Fr. Thomas Euteneuer and Our Possible Future

The following is the complete text of LifeSiteNews.com’s interview with Fr. Thomas Euteneuer, president of Human Life International:

LSN: We see the crisis of abortion sometimes in isolation. We look at individual problems like the health care bill in the US, or the threat to national sovereignty presented by the Lisbon Treaty, or we look at a particular political party or candidate and we focus our attention on those things, but we need also to look at the larger picture. What does the abortion crisis, and the moral crisis, presage in the larger realm?

TE: A moral degradation precedes social and political degradation. And we see a take-over of the financial system. We see a dismantling of the free market as we know it, which is a hallmark of western democracy. We see a socialization of huge industries, such as the health care industry, even the insurance industry is part of this process of socialization. I say it is not remarkable that it is happening now.

You mention that it has already happened in Europe and we’re now catching up. Of course, because Europe legalized abortion, Europe had their moral degradation prior to us. And now they’re seeing a rapid systematic dismantling of their economies.

LSN: Can a line between legalized abortion and the financial crisis be drawn clearly?

TE: The line to me is the spiritual and moral dimension of it. The spiritual and moral affect everything that we do. But usually because there is a greater accountability in the financial and economic realm of things, it takes longer for that to degrade. When people start losing money, they begin to wake up. And God allows that because when people do not recognize the demands of morality and the demands of God, the only thing they’re willing to listen to oftentimes is their pocket book. There’s a great possibility in all these structural changes that are happening now that people could turn around and become moral again, because of the financial crisis. Also, any type of disaster turns people back to God, as we saw after 9-11. We didn’t sustain that because we got back on our feet economically.

LSN: Do you anticipate a social crisis similar to that of Britain in the US?

TE: The social crisis happens when we elect people to rule over us who are immoral. That is not an isolated incident anymore. We have immoral activists at every branch of government and everywhere we turn around the pagans are in charge of our institutions. So people who don’t have a moral bearing to elect other moral people, elect immoral politicians and people to serve over them, eventually end up reaping the fruit of those immoral decisions. So immoral lifestyles produce immoral leaders.

LSN: This should come as a surprise to no one, though.

TE: It’s not. It’s happened in every society that has reached its pinnacle of civilization and then collapsed. Look at Carthage, the Phoenician empire was much more powerful than Rome for a period of time. But Carthage had a religion that offered human sacrifice of babies. Eventually it degraded from within and collapsed on itself.

LSN: What do you anticipate then, with our global culture?

TE: We’ve got a serious crisis on the horizon. I’m not a prophet of doom but I don’t see this going any other way but a serious political crisis that’s going to affect the globe.

LSN: You don’t think there is going to be a backlash? A natural return to moral sanity? In Britain, even if most people don’t understand why the situation is so bad, they are clearly fed up with Blairism and are going to kick the Labour Party out. Do you think that people will say “enough” before a global social disaster?

TE: The only way we can avert a global collapse is by a moral conversion. Once again, we have to reverse the process. Just to rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic, is not a way to stop the collapse, the sinking of the Titanic. We have to turn back to God. And if people get fed up and just elect another political party that is just as bad as the previous political party, it does nothing to stem the global crisis that’s going to come upon us. What we need is a conversion of heart.

LSN: How is this going to come about, barring a massive disaster?

TE: It’s going to be the natural result of suffering. People turn back to God when they suffer. People can turn back to God because they listen to reason. Or because they hear good preaching or because they have good moral leadership. It could also happen that way, where if the Church were living up to its vocation – and I mean mainly Church leadership – then the people have a fighting chance of turning this back.

A good example of where it’s not happening was this summer. Many of us were happy that people were attending the townhall meetings and tea parties and yelling and screaming, but it was all about the economics. Where were these people when they were killing babies? Where are these people since they are continuing to kill babies. Where is this kind of anger generated by that?

Biblically, we see Nineveh, as a sign that this kind of thing can happen. They responded to God’s grace.

LSN: So where’s our Jonah?

TE: (Pope) Benedict, and John Paul before him, they are true prophets. We have witnesses such as Terri Schiavo who was a victim. They are victim witnesses. We have the witnesses of holiness in the lives of sanctity that we see proposed to us by the Church throughout the ages, but in the modern age we are not lacking at all.

LSN: But we’ve had martyrs, modern martyrs, so where’s the miracle? Where’s the big conversion?

TE: I think because the seriousness of the shedding of innocent blood through the 20th century into the 21st century, the spiritual deficit is too great. The scales are tipped too low, and I really believe that we’re going to need a great martyrdom in order to return the balance. Abraham Lincoln, believe it or not, said that the cost of slavery was all the blood shed in the Civil War. And I believe ... how will we pay back the cost of abortion? Our trillion-dollar debt in the United States isn’t anything in comparison to the actual debt that we owe to reality and to God and to the human race even for the killing of innocents.

50 million is what is killed every year around the world. It’s a global genocide and it’s totally unrepented.

And with contraception and abortion, we’re basically committing mass suicide on a global scale.

LSN: Lots of people have been sounding the trumpet of warning for a long time...

TE: It’s human nature. Human nature doesn’t listen. My mother always says those who do not listen must feel. You get the message when you feel it hurting you and striking you back. I believe that is very much the way human nature operates. It’s the law of nature that we are slothful until we’re woken up. The Gospels have so many messages saying not only ‘stay awake’ but ‘wake up!’ and see what is happening around you and if you don’t then death happens.

LSN: Death happens?

TE: The principle is that what happens under the surface eventually comes out into the open. So the killing of babies eventually leads to the euthanizing of elderly and sick people. That’s the law. It happens infallibly. It’s part of the moral law of nature, the moral dimension of nature, that if you don’t see something that is so necessary to see on a personal scale, eventually it becomes social, so that you can’t miss it.

The sad part is that we might as individuals and even as a majority of society we might see it, we might get the message. But we’ve elected these clowns who don’t get the message.

LSN: Why do we who see the problem and keep electing the same ‘clowns’ then?

TE: They see it but they don’t really see it. Because seeing it has implications for action. And if they’re not willing to act according to what they see, then they’re not part of the solution.

But it’s probably more a question of people not having good leadership. People become paralyzed very easily when they feel isolated. You’re only one vote, you’re just one person, what can you do? But if you had leadership that is saying ‘follow me, we’ll all do this together’ then we would have much more impact on society.

LSN: Where is the leadership? Here we are, there’s the dome of St. Peter’s right out that window...

TE: We have individual leaders that are stellar. Such as here, in Archbishop (Raymond) Burke. I think the man is just a modern saint. And his leadership does not go unnoticed. However as just one individual bishop there’s only so much he can do. We don’t have conferences of bishops that are giving us leadership as a body of bishops. When will that come? It will probably only come when [the secular governments] start forcing the bishops to pay for abortions. Those who do not listen must feel.

LSN: People are saying that there has been a surprisingly strong reaction from the US bishops to abortion funding in the American health care bill. Where’s that coming from?

TE: I think there are more bishops who are seeing it for what it is. There are more bishops who have less of the liberal agenda and are just more Catholic. When their number increases then we have more leadership in the body of bishops.

LSN: Has there been a backlash by the Catholic bishops against the attempts to force Catholic health care services to provide contraception and abortion in places like Massachusetts?

TE: In some ways the bishops’ hands are tied because they don’t have control over the Catholic health care any more. In most cases the bishops are not the owners of these institutions. They can only exercise moral leadership and not legal control over an entity. That being said, they can exercise a great deal of influence over these institutions as well and when they’re willing to do it, they have incredible influence.

Pro-abortion forces in the US government are becoming more aggressive against [the bishops]. That’s where I think the bishops as a body will stand up and make stronger statements as time goes on because more is going to be threatened. Not just the tax-exempt status but Catholic institutions, Catholic identity and they will have to defend that or they will not be Catholic.

That’s why I think that something like abortion, because it’s proposed and spread as a personal choice, is much more difficult to deal with than communism because communism is imposed from the outside. This health care situation, the socializing of medicine and the attack on our fundamental values, could be the wake-up call that we need. Because it is an external imposition on us that runs contrary to our values, militates against our values. And in order to defend those basic identity issues the bishops have to do something.

LSN: I’ll give you the case of the government of Britain forcing the closure or secularization of Catholic adoption agencies. When the British Labour government, in the person of Tony Blair, refused to give a religious exemption to the Sexual Orientation Regulations, the bishops shrugged and secularized their adoption agencies. So they’ve lost the Catholic service of adoption in Britain.

TE: And they may lose more. As the attacks against our values and institutions get more militant, they’re going to have to make those very hard decisions. Our point is that they’ve had the question of the salvation of souls as a perennial question for them and in a lot of those cases they haven’t done anything. Souls are being lost. Now they’re talking about the loss of health care institutions, which is nothing in value to compare with the loss of a soul. So maybe this is the way that the Catholic leadership will wake up and realize that there is so much that potentially can be lost here and get them back on their mission putting the salvation of souls as their primary concern.

I’ve always said, and I’ll continue to say it, for a bishop to be a real bishop, he has to be willing to go to war. That is a war not only with the secular culture but often times the most difficult part of that is the war with his own people. To make them truly Catholic and to witness to them.

LSN: Have there been concrete gains from the faithfulness of the people in the movement to restore sanity?

TE: We need to watch the things that don’t get a lot of press, and that is the movements, such as the pro-life movement. It’s important to keep an eye on the people who are doing good things and the way they are doing them. I think the unsung heroes of the pro-life movement are the crisis pregnancy centres. This very humble, down-to-earth grassroots movement that gets no press at all but they’re saving babies and saving souls every single day out there. 40 Days for Life, positive things like that, the March for Life, we have plenty of things to keep us enthusiastic in this war.

Every war is discouraging because you lose some battles. And sometimes you lose a lot of battles before you actually win one and then turn the tide. So I think we need encouraging things, to find and promote them to show people that all is not lost.

LSN: Are there signs that the tide is turning?

TE: No. I don’t think the tide is turning. I don’t think we’ve reached that point yet. I think the crisis we were talking about earlier will be the way in which the tide turns. Again, I’m not predicting anything, I just have this intuition that the way things are going, they’re getting worse, they’re declining, they’re dismantling, and that can only mean some form of major destruction down the road. The ones who are now presently on the side of the angels are the ones who are going to get through that. And to bring others along with them back to God.

We can talk about the wonderful people who are already doing that, the saints who are out there on the streets, living their faith and making great sacrifices and those stories need to be told.

And we have to keep in mind that Obama doesn’t define life. I’m an exorcist, and I tell all the people who I work with that the demons do not define your life. They are painful and terrible, however long it may take to remove them and get you back to health, you have to keep this message in mind. That you are not defined by evil. You are defined by God, by Jesus Christ. And the return that some of these people have to make after living terrible lives, and paying the price for that, is part of the reason why God allows evil in the world. It serves a purpose in the overall work of the Kingdom. He allows evil in order to bring something good out of it. In fact something even better than it would have been had evil not been present.

LSN: So this unimaginably huge evil, 50 million people being killed a year...

TE: ...will produce an unimaginably marvelous good, if we are men and women of faith and we look for it.

A Call to Something Greater

Well, here's a story you don't see every day.

Grant Desme, a 23-year-old minor league outfielder in Oakland's system, is retiring from baseball to follow a calling into the Catholic priesthood.

The story was first reported by Fox Sports' Jon Paul Morosi — perhaps appropriately with that first name of his — and this isn't a case of a struggling player going through an early-life crisis. Desme was ranked the A's eighth-best prospect by Baseball America after hitting .288 with 31 home runs and 89 RBIs in A ball in 2009 and he was just named MVP of the Arizona Fall League.

Desme might have even been a late-season callup to the big league club in 2010. Our Y! Sports 2010 fantasy guide has him ranked the 40th-best minor-league prospect for near-term fantasy purpose. However, ESPN's Rob Neyer disagrees, saying that he didn't see Desme as a future star by the Bay.

Susan Slusser has more on Desme's decision to leave playing against the Padres and Cardinals so he can start praying with other padres and cardinals at a Catholic seminary in Orange County. He said the news came as bit of a shock to Billy Beane, but that the Oakland GM and entire A's system have been supportive of his decision.

Said Desme on a Friday afternoon conference call:

"I'm doing well in baseball. But I had to get down to the bottom of things, to what was good in my life, what I wanted to do with my life. Baseball is a good thing, but that felt selfish of me when I felt that God was calling me more. It took awhile to trust that and open up to it and aim full steam toward him ... I love the game, but I'm going to aspire to higher things."

Desme spoke with Baseball America last year about baseball being only "a game" and we wish him success on his spiritual path. In a selfish age when churches struggle to recruit young male Americans, his sacrifice of possible riches is a very admirable thing.

Children and the Mass

Once you have children, you're able to relate to this entire piece:


(http://www.catholic.net/index.php?option=dedestaca&id=3540)

How many times has the following happened to you?

Your baby or toddler is crying inconsolably at Mass. You look around and you think the entire congregation is giving you a stern stare. The message written on the people´s faces seems to say, "How dare you bring in a distraction to the serious work of the liturgy!" The celebrant gives no hint of hearing anything, but somehow you just know that his entire attention is on the screams. Convinced that the whole world is looking at your child, you plan a way to furtively sneak to the back of the church.

In searching for a way to deal with this problem, my wife, April, and I have discovered two extremely helpful tools. The first is Scripture, which has molded our attitudes toward bringing children to Mass. The second is the discovery of some "child psychology," which helps us to cope with "Mass hysteria."

The Rights of Baptism.

As we struggled with the challenges of bringing our children to Mass, we found two Scripture passages that helped us to see things from a new perspective. The first is the account of how Jesus loved the children:

[T]hey were bringing children to Him, that He might touch them; and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it He was indignant, and said to them, "Let the children come to me, do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." And He took them in His arms and blessed them, laying His hands upon them (Mk. 10:13-16).

This scene from the life of Jesus demonstrates that He embraces little people as much as big people. From Jesus´ point of view, children are not a distraction to His "real" ministry to adults. He becomes upset when adults keep children away from Him because He wants to bless them too.

The Church frequently refers to this passage when it meditates upon the meaning of infant Baptism, which welcomes children into the family of God. Children are part of the Church today. By baptizing our children we are giving them the right to worship God with us. These children are full-fledged, card-carrying citizens of God´s Kingdom. Therefore, parents are obliged to nourish their children by bringing them to Christ at Mass.

Those Guilty Feelings.

Even though we came to understand that Jesus calls our toddlers to worship every Sunday with us, we still felt guilty about the occasional commotion at church. Before our children were born, we felt free to leave home early and spend some time before Mass in preparation and prayer. Now, just getting there is a major undertaking. Once we get to church our attention is divided between the Mass and our children. We go potty during the readings, intervene in squabbles during the Creed, and chase kids down the pew during the consecration.

We questioned whether we were spiritually benefitting from the Mass because our attention was elsewhere. But God revealed another portrait of Jesus that allayed our concerns: the story of the feeding of the five thousand:

Then [Jesus] ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass; and taking the five loaves and the two fish He looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children (Matthew 14:19-21).

We had read this passage many times, but it was not until we had children that we noticed the phrase "besides women and children." All of a sudden this scene took on a fresh meaning. There were families present! Have you ever been in a stadium filled with thousands of families? There is always commotion somewhere. The movement of people standing up and sitting down is punctuated with all sorts of noises. Yet "all ate and were satisfied," not just the 5,000 men. Jesus made sure there was more than enough for those who today would be sitting in the crying room or on "potty duty."

God blessed us with children and He will never ask us to leave our blessing(s) at the door when we enter the church. We are to come to Him as parents. He understands the responsibilities of being a parent and He will not penalize us for carrying out those obligations.

Practical Considerations.

With these Scripture passages in mind we started to rethink our attitudes about bringing our children to Mass. It became obvious that the children´s rightful place is at Mass with us. True, there are still times when they are disruptive and must be removed for the sake of others who want to pray. But in most cases it is easier to manage children if we acknowledge several facts of life and use them to our advantage.

Children will attract attention, even when they are being good.

People will always notice them because, quite simply, all children are adorable and they do cute things. The expectation that they will attract attention should not be a reason for not bringing them to church.

Embarrassing moments often are funny in retrospect and make wonderful memories. Our daughter is a special girl for our deacon because she was the first baby he baptized. Once, she suddenly darted out into the aisle during Mass and flashed her belly button at him. He noticed it and tried very hard to keep from bursting out laughing. It was only by looking away from her he was able to contain himself.

Children do not see the world from an adult perspective.

It is easy to forget that children are short and often the only thing they see is the back of the person sitting in front of them. We sit in front so that the children can get a good view of the action at the altar. It is amazing how much easier it becomes for them to stay in one place for an hour when they can watch what happens in front of them.

Children also differ from adults in how they interpret what they see and hear. This was brought home one day when our three-year-old daughter pointed at the crucifix and exclaimed: "Daddy, Jesus is wearing a bathing suit!" Children, however, can appreciate the words and actions of the liturgy if it is explained to them at their level.

It helps to tie in everyday home life with what happens at Mass. Children may not understand the readings but they know about bedtime stories and about Bible stories. They may not understand the theology of the Eucharist as a sacrificial meal but they do know what food is. They can relate to setting the table, washing hands, bringing the food, saying a blessing, eating, and clearing the table. Other things they are familiar with are lighting candles, singing songs, and making the Sign of the Cross.

Children are naturally curious.

Children absorb all the wonderful sights and sounds that surround them. Walking through a church can offer innumerable teachable moments. Every object in a church has a reason for being there. Occasionally come to church early and make a game of finding and naming various sacred objects. Look for the baptismal font, the sanctuary light, the dove above the altar, and the crucifix. See what new items you can find. Tell stories about the people, places, or events depicted in the statues, stained glass windows, and paintings. Obtain permission to visit the sanctuary, vesting room, or choir loft.

Once going to church becomes an enjoyable learning experience, it becomes more interesting for the children. Their awareness of their surroundings is expanded and they have a greater variety of things to hold their attention during the liturgy.

Children learn from their parents.

Parents are the primary role models. If you are enthusiastic about going to Mass, the children will quickly absorb the enthusiasm. It is important to keep in mind that by going to church you are not simply going to a large building with pews. You are showing an intense and personal relationship with your Creator that your children will want to imitate. The reason you go to church should not be "for the children´s sake," but to meet Jesus. Therefore, it is the parents´ responsibility to first meet Christ in the Mass before they can model this relationship for their children. This relationship with God is simply the most important gift parents can offer their children.

It is imperative to make Sundays special. Dress up a little and make it a point to have the family spend time together. In our house, we create a sense of anticipation by reminding our children during the week that it will soon be Sunday. We also relate the Mass to things happening during the week. For example, during the mealtime blessing we remind them that we also talk to God at church.

When we were new parents, there were times we dreaded going to Mass as a family. Now we see these moments as times of grace for all of us. This is the time when we nurture the habits our children will bring into their adult lives. Someday, in the not-too-distant future, they will make their baptismal vows on their own. Not long after that, they may have their own families.

By coming together for Mass as a family today, we are discovering what it means to be followers of Christ in the family of God.

Emil Berendt lives in North Plainfield, New Jersey.

This article is reprinted with permission from the March 1998 issue of Lay Witness, the publication of Catholics United for the Faith (CUF).

Bishops Address Opportunities, Challenges for New President, Congress

January 13, 2009

The Honorable Barack Obama
President-elect
Presidential Transition Team
Washington, D.C. 20270

Dear Mr. President-elect,

As our nation begins a new year, a new Administration and a new Congress, I write to outline principles and priorities that guide the public policy efforts of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). As President of the Bishops' Conference, I assure you of our prayers, hopes and commitment to make this period of national change a time to advance the common good and defend the life and dignity of all, especially the vulnerable and poor. We continue to seek ways to work constructively with the new Administration and Congress and others of good will to pursue policies which respect the dignity of all human life and bring greater justice to our nation and peace to our world.

As Bishops, we approach public policy as pastors and teachers. Our moral principles have always guided our everyday experience in caring for the hungry and homeless, offering health care and housing, educating children and reaching out to those in need. We lead the largest community of faith in the United States, one that serves every part of our nation and is present in almost every place on earth. From our experience and our tradition, we offer a distinctive, constructive and principled contribution to the national dialogue on how to act together on issues of economic turmoil and suffering, war and violence, moral decency and human dignity.

Our nation now faces economic challenges with potentially tragic human consequences and serious moral dimensions. We will work with the new Administration and Congress to support strong, prudent and effective measures to address the terrible impacts and injustices of the economic crisis. In particular, we will advocate a clear priority for poor families and vulnerable workers in the development and implementation of economic recovery measures, including new investments while strengthening the national safety net. We also support greater accountability and oversight to address irresponsible abuses of the system that contributed to the financial crisis.

The Catholic Bishops of the United States have worked for decades to assure health care for all, insisting that access to decent health care is a basic human right and a requirement of human dignity. We urge comprehensive action to ensure truly universal health care coverage which protects all human life including pre-natal life, and provides access for all, with a special concern for the poor. Any such legislation ought to respect freedom to choose by offering a variety of options and ensuring respect for the moral and religious convictions of patients and providers. Such an approach should seek to restrain costs while sharing them equitably.

On international affairs, we will work with our leaders to seek a responsible transition in an Iraq free of religious persecution. We especially urge early, focused and persistent leadership to bring an end to violent conflict and a just peace in the Holy Land. We will continue to support essential U.S. investments to overcome poverty, hunger and disease through increased and reformed foreign assistance. Continued U.S. leadership in the fight against HIV-AIDS and other diseases in ways that are both effectively and morally appropriate have our enthusiastic backing. Recognizing the complexity of climate change, we wish to be a voice for the poor and vulnerable in our country and around the world who will be the most adversely affected by any dramatic threats to the environment.

We will work with the new Administration and Congress to fix a broken immigration system which harms both our nation and immigrants. Comprehensive reform is needed to deal with the economic and human realities of millions of immigrants in our midst. It must be based on respect for and implementation of the law. Equally it must defend the rights and dignity of all peoples, recognizing that human dignity comes from God and does not depend on where people were born or how they came to our nation. Truly comprehensive immigration reform will include a path to earned citizenship with attention to the fact that international trade and development policies influence economic opportunities in the countries from which immigrants come.

We stand firm in our support for marriage which is a faithful, exclusive, lifelong union of a man and a woman and must remain such in law. In a manner unlike any other relationship, marriage makes a unique and irreplaceable contribution to the common good of society, especially through the procreation and education of children. No other kinds of personal relationships can be justly made equivalent to the commitment of a man and a woman in marriage.

With regard to the education of children, we will continue to support initiatives which provide resources for all parents, especially those of modest means, to choose education which best address the needs of their children.

We welcome continuing commitments to empower faith-based groups as effective partners in overcoming poverty and other threats to human dignity. We will work with the Administration and Congress to strengthen these partnerships in ways that do not encourage government to abandon its responsibilities, and do not require religious groups to abandon their identity and mission.

Most fundamentally, we will work to protect the lives of the most vulnerable and voiceless members of the human family, especially unborn children and those who are disabled or terminally ill. We will consistently defend the fundamental right to life from conception to natural death. Opposed to abortion as the direct killing of innocent human life, we will encourage one and all to seek common ground that will reduce the number of abortions in morally sound ways that affirm the dignity of pregnant women and their unborn children. We will oppose legislative and other measures to expand abortion. We will work to retain essential, widely supported policies which show respect for unborn life, protect the conscience rights of health care providers and other Americans, and prevent government funding and promotion of abortion. The Hyde amendment and other provisions which for many years have prevented federal funding of abortion have a proven record of reducing abortions. Efforts to force Americans to fund abortions with their tax dollars would pose a serious moral challenge and jeopardize the passage of essential health care reform.

This outline of USCCB policies and priorities is not complete. There are many other areas of concern and advocacy for the Church and the USCCB especially: religious freedom and other civil and human rights, news media and communications, and issues of war and peace. For a more detailed description of our concerns please see Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship (USCCB 2008), pages 19-30.

Nonetheless, we offer this outline as an agenda for dialogue and action. We hope to offer a constructive and principled contribution to national discussion over the values and policies that will shape our nation's future. We seek to work together with our nation's leaders to advance the common good of our society, while disagreeing respectfully and civilly where necessary for preserving that same common good.

In closing, I renew our expression of hope and our offer of cooperation as you begin this new period of service to our nation in these challenging times. We promise our prayers for you, that the days ahead will be a time of renewal and progress for our nation and that we can work together to defend human life and dignity and build a nation of greater justice and a world at peace.

Sincerely yours,

Francis Cardinal George, OMI
Archbishop of Chicago
President

Crusade Propaganda

I've always figured/known there's been a lot of propaganda concerning the Crusades, but what couldn't be answered is why if they were so "bad," we have many Saints coming from that era?

Before I open up my first book on the subject, I was treated to a 2001 article by a friend of a friend. Thank you, Professor Madden for setting us straight - us being those that listen:

Since September 11 the crusades are news. When President Bush used the term "crusade" as it is commonly used, to denote a grand enterprise with a moral dimension, the media pelted him for insensitivity to Muslims. (Nevermind that the media used the term in precisely the same way before the "gaff.") Attempting to capitalize on this indignation, the leader of the Taliban, Mullah Omar, crowed "President Bush has told the truth that this is a crusade against Islam." Yet clearly the crusades were much on the minds of our enemies long before Bush brought them to their attention. In a 1998 manifesto, cosigned by the leaders of Islamist groups in Egypt, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, Osama bin Laden declared war against the "Jews and the Crusaders." If you didn't guess, the Americans are the crusaders here. On the day the U.S. strikes on Afghanistan began, in a live-from-a-cave address, bin Laden declared Bush to be "the leader of the infidels" in a worldwide war against Islam. He previously warned that "crusader" Bush would lead the infidel forces into Afghanistan "under the banner of the cross."

CONTINUE READING...

*ELECTION 2008*

If you want to vote for the best Presidential Candidate possible, why not do it? That's what our Bishops want from you. Afterall, aren't we looking for a candidate with similar principles as Our Lord?

This is what I intend to do, with the help of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship and Priests For Life's "Five Non-Negotiables," and I plan to help you do the same. The purpose of the USCCBs Voter's Guide is to outline what we should be looking for in a candidate based upon the teachings of Jesus Christ.

For instance, the Bishops have 8 major issues that are of the greatest importance (the greatest of "intrinsic" evils). They are:

Abortion
Embryonic Stem-Cell Destruction
Euthanasia
Genocide
Human Cloning
Racism
Targeting of Non-Combatants
Torture

Priests for Life have Five "Non-Negotiables":

Abortion
Embryonic Stem-Cell Destruction
Euthanasia
Human Cloning
Same-Sex Marriage


With this information, I've created a scoring system to rate the candidates on these 9 issues. Let me point out that the Bishops list 20+ additional less-major issues, but I think if we find a candidate solid on these 9 issues, their conscience is probably sound enough to make decent decisions for our country on foreign policy, immigration, health care, etc.

In determining scoring, I had to weight the issues where the direct targeting of the innocent and defenseless were the greatest. That results in the following:

20 Points
Abortion
Embryonic Stem-Cell Destruction
Euthanasia
Genocide

15 Points
Targeting of Non-Combatants (Weighted slightly less than the above 4, mainly because a nuclear weapon targets the "enemy," even though the imminent death of the innocent cannot be avoided)

10 Points
Human Cloning
Racism
Same-Sex Marriage
Torture


If you decide to not even consider voting for a pro-abortion candidate, I cannot fault you and no one should consider you a "single issue voter." If there was a pro-slavery candidate, I think we could all agree that declining to vote for him/her based on that "single issue" is completely acceptable and warranted. I must warn you though: Of the 6 Presidential Candidates, only 1 of them can be considered pro-life. The other 5 either have questionable past voting records or pro-abortion platforms.


And here are the 6 Presidential Candidates for the November 4th Election:



Chuck Baldwin








Bob Barr








John McCain








Cynthia McKinney








Ralph Nader







Barrack Obama








If your mind is already made up, at least continue reading to see the outcome...and keep in mind this is an unbiased study.


"Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost."

John Quincy Adams

ABORTION (20)
20 - Baldwin
0 - Barr
10 - McCain
-20 - McKinney
-20 - Nader
-20 - Obama

EMBRYONIC STEM-CELL DESTRUCTION (20)
20 - Baldwin
20 - Barr
-20 - McCain
-20 - McKinney
-20 - Nader
-20 - Obama

EUTHANASIA (20)
20 - Baldwin
20 - Barr
20 - McCain
-20 - McKinney
20 - Nader
-20 - Obama

GENOCIDE (20)
20 - All Candidates

TARGETING OF NON-COMBATANTS (15)
10 - Baldwin
0 - Barr
-15 - McCain
15 - McKinney
15 - Nader
15 - Obama

TORTURE (10)
10 - Baldwin
10 - Barr
10 - McCain
10 - McKinney
10 - Nader
10 - Obama

RACISM (10)
10 - All Candidates

HUMAN CLONING (10)
10 - Baldwin
10 - Barr
10 - McCain
-10 - McKinney
5 - Nader
-10 - Obama

SAME-SEX MARRIAGE (10)
10 - Baldwin
5 - Barr
10 - McCain
-10 - McKinney
-10 - Nader
-10 - Obama

RESULTS:
130 - Chuck Baldwin
95 - Bob Barr
55 - John McCain
30 - Ralph Nader
-25 - Cynthia McKinney
-25 - Barrack Obama

That is pretty clear that per the Bishops, the best candidate for us Catholics to vote for would be Chuck Baldwin. Even if you factored in the minor issues - which Joe Healy did (Thanks, Joe!) - Chuck Baldwin would still be the clear-cut "winner."
So now what are you going to do?

For some perspective, I'm going to unveil the results of some of the pre-Primary candidates and a couple Veeps:


135 - Ron Paul (R)

130 - Chuck Baldwin (Constitution)

115 - Sarah Palin (R)
115 - Alan Keyes (R)

105 - Mike Huckabee (R)

95 - Bob Barr (Libertarian)

55 - John McCain (R)

30 - Ralph Nader (I)

25 - Fred Thompson (R)

15 - Joe Biden (D)

5 - Mitt Romney (R)

-25 - Hillary Clinton (D)
-25 - Cynthia McKinney (Green)
-25 - Barrack Obama (D)

-55 - Rudy Giuliani (R)

HAPPY VOTING!

Blooming China

We're hearing a lot of talk about the Church in China recently. It's important to keep them in prayer as they try and surface. Efforts are in place, but our prayers are key.

Recently, a friend of mine from China went home with her fiance and came back with a wonderful observation that has given me so much hope for our Chinese brethren and I'd like to share:

We also had the privilege of attending Masses as often as we were able to during the trip. It was eye-opening for us to experience the "patriotic" Catholic Church in China. Our experience there was quite different from what we learned about the patriotic church prior to the trip. We were deeply touched by the total devotions to our Lord from the Catholics in China, and utterly amazed at the level of freedom people have to practice Catholicism! From what we could tell, the liturgy was almost identical to ours here in the US.

Daily Masses were well attended. On weekends, churches were packed with hundreds of believers! Their publications freely publish news in the Catholic world, from (the) Pope's schedules to local Catholic events such as retreats (and) Summer camps for students.

We once had a chance to ask a priest as to what the differences were between the patriotic church and the underground church. He sincerely told us that he believes the patriotic church is in the mid-ground, somewhere between the underground (underground church) and the above ground (patriotic church). More research is yet to be done, but we feel that the spiritual soil is much richer there than we initially perceived, and the harvest shall be abundant!

How amazing! The seed was sown long ago. Cannot wait for the harvest. How great it will be for all of us to worship Our Lord, girded in freedom.

May the Spirit be with all of our brothers and sisters in China.

Peace to the Underground!

Thirty Three

"The meaning of Christ's Ascension expresses our belief that in Christ the humanity that we all share has entered into the inner life of God in a new and hitherto unheard of way. It means that man has found an everlasting place in God." The Ascension is not "the temporary absence of Christ from the world", but "we go to heaven to the extent that we go to Jesus Christ and enter into him. Jesus himself is what we call 'heaven.'"

Pope Benedict XVI

Not only have I entered such an important age of my life today, but I got to share my day with a couple of great events in the Church. May 1st is the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker. St. Joseph has been my model for some time now and means even more now that I have my own infant Jesus to care for. What a model Joseph has set before us men: the Protector of the Holy Family; of the Mother of God; of the Word Incarnate.
Today's Feast Day reflects on Joseph the Worker. Instituted as a combatant to the traditional May Day events around the globe sponsored by the Communists, we remember Joseph as the humble Carpenter, who as a righteous Jewish man (Mark 1:19), undoubtedly taught the Scriptures to the Christ Child.

But today St. Joseph the Worker took a backseat to an even greater event in the Church: the Ascension.
Today we are reminded, as the Holy Father mentions, that he has not abandoned us; no, he has taken us to the Father in heaven for all eternity. What a glorious event.

There is hope!

"Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven." (Acts 1:11)

"The First Dream"

My attraction to Don Bosco really started after I talked to a Priest friend about some vivid dreams I was having nearly five years ago. Don Bosco's "First Dream" was when he was 9, so I guess at age 27, my "prophetic" dreams were a little late.

Let's first look at what the Catechism has to say about dreams...

CCC 67 reads:
Throughout the ages, there have been so-called "private" revelations, some of which have been recognized by the authority of the Church. They do not belong, however, to the deposit of faith. It is not their role to improve or complete Christ's definitive Revelation, but to help live more fully by it in a certain period of history. Guided by the magisterium of the Church, the sensus fidelium knows how to discern and welcome in these revelations whatever constitutes an authentic call of Christ or his saints to the Church.

Christian faith cannot accept "revelations" that claim to surpass or correct the Revelation of which Christ is the fulfillment, as is the case in certain non-Christian religions and also in certain recent sects which base themselves on such "revelations."

So now that my post has been prefaced, I can save myself from being lumped in with cults since nothing revealed to me was in contradiction to the Word...

I remember it being such a peaceful sleep. I didn't feel as if I was dreaming and I didn't feel awake. It was definitely another dimension if you will. I found myself in a mist of gray. I couldn't even see myself or where I was at, as if in a cloud on a rainy day. No sound.

After a bit, I noticed I was in a small rowboat in the middle of an open body of water. I could only see about 15 feet in front of me and beyond that, more gray. No sound, but the ringing you hear when there is perfect silence.

It felt like hours on the rowboat when the clouds began to disperse. From the clouds came a figure and finally: color. The absolute whitest horse began approaching with the most stunning mane of white hair. On the horse was a great man of stature, bigger than anything I had ever seen. He had a long white robe, long flowing gray hair, and a long beard. As they got closer, I remember feeling elated, as if everything was going to get better.

The man and horse kept their distance and at once the horse leaned back on its hind legs and unleashed the loudest sound - so loud I couldn't hear. I only felt the power of the horse's "growl". While on its hind legs, as commanded, the man reached up into the sky with what I now saw was a scepter. Still no color. He touched the sky and from where he touched, the most radiant sun appeared. Blinding. I couldn't see.

The sound and light faded and when I raised my eyes, they now approached even closer, standing above me. The man took the scepter and rested it on my shoulder and at once, I began to see color.

A grin of assurance from the man and they departed.

The clouds began to disappear, the sun was brightly shining, and the water was blue. I was no longer in the rowboat, but now hovering above the water. I now saw other boats in the water, which I approached. The boats had people in them. The boats, the people - all gray with gloom in their faces. I then touched them with my hand and color and joy entered the boat as if I brought life to them. The most vivid memory I had was that of a boat containing a man and a woman. When I touched them, a child appeared in their arms and they were filled with so much love and affection.

My alarm goes off.

Alright, at this point I am MORE than freaked out. I think I stared at my alarm clock for about 5 minutes, wondering what was going on. I took me forever to get ready for work that morning and even walking to work, I remained in a daze. As expected, I began retracing my night. I didn't go out. I had no alcohol. Believe it or not, I had not read - or seen - The Lord of the Rings at this point in my life. I didn't even read Revelation before I went to sleep. So what was it?

Are you ready for the conclusion?

It was some months later when my girlfriend at the time introduced me to her good friend and her husband. We attended a class reunion together and that night it was revealed to me that they had been trying for some time to conceive. The next day we all attended Mass together and I noticed how closely they held each other and how their pain was evident. After Mass we were parting ways (her husband was heading off on a hunting trip) and I had this uncontrollable urge to place my hand on this girl's lower abdomen.
Well, I didn't. What struck me first was the thought of touching a woman I barely knew in such a manner and what would've struck me next would've been her husband's fist!

A month later I found out they conceived and since they were practicing NFP, they knew when it happened...


...the day the husband left on the hunting trip.

For to everyone who has, more will be given...

Ahh, Matthew 25:29.
This didn't have extraordinary meaning in my life until two separate instances made me dwell on it.

I recall talking to two friends - ironically both live or have lived in Germany - and telling them how 2007 was such an amazing year for me and how I didn't expect 2008 to be quite the same. It was then I was thumped with some Scripture. My buddy "Donderbolt" said to me, "Nah, for those who have, more will be given." He said it with such certainty, that I began to start believing whole-heartedly in this.
Well, 2008 has afforded me a wonderful opportunity: I have since started two companies, both of which allow me to work from home...and less.

I am so convinced that if we put God and family first, we cannot ever outdo Him in generosity. How do I know this?
I have struggled ever since getting married with the idea that man leaves his home for approximately 10 hours to go "to work." If we count 8 hours for sleep, that leaves 6 hours to take the trash out, clean the house, get groceries, and oh yeah.....spend time with the family.

I decided to revolt.

I sold my share of my company off in December and decided my focus would be the home. I resolved to work from home and let the Lord find me a new career.
Well, I am now working from home. My wife's now a homemaker and our daughter will see her parents.
Praise God!


...More has been given...


Are you ready to revolt?



(Disclaimer: The above was greatly discerned through much prayer and penance.)

Gianna Marie

Our daughter arrived Wednesday, December 5th, and it's been one of the greatest times of my life already.

These words from Song of Songs (4:7) speak so tenderly of my feelings towards my little girl:

You are all-beautiful my beloved,
and there is no blemish in you.

Merry Tossmas!!!

This is pretty hilarious and if you're sick of all of the "Happy Holidays" in lieu of "Merry Christmas," you'll enjoy it too.

MERRY TOSSMAS


Thanks, AMC!

one Naton under God

Many people - including myself - didn't know the true reasons our country began celebrating Thanksgiving. I found out today (thanks Fr. James!) and am still astounded:


Following the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress issued a proclamation on October 11, 1782:

By the United States in Congress assembled.

PROCLAMATION.

IT being the indispensable duty of all Nations, not only to offer up their supplications to ALMIGHTY GOD, the giver of all good, for his gracious assistance in a time of distress, but also in a solemn and public manner to give him praise for his goodness in general, and especially for great and signal interpositions of his providence in their behalf: Therefore the United States in Congress assembled, taking into their consideration the many instances of divine goodness to these States, in the course of the important conflict in which they have been so long engaged; the present happy and promising state of public affairs; and the events of the war, in the course of the year now drawing to a close; particularly the harmony of the public Councils, which is so necessary to the success of the public cause; the perfect union and good understanding which has hitherto subsisted between them and their Allies, notwithstanding the artful and unwearied attempts of the common enemy to divide them; the success of the arms of the United States, and those of their Allies, and the acknowledgment of their independence by another European power, whose friendship and commerce must be of great and lasting advantage to these States:----- Do hereby recommend to the inhabitants of these States in general, to observe, and request the several States to interpose their authority in appointing and commanding the observation of THURSDAY the twenty-eight day of NOVEMBER next, as a day of solemn THANKSGIVING to GOD for all his mercies: and they do further recommend to all ranks, to testify to their gratitude to GOD for his goodness, by a cheerful obedience of his laws, and by promoting, each in his station, and by his influence, the practice of true and undefiled religion, which is the great foundation of public prosperity and national happiness.

Done in Congress, at Philadelphia, the eleventh day of October, in the year of our LORD one thousand seven hundred and eighty-two, and of our Sovereignty and Independence, the seventh.

JOHN HANSON, President.

Charles Thomson, Secretary.

St. Paul of SEPTA

Now that we've moved out of center city and I take the train to work every day, I've found a new, more discrete way to evangelize.

I'd prefer Lauds and Vespers, but my schedule doesn't permit me to recite them, so Magnificat (the Hours for People-on-the-Go) suits my life pretty well for Morning and Evening Prayer on the train.

My bookmarks, other than the ribbons from my leather cover (thank you RM), are prayer cards of Christ and the Blessed Mother, so when I read they are plain as day so anyone to my left or right can see them (I've noticed on trains that everyone - myself included - will always look at what a person is reading), in hopes of starting dialogue.

The SEPTA ticket-collectors, usually the most unloving of all the passengers, get a special treat.

When they come around to check tickets and passes, I put my pass right next to the prayer card of Christ (or Mary as I did today), so when they look at my pass it is IMPOSSIBLE for them not come face to face with the Savior or the Mother of God.

And that's how it's done.

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!
Matthew 3:2

Where are we headed?

I finally got to read the talk given at St. Charles Seminary by the archbishop of Denver, Charles J. Chaput, OFM Cap., in which he covered philosophical ideas of the past (and present) and the effects of silence and "liberal thinking" in our modern world.

I've always been confused when people proclaim themselves as "liberal" (at least my friends that do so). They seem to be the ones who think doing what you want is true freedom. How can you truly be free, when you're a slave to your desires and whims? That REALLY isn't being liberal and in our context, a slave to sin (satan) isn't really being free at all. Freedom is what Christ won for us on Calvary. We just have to say yes to Jesus and take on his yoke, which is "easy." We're not learning from history if we continue to listen to that whisper in the garden: "...you will be like gods..."

So, here it is in its entirety. A little lengthy, but WELL worth it...

Religion and the Common Good

This just in....

Dr. Janet Smith, who I previously mentioned, will be in Philadelphia this weekend!


Details:

St. Gabriel's Catholic Church

2917 Dickinson Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146

7:00 PM - Holy Hour

8:00 PM - Lecture by Dr. Janet Smith (Professor of Sacred Heart Seminary) on "The Sexual Mess We're In and How We Got There"

9:30 PM - Questions and Answers


Pax et Bonum!


(No emergency room visits this weekend.)

3 in a row?

Well, Wednesday my wife and I were at morning Mass and she nearly fainted from the heat and for a pregnant woman, I've learned that it's best to always be super cautious. So, we went to the emergency room and after running a bunch of pre-cautionary tests everything was fine and her and the baby are doing well.

Last night we were again at the emergency room, but this time it was for me. I went and sliced my finger on a soup can. I got 5 stitches and all is well.

Can today make it 3 days in a row? I hope not...


So, while sitting in the emergency room, I thought about how frequently we forget those people in our prayers that are not related to us or even part of our lives. I looked at all of the people in there, none who I knew, and just began to pray for them, their families, and the hospital employees who were attending to all of the traumas. How important it was to pray for them that our Lord send them enough grace to accept their suffering and to unite that suffering to Our Lord's Passion. How important it is to have people praying for us and for us to be praying for other people, even those we don't know and come in contact with.

And this all reminds me of our dear friend, Fr. Marc, who once told me that when our minds wonder and someone pops into our head, to just pray for them, and how it's a good practice to always stay in communion with "the Body."

So for all of those souls experiencing pain and suffering each and every day in our hospitals around the globe, Father please watch over them and their families. Amen.

ALPHA

In Nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen .

I've had a lot of things on my mind lately and am thankful for the time - and space - to express all that the Spirit of God has given me. I therefore invoke the Holy Spirit to guide me on this adventure...