Sunday, September 30, 2012

37 Days


I've committed myself along with many others to pray for the elections 40 days prior. This is day 37 before the elections. We all need to do our part and discern who we should be voting for. And we need to accept the responsibility of our citizenship to vote. There are so many critical issues at stake. We should all have a well-formed conscience and should be in-formed regarding the issues so we can make the proper decisions.

This time is also important because October is Respect Life month. I ask everyone that if you have not given this much thought lately to do so during this month. I am overwhelmed when I focus on the reality of 1.5 million abortions a year in the United State. That number is so hard to grasp. 166 babies lose their life each hour of each day. I wonder why it is often called a pro-life cause, or a pro-life movement. Life is a gift from God, be it at conception or ones last hour, be it poor or rich, perfect or disabled, wanted or unwanted. Our humanity makes us pro-life, so it is not a movement or a cause; it is intrinsic to our very nature. It is ingrained in our very souls. Would not anyone of us do what was necessary to protect a young child in danger, up to and including giving our very life for it? It is natural, it is morally and ethically right.

There will be many opportunities to exhibit our values this month. On Sunday October 7th  all across this nation so many committed people will participate in the Life Chain. I encourage you to find where in your area the Life Chain will be located and to give an hour to pray and silently, publicly witness for the unborn.

Many churches will be displaying white crosses on church grounds in October representing these children lost every hour of every day. Find one in your area, come, drive by and be touched. Better yet, stop and pray.

Being committed to respect for life, now and then I am reminded why I do this. Tonight I watched a wonderful movie entitled “October Baby.” If you have not seen it, I wholeheartedly encourage you to do so. And keep watching to see the vignette during the start of the credits at the end of the movie.

Please join me in prayer for the elections, our nation and for the babies these last 37 days before the elections.

Thanks for reading my musings. My blessings to all of you.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Venerable Fulton J. Sheen on Politics


Venerable Fulton J. Sheen on Politics


By Patti Maguire Armstrong, 9/8/2012

It’s campaign time again – a season of anxiety. Pro-lifers vote for life; something that trumps all else. Those defending a mother’s right to abort her unborn baby, get downright angry at the thought of candidates minding someone else’s business – the business being the life of a baby. Protecting traditional marriages labels one a hater. Then, the HHS Mandate has become a line in the sand that unites all bishops against politicians that seek to twist Catholic arms of business owners who refuse to minimize mortal sin.

At the core, it’s those who follow their religious convictions pitted against those who say religious beliefs have no place in politics.   Although it would seem to be a more modern argument, it has been around as long as Christianity has been.

Sheen: A Lesson on Politics

Regarding  religion and politics, I was recently taken aback while reading Characters of the Passion (Liguouri/Triumph), a book written by Bishop Fulton J. Sheen in 1947.  He takes a look at the characters that played a role in the Passion of Jesus Christ and relates them to our modern world.  No one today would call 1947 modern, but the lessons of the Passion held true in 1947 and still do today.

In Chapter 3, “Pilate: A Lesson on Political Power”, Sheen discussed public opinion as it relates to politics.    He stated, “Those who have their finger on the pulse of contemporary civilization have probably noted that there are two contradictory charges against religions today.  The first is that religion is not political enough; the other is that religion is too political.  On the one hand, the Church is blamed for being too divine, and on the other, for not being divine enough.  It is hated because it is too heavenly and hated because it is too earthly.”  Same old, same old.


Sheen portrayed the political/religious process as Jesus stood before the political Pontius Pilate and the religious Annas and Caiaphas.  Christ was accused of being too religious before Anna and Caiaphas.  Under the veil of mock indignation at the supposed insult to God’s majesty, Christ was declared too religious, too concerned with souls, too infallible and too Godly.  After all, they cornered him into declaring Himself to be God.

Sheen writes:

“Because He was too religious, He was not political enough.  The religious judges said that He had no concern for the fact that the Romans were their masters, and that they might take away their country (John 11:47-48). By talking about a spiritual kingdom, a higher moral law, and His divinity, and by becoming the leader of a spiritual crusade, He was accused of being indifferent to the needs of the people and nation’s well being.”

Counter-Church

Likewise, pro-lifers are accused of being too religious.  Who are they to know the mind of God…to know when life really begins? We are accused of trying to force our religion on others, of being fanatics, of being downright dangerous to a free society.

Ultimately, Jesus was sent into the political arena, to Pontius Pilate. There, religious charges would not have prevailed.  So instead, he was accused of being too political. Jesus is charged with meddling in national affairs; that He was not patriotic enough.  “We have found this man perverting our nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he is Christ the king” (Luke 23:2).

Sheen explained:

“And so throughout history, these two contradictory charges have been leveled against the Person of Christ in His Body the Church.  His Church was accused of not being political enough when it condemned Nazism and Fascism; it is accused of being too political when it condemns Communism. It is the second charge that needs specific consideration, namely, that the Church is interfering in politics.  Is this true?  It all depends upon what you mean by politics.  If by interference in politics is meant using influence to favor a particular regime, party, or system that respects the basic God–given rights and freedom of persons, the answer is emphatically No! The Church does not interfere in politics.  If by interference in politics is meant judging or condemning a philosophy of life that makes the party or state, or the class, or the race, the source of all rights, and that usurps the soul and enthrones party over conscience and denies those basic rights for which the war was fought, then answer is emphatically Yes! 

Read the rest here.

Franciscan Places – Le Celle


Franciscan Places – Le Celle

The "Celle" Hermitage

Le Celle Hermitage near Cortona

Known as Le Celle, this Franciscan hermitage is just five kilometers from Cortona at the feet of Mount Sant’Egidio. In 1211 St Francis along with a few of his followers built the first nine cells of the hermitage and the place has taken the name of Celle ever since. Before their arrival there were only a few small hermit’s cottages and peasant dwellings, along with a small chapel that had been built during the Longobard invasions and dedicated to the Archangel Michael.

This is believed to be the place where, in May 1226, four months before his death, St Francis dictated his Will. Following the death of the saint in Assisi, in October of the same year, Brother Elias withdrew permanently to the Le Celle hermitage in 1239 and carried out a number of improvements and restoration works that ensured the hermitage became a Franciscan property in every right. Brother Elias is in fact considered responsible for having broken up the stone of the caves and created a chapel that was formerly used as a dormitory by the monks. Behind there is the small cell where St Francis lived. The walls built under Brother Elias are rough but solid, and the hermitage contains eight small rooms large enough for a bed, a table and a chair – the essential furnishings prescribed by St Francis himself for a Franciscan hermitage, where the prime importance was to lead a life given over to contemplation.

After Brother Elias’s death in Cortona in 1253, the Franciscan order fell into a complicated series of internal divisions. The hermitage was occupied by a community of "Spirituali", or "Fraticelli", until they were banished in 1363 after suffering excommunication from Pope John Giovanni XXII. Le Celle stood abandoned until 1537, when it was granted by the Bishop of Cortona to the recently founded Third Order of Franciscans, known as the Capuchins. The hermitage was considerably enlarged by the Capuchins, who in 1634 erected a new chapel to take the place of the ancient chapel dedicated to St Michael. This new chapel was consecrated to St Anthony of Padua and reflects the simple, unpretentious architectural and decorative style of the Capuchins. Unadorned by works of art, the chapel still has wooden altars.

Currently the hermitage is inhabited by seven friars who continue to practice the preaching of St Francis

Board: The convent is able to offer lodgings to those contemplating a vocational life and who are willing to take part in all of the community’s activities. Near the convent there are some 40 bed spaces available in houses for independent groups of visitors.

Spiritual retreat: Le Celle is able to offer a period of solitary prayer to priests for a minimum period of one week and lasting up to a month if necessary. This facility is available in a small hermitage above the convent itself.

















Saturday, September 15, 2012

Is There a Future for Catholic Doctors?


Following are two articles I ran across concerning Catholic Doctor’s and Obamacare. I thought you would find it interesting and informative.


From the National Catholic Register

PRINT EDITION » COMMENTARY
Is There a Future for Catholic Doctors?
BY JOHN F. BREHANY Tuesday, Aug 07, 2012 12:29

Daniel Henninger’s recent Wall Street Journal column, “Obamacare’s Lost Tribe: Doctors,” outlined the deleterious effects of Obamacare on physicians and the implications for patients.

At issue, Henninger writes, is not merely if patients will be able to keep their doctors, as Obama promised, but, rather, if physicians will be able to keep their patients — or even stay in the practice of medicine.

The questions Henninger raises about physicians under the president’s Affordable Care Act are even more applicable to Catholic physicians.

Doctors just want to take care of patients. Catholic doctors, in addition, want to take care of patients in a way that is consistent with their faith. But both of these desires have been increasingly difficult to fulfill in recent years, and the future is looking bleaker than ever.

For years, financial and legal pressures have made the climate for medical practice stressful for physicians. In America, payment for health-care services is made overwhelmingly by third-party payers — government (Medicare, Medicaid, State Children’s Health Insurance Program and Veterans Affairs) and health-insurance companies — rather than by patients and individuals.

To prevent fraud and reduce costs, these third-party payers create increasingly complex regulations and demand discounts wherever possible. Doctors have been forced to hire ever more support staff to deal with the bureaucracies and to work harder, seeing more patients and performing more procedures, to make up for the expenses and reductions in reimbursement.

While American physicians earn more than their counterparts in other countries (and specialists can make from 60% to 90% more than primary-care physicians), they also have unique and expanding expenses to cover, not only support staff and malpractice-insurance premiums, but large loans from medical school.

Even before the passage of Obamacare, many doctors were struggling.

In a 2008 survey by the Physicians Foundation, less than 20% of physicians reported that their practices were healthy and profitable; the remainder had either low profits, were breaking even, or were losing money. That same survey reported that 78% of physicians said medicine is either “no longer rewarding” or “less rewarding”; 76% said they are either at “full capacity” or “overextended and overworked”; and 42% said the morale of their colleagues is either “poor” or “very low.”

Obamacare has made everything much worse. 

Read the rest here.

And this commentary to the above article:

Catholic Doctors in the Age of Obamacare

Comment by Russ Rentler, M.D.

John Brehany, PhD, president of the Catholic Medical Association has an interesting article [see above] in the National Catholic Register. Here is my response: 

As a Catholic doctor who is 53 years old practicing geriatrics, I agree that Obamacare has the potential to make it exceedingly more difficult to practice medicine according to the dictates of our conscience. It will also be more difficult to be profitable and stay in business given the cuts in Medicare which have already occurred over the past 10 years. 

As a geriatrician, 99 percent of my income is derived from Medicare payments. Over the past ten years, even before the threat of Obamacare, yearly Medicare reductions now have us getting re-imbursed for only 50% of what we bill for. Malpractice rates continue to rise. In one year in my state, they doubled. Also, I am not compensated for the hours on the phone with family and loved ones that are an essential aspect of geriatric care. Fortunately, at this point, I am an “employee physician” and the hospital system that employs me is taking these cuts “on the chin.”  However, it’s only a matter of time when my employer realizes they can’t maintain the luxury of paying geriatricians who don’t generate anything close to their salary because of the massive reductions in Medicare payments. This is in spite of the fact that geriatricians are a most-needed specialty given the retirement of the baby-boomers and the care they will require. 

The other aspect of this “perfect storm” for Catholic physicians is the pressure to cut costs at the end of life and to “end the suffering.” We are practicing in an era when the concept of redemptive suffering has no meaning to most patients and many families think the purpose of hospice and palliative care is to provide a quick and painless end to their loved one’s suffering.  As a medical director in a nursing home, I am regularly asked to stop tube feeds by families and push the morphine to lethal doses. Thankfully, in my state, it is still illegal for doctors to kill people and my nursing home, though not Catholic agrees with the basic Catholic concepts of appropriate end-of-life care and my administration rarely questions my decisions to continue or initiate artificial nutrition and hydration. However, with the advent of Obamacare, institutions will eventually be pressured for financial reasons to withdraw and limit care and we will definitely see more euthanasia being performed than it is even now, in covert and subtle ways. The public’s acceptance of physician assisted suicide and euthanasia will increase as the costs of a fully implemented Obamacare drain the already insolvent coffers of Medicare. 

Read the rest here.


The President's $8 Billion Coincidence

Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics


Voter’s Guide for Serious Catholics


This is the definitive guide for any Catholic who wants to cast a vote consistent with Catholic moral teaching. This voter’s guide identifies five issues involving non-negotiable moral values in current politics and helps you narrow down the list of acceptable candidates, whether they are running for national, state or local offices.

The Five Non-Negotiables are:


Abortion

Euthanasia

Embryonic Stem Cell Research

Human Cloning

Homosexual "Marriage"

You should avoid to the greatest extent possible voting for candidates who endorse or promote intrinsically evil policies. These five issues concern actions that are intrinsically evil and must never be promoted by the law.


Intrinsic evil refers to actions that are morally evil in such a way that is essentially opposed to the will of God or proper human fulfillment. The key consideration here is that intrinsically evil actions are judged to be so solely by their object, independently of the intention that inspires them or the circumstances that surround them (See the Catechism, Part Three, Section One, Chapter One, Article 4, n. 1756). In this sense, "intrinsic" does not convey the notion of a particularly heinous act (although all heinous acts are intrinsically evil), but that the act is wrong no matter what its circumstances.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Obama a Narcissists


An interesting article sent to me by a friend. I usually try to check out sources before I post anything as I want my readers to trust what I post. Now Snopes.com has tried to debunk this. I am skeptical of Snopes as well. From what I've seen they exhibit a liberal bent. So I can't attest to the accuracy of it. But I figure, "if it walks like a duck..." Whatever the case, it sure seems to fit him.

Psychologist on Obama

Dr. Sam Vaknin is an Israeli psychologist. Interesting view on our president!
Dr. Vaknin has written extensively about narcissism.
Dr. Vaknin States "I must confess I was impressed by Obama from the first time I saw him. At first I was excited to see a black candidate. He looked youthful, spoke well, appeared to be confident -- a wholesome presidential package. I was put off soon, not just because of his shallowness but also because there was an air of haughtiness in his demeanor that was unsettling.. His posture and his body language were louder than his empty words. Obama's speeches are unlike any political speech we have heard in American history. Never a politician in this land had such quasi "religious" impact on so many people.

The fact that Obama is a total incognito with Zero accomplishment, makes this inexplicable infatuation alarming. Obama is not an ordinary man. He is not a genius. In fact he is quite ignorant on most important subjects."

Dr. Sam Vaknin, the author of the Malignant Self Love believes "Barack Obama appears to be a narcissist." Vaknin is a world authority on narcissism. He understands narcissism and describes the inner mind of a narcissist like no other person. When he talks about narcissism everyone listens. Vaknin says that Obama's language, posture and demeanor, and the testimonies of his closest, dearest friends suggest that the man is either a narcissist or he may have narcissistic personality disorder (NPD).

Narcissists project a grandiose but false image of themselves. Jim Jones, the charismatic leader of People's Temple, the man who led over 900 of his followers to cheerfully commit mass suicide and even murder their own children was also a narcissist. David Koresh, Charles Manson, Joseph Koni, Shoko Asahara, Stalin, Saddam, Mao, Kim Jong Ill and Adolf Hitler are a few examples of narcissists of our time. All these men had a tremendous influence over their fanciers. They created a personality cult around themselves and with their blazing speeches elevated their admirers, filled their hearts with enthusiasm and instilled in their minds a new zest for life. They gave them hope! They promised them the moon, but alas, invariably they brought them to their doom.

When you are a victim of a cult of personality, you don't know it until it is too late. One determining factor in the development of NPD is childhood abuse. "Obama's early life was decidedly chaotic and replete with traumatic and mentally bruising dislocations, "says Vaknin. "Mixed-race marriages were even less common then. His parents went through a divorce when he was an infant two years old. Obama saw his father only once again, before he died in a car accident. Then his mother re-married and Obama had to relocate to Indonesia , a foreign land with a radically foreign culture, to be raised by a step-father. At the age of ten, he was whisked off to live with his maternal (white) grandparents. He saw his mother only intermittently in the following few years and then she vanished from his life in 1979. "She died of cancer in 1995."

One must never underestimate the manipulative genius of pathological narcissists. They project such an imposing personality that it overwhelms those around them. Charmed by the charisma of the narcissist, people become like clay in his hands. They cheerfully do his bidding and delight to be at his service. The narcissist shapes the world around himself and reduces others in his own inverted image. He creates a cult of personality. His admirers become his co-dependents. Narcissists have no interest in things that do not help them to reach their personal objective. They are focused on one thing alone and that is power. All other issues are meaningless to them and they do not want to waste their precious time on trivialities. Anything that does not help them is beneath them and does not deserve their attention.

If an issue raised in the Senate does not help Obama in one way or another, he has no interest in it. The "present" vote is a safe vote. No one can criticize him if things go wrong. Those issues are unworthy by their very nature because they are not about him.

Obama's election as the first black president of the Harvard Law Review led to a contract and advance to write a book about race relations. The University of Chicago Law School provided him a lot longer than expected and at the end it evolved into, guess what? His own autobiography! Instead of writing a scholarly paper focusing on race relations, for which he had been paid, Obama could not resist writing about his most sublime self. He entitled the book Dreams from My Father.

Not surprisingly, Adolf Hitler also wrote his own autobiography when he was still a nobody. So did Stalin. For a narcissist no subject is as important as his own self. Why would he waste his precious time and genius writing about insignificant things when he can write about such an august being as himself?

Narcissists are often callous and even ruthless. As the norm, they lack conscience. This is evident from Obama's lack of interest in his own brother who lives on only one dollar per month. A man who lives in luxury, who takes a private jet to vacation in Hawaii, and who raised nearly half a billion dollars for his campaign (something unprecedented in history) has no interest in the plight of his own brother. Why? - Because his brother cannot be used for his ascent to power. A narcissist cares for no one but himself.

This election was like no other in the history of America . The issues were insignificant compared to what is at stake. What can be more dangerous than having a man bereft of conscience, a serial liar, and one who cannot distinguish his fantasies from reality as the leader of the free world?

I hate to sound alarmist, but one is a fool if one is not alarmed. Many politicians are narcissists. They pose no threat to others. They are simply self- serving and selfish. Obama evidences symptoms of pathological narcissism, which is different from the run-of-the-mill narcissism of a Richard Nixon or a Bill Clinton for example. To him reality and fantasy are intertwined.

This is a mental health issue, not just a character flaw. Pathological narcissists are dangerous because they look normal and even intelligent. It is this disguise that makes them treacherous. Today the Democrats have placed all their hopes in Obama. But this man could put an end to their party. The great majority of blacks voted for Obama. Only a fool does not know that their support for him is racially driven. This is racism, pure and simple.

The downside of this is that if Obama turns out to be the disaster I predict, he will cause widespread resentment among the whites. The blacks are unlikely to give up their support of their man. Cultic mentality is pernicious and unrelenting. They will dig their heads deeper in the sand and blame Obama's detractors of racism. This will cause a backlash among the whites. The white supremacists will take advantage of the discontent and they will receive widespread support. I predict that in less than four years, racial tensions will increase to levels never seen since the turbulent 1960's.

Obama will set the clock back decades. America is the bastion of freedom. The peace of the world depends on the strength of America , and its weakness translates into the triumph of terrorism and victory of rogue nations. It is no wonder that Ahmadinejad, Hugo Chavez, the Castroists, the Hezbollah, the Hamas, the lawyers of the Guantanamo terrorists, and virtually all sworn enemies of America are so thrilled by the prospect of their man in the White House.

America is on the verge of destruction. There is no insanity greater than electing a pathological narcissist as president.


































Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Forrest Gump Goes to Heaven


Thought this was pretty good, so I'm passing it on.

FORREST GUMP GOES TO HEAVEN


The day finally arrived. Forrest Gump dies and goes to Heaven.
He is at the Pearly Gates , met by St. Peter himself.
However, the gates are closed,
And Forrest approaches the gatekeeper.

St. Peter said, 'Well, Forrest,
It is certainly good to see you. We have heard a lot about you.
I must tell you, though, that the place is filling up fast,
And we have been administering
An entrance examination for everyone.
The test is short, but you have to
Pass it before you can get into Heaven.'

Forrest responds, 'It sure is good to be here, St. Peter, sir.
But nobody ever told me about any entrance
Exam. I sure hope that the test ain't too hard.
Life was a big enough test As it was.'

St. Peter continued, 'Yes, I
Know, Forrest, but the test is only three questions.



First:
What two days of the week
Begin with the letter T?



Second:
How many seconds are there in a year?



Third:
What is God's first name?'

Forrest leaves to think the questions over.
He returns the next day and sees St. Peter, who waves him up, and
Says, 'Now that you have had a chance to think the questions over,
Tell me your answers.'


Forrest replied, "Well the First one -- which two days in the week begins with the letter 'T'? Shucks, that one is easy. That would be Today and Tomorrow.'

The Saint's eyes opened wide and
He exclaimed, 'Forrest, that is not what I was thinking, but you do
Have a point, and I guess I did not specify, so I will give you credit
For that answer. How about the next one?' asked St. Peter.

'How many seconds in a year ?
Now that one is harder,' replied Forrest, 'but I thunk and thunk about
That, and I guess the only answer can be twelve.'

Astounded, St. Peter said, 'Twelve?
Twelve? Forrest, how in Heaven's name could you come up with twelve seconds In a year?'

Forrest replied, 'Shucks, there's
Got to be twelve: January 2nd, February 2nd, March 2nd... '

'Hold it,' interrupts St. Peter.
'I see where you are going with this, and I see your point,
Though that was not quite what I had in mind....but I will have to give
You credit for that one, too.
Let us go on with the third and final question.
Can you tell me God's first name'?

'Sure,' Forrest replied,
'it's Andy.'

'Andy?' exclaimed an exasperated
And frustrated St Peter .

'Ok, I can understand how you
Came up with your answers to my first two questions,
But just how in the
World did you come up with the name Andy as the first name of God?'

'Shucks, that was the easiest
One of all,' Forrest replied. 'I learnt it from the song,


ANDY WALKS WITH ME,
ANDY TALKS WITH ME,
ANDY TELLS ME I AM HIS OWN.'

St. Peter opened the Pearly Gates,
And said: 'Run, Forrest, run.'





Lord, Give me a sense of humor
Give me the ability to understand a clean joke,
To get some humor out of life,
And to pass it on to other folks ! 

Obama: Wedding Ring is in for Repair


Received this in an email from a friend:

Just passing this on with no comment. Interesting observation though!

Wedding ring is in for repair

Since when does a plain wedding band need repairs, along with your watch, for a whole month?
Another piece falls into place. In a press conference last week Obama was not wearing his wedding ring nor was he wearing his watch.

When noticed, his staff said his ring was out for repairs. No reason was given for the missing watch.
So it's just a coincidence that Muslims are forbidden from wearing jewelry during the month of Ramadan Can't possibly be that, because although he hasn't gone to a Christian church service since entering the White House, we know he's a committed Christian "cause he said so during his campaign!"

...........And I've got a bridge to nowhere to sell you also. This is the same president that spent the Christmas holidays in Hawaii to avoid religious obligations as PRESIDENT at the White House. His children do not receive Christmas presents. Let's just face the facts and quit trying to distort the truth, we have a Muslim for president in the White House, and he has no knowledge of American history.

Please pass this on to believers of what is happening to our Great Nation and to those who are still in denial

Monday, September 10, 2012

Obamacare Summed Up in One Sentence

Dr. Barbara Bellar Candidate for Illinois State Senate, District 18 sums up Obamacare in one sentence.

I've seen this in printed form, but her delivery is great!

Respond to Negative Emotions with a Choice

One of my Deacon's published the following thoughts in our Parish Bulletin. Sounds very Franciscan, if you ask me.

  
Every human being experiences negative emotions. That's part of what it means to be a person. We can't help it. Bad feelings come to all of us.

We DO have a choice, however, in what we do with them when they come. Some suppose that every negative emotion requires a negative reaction, but that is not the case. Through prayer, attitude adjustment and self-discipline, we can respond positively to negative feelings.

If you don't decide, you’ll merely react — and the decision needs to come before you’re indecisive. One helpful practice I've used for many years is spiritual breathing. I imagine exhaling the negative stuff and then inhale deeply with positive replacement. It helps.

Today, I challenge you to choose responding rather than reacting: When you're frustrated with someone — choose kindness. When you're in a hurry — choose patience. When you're stressed out — choose peace. When you're angry — choose calmness. When you're frightened — choose courage. When you're anxious — choose faith. When you're discouraged — choose hope. When you're upset — choose serenity. When you're conflicted — choose harmony. When you're pressured — choose tranquility. When you're offended — choose forgiveness. When you're deprived — choose gratitude. When you're confused — choose prayer. When you're overwhelmed — choose simplicity when you're sad — choose joy. When you're in despair — choose life.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Stewardship



This week my parish began a three week stewardship renewal program; with this week concentrating on spiritual stewardship. My pastor presented his interesting and rewarding thoughts.

He said:  Four words can summarize the response of stewardship spirituality:

·         Gratitude — we gratefully acknowledge the source of our gifts and blessings.

·         Accountability — we seek to use our gifts as the Lord would want us to use them, asking ourselves how God would want us to use our gifts in family life, work life, community life, in all areas of life.

·         Priorities — our priorities flow from our beliefs. As we make choices, we ask ourselves "What would the Lord want me to do?" And seek to bring Jesus’ values into every area of our lives.

·         Sharing — we give back to God the giver of all gifts, some of our time, talent and treasure through our church and other churches.

I can’t help but think of his naming of “Priorities” in relation to the upcoming elections. Will we vote according to our faith, with God’s and natural laws, with our religious freedoms in mind, or will we vote the way we have always voted, will we vote not for the good of the country – our collective selves – but for our pocketbook. There is no hiding the truth. We are broke! Our Federal government, our State government and our local governments are broke. We borrow (from mostly China) 60 cents of every dollar we spend as a nation. I will not have to pay this back, nor will you; but your children and your grandchildren will and beyond. Unless we are willing to see the failure of our country in our own lifetime, we will all have to suffer in some way. Or will you vote for your own pocketbook?

The economy is not the only issue. You have seen, you have experienced, the growing godlessness of our nation. Will you vote for a return to our Judeo-Christian values, or for the expansion of godlessness?

We are a very lucky people when compared to so many other countries. We should call to mind this reflection:

A reflection on Gratitude

To be grateful is to recognize the love of God
in everything He has given us…
and He has given us everything.
Every breath we draw is a gift of His love,
every moment of existence is a grace,
for it brings with it immense graces from Him.

Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted,
is never unresponsive,
is constantly awakening to new wonder
and to praise of the goodness of God.
For the grateful person knows that God is good,
not by hearsay but by experience.
And that is what makes all the difference.
— Thomas Merton

Timothy Cardinal Dolan at the DNC


"wise as a serpent and gentle as a dove"

Many of us were disappointed, even scandalized, that Cardinal Dolan accepted the invitation to give the closing Benediction at the Democratic National Convention. I felt disappointment as well. But having listened to the Benediction I have changed my mind. Cardinal Dolan, to me, is a hero, and a good apostle, as he brought the truth to the party that revels in its anti-Catholic positions and strives to make this a godless country.

As blogger Russ Rentler put it so well:
For those who condemn the good Cardinal for being wishy-washy for agreeing to pray the benediction at the DNC, it would be wise to hear what he prayed. Yes, we should pray as if only our Lord is hearing our prayers, but I think the Cardinal was being "wise as a serpent and gentle as a dove" last night. He basically prayed against the two most important planks of the platform of the Democrats- abortion and same-sex marriage and let those who were listening know, once more, where the Catholic Church stands on these crucial issues of life.

Common Sense


Mark 7:31-37

 Ephphatha!
In today's readings we see Jesus curing the deaf and mute man. I thought of all those who are indifferent and silent concerning the current political situation and the direction our country is taking. I pray that Jesus will also open the ears of all those, especially Catholics, to hear the truth concerning respect for life, that our religious freedoms are at stake, that we must turn our country around before it is ruined, that we must turn back to God. That they must speak out and proclaim Truth, be vocal for the unborn, defend our religious liberties and call others to defend it, to speak out against the socialists, the secularists and the godless.

It is our job to encourage others by our example, our responsibility to heal their deafness and encourage them to speak out.

Did you catch the phrase that Jesus looked to heaven and groaned. Perhaps we need to do the same, a divine sigh, as our mission before us may be difficult, yet it is our mission.


The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble. (Proverbs 4:18-19 NIV)

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Dems Delete God from Platform


So I'm getting ready for work today and listening to the radio.

I hear the Democrats
have deleted "God" from their platform. How anyone in their right mind can remain a Democrat is, really, beyond my understanding. Three times they took up the question by voice which requires a 2/3 majority. Three times the cry "No" was easily louder than the "yes"s..

Unbelievably, the speaker passed the change against the wishes of those in attendance. So now God has been deleted from their platform.

If this does not kick obama in the butt nothing will. But Clinton's degenerate activity in the Oval Office, and his waste of cigars, didn't hurt him at all. In fact, he is still on a pedestal giving a keynote speech.

I see no redeeming value for the Democratic party. Those still embracing it have no values, no ethics. They only think of their wallet and another government handout, a job  and pension for life no matter how incompetent.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Lou

Lou. See my comment on my post of 8/26.

Monday, September 3, 2012

For Greater Glory


After a long wait I finally got the opportunity to watch “For Greater Glory,” a movie about the bloody Cristero War (1926-29) in Mexico, when the socialist President Plutarco Calles restricted religious freedom. A very poignant movie for us as our religious freedoms is now being trampled upon. No, it is not as extreme for us as it was in Mexico – at least not yet, but it is already law. This is what happened when a socialist takes over a country. The first thing they do is eliminate the influence of the church. We have seen this over and over again through history; Germany, France, Mexico – to name just a few – and now us.

Who will you side with? This is a matter of your heart, and sadly, for many, a matter of their pocketbook, for we see over any over again that people will choose their wallet over their faith, values, and morals. We have seen this most vividly with the Democratic party. My parents were Democrats. But that party has embraced socialism, abortion, stem-cell research, euthanasia, homosexual “marriage,” and so many other things contrary to the teaching of our faith and natural law. You are not asked to die for your faith as 90,000 Mexicans did. But will you not take the time to simply vote to protect your faith, your church, and your religious freedoms this November. Will you not speak to your friends and relative with conviction on these matters?

Your heart will be touched my one of the characters in the movie and a real life person and now Blessed Jose Sanchez del Rio, a fifteen year old who was tortured and died for his faith in Mexico. I have turned to Blessed Jose in my prayers to ask for the courage, strength, and conviction to defend my faith and liberties.

Following is a list of Saints and Blesseds from the Mexico persecutions:

Blessed Miguel Agustin Pro, S.J
Blessed Jose Sanchez del Rio
Blessed Anacleto Gonzalez Flores
St. Agustín Caloca
St. Atilano Cruz Alvarado
St. Cristobal Magallanes
St. David GalvÁn Bermudes
St. David RoldÁn Lara
St. David Uribe Velasco
St. Jenaro SÁnchez Delgadillo
St. Jesús Méndez Montoya
St. José Isabel Flores Varela
St. José Maria Robles Hurtado (Priest)*
St. Jóven Salvador Lara Puente
St. Julio Álvarez Mendoza
St. Justino Orona Madrigal
St. Luis Batiz SÁinz (Priest)*
St. Manuel Morales
St. Margarito Flores García
St. Mateo Correa Magallanes (Priest)*
St. Miguel De La Mora (Priest)*
St. Pedro de Jesús Maldonado Lucero (Priest)*
St. Pedro Esqueda Ramírez
St. Rodrigo Aguilar AlemÁn (Priest)*
St. RomÁn Adame Rosales
St. Sabas Reyes Salazar
St. Tranquilino Ubiarco
St. Toribio Romo GonzÁlez
Blessed Andrés SolÁ Molist (Priest)*
Blessed Ángel Darío Acosta Zurita (Priest)
Blessed Ezequiel Huerta Gutiérrez
Blessed Jorge Vargas GonzÁlez
Blessed José Trinidad Rangel Montaño (Priest) *
Blessed Leonardo Pérez Larios *
Blessed Luis Magaña Servín
Blessed Luis Padilla Gómez
Blessed Miguel Gómez Loza
Blessed Mateo Elías del Socorro Nieves (Priest)
Blessed Ramón Vargas GonzÁlez
Blessed Salvador Huerta Gutiérrez
* Indicates member of Knights of Columbus.

I urge you to see the movie. If you would like to learn more from the author of the story, The Catholic World Report has this article here.

Wikipedia also has an article .

During the interview the author states ‘There is a very powerful quote from the film that I believe everyone must memorize it. Fr. Vega quotes: “We must not allow for the Godless to take away our faith.”’

And I must ask you: Will you allow for the Godless to take away our faith?