Monday, December 29, 2008

Alleluia! The Raving Atheist dropped the "a!"

Putting it simply but eloquently...

P.S. For an idea on what can happen to converts, you might want to check out some of the comments on the above-linked post. Be not afraid!

H/T to Jeff Miller

Sunday, December 28, 2008

FREE Epiphany Card! (Just ask!)

If you'd like to give friends and family something lovely this Epiphany Sunday, just ask. Use the "email Kelly" button on the left (please don't change the subject line) and I'll send you a printable Epiphany card in printable .PDF format.

Graced with the antiphon from Epiphany Vespers and designed by my good friend Alden Thatcher, all you need to do is print as many copies as you like (it's full color), fold it twice and give it to your loved ones.

It's my gift to you...thank you for being so good to me!

P.S. For those of you who got last year's card, this one's the same one.

Anybody else hear an "apology" for Colossians 3:18 today?

In an otherwise excellent homily, I, once again, heard the "things-were-different-in-those-days" mention regarding the passage in Colossians 3:18. I wish homilists would either skip any reference to this, or, preferably, take a leaf out of Father Ray Ryland's book whose Holy Family Sunday homily of last year is here...and well worth the read.

(Again, the homily I heard today was terrific except for that unnecessary "explanation.")

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Adopt a soul! (It's easy, and the rewards are out of this world!)

It's time to adopt a soul! The idea is simple:

Take upon yourself some responsibility of getting a soul out of Purgatory and into Heaven.

Here's how it works:

Of course I know you pray for those souls you've known and perhaps even loved...kin, kith, and so on. But what makes this plan unique is simply this:

You don't know this person from Adam! You find a soul, unknown to you, and pray for him or her every day...it's that easy!

"Hey, Kelly...how do I go about finding this soul?"

Again, it's simple. Here are just three ways...I know you can think of more.

  • Look around your parish church. Chances are, there are windows, fonts, or other pieces dedicated to the memory of somebody you don't know. Grab one (the soul, not the object) and make this person your own. Pray for him or her every day.
  • Take a stroll through a cemetery. Look for the most unkempt stone you can find and make that person your own, and remember him or her in your daily prayers.
  • Open your newspaper on any given day of the week and I can pretty much guarantee you'll find someone who's died, and I'm not even talking about the obits! Sometimes—most of the time—these stories are pretty depressing. Don't let them be. Adopt one of these souls and work to get him or her into Heaven.
"But what if this soul is already in Heaven?"

Uh...that would be the last thing you have to worry about. And besides, God knows what He's doing. I promise you that your prayers—that no prayer—will ever go to waste.

Adopting a soul...a great way to make an everlasting friend.

Friday, December 26, 2008

On the Feast of Stephen...

From the peace of Christmas Day to the violence of Saint Stephen's martyrdom may seem like quite an abrupt leap...but it is actually a logical follow-up.

Like Jesus, Stephen died praying for his persecutors. As Saint Augustine wrote: "If Stephen had not prayed to God, the Church would not have had Paul." ("Sermons," 315, 7)

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Let all mortal flesh keep silence...



Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
and with fear and trembling stand;
ponder nothing earthly minded,
for with blessing in his hand
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
our full homage to demand.

King of kings, yet born of Mary,
as of old on earth he stood,
Lord of lords in human vesture,
in the Body and the Blood
he will give to all the faithful
his own self for heavenly food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven
spreads its vanguard on the way,
as the Light of Light descendeth
from the realms of endless day,
that the powers of hell may vanish
as the darkness clears away.

At his feet the six-winged seraph;
cherubim with sleepless eye,
veil their faces to the Presence,
as with ceaseless voice they cry,
"Alleluia, alleluia!
Alleluia, Lord Most High!"

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Prince of Peace!

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government
shall be upon His shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful,
Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
(Isaiah 9:6)


Monday, December 22, 2008

Advancing "reproductive rights": pro-aborts lose no time in pressuring Obama

Right after the election, pro-aborts put together their recommendations on "reproductive rights" to president-elect Obama. In a 55 page report, the message is clear:

(by the way, my personal comments are in blue)

"Call on Congress to Pass the Freedom of Choice Act ("and, hey, anything you can to stop babies from living would be greatly appreciated.")

"The undersigned coalition of medical, public health, research, religious and religiously-affiliated, women’s health, legal, and other advocacy organizations calls on the next President to advance and implement the agenda outlined below and begin to put the United States back on a path that honors, respects, and protects the health and rights of women and their families both in the United States and abroad."

Here are the signatories of this piece of shame:

Abortion Care Network
Advocates for Youth
African American Women Evolving, Inc. [site temporarily unavailable]
American Association of University Women (AAUW)
American Civil Liberties Union [promoting liberty for all, unless they're annoying or inconvenient]
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
American Jewish World Service [always a stunner when Jews promote the holocaust of abortion]
American Medical Student Association
American Social Health Association
Association of Reproductive Health Professionals ["don't take away our bread-and-butter!"]
Black Women’s Health Imperative ["eugenics? what's eugenics?"]
Catholics for Choice [sadly, a familiar misnomer]
Center for American Progress Action Fund
Center for Genetics and Society
Center for Health and Gender Equity
Center for Inquiry [somehow I don't think they have any answers]
Center for Reproductive Rights
Choice USA
Feminist Majority
Generations Ahead [not if you guys have your way!]
Guttmacher Institute
Healthy Teen Network ["because abortion is good for you!"]
International Planned Parenthood Federation, Western Hemisphere Region
International Women’s Health Coalition
Ipas
Jewish Women International
Law Students for Reproductive Justice [who represents the child?]
Legal Momentum
Moving Forward Initiative [no website that I could find]
NARAL Pro-Choice America [no surprise here]
National Abortion Federation [gotta hand it to 'em...they don't mince words]
National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum
National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD)
National Council of Jewish Women
National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association
National Health Law Program (NHeLP) [ever notice how often the word "health" is used by pro-aborts?]
National Institute for Reproductive Health
National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health
National Network of Abortion Funds ["don't have the bucks to kill the baby? count on us!"]
National Organization for Women [is this group still functioning???]
National Partnership for Women & Families [yes, they just love families]
National Women’s Law Center
National Women’s Health Network
New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty
Northwest Women’s Law Center
Pathfinder International [in my opinion, they've lost their way]
Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health [some of these group names are incredible!]
Planned Parenthood Federation of America [its "holiday" theme is "Choice on Earth"]
Population Action International ["the fewer the merrier"]
Population Connection [they claim too many people "raise emissions"]
Raising Women’s Voices for the Health
Care We Need [no website found]
Rebecca Project for Human Rights [at first glance, I can't figure out why this group is a signatory]
Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice [incredibly, the site banner pronounces "all life is sacred"]
Reproductive Health Technologies Project
Secular Coalition for America ["enough `religion'...let us atheists in on this!"]
Sexuality Information and Education [this name sounds painfully familiar to me]
Council of the United States (SIECUS) [so does this one]
Sierra Club [and here I thought they liked creation!]
SisterSong
The MergerWatch Project [their site's down but here's what they're about]
Union for Reform Judaism
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations [site banner: "representing over 1,000 liberal congregations"]
Women of Reform Judaism
Women Thrive Worldwide [unless, of course, they're unwanted women babies]

The document can be found at the president-elect's transition site. They say they're asking for comments. Here's the link to do so.

(H/T to the good folks at Fight FOCA.)

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Immaculate Conception: a quiz

Follows is the text of the Gospel proclaimed on Sunday, December 21, 2008, in the United States. Within it, there is one possible reference to the Immaculate Conception. Can you identify it?

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke:

The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.

“Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Seems like Rick Warren can't win...yet

For those of you who follow such things, you know that evangelical pastor Rick Warren was asked by the Obama-folks to give the invocation at the president-elect's inauguration next month.

All hell's breaking lose, or so it seems.

For example, the Huffington Post is doing it's usual huffing and puffing. Calling the pastor "a rabid homophobe," the — uh — writer starts out by declaring his "utter euphoria" at Obama's election. That said, he stamps his literary feet, writing, for example:

My take on this is that President-elect Obama and his staff are being incredibly disrespectful to Progressives who were a major part of getting the Obama-Biden ticket elected and having Warren anywhere near the festivities on January 20th is just flat-out stupid politically.

Other pro-gay "marriage" groups and individuals are equally in a snit, evidentally. One has to wonder if these folks realize that their idol (with temporary, at least, feet of clay) has never endorsed homosexual "marriage" and in fact has come out against it...but then why let the facts get in the way.

On the other hand, many pro-life pro-marriage folks...

...are equally appalled at Warren's place in the inauguration of arguably the most rabid pro-abortion president in U.S. history. For example, Human Life International president Reverend Thomas J. Euteneuer has called for Pastor Warren to "reconsider" giving the invocation.

“We applaud Pastor Warren’s support of pro-life causes as well as his defense of traditional marriage,” said Father Euteneuer. “This is why we are concerned that his high-profile and explicitly Christian prayerful invocation at President-elect Obama’s inauguration may be perceived as an endorsement, even a blessing, of what will likely be the most anti-life administration in the history of this country.”

Here's what I think (and yes, I realize I'm your basic nobody but it is my blog after all):

I think—actually, I know because I looked the word up in the dictionary—that the invocation is a prayer. Duh.

And, as a pro-life, pro-family Roman Catholic lady, I find nothing at all wrong with a pro-life, pro-family pastor praying at the inauguration of, whether you like it or not, our next president, God willing.

Go for it, Pastor Warren! Now more than ever, this country needs prayer. And that includes president-elect Obama...and me and you, too.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Use the N word where I can hear it? Do. Not. Dare.

For years, in my neighborhood, and probably in many others, there seems to be an unfathomable entitlement bestowed among folks with darker skin than others—mostly among the adult-to-I'm-almost-an-adult crowd—to use the N word without so much as a pause. I hear it all the time. I hear it on buses, in subways, on the street, and in the lyrics to songs. When I hear it, I inevitably glance around and see the cringing of faces too—what? Intimidated?—to object.

I've objected and will continue to object. Loudly.

I don't give one good bleep what the color of your skin is. Do. Not. Use. The N word. In. My. Presence.

You are not entitled.

That is all.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Our Lady of the Atonement Parish in San Antonio...

...has to be one of the most interesting I've ever virtually visited. Check out the parish blog here and the parish itself here.

(Thanks, Richard!)

Sunday, December 14, 2008

From Cardinal Dulles' last lecture

Just before the Pope's visit, Cardinal Dulles gave his last McGinley Lecture at Fordham University. The cardinal could not speak but was present in a wheelchair, while his lecture was read for him.

In this last lecture he wrote that "suffering and diminishment are not the greatest of evils, but are normal ingredients in life, especially in old age. They are to be accepted as elements of a full human existence."

"Well into my 90th year," he wrote, "I have been able to work productively. As I become increasingly paralyzed and unable to speak, I can identify with the many paralytics and mute persons in the Gospels, grateful for the loving and skillful care I receive and for the hope of everlasting life in Christ."

Concluding this final lecture, the cardinal wrote: "If the Lord now calls me to a period of weakness, I know well that his power can be made perfect in infirmity. ‘Blessed be the name of the Lord!'"

Source: Zenit

Friday, December 12, 2008

Daschle, Lambrew...and "prevention elation"

Everybody relax. Planned Parenthood approves of your new president's choices to protect your health.

"We are delighted by his nomination and look forward to working closely with Sen. Daschle on promoting and protecting the full range of women’s health care, including family planning and prevention services.

“We also applaud the appointment of Jeanne Lambrew as deputy director of the White House Office of Health Reform. She is one of the leading health policy experts in the country, and someone who is an advocate for women’s health issues and prevention measures.

So. We've got two pro-aborts, appointed by a pro-abort. One to head the existing U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (ah, the irony) and the other to head the new "White House Office of Health Reform."

Gee...you think they're gonna do something to protect the "health and human services" of unborn kids? Or push to "reform" it?

Avery Cardinal Dulles: August 24, 1918—December 12, 2008


Photo courtesy Assumption College, Worcester, Massachusetts

Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, though the Mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen
.

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Archbishop Fulton Sheen: May 8, 1895—December 9, 1979


"All my sermons are prepared in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. As recreation is most pleasant and profitable in the sun, so homiletic creativity is best nourished before the Eucharist. The most brilliant ideas come from meeting God face to face. The Holy Spirit that presided at the Incarnation is the best atmosphere for illumination. Pope John Paul II keeps a small desk or writing pad near him whenever he is in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament; and I have done this all my life—I am sure for the same reason he does, because a lover always works better when the beloved is with him."
Servant of God, Fulton J. Sheen

Monday, December 08, 2008

Happy Mary Day!

First, what one thing do we have that Mary never did? You got it. Check out the Holy Father's thoughts on Original Sin with some Pauline insights.

Next, reader Steve asks that we explore a website dedicated to Our Lady of America here.

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

Sunday, December 07, 2008

Remembering Pearl Harbor: a terrific story reported by Michelle Malkin

How a 13-year-old kid named Quinn Appletoft kept—and help keeps—the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association alive.

Friday, December 05, 2008

Preparing during Advent...a melodic reflection



I wonder as I wander out under the sky
How Jesus the Saviour did come for to die
For poor on'ry people like you and like I;
I wonder as I wander out under the sky

When Mary birthed Jesus 'twas in a cow's stall
With wise men and farmers and shepherds and all
But high from God's heaven, a star's light did fall
And the promise of ages it then did recall.

If Jesus had wanted for any wee thing
A star in the sky or a bird on the wing
Or all of God's Angels in heaven to sing
He surely could have it, 'cause he was the King

I wonder as I wander out under the sky
How Jesus the Saviour did come for to die
For poor on'ry people like you and like I;
I wonder as I wander out under the sky

Thursday, December 04, 2008

Thank our troops, with help from IBM



(H/T to John Cronin for the site.)

Monday, December 01, 2008

Message from John Mallon

John Mallon is trying to assemble an email list of Blogs in the English speaking world. He is currently working as Contributing Editor for Inside the Vatican magazine, doing media relations for Human Life International, and assisting at the Envoy Institute in a promotional capacity. He have two degrees in theology and frequently has items of interest to Catholic Bloggers worldwide. With 25 years of experience in the Catholic Press, he has found that major secular outlets are often closed to these messages. if you have or know of Blogs that would be interested in receiving press releases and other pertinent materials for your Blogs, he would very much appreciate getting a mailing list of these blogs for this purpose. This is not spam. Anyone not wishing to receive these materials will be removed from the list immediately upon request. Catholic Blogs are absolutely critical for spreading credible information on the Church. This mailing list could serve as a News Agency supplying news and other information to Catholic Blogs.

It is absolutely maddening trying to harvest emails off of Blogs, where people won't post their emails. He am only interested in people who want to receive these messages, not bothering anyone.


For more on John Mallon please visit his website.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

The Sign of Peace: Exercising the options

In an interview with L'Osservatore Romano last Saturday, Cardinal Francis Arinze, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, noted some liturgical changes under consideration, including the transferring of the congregation's exchange of peace from its current place just prior to the Agnes Dei to the Offertory.

As the Cardinal rightfully, in my opinion, observes:

"Often, the significance of this gesture is not fully understood. It is thought that it is an occasion to give a high-five to friends. Rather, it is a way of saying to the person beside you that the peace of Christ, really present on the altar, is also with all men."

I've no doubt that you, as I, have observed some pretty bizarre manifestations of this practice, and certainly the Cardinal's concern is justified. But, while I'm no liturgist, it seems to me that there are options to transferring the ritual.

Option #1: Omit the practice altogether.

The exchange of Christ's peace between the celebrant and the congregation isn't optional. However, the exchange among congregants certainly isn't. I know of a number of priests who skip it entirely.

Option #2: Catechize!

Teach people what the ritual really means! And demonstrate a more proper, more reverent, and less "let's party" method of exchange.

Option #3: Combine Options 1 and 2.

Drop the congregational exchange for a period of time and explain why: plainly! In the meantime, through bulletin items, perhaps, or in the announcements before the final blessing, explain what the ritual means and spell out how it should be practiced. When folks get it, bring it back.

Just some thoughts. May the peace of Christ be with you.

Happy New Year!

And a blessed Advent to you. Many thanks to Jeff Miller for the Advent Wreath.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Bishop Hermann: a privilege to die to end abortion

From the article:

“We also have to be aware that our warfare is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities and the powers and the spirits of this world of darkness, as Paul tells us in Ephesians.

“Therefore, behind Planned Parenthood, behind the abortion issue, is the evil one,” Bishop Hermann stated. “I often see human beings caught up in this as victims of the evil one who need my prayers and who need my compassion and who need my love. We don’t only want to save our children from destruction; we also want to save our adult brothers and sisters from eternal destruction.”

Monday, November 24, 2008

Celebrants and adding "signatures" to Mass

Over the past couple years or so, I've noticed something some celebrants do at the preparation of the gifts. It didn't really bother me so much as puzzle me.

Generally, the priest first offers the bread. "Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation; through your goodness we have this bread to offer..."

He then prepares the wine, praying inaudibly at first, and then: "Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation; through your goodness we have this wine to offer..."

Then, after another inaudible prayer (which could be found in your missal), he washes his hands, praying (again, inaudibly) for his sins to be washed away.

I've noticed that some priests do it a bit differently.

The prayers are the same, but they prepare the wine first, placing the chalice on the altar, offer up the bread and the wine immediately afterward, and then perform the hand washing ritual.

No big deal, right?

Probably not, but as I said, it's puzzled me for some time and today I asked a priest about it. He didn't know the answer, never really came across it. But he added something I thought a tad odd:

"Some priests have their own `signature' when celebrating Mass."

Now this did intrigue me. In fact, it got me to mention other "different practices" I've seen. For example, the loud verbalizing of prayers to be said inaudibly. The neglecting of hand washing. The additions to the various Eucharistic prayers.

Again — and, to be fair, the priest was probably busy and not quite up for a liturgical discussion and anyway, I'm no liturgist — he repeated the odd comment about the "celebrant's signature." And assured me that so long as the celebrant didn't change the words of consecration, there wasn't really anything to worry about.

Actually, I wasn't worried...only on my way home I couldn't help wondering.

About why some priests don't reverence the altar. Nor kiss the altar upon entering the sanctuary. Nor kiss the Book of Gospels after proclaiming the Gospel. Or, why a priest would, instead of saying "the Mass is ended, go in peace," say "the Mass is never ended..." (a worthy thought, I suppose, but still) "...continue to live it."

I guess my question is:

Why is a "signature" needed?

We're not talking about haute couture or designer jeans here. We're talking about something so awesome—the Holy Sacrifice—that no "trademark" need be added. Why, then, do some priests feel the need to put their own "stamp" on what is already perfect?

Anybody? Am I missing something here?

Friday, November 21, 2008

Cody's even better...Thank God!

Many pewsters have been praying for Cody Lehe and his family. Just the other day I noticed a comment on this post...remarkable! Cody's Aunt Denise read it and writes to us:

I forwarded that website to my brother and they remembered the boy and his family very well. In fact, they have run into them occasionally since they got to know them at the ICU. Cody is still improving, although very slowly. They have had him on a treadmill....unbelievable.....and he is able to walk, at a very slow pace (.3 mph), for 5 minutes. He really has beat the odds of everything the doctors told them he would ever be able to do!!! He still has physical therapy 3 days a week and has in-home speech therapy, school work, etc. 2 days a week. They are hopeful, and have made plans, for a family vacation next Spring!!! That would just be amazing!! It would be a very well-deserved break for all of them. He just passed the two year anniversary of the accident, so it has been a very long time since they've been able to get away. He has a great spirit and really keeps everyone on their toes with his sense of humor and "shock" appeal!!

Thanks for your continued prayers for Cody and his family.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Penny (not so) wise in Attleboro, MA

A 74-year-old blind woman has been told a lien will be put on her South Attleboro home if she doesn't come up with a penny she owes on an outstanding utility bill.

You read that right. One cent.

Eileen Wilbur, of Glenn Street, said she discovered the notice of the potential lien after her daughter, Rose Brederson, came over to read her mail.

I heard that after this story broke today, folks driving by Attleboro's City Hall tossed pennies at it.

The city sent Wilbur a letter dated Nov. 10 stating that if the 1 cent balance is not paid by Dec. 10, the city will assess a lien of up to $48 on Wilbur's next property tax bill.

"They wasted taxpayer money on the letter," Wilbur said, noting the 42-cent charge for a stamp.

City Collector Debora Marcoccio said the bill was sent out along with more than 2,000 others as the city tries to recoup outstanding balances before resorting to putting liens on property.

Mrs. Wilbur, by the way, has lived in her home for over 50 years.

And on "fiscal responsibility:"

"It would be fiscally irresponsible for me to have staff weed through the bills and pull out any below a certain amount," Marcoccio said. "

Only in Massachusetts. Sheesh!

Source: The Sun Chronicle

Hospital Refuses to Remove Eluana Englaro's Feeding Tube After Court Ruling

The hospital where Eluana Englaro had received medical care and treatment before an Italian court ruled that her father could take her life refuses to pull her feeding tube. No doctor and none of the staff at the hospital in Lecco have agreed to kill the woman who is considered Italy's version of Terri Schiavo.
...
...the Italian nuns at the Blessed Luigi Talamoni clinic who are caring for her refuse to comply with the court ruling.
...
Vladimiro Kosic, head of health for Friuli-Venezia Giulia, told the Times, "Our hospitals are places of life, not death."

Cio laudato Gesu Cristo!

Monday, November 17, 2008

Open Letter to President-Elect Obama

The good folks at Vox Nova put together this letter. You might consider stopping by and adding your name to the ever-growing signatories list.

November 14, 2008

President-elect Barack Obama,

As American Catholics, we, the undersigned, would like to reiterate the congratulations given to you by Pope Benedict XVI. We will be praying for you as you undertake the office of President of the United States.

Wishing you much good will, we hope we will be able to work with you, your administration, and our fellow citizens to move beyond the gridlock which has often harmed our great nation in recent years. Too often, partisan politics has hampered our response to disaster and misfortune. As a result of this, many Americans have become resentful, blaming others for what happens instead of realizing our own responsibilities. We face serious problems as a people, and if we hope to overcome the crises we face in today’s world, we should make a serious effort to set aside the bitterness in our hearts, to listen to one another, and to work with one another

One of the praiseworthy elements of your campaign has been the call to end such partisanship. You have stated a desire to engage others in dialogue. With you, we believe that real achievement comes not through the defamation of one’s opponents, nor by amassing power and using it merely as a tool for one’s own individual will. We also believe dialogue is essential. We too wish to appeal to the better nature of the nation. We want to encourage people to work together for the common good. Such action can and will engender trust. It may change the hearts of many, and it might alter the path of our nation, shifting to a road leading to a better America. We hope this theme of your campaign is realized in the years ahead.

One of the critical issues which currently divides our nation is abortion. As you have said, no one is for abortion, and you would agree to limit late-term abortions as long as any bill which comes your way allows for exceptions to those limits, such as when the health of the mother is in jeopardy. You have also said you would like to work on those social issues which cause women to feel as if they have a need for an abortion, so as to reduce the actual number of abortions being performed in the United States.

Indeed, you said in your third presidential debate, “But there surely is some common ground when both those who believe in choice and those who are opposed to abortion can come together and say, ‘We should try to prevent unintended pregnancies by providing appropriate education to our youth, communicating that sexuality is sacred and that they should not be engaged in cavalier activity, and providing options for adoption, and helping single mothers if they want to choose to keep the baby.’”

As men and women who oppose abortion and embrace a pro-life ethic, we want to commend your willingness to engage us in dialogue, and we ask that you live up to your promise, and engage us on this issue.

There is much we can do together. There is much that we can do to help women who find themselves in difficult situations so they will not see abortion as their only option. There is much which we can do to help eliminate those unwanted pregnancies which lead to abortion.

One of your campaign promises is of grave concern to many pro-life citizens. On January 22, 2008, the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, when speaking of the current right of women in America to have abortions, you said, “And I will continue to defend this right by passing the Freedom of Choice Act as president.”

The Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) might well undermine your engagement of pro-life Americans on the question of abortion. It might hamper any effort on your part to work with us to limit late-term abortions. We believe FOCA does more than allow for choice. It may force the choice of a woman upon others, and make them morally complicit in such choice. One concern is that it would force doctors and hospitals which would otherwise choose not to perform abortions to do so, even if it went against their sacred beliefs. Such a law would undermine choice, and might begin the process by which abortion is enforced as a preferred option, instead of being one possible choice for a doctor to practice.

It is because of such concern we write. We urge you to engage us, and to dialogue with us, and to do so before you consider signing this legislation. Let us reason together and search out the implications of FOCA. Let us carefully review it and search for contradictions of those positions which we hold in common.
If FOCA can be postponed for the present, and serious dialogue begun with us, as well as with those who disagree with us, you will demonstrate that your administration will indeed be one that rises above partisanship, and will be one of change. This might well be the first step toward resolving an issue which tears at the fabric of our churches, our political process, our families, our very society, and that causes so much hardship and heartache in pregnant women.

Likewise, you have also recently stated you might over-ride some of President G.W. Bush’s executive orders. This is also a concern to us. We believe doing so without having a dialogue with the American people would undermine the political environment you would like to establish. Among those issues which concern us are those which would use taxpayer money to support actions we find to be morally questionable, such as embryonic stem cell research, or to fund international organizations that would counsel women to have an abortion (this would make abortion to be more than a mere choice, but an encouraged activity).

Consider, sir, your general promise to the American people and set aside particular promises to a part of your constituency. This would indicate that you plan to reject politics as usual. This would indeed be a change we need.

Sincerely,

(a bunch o' names)

Kelly Clark

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Keep praying this month and always for the holy souls in purgatory

If only the dead could speak from their graves, they would cry out and say: "All these monuments, and this worldly pageantry only crush us. They only satisfy the vanity of the living, but in no way alleviate our sufferings in purgatory." They would ask:

  • Give us your feet by going to hear Mass for us.
  • Give us your eyes by watching for opportunities to perform good deeds for us.
  • Give us your hands by giving alms or an offering for a Mass.
  • Give us your lips by praying for us.
  • Give us your tongue by encouraging others to be charitable to us.
  • Give us your memory by remembering us in your devotions.
  • Give us your body by offering up to God all its labors, fatigues, and penances for us
From Thirty-Day Devotions for the Holy Souls by Susan Tassone

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

When playing the race card REALLY is stupid...and simply not right

I understand why—I think—Andrew Sullivan was disappointed when Californians voted for Proposition 8 (a simple act that iterates the obvious: the definition of marriage as a union between two people of the opposite gender).

But what I don't get is why he, even in his bitterness, would stoop to insult American people of color.

Every ethnic group supported marriage equality, [sic] except African-Americans, who voted overwhelmingly against extending to gay people the civil rights once denied them: a staggering 69 - 31 percent African-American margin against marriage equality. [My emphasis.]

Hello?????

By "marriage equality," I understand that Sullivan means same-sex "marriage." Got it. But what on earth is he talking about when he claims that black Americans voted against "civil rights once denied to them"?

I don't know where Mr. Sullivan lives, but where I live, nobody ever denied a homosexual man or woman the right to vote, the right to read, the right to use the same bathroom as Caucasians, the right to sit wherever he or she wanted to on a bus...the list goes on.

Jeff Jacoby nails it far better than I can.

I suggest Mr. Sullivan take a deep breath and apologize for his rather wretched racist comments.

And may I further suggest that people who keep insisting that a square is actually a circle quit trying to use black Americans to further their peculiar ideologies?

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Fight FOCA

Monday, November 10, 2008

Ah yes..."tolerance"

About 200 gays and lesbians upset over the voter- approved ban on gay marriage marched from East Los Angeles to the downtown Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels Sunday.

Other protests occurred in Orange County at the evangelical Saddleback Church in Lake Forest and a Mormon church in Laguna Niguel.

Here's the money quote:

'What a lot of religious people of all faiths did to us on last Tuesday was just wrong and it’s unfair,' says one protestor.

Interpretation: "Religious people are okay so long as they agree with us. If not, they are just wrong."

Saturday, November 08, 2008

"Maybe the world won't hate America so much!: Huh?

A well-traveled, well-meaning, extremely respected and devout Catholic physician I know tried, valiantly perhaps, but certainly sincerely, to offer a "bright side" (his words) on the election of Senator Barack Hussein Obama to the office of United States President to me yesterday.

"Maybe at least," he ventured, "this will curb the out-of-control hatred the world has for the United States."

Now this man has spent the many, many years of his professional life traveling doggedly throughout the world, treating the poorest of the poor, generally without worldly compensation. He has eschewed creature-comforts in order to bring relief to those to whom the very term "creature comforts" has no meaning. And he is outspoken in his defense of the unborn. That he knows far more about international affairs than I should go without saying.

And yet my response to him was, nevertheless: "huh?"

Is it that important—or important at all?—that the world "likes us?" What the world "thinks of us?"

Or is our salvation dependent on what God thinks of us?

Personally, I can't help but think that maybe, if this nation holds human life in such little value that we would elect folks who would prefer to end it at or near birth rather than "punish" the rest of us with it...then maybe we don't deserve any respect at all.

Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want. This is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion.

--Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Washington DC, 1994

Father Andrew Greeley: please pray

ROSEMONT -- The Rev. Andrew Greeley, the best-selling novelist and newspaper columnist, fractured his skull in a fall Friday. He is in “critical” condition at a suburban hospital, his family and friends report.

How the outspoken priest was hurt is still being pieced together by his family, but hospital workers told them Greeley, 80, snagged his jacket in taxicab door at about 4 p.m. Friday and fell, hitting his head.

“Right now he’s critical but stable, very stable,” said his niece, Laura Durkin. “Doctors are hopeful and pleased with his progress from last night to today. They’re pleased with his current condition.”

Greeley, a Chicago-born Catholic priest, has written more than 50 novels, including best sellers that offer tales of international intrigue. His Sun-Times columns tackle the issues of the day, including his unique take on religion and politics.

He was lecturing Friday at a convention of the Religious Education Association, at a hotel near O’Hare Airport, Durkin said.

In his fall, Greeley fractured his skull and the left orbital bone near his eye, his friend and attorney Terry Goggin said.

He has bleeding on the brain, and doctors installed a monitor in his skull to gauge pressure on his brain, Goggin said. C-T scans are also being used to monitor his injuries.

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Orare et laborare...and some really good news!

It may seem like a bleak day and that's probably because it is. And while I appreciate the attempts at optimism offered by folks like Jeff Jacoby and Mark Shea, I'm not one to go rah-rah-rah, simply because this country elected a president whose skin color happens to be darker than mine.

On the other hand, there is good news to share!

#1:

John 3:16!

#2:

In a letter to Mark Shea, David Bereit, Director of 40 Days for Life, writes:

On a day when many are stressed about elections, I just heard from one of our 40 Days for Life local campaign leaders who is bouncing off the walls with the exciting news that the abortion facility that was the focus of their campaign over these last 40 days is CLOSING!!

The "Space Available" real estate sign was put in front of the building on Thursday -- day 37 of the campaign. Yesterday, the local leader confirmed with the real estate company that the abortionist is shutting the business down for good.

We will have more details, including the location, as soon as the facility is closed -- which should happen very soon. But I knew you'd want to know that your prayers have produced an amazing result!

And another INCREDIBLE victory: as reports continue to roll in from around the country about the impact of the 40 Days for Life campaign that just ended, the number of confirmed lives saved during the 40 days is...

...520!!

Prayer and work. Let's keep it up...and let's continue to praise God!

Monday, November 03, 2008

Sunday, November 02, 2008

Requiem!

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine; et lux perpetua luceat eis.

Te decet hymnus, Deus, in Sion, et tibi reddetur votum in Jerusalem: exaudi orationem meam, ad te omnis caro veniet.
~~~~~~
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord: and let perpetual light shine upon them.

To you we owe a hymn of praise, O God, in Sion; to you must vows be fulfilled in Jerusalem: hear my prayer, to you all flesh must come.

Please know, my brothers and sisters in Christ, that I have prayed for your deceased loved ones, and look forward to continuing to do so.

May God bless you, and deliver the souls of all the faithful departed. Amen.

Saturday, November 01, 2008

You've been good...take an extra hour off!


If you are reading this, you are entitled to one extra hour of sleep tonight. Kindly turn your clocks back one hour. This public service is brought to you by the lady in the pew.

I'm Kelly Clark...and I approve this message.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

"What if the baby is born alive?"

After the mother asks if the baby can be born alive, the nurse admits that "it does happen, but it wouldn't be able to survive on its own so eventually the baby does die."



From Students for Life of America.

Update: YouTube banned this video last Monday. This link is from Eyeblast.tv.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

"Oh, yeah, that abortion thing"...and Ben Cartwright

Yesterday an acquaintance who asked me to offer one single reason why I wouldn't vote for a national Democratic Party candidate.

"I could give you almost 50 million reasons why...50 million dead, unborn children," I replied with aplomb.

My acquaintance blinked. Then he said "Oh yeah...the abortion thing. Got ya." Then the discussion—there were other people involved—veered into other directions.

Clearly, my "aplomb" was not deserved. And just as clearly, my reply meant nothing, did nothing, influenced nobody.

And for perhaps the millionth time, I wondered:

Why are so many otherwise decent people so casually disinterested in the fact that human life, in certain stages (e.g., the unborn, the very old, the incurably ill) is evidently worthless, or, at least, of very little value?

This morning I remembered a "Bonanza" episode I saw a few months ago.

I was laid up with a broken foot and watched a lot of TV. My favorites were the old shows of yesteryear...like "Bonanza."

Anyway, I remember a show in which The Ponderosa Patriarch—that thrice-widowed, amazingly gallant and loving father, that law-abiding model of generosity—killed three men. In one episode!

Oh, surely, the men were, no doubt, villains. I don't remember the plot, but they probably tried to rob a bank, or kill Hoss or Little Joe or both. But what struck me at the time and still does is that Ben didn't seem at all shattered by the experience. Nobody did. Why not?

Because that was the way it was in the Wild West?

From my brief, old Western education, I learned that men toted guns as a matter of course, whet their whistles regularly at the saloon, fought duels over fancy ladies, formed posses on a whim and, that, all in all, life was cheap.

Okay, I realize I'm talking about an old television show, sheesh.

But I'm trying to get to at least a modicum of understanding here. Why isn't abortion viewed with horror by most Americans? It isn't, you know. It might've been, at one time, but it isn't now. Why not?

Have we, like the Cartwrights, like the folks living in the days of the wild, wild West simply become numb to violence in the womb? Are the numbers of dead babies so huge—50 million is a BIG number, after all—that the whole thing has lost it's sense of repugnance? Are we a nation of folks that, faced with the wholesale destruction of innocent human life, are able to simple shrug it off as "that abortion thing" and go on to other matters?

I have a uneasy feeling that I'm spinning my wagon wheels, here, but I sure would like some understanding.

Monday, October 27, 2008

"We recognize a holocaust when we see one." An open letter to "pro choice" candidates from Father Frank Pavone, with an introduction from the pew lady

I am totally and unambiguously SICK AND (#*!)(&$& TIRED of the label "single issue voter" attached to me by utterly ignorant people. But, to use the vernacular of today's pundits, at the end of the day, human life means something to me. So let me be labeled that. I suspect it makes the so-called "pro choice" folks a tad less uncomfortable in their own skin.

Know this:

Even if the Democratic Party candidates held numerous positions with which I could be comfortable—which they emphatically do not—their fanatical embrace of the "right" to scrape, suck, suffocate, burn or otherwise torture and kill innocent children would trump all that. As it would any human being with a shred of humanity.

Or maybe not!

Here's the weird thing. I know some—many!—who, incredibly, to me, simply do not seem to connect Obama with the murder of children! I feel, often, like Alice confronting the Red Queen in discussions about this. And utterly unable to make sense out of it all.

And so I give you Father Frank Pavone.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

New, pro-life pharmacy in Virginia!

The Curt Jester has more on Divine Mercy Care pharmacy.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout...

but there is no joy in Boston...

Congratulations to Tampa Bay! Go, Rays!

(And who sez the lady isn't a good sport?)

Interesting headline! :-)

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Rebekah and Sarah. Rallying for the disabled.

Kinda makes you want to dance with joy.

H/T to Unborn Word of the Day.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

"Ordain women," they chanted, but when they tried to deliver their petition...

...nobody picked it up.

You know, that reminds me...one of the pets had an "accident" earlier today...and it's still there! (Nobody picked it up.)

The small group of women [and the AP means small...maybe 25/Kelly] representing Catholic organizations from around the world marched across the Tiber River close to St. Peter's Square, some wearing signs with the names of prominent women in the early days of the Roman Catholic Church.

This perplexes me. I'm not sure that there were any "prominent people," female or male, in the early days of Christianity.

It was 30 years ago today...


"Dear brothers and sisters, we are still all very saddened by the death of the very dear Pope John Paul I. And now the most eminent cardinals have called a new bishop of Rome. They called him from a far-away country, ... far, but always near in the communion of faith and the Christian tradition. I was afraid in receiving this nomination, but I did it in the spirit of obedience to Our Lord and with total trust in his Mother, the Most Holy Madonna."

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Obama, Dred Scott, "personhood" and newborns

Lisa Graas is a former lobbyist for Kentucky Right to Life and the former co-chair of their PAC. Also trained at the national level, she has a keen grasp of the constitutional arguments surrounding the abortion and euthanasia issues. Concerned that Obama's position on infanticide is not getting enough coverage and that very few people realize the legal implications of his position, she addresses this concern in this piece.

Read the whole thing here. Some highlights:

...it’s clear that had the Dred Scott decision been allowed to stand, our world would be a far different place right now and there would be no black candidate serving in elected office anywhere in this nation, let alone running for president. Indeed, Senator Barack Obama, who claims it was the Civil Rights movement of the sixties that is responsible for his being conceived, may never have been born. How ironic, then, that Mr. Obama is such a staunch supporter of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that did the same thing to children in the womb that Dred Scott did to people of African descent – stripped them of “personhood” status under the law.

***

As noted, in the Dred Scott case, blacks were classified as non-persons. Roe v. Wade classified pre-born children as non-persons. In the slavery era, we were told that slaves were the “property” of the slave owner. Now, we are told that the unborn child is the “property” of the mother. The “choice” argument was used to defend slave owners as strongly in the slave era as it is used now in the abortion era. Abolitionists were told they should not “impose their morality” on slave owners. It was even said that it would be cruel to free the slaves because they were deemed to be unable to make it in the world without the “benevolent” care of the slave masters. This is reminiscent of the argument that children shouldn’t be born to poor women.

***

Fast forward to the current century. Constitutional scholar Barack Obama, a serious candidate for president of the United States, now seeks to strip “personhood” status from an entirely new class of people – those who have survived an abortion. Mind you, Obama has arguments on his website defending his actions on the Born Alive Infant Protection Act. Unfortunately, those arguments don’t align with the facts. Barack Obama can say what he will about his actions in the Illinois legislature but the bottom line is that if he had his way, doctors performing abortions would not be required to provide medical care to infants that are born alive after an abortion. Not even Hillary Clinton and Barbara Boxer opposed the Born Alive law at the federal level.

Definitely worth the read.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Commenter Justin answers my question. Thanks! And please...FINI!

Last Friday, after posting a rather lengthy forwarded e-mail originating from the group called "MassResistance," I admitted that I was confused and asked for clarification. I did not ask for a debate on same-sex "marriage." I certainly didn't want to engage in one.

I am weary of having to delete posts. I'm also somewhat surprised that my request to close the thread went largely ignored. (HaloScan allows comment deletion and editing. However, I can't figure out if there's a way to actually close comments without deleting the entire post.)

In any case, I am grateful to commenter Justin for giving me a reasonably written clarification on Cardinal O'Malley's actions.

Thank you all for your participation. And please consider, on this blog at least, the topic of Cardinal O'Malley's petition signature closed. (You may, o' course, feel free to discuss it on your own blogs.)

God bless you.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

"Going to the wall" for you: a reflection on today's Psalm

Psalm 23 is, rightfully so I think, a favorite of both believers and non-believers. Why?

Father Bob Lowrey, O.M.V., of Boston's Saint Francis Chapel, reflects on the Psalm from the perspective of his former parishioner Italy — a shepherd — and his own knowledge and reading.

"In ancient Palestine, shepherds led their sheep to pastures where they could graze. But with the advent of the summer heat, the grazing land would dry up. Then the shepherd would bring his flock to higher ground and look for new grazing lands. In order to arrive at this higher ground, the shepherd and the flock would sometimes pass through a canyon—the valley of darkness where wild animals would threaten the sheep. It was here in particular that the shepherd would have to `go to the wall for his sheep' and be ever vigilant for their protection."

Read this remarkable piece by going to the Saint Francis Chapel Bulletin area and downloading today's (2008-10-12) PDF file.

God bless you!