HAND IN THE CATHOLIC BLOGOSPHERE

THIS 1st DAY OF JULY, 2010

-Joe, Defend Us In Battle

Bishop Hebda of Gaylord - a TRUE CATHOLIC BISHOP

Sword & Shield-Tip (h/t) to: A Catholic View

Awesome! Bishops are finally starting to see the light on the CCHD issue. Bishop Bernard Hebda from the Diocese of Gaylord in Michigan is going to delay sending funds to the CCHD that were collected during a CCHD drive in his diocese. It appears that he will await the outcome of the review that the CCHD is currently undergoing. Read the full story below. (Original Link) [My Emphasis]

GAYLORD, Michigan, June 17, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Another United States bishop is taking precautions in light of continuing allegations that the U.S. bishops’ domestic anti-poverty arm, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), is funding groups that support abortion and other activities contrary to Catholic teaching.

Bishop Bernard Hebda of Gaylord, Michigan has decided to delay sending funds to CCHD from the 2010 collection while the organization is under review, LifeSiteNews has learned.

Candace Neff, communications director for the Gaylord diocese, emphasized that the bishop has not “discontinued” the collection for CCHD. “A tremendous amount of very important work is accomplished through the Catholic Campaign for Human Development,” she said.

She explained that unlike other dioceses, Gaylord rolls many of the annual special collections, including the one for CCHD, into one large Catholic Services Appeal that takes place in the spring. In most U.S. dioceses, the special collection for CCHD is taken up in November.

“After consulting with a number of advisors Bishop Hebda has decided that for this year (2010), while CCHD’s systems are under review, a donation will not automatically be sent to CCHD from funds donated through the Diocese of Gaylord’s Catholic Services Appeal Campaign,” she said.

“It is possible that a special collection might be taken up for CCHD in our parishes later in the year so that those who like to contribute to CCHD’s ministries might do so. But that decision has not yet been reached,” she added.


CCHD has been embroiled in controversy over its funding practices since September, when the Texas-based Bellarmine Veritas Ministries (BVM) began releasing reports with evidence that numerous CCHD grantees are involved in promoting abortion, same-sex “marriage” and contraception, among other things.

Though CCHD reacted by defunding two of the groups, many concerned Catholics were dissatisfied with the response. Leading up to the national collection in November, BVM and other groups such as Human Life International and American Life League joined forces to call for a boycott of the collection. The Reform CCHD Now Coalition (RCN) argued that supporting CCHD while it continues to fund groups advocating practices contrary to the Catholic faith would constitute complicity in those practices.

Bishop Roger Morin of Biloxi, Mississippi, who heads the U.S. Bishops’ CCHD subcommittee, defended the group in an address at the bishops’ plenary meeting in November. He denounced those who “spread outrageous claims that the bishops are funding groups that are pro-abortion, groups that are not in support of the family, or other untruths.”

But 10 bishops, representing over 5% of U.S. dioceses, have decided to no longer take up the collection due to concerns about CCHD’s funding practices. A number of others have made public calls for CCHD’s reform.

Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of Lincoln, Nebraska, told LifeSiteNews in November that he questions CCHD’s “ideology.” He said he would not offer the collection in his diocese until there were "some changes in the organization itself, or its purposes, or its goals."

He said that Bishop Morin too easily dismissed the concerns. “We are shocked at the scandalous participation with the ACORN organization and also the participation with other organizations of questionable moral values or standards.” He added that CCHD’s "controversial character made it appear that it was not effective" in meeting its purposes.

RCN compiled a full report of their evidence on each of the implicated CCHD grantees, and sent it to every U.S. bishops earlier this month. The report aims to highlight the fact that many of the concerns about CCHD have yet to be addressed, and to ensure that the bishops have the most up-to-date information.

Stephen Phelan, communications director for Human Life International, a member of RCN, praised Bishop Hebda’s decision saying “it is completely in line with what faithful Catholics expect from their shepherds: that great care is taken in determining who receives the money that they give.”

“Who knows how many other bishops are already taking this approach?” he asked.

Phelan emphasized that Catholics want to serve the poor and to support groups that do so, but said this must be done only “in ways that do not oppose the Church.”

The Reform CCHD campaign, he said, is meant “to bring accountability to those who should have been doing what Bishop Hebda and other faithful bishops have been doing all along – being very careful that Catholic's hard-earned money isn't co-opted by those working against the Church in the name of false ‘social justice.’”

This is prudence. This is what BISHOPS ARE SUPPOSED TO DO! Michigan is so very blessed to have some AMAZING BISHOPS! I am so impressed every time a story comes out about one of them! More Bishops need to follow in the footsteps of their brothers and show the faithful that they too have mighty strong backbones!

The world HATES you...

Then the dragon became angry with the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring, those who keep God's commandments and bear witness to Jesus. It took its position on the sand of the sea. - Apocalypse 12:17

We are at WAR. This is not puffery. Our souls, and the souls of those that we love are in mortal peril and they are under constant ATTACK from the Devil. After reading Terry Nelson's latest post over at Abbey Roads, I had to post about it. He nails home so many points that I harp on at this blog, and I am glad to see someone else taking up the same flag. Unfortunately, he is also right on another point: that many Catholics today do not really believe in things like spiritual warfare, the peril of souls, of even the Devil himself. He sums it up this way:

Today, when there is such an emphasis upon peace and justice, some Catholics do not like using the terms, spiritual warfare, combat, battle, or always hearing phrases such as 'we are at war' and so on. Yet that is what the Christian life has always been, it is a struggle - an intense, knock down, drag out fight, a very real spiritual combat: To quote St. Paul,

Finally, draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power.
Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil.
For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. ~~Ephesians 6:10-12

He is so right! Just the other day in my parish there was a discussion about what theme will be used for the parish-wide Catechesis program. The choices were: Prayer & Spirituality, Morality, and Justice (ie Peace & Social Justice). The overwhelming response was: Justice. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but most people felt that the #1 issue facing our Church today was not the lack of prayer and spirituality, or morality, but a lack of Justice. The other parish in the area... facing the same question picked: Justice.

Don't get me wrong, I think these are worthy and important areas of Catholic teaching and belief, but I just wonder how that can be the number one issue facing us as Catholics. As a Church we are at War with the culture, the homosexual priestly abuse crisis, the lack of vocations, the 'progressive modernization' of our faith, the feminist agenda, the corruption of our children, the culture of death, the onslaught of pornography and infidelity, the debasement of our Sacred traditions and symbols; and we as a people cry for social justice for the oppressed. Who exactly are the oppressed? Aren't we as Catholics oppressed? Or worse yet, are we not HUNTED? If the world and our culture are consuming folks and it is unjust, what is the best avenue to combat this? When people are held captive and imprisoned how to we best free them from the shackles?

Reading an article over at Sancte Pater, one of, if not the, leading exorcists in the Vatican says that more needs to be done in the War against the Devil:

The Catholic Church's most famous exorcist says more should be done to fight the devil. Father Gabriele Amorth has conducted 70,000 exorcisms for the church during his lengthy career.

In an interview with Italian daily, Corriere Della Sera, the 85-year-old priest said it would be worth extending the practice of exorcism.

"It would not be a bad idea," he told the daily. "In Italy moral decay is evident. Families are often breaking down.

"Do you know what I would do if I was the Pope for a moment?" he asked. "I would provide every opportunity for exorcisms. Like the Orthodox Church. There you do not need the permission of a bishop."

Social justice will only come when the forces of evil, the purveyors of injustice are defeated. We MUST PUT ON THE ARMOR OF GOD if we have ANY chance to defend ourselves in this battle. Therefore, if we go out there, looking for justice and peace, and we do not possess the ARMOR OF GOD, we are thrusting ourselves, defenseless, into WAR. A true, honest to GOD, WAR! We must treat our world and culture in this way, or we are being nothing but foolish and naive. Therefore we must arm ourselves with Truth, Morality, Love, and walk in the Commandments of God... prior to going into battle. We cannot seek Justice without those things. We can not and must not enter into battle weaponless. So how do we arm ourselves?

Terry Nelson suggests:

...begin to pray - to really pray - prepare yourself for trials. Whenever you embark upon anything good in the spiritual life, the combat begins. Sometimes that can be a sign to "do even more" as St. Paul says. Frequent Mass and the sacraments - especially confession. And use sacramentals - especially wearing Our Lady's livery: The Scapular of Mt. Carmel along with the shield of the Miraculous Medal, and keep the very best weapon of the Rosary with you at all times. These are tools, weapons, Our Lady herself has given to her children through the saints. These are not foolish devotions or superstitious.

The Devil is real, like it or not. As a Catholic you must believe not only that he is real but also that he seeks the eternal damnation of your soul, his only chance at victory, albeit already foretold and written, is to seek the ruin of as many souls as possible. Your soul is no safer than anyone else... you are NOT GUARANTEED Heaven... unless you do that which is required of you by GOD. Social Justice is an honorable, worthy, and important goal. Yet, it cannot simply occur through the good intentions of the faithful. We all know what road is paved with good intentions. We must actively defend ourselves, our souls, and the souls of those around us.

We must be counter-cultural. We must strike against culture, against 'the world', and against evil. I heard a teen say the other day that they come to Mass and learn the faith, and love the faith but have a hard time knowing how to live it out each day. This is honestly a good thing... they realize that there is a incongruity between the world and Catholicism. We are not made for the world, we are not made for its culture, its riches and gold. We are made for GOD and we should seek Heaven. Our religion is surely about love... but love does not only mean lollipops and gum-drops. Sometimes love is a battle... and the greatest love is to lay down your life for another. This isn't always in physical death, but sometimes 'death' comes in another form.

As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love.
"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.
This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends.

You are my friends if you do what I command you.

I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.

It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another.
"If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first.
If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you.
-John 15:9-19

The world HATES you. Say itout loud right now... 'The World Hates ME!'

Then... repeat the promise from the start of this section: "As the Father loves Jesus, so also will I be loved. If I keep the commandments of God, I will remain in HIS LOVE." What more could we ask for? But as I have said in this post, it will not come easy... we are at WAR.

So we must stand firm and resolute in our desire to keep the commandments of God. We must put on the ARMOR OF GOD. We must arm ourselves with the weapons of the faith: the Rosary, the Scapular, and Medals. We must spiritually fight through prayer and meditation. We must seek Social Justice and Peace for people and not for the world. It takes great strength and courage to be a Catholic in today's world... and yet it has always been such. If you need inspiration... look to any CHILD Saint that was ready willing and able to DIE for their faith. Can we even FATHOM THAT? No wonder we don't like phrases such as "SPIRITUAL WARFARE." I wonder if Spiritual War will chip my nails, muddy my gym shoes, or ruin my designer handbag?

Again, I have no problem with seeking Social Justice... I just do not believe we can bring about that type of change unless we are truly willing to enter the war. Our faith and our souls are under constant attack. Justice will not be served until we can protect and preserve the souls of those that seek and follow Christ. The only way we can do that is if we are willing to take up arms against the enemy, put on the Armor of God and Defend our FAITH in battle!

Really Pro-Life

While reading Shoved to Them today, I came across a little anecdote that made me smile and chuckle a bit:

"What is your profession? Breeding?" He asked sarcastically.


"No," I told him. "I've chosen to be the Mother of Nations. We will populate the Earth."


I could tell he didn't get it, so (being the nerd I am) I did a little math for him. "If our children have babies at the same rate that we do, you will have 4 grandchildren and I will have 36. If we keep it going you will have 16 great-great grandchildren and I will have 1296. A few more generations and my decedents can touch every corner of the globe."


There was a long pause on his end, then he wistfully replied, "I would have liked to have had a little girl."

When my wife and I got married, we were required to take an NFP class. The class was... well it just was. I have some very confused thoughts and feelings about NFP. I understand that there are those that use NFP as a family planning method, while others use it in a way to try and help conceive. My wife and I have always used the phrase, "We want as many kids as God blesses us with." It really throws people for a loop. My wife grew up in a house of 4 kids and I in a house of 2. I would say both of us also grew up in lower middle class, or upper-lower class socio-economic situations. That is to say, both families may have had more children if we lived in higher tax brackets.

My wife and I had our "Monkey" 11 months and 1 week after we were married. We don't know how many we will have, but we are friends with families that run the entire spectrum. What is interesting though, is that at our parish we are friends with folks that have quite a few kids. In fact if you took our 10 closest friends at our Parish and added all our kids together, there would be 44. That's 11 families (including us) with an AVERAGE of 4 kids per family. This includes several families that have only 1 child and/or are newly married. Only 1 these families is officially "done" having children. In fact, only one family even has teenagers, the rest are 12 or younger. This is a lot of kids, and in reality when things are said and done, if you gave each family the average amount of kids, the number would grow from 44 to 56. Our parish has a couple hundred families in it, I honestly don't know if there is an exact count. But theoretically, using the same argument as in the above example, we would be a majority in the Church in one more generation. Meaning in about 25 years, there could be 170 - 224 kids, just from our group of 11. Let's just cut that in half - 80-110 new people in the parish in 20 years. Add to that all of us, and you have about 200 people, just from 11 families.

Now if you take 11 families with 2 kids each...using the same math, the number of people stemming from those families will be around 60.

60 v. 200... that is a BIG DIFFERENCE. That is what being REALLY pro-life is all about.

The Danger of Contraception

Contraception hurts marriages, our culture, our society, and our families. This is a bold statement but it is true.

The basis for this conclusion: the percentage of divorces attributed to those couples that use contraception as compared to those couples that utilize Natural Family Planning or some other method of child planning.

I am not here, at least in this post to defend or even advocate the use of NFP. Instead, I simply want to show how much of a negative affect contraception has on marriage, relationships, and culture. Erin Manning from "And Sometimes Tea" wrote a recent post about Dr. Janet Smith responding to the Agence France Presse (AFP) regarding a recent piece they wrote about the anniversary of "The Pill." You should go read Ms. Manning's piece, but I am here to argue a different point.

The point is a poignant one, and one that needs to be emphasized not only to our YOUNG Catholics, but those that are "set" in their ways. Recently, while at Wal-Mart, my wife and I were looking for floss. We went down one aisle and noticed all the condoms, displayed right next to pregnancy tests. The sign labeling the section was "Family Planning." Now what does this say about our culture and our attitude towards sex and reproduction? Oh, I know... I am preaching to the choir, while beating a dead horse, and walking over trampled ground. But I think it is important to state the obvious. Also... do we know WHY the Church teaches what it does, regarding contraception? Dr. Janet Smith, in the article discussed above, addressed the issue precisely and succinctly (my emphasis and comments):

Defending the Church's teaching that contraception affects society in negative ways and is immoral, Smith noted that “more than one out of three babies in the United States are born to a single mother, one out of four pregnancies are aborted,” and that “more than one out of two marriages end in divorce.” [These come from the "Family Planning" culture... eg the Culture of Death. These numbers exist EVEN WITH THE PILL AND CONDOMS!]


“If people were living by the Church's teaching on sexuality, those things wouldn't be happening, and those things are a path to misery,” she underscored. [AMEN!!!]


“People born out of wedlock have a very hard life, as do their children. People who get divorced have a very hard life as do their children, and their friends and their family,” Smith asserted, adding that on the other hand, “people who don't get divorced and stay married and raise their children, generally have very good lives.”


“Couples who use natural family planning almost never divorce,” she pointed out. “The divorce rate at tops, we think is around 4%.” [This is CRITICAL... if you have never seen this statistic before... WHY NOT!? Why is this number hidden?]


In light of these facts,“who looks foolish?” she asked. “The Church for not changing a teaching that almost guarantees happiness or a culture that is pushing an agenda that almost guarantees misery?”

I know that life is tough. I know that we live in an EXPENSIVE culture. Keepin' up with the Jonses' is tough. Sure you might even argue that it is impossible to have 7 kids, 2 careers, a 5 bedroom house, 2 SUV's, and send your kids to private catholic school. My answer to that is... sure it is... but if we looked at life differently, and if we lived for GOD, towards GOD, and with GOD... it would change our entire perspective on life.

4% vs. 50%??? Really? Even if you make up every excuse int he world as to why such disparity exists between the two numbers, there is still a gap the size of the Grand Canyon between them. Even if you apply all sorts of theoretical factors and reasons as to why these numbers are misleading, they don't fail to be glaringly far apart.

I know that there are people that read this blog, that know me, and who this might offend. I don't care about their feelings, I care about them as persons who deny the truth of God in their practices. As Father Corapi says, "I love my fellow Catholic, but I am not willing to go to Hell for them." The teachings and practices of the Catholic Church exist for reasons. They aren't arbitrary, and they aren't there for superficial and shallow reasons. They have been constructed through the grace and inspiration of God the Almighty, through the Holy Spirit, so as to lead us to perfect love and union in Him. We should not lightly dismiss this teaching or any teaching; this is a perfect example of how something many Catholics dismiss actually has a very detrimental and horrible consequence even if we don't immediately see it, or know of it.

We must demand more from ourselves and from our culture. We are NOT MADE FOR THIS WORLD. We are simply here to live life, love God, love one another, and attempt to perfect that love [in a completely futile pursuit due to our sinful nature] so that we can hopefully one day be united with God in Heaven. Why then, do we work so hard against God, in an effort to enjoy the fruits of this life only to turn our backs on God?
PS.
Check out this post on the subject:
Belinda's Brain - "A Very Merry Un-Birthday" via Sancte Pater


.

Former Marvel/DC Comic Illustrator turns to Christian Comics

Found this story over at "A Catholic View":

Professional illustrators come in all shapes and sizes, but very few of them have a pro-life or Christian perspective. But that is something that Dan Lawlis, a professional illustrator for over 20 years who has created comic book art for companies like Marvel and DC Comics, wants to change.


Lawlis is endeavoring to use the internet to bring a new comic book vision to the world, and has made his first go at the effort with the comic called “Orange Peel” – a story set in a technologically advanced future, where evil aliens plot to take-over the neighboring planet Godderth for conquest. However, they first plan to make conquest easy by getting the inhabitants of Godderth to abandon their morality, destroy the family unit, and become so morally impoverished that they will welcome their would-be conquerors with open arms.


The premise of the book is that somewhere in the future, human beings learned how to transport themselves to distant planets, but the transportation led to transformations in their appearance, making them alien-like.


The comic’s artwork is visually stunning and appealing, and little wonder: Lawlis has worked on characters like Spiderman, the Hulk, X-Men and more.


But those characters, he said in an e-mail to LifeSiteNews.com (LSN), are more or less atheistic in their outlook. Instead, he was looking for a character that would appeal to comic book and science fiction fans and help introduce a pro-life Christian message “into what is mostly an anti-Christian atheist entertainment culture.”

You can also read the story at Life Site News: Marvel/DC Illustrator creates Pro-Life Comic

His artwork is pretty sweet! I wish he would do a "Defend Us in Battle..." comic. I could write for him, he could illustrate... oh the gloriousness of Angels & Saints battling it out in the spiritual realm against some demons... oh what imaginative gloriousness! Anyways... go check out his site... and drop him some love either via email or donations.

ORANGE PEEL.com

Bishop Slattery's Sermon - Pontifical Mass at Basilica Nat'l Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

The following is the full text of Bishop Slattery's Sermon from the Solemn Pontifical Mass at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception - Washington, D.C.  (Taken from Te Deum! Blog)

I was going to post excerpts, and direct everyone over there, but out of fear that some may not take the effort I want to post it. I challenge you to find me a better Sermon from over the weekend. Granted this was not on the Good Sheppard readings, and yet it was extremely poignant.

Please take the time to read this... I can almost gurantee you haven't heard a sermon or homily like this, in a long while.

Bishop Slattery's Sermon at Solemn High Mass at National Shrine

4/25/2010 - EOC Staff

Bishop Slattery's Sermon at the Solemn Pontifical Mass at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception - Washington, D.C.
Celebrating the fifth anniversary of the ascension of Benedict XVI to the throne of Peter - ad multos annos!

We have much to discuss - you and I …

… much to speak of on this glorious occasion when we gather together in the glare of the world’s scrutiny to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the ascension of Joseph Ratzinger to the throne of Peter.

We must come to understand how it is that suffering can reveal the mercy of God and make manifest among us the consoling presence of Jesus Christ, crucified and now risen from the dead.

We must speak of this mystery today, first of all because it is one of the great mysteries of revelation, spoken of in the New Testament and attested to by every saint in the Church’s long history, by the martyrs with their blood, by the confessors with their constancy, by the virgins with their purity and by the lay faithful of Christ’s body by their resolute courage under fire.

But we must also speak clearly of this mystery because of the enormous suffering which is all around us and which does so much to determine the culture of our modern age.

From the enormous suffering of His Holiness these past months to the suffering of the Church’s most recent martyrs in India and Africa, welling up from the suffering of the poor and the dispossessed and the undocumented, and gathering tears from the victims of abuse and neglect, from women who have been deceived into believing that abortion was a simple medical procedure and thus have lost part of their soul to the greed of the abortionist, and now flowing with the heartache of those who suffer from cancer, diabetes, AIDS, or the emotional diseases of our age, it is the sufferings of our people that defines the culture of our modern secular age.

This enormous suffering which can take on so many varied physical, mental, and emotional forms will reduce us to fear and trembling - if we do not remember that Christ - our Passover - has been raised from the dead. Our pain and anguish could dehumanize us, for it has the power to close us in upon ourselves such that we would live always in chaos and confusion - if we do not remember that Christ - our hope - has been raised for our sakes. Jesus is our Passover, our hope and our light.

He makes himself most present in the suffering of his people and this is the mystery of which we must speak today, for when we speak of His saving presence and proclaim His infinite love in the midst of our suffering, when we seek His light and refuse to surrender to the darkness, we receive that light which is the life of men; that light which, as Saint John reminds us in the prologue to his Gospel, can never be overcome by the darkness, no matter how thick, no matter how choking.

Our suffering is thus transformed by His presence. It no longer has the power to alienate or isolate us. Neither can it dehumanize us nor destroy us. Suffering, however long and terrible it may be, has only the power to reveal Christ among us, and He is the mercy and the forgiveness of God.
The mystery then, of which we speak, is the light that shines in the darkness,Christ Our Lord, Who reveals Himself most wondrously to those who suffer so that suffering and death can do nothing more than bring us to the mercy of the Father.

But the point which we must clarify is that Christ reveals Himself to those who suffer in Christ, to those who humbly accept their pain as a personal sharing in His Passion and who are thus obedient to Christ’s command that we take up our cross and follow Him. Suffering by itself is simply the promise that death will claim these mortal bodies of ours, but suffering in Christ is the promise that we will be raised with Christ, when our mortality will be remade in his immortality and all that in our lives which is broken because it is perishable and finite will be made imperishable and incorrupt.

This is the meaning of Peter’s claim that he is a witness to the sufferings of Christ and thus one who has a share in the glory yet to be revealed. Once Peter grasped the overwhelming truth of this mystery, his life was changed. The world held nothing for Peter. For him, there was only Christ.

This is, as you know, quite a dramatic shift for the man who three times denied Our Lord, the man to whom Jesus said, “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Christ’s declaration to Peter that he would be the rock, the impregnable foundation, the mountain of Zion upon which the new Jerusalem would be constructed, follows in Matthew’s Gospel Saint Peter’s dramatic profession of faith, when the Lord asks the Twelve, “Who do people say that I am?” and Peter, impulsive as always, responds “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”

Only later - much later - would Peter come to understand the full implication of this first Profession of Faith. Peter would still have to learn that to follow Christ, to truly be His disciple, one must let go of everything which the world considers valuable and necessary, and become powerless. This is the mystery which confounds independent Peter. It is the mystery which still confounds us: to follow Christ, one must surrender everything and become obedient with the obedience of Christ, for no one gains access to the Kingdom of the Father, unless he enter through the humility and the obedience of Jesus.

Peter had no idea that eventually he would find himself fully accepting this obedience, joyfully accepting his share in the Passion and Death of Christ. But Peter loved Our Lord and love was the way by which Peter learned how to obey. “Lord, you know that I love thee,” Peter affirms three times with tears; and three times Christ commands him to tend to the flock that gathers at the foot of Calvary - and that is where we are now.
Peter knew that Jesus was the true Shepherd, the one Master and the only teacher; the rest of us are learners and the lesson we must learn is obedience, obedience unto death. Nothing less than this, for only when we are willing to be obedient with the very obedience of Christ will we come to recognize Christ’s presence among us.

Obedience is thus the heart of the life of the disciple and the key to suffering in Christ and with Christ. This obedience, is must be said, is quite different from obedience the way it is spoken of and dismissed in the world.

For those in the world, obedience is a burden and an imposition. It is the way by which the powerful force the powerless to do obeisance. Simply juridical and always external, obedience is the bending that breaks, but a breaking which is still less painful than the punishment meted out for disobedience. Thus for those in the world obedience is a punishment which must be avoided; but for Christians, obedience is always personal, because it is centered on Christ. It is a surrender to Jesus Whom we love.

For those whose lives are centered in Christ, obedience is that movement which the heart makes when it leaps in joy having once discovered the truth.

Let us consider, then, that Christ has given us both the image of his obedience and the action by which we are made obedient.

The image of Christ’s obedience is His Sacred Heart. That Heart, exposed and wounded must give us pause, for man’s heart it generally hidden and secret. In the silence of his own heart, each of us discovers the truth of who we are, the truth of why we are silent when we should speak, or bothersome and quarrelsome when we should be silent. In our hidden recesses of the heart, we come to know the impulses behind our deeds and the reasons why we act so often as cowards and fools.

But while man’s heart is generally silent and secret, the Heart of the God-Man is fully visible and accessible. It too reveals the motives behind our Lord’s self-surrender. It was obedience to the Father’s will that mankind be reconciled and our many sins forgiven us. “Son though he was,” the Apostle reminds us, “Jesus learned obedience through what He suffered.” Obedient unto death, death on a cross, Jesus asks his Father to forgive us that God might reveal the full depth of his mercy and love. “Father, forgive them,” he prayed, “for they know not what they do.”

Christ’s Sacred Heart is the image of the obedience which Christ showed by his sacrificial love on Calvary. The Sacrifice of Calvary is also for us the means by which we are made obedient and this is a point which you must never forget: at Mass, we offer ourselves to the Father in union with Christ, who offers Himself in perfect obedience to the Father. We make this offering in obedience to Christ who commanded us to “Do this in memory of me” and our obediential offering is perfected in the love with which the Father receives the gift of His Son.

Do not be surprised then that here at Mass, our bloodless offering of the bloody sacrifice of Calvary is a triple act of obedience. First, Christ is obedient to the Father, and offers Himself as a sacrifice of reconciliation. Secondly, we are obedient to Christ and offer ourselves to the Father with Jesus the Son; and thirdly, in sharing Christ’s obedience to the Father, we are made obedient to a new order of reality, in which love is supreme and life reigns eternal, in which suffering and death have been defeated by becoming for us the means by which Christ’s final victory, his future coming, is made manifest and real today.

Suffering then, yours, mine, the Pontiffs, is at the heart of personal holiness, because it is our sharing in the obedience of Jesus which reveals his glory. It is the means by which we are made witnesses of his suffering and sharers in the glory to come.

Do not be dismayed that there many in the Church have not yet grasped this point, and fewer still in the world will even consider it. You know this to be true and ten men who whisper the truth speak louder than a hundred million who lie.

If then someone asks of what we spoke today, tell them we spoke of the truth. If someone asks why it is you came to this Mass, say that it was so that you could be obedient with Christ. If someone asks about the homily, tell them it was about a mystery and if someone asks what I said of the present situation, tell them only that we must - all of us - become saints.

Vaccines & Abortion

I know this article appears long but it is VERY IMPORTANT. If the title is in anywhere significant to you please read this post and follow the links.

Major Sword-Tip (aka Hat-tip) to The Badger Catholic on this story:

"Which Vaccines contain aborted babies?"

The BC links to a Right to Life of Michigan article that explains how many of the Vaccines that we administer (or don't in some cases) to Children in this country actually contain cellular elements of aborted babies are produced from cellular lines taken from aborted babies. [A note of clarification: The clarification here is for precision purposes. My goal is not to scare or "trick" people into thinking that aborted baby "cells" are being used to make these vaccines. The vaccines are constructed from cellular lines. This is no way changes the gravity of this situation.]

RTL of Michigan explains:

For several years now, information has circulated among prolife groups and individuals regarding the development of very common vaccines through the use of tissue taken from aborted babies. While initially the reports and information were not conclusively documented, further detailed research by several prolife groups has provided direct proof of a connection between aborted fetal tissue and most vaccines. That connection, and its implications for whether prolife citizens should consider using the vaccines, raises some complicated issues. In sorting through those issues, this LifeNotes will address the basic science involved, the documentation of the abortion-vaccine connection, the moral/ethical questions about using abortion-tainted vaccines, and information about available alternative vaccines.

This is a SHOCKING report. As someone who considers themselves pretty "up" on RTL issues, this one has escaped me. Sure I heard rumblings of this in the past, but as RTLM says, it was inconclusive speculation for a long time, so I didn't really every think to much about it.

Apparently The Badger Catholic was thinking about it, because they posted this story only a week ago about a measure in the Minnesota Legislature that would force pharma companies to list vaccine "ingredients." See that post here: Minnesota Vaccine Bill Proposal

Well, now it appears that Right to Life of Michigan has a conclusive list and puts it out there for all to see. Maybe this is something that everyone already knew about, but I sure didn't. As a newer father, I have not heard *one* Catholic parent talk about this anywhere, even those VERY OPPOSED to vaccines for other reasons.

Here is a list of alternative Vaccines that use non-fetal cell lines from non-human sources.

I think what is MOST shocking is that there are NO alternatives to the CHICKENPOX and RUBELLA Vaccines, two vaccines which many states require school children receive prior to entry into the public and even somtimes private school system. I plan on doing more on this story later but I wanted to get this out there. This may have HUGE implications in terms of "Religious Exemptions" for Catholic parents morally opposed to their children get vaccinated with fetal cell line vaccines. Here is what Right to Life says about the Moral implications:

Should These Vaccines Be Used? The Moral & Ethical ConsiderationsThe ethical quandary created by the tainting of these otherwise beneficial vaccines is obvious and vexing. Parents are more than justified in wanting to protect their children from these potentially life-threatening diseases. It can be legitimately argued that parents have an obligation to take reasonable steps to protect their children. Likewise, as a society, we must take into consideration the morality and cost of failing to prevent widespread outbreaks of disease. Thus, there is a civic responsibility associated with vaccines and controlling diseases.

The moral perspective of those who are utterly opposed to the use of these vaccines is straightforward and equally justifiable. If these vaccines were developed from cell lines taken from Jews murdered in Nazi concentration camps, it is not difficult to imagine that there would be widespread, if not universal rejection of those vaccines. Since many prolifers see no difference between the moral magnitude of abortion and the Holocaust, their passionate refusal to use these vaccines is completely understandable.

When dealing with difficult ethical issues like vaccines grown on the tissue of aborted children, one of the main questions to answer is how do individuals act in a moral way when they are acting in a world that is filled with immorality. For example, should a person watch no television programming on a certain network because some of its programming is immoral? It is crucial to remember that the moral nature of any act depends first on the action itself. Secondly, the intention of the individual is also a crucial factor. The further away the current act (using a vaccine) and intent (protecting a child from a disease) of an individual are from a previous immoral act (aborting a child), the less that individual is restricted by the immorality of the previous act. While the act of aborting the child was certainly immoral, all of the steps involved with the development and use of the vaccines thereafter neither cooperated with the abortion, nor intended to promote more such practices, nor intended anything but the preservation of life and health.

The Vatican's Pontifical Academy for Life, and the U.S. and British bishops conferences have studied the issue in detail and concluded that using the vaccines is morally permissible. However, once a person learns that certain vaccines are morally tainted, there is an obligation to seek out ethical alternatives where possible and to make objections known to health care providers and vaccine manufacturers. In addition, parents are entirely justified in citing a "conscientious objection" to tainted vaccines being used to immunize their children, particularly when the vaccine is not for a substantially threatening illness (Chickenpox, flu). Parents have a right to demand ethical alternatives be used or reject the vaccine if an alternative is not available.

A number of noted prolife activists have weighed in on both sides of the issue. Some have encouraged parents to use and demand nothing less than morally acceptable vaccines. While others like Jack Wilke, M.D., former National Right to Life Committee president and Bernard Nathanson, M.D., prolife activist and creator of "The Silent Scream" have opined that using the vaccines is morally allowable.

What is unanimous among all commentators on the subject is that everyone ought to know of the facts surrounding the vaccines, and prolife citizens should make an effort to persuade - even pressure - vaccine producers to eliminate their tainted products in favor of ethically acceptable products.

The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away

3 Months ago today, I was sitting in the hospital watching and helping my first child to be be born. Only 10 hours previous I had received a call from my mother telling me that my father had died. I had never experienced so much emotion in such a small time period. It truly was both agony and ecstasy.

I have tried to write this post many times. In fact, I have deleted and edited this post down to what you are reading, I am sure it is far from anything that you could call coherent. I had planned on writing much more.  My point isn't to sadden you... in fact it is to explain God's mystery and love.

Growing up my dad was my hero, and he remains my hero to this day. So to think of a situation in which I wouldn't fly home to be with him in his final days, was impossible. But it happened. The only thing that could keep me from my dad and mom, was my own family, the one that God prepared for me. That is what I did. In fact, my sister had flown up here to be with me... so she too was in a situation she would have never dreamed. We had each other, but most of all we had God. It would be lazy and foolish to question God's motive here.

As I heard my mom tell me the news that broke my heart, over the phone no less... I told her that my wife had just started having contraction. Neither of us questioned the timing. Mostly because it was obvious to us. My wife was 5 days late... could have had the baby at anytime. My mom had called me earlier that morning telling me that the nurses said that my dad only had an hour or two; he lasted 12. Sol the timing was perfect.

Perfect? Yes.

My dad just happened to be at a hospital he had never planned on being at. He was in a rehab facility, and when he took a turn for the worse, they took him there, rather than the hospital where he had spent most of the previous 4 months. This hospital was Catholic... it was also the hospital that my wife and I first saw our daughter via an ultrasound. Such beautiful continuity.

So when my mom called... I looked at the clock, and realized that it was 11:00pm back in Michigan. My dad died on January 20. My daughter was born 5 hours into the 21st day of January. My dad knew... but more importantly God knew, he even took into consideration the 4 hour time difference. The Lord gave, but first he had to take away. I honestly believe that my dad's job was done, and knew that it was my turn. Little could have eased the pain of that night for me... except for the most beautiful gift on earth. All tied to one Catholic hospital... dedicated to Fathers.

So on a long, dark, cold, and sad night in Alaska, the Lord sent a light into our life that eliminated the darkness that sin and depravity had engulfed us in. One tiny little light.

Miracle Baby! (QP)

Rarely do I just quick-post (QP) but on this one I have to, because there is so little to say except MIRACLE!

Miracle Baby: 9oz - 25weeks

9oz!!!
25 weeks!!!
Surviving......

Now, nine months after his birth, doctors have allowed the unnamed boy's parents to take him to the family home in Eighsfeld, central Germany, after ruling that he is strong enough to survive.

Please pray!

Pending Court Decision in Alaska re: Parental Notification

The fight for Parental Notification before a minor can get an abortion is currently in a judges hand. A decision is due within the next few weeks and could drastically change the war against abortion in Alaska. The Catholic Anchor, the Archdiocesan paper from Anchorage has been chronicling the battle. The latest fight has been a challenge to the movement by Planned Parenthood to prevent the initiative by the Parental Rights group from getting the issue onto a forthcoming ballot.

This is a very pivotal fight in the war against abortion.

This is the most recent article from the Catholic Anchor:

Upcoming ruling may impact parental notification initiative regarding minors’ abortions in Alaska

By STEVEN ERTELT
LifeNews.com

On Feb. 24, an Alaska court held a hearing on a ballot initiative proposal that would allow parents to be informed when their minor daughter is considering an abortion. The Alaskans for Parental Rights submitted signatures in January to get the measure on the ballot but Planned Parenthood filed suit.

If the measure makes it before voters and receives their approval, then abortion centers in the state would be required to tell the parents of a teenager before performing an abortion on her.

Advocates of the proposed law say it will give parents a chance to guide their daughter towards positive alternatives.

Planned Parenthood presented its case in court Feb. 24, saying the state should not allow Alaska voters to consider the measure to reduce abortions.

Jeff Feldman, the attorney for Planned Parenthood of Alaska, argued the language of the proposed ballot measure is misleading and confusing.

“It omits very significant details of the burdens that are placed on minors and physicians. It fails to inform voters immediately about the option for court representation. It talks about a minor obtaining a judicial bypass. Well, I don’t think very many lay citizens know what a judicial bypass is,” he said.

Kevin Clarkson, the attorney for the initiative’s sponsors, said Planned Parenthood is grasping at straws and assuming Alaska residents aren’t smart enough to figure out the details of the proposal.

“What they need to know is if this initiative goes on the ballot and it passes: What is the law going to be. That’s the main feature of the initiative. What it changed before is just nuance,” he said, according to a KTUU television report.

And Jim Minnery with Alaskans for Parental Rights, the group that sponsored the ballot measure, said the number of petitions the group turned in shows Alaskans want to vote on the pro-life measure.

“People are smart in Alaska. They knew exactly what they were signing. Should parents be engaged in medical decisions made by their teenage girls? And the answer was an astounding ‘yes’,” he said.

The judge in the case is expected to deliver a ruling by March 17.

The measure has broad support from pro-life advocates.

Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz asked Catholics across the archdiocese to sign the petition, and he strongly encouraged all 32 parishes in the archdiocese to support the drive from the pulpit and in bulletins and Web sites — and to host signature-gathering volunteers at parishes.

Additionally, hundreds of volunteers from other Christian denominations also collected signatures statewide in more than 200 churches.

According to the latest statistics by the Alaska Bureau of Vital Statistics, 2,575 abortions have been performed on Alaska teens between 2003 and 2009.

In November 2007, the Alaska Supreme Court overturned a state law the legislature overwhelmingly passed in 1997 that required parental consent before an abortion on a minor girl. Elsewhere in the U.S., parental consent or notice laws are on the books in over half the states.

-Posted by: Joe