Sent: Saturday, January 31, 2009 4:10 PM
Subject: Fw: Fr. Tom Euteneuer: Pro-Life Dos and Don'ts for 2009
Pro-Life Dos and Don'ts for 2009
Dear Friends of Life,
The pro-life movement is going through a great deal of self-examination at this time. I am not a pessimist, but my sense of realism tells me that the election of extreme abortion advocate, Barack Obama, and the nearly 7,000 political appointments of his administration will usher in a new decade of war on decency and the sanctity of life. Despite the ferocious optimism of his inauguration, the dark clouds of the culture of death are gathering over Washington as we speak, ready to cast their darkness everywhere.
In this time of preparation for the upcoming total war on life, I offer this modest list of Dos and Don'ts for the generous and valiant pro-lifers who gather for the March for Life in Washington, DC on January 22nd. May all men and women of good will take these recommendations to heart for a fruitful pro-life 2009!
DON'TS
1. Above all, do not grow despondent: there is much to fear for the situation of life around the world, but we are not permitted by our Christian faith to give up our efforts or zeal for life. In fact, we need to redouble it!
2. Do not become absorbed in the quest for a political solution to abortion: after 36 years of working for a political solution to abortion, we may soon see the wiping out of most, if not all, of the pro-life movement's gains with the stroke of a pen. Politics has failed. Or rather, we have failed at politics. Either way, politics now offers us little chance of anything other than just trying to slow the massive momentum of the culture of death.
3. Do not waste any more energy on overturning Roe: two Supreme Court seats are assured during an Obama administration, and they will undoubtedly be filled with extreme pro-abortion activist judges. A third appointment will leave us with no hope of overturning Roe in anyone's lifetime reading this. For that matter, the chance that a good pro-life President will succeed Obama in four years and nullify the leftward lurch of the high court is, shall we say, unlikely. Let's get hopes of undoing Roe out of our system and focus on more productive things.
DOS
1. Pray every day for God to end abortion with our help (in that order): abortion is such a great spiritual and social evil that only the divine power of God Himself can end it. "The Lord hears the cry of the poor," but God will not do it alone. He needs us to humbly recognize the basic fact that it is humanly impossible to end this evil. We need to get on our knees and beg His Mercy on the unborn and the conversion of all those who commit these evils.
2. Commit to fasting every week to end the evils of abortion and contraception: "Some demons can only be driven out by prayer and fasting," said the Lord, and we have to take that admonition seriously if we are to effect any change in the hearts of our people or of our society. Fasting makes us more spiritual and gives greater efficacy to all our works and prayers.
3. Take back the culture: Even if the anti-lifers hold the reins of political power, we must not sit back and allow moral anarchists to define all the terms of the cultural or social agenda. Whether it is through social activism for life (crisis pregnancy centers, pickets and prayer marches) or through touching hearts and minds one soul at a time (persuasion, formation, teaching, media), we cannot be neutral about the direction our American culture is heading. It is leading us to certain spiritual death, and no one can afford that. We need to fight for it and never give up the battle.
I promise you that Human Life International will be in the struggle for lives and souls continuously. It is our calling and mission. We will never give one inch to uphold the truth that the whole world needs to hear more than ever: namely, that human life is sacred from the first moment of natural fertilization to the moment of natural death - and we will defend it whether Obama likes it or not.
Sincerely Yours in Christ,
Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer,
President, Human Life International
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Neuhaus at the Gate
Sent: Thursday, January 08, 2009 5:42 PM
Subject: Whispers in the Loggia
Neuhaus at the Gate
NRO posts a rending update to the below....
His friends and family are keeping vigil and he was administered last rites shortly after midnight. Fr. George Rutler, who gave him the Catholic Sacrament, says that “he is not expected to live long” and suggests “that it is appropriate that prayers be offered for a holy death.”...
Fr. Neuhaus might say, if he could right now, what he's already written:
We are born to die. Not that death is the purpose of our being born, but we are born toward death, and in each of our lives the work of dying is already underway. The work of dying well is, in largest part, the work of living well. Most of us are at ease in discussing what makes for a good life, but we typically become tongue-tied and nervous when the discussion turns to a good death. As children of a culture radically, even religiously, devoted to youth and health, many find it incomprehensible, indeed offensive, that the word "good" should in any way be associated with death. Death, it is thought, is an unmitigated evil, the very antithesis of all that is good.
Death is to be warded off by exercise, by healthy habits, by medical advances. What cannot be halted can be delayed, and what cannot forever be delayed can be denied. But all our progress and all our protest notwithstanding, the mortality rate holds steady at 100 percent.
Death is the most everyday of everyday things. It is not simply that thousands of people die every day, that thousands will die this day, although that too is true. Death is the warp and woof of existence in the ordinary, the quotidian, the way things are. It is the horizon against which we get up in the morning and go to bed at night, and the next morning we awake to find the horizon has drawn closer. From the twelfth-century Enchiridion Leonis comes the nighttime prayer of children of all ages: "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray thee Lord my soul to keep; if I should die before I wake, I pray thee Lord my soul to take." Every going to sleep is a little death, a rehearsal for the real thing.
http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/
Subject: Whispers in the Loggia
Neuhaus at the Gate
NRO posts a rending update to the below....
His friends and family are keeping vigil and he was administered last rites shortly after midnight. Fr. George Rutler, who gave him the Catholic Sacrament, says that “he is not expected to live long” and suggests “that it is appropriate that prayers be offered for a holy death.”...
Fr. Neuhaus might say, if he could right now, what he's already written:
We are born to die. Not that death is the purpose of our being born, but we are born toward death, and in each of our lives the work of dying is already underway. The work of dying well is, in largest part, the work of living well. Most of us are at ease in discussing what makes for a good life, but we typically become tongue-tied and nervous when the discussion turns to a good death. As children of a culture radically, even religiously, devoted to youth and health, many find it incomprehensible, indeed offensive, that the word "good" should in any way be associated with death. Death, it is thought, is an unmitigated evil, the very antithesis of all that is good.
Death is to be warded off by exercise, by healthy habits, by medical advances. What cannot be halted can be delayed, and what cannot forever be delayed can be denied. But all our progress and all our protest notwithstanding, the mortality rate holds steady at 100 percent.
Death is the most everyday of everyday things. It is not simply that thousands of people die every day, that thousands will die this day, although that too is true. Death is the warp and woof of existence in the ordinary, the quotidian, the way things are. It is the horizon against which we get up in the morning and go to bed at night, and the next morning we awake to find the horizon has drawn closer. From the twelfth-century Enchiridion Leonis comes the nighttime prayer of children of all ages: "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray thee Lord my soul to keep; if I should die before I wake, I pray thee Lord my soul to take." Every going to sleep is a little death, a rehearsal for the real thing.
http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/
Monday, December 29, 2008
Fantasy Football
Sent: Monday, December 29, 2008 8:39 PM
Subject: Final Results
Sorry Seanie you never rose higher than 10th in points nor head to head but more than welcome back next year to try again--if you bring $100 to the draft like everyone else.
The Webb wins week 17--his first win of the season--I think he did the same last year as well.
Head to Head winner:
Sr Skinny $95
Animal Interiors $45
High Points:
1. AI 1792 $195
2. Pacman Boys 1718 $95
3. Senor Skinny 1708 $70
4. Steel Curtain 1680 $45
out of the money:
5. TI and M 1670
6. DT 1653
7. TW 1641
8 NILP 1599
9 J 1530
10. RTG 1504
Hold all scorecards--check them twice--if all holds this is end of season payouts:
TEAMS: Weeks 1&2 Wks 3&4 Wks 5&6 Wks 7&8 Wks 9&10 Wks 11&12 Wks 13&14 Wks 15-17 End of Year TOTAL
Seanie Boy $0.00 $0.00
Gerry $25.00 $25.00 $50.00 $240.00 $340.00
Mike $25.00 $25.00 $25.00 $25.00 $25.00 $95.00 $220.00
Ted $0.00 $0.00
JD $25.00 $0.00 $25.00
Jeff/ Max $25.00 $25.00 $0.00 $50.00
Wayne $0.00 $0.00
Jim Sr $25.00 $25.00 $25.00 $165.00 $240.00
Fitz $25.00 $45.00 $70.00
Erik $25.00 $0.00 $25.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
TOTAL: $50.00 $50.00 $50.00 $50.00 $50.00 $50.00 $50.00 $75.00 $545.00 $970.00
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Subject: Final Results
Sorry Seanie you never rose higher than 10th in points nor head to head but more than welcome back next year to try again--if you bring $100 to the draft like everyone else.
The Webb wins week 17--his first win of the season--I think he did the same last year as well.
Head to Head winner:
Sr Skinny $95
Animal Interiors $45
High Points:
1. AI 1792 $195
2. Pacman Boys 1718 $95
3. Senor Skinny 1708 $70
4. Steel Curtain 1680 $45
out of the money:
5. TI and M 1670
6. DT 1653
7. TW 1641
8 NILP 1599
9 J 1530
10. RTG 1504
Hold all scorecards--check them twice--if all holds this is end of season payouts:
TEAMS: Weeks 1&2 Wks 3&4 Wks 5&6 Wks 7&8 Wks 9&10 Wks 11&12 Wks 13&14 Wks 15-17 End of Year TOTAL
Seanie Boy $0.00 $0.00
Gerry $25.00 $25.00 $50.00 $240.00 $340.00
Mike $25.00 $25.00 $25.00 $25.00 $25.00 $95.00 $220.00
Ted $0.00 $0.00
JD $25.00 $0.00 $25.00
Jeff/ Max $25.00 $25.00 $0.00 $50.00
Wayne $0.00 $0.00
Jim Sr $25.00 $25.00 $25.00 $165.00 $240.00
Fitz $25.00 $45.00 $70.00
Erik $25.00 $0.00 $25.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
TOTAL: $50.00 $50.00 $50.00 $50.00 $50.00 $50.00 $50.00 $75.00 $545.00 $970.00
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Christmas Greetings From Fr. Corapi
Sent: Wednesday, December 24, 2008 9:57 PM
Subject: Fw: Christmas Greetings From Fr. Corapi
A Christmas Greeting
The blessed and joyous time of Christmas is here again. So, I’ll just take the opportunity to thank all of our viewing and listening family for allowing us into your homes. I don’t take that for granted. I am honestly grateful to you for allowing us to serve you in that way.
As I look out the windows of my home in Montana it sure is “beginning to look a lot like Christmas.” We have about a foot of snow and it’s been below zero for about ten days. Two of my dogs are under my desk with their heads resting on my feet--looking like those big fuzzy slippers that little kids sometimes wear.
Christmas is, of course, the best time to recall that Jesus, the Son of God, in fact was born in a poor stable or cave on a cold night—“for us men, and for our salvation.” Amidst the escalating uncertainty and chaos of the modern world we must sit still for a moment and remember what really matters.
In recent years major corporations have been vaporized in the twinkling of an eye. It’s a sign of the times, but recall that what really matters is that it was the twinkling of a star that led shepherds and wise men to the One who is the Light of the world.
In recent years the biggest accounting firm in the world ceased to be over night. They don’t account for anything today, but it honestly doesn’t matter. What really matters is that on a cold night two millennia ago the God who loves us was born in Bethlehem and laid in a manger by the Mother who loves Him.
In recent years the unthinkable has happened--major banks and financial institutions have ceased to be. That doesn’t matter either because the truly unthinkable happened on the first Christmas Eve long ago when the God who always was and will never cease to be came to show us the depth and breadth of His love.
In recent years I have been accused of being a “prophet of doom, and a pessimist.” I can understand this criticism, but it really isn’t true. I am a realist, and as a priest and Catholic/Christian of necessity must share in the prophetic dimension of Christ. The United States, and the entire world for the most part, is in many ways precipitating its own demise. That matters, and we must do all we can to “fight the good fight,” but what truly matters is the state of your soul and mine because in the end that will determine how we live forever, and compared to that nothing else really matters.
Things may go from bad to worse. It may well go from uncomfortable to dangerous to live your Catholic/Christian faith in a world unraveling rapidly due to one bad moral choice after the other. Remember that it will not be the first time if Christians are persecuted, even imprisoned and executed. “The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians.” The Western world is too fat and lazy, in the secular order and even in the religious. Perhaps a jolly good persecution may be what it takes for people to decide to live their faith, rather than go along with what they know to be a sick society.
In any event, don’t let it get you down. Whatever happens, stay close to Jesus and Mary. Remember that our God is not against you. He is for you, and He will be with you through all of the ups and downs of life. He will be with you in sickness and in health; in good times and in bad; and when death comes knocking at your door He will be there to comfort you and lead you safely home. Having fought the good fight and run the race to the finish line, you will surely hear those beautiful words:
“WELL DONE MY GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT! NOW AT LAST ENTER INTO THE JOY OF YOUR MASTER’S HOUSE.”
A most blessed and merry Christmas and a holy, happy, and healthy New Year to each and all of you!
Fr. John Corapi
Subject: Fw: Christmas Greetings From Fr. Corapi
A Christmas Greeting
The blessed and joyous time of Christmas is here again. So, I’ll just take the opportunity to thank all of our viewing and listening family for allowing us into your homes. I don’t take that for granted. I am honestly grateful to you for allowing us to serve you in that way.
As I look out the windows of my home in Montana it sure is “beginning to look a lot like Christmas.” We have about a foot of snow and it’s been below zero for about ten days. Two of my dogs are under my desk with their heads resting on my feet--looking like those big fuzzy slippers that little kids sometimes wear.
Christmas is, of course, the best time to recall that Jesus, the Son of God, in fact was born in a poor stable or cave on a cold night—“for us men, and for our salvation.” Amidst the escalating uncertainty and chaos of the modern world we must sit still for a moment and remember what really matters.
In recent years major corporations have been vaporized in the twinkling of an eye. It’s a sign of the times, but recall that what really matters is that it was the twinkling of a star that led shepherds and wise men to the One who is the Light of the world.
In recent years the biggest accounting firm in the world ceased to be over night. They don’t account for anything today, but it honestly doesn’t matter. What really matters is that on a cold night two millennia ago the God who loves us was born in Bethlehem and laid in a manger by the Mother who loves Him.
In recent years the unthinkable has happened--major banks and financial institutions have ceased to be. That doesn’t matter either because the truly unthinkable happened on the first Christmas Eve long ago when the God who always was and will never cease to be came to show us the depth and breadth of His love.
In recent years I have been accused of being a “prophet of doom, and a pessimist.” I can understand this criticism, but it really isn’t true. I am a realist, and as a priest and Catholic/Christian of necessity must share in the prophetic dimension of Christ. The United States, and the entire world for the most part, is in many ways precipitating its own demise. That matters, and we must do all we can to “fight the good fight,” but what truly matters is the state of your soul and mine because in the end that will determine how we live forever, and compared to that nothing else really matters.
Things may go from bad to worse. It may well go from uncomfortable to dangerous to live your Catholic/Christian faith in a world unraveling rapidly due to one bad moral choice after the other. Remember that it will not be the first time if Christians are persecuted, even imprisoned and executed. “The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians.” The Western world is too fat and lazy, in the secular order and even in the religious. Perhaps a jolly good persecution may be what it takes for people to decide to live their faith, rather than go along with what they know to be a sick society.
In any event, don’t let it get you down. Whatever happens, stay close to Jesus and Mary. Remember that our God is not against you. He is for you, and He will be with you through all of the ups and downs of life. He will be with you in sickness and in health; in good times and in bad; and when death comes knocking at your door He will be there to comfort you and lead you safely home. Having fought the good fight and run the race to the finish line, you will surely hear those beautiful words:
“WELL DONE MY GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT! NOW AT LAST ENTER INTO THE JOY OF YOUR MASTER’S HOUSE.”
A most blessed and merry Christmas and a holy, happy, and healthy New Year to each and all of you!
Fr. John Corapi
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Eating Meat on Fridays
Sent: Saturday, December 20, 2008 11:54 AM
Subject: Eating Meat on Fridays | Catholic-Pages.com
I think sometimes you guys think I make this stuff up:
Meat on Fridays
Most Catholics think that Vatican II did away with the requirement of not eating meat on any Friday of the year. Most think it is now just Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent that we cannot eat meat.
This is what the new Code of Canon Law brought out in 1983 says about the matter:
Canon 1251
Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday. Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
Canon Law still requires that Catholics not eat meat on Fridays!
Of course, most Episcopal Conferences have determined that, instead of abstaining from meat, Catholics may perform an act of penance of their choosing. But, do you ever remember to abstain from a particular food or do some other penance on Fridays? And, at any rate, the main rule is still to abstain from meat on Fridays, the performance of another penance instead is an optional alternative.
It's very interesting to note that the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (the United States' Episcopal Conference) is currently debating whether to rescind the determination and require all Catholics to abstain from meat on all Fridays of the year. The Bishops are considering that a return to meatless Fridays for all Catholics would be of benefit because:
It is an expression of one's Catholicity; and
In reparation for the grave sin of abortion.
Subject: Eating Meat on Fridays | Catholic-Pages.com
I think sometimes you guys think I make this stuff up:
Meat on Fridays
Most Catholics think that Vatican II did away with the requirement of not eating meat on any Friday of the year. Most think it is now just Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent that we cannot eat meat.
This is what the new Code of Canon Law brought out in 1983 says about the matter:
Canon 1251
Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday. Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
Canon Law still requires that Catholics not eat meat on Fridays!
Of course, most Episcopal Conferences have determined that, instead of abstaining from meat, Catholics may perform an act of penance of their choosing. But, do you ever remember to abstain from a particular food or do some other penance on Fridays? And, at any rate, the main rule is still to abstain from meat on Fridays, the performance of another penance instead is an optional alternative.
It's very interesting to note that the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (the United States' Episcopal Conference) is currently debating whether to rescind the determination and require all Catholics to abstain from meat on all Fridays of the year. The Bishops are considering that a return to meatless Fridays for all Catholics would be of benefit because:
It is an expression of one's Catholicity; and
In reparation for the grave sin of abortion.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Blessing the Babies
Sent: Sunday, December 14, 2008 2:55 PM
Subject: Whispers in the Loggia
At this morning's Angelus, turnout was even heavier than usual as the Pope continued the longstanding, beloved Roman tradition of blessing the Bambinelli -- the likenesses of the Christkindl brought by the city's children to St Peter's Square every Gaudete Sunday in advance of their arrival in the family creche come Christmas.
For the first time, as opposed to including the figures in the general blessing at the noontime prayer's end, B16 employed a special prayer for the rite. Lest anyone find it useful in coming days, here's a translation:
God our Father,
you loved man so much
to send us your only Son Jesus,
born of the Virgin Mary,
to save us and lead us back to you.
We pray that, with your blessing
these images of Jesus, soon to come among us,
might be, in our homes,
a sign of your presence and love.
Good Father,
give your blessing to us, too,
to our parents, our families and friends.
Open our hearts,
that we might know to receive Jesus in joy,
always do what he asks of us
and see him in all those
who need our love.
We ask this in the name of Jesus,
your beloved Son, who came to give peace to the world.
You who live and reign forever and ever.
Amen.
...and as a bonus, an especially-beloved Italian carol...
http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/
Subject: Whispers in the Loggia
At this morning's Angelus, turnout was even heavier than usual as the Pope continued the longstanding, beloved Roman tradition of blessing the Bambinelli -- the likenesses of the Christkindl brought by the city's children to St Peter's Square every Gaudete Sunday in advance of their arrival in the family creche come Christmas.
For the first time, as opposed to including the figures in the general blessing at the noontime prayer's end, B16 employed a special prayer for the rite. Lest anyone find it useful in coming days, here's a translation:
God our Father,
you loved man so much
to send us your only Son Jesus,
born of the Virgin Mary,
to save us and lead us back to you.
We pray that, with your blessing
these images of Jesus, soon to come among us,
might be, in our homes,
a sign of your presence and love.
Good Father,
give your blessing to us, too,
to our parents, our families and friends.
Open our hearts,
that we might know to receive Jesus in joy,
always do what he asks of us
and see him in all those
who need our love.
We ask this in the name of Jesus,
your beloved Son, who came to give peace to the world.
You who live and reign forever and ever.
Amen.
...and as a bonus, an especially-beloved Italian carol...
http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Keep Christ in Christmas
Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2008 8:31 PM
Subject: Re: Re:
> as far as I knew I thought we were Catholics celebrating the Lord's birthday
>
> Why a need to combine/ destroy CHRISTmas? People are trying to secularize
> Christmas and everything else sacred. They want culture of death not life.
>
> People can celebrate what they want--I am all for that but dont blur
> Christmas in with the other holidays which takes place now. Send Christmas
> cards to those celebrating Christmas and send Ramadan to those celebrating
> Ramadan--I have no idea who is celebrating Kwanza and ill end that there.
>
> Do people celebrating Ramadan, whatever else is being celebrated this month
> want polar bears, snowflakes, snowmen, or whatever that is supposed to
> represent a secular Christmas on there Ramadan card?
>
> It seems we dont want to offend the 10% of Americans not celebrating
> Christmas--so that is 90% of people here are celebrating Christmas in some
> fashion. Who are these with a war on Christmas? They dont want to be
> offended and thus want us to celebrate happy holiday or season greetings???
> I am insulted as a Catholic by people trying to remove Christ from
> Christmas.
>
> Keep Christ in Christmas
> Gerry
Subject: Re: Re:
> as far as I knew I thought we were Catholics celebrating the Lord's birthday
>
> Why a need to combine/ destroy CHRISTmas? People are trying to secularize
> Christmas and everything else sacred. They want culture of death not life.
>
> People can celebrate what they want--I am all for that but dont blur
> Christmas in with the other holidays which takes place now. Send Christmas
> cards to those celebrating Christmas and send Ramadan to those celebrating
> Ramadan--I have no idea who is celebrating Kwanza and ill end that there.
>
> Do people celebrating Ramadan, whatever else is being celebrated this month
> want polar bears, snowflakes, snowmen, or whatever that is supposed to
> represent a secular Christmas on there Ramadan card?
>
> It seems we dont want to offend the 10% of Americans not celebrating
> Christmas--so that is 90% of people here are celebrating Christmas in some
> fashion. Who are these with a war on Christmas? They dont want to be
> offended and thus want us to celebrate happy holiday or season greetings???
> I am insulted as a Catholic by people trying to remove Christ from
> Christmas.
>
> Keep Christ in Christmas
> Gerry
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
