Listen to Cardinal Sean speak out on abortion. I second his opinion that the star of the conventions was Trig Palin.
Folks, this election we have the chance to stand up to the forces of evil championed by Barak Obama. This is your opportunity to stand up for what is right. Don’t sit this one out, and whatever you do - don’t support this evil for some tertiary reason. Nothing discussed this year comes close to trumping this issue.
This time, Roe vs. Wade really could hang in the balance - Los Angeles Times
Through most of the 1990s and until recently, the Supreme Court had a solid 6-3 majority in favor of upholding the right of a woman to choose abortion. But the margin has shrunk to one, now that Justice Sandra Day O’Connor is retired and has been replaced by Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.
And Justice John Paul Stevens, a leader of the narrow majority for abortion rights, is 88.
“Clearly, Roe is on the line this time,” said Indiana University law professor Dawn Johnsen, a former lawyer for NARAL Pro-Choice America. “It is quite clear they have four votes against it. If the next president appoints one more, the odds are it will be overruled.”
Anyone notice the bias in this liberal rag? If properly written, it would read: “…a solid 6-3 majority in favor of denying an unborn infant’s right to life….” or, if more even handed, “in favor of legalizing abortion.” In spite of the typical slant, the basic premise of the article is correct - this election will be consequential for this issue. The next president may appoint up to three judges - all from the liberal side of the court. This would change everything.
Anyone who votes for Barack Obama is explicitly voting for a continuation of the legalization of the greatest holocaust we have ever witnessed. If Barack Hussein Obama is elected president, not only will he sign the FOCA - which wipes away every restriction on abortion, he will guarantee a pro-abortion supreme court. This issue is larger than the war, the economy, and healthcare combined. This is akin to the struggle against slavery - an entire group of human beings are being denied fundamental human rights and a court has declared that they may be murdered with impunity. It is our duty to place the restoration of those rights as our highest priority.
Make no mistake, this is the human rights crisis of our day. Do not sit idly by while our fellow human beings are slaughtered by the millions - one innocent life at a time.
The Orange County Register - News - AP
India banned smoking in public places on Thursday.
I guess they mean cigarettes, because it looks like “smoking” Christians, their homes, and their churches seem to not be that big of a deal.
INDIA Despite curfew a hundred homes and two churches set on fire overnight in Orissa - Asia News
About a hundred homes and some churches have been damaged and burnt last night in the district of Kandhamal (Orissa), where a wave of anti-Christian violence is into its second month with no end in sight.
INDIA Fr Edward, survivor of arson in Orissa: the Hindu radicals are terrorists - Asia News
Fr Edward Sequeira is among the victims of fundamentalist violence in Orissa. It was only by a miracle that he escaped from the burning of his orphanage, where his co-worker Rajni Majhi was burned to death.
2 Christians killed in Orissa, 250 homes burned; relief camps targeted
At least 250 more homes of Christians have been destroyed in the eastern Indian state of Orissa, according to Church sources there. Extremists are also setting off explosions near relief camps where an estimated 20,000 Christians have sought shelter, according to reports. The standing committee of the Indian bishops’ conference has issued a statement expressing ‘utter disappointment’ at the government’s ‘apathy and inaction.’
Today is the feast day of St. Michael along with the Archangels Gabriel and Raphael. St. Michael is the patron saint for our family, so we celebrate this feast day in a special way. September 29th was traditionally known as Michaelmas and was a holy day of obligation until the 18th century. The Church added to the feast day the other two Archangels named in the bible. St. Gabriel’s feast used to be March 24 and St. Raphael used to be October 24. Perhaps the Church will separate the feasts again in the future. I for one, would like to celebrate each on their own.
Archangel Prayers
St. Michael the Archangel defend us in battle. Be our protection against the snares and wickedness of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do Thou, O prince of the heavenly host - by the Divine Power of God - cast into hell, Satan and all evil spirits who wander this world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.
O Blessed Archangel Gabriel, we beseech thee, do thou intercede for us at the throne of divine Mercy in our present necessities, that as thou didst announce to Mary the mystery of the Incarnation, so through thy prayers and patronage in heaven we may obtain the benefits of the same, and sing the praise of God forever in the land of the living.
Amen.
Glorious Archangel St. Raphael, great prince of the heavenly court, you are illustrious for your gifts of wisdom and grace. You are a guide of those who journey by land or sea or air, consoler of the afflicted, and refuge of sinners. I beg you, assist me in all my needs and in all the sufferings of this life, as once you helped the young Tobias on his travels. Because you are the “medicine of God,” I humbly pray you to heal the many infirmities of my soul and the ills that afflict my body. I especially ask of you the favor (name your request) and the great grace of purity to prepare me to be the temple of the Holy Ghost.
Amen.
O God, send the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, & Raphael to our assistance. May they who stand forever praising You at Your throne present our humble petitions before You. May they be our safeguard in times of trouble and temptation. May they defend our country from attack. May they tirelessly work to end abortion and all the sins against life in the world. May these powerful angels help to assure the leaders of our country follow You first in all things. And may they help to strengthen our Holy Catholic Church and draw others to this vessel of the Way and the Truth and the Life. We ask this through Christ our Lord in unity with You and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
I do not have time to comment on this continuing story, but the news must get spread.
Pray for our brothers and sisters in India as the persecution continues.
Fresh violence against India’s Christians: 100 homes destroyed; cardinal burned in effigy
In the Kandhamal district of Orissa, more churches and 100 homes were destroyed in a fresh wave of anti-Christian violence. In the nearby east Indian city of Ranchi, members of the Oraon tribe, considering Cardinal Telesphore Toppo – a fellow tribe member – the leader of all area Christians, have burned his image in effigy because of an offensive error in a Protestant Bible translation. Also in east India, the Bishop of Jamshedpur conducted a purification rite following the desecration of the Blessed Sacrament. He disputed the police’s contention that the desecration was an act of theft rather than anti-Christian violence. UCA News noted that ‘Church people would have dismissed it as a case of theft had money in the donation box been taken.’ Instead, ‘they took only holy things used on the altar,’ the bishop said.
I was asked to review A Civilization of Love by Carl Anderson. Given my schedule it has taken some time to read the book and gather my thoughts. As a fellow knight, I was quite eager to read what the Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus had to say, but as a busy father I had little time to pull together my review.
The goal of the book is to extend the teachings of the Church, particularly as articulated by John Paul II, into the world we live in; the very fabric of our world, our culture, or lives. The book touches on culture, the dignity of every person, abortion, marriage, divorce, poverty, business ethics, demographic changes, immigration, and globalization. In each area it clearly brings forward the teachings of Christ and the Church and how they apply to the hear and now; how we are called to live the gospel in our everyday lives.
The book is clearly targeted at everyday Catholics who may know their faith, but who do not understand how that faith connects with their daily lives. While Carl Anderson is clearly an extremely intelligent and well educated individual, he has written this book in a clearly accessible style. This book requires no special education, and would be easily read by the typical adult.
The book is written with an optimism that stems from faith. There is a clear belief permeating the book that the world can be transformed, that we can make a difference if we act in faith. This book is no doom and gloom, but holds out the hope of the gospel. At times I wondered if this hope was overly optimistic given the apparent difficulties we face, but I think the book provides the right picture. We may not succeed in the short run, but we must hope and we must act in our lives.
At the end of each chapter there is a set of questions that asks the reader how they are living the gospel message in the area covered or provides a challenge to do more in this area. This addition may be useful to the Catholic who is struggling to implement his or her faith in all areas of their lives. For these everyday Catholics, the questions will likely be useful in challenging self-perceptions and complacency.
The book aims to bridge Church teaching and real world action. I recommend it to anyone who wants a basic understanding of how to live our faith in all areas of our lives. This would also be good for non-Catholics who want to understand at a basic level why Catholics take the positions that they do in cultural, political, and world affairs. Finally, I recommend this to anyone involved with the Knights of Columbus or interested in becoming a knight, because it gives an insight into how a knight should view the world.
This review was written as part of The Catholic Company product reviewer program. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on A Civilization of Love.
Bishop Jaime Soto is a compassionate and faithful bishop. He recently gave a speech National Association of Catholic Diocesan Lesbian and Gay Ministries. Unfortunately, it was not well received by the group with at least five people in the audience walking out.
Our bishops and clergy should know that it bolsters the faithful and strengthens the Church when they speak the truth with the kind of compassion that Bishop Soto does. Praise God for Bishop Soto. Sacramento has a good one coming.
You can read the entire speech at California Catholic. In this speech, the bishop defends marriage and speaks against abortion, contraception, and the sin of same gender sexual activity, with the third as a particular temptation to homosexuals. He also mentions the Church’s support of Proposition 8 in California that will undo the license for homosexual marriage granted by a single vote in the California Supreme Court. It surely must be a difficult thing to speak the truth to those who least want to hear it.
Crumbling Rail
Whenever the Isrealites were down and out, a prophet came and reminded them to thank God for everything - especially for what he was going to do for them. Note how the passover meal came before passover. In the book of Daniel, Annaniah, Azariah, and Mishael praising God in the midst of the furnace.
Here we sit in what looks like tough times. Indeed they may be very tough. What should we do at a time like this. Repent? Of course. But more than that we need to praise God and thank him, for all he has done and all he will do. For the Lord remembers his people. Much good can come from adversity - let us remember that as we face it with faith. Always praise and exalt the Lord - no matter what the market or the economy or the government ever does.
If your looking for a good prayers to help you through the troubled time, the ones below seems the surest pick of all. Of course the emphases are mine - but they do seem appropriate.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who tresspass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. AMEN!
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, end ever shall be, world without end. AMEN!
Today is the first day in the 40 Days For Life campaign.
What are you doing? Don’t let this pass you by. Do something.
Pray and protest at an abortion clinic.
Pray every day wherever for the end of abortion.
Fast - give something up these 40 days.
Do not just stand by and watch as so many of our children are murdered every day. It is your responsibility to do something. At the very least, take this very moment and pray.
Lord God, I thank you today for the gift of my life,
And for the lives of all my brothers and sisters.I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion,
Yet I rejoice that you have conquered death
by the Resurrection of Your Son.I am ready to do my part in ending abortion.
Today I commit myself
Never to be silent,
Never to be passive,
Never to be forgetful of the unborn.I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement,
And never to stop defending life
Until all my brothers and sisters are protected,
And our nation once again becomes
A nation with liberty and justice
Not just for some, but for all.Through Christ our Lord. Amen!
