I came across a link to a petition fighting the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA), a despicable piece of legislation that President-Elect Obama has indicated will be one of his top priorities. I encourage anyone that happens upon this post to please go to the following website and sign the petition:
http://www.AULAction.org/
Also, please pray for the culture of life and the conversion of the hearts of all of our elected officials, particularly Mr. Obama.
Praise God!!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Moving On
Well, it has been just a little over a week since the election. In case anyone is wondering (and given the lack of comments on this Blog, I suspect that no one is), I voted for Bob Barr, the Liberterian candidate. Basically, I could not bring myself to vote for either Obama or McCain and Barr was the only other pro-life option.
So, Barack Obama was elected President, and (unfortunately) it appears that Roman Catholic voters helped to ensure that outcome. Although it was an historic election, I cannot help assessing the post-election situation with a bit of dread. Certainly, on the issue of life, the election was disastrous. With a Democratic President and Democratic control of both the House and Senate, it seems that life will be under siege for the next couple of years. It will take a significant amount of prayer to weather the storm.
Also, I feel a general sense of unease regarding the situation in America. Given the precipitous state of our economy, the war in Iraq, etc..., perhaps that sense of uneasiness would have existed regardless of who was elected. Nonetheless, it is a palpable uneasiness; a sense that America is going to take one on the chin in the near future. Be that as it may, I am fully aware that with God, there is always hope. Feelings of uneasiness aside, I know that I must trust in the Lord and His benevolence. After all, they don't call this place the "vale of tears" for nothing!
As a Roman Catholic, I find it helpful to remember that right now, I am a part of the Church Militant, that aspect of the Church that is present in the world and fighting the fight for Christ. I should expect challenges. Yet, it is important to remember that I do not face those challenges alone. The Church Militant is only one part of the Church (along with the Church Suffering in Purgatory and the Church Triumphant in Heaven), and we receive assistance from the other members, particularly all of our brothers and sisters in Heaven. So, come what may, we must always remember their assistance.
Yes, the election is over. And as I move on from the election, I realize that only time will tell what the future holds. For now, my fervent hope and prayer is that my President-Elect (and my Country) will experience a change of heart on the issue of life.
Praise God!!
So, Barack Obama was elected President, and (unfortunately) it appears that Roman Catholic voters helped to ensure that outcome. Although it was an historic election, I cannot help assessing the post-election situation with a bit of dread. Certainly, on the issue of life, the election was disastrous. With a Democratic President and Democratic control of both the House and Senate, it seems that life will be under siege for the next couple of years. It will take a significant amount of prayer to weather the storm.
Also, I feel a general sense of unease regarding the situation in America. Given the precipitous state of our economy, the war in Iraq, etc..., perhaps that sense of uneasiness would have existed regardless of who was elected. Nonetheless, it is a palpable uneasiness; a sense that America is going to take one on the chin in the near future. Be that as it may, I am fully aware that with God, there is always hope. Feelings of uneasiness aside, I know that I must trust in the Lord and His benevolence. After all, they don't call this place the "vale of tears" for nothing!
As a Roman Catholic, I find it helpful to remember that right now, I am a part of the Church Militant, that aspect of the Church that is present in the world and fighting the fight for Christ. I should expect challenges. Yet, it is important to remember that I do not face those challenges alone. The Church Militant is only one part of the Church (along with the Church Suffering in Purgatory and the Church Triumphant in Heaven), and we receive assistance from the other members, particularly all of our brothers and sisters in Heaven. So, come what may, we must always remember their assistance.
Yes, the election is over. And as I move on from the election, I realize that only time will tell what the future holds. For now, my fervent hope and prayer is that my President-Elect (and my Country) will experience a change of heart on the issue of life.
Praise God!!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Random Thoughts
Well, I just spent 25 minutes on a nice post regarding my thoughts on the upcoming election. Then, when I tried to publish the post, it disappeared! Such are the challenges of blogging, I guess.
In a nutshell- crazy times. Life is the key issue. Without life, all the other issues are moot... You cannot tax someone who was never born!
Thank God for the opportunity to live and serve Him during these times!
Praise God!!
In a nutshell- crazy times. Life is the key issue. Without life, all the other issues are moot... You cannot tax someone who was never born!
Thank God for the opportunity to live and serve Him during these times!
Praise God!!
Friday, October 24, 2008
Confession
I went to Confession today. What a great grace! There is a wonderful Church in downtown Buffalo called St. Michael's that is run by the Jesuits and offers daily Confession from 11:30 am to 12:00 pm. It is rare to find daily Confession, so I feel very blessed to have that option available in my hometown. Better still, St. Michael's also has daily adoration. So, the Eucharist is exposed the entire time that one is there to confess. I find that to be a great grace as well.
Confession is definitely one of the most underappreciated and underutilized sacraments in the Church today. I suspect that people tend to think of Confession as being "old fashioned" and not an important part of a Catholic's life post-Vatican II. Nothing could be further from the truth! Confession is integral to the life of a practicing Catholic-- the opportunity to confess and reconcile with God is key, but so to is the grace that flows from the sacrament. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is about both confessing our sins, as well as obtaining the grace to overcome sin in the future.
Just ponder the words of the Act of Contrition, which powerfully reflect this dichotomy:
If you are a Roman Catholic, I wholeheartedly encourage you to go to Confession at least once a month. I promise you, by the grace of God, you will be the better for it.
Praise God!!
Confession is definitely one of the most underappreciated and underutilized sacraments in the Church today. I suspect that people tend to think of Confession as being "old fashioned" and not an important part of a Catholic's life post-Vatican II. Nothing could be further from the truth! Confession is integral to the life of a practicing Catholic-- the opportunity to confess and reconcile with God is key, but so to is the grace that flows from the sacrament. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is about both confessing our sins, as well as obtaining the grace to overcome sin in the future.
Just ponder the words of the Act of Contrition, which powerfully reflect this dichotomy:
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended thee,
In choosing to do wrong and failing to do right,
I have sinned against you whom I should love above all things.
I firmly intend, with the help of your grace,
to sin no more,
And to avoid whatever occasion leads me to sin. Amen.
If you are a Roman Catholic, I wholeheartedly encourage you to go to Confession at least once a month. I promise you, by the grace of God, you will be the better for it.
Praise God!!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Big Week
The Roman Catholic Calendar of Saints provides the Church with some pretty amazing Saints this week:
Monday 9/29: St. Michael the Archangel- the awesome protector and defender of the Church. I encourage everyone to say Pope Leo XIII's St. Michael prayer as often as possible. The prayer and some neat information about it is available here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer_to_Saint_Michael
September 29th also honors Saints Raphael and Gabriel, two other important Archangels.
Tuesday 9/30: St. Jerome - a lion of the faith and one of the great Doctors of the Early Church.
Today 10/1: St. Therese of Liseux - the "Little Flower" and one of the great Saints of the last century.
Tomorrow 10/2: The Guardian Angels - An often under appreciated group. Each of us has one and they are, quite often, the unsung heroes of our lives!
Friday 10/3: A "day off." No Saints on the official calendar. BUT- it is First Friday, so that makes it quite special.
Saturday 10/4: St. Francis of Assisi- Another wonderful and inspiring Saint who changed the Church and the world for the better. If you are looking for something to read, I would suggest G.K Chesterton's or St. Bonaventure's biography of Francis.
A "Big Week" indeed! Praise God!!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
A Shout-out to Pope Saint Pius X
It is a wonderful decree and well worth taking a look at... If you are so inclined, Sacra Tridentina is available here:
So, thanks Pope Saint Pius! Praise God!!
Monday, September 8, 2008
Quick Hits
First, daily Mass is a wonderful blessing. I have been attending daily Mass for the past seven or eight years, and it is most often the highlight of my day. I look forward to my intimate communion with the Lord on a daily basis and am truly grateful that He provides me with the opportunity to attend Mass each day. I will admit that I was not always a daily communicant, but the experience of attending Mass alone-- i.e., just me and the Priest-- a few years back really opened my eyes to the tremendous beauty and grace of the Eucharist. Praise God!
Second, on the Joe Biden topic-- I saw him on NBC's "Meet the Press" yesterday morning (9/7/08). At one point during the interview, big Joe set forth his "personal" acceptance of the Church's teaching that life begins at conception (good!), but explained his refusal to force that belief on others (e.g., I am personally opposed, but...) (bad). Aarrgh! I cannot stand it when Catholic politicians hide behind the "personally opposed, but" position. There is no "but." If life begins at conception, which is difficult to refute (see www.princeton.edu/~prolife/articles/embryoquotes2.html ), then how is it possible to say one is "opposed, but"? Murder is murder. Let's at least acknowledge abortion for what it is-- the murder of a human person. Anyway, suffice it to say that although I find the majority of the Obama-Biden platform attractive, I doubt that I will be able to vote for them simply because of the life issue. It makes me feel disenfranchised!
Monday, August 25, 2008
First Thoughts
Back to the initial inspiration: Joe Biden.
His selection has re-sparked the debate regarding Catholic politicians that support abortion and, perhaps more to the point for me, whether a practicing Catholic can or should, in good conscience, vote for a politician that is pro-choice. This issue is certainly worth discussing.
I do not profess to have any answers and am, in fact, still undecided regarding the upcoming presidential election. I am well aware of how awful abortion is and do not want to stand up and be counted with the pro-choice (pro-death?) people in America. Yet, the Republican platform, which is nominally pro-life, has plenty of its own positions that are cause for revulsion. My current plan is to think and pray long and hard before casting my ballot in November.
However, one point I would like to make is that it seems to me that there is an awful lot of grand-standing and judging that goes on in the debate over these issues. I humbly submit that our Lord would frown upon his followers taking potshots at others and manning the moral high ground so often staked out by the Pharisees in His time. The passage regarding tending to the beam in one's own eye before pointing out the splinter in the eye of another comes to mind.
Anyway, the issue of abortion-- or more specifically, of Catholics that mistakenly believe they can be "pro-choice" and Catholic-- is one that must be addressed with love, not rhetoric and vitriol, if any true progress is to be made.
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