Saturday, September 27, 2008

Burning Down The House: What Caused Our Economic Crisis?

A highly informative video that traced the cause of the current financial crisis that had its roots planted 12 years ago (at least)...This goes realy fast, so be prepared to pause it - it's just under 10 minutes - but 10 minutes worth watching - then spread the word so that others might understand the truth.

As someone else has stated:
If the true perpetrators of this massive criminal undertaking that promises to have devastating effects on the American people for decades to come are not uncovered, removed from power, and punished, there is no hope of realizing the kind of all-encompassing economic and political reform that will be necessary to not only stabilize our economy, but to ensure our very survival as a free republic.



And as a followup, there is another video which shows Democrat politicians, in their own words, covering up the Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac scam which set off this economic crisis.

At a 2004 hearing, Democrat after Democrat covers up and attacks the regulations to protect Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (their Cash Cows) that are now destroying our economy because the Democrats let them cheat. Click here for the video.

Since we are a country that willfully executes the most innocent and the most defenseless among us - our unborn children - are we to be surprised that thugs and criminals have taken over our country? And the same supporters of this criminal infanticide are the very same malefactors in this new "crisis."

Today we are seeing Reid, Pelosi, Dodd, the lame stream media, and other Democrats and their cronies, in general, fighting to keep, not only their "gravy train," but also preventing the exposure of their responsibility in the matter by attempting to implicate others.

Here is something else you might be interested in. This man has been sounding the alarm for years.
Dear Friends,

Whenever a Great Bipartisan Consensus is announced, and a compliant media assures everyone that the wondrous actions of our wise leaders are being taken for our own good, you can know with absolute certainty that disaster is about to strike.

The events of the past week are no exception.

The bailout package that is about to be rammed down Congress’ throat is not just economically foolish. It is downright sinister. It makes a mockery of our Constitution, which our leaders should never again bother pretending is still in effect. It promises the American people a never-ending nightmare of ever-greater debt liabilities they will have to shoulder. Two weeks ago, financial analyst Jim Rogers said the bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac made America more communist than China! “This is welfare for the rich,” he said. “This is socialism for the rich. It’s bailing out the financiers, the banks, the Wall Streeters.”

That describes the current bailout package to a T. And we’re being told it’s unavoidable.

The claim that the market caused all this is so staggeringly foolish that only politicians and the media could pretend to believe it. But that has become the conventional wisdom, with the desired result that those responsible for the credit bubble and its predictable consequences - predictable, that is, to those who understand sound, Austrian economics - are being let off the hook. The Federal Reserve System is actually positioning itself as the savior, rather than the culprit, in this mess!

* The Treasury Secretary is authorized to purchase up to $700 billion in mortgage-related assets at any one time. That means $700 billion is only the very beginning of what will hit us.

* Financial institutions are “designated as financial agents of the Government.” This is the New Deal to end all New Deals.

* Then there’s this: “Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.” Translation: the Secretary can buy up whatever junk debt he wants to, burden the American people with it, and be subject to no one in the process.

There goes your country.

Even some so-called free-market economists are calling all this “sadly necessary.” Sad, yes. Necessary? Don’t make me laugh.

Our one-party system is complicit in yet another crime against the American people. The two major party candidates for president themselves initially indicated their strong support for bailouts of this kind - another example of the big choice we’re supposedly presented with this November: yes or yes. Now, with a backlash brewing, they’re not quite sure what their views are. A sad display, really.

Although the present bailout package is almost certainly not the end of the political atrocities we’ll witness in connection with the crisis, time is short. Congress may vote as soon as tomorrow. With a Rasmussen poll finding support for the bailout at an anemic seven percent, some members of Congress are afraid to vote for it. Call them! Let them hear from you! Tell them you will never vote for anyone who supports this atrocity.

The issue boils down to this: do we care about freedom? Do we care about responsibility and accountability? Do we care that our government and media have been bought and paid for? Do we care that average Americans are about to be looted in order to subsidize the fattest of cats on Wall Street and in government? Do we care?

When the chips are down, will we stand up and fight, even if it means standing up against every stripe of fashionable opinion in politics and the media?

Times like these have a way of telling us what kind of a people we are, and what kind of country we shall be.

In liberty,

Ron Paul
We should be praying for God's mercy - His justice will be too severe for many!

Gospel for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

From: Matthew 21:28-32

The Parable of the Two Sons


(Jesus told the chief priests and the elders,) [28] "What do you think? A man had two sons; and he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' [29] And he answered, 'I will not'; but afterwards he repented and went. [30] And he went to the second and said the same; and he answered, 'I go, sir,' but did not go. [31] Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first."

Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. [32] For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the harlots believed him; and even when you saw it, you did not afterward repent and believe him.
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Commentary:

32. St. John the Baptist had shown the way to sanctification by proclaiming the imminence of the Kingdom of God and by preaching conversion. The scribes and Pharisees would not believe him, yet they boasted of their faithfulness to God's teaching. They were like the son who says "I will go" and then does not go; the tax collectors and prostitutes who repented and corrected the course of their lives will enter the Kingdom before them: they are like the other son who says "I will not", but then does go. Our Lord stresses that penance and conversion can set people on the road to holiness even if they have been living apart from God for a long time.
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.

2nd Reading, 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

From: Philippians 2:1-11

Unity and Humility


[1] So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, [2] complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. [3] Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves. [4] Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Hymn in Praise of Christ's Self-emptying

[5] Have this mind among yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus, [6] who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, [7] but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. [8] And being found in human form He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. [9] Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, [10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in Heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
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Commentary:

1-4. Verse 1 begins with a very awkwardly constructed clause, which the New Vulgate and the RSV translate literally. It is a conditional, rhetorical clause, rather than an affirmative statement, and its meaning is clarified by the rest of the sentence.

St Paul is making an affectionate appeal to the Christian good sense of the faithful; he seems to be saying: "If you want to console me in Christ, complete my joy by paying attention to the advice I am now going to give you" (cf. St Thomas Aquinas, "Commentary on Phil, ad loc.").

The Apostle recommends that they should always act humbly and with an upright intention (vv. 3-4) if they want charity to reign among them (v. 2). In their work and social life ordinary Christians should be upright in all their dealings. They should go about everything, even apparently unimportant things, in a humble way, doing them for God. But they should also remember that their behavior has an effect on others. "Don't forget that you are also in the presence of men, and that they expect from you, from you personally, a Christian witness. Thus, as regards the human dimension of our job, we must work in such a way that we will not feel ashamed when those who know us and love us see us at our work, nor give them cause to feel embarrassed" (St. J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 66).

This fact that our behavior can encourage others and set a headline for them means that we need to act very responsibly: "Let us try therefore, brethren," St Augustine says, "not only to be good but to conduct ourselves well in the eyes of others. Let us try to see that there is nothing that our conscience upbraids us for, and also, bearing in mind our weakness, do all that we can, to avoid disedifying our less mature brother" ("Sermon 47", 14).

3-11. Verse 3 exhorts us to see others as better than ourselves. Our Lord, although he was our superior in all respects, did not see his divinity as something to boast about before men (v. 6). In fact, he humbled himself and emptied himself (vv. 7-8), was not motivated by conceit or selfishness (cf. v. 3), did not look to his own interests (cf. v. 4), and "became obedient unto death" (v. 8), thereby carrying out the Father's plan for man's salvation. By reflecting on his example we shall come to see that suffering for Christ is a sign of salvation (cf. 1:28-29): after undergoing the sufferings of his passion and death, Christ was publicly exalted above all creation (cf. vv. 9-11).

Our Lord offers us a perfect example of humility. "The coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Scepter of God's Majesty, was in no pomp of pride and haughtiness-- as it could so well have been--but in self-abasement [...]. You see, dear friends, what an example we have been given. If the Lord humbled himself in this way, what ought we to do, who through him have come under the yoke of his gui- dance?" (St Clement of Rome, "Letter to the Corinthians", 13).

3-4. "'In every man,' writes St Thomas Aquinas, 'there are some grounds for others to look on him as superior, according to the Apostle's words, "Each of us must have the humility to think others better men than himself" (Phil 2:3). It is in this spirit that all men are bound to honor one another' ("Summa Theologiae", II-II, q. 103, a. 2). Humility is the virtue that teaches us that signs of respect for others--their good name, their good faith, their privacy--are not external conventions, but the first expressions of charity and justice.

"Christian charity cannot confine itself to giving things or money to the needy. It seeks, above all, to respect and understand each person for what he is, in his intrinsic dignity as a man and child of God" (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 72).

5. The Apostle's recommendation, "'Have this mind among yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus', requires all Christians, so far as human power allows, to reproduce in themselves the sentiments that Christ had when he was offering himself in sacrifice--sentiments of humility, of adoration, praise, and thanksgiving to the divine majesty. It requires them also to become victims, as it were; cultivating a spirit of self-denial according to the precepts of the Gospel, willingly doing works of penance, detesting and expiating their sins. It requires us all, in a word, to die mystically with Christ on the Cross, so that we may say with the same Apostle: 'I have been crucified with Christ' (Gal 2:19)" (Pius XII, "Mediator Dei", 22).

6-11. In what he says about Jesus Christ, the Apostle is not simply proposing Him as a model for us to follow. Possibly transcribing an early liturgical hymn (and) adding some touches of his own, he is--under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit--giving a very profound exposition of the nature of Christ and using the most sublime truths of faith to show the way Christian virtues should be practised.

This is one of the earliest New Testament texts to reveal the divinity of Christ. The epistle was written around the year 62 (or perhaps before that, around 55) and if we remember that the hymn of Philippians 2:6-11 may well have been in use prior to that date, the passage clearly bears witness to the fact that Christians were proclaiming, even in those very early years, that Jesus, born in Bethlehem, crucified, died and buried, and risen from the dead, was truly both God and man.

The hymn can be divided into three parts. The first (verses 6 and the beginning of 7) refers to Christ's humbling Himself by becoming man. The second (the end of verse 7 and verse 8) is the center of the whole passage and proclaims the extreme to which His humility brought Him: as man He obediently accepted death on the cross. The third part (verses 9-11) describes His exaltation in glory. Throughout St. Paul is conscious of Jesus' divinity: He exists from all eternity. But he centers his attention on His death on the cross as the supreme example of humility. Christ's humiliation lay not in His becoming a man like us and cloaking the glory of His divinity in His sacred humanity: it also brought Him to lead a life of sacrifice and suffering which reached its climax on the cross, where He was stripped of everything He had, like a slave. However, now that He has fulfilled His mission, He is made manifest again, clothed in all the glory that befits His divine nature and which His human nature has merited.

The man-God, Jesus Christ, makes the cross the climax of His earthly life; through it He enters into His glory as Lord and Messiah. The Crucifixion puts the whole universe on the way to salvation.

Jesus Christ gives us a wonderful example of humility and obedience. "We should learn from Jesus' attitude in these trials," St. Escriva reminds us. "During His life on earth He did not even want the glory that belonged to Him. Though He had the right to be treated as God, He took the form of a servant, a slave (cf. Philippians 2:6-7). And so the Christian knows that all glory is due God and that he must not use the sublimity and greatness of the Gospel to further his own interests or human ambitions.

"We should learn from Jesus. His attitude in rejecting all human glory is in perfect balance with the greatness of His unique mission as the beloved Son of God who becomes incarnate to save men" ("Christ Is Passing By", 62).

6-7. "Though He was in the form of God" or "subsisting in the form of God": "form" is the external aspect of something and manifests what it is. When referring to God, who is invisible, His "form" cannot refer to things visible to the senses; the "form of God" is a way of referring to Godhead. The first thing that St. Paul makes clear is that Jesus Christ is God, and was God before the Incarnation. As the "Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed" professes it, "the only-begotten Son of God, born of the Father before time began, light from light, true God from true God."

"He did not count equality with God as something to be grasped": the Greek word translated as "equality" does not directly refer to equality of nature but rather the equality of rights and status. Christ was God and He could not stop being God; therefore, He had a right to be treated as God and to appear in all His glory. However, He did not insist on this dignity of His as if it were a treasure which He possessed and which was legally His: it was not something He clung to and boasted about. And so He took "the form of a servant". He could have become man without setting His glory aside--He could have appeared as He did, momentarily, as the Transfiguration (cf. Matthew 17:1ff); instead He chose to be like men, in all things but sin (cf. verse 7). By becoming man in the way He did, He was able, as Isaiah prophesied in the Song of the Servant of Yahweh, to bear our sorrows and to be stricken (cf. Isaiah 53:4).

"He emptied Himself", He despoiled Himself: this is literally what the Greek verb means. But Christ did not shed His divine nature; He simply shed its glory, its aura; if He had not done so it would have shone out through His human nature. >From all eternity He exists as God and from the moment of the Incarnation He began to be man. His self-emptying lay not only in the fact that the Godhead united to Himself (that is, to the person of the Son) something which was corporeal and finite (a human nature), but also in the fact that this nature did not itself manifest the divine glory, as it "ought" to have done. Christ could not cease to be God, but He could temporarily renounce the exercise of rights that belonged to Him as God--which was what He did.

Verses 6-8 bring the Christian's mind the contrast between Jesus and Adam. The devil tempted Adam, a mere man, to "be like God" (Genesis 3:5). By trying to indulge this evil desire (pride is a disordered desire for self-advancement) and by committing the sin of disobeying God (cf. Genesis 3:6), Adam drew down the gravest misfortunes upon himself and on his whole line (present potentially in him): this is symbolized in the Genesis passage by his expulsion from Paradise and by the physical world's rebellion against his lordship (cf. Genesis 3:16-24). Jesus Christ, on the contrary, who enjoyed divine glory from all eternity, "emptied Himself": He chooses the way of humility, the opposite way to Adam's (opposite, too, to the way previously taken by the devil). Christ's obedience thereby makes up for the disobedience of the first man; it puts mankind in a position to more than recover the natural and supernatural gifts with which God endowed human nature at the Creation. And so, after focusing on the amazing mystery of Christ's humiliation or self-emptying ("kenosis" in Greek), this hymn goes on joyously to celebrate Christ's exaltation after death.

Christ's attitude in becoming man is, then, a wonderful example of humility. "What is more humble", St. Gregory of Nyssa asks, "than the King of all creation entering into communion with our poor nature? The King of kings and Lord of lords clothes Himself with the form of our enslavement; the Judge of the universe comes to pay tribute to the princes of this world; the Lord of creation is born in a cave; He who encompasses the world cannot find room in the inn...; the pure and incorrupt one puts on the filthiness of our nature and experiences all our needs, experiences even death itself" ("Oratio I In Beatitudinibus").

This self-emptying is an example of God's infinite goodness in taking the initiative to meet man: "Fill yourselves with wonder and gratitude at such a mystery and learn from it. All the power, all the majesty, all the beauty, all the infinite harmony of God, all His great and immeasurable riches. God whole and entire was hidden for our benefit in the humanity of Christ. The Almighty appears determined to eclipse His glory for a time, so as to make it easy for His creatures to approach their Redeemer." (St. J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 111).

8. Jesus Christ became man "for us men and for our salvation", we profess in the Creed. Everything He did in the course of His life had a salvific value; His death on the cross represents the climax of His redemptive work for, as St. Gregory of Nyssa says, "He did not experience death due to the fact of being born; rather, He took birth upon Himself in order to die" ("Oratio Catechetica Magna", 32).

Our Lord's obedience to the Father's saving plan, involving as it did death on the cross, gives us the best of all lessons in humility. For, in the words of St. Thomas Aquinas, "obedience is the sign of true humility" ("Commentary on Phil., ad loc."). In St. Paul's time death by crucifixion was the most demeaning form of death, for it was inflicted only on criminals. By becoming obedient "unto death, even death on a cross", Jesus was being humble in the extreme. He was perfectly within His rights to manifest Himself in all His divine glory, but He chose instead the route leading to the most ignominious of deaths.

His obedience, moreover, was not simply a matter of submitting to the Father's will, for, as St. Paul points out, He made Himself obedient: His obedience was active; He made the Father's salvific plans His own. He chose voluntarily to give Himself up to crucifixion in order to redeem mankind. "Debasing oneself when one is forced to do so is not humility", St. John Chrysostom explains; "humility is present when one debases oneself without being obliged to do so" ("Hom. on Phil., ad loc.").

Christ's self-abasement and his obedience unto death reveals His love for us, for "greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). His loving initiative merits a loving response on our part: we should show that we desire to be one with Him, for love "seeks union, identification with the beloved. United to Christ, we will be drawn to imitate His life of dedication, His unlimited love and His sacrifice unto death. Christ brings us face to face with the ultimate choice: either we spend our life in selfish isolation, or we devote ourselves and all our energies to the service of others" (St. J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 236).

9-11. "God highly exalted Him": the Greek compounds the notion of exaltation, to indicate the immensity of His glorification. Our Lord Himself foretold this when He said, "He who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 14:11).

Christ's sacred humanity was glorified as a reward for His humiliation. The Church's Magisterium teaches that Christ's glorification affects his human nature only, for "in the form of God the Son was equal to the Father, and between the Begetter and the Only-begotten there was no difference in essence, no difference in majesty; nor did the Word, through the mystery of incarnation, lose anything which the Father might later return to Him as a gift" (St. Leo the Great, "Promisisse Me Memini", Chapter 8). Exaltation is public manifestation of the glory which belongs to Christ's humanity by virtue of its being joined to the divine person of the Word. This union to the "form of a servant" (cf. verse 7) meant an immense act of humility on the part of the Son, but it led to the exaltation of the human nature He took on.

For the Jews the "name that is above every name" is the name of God (Yahweh), which the Mosaic Law required to be held in particular awe. Also, they regarded a name given to someone, especially if given by God, as not just a way of referring to a person but as expressing something that belonged to the very core of his personality. Therefore, the statement that God "bestowed on Him the name which is above every name" means that God the Father gave Christ's human nature the capacity to manifest the glory of divinity which was His by virtue of the hypostatic union: therefore, it is to be worshipped by the entire universe.

St. Paul describes the glorification of Jesus Christ in terms similar to those used by the prophet Daniel of the Son of Man: "To Him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations and languages should serve His Kingdom, one that shall not be destroyed" (Daniel 7:14). Christ's lordship extends to all created things. Sacred Scripture usually speaks of "heaven and earth" when referring to the entire created universe; by mentioning here the underworld it is emphasizing that nothing escapes His dominion. Jesus Christ can here be seen as the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy about the universal sovereignty of Yahweh: "To Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear" (Isaiah 45:23). All created things come under His sway, and men are duty-bound to accept the basic truth of Christian teaching: "Jesus Christ is Lord." The Greek word "Kyrios" used here by St. Paul is the word used by the Septuagint, the early Greek version of the Old Testament, to translate the name of God ("Yahweh"). Therefore, this sentence means "Jesus Christ is God."

The Christ proclaimed here as having been raised on high is the man-God who was born and died for our sake, attaining the glory of His exaltation after undergoing the humiliation of the cross. In this also Christ sets us an example: we cannot attain the glory of Heaven unless we understand the supernatural value of difficulties, ill-health and suffering: these are manifestations of Christ's cross present in our ordinary life. "We have to die to ourselves and be born again to a new life. Jesus Christ obeyed in this way, even unto death on a cross (Philippians 2:18); that is why God exalted Him. If we obey God's will, the cross will mean our own resurrection and exaltation. Christ's life will be fulfilled step by step in our own lives. It will be said of us that we have tried to be good children of God, who went about doing good in spite of our weakness and personal shortcomings, no matter how many" (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 21).
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.

1st Reading, 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

From: Ezekiel 18:25-28

The Good Effects of Conversion


[25] ”Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? [26] When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he shall die for it; for the iniquity which he has committed he shall die. [27] Again, when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is lawful and right, he shall save his life. [28] Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions which he had committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die."
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Commentary:

18:21-32. These verses reply to a question that may arise from the doctrine of personal retribution: If the sinner must live with the consequences of his sins, what is the purpose of repentance? Ezekiel takes the question very much to heart, and his reply includes one of the most beautiful summaries of divine mercy: “Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked..., and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?’ (v. 23; cf. 33:11). It is true that the explanation of divine justice and punishment develops over a long period until the New Testament is reached; even so, from the very beginning of divine Revelation, there is never any doubt but that God is always ready to forgive. Over the centuries, Christian spirituality has written beautiful pages filled to overflowing with heartfelt trust in God’s mercy. As an example, we will quote a prayer by a Christian writer of the Armenian Church: “You are the Lord of Mercy. Have mercy on me, a sinner, who beseeches you with sighs and tears. [...] O kind and merciful ord! You are patient with sinners, for you have said: "if a wicked man turns away from all his sins which he has committed none of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him" (Ezek 18:21-22). Look, see how I have come before you and fallen at your feet: your guilty servant pleads for your mercy. Do not recall my sins, nor spurn me because of my wickedness [...] You are the Lord of goodness and mercy; you forgive all sin” (John Mandakuni, "Oratio", 2-3).

Of course, God’s forgiveness is closely interwoven with personal conversion. Therefore, it is not surprising to find these verses of Ezekiel being quoted in connection with the need for the sacrament of penance: “at all times, the practice of penance in order to obtain grace and attain righteousness was necessary for all those who fell into mortal sin, even those who sought to be washed clean by the waters of baptism, so that, when sinfulness had been purged and set to rights, they would detest any offense against God through their hatred of sin and the sorrow of their souls. Thus says the Prophet: 'Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin' (Ezek 18:30)” (Council of Trent, Session 14, 1). There is also a need for genuine contrition: “Contrition, which is the most important element of penance, is a sorrow of the soul, a hatred of all the sins that have been committed, and a desire not to sin again in the future. This sense of contrition has always been a fundamental condition of forgiveness; the man who falls into sin after his baptism can only receive pardon if he is contrite, trusts in the mercy of God, and fulfills all the other conditions that are binding in this sacrament. This Council declares that contrition encompasses not only the end of sin and the beginning of new life, but the reparation of the old, sinful life, as it was written: 'Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit!' (Ezek 18:31)” (Council of Trent Session 14,4).
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.

Missouri Gov. Blunt Responds to Gestapo Tactics

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Contact: Jessica Robinson, 573-751-0290

Gov. Blunt Statement on Obama Campaign’s Abusive Use of Missouri Law Enforcement

JEFFERSON CITY - Gov. Matt Blunt today issued the following statement on news reports that have exposed plans by U.S. Senator Barack Obama to use Missouri law enforcement to threaten and intimidate his critics.

“St. Louis County Circuit Attorney Bob McCulloch, St. Louis City Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce, Jefferson County Sheriff Glenn Boyer, and Obama and the leader of his Missouri campaign Senator Claire McCaskill have attached the stench of police state tactics to the Obama-Biden campaign.

“What Senator Obama and his helpers are doing is scandalous beyond words, the party that claims to be the party of Thomas Jefferson is abusing the justice system and offices of public trust to silence political criticism with threats of prosecution and criminal punishment.

“This abuse of the law for intimidation insults the most sacred principles and ideals of Jefferson. I can think of nothing more offensive to Jefferson’s thinking than using the power of the state to deprive Americans of their civil rights. The only conceivable purpose of Messrs. McCulloch, Obama and the others is to frighten people away from expressing themselves, to chill free and open debate, to suppress support and donations to conservative organizations targeted by this anti-civil rights, to strangle criticism of Mr. Obama, to suppress ads about his support of higher taxes, and to choke out criticism on television, radio, the Internet, blogs, e-mail and daily conversation about the election.

“Barack Obama needs to grow up. Leftist blogs and others in the press constantly say false things about me and my family. Usually, we ignore false and scurrilous accusations because the purveyors have no credibility. When necessary, we refute them. Enlisting Missouri law enforcement to intimidate people and kill free debate is reminiscent of the Sedition Acts - not a free society.”

Just for Today, September 28

Son, I have said, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth, do I give unto you (John xiv, 27). Peace is what all desire; but all care not for those things which appertain to true peace. My peace is with the humble and meek of heart.
-Bk. III, ch. xxv.
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During her agony she said: "Mother, prepare me to make a good death." Her Prioress encouraged her with these words: "My child, you are ready to appear before God, because you have always understood the virtue of humility."

She then unconsciously paid a great tribute to her­self, saying: "Yes, I feel that is true; my soul has never sought anything but the truth, I have understood humility of heart."
-The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme).
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For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.

Thoughts of St Augustine for August 28

IF we have made any progress at all in con­templation we seek not that those whom we love feel delight and astonishment, when contemplating the works of human hands, but we seek to lift them up to the very skill and counsel of their author, and hence to rise to the admiration and praise of the all­-creating God in whom is the most fruitful end of love.
_________________________
Click here for more information.

From Thoughts of St Augustine for Every Day
by Kathleen Mary Balfe (© 1926)
Nihil Obstat: Georgius D. Smith, S.T.D
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont

Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day-September 28

LIFE without thy love would be
Death, O Sovereign Good, to me;
Bound and held by thy dear chains
Captive now my heart remains.
_________________
From Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day
Compiled by Rev. C. McNeiry, C.SS.R.
Imprimatur: Joseph Hull, C.SS.R., Prov. Angl. Sup.
Nihil Obstat: Innocentlus Apap, O.P., S.T.M., Censor Deptutatus.
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius Generalis.
Westmonasterii, Die 9a Junii, 1927.
First published 1927

Friday, September 26, 2008

Gospel for Sept 27, Memorial: St Vincent de Paul, Priest

Saturday, 25th Week in Ordinary Time
Old Calendar: Sts. Cosmas and Damian, martyrs


From: Luke 9:43b-45

Second Prophecy of the Passion

[43b] But while they were all marvelling at everything He (Jesus) did, He said to His disciples, [44] "Let these words sink into your ears; for the Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men." [45] But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, that they should not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying.
__________________________

Commentary:

44. Christ predicts His passion and death a number of times. Initially He does so in veiled terms (John 2:19; Luke 5:35) to the crowd; and later, much more explicitly, to His disciples (Luke 9:22), though they fail to understand His words, not because what He says is not clear, but because they do not have the right dispositions. St. John Chrysostom comments: "Let no one be scandalized by this imperfection in the Apostles; for the Cross had not yet been reached nor the grace of the Spirit given" ("Hom. on St. Matthew", 65).
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.

What is this "Crisis"?

To anyone who is watching the markets, it is obvious that our economy is in deep financial trouble. The immense amount of money pouring into the black hole of needed credit points to a crisis of unimaginable proportions that was long in the making....
[...]
This is beyond mere greed. That so many could have acted with such careless abandon points to something much more serious than bad economics.

It points to a moral crisis. When men act without restraint in face of a threat to the common good, it means that the moral infrastructure of society is at risk. When the consuming passion for selfish gain becomes the dominant set of values in society, it means duty, responsibility and honor no longer resonate in society....

When people flee from responsibility in their personal lives, is it any wonder debt accumulates so rapidly? When people spend what they do not have and receive what they cannot pay for in their personal lives, should we be surprised when we see this transferred into the world of high finance? Isn’t all this a sign that something is terribly wrong with our moral bearings? One can only ask what other surprises lay ahead.

Thus, although it may seem unrelated, this carefree mentality highlights why the moral issues that divide the nation have such great importance. These are the issues that deal with another kind of capital: our moral capital....

It is the next great capital crisis – a moral capital crisis -- that is to be feared.

If this moral capital is lost, there is no amount of regulation that can restrain the consuming passion of the players. There are not enough rescue dollars to plug the holes of all the other crises that will follow.
Source: The American TFP - the entire article here.

Just for Today, September 27

Son, thou must diligently make it thy aim that in every place, and in every action or outward employment, thou must be inwardly free and master of thyself; and that all things be under thee, and not thou under them.

That thou mayest be lord and ruler of thy actions, not a slave or bondsman, but rather a freeman and a true Hebrew, transferred to the lot and to the liberty of the children of God. Who stand above the things present and contemplate those that are eternal: who look upon passing things with the left eye, and with the right those of heaven.
-Bk. III, ch. xxxviii.
______________

We read that in the old days the Jews rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem holding a sword in one hand as they worked with the other (II Esdras, iv, 17). That is a figure of what we should do: work hard with one hand and with the other ward off dissipation of mind, which would hinder our union with God.
-Conseils et Souvenirs.
__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.

Thoughts of St Augustine for September 27

FOR then is a work truly good, when the purpose of the doer is shot forth from love, and, as if returning to its own place, again rests in love.
_________________________
Click here for more information.

From Thoughts of St Augustine for Every Day
by Kathleen Mary Balfe (© 1926)
Nihil Obstat: Georgius D. Smith, S.T.D
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont

Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day-September 27

IF after this life there were neither hell nor heaven, could Christians think less of these places than they do at present? It is this forgetfulness that makes them lead so wicked a life. My brother, if you wish to live well, spend the remaining days of life with death before your eyes.
_________________
From Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day
Compiled by Rev. C. McNeiry, C.SS.R.
Imprimatur: Joseph Hull, C.SS.R., Prov. Angl. Sup.
Nihil Obstat: Innocentlus Apap, O.P., S.T.M., Censor Deptutatus.
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius Generalis.
Westmonasterii, Die 9a Junii, 1927.
First published 1927

Bishop Braxton: Diocese will seek new trial in altar boy case

Bishop Edward Braxton said the Roman Catholic diocese of Belleville will ask for a new trial in St. Clair County court after a jury there last month said the diocese conspired to hide allegations of sexual abuse by one of its priests. A former altar boy was awarded $5 million in the trial...

In a letter to his priests...Braxton said..."simply complying with the judgment as written would diminish diocesan resources and significantly limit the Church’s ability to continue to serve our people...."

Video-Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics - Catholic Vote 2008



Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics from Catholic Answers Action (www.caaction.com)

Suppression of 1st Amendment?

Obama campaign cracks down on misleading TV ads

The Barack Obama campaign is asking Missouri law enforcement to target anyone who lies or runs a misleading TV ad during the presidential campaign.

Video here:
http://www.kmov.com/video/?z=y&nvid=285793

Remember that for this man, the truth is a lie, good is evil, day is night, light is darkness...

I wonder if this includes the truth about his unquestionable support for infanticide?

Did I do something wrong?

Dr Edward Peters writes:
Well, since you asked, here's what's wrong with assisting at the invalid marriages of AWOL priests

Monsignor Robert Reardon, the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cardiff, is apparently slated to be the next bishop of Menevia in England. But there's a hitch; word is getting out that, in 1979, Reardon officially participated in the civil wedding of an AWOL priest (my term for a priest who abandons ministry without obtaining dispensation from the obligations of the clerical state, including celibacy).

Reardon apparently admits the deed, but adds "If someone can show me the church law I am supposed to have broken, I would be interested, but I'm not aware of it." Does the archdiocesan vicar general really not know what church laws would have been broken by such conduct?
Here's two for starters.

News Updates, 9/26

Abortion Survivor Responds to Obama Calling Her "Despicable Liar"
"I don't really care what he says. I know he voted four times against proper medical care for babies born alive. That's the kind of man he is."

“At least five members of the audience walked out”
Bishop Soto stuns national homosexual ministries conference

Liturgical shakeup
Benedict XVI replaces all members of Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff

Anglican leader branded 'papal puppet'
Archbishop of Canterbury accepts Lourdes visions

For French Muslims, a Catholic education
Ramadan prayers offered beneath school crucifixes

Group Uses Racism to Blast Knights of Columbus Ad on Biden
Group "Catholic Democrats" which tries to attract Catholic voters to support Democratic candidates like pro-abortion presidential hopeful Barack Obama is attacking the Knights of Columbus.

HPV vaccine refused by Alberta Catholic schools
Calgrary bishop doesn't want to condone pre-marital sex

Could a Catholic girl become queen?
Britain may change its rules of succession

Catholic hospitals support conscience protections
Citing need to be free from religious discrimination

Israeli rabbi invited to address Catholic synod
200 bishops to convene next month to discuss the Bible

Gordon Brown tries to buy the Catholic vote
UK Prime Minister makes Act of Settlement promises

Bid to stop Welsh priest being made bishop
Senior cleric officiated at illicit marriage of a priest

Bosnian mob attacks gay festival
Violent protesters hurl stones at participants

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Gospel for Friday, 25th Week In Ordinary Time

Optional Memorial of Sts. Cosmas and Damian, martyrs
Old Calendar: Sts. Cyprian and Justina, martyrs; Isaac Jogues, John de Brebeuf and Companions, Martyrs (USA)


From: Luke 9:18-22

Peter's Confession of Faith

[18] Now it happened that as He (Jesus) was praying alone the disciples were with Him; and He asked them, "Who do the people say that I am?" [19] And they answered, "John the Baptist; but others say, Elijah; and others, that one of the old prophets has risen." [20] And He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" And Peter answered, "The Christ of God."

First Prophecy of the Passion

[21] But He charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, [22] saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised."
______________

Commentary:

20. "Christ" means "anointed" and is a name indicating honor and office. In the Old Law "priests" were anointed (Exodus 29:7 and 40:13), as were "kings" (1 Samuel 9:16), because God laid down that they should receiving anointing in view of their position; there was also a custom to anoint "prophets" (1 Samuel 16:13) because they were interpreters and intermediaries of God. "When Jesus Christ our Savior came into the world, He assumed the position and obligations of the three offices of priest, king and prophet and was therefore called Christ" ("St. Pius V Catechism", I, 3, 7).

22. Jesus prophesied His passion and death in order to help His disciples believe in him. It also showed that He was freely accepting these sufferings He would undergo. "Christ did not seek to be glorified: He chose to come without glory in order to undergo suffering; and you, who have been born without glory, do you wish to be glorified? The route you must take is the one Christ took. This means recognizing Him and it means imitating Him both in His ignominy and in His good repute; thus you will glory in the Cross, which was His path to glory. That was what Paul did, and therefore he glorified in saying, `Far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ' (Galatians 6:14)" (St. Ambrose, "Expositio Evangelii Sec. Lucam, in loc.").
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.

Just for Today, September 26

Be fervent therefore in thy spiritual progress, for thou shalt shortly receive the reward of thy labours; and then grief and fear shall no more come near thee.
Thou shalt labour now a little, and thou shalt find great rest, yea, everlasting joy. If thou continue faithful and fervent in working, God will doubtless be faithful and liberal in rewarding. The greater violence thou offerest to thyself, the greater progress thou wilt make.
-Bk. I, ch. xxv.

She had unusual courage. From the time she entered Carmel at the age of fifteen she kept the Rule, apart from fasting, in all its rigour. Her companions in the novitiate, noticing her pallor, would sometimes beg for her to be excused from Matins or the early morning Office, but the Prioress would refuse, saying: "She is not the type who wants dispensations; God is her sup­port, and we must leave her to Him, and not treat her like a child. Besides, if she is ill she should come and say so herself."

But the Saint's maxim was not to give way or com­plain until she had reached the limit of her strength. Many a time she went to Matins feeling giddy, or with a severe headache. "I am still able to walk," she would say, "so I ought to be at my duties."

Her energy gave her the strength to perform these heroic acts quite simply.

-The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme).
__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.

Thoughts of St Augustine for September 26

FROM among so many causes therefore, whatever it be which clouds the clear calm of our hearts, we must seek in accordance with God's Will for remedies, such as may make and expand the heart which is shrunk up, and cause that we rejoice in fervour of spirit, and be glad in the calm of a good work, for God loveth a cheerful giver.
_________________________
Click here for more information.

From Thoughts of St Augustine for Every Day
by Kathleen Mary Balfe (© 1926)
Nihil Obstat: Georgius D. Smith, S.T.D
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont

Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day-September 26

OUR conformity to the divine will must be entire. Some people resemble the weathercock, which turns about with every wind that blows; if the wind is fair and favourable to their desires, they are all gladness and con­descension; but if a contrary wind blows, and things happen against their desires, they are all sadness and impatience.
_________________
From Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day
Compiled by Rev. C. McNeiry, C.SS.R.
Imprimatur: Joseph Hull, C.SS.R., Prov. Angl. Sup.
Nihil Obstat: Innocentlus Apap, O.P., S.T.M., Censor Deptutatus.
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius Generalis.
Westmonasterii, Die 9a Junii, 1927.
First published 1927

40 Days to Make a Difference

From Missourians Against Human Cloning:
Believe it or not, forty days from now you will no longer be bombarded by political ads, phone surveys and your mailbox will once again be mostly bills. Although we all look forward to that day, let us not lose sight of the great opportunity we have to decide who will lead our nation and our state through the challenging time ahead.

While we prepare to constitutionally ban human cloning in 2010, I urge you to join me in committing to Make a Difference in 2008.

After the 2006 election, I cannot tell you how many people said to me, "I should have done more". This election season provides stark contrasts at every level between
candidates who uphold the value of all human life and

those who consider certain human beings expendable commodities.
This November, Missourians will also vote on a tricky and devious proposition crafted by many of the same parties that backed Amendment 2.

Proposition A is titled, get this, "The Schools First Initiative". It is 22 pages long, is funded by two major casinos and is a sneaky attempt to eliminate the protective $500 loss limit. Sound vaguely familiar? Don't be fooled by dangerous and deceptive proposition A!

Certainly this Presidential Election is critically important, but I urge you to join me in working to Make a Difference in Missouri as well.

I'm asking you to join me in committing 20 hours over the next 40 days to the campaign(s) of your choice.

Many of you will give a lot more hours and some of you will only be able to commit to 5 or 10 hours. We are all busy people with different interests and skills, but we can all Make a Difference for the Future of Missouri.

None of us wants to wake up on November 5, 2008 and say, "I wish I had done more".
Click here to Make Difference in 40 Days!

Reminder: The Last Day to Register to Vote in the November 4, 2008 Election is October 8.

Over and over again?

Diogenes writes:
Explaining why he ordered the cancellation of a book-signing by Phil Lawler at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Msgr. Walter Rossi, the rector the basilica, told the Washington Times that Phil's book, The Faithful Departed, covered a subject on which the Roman Pontiff wants no further discussion. During his April visit to the US, the rector said, the Pope said as much.
"Benedict over and over again said it's time to move on," the monsignor said of the sex-abuse scandal.
Really?

If the Pope said this "over and over again," it's funny that the message does not appear in the transcripts of his public remarks. It's funny that nobody else heard him say it. Maybe Msgr. Rossi had a front-row seat, and could hear things that the Pope whispered....

Heading towards Socialism?

Alan Keyes calls mortgage bailout 'socialistic'

And he's not alone - many others have spoken about this. He says:
...what we are watching is the transformation of our nation from a society that was based on a concept of economic freedom to a socialist society.

Watching the hearings with Barnie Frank and Christopher Dodd was "surrealistic" - it was like an episode of the Twilight Zone.

Who is really responsible for this fiasco? I think we all know. Ann Coulter writes:

"...In 1999, liberals were bragging about extending affirmative action to the financial sector. Los Angeles Times reporter Ron Brownstein hailed the Clinton administration's affirmative action lending policies as one of the "hidden success stories" of the Clinton administration, saying that "black and Latino homeownership has surged to the highest level ever recorded."

Meanwhile, economists were screaming from the rooftops that the Democrats were forcing mortgage lenders to issue loans that would fail the moment the housing market slowed and deadbeat borrowers couldn't get out of their loans by selling their houses.

A decade later, the housing bubble burst and, as predicted, food-stamp-backed mortgages collapsed.

Democrats set an affirmative action time-bomb and now it's gone off."
And there is even more if one wishes to review the record:

Kevin Hassett comemnts at Bloomberg.com "How the Democrats Created the Financial Crisis":
...It is easy to identify the historical turning point that marked the beginning of the end....

John Lott, Jr writes: Analysis: Reckless Mortgages Brought Financial Market to Its Knees
Surprisingly, research done by economists a decade ago in 1998, particularly by Professors Ted Day and Stan Liebowitz at the University of Texas at Dallas, predicted the current problems and tried to warn people of a different cause. Starting during the early 1990s, mortgage-underwriting standards have been consistently weakened. Many of the names involved in the forefront of those changes, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae as well as Countrywide and Bear Stearns, have been the most prominent financial entities to become insolvent.

Others did not share these economists' concerns. The Wall Street Journal quoted Congressman Barney Frank in 2003 as criticizing Greg Mankiw, chairman of President Bush's Council of Economic Advisers, "because he is worried about the tiny little matter of safety and soundness rather than ‘concern about housing.'"....

Ron Paul, a Congressman who actually understands economics, says that "Bailouts will lead to rough economic ride"
I am afraid that policymakers today have not learned the lesson that prices must adjust to economic reality. The bailout of Fannie and Freddie, the purchase of AIG, and the latest multi-hundred billion dollar Treasury scheme all have one thing in common: They seek to prevent the liquidation of bad debt and worthless assets at market prices, and instead try to prop up those markets and keep those assets trading at prices far in excess of what any buyer would be willing to pay....

Using trillions of dollars of taxpayer money to purchase illusory short-term security, the government is actually ensuring even greater instability in the financial system in the long term....
And Walter Williams writes in "Scaring Us to Death":
There is a H.L. Mencken quotation that captures the essence of this year's politics:
"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed, and hence clamorous to be led to safety, by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary."
...Most of today's economic problems, whether it's energy, health care costs, financial problems, budget deficits or national debt, are caused by policies pursued by the White House and Congress. As my colleague Dr. Thomas Sowell suggested in a recent column, we don't look to arsonists to put out fires that they've created; neither should we look to Congress to solve the problems they've created.

Cliff Kincaid's "Socialism Is Coming to America" begins:
In his classic 1932 book, Toward Soviet America, Communist Party boss William Z. Foster wrote about how “The United Soviet States of America” will come about. As a result of various capitalist crises, the national government would assume more and more control over the economy. “In finance,” he wrote, “it will mean the nationalization of the banking system and its concentration around a central State bank…” Foster is dead, but the Wall Street financial “bail-out” plan offered by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, in coordination with the Federal Reserve, will bring about a socialist America....

Newt Gingrich says Paulson’s bail-out is “obscene”...

And the Vatican's newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, says Crisis Shows Failure of 'New Economy'

And here is a Petition to Congress of over 150 economist's who say bailout is wrong.


News Updates, 9/25

Largest and longest coordinated pro-life mobilization in history
40 days of prayer, fasting and round-the-clock vigils outside abortion centers now under way, with many locations in California

Phil Lawler book banned at Washington shrine
Volume on 'Collapse of Boston's Catholic Culture'

Christian schools closing for Muslim festival
Further step in making the Netherlands an Islamic nation?

Lawsuit rejected in case of priest who killed two
Oral ruling: Diocese of Superior could not have known

California religious leaders push for gay marriage ban
100,000 people to rally at San Diego Chargers' stadium

Lector removed after gay memoir published
Lay lector at Mass. shrine writes homosexual erotica

Britain mulls allowing Catholic monarchs
Plans call for end to 300-year-old Act of Settlement

Catholic school refuses to promote promiscuity
HPV vaccination not allowed to be administered on campus

Navy officer settles Church sex abuse lawsuit
Awarded $41 million in damages by a federal jury

Man attacks priest after watching Da Vinci Code
Fighting for his life after being stabbed in neck

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Gospel for Thursday, 25th Week In Ordinary Time

From: Luke 9:7-9

Herod's Opinion of Jesus

[7] Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, [8] by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen. [9] Herod said, "John I beheaded; but who is this about whom I hear such things?" And he sought to see Him.
_______________________

Commentary:

7-9. Except for the Sadducees, all Jews believed in the resurrection of the dead, as revealed by God in Sacred Scripture (cf. Ezekiel 37:10; Daniel 12:2 and 2 Maccabees 7:9). It was also commonly believed by Jews at the time that Elijah or some other prophet had to appear again (Deuteronomy 19:15). This may have been why Herod began to think that perhaps John had come back to life (Matthew 14:1-2 and Mark 6:14-16), particularly since Jesus worked miracles and people thought this power was the prerogative of those who had risen from the dead. And yet he was aware that Christ was working miracles even before John died (cf. John 2:23); therefore, at first, he was disconcerted. Later, as the fame of Christ's miracles spread, to have some sort of adequate explanation he decided, as the other Gospels tell us, that John must indeed have risen.
________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.

Just for Today, September 25

Grant that I may rest in Thee above all things desired, and that my heart may be at peace in Thee. Thou art the true peace of the heart, Thou art its only rest; outside of Thee all things are hard and uneasy.
-Bk. III, ch. xv.
___________________

Oh! would that all this world doth hold
Might, as the ebbing tide,
Depart from me! I need it not,
For Thou art at my side.
If Thou shouldst leave me, Lord, and hide
Thy face from me awhile,
My song of love shall not be stilled,
Nor lips forbear to smile.

-Poems.

__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.

Thoughts of St Augustine for September 25

THERE is no greater invitation to love, than loving first, and that soul is sterner than it ought, which even if it were unwilling to bestow love is also unwilling to repay it.
_________________________
Click here for more information.

From Thoughts of St Augustine for Every Day
by Kathleen Mary Balfe (© 1926)
Nihil Obstat: Georgius D. Smith, S.T.D
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont

Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day-September 25

LITTLE children are loved at once; to see them and to love them is the same thing. For this reason the Eternal Word chose first to be seen among men as an infant, to con­ciliate to himself the love of all mankind.
_________________
From Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day
Compiled by Rev. C. McNeiry, C.SS.R.
Imprimatur: Joseph Hull, C.SS.R., Prov. Angl. Sup.
Nihil Obstat: Innocentlus Apap, O.P., S.T.M., Censor Deptutatus.
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius Generalis.
Westmonasterii, Die 9a Junii, 1927.
First published 1927

News Updates, 9/24

“They preach tolerance but give none”
Prop 8 campaigners run into more trouble, this time in Berkeley

40 Days for Life Starts Today

Bishops To Congress: "We Can't Reduce Abortion By Promoting Abortion"
Cardinal Rigali warned against enactment of the proposed "Freedom of Choice Act" (FOCA)

Vatican article criticizes Pope Pius XII
As cardinal 'he reacted feebly to the racial laws'

Pro-Abortion Group Emily's List Names Top Seven Congressional Races
Hoping to have a veto-proof pro-abortion Senate

Oakland's 'cooling tower' cathedral to open
$190 million could possibly be ugliest U.S. church

Evangelicals and Catholics: Is alliance fraying?
Parting of the ways on issues such as the Iraq war

Catholic hospitals threaten to defy abort law
Australians required to refer women to abortion providers

Vietnamese gang ransacks Catholic chapel
Archbishop of Hanoi accused of disrespecting nation

Stabbed priest asked to turn the other cheek
70-year-old pastor defends church against robbery

India archbishop: Ready to shed blood for faith
'I am deeply hurt and disturbed by the continued attacks'

Secret story of Padre Pio's stigmata revealed
Volume reveals report of Vatican investigator

YouTube blocks video on Obama's abortion stance
'Political censorship is only remaining explanation'

Miller Beer Clarifies: No "Sponsorship"
Just a Full-Page Centerfold Ad in Pornographic Sadomasochistic Program

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Gospel for Wednesday, 25th Week in Ordinary Time

Old Calendar: Our Lady of Ransom

From: Luke 9:1-6

The Mission of the Apostles


[1] And He (Jesus) called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, [2] and He sent them out to preach the Kingdom of God and to heal. [3] And He said to them, "Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics. [4] And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. [5] And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them." [6] And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the Gospel and healing everywhere.
________________________

Commentary:

1-4. This is the first mission the Apostles were sent on. Jesus wants them to gain experience which will stand to them in the mission they will have after He ascends into Heaven. He charges them to do what He Himself did--preach the Kingdom of God and heal the sick. This scene is commented on at greater length in notes on Matthew 10:7-8; 10:9-10; and Mark 6:8-9.

[Notes on Matthew 10:7-8 states:
7-8. Previously, the prophets, when speaking of the messianic times, had used imagery suited to the people's spiritual immaturity. Now, Jesus, in sending His Apostles to proclaim that the promised Kingdom of God is imminent, lays stress on its spiritual dimension. The power mentioned in verse 8 are the very sign of the Kingdom of God or the reign of the Messiah proclaimed by the prophets. At first (chapters 8 and 9) it is Jesus who exercises these messianic powers; now He gives them to His disciples as proof that His mission is divine (Isaiah 35:5-6; 40:9; 52:7; 61:1).]

[Notes on Matthew 10:9-10 states:
9-10. Jesus urges His disciples to set out on their mission without delay. They should not be worried about material or human equip- ment: God will make up any shortfall. This holy audacity in setting about God's work is to be found throughout the history of the Church: if Christians had bided their time, waiting until they had the necessary material resources, many, many souls would never have received the light of Christ. Once a Christian is clear in his mind about what God wants him to do, he should not stay at home checking to see if he has the wherewithal to do it. "In your apostolic undertakings you are right--it's your duty--to consider what means the world can offer you (2 + 2 = 4), but don't forget--ever! --that, fortunately, your calculations must include another term: God + 2 + 2..." ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 471).

However, that being said, we should not try to force God's hand, to have Him do something exceptional, when in fact we can meet needs by our own efforts and work. This means that Christians should gene- rously support those who, because they are totally dedicated to the spiritual welfare of their brethren, have no time left over to provide for themselves: in this connection see Jesus' promise in Matthew 10:40-42.]

[Notes on Mark 6:8-9 states:
8-9. Jesus requires them to be free of any form of attachment if they are to preach the Gospel. A disciple, who has the mission of bringing the Kingdom of God to souls through preaching, should not rely on human resources but on God's Providence. Whatever he does need in order to live with dignity as a herald of the Gospel, he must obtain from those who benefit from his preaching, for the laborer deserves his maintenance (cf. Matthew 10:10).

"The preacher should so trust in God that he is convinced that he will have everything he needs to support life, even if he cannot himself obtain it; for he should not neglect eternal things through worrying about temporal things" (St. Bede, "In Marci Evangelium Expositio, in loc."). "By these instructions the Lord did not mean that the evangelists should not seek to live in any other way than by depending on what was offered them by those to whom they preached the Gospel; otherwise this very Apostle [St. Paul] would have acted contrary to this precept when he earned his living by the labor of his own hands" (St. Augustine, "De Consensu Evangelistarum" , II, 30).]
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.

Our Lady of Ransom

I thought I would share something I received this evening from CatholicCulture:

Sometimes I'm genuinely astonished by the richness of the resources on CatholicCulture.org, particularly by the ways these resources deepen our understanding of the Catholic tradition.

For example, in looking at our liturgical year materials for this week, I note that in the old calendar, tomorrow is the feast of Our Lady of Ransom. Take a look: This has to do with a Marian apparition about freeing Christian captives from the Moors.

Also, a new addition to our library reinforces our understanding of Catholic architecture. Back in 1925, Fr. P. F. McCaffrey, OCC wrote an excellent essay on this often-overlooked subject, covering the period from from the beginning through the flowering of the Gothic. We have it for you: The Development of Christian Architecture.

Or how about going back to the Missal of 1962 to deepen our understanding of the sacred liturgy? A new web site, just reviewed, provides excellent resources for those who wish to learn how to celebrate the extraordinary form of the Roman rite, or simply to grow in appreciation for the mysteries of the Mass: Sancta Missa.

Then there's St. Paul. You may have forgotten this year is devoted to the Apostle to the Gentiles. If you haven't yet taken advantage of the opportunity to learn more about Paul and the apostolic tradition, you can do so now by reviewing a new Fides dossier: Saint Paul: The Greatest Missionary of All Times.
For your reading pleasure - enjoy!

Just for Today, September 24

I am poor and in labours from my youth: and my soul is grieved even unto tears sometimes. Thou alone art true joy, Thou my hope and my crown, Thou my gladness and my honour, O Lord!
-Bk. III, ch. I.

Thou impartest unto them much consolation, to sup­port them in their many troubles; and Thou liftest them up from the depth of their own dejection, to the hope of Thy protection; and Thou dost re-create and en­lighten them interiorly with a new grace.
Thou art pleased to deal thus with Thy elect, to the end that they may truly acknowledge and plainly ex­perience how great is their infirmity when left to themselves, and how much they receive from Thy bounty and grace.
-Bk. IV, ch. iv.
_________________

I received the veil on September 24, a day all veiled in tears. My father was too ill to come and bless his queen; at the last moment Mgr Hugonin was prevented from performing the ceremony, and several circumstan­ces combined to make it a sad and depressing day. Yet there was peace in my cup of sorrow. Our Lord willed that I should not be able to keep back my tears...and they were misunderstood. I had been through much greater trials before, dry-eyed, with the help of grace, but this time I was left to my own resources, and proved how weak they were.
-The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme).
__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.

Thoughts of St Augustine for September 24

PERFECT love hath neither the desire of this world nor the fear of this world.
_________________________
Click here for more information.

From Thoughts of St Augustine for Every Day
by Kathleen Mary Balfe (© 1926)
Nihil Obstat: Georgius D. Smith, S.T.D
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont

Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day-September 24

SELF-DISPRAISE can do you no injury; but the smallest word of unmerited self-commendation may be productive of great evil. He who in passing through a door bends his bead more than is necessary is free from all danger of injury; but he who carries it too high may be seriously hurt.
_________________
From Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day
Compiled by Rev. C. McNeiry, C.SS.R.
Imprimatur: Joseph Hull, C.SS.R., Prov. Angl. Sup.
Nihil Obstat: Innocentlus Apap, O.P., S.T.M., Censor Deptutatus.
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius Generalis.
Westmonasterii, Die 9a Junii, 1927.
First published 1927

Ask YouTube to Pull "Host Desecration" Videos

From America Needs Fatima:

An individual put 40 videos on YouTube showing Consecrated Hosts being stepped on, burned, stapled, smoked and nailed to a stick. He even fed the Holy Eucharist to ducks and flushed It down the toilet. Horrific!

On his site, the blasphemer says:
“From now on, one Eucharist desecration a day, and each day a different method. If they want blasphem[y], we'll give 'em blasphem[y].”
Since I know you would like to stop these desecrations, I urge you to send your Stop Host Desecration e-petition to YouTube.

GO HERE NOW to send your email petition.

To make this petition effective, I need to mobilize over 100,000 Catholics immediately. So please send your best gift to help me spread this petition to 100,000 Catholics over the Internet today.

If thousands of Catholics speak up, I think YouTube will pull the 40 desecration videos, because YouTube policy says:

We encourage free speech and defend everyone's right to express unpopular points of view. But we don't permit hate speech …
And desecrating the Holy Eucharist is “hate speech,” in my book.

Please send YouTube your STOP HOST DESECRATION petition today.

GO HERE NOW to send your email petition.

God bless you!
Robert E. Ritchie
Executive Director

News Updates, 9/23

'Being Human' spotlights 40 Days for Life just prior to tomorrow's kickoff!

The Two Sides of Pacelli. Courageous as Pope, Too Cautious as Secretary of State [Chiesa]

Australian Catholic hospitals set to close
...in face of mandatory abortion bill

Cardinal: Protect religious freedom in India
Cornerstone of the civilization of human rights

Black Pro-Life Advocate Says Obama Still Misleads on Abortion Votes
"It is hard to believe that this man vying for the highest office in America would not only oppose legislation to protect children born alive, but would then lie about it for 4 years stating that he did not oppose it."

Miller/Coors Beer Again Supports Sadomasochistic Gay Street Orgy
Boycott Urged

Hanoi threatens Church with legal action over vigils
Vietnamese Catholics demand return of former Church land

Moralist: dementia patients have 'duty to die'
'If you're demented, you're wasting people's lives'

Catholic Bishops Warn Congress on Pro-Abortion "Freedom of Choice Act"
"FOCA would coerce all Americans into subsidizing and promoting abortion with their tax dollars."

Supporters of assisted suicide bait Catholics
The goal: Create confusion as to who has the ball

Catholic priest, aide, murdered in India
More shock waves sent through Christian community

Hindu zealots wage war on Catholic India
Killing Christians, destruction of churches intensifies

Two More Christians in India Killed and Cut in Pieces
No end is in sight to the attacks and violence against Christians.

Catholic brother to appeal sex abuse sentence
Found guilty of seven counts of molesting boys

Catholic nun describes life inside Tijuana prison
Eight to 10 people are squeezed into two man cells

Obama Campaign Airs Misleading Ad on McCain, Stem Cell Research
Thugs and liars, should we expect anything less?

Monday, September 22, 2008

Gospel for Sept 23, Memorial: Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, Priest

Tuesday, 25th Week in Ordinary Time
Old Calendar: St. Linus, pope and martyr; St. Thecla, virgin and martyr

From: Luke 8:19-21

The True Kinsmen of Jesus

[19] Then His (Jesus') mother and His brethren came to Him, but they could not reach Him for the crowd. [20] And He was told, "Your mother and your brethren are standing outside, desiring to see You." [21] But He said to them, "My mother and my brethren are those who hear the word of God and do it."
_______________________

Commentary:

19-21. These words of our Lord show us that fulfillment of the Will of God is more important than kinship and that, therefore, our Lady is more united to her Son by virtue of her perfect fulfillment of what God asked of her, than by the Holy Spirit's using her to make Christ's body (cf. notes on Matthew 12:48-50 and Mark 3:31-35).

[Notes on Matthew 12:48-50 states:
48-50. Jesus obviously loved His Mother and St. Joseph. He uses this episode to teach us that in His Kingdom human ties do not take precedence. In Luke 8:19 the same teaching is to be found. Jesus regards the person who does the will of His Heavenly Father as a member of His own family. Therefore, even though it means going against natural family feelings, a person should do just that when needs be in order to perform the mission the Father has entrusted to him (cf. Luke 2:49).

We can say that Jesus loved Mary more because of the bonds between them created by grace than because He was her son by natural generation: Mary's divine motherhood is the source of all our Lady's other prerogatives; but this very motherhood is, in its turn, the first and greatest of the graces with which Mary was endowed.]

[Notes on Mark 3:31-35 states:
31-35. In Aramaic, the language used by the Jews, the word "brethren" is a broad term indicating kinship: nephews, first cousins, and relatives in general are called `brethren' (for further explanation cf. note on Mark 6:1-3). "Jesus did not say this to disown His mother, but to show that she is worthy of honor not only account of having given birth to Jesus, but also because she has all the virtues" (Theoplylact, "Enarratio In Evangelium Marci, in loc.").

Therefore, the Church reminds us that the Blessed Virgin "in the course of her Son's preaching received the words whereby, in extolling a kingdom beyond the concerns and ties of flesh and blood, He declared blessed those who heard and kept the word of God as she was faithfully doing" (Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium", 58).

Our Lord, then, is also telling us that if we follow Him we will share His life more intimately than if were a member of His family. St. Thomas explains this by saying that Christ "had an eternal generation and a generation in time, and gave preference to the former. Those who do the will of the Father reach Him by Heavenly generation [...]. Everyone who does the will of the Father, that is to say, who obeys Him, is a brother or sister of Christ, because he is like Him who fulfilled the will of His Father. But he who not only obeys but converts others, begets Christ in them, and thus becomes like the Mother of Christ" ("Commentary on St. Matthew", 12, 49-50.)
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.

Just for Today, September 23

If thou hadst once perfectly entered into the interior of Jesus, and experienced a little of His burning love, then wouldst thou not care at all for thy own convenience or inconvenience, but wouldst rather rejoice at reproach; because the love of Jesus makes a man des­pise himself.
-Bk. II, ch. i.
________________

Instead of avoiding humiliations she sought them eagerly, and for this reason offered to work with a nun who was notoriously hard to please, her generous offer being accepted.

One day when she had been well scolded, a novice asked her why she looked so happy. She was much surprised to get the following answer: "It is because Sister N. has been saying some very un­pleasant things to me, and I am so glad. I only wish I could meet her, so as to give her a smile."

At that moment the Sister in question knocked at the door, and the wondering novice was able to see how the Saints forgive.

"My soul moved so far above such things," the Saint said later, "that humiliations were actually a source of strength to me."

-The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme).
__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.

Thoughts of St Augustine for September 23

WITH this simple and sure faith fed as with milk be we nourished in Christ; and, being little ones, seek we not the food of elders; but with most wholesome nourishment grow in Christ, a good life and Christian righteous­ness being added, wherein is the love of God and of our neighbour perfected and confirmed, that each one of us may triumph in himself over our enemy the devil and his angels, in Christ whom he hath put on.
_________________________
Click here for more information.

From Thoughts of St Augustine for Every Day
by Kathleen Mary Balfe (© 1926)
Nihil Obstat: Georgius D. Smith, S.T.D
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont

Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day-September 23

WE should practise conformity to the divine will with regard to our natural defects - such as want of talent, defective memory, bad sight, bad hearing, bad health. To those who upbraid us with these defects we should answer: He made us, and not we ourselves.
_________________
From Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day
Compiled by Rev. C. McNeiry, C.SS.R.
Imprimatur: Joseph Hull, C.SS.R., Prov. Angl. Sup.
Nihil Obstat: Innocentlus Apap, O.P., S.T.M., Censor Deptutatus.
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius Generalis.
Westmonasterii, Die 9a Junii, 1927.
First published 1927

News Updates, 9/22

Spare us, O Lord!
Obama Invited to Speak at New York "Al Smith Dinner" Of the Catholic Alfred E Smith Foundation, Started by Card, Spellman.

“A toe in the door”
California Franciscans travel to far away places to bring lost Catholics bring back to the faith

Oprah and All Her Works and All Her Empty Promises
One of the most spiritually bankrupt people in America

Pope seeks greater role for Catholics in Europe
Critics squirming at Benedict's admonishment of secularism

Teens accused of plotting attack on Catholic school
Charged with inducing panic with Columbine-style threat

Biden loses Barack Obama the Catholic vote
Catholics are decisive factor in crucial swing states

William Ayers, mastermind behind Barack Obama's rise to power in Chicago
Obama appears to be William Ayers' "front" for a national, ongoing Maoist-style revolutionary campaign structure

UK church closings attacked by Victorian Society
Heritage group: many parishes have thriving congregations

Indian Cathedral damaged in arson attack
Hindus set fire to church, causing extensive damage

Tom Monaghan power broker for GOP candidates
Ave Maria founder backing strong pro-life Catholics

Down Syndrome test found to cause miscarriages
Two healthy babies die for every 3 Down babies detected

More than just the Bible available at hotels
Bhagavad-Gita and Qur'an join spiritual menu

Implementation of indult ruling frustrates some
Bishops continue to place obstacles in path of old Mass