Support Fr. Euteneuer and HLI’s Fight vs. Abortion

The spirit of abortion is the spirit of evil. Those who choose abortion are often deceived by the evil one and his minions. Death and lies is what Satan wishes for God’s children. Not sure what to do? Pray, of course, but also support the work of Fr. Tom Euteneuer and his Catholic pro-life organization known as Human Life International.

Give them a few bucks. They are in the forefront of confronting this evil all over the world…And Fr. Euteneur is a charitable, yet no hold’s barred defender of orthodox Catholic teaching. To listen to him, is to see a bit of St. Michael the Archangel showing through, which may have a bit to do with Fr. Tom’s background as a Marine as well (not to mention that he is also an exorcist).

To see a bit of Fr. Euteneuer in action, watch this clip of him speaking to Sean Hannity, who calls himself Catholic, yet dissents from the Church’s teaching on birth control:

Is Rep. Patrick Kennedy a Heretic?

Let’s get right to the heart of the matter: Rep. Patrick Kennedy recently threw the Catholic Bishops under the bus for their opposition to abortion in the health care bill. Congressman Kennedy, sadly, has a lot of family members like this, and perhaps we need to call them out for what they are – heretics.

Heresy? heretics? What’s that? Too strong you say? Isn’t that just Middle Age mumbo jumbo? No it isn’t.

Here is how the Catechism defines heresy (this was written during John Paul II’s pontificate).

2089…”Heresy is the obstinate post-baptismal denial of some truth which must be believed with divine and catholic faith, or it is likewise an obstinate doubt concerning the same…”

Let’s see…Rep. Patrick Kennedy is a baptized Catholic…who like many of the Kennedys (Don’t get me started on Kathleen Kennedy Townsend), continues to deny truths of the Catholic faith (the evil of abortion for example) in an obstinate and public way…Hummm.

Maybe it’s time for tough love with these Kennedys and their abortion support…They are part of our Catholic family, yet they continue to create scandal and lead others to doubt the truths of the Catholic faith…We need them to be called out as heretics and  ex-communicated. Not because we want to “punish them,” but because they need a spiritual wake-up call, and there is still time to repent.

Let’s applaud Bishop Thomas Tobin of Rhode Island who called Kennedy out for his comments, and is demanding an apology…The time is ending when Catholics will put up with lies, deceit and heresy from our brothers and sisters n the Mystical Body of Christ…We will love them, but as Pope Benedict recently reminded us, love must always be tied to the truth.

Thoughts on Gay Rights Rally

Once more, gay activists in Washington D.C. have held a large public rally with the goal of normalizing homosexual sexual activity in America, and to push for laws that will effectively downgrade the special place of marriage in our civilization.

This event took place in view of the Capital building, and with many of the speakers using choice quotes and references to the founding fathers, the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

One can only wonder what men like John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and George Washington would have thought about men and women who – not only proclaim “pride” in their sexual immorality – but then expect the Unites States of America to make laws that validate immoral acts such as sodomy as some kind of treasured “right,” as well as the dubious so-called hate crimes bill.

And while it’s true that the founding fathers were not all religious men in the strictest sense, to a man they made it clear that Judeo-Christian morality was the stabilizing force in this new country with no King, state-approved religious denomination or dominant ethnic group to unite citizens.

The idea that the public square in America would eventually be stripped of all references to God’s blessings, his Scripture, his Commandments or his binding moral truths – would have been unthinkable to these men.

How can it be that his nation, which was started and lived in by men and women who recognized God’s laws and gave much thanksgiving to their creator for his many blessings, now has citizens who expect that God’s laws on marriage be trampled upon, and that sexual license be enshrined as some kind of “right?”

No civilization has ever survived for long without a unifying set of moral values; if we as a society continue to insist that sodomy between two men is a “marriage,” we are truly entering a time of rapid cultural nihilism.

Obama and the Nobel Peace Prize

I found two rather sharp Catholic reactions to President Obama being awarded Nobel Peace Prize…This very same prize that Mother Teresa did win for her service to the poor of India, and that Pope John Paul II didn’t win for his two decades of actual peacemaking around the world.

Human Life International President Fr. Tom Euteneuer has this to say regarding the exclusion of JP II during his life:

“Pope John Paul II was not granted the Peace Prize in 24 years of peace-making around the world because the leftists on the Nobel Committee obviously don’t give this Prize for actual results of peace.”

And then Fr. Z weighed in:

So they give him the Noble Peace Prize so that he might do something in the future?

Let’s review:

POTUS called for the abandonment of nuclear weapons…. like that’s going to happen.

He expanded American diplomacy…. read “we’re sorry were us”, as we bow to a Saudi king.

He replaced Pres. Bush’s unilateralism with multilateralism.   Though Pres. Bush had, what, 43 nations involved in Iraq and Pres. Obama can get … who?… to help in Afghanistan?

Old Scandinavian hippies want to encourage Pres. Obama… so they give him an atta boy.  Much like L’Osservatore Romano did, right?

“So they give him the Noble Peace Prize so that he might do something in the future?

Let’s review:

POTUS called for the abandonment of nuclear weapons…. like that’s going to happen.

He expanded American diplomacy…. read “we’re sorry were us”, as we bow to a Saudi king.

He replaced Pres. Bush’s unilateralism with multilateralism.   Though Pres. Bush had, what, 43 nations involved in Iraq and Pres. Obama can get … who?… to help in Afghanistan?

Old Scandinavian hippies want to encourage Pres. Obama… so they give him an atta boy. “

A Catholic Thought

While reading “Friends of God” by St. Jose Maria Escriva – the founder of Opus Dei – I was struck by a passage he relates regarding Christians and their daily work before God.

St. Escriva liked to take young people to an old Cathedral (presumably somewhere in Spain), and in doing so, he’d take them up   through the scaffolding of the Church, and then go to the very top to view the artistry on the Church’s ceiling, which is not visible to church-goers  below.

The young people were always stunned to see such intricate designs that were entirely invisible below. And it was with this example, that this great Saint of work demonstrated what it means to work for God – to offer our work directly to him, without concern for the world’s judgement or approbation.

Eulogy for Kennedy at a Catholic Mass

Today there will be a funeral Mass in Boston for Sen. Ted Kennedy. The Mass is an opportunity for the faithful to pray for the soul of Mr. Kennedy – period. It’s a shame that President Obama (or anyone for that matter) will be giving a eulogy in clear violation of what the Catholic Church states regarding that practice at a funeral Mass.

As the American Papist blog points out, the General Instruction of the Roman Missal states:

382. “At the Funeral Mass there should, as a rule, be a short homily, but never a eulogy of any kind.”

We certainly hope that Mr. Kennedy was reconciled to the Church during his final hours – and we know that our Lord is Merciful – yet it still seems unacceptable that President Obama, like at Notre Dame, will be speaking at the very heart and center of a Catholic event.

And the fault lies not with President Obama accepting: for what politician wouldn’t take advantage of such high-profile opportunities to present himself and his ideas? But with Catholics who allow this to happen. This is an in-house matter and President Obama should not:

1. Have been given an honorary degree by a Catholic institution because of Mr. Obama has a pro-abortion voting record
2. Be allowed to give a eulogy at Mr. Kennedy’s funeral Mass because nobody is supposed to eulogize anyone at a Catholic funeral Mass

We pray for the soul of Mr. Kennedy today, but we are concerned about the scandal that may occur today as Church rules are not followed, and  a host of pro-abortion Catholic politicians possibly present themselves for communion.

Japanese Catholic Novelist Endo

I have finally gotten down to business and started reading a novel by the late-Japanese Catholic author Shusaku Endo. I’m reading “Silence,” which tells the story of a 17th century Portuguese priest during the persecution of Christians (which is to say Catholics) in feudal Japan.

A fine novel, although a bit heavy. I have read reports that Martin Scorsese owns the rights to this book and plans to make a film about it. Let’s hope it differs greatly from “The Last Temptation of Christ.”

Catholics and Muslims

The Catholic Church, contrary to what some critics might think, teaches that non-Christians, including Muslims, can be saved by God and enter heaven some day.

Now this isn’t to say that Muslims are saved by following the Islamic religion – no – but that those Muslims who follow the natural law that God has “written on their hearts,” can be saved. And that “saving action” is done through the grace that flows through the Catholic Church.

The Catechism states regarding Muslims:

841 “The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind’s judge on the last day.”

Catholics, like all Christians, should admire the dedication that Muslims have toward daily prayer. Additionally, many traditional Muslims share many of the moral concerns that Catholics have regarding abortion, gay marriage, birth control and sexual license in our day.

Many Catholics will discover that, although there are profound theological differences between Catholics and Muslims (which can never be minimized or dismissed), talking to a traditional Muslim is rather refreshing because they do not hesitate to talk of God, sin or the devil.

In an increasingly secular culture like America, Catholics can find much in common with a people who acknowledge the authority and blessings of God in our daily world.

Yet having acknowledged our common ground, we must also note that there are some real problems with Islam’s current “dialogue” with democratic, pluralistic societies.

The Catholic intellectual George Weigel puts it this way:

“Catholics should try to help Islamic religious leaders, scholars, and lawyers develop an Islamic case for the acceptance of pluralism, for a commitment to the method of persuasion in politics, and for the other basic elements of what we call ‘civil society.’ The great question for Islam as a culture-forming religion — a question whose resolution will shape a lot of 21st century history — is whether Muslims can develop a genuinely Islamic case for civility amidst diversity in society by drawing on their own sacred texts and legal codes.”

And we must also be truthful that, as Weigel notes, “the overwhelming majority of terrorist mayhem in the world is committed by Muslims, who all too often cite religious motivations and religious legitimation for their deeds.” And clearly the “role” if you will, of Catholic martyrs and Muslim martyrs is profoundly different in each faith’s teaching.

Jesuit Fr. John Harden has written a classic and short Catholic history of Islam, which will help Catholics understand the doctrines and practices of Islam.

Oppose Homosexual Indoctrination in Alameda

Against the wishes of the majority of the parents in Alameda County, California, the school system will begin teaching about homosexuality and same sex marriage to school children from kindergarten to grade five.

And in a touch that can only be considered totalitarian, the school system will not allow parents to opt out of this sexual indoctrination.

Catholic parents certainly appreciate that they are the ones responsible for deciding what is and isn’t appropriate regarding their child’s education; if parents determine that a subject – such as homosexual sexual activities in this case – violates their conscience, they have the right to excuse their children.

Once again, however, we see that the promotion of the homosexual lifestyle trumps the right of religious freedom in America.

Parents in Alameda County who are distressed about this new homosexual curriculum, can take heart that the Pacific Justice Center will be sending a letter to school officials protesting this attack on parental sovereignty.

Parents can contact the Pacific Justice Institute to have the Institute advocate on their behalf.

Defund Planned Parenthood Today!

Call your U.S. Congressman today. The House will vote today on the Pence Amendment which will strip the abortion provider Planned Parenthood of Title X Funding.

UPDATE: In another sad reminder of how morally confused our nation is, the Pence Amendment failed today, meaning that Planned Parenthood will continue to get their funding. Find out how your congressman voted on the Pence amendment.

Contact them right now! This is a great chance for Catholics to stop the U.S. Government from giving Planned Parenthood your tax dollars! This is a rare chance to weaken the country’s largest killer of unborn children.

American Papist has the details on the Pence Amendment.