The Catholic Response to the Huffington Post

Prayer in Time of Grief

Donald R. McClarey — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:30:25 +0000

O come, Thou Key of David, come, And open wide our heavenly home; Make safe the way that leads on high, And close the path to misery. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel. Hattip to A Catholic Mom in Hawaii. Since the death of my son Larry I have [...]

Catholic Medical Association sees growth in troubled times

CNA Daily News - US — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:00:00 +0000

Washington D.C., Jun 19, 2013 / 04:00 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Catholic Medical Association has seen “steady growth” in membership, providing fellowship for Catholic medical professionals as conscience rights and religious freedom are increasingly threatened.

“We’ve become more effective at witnessing in the world,” said John Brehany, the group's executive director. “It’s a great organization, full of great people, who are trying to live their faith.”

“One of the purposes of the CMA is to assist the Church in communicating medical ethics and the Church’s teaching on life and love within the medical profession and within society at large,” Brehany told CNA June 18. “We strive to be of assistance to the Church whenever we can.”

The association’s local chapters are present in 31 states and over 70 dioceses. Membership at the national level has almost doubled in the past seven years, while the number of chapters has increased from eight to 75 in the same time period.

“Our goal is to get one chapter, at least, in every diocese of the U.S.,” Brehany said. “We provide opportunities for our members to connect on a local level.”

Guilds host talks and organize service opportunities and socials. They provide mutual support and help their members know “that there are other good people out there in the field who are trying to live the Catholic faith.”

The Catholic Medical Association was founded in the 1930s and reached a high point in the 1960s. Since then, declines in Mass attendance and Catholic school enrollment have had a negative impact on membership.

The association has about 2,000 national members, and many chapters have local members who attend an annual White Mass for health care professionals or other events.

“Anybody who wants to help integrate Catholic principles into healthcare can join at some level,” Brehany said.

Active and retired physicians are the primary members. However, associate membership is open to dentists, podiatrists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and others with doctoral degrees.

Affiliate membership is open to nurses, students, seminarians, clergy and religious, and other friends and supporters of the association and its mission.

The association’s national conference provides members “a unique experience of faith and fellowship and education,” Brehany said.

The conference provides spiritual sustenance such as daily Mass, confession, Eucharistic adoration and scheduled rosaries. Conference talks often focus on ethical issues in medicine, and fulfill continuing education requirements necessary for attendees to renew their medical licenses.

The Catholic Medical Association publishes the ethics journal Whittaker Quarterly, which according to Brehany is the oldest U.S. journal dedicated to ethics in medicine.

This June, the association has a four-day “boot camp” in Philadelphia for medical students. The gathering provides opportunities for prayer, study and fellowship, and helps prepare students to defend their faith and to “grow to be solid Catholic caregivers.”

Brehany said the Catholic Medical Association is particularly important in light of present trends.

“Probably one of the biggest battles of our day, going on as we speak, is an attack on religious freedom and also conscience rights,” he said.

He said conscience rights in health care “just never have been adequately protected.”

Especially since the Supreme Court legalized abortion nationwide in 1973, those with “an ideology hostile to life” have tried to force doctors to perform abortions and sterilizations and to force students to be trained in these procedures, Brehany said.

“They haven’t gone away. They’ve gotten even more powerful – even more determined – to enforce these things,” he said. “People get this pressure. Sometimes it is concerted and planned.”

Other times, this pressure comes from a cultural atmosphere that holds that the role of the doctor is “to give the patient what she wants.”

“That’s not ever what doctors thought, especially when it comes to doing abortion, and yet we see those attacks coming more and more.”

He said there is no official litmus test on these issues to get into medical school or to advance in a career, “but there are these subtle pressures all the time to go along with our relativist culture, and that is a challenge.”

The Catholic Medical Association is also engaged in the broader fight to defend religious freedom.

Several dozen association members have spoken at religious freedom rallies sponsored by the Stand Up for Religious Freedom Coalition.

The association is encouraging its members to participate in the upcoming Fortnight for Freedom, observed June 21-July 4, to support the U.S. bishops’ opposition to the federal contraception mandate.

The mandate would require employers, including many Catholic organizations, to provide access to insurance coverage for sterilization and contraception, including abortifacient drugs.

“We’re trying to get our doctors involved in local events and in local rallies, so they can help to explain to people why conscience rights and religious freedom are so important in medicine,” Brehany said. “They are important for the doctors and health care professionals who offer care, but they are important as well for patients who receive that care.”

He said the relationship between a physician and a patient is “at the heart of medicine” and often involves trying to meet a patient’s emotional and spiritual challenges as well.

He said the association has “great concern” about the extent to which the government is “taking more and more dictatorial control over medicine,” especially in its control over what services are provided or not.

“We are afraid that they will be either ordering people to do things that violate their conscience, or to withhold treatments that are really of benefit to the patient.”

Brehany encouraged Catholic medical professionals to “band together for mutual support,” to know their rights, and to use the resources of the Catholic Medical Association.

“Catholics really have to stick together and give a unified, compelling, really nationwide interest.”

Why Do you Mow Your Lawn?

Fr-Nathan Miller — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:30:00 +0000

(Gospel) If you do things so that others see you, then God will not reward you.The solution is not to stop doing good things, but to change your heart. Search your heart when you perform good works, and find out why you do them.It's very easy...

NY abortion expansion fails amid Catholic opposition

CNA Daily News - US — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:07:00 +0000

New York City, N.Y., Jun 19, 2013 / 12:07 am (CNA).- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's proposed bill to dramatically expand legal abortion in the state died in the state senate following months of Catholic and pro-life opposition.

The four-senator Independent Democratic Coalition, which has a power-sharing agreement to control the senate with the Republican Party, declined to introduce the abortion measure as part of Gov. Cuomo’s 10-point “Women’s Equality Agenda” measures.

The Republican co-leader of the senate, Sen. Dean Skelos, is pro-life. He said he would not allow a bill with the abortion plank to reach the floor, the New York Post reports.

Jeff Klein, who leads the Independent Democratic Coalition, said the coalition supports abortion rights but could not find the votes to pass it.

Gov. Cuomo, a Democrat, criticized the breakaway coalition. He warned in a radio interview that the issue would play a role in their re-election campaigns, according to Bloomberg News.

Cuomo is a possible presidential candidate in 2016. He is a Catholic but has strongly backed abortion rights despite Church teaching that abortion takes an innocent life.

The New York Catholic Conference strongly opposed the bill, saying the expansion of abortion is “unnecessary and harmful.”

“Rather than voting on a bill that will increase the tragedy of abortion for both women and children, we urge policy makers to look at constructive ways to reduce abortion and truly make abortion 'rare,'” the conference said June 10.

The proposal would have declared abortion to be a “fundamental right.” It would have allowed any licensed “health care practitioner,” including non-doctors, to perform abortions. It would have barred any abortion regulations such as parental notification for a minor considering abortion, while also decriminalizing abortions after 24 weeks into pregnancy when a woman’s health was in danger.

The legislation would also have protected abortionists who kill women during abortions from being charged with manslaughter.

Proponents of the bill contended that it simply codifies federal law, but the New York Catholic Conference said this was “disingenuous and misleading.”

They noted that Pennsylvania convicted the late-term abortionist Kermit Gosnell for performing 21 abortions after the 24-week limit, but the New York would explicitly legalize these abortions.

The New York proposal would “make New York a safe haven for late-term abortionists like Gosnell, encouraging them to set up clinics here, without fear of prosecution, to prey upon vulnerable women and children.”

Cardinal Timothy Dolan had criticized the bill in January, warning it would increase New York’s “scandalous” abortion rate.

Other pro-life groups, including Democrats for Life of America, opposed the bill.

New York state has one of the highest abortion rates in the nation. Over 40 percent of pregnancies in New York City end in abortion, almost twice the national average.

Do You Or Someone You Know Need to Forgive? Can We Stop Fretting About Modesty? and Much More!

NCRegister — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:01:01 +0000

By TITO EDWARDS | Why Do Some Catholic Schools Require Students to Read Really Vulgar Books? by Carl Olson - BigPulpit.com Do You or Someone You Know Need to Forgive? – Dawn Eden, Feast of Eden Can We Stop Fretting About Modesty? - Mary C....

Middle School Summer Softball

Upcoming Events :: St. Pius X Catholic Parish — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:00:00 +0000

June 19, 2013 - August 7, 2013 - Friendly games of softball with other area parishes and ice cream after the game.

The Solemn Salve Regina

Kathleen Pluth — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:50:00 +0000

Rarely does any work of religious art begin to suggest the scale and import of the mysteries of salvation in Christ, but tonight at the Colloquium we were able to experience just such a work. The centerpiece of Charles Cole's marvelous organ concert w...

Youth Minister – St. Thomas More Newman Center and Parish (Columbia, MO)

CatholicJobs.com — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:34:02 +0000

YOUTH MINISTER Youth Ministry, FT EmployeeSt. Thomas More Newman Center and Parish (Columbia, MO)We have active Life Teen and Edge programs with many of the core team coming from among university students. The ability to work in a multi-generational se...

Obama threatens veto as fetal pain bill passes House

CNA Daily News - US — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:22:00 +0000

Washington D.C., Jun 18, 2013 / 05:22 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Despite passing the U.S. House of Representatives, a bill to prohibit abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy faces an uncertain future as President Obama's administration has suggested that he will veto it.

“(S)cience is on our side,” Representative Marsha Blackburn, (R- Tenn.) told MSNBC in an interview.

Blackburn joined other pro-life representatives, including Michelle Bachmann (R- Minn.) and Virginia Foxx (R- N.C.) in defending the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would ban abortions 20 weeks into a pregnancy and later, based on science indicating that unborn children can feel pain by this point. Exceptions in cases of rape, incest or a risk to the mother’s life were included in the final House version of the legislation.

The House of Representatives approved the bill by a vote of 232-293 on June 18, following its passage by the House Judiciary Committee. The legislation will now advance to the Senate, where opponents have vowed to fight it.

The Obama Administration has said that should the legislation gain the approval of both the House and Senate, the president's “senior advisors would recommend that he veto this bill.”

A statement of administration policy criticized the bill, saying that it “would unacceptably restrict women's health and reproductive rights and is an assault on a woman's right to choose.”

The statement alleged that the legislation “is a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade and shows contempt for women's health and rights, the role doctors play in their patients' health care decisions, and the Constitution.”

It is unclear how the Supreme Court would react to the pro-life legislation were it to be challenged as a violation of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.

Pro-life advocates pointed to polls showing that the majority of Americans support restricting late-term abortions.

“May we in humility confront this national sin and may we mourn what abortion reveals about the conscience of our nation,” said Rep. Foxx.

Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), who introduced the legislation, argued in a June 13 statement that “(k)nowingly subjecting our innocent unborn children to dismemberment in the womb, particularly when they have developed to the point that they can feel excruciating pain every terrible moment leading up to their undeserved deaths, belies everything America was called to be.”

“This is not who we are,” he said.

Pro-life advocates have attempted to gain support for the bill's cause, using the hashtag #theyfeelpain on Twitter.

Despite the pledged opposition from the Senate and White House, supporters are confident that the American people are becoming more aware of the reality of abortion.

Last year, a similar piece of legislation that would have applied only to the District of Columbia failed to pass the House of Representatives.

“The tide of the American conscience will only continue to shift toward life and away from dismembering unborn babies in the womb,” said Rep. Franks in a June 18 tweet.

Construction begins on new home for elderly in Thailand

CNA Daily News — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:07:00 +0000

Korat, Thailand, Jun 18, 2013 / 04:07 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- A new home for the elderly in Thailand will seek to restore respect for senior citizens and to fight the escalating problems of elderly abandonment and suicide in the country. Bishop Joseph C...

Same-Sex Desire: Hard-Wired With No Hope for Change?

NCRegister — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:03:01 +0000

By SUE ELLEN BROWDER | JERSEY CITY, N.J. — When Arthur Goldberg’s son confided that he was struggling with unwanted same-sex attraction, the Goldbergs reached out for help. But no Jewish organization existed to give them authentic inform...

A Personal Post….Celebrations and Life

Patty Garza — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:03:00 +0000

Congratulations Gloria and Adan!

Last week was my in-laws 50th wedding anniversary. Quite an accomplishment in this day and age. It was a beautiful ceremony and fun party afterwards with dancing and mariachi's. In addition to time spent with the in-laws, we had a nice visit and enjoyed a week of family time and activities, including a day trip to see my sister and nieces in Oregon on the way back home. However, now that we are back I feel glad to be home, but at the same time have come to realize how boring my life is once I am back into routine again.

Upon our first weekend back we also celebrated Father's Day, as well as my birthday yesterday. I was overwhelmed on Facebook and other social media with all the thoughtful birthday wishes. It's really nice to know others are thinking of me and appreciate my contribution to the social media world, especially those I have not met in person but share common interests.

I've started a walking exercise program to change my morning routine a bit, and so far so good, but it's only been a couple days. Hopefully I can keep it up consistently and meet my daily goal of 10,000-12,000 steps per day or work up to burning 1,000 calories per day!! I want to get into better shape and lose at least 20 lbs this year. While I'm not overweight, I would like to get in better physical shape and maintain a healthier cardiovascular lifestyle. However, I still feel like my life is rather dull. I know I have a loving family and love my boys with all my heart. They are what keeps me going each day, but at the same time I feel like I still need more in life to fulfill me or give me purpose. I just don't know what else to do with the next 40 or 50 years of my life. While I know I have an important role as a stay at home mom, I feel that I need more spiritually, mentally and physically challenging. I don't know what that is exactly, but this is something I need to explore. At the same time I feel content to stay where I am and just accept things the way they are, but something is pushing me or telling me to do otherwise.

However, I don't think I want to go back into teaching in the future, but have considered renewing my teaching license. I've considered substitute teaching, but never liked the unexpected and inconsistent schedule. I like being home for my kids when they get home from school, especially since they are still in elementary school and my mom was always there for us when we came home each day. I'm not a very domestic homemaker though....I dislike cooking and cleaning and as I told my husband before we got married, I'm domestic like a cat....I prefer lounging rather than cooking or cleaning, but as bored as I get some days I do my share of housework to keep things clean and neat, but not always spotless.

I know this isn't the usual blog post from me, but after taking a week off from watching the daily news and following current events, I've come to realize I need a break once and awhile to think about other things in life. I don't know what it is lately, but since we have returned from our family trip,the things that motivated me or interested me before are not as interesting or motivating. I'm still interested in politics, current events and speaking out on social media, but I want to spend less time doing it while still making a difference. I guess I don't feel like enough is being done to change the direction of our country, despite efforts by me and thousands of other online activists. Heck, the way things are going I don't think the people running this country really care about what half the country thinks.

Anyway, I thought I would share what's on my mind lately rather than my thoughts on politics and current events. I'm sure I'll be back to write about the issues of the day more soon and will continue to exchange tweets and news on social media, but maybe not as frequently as I have been the past four years. I need to focus on me, my health and family while trying to decide where to take my life in the next 40 or more years. While I look forward to the retirement years and some day celebrating 50 years of marriage, I also fear what the future holds for our country and especially my sons. I hope they have the same opportunities I had and look forward to the day they graduate high school and college and begin their lives and have families of their own. I pray that our love and guidance will prove to be enough and that they grow up to be happy, healthy and productive citizens in society. Thanks for reading this blog post this far, following my blog, tweets or other social networks and for your support. I look forward to hearing from my readers/followers and consider those who are loyal followers friends.

©2008-2013 Patricia Garza

Harry Reid focuses on the important things…like genderless bathrooms

therightswriter@gmail.com — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:01:00 +0000

by Tony Perkins June 18, 2013 (FRC) - In the midst of so many crises, it's comforting to know that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is focused on what matters: genderless bathrooms. Unfortunately, that's just one effect of a sweeping proposal that could destroy personal freedom in the American workplace.…

Congressman Ob/Gyn Speaks About Fetal Pain, Media Titters Like Grade Schoolers

NCRegister — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:56:01 +0000

By Matthew Archbold | Just when I think our culture can't get any lower. Representative Michael Burgess is an ob-gyn and a congressman. He has delivered thousands of babies. Recently, he spoke about babies' ability to feel pain in the womb due...

Archdiocese of Vancouver celebrates Pro-life Sunday on Father’s Day

therightswriter@gmail.com — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:56:00 +0000

by Thaddeus Baklinski VANCOUVER, June 18, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Archbishop of Vancouver has once again held the archdiocese's Pro-life Sunday on Father's Day, recognizing the "wonderful gift of fatherhood" and connecting it to the importance of celebrating and protecting life. This year Archbishop J. Michael…

Democrat Nightmare Come True

Donald R. McClarey — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:53:20 +0000

In regard to the colored people, there is always more that is benevolent, I perceive, than just, manifested towards us. What I ask for the negro is not benevolence, not pity, not sympathy, but simply justice. The American people have always been anxious to know what they shall do with us… I have had but [...]

Till Death Do Us Part?

Marcel — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:38:00 +0000

Q - Why does marriage end once a spouse dies? Why is it not forever?A - Thanks for the great question! We first have to explain what the Catholic Church teaches about the Sacrament of Matrimony, which we will call marriage.Ephesians 5: 31-32 says:"Fo...

Indian woman has surprise baby at 60

therightswriter@gmail.com — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:23:00 +0000

by Johanna Dasteel INDORE, Madhya, Pradesh, India, June 18, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A 60-year-old Indian woman shocked doctors, and herself, when she unexpectedly gave birth to a healthy 3.5 kg (7 lb 11 oz) baby girl last Thursday. Only identified as Lilabai, the mother of (now) four children presented…

Guidance Assistant and Registrar – Mother Cabrini High School (New York, NY)

CatholicJobs.com — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:07:19 +0000

GUIDANCE ASSISTANT AND REGISTRAR Clerical/Administrative, FT EmployeeMother Cabrini High School (New York, NY)Work closely with Guidance Counselors and assist them with daily activities to ensure the smooth and efficient operation of the Department. Ac...

This Is Your Life

Fr Joseph Esper — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:00:31 +0000

Once there was a man—let’s call him Tim—who was dying of cancer; thanks to hospice care, he was able to stay in his own home, where he spent all his time in bed. Tim happened to be a huge soccer fan, and because that’s not a major American sport, he kept up with European soccer, [...]

The post This Is Your Life appeared first on Catholic Journal.

Chinese city forces all women of child-bearing age to be fitted with IUDs or sterilized

therightswriter@gmail.com — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:59:00 +0000

by The Editors HUIZHOU, Guangdong China, June 18, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Chinese government has given notice to citizens of the city Huizhou that all women of childbearing age must be fitted with Intrauterine Devices (IUDs) or be permanently sterilized via tubal ligations. Women who are currently…

Sex ed in New Zealand ‘seriously flawed,’ dangerous: report

therightswriter@gmail.com — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:38:00 +0000

by Michelle Kaufman, New Zealand Correspondent AUCKLAND, June 18, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) - “We must provide students with an ideal to strive for, one that offers them the healthiest option physically and emotionally. The healthiest ideal is to postpone sexual activity until adulthood, and ideally, until marriage.” This is the recommendation…

‘Mom, Dad, I’m pro-life’: the day I came out to my liberal parents

therightswriter@gmail.com — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:20:00 +0000

by Sierra Champion Mom, Dad, I’m pro-life. The day I “outed” myself to my ultra-liberal family, I was terrified. These are the people who basically tried to bully me into aborting my son (aka, their grandson) back in 2011. Lord knows I love them, but I was seriously considering taking this to the grave.…

Toronto District School Board opens its first co-ed washroom

therightswriter@gmail.com — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:12:00 +0000

by Patrick B. Craine TORONTO, June 18, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – An “alternative” school dedicated to “equity” issues has opened the Toronto District School Board’s first co-ed washroom. Intended primarily for students identifying as “transgender,” the washroom was set up after…

Jesus ‘wants pastors, not combers of sheep,’ Pope Francis says

CNA Daily News — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:12:00 +0000

Vatican City, Jun 18, 2013 / 01:12 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Christians are called to be evangelists, seeking out the sheep who are lost rather than staying at home tending to the few who have never left, Pope Francis said at the Vatican's Paul VI Hall.

“It's the 99 who we're missing! We have to go out, we must go to them,” the Bishop of Rome said June 17 to the participants of the annual convention of the Diocese of Rome.

“The Lord wants pastors, not combers of sheep; pastors! And when a community is closed, always among the same people who talk, this community is not a community that gives life.”

Pope Francis opened his speech discussing grace, and its tremendous power to make saints out of sinners, through the freedom it brings. He called the power of grace “revolutionary,” and that it must have a revolutionary effect on the hearts of Christians.

“Only one thing is necessary to become saints: accept the grace that the Father gives us in Jesus Christ. Behold, this grace changes our heart. We continue to be sinners, because we are all weak, but even with this grace that makes us think that the Lord is good, that the Lord is merciful.”

The heart revolutionized by grace, he said, will be “full of tenderness for those bearing the wounds of life.” He turned to the many people in Rome who live without hope.

Everyone, the Bishop of Rome said, can think of those “who are immersed in deep sadness that they try to get out of, believing to have found happiness in alcohol, in drugs, in gambling, in the power of money, in sexuality without rules.” These people, he said, are living without hope.

“How can we go ahead and offer hope? Go down the street saying, 'I have hope'? No! With your testimony, with your smile, saying: 'I believe that I have a Father.'”

“The proclamation of the Gospel is this: with my words, with my testimony to say: 'I have a Father.'”

Yet, he emphasized, Christians should not proselytize, or to seek to convince others. “The Gospel is a like a seed,” he said, but the sowing must be done with both word and witness.

“The word alone is not enough, not enough. The word without the witness is air. Words are not enough.”

The proclamation of the Gospel, he said, is “destined primarily to the poor, to those who often lack the essentials for a decent life. The good news is first announced to them, that God loves them before all others and comes to visit them through the acts of charity that the disciples of Christ carry out in his name.”

“We have to go to the flesh of Jesus suffering,” Pope Francis said, “to the existential peripheries.”

To do this, he stressed, requires courage, but this courage is necessary to bring the Gospel to neighborhoods, workplaces, and “wherever people … develop relationships.”

Speaking to leaders in his diocese, which is approximately 82 percent Catholic, the pontiff made reference to the Gospel passage of the shepherd who leaves the 99 sheep to seek the one which is lost.

“But, brothers and sisters, we have one; it's the 99 who we're missing! We have to go out, we must go to them! In this culture – let's face it – we only have one. We are the minority.”

“And do we feel the fervor, the apostolic zeal to go out and find the other 99? This is a big responsibility and we must ask the Lord for the grace of generosity and the courage and the patience to go out, to go out and proclaim the Gospel.”

He noted the temptation to “stay home, with the one lamb. It's easier to comb its hair, caress it.”

“But the Lord wants pastors, not combers of sheep; pastors! And when a community is closed, always among the same people who talk, this community is not a community that gives life.”

“It's a sterile community, it is not fruitful. The fruitfulness of the Gospel is by the grace of Jesus Christ, yet through us, our preaching, our courage, and our patience.”

Pope Francis assured his listeners that evangelization is not easy, and that it will be opposed by the devil, but this spiritual battle is “the daily lot of Christians.”

The work of bringing Jesus' grace to others, he said, is a martyrdom. “Martyrdom is this: to fight the fight, every day, through witness … Of some, the Lord asks the martyrdom of life, but there is the martyrdom of every day, of every hour: the witness against the spirit of evil, who does not want us to be evangelists.”

He concluded by focusing on the love God has for each person, noting that the “cross forcefully reminds us that we are sinners, but above all that we are loved, that we are so dear to God's heart.”

“Every person needs to feel themselves loved the way they are because this is the only thing that makes life beautiful and worthy of being lived.”

In our time, when what is freely given seems to fade in our interpersonal relationships, we Christians proclaim a God who, to be our friend, asks nothing but to be accepted,” he said.

“Think of how many live in desperation because they have never met someone who has shown them attention, comforted them, made them feel precious and important.”

“We, the disciples of Christ, can we refuse to go to those places that no one wants to go out of fear of compromising ourselves or the judgment of others, and thus deny our brothers and sisters the announcement of God's mercy?” the Pope added.

“We have received this gratuity, this grace, freely. We must give it freely. Don't be afraid of grace. Don't be afraid to go out of yourselves, out of our Christian communities, to go and find the 99 who are not home.”

“Go out to dialogue with them, and tell them what we think. Go show them our love, which is God's love.”

Adjuncts- Undergraduate Studies – Rivier University (Nashua, NH)

CatholicJobs.com — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:11:16 +0000

ADJUNCTS- UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES Education: University/College, PT EmployeeRivier University (Nashua, NH)ADJUNCTS- DIVISION OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Rivier University is seeking applicants for adjunct positions to teach und...

My letter to the General Medical Council over its guidance to doctors on conscientious objection

therightswriter@gmail.com — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:41:00 +0000

by Peter Saunders When two Glasgow midwives won the right to opt out of supervising abortions last April I suggested that the General Medical Council (GMC) needed to revise its professional guidance on the matter which now seemed to be at odds with the law. At the time Niall Dickson (pictured), the GMC's…

Argentine bishops concerned over assisted reproduction law

CNA Daily News — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:04:00 +0000

Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jun 18, 2013 / 12:04 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Responding to a new law on assisted fertilization, the bishops of Argentina stressed that “not everything that is technically possible is ethically and legally acceptable.” ...

Is the Sign of Peace a Problem? The Fr. Richard Ho Lung Story; Matrimony Not Marriage and Much More!

NCRegister — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:00:01 +0000

By TITO EDWARDS | Is the Sign of Peace a Problem? by Jeffrey A. Tucker of The New Liturgical Movement blog - BigPulpit.com The Sign of Peace: A Liturgical Commentary Set to Music – Gregory DiPippo, New Liturgical Movement Candles In The Da...

Bitter irony: children once again to be euthanized in Belgium/Netherlands 70 years after Nazis

ajmatera@earthlink.net — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:23:00 +0000

by Peter Saunders June 18, 2013 (PJSaunders) - In this last week both Belgium and the Netherlands have taken major steps towards euthanasia for children. A consensus among members of the Belgian Federal Parliament has reportedly formed in support of legislation to allow children to choose to undergo euthanasia…

Payroll Processor – Archdiocese of Seattle (Seattle, WA)

CatholicJobs.com — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:13:28 +0000

PAYROLL PROCESSOR Human Resources, FT EmployeeArchdiocese of Seattle (Seattle, WA)The Benefits Services Office of the Archdiocese of Seattle has an opening for a full-time Payroll Processor. This opening is to fill a newly created position. GENERAL IN...

Mt 5:43-48 God And All His Children

Fr. Alfonse — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:06:00 +0000

Tuesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

(Click here for readings)

Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father…So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

I’m not perfect. I’m not! And I have no problem saying it, especially when I find myself in a pinch or stuck in a corner, or when my errors are so obvious I have no out! So, “I’m not perfect” becomes the perfect excuse for my poor behavior. Hey, can anyone claim to be perfect?

Be perfect. Maybe no one can claim to be perfect or to know everything, but we do know that we can be better and know better. We can know right from wrong, and we can know we must do right and help move those who do wrong.

You have heard that it was said… So many people have a hard time reconciling the God of the Old Testament with the God of the New Testament. They seem so different. They conclude that either there are two different Gods in the Bible or that God had a big change of heart! Which one is it? I personally agree there was a big change of heart, but it didn’t happen to God; instead, it happened to man, to us, thanks be to God.

God did not need to change his heart. We did.

A little bit of history. Let’s not forget: the Old Testament is the story of man in his infancy. It’s that time in “life” when we were all young and wild, literally. We tend to forget this fact like we tend to forget that our kids, even in the “modern era,” are still kids that have a lot of learning to do!

Well, infant “man” had a lot of learning to do. He could have gone in so many different directions. He could have become an animal, as some did. He could have become a barbarian, as some did. But he could have also become a Saint, like some did.

Now God was present, like any good dad, in the early development of his children, especially His Jewish children. We know the Jewish people were taught by God. We know that they endured tough times with God. But what we tend to forget is that they were completely surrounded by children that loved to play God; and if they weren’t playing God then they were worshiping God in the most inhumane and horrific ways! The gods they worshipped were known as Moloch, Dagon and Tanit. They prostituted their women to them; they sacrificed their children to them, and they terrorized their neighbors with them. God, through the Jewish people, set out to destroy them. And they did. Their influence was annihilated.

We need to stop saying our Jewish ancestors were “backwards” in their thinking; or “barbarian” in their attitudes. They weren’t. In fact, they were much more forward thinking than many of us are today. If anything, many of our children live like yesterday’s barbarians and call it “leaning forward.” They’re not “leaning forward,” their “leaning backwards!” Their repeating the worst aspects of history!

But I say to you, love your enemies... The Lord is telling us that we need to be perfect, and not just “perfect,” but “perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” These are some pretty big shoes to fill. But no one can claim that God did not prepare us for this moment. After all, He spoke these words long before World War I, World War II and the nuclear age; long before the threat of nuclear annihilation and the resurgence of Islam and terrorism. He spoke these words long before any of us were born.

Now, is anyone listening? Or are we still like children covering their ears.

P.S. Check out the latest in Catholic News. Read how Charles Darwin's great-great-great granddaughter decided to become Catholic.

Ottawa Catholic school board amends partnership policy but critics fear scandals will continue

ajmatera@earthlink.net — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:04:00 +0000

by Peter Baklinski OTTAWA, Ontario, June 18, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Ottawa Catholic School Board (OCSB) amended its “Partnership, Sponsorship, and Donations” policy last week after repeatedly facing parental backlash over choices of school trips, events, and speakers that parents say were hostile…

The Morning-after Pill: coming to a vending machine near you?

ajmatera@earthlink.net — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:03:00 +0000

by Eric Metaxas June 18, 2013 (Breakpoint.org) - Last week, the President threw America's parents and their daughters under a bus. And I'm hopping mad about it—and not just because I have a young daughter of my own. First, a little history: In 2011, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius…

Pope explains how Christians can love bombers

CNA Daily News — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:00:00 +0000

Vatican City, Jun 18, 2013 / 11:00 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis tackled Jesus’ teaching that Christians must love their enemies by asking a series of provocative questions, such as, how can we love those who “bomb and kill so many people?”

As he began his June 18 homily, the Pope illustrated how difficult and wide-ranging Jesus’ teaching on loving one’s enemies can be by posing a series of questions to the congregation.

How can we love those who decide to “bomb and kill so many people?” How can we “love those who out of their for love money prevent the elderly from accessing the necessary medicine and leave them to die?”

And at the more general level, the Pope asked how Christians can love those who only pursue “their own best interests, power for themselves and do so much evil?”

“It seems hard to love your enemy,” he stated, but Jesus asks it of us.

It is a teaching that is “so hard, but so beautiful, because it makes us look like the Father, like our Father: it brings out the sun for everyone, good and bad. It makes us more like the Son, Jesus, who in his humiliation became poor to enrich us, with his poverty,” he preached.

The Holy Father’s homily for daily Mass at his residence was based on the Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and his charge to his disciples to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father.”

Pope Francis told the congregation that there are two ways that Christians should love their enemies and they are both contained in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5.

The first way is to look to the Father who “makes the sun rise on evil and good” and “rain fall on the just and unjust.” God “loves everyone.”

The pontiff added, Jesus “forgive his enemies” and “does everything to forgive them.” Taking revenge, on the other hand, is not Christian, he warned.

The second thing that Christians should do to love their enemies is to pray for them. “When we pray for what makes us suffer, it is as if the Lord comes with oil and prepares our hearts for peace,” he remarked.

“Pray! This is what Jesus advises us: ‘Pray for your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!’ Pray!

“And say to God: ‘Change their hearts. They have a heart of stone, but change it, give them a heart of flesh, so that they may feel relief and love.

Pope Francis then made his homily more personal by posing a question for the congregation to consider.

“Let me just ask this question and let each of us answer it in our own heart: ‘Do I pray for my enemies? Do I pray for those who do not love me?’

“If we say ‘yes,’ I will say, ‘Go on, pray more, you are on the right path!’ If the answer is ‘no,’ the Lord says: ‘Poor thing. You too are an enemy of others!’

“Pray that the Lord may change the hearts of those. We could say: ‘But this person really wronged me,’ or they have done bad things and this impoverishes people, impoverishes humanity. And following this line of thought we want to take revenge or that eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,” the Pope preached.

He also pointed out that loving one’s enemies “impoverishes us,” because it makes us poor “like Jesus,” who, when he came to us, “lowered himself and became poor” for us.

And yet, Jesus’ impoverishment was not a “bad deal” but brought about the salvation of the world, pouring out “the grace that has justified us all, made us all rich,” he said.

Pope Francis closed his homily by urging those present to pray for their enemies, “those who do not wish us well: it would be nice if we offered the Mass for them: Jesus, Jesus' sacrifice, for them, for those who do not love us."

Rush Limbaugh: abortion is ‘at the root’ of American society’s ills

ajmatera@earthlink.net — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:34:00 +0000

by Calvin Freiburger June 18, 2013 (LiveActionNews.org) - On his radio show Friday, Rush Limbaugh delivered a powerful monologue (transcript, video) asserting that in addition to its innate monstrousness, abortion is “at the root of our cultural decay” as a nation, its impact stretching from respect for…

Jun 18 – Homily – Fr. Benedict: St. Ephrem – Mary’s Own Singer

franciscanfriars — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:23:18 +0000

	Jun 18 - Homily - Fr. Benedict: St. Ephrem - Mary's Own Singer Called the Harp of the Holy Spirit for his hymns and the greatest poet of his time, St. Ephrem was also called Mary's Own Singer for his endless praises and ...	From: franciscanfriars Views: 2 1 ratings
	Time: 09:47	More in People & Blogs

Cardinal O’Malley: Pass Law Protecting Pain-Capable Unborn

NCRegister — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:19:01 +0000

By CNA/EWTN NEWS | WASHINGTON — The U.S. bishops’ point man on pro-life issues is calling on federal legislators to support a bill that would ban late-term abortions after unborn children are able to feel pain. “(O)ur citizens we...

Director of Advancement – St. Bernadette School (Drexel Hill, PA)

CatholicJobs.com — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:51:41 +0000

DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT Marketing/Advertising, FT EmployeeSt. Bernadette School (Drexel Hill, PA)DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT ST. BERNADETTE OF LOURDES SCHOOL DREXEL HILL, PA St. Bernadette of Lourdes School in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, is seeking to hire...

Jun 18 – Homily: Love those who Persecute us

franciscanfriars — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:32:25 +0000

Jun 18 - Homily: Love those who Persecute us Fr. Elias on the Sermon of the Mount and how we must go to great heights in our love for neighbor, to love them even when they do us an injustice. This requi... From: franciscanfriars Views: 1 3 rati...

Bringing love to empty eyes and scarred arms: how to win hearts to the pro-life cause

ajmatera@earthlink.net — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:28:00 +0000

by Jonathon van Maren Nothing quite gives a pro-life activist the opportunity to find out where our culture is at and how wounded it is as being out on the streets, discussing abortion with our generational counterparts. The first thing that always strikes me is how much hurt and how much pain is out there, and how badly…

Music Director – Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Rapid City, SD)

CatholicJobs.com — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:13:56 +0000

MUSIC DIRECTOR Music Ministry, FT EmployeeCathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Rapid City, SD)Work with the Liturgy Director, direct and oversee the liturgical music of the parish and the musical events of the parish Responsibilities: 1.Work with t...

New Evangelization Top Priority for Fargo’s New Bishop

NCRegister — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:10:01 +0000

By CARL BUNDERSON/CNA/EWTN NEWS | FARGO, N.D. — Msgr, John Folda, who will be installed tomorrow as bishop of the Fargo Diocese, looks forward to promoting the Catholic faith in eastern North Dakota. “My challenge will really be how to...

Children’s journey of beauty ends with papal visit

CNA Daily News — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:02:00 +0000

Vatican City, Jun 18, 2013 / 09:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- This coming Sunday, almost 500 disadvantaged children will arrive at the Vatican on a special red train, where they will be greeted by Pope Francis as part of their “Journey of Beauty.”

The project focuses on children, Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi explained, “because I think that therein lies the root from which we must build a generation of young persons who still have ... the beauty of creativity – that doesn't seem old at the start – who aren't already discouraged the way we are but who are ready to live more the future that awaits them.”

The “Children’s Train: A Journey of Beauty” was unveiled during a June 18 press conference at the Vatican’s press office by Cardinal Ravasi, head of the Pontifical Council for Culture, and other organizers.

The children’s initiative was actually born out of a suggestion by a participant in the pontifical council’s event for creating dialogue between believing and non-believing adults, called the Courtyard of the Gentiles.

The Courtyard of the Children initiative first launched in December 2012, with the aim of giving young kids the chance to directly experience beauty through art and the world of images.

Patrizia Martinez, the coordinator of the Children’s Courtyard, said that it has been very well received by the kids, most of whom come from difficult circumstances.

“I am here to share the joy and enthusiasm of the children,” Martinez said.

In fact, this will be the first time that many of the kids have traveled on a train, let alone a red “Frecciarossa” bullet train.

The June 23 voyage to the Vatican will begin in Milan and stop in Bologna and Florence on the way to Rome.

In each city, disadvantaged children from the city who have been taking part in the Courtyard initiative will board the train, which is being made available by the Italian State Railway.

In total, 450 children of various nationalities and between the ages of six and 10-years-old will travel with their teachers, family members and volunteers to the Vatican.

Prior to the voyage, the children visited the cathedrals in their respective cities and discovered how it was built, learned about the artistic works within it and encountered its beauty.

The Courtyard has also been active at the Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital in Rome, where the staff worked to expose the young patients to glimpses of beauty and the strength of cooperation.

The Children’s Train will arrive in Rome on Sunday morning and will pause at Saint Peter’s station, one stop before the Vatican train station.

Since the train is electric and there are no overhead electrical lines inside the Vatican, the train will be pulled the remaining half of a mile by a diesel locomotive.

The children will be welcomed to Rome by a band from the Virgilio Institute and 50 other kids who have prepared works of art for them.

The pinnacle of the event will be a gathering in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, where the children will be treated to an hour of entertainment and music and be visited by Pope Francis.

The Vatican press office director, Father Federico Lombardi, told reporters June 18 that he expects the Pope will meet with the group after he recites the noontime Angelus in St. Peter’s Square.

Quebec Euthanasia Bill Criticized for Enshrining ‘Power to Kill

NCRegister — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:56:01 +0000

By CNA/EWTN NEWS | QUEBEC CITY, Canada — A Quebec bill to allow lethal drug prescriptions for patients in pain would give doctors “the power to kill” and further lessen the value society places on the ill and dying, a Canadian pro-...

What really happens to women who have abortions?

ajmatera@earthlink.net — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:56:00 +0000

by Priscilla K. Coleman June 18, 2013 (Mercatornet.com) - On June 12 the New York Times published an article by graduate student Joshua Lang, “What Happens to Women Who Are Denied Abortions?” Mr Lang is currently enrolled in UC Berkley’s Joint Medical Program, a five-year Master of Science/Medical…

How to Semi-Unplug

NCRegister — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:49:01 +0000

By Simcha Fisher | Last month, a Pew study showed that teens consider Facebook and other social media outlets more of a "social burden" then a pleasant and interesting way to spend time. One girl said, “Honestly, Facebook at this point, I'm on it...

US Bishops Remind Congress of the Poor as Farm Bill Goes to Vote

ZENIT — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:47:32 +0000

Leaders of five national Catholic organizations, including two chairmen of committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, urged the U.S. House of Representatives to support a Farm Bill that "provides for poor and hungry people both at home and...

Rio to Have English-Speaking Welcome Center

ZENIT — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:39:06 +0000

World Youth Day facilities in Rio de Janeiro, July 23-28, will include a special Welcome Center for English-Speaking pilgrims. The site will feature prayer and worship experiences, music, media and videos, motivational speakers, cultural presentations...

Water and Multiple Chalices

Father Edward McNamara, LC — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:25:21 +0000

Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy and dean of theology at the Regina Apostolorum university. Q: When the Blood of Christ has to be given to a number of communicants, the priest prepares three or four chalic...