Reducing Infant Mortality Now Available

Reducing Infant Mortality from Debby Takikawa on Vimeo.

Recently, a new collaborative birth film, Reducing Infant Mortality, was freely released for anyone to download. It is in the same wonderful vein as Ricki Lake's masterpiece The Business of Being Born and strives to further educate on the some of the controversial birth practices in the United States. Please view this short film above. The film can be downloaded here.

Another Much Needed Exhortation to Women

Regardless of vocation, the essay, "Femininity: Developing a Biblical Perspective," from the book Biblical Womanhood in the Home, is a delightful and, may I say, greatly needed exhortation to women of our time. It is along the lines of the Theology of the Body and the Theology of the Family, and reiterates the complementary design of our female creation. I encourage women of all ages to read it here.

On a side note, I would have added Mass and or Adoration to Biblical study in the Mother's weekly "Morning Away," as they are extremely rejuvenating to my soul.

A Wonderful Homily on Education

The following is a link to Patrick Madrid's Blog where you can hear the homily in full.
What Will You Say When God Asks: "Where Are Those Whom I Have Entrusted to You?"

Help Stop the Abortion Mandate

"On Thursday, July 23, more than 70 pro-life and pro-family organizations united for a massive webcast event to directly address these challenges and mobilize grassroots activists.

An unprecedented 36,187 people of faith and conscience participated in the event, underscoring the urgency of the abortion mandate crisis."

You can finds ways to take action and listen to that highly informative webcast here!

Help Keep Abortion Out of Health Care

Please visit the Americans United for Life website here to take their 4 easy action steps and stand against abortion in our health care system.

NFP Awareness Week 2009

This year's Natural Family Planning Awareness Week is July 19th through the 25th. The national campaign is put forth by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to further the exposure of NFP. Annually, it purposely coincides with the anniversary of the encyclical of Pope Paul VI, Humanae Vitae, and the Feast day of Saints Joachim and Anne on the 25th and 26th of July respectively. For more information on this campaign, in addition to prayers and homily notes, visit the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website here.

One Year of Marital Bliss!!!

We are so happy to share the celebration our first wedding anniversary today. It has truly been a year of marital bliss filled with much excitement and many blessings for us to be deeply thankful for. At the top our list is our greatest blessing of them all, the birth of our first little manchild, Malachi Benedict, followed by my graduation from TCU in December. To mark this occasion, Phillip made a wonderful supper for us to enjoy, with our wedding and groom's cake for dessert. After supper, we read the homily from our wedding and concluded the evening with delightful conversation. I have posted the excellent homily by our Priest, the Rev. David Allen, below:

WITH MY BODY I THEE WORSHIP

The Rev. David Allen

I suppose these days the first thing that has to be said about marriage is that it is not just a bundle of feelings, a set of emotions, opinions, attitudes, religious convictions, ideals, which can safely be swept under the carpet; but a body, a physical thing, which if you swept it under the carpet you will soon be tripping over it. Two bodies to be exact, which only increase the chances. And everybody knows this, except maybe judges and bishops.

The California Supreme Court reached its recent decision by failing to produce the body, to consider the physical evidence. By ignoring that most basic legal principle of Habeas Corpus, by ignoring the simple physical, biological fact of the case that marriage requires that a certain kind of body be joined to another kind of body. Marriage is not just a matter of mutual love and affection, respect, honor, companionship, trust, all those nice, cozy, spiritual things, still less of juridical rights. But before it is any of this it is something much more obvious, namely the right kinds of plumbing, more exactly two different kinds of plumbing.

Although quite honestly you can read through many modern Christian rites of marriage designed to meet 20th and 21st century needs and not find much of anything that talks about the body, still less about sex; nor is there much that could not be applied easily to any kind of human relationship. The old rites of the church stand in contrast, in fact, the old marriage rites are particularly uncensored with what we call spirituality or values or any of that sort of stuff and concentrate on the grossly physical.

“With this ring I thee wed and this gold and silver I thee give.” The ring so hated by the Puritans because it was so unspiritual. “With all my worldly cathel I thee endow.” So vulgar and merely pragmatic to mention joint bank accounts when we should be thinking about the higher things. “And with my body I thee worship” Not to be brought up in polite company and certainly not in front of God and family and friends. And yet that is exactly what Holy Scripture does, when it talks about marriage, the twain – that is – the two – shall become one flesh, so says the book of Genesis and so quotes Jesus when he teaches about marriage in St. Mark’s gospel. Marriage, I am afraid, is grossly physical affair before it is anything else, a fleshly thing precisely in order that it might be a spiritual thing. What scripture and tradition understand and what we modern folks have such difficulty with, is that marriage is a sacrament, a natural sacrament before it is supernatural sacrament. We might even say the first sacrament. “From the beginning God created them male and female,” and like every sacrament, there must be an outward and visible sign and that outward and visible sign is not just whatever we might like it to be but, as the old theologians said the matter proper to the form. Bread and wine, not a moonpie and a RC cola, water, not champagne and roses, one man and one woman, not any other human combination we can come with. And this is so because the outward and visible sign is the means by which the inward and spiritual reality happens.

Not of course that this only involves sex it also involves all the things that come with sex beginning with babes, changing diapers, sleep deprivation, working for a living, taking out the garbage and a higher kind of tolerance than even the California Supreme Court can envision - namely the tolerance of a man for a pregnant woman. Certainly marriage is a school of virtue, a school of holiness but it is the kind of virtue and holiness, which we do well not to describe with too many abstractions. Mostly it consists of learning to put up and shut up. Not only because that is what the marriage self-help books say but because it is appropriate to the divine mystery into which it calls a man and a woman.

The kind of ordinary wonder and awe and humility before the mystery of man and woman being called to be co-creators with God. “With my body I thee worship,” is that really idolatry or the simple recognition that God has created male and female that they alone together with him may give life. Never forget this, whatever else you may forget, when all the platitudes have been put into the garage along with the other useless items we accumulate, never forget the dignity which has been conferred upon you, when God allowed you to participate in his creative love.

When you cant stand each other or put up with each other another moment, when the sorrows seem to outweigh the joys, when you are desperate, when things seem hopeless - and they will - then remember the truth of the moment when, like God Almighty Himself, you rested and contemplated what you have made and like Him too say “It is good, it is very good.”

Our First Precious Litte Blessing Has Arrived!!!

Yesterday after 50+ hours of penance, our sweet little boy was born naturally. He will be baptized Malachi Benedict and arrived at 7:46pm, weighing 8lbs. 9ozs. and measuring 22ins.

Baby and I are both doing wonderfully and Papa Phillip is catching up on some much needed sleep after 2 nights without any. He was a magnificent coach and I was so blessed to have him as my rock. I am also utterly grateful for the additional presence of our faithful Doula, Melissa, whose aid allowed Phillip to fulfill his identity as coach and father. Labor was a joyful hurt that we are looking forward to enduring again when God wills.

Future posts will be sparse for a time as we embark on our first Babymoon!

An Interesting Take on the Abortion Industry

Exorcist: Devil Influences Abortion Industry

By John P. Connolly, The Bulletin

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

An exorcist authorized to perform exorcisms in several dioceses spoke at a religious ministry luncheon on Sunday, explaining the basics of exorcism and its connection with abortion. Fr. Thomas Euteneuer, president of Human Life International and an exorcist, spoke at a luncheon hosted by In His Sign Network (IHS). He is an exorcist authorized to perform exorcisms in several states, and highlighted the connection between the abortion industry and demonic influence. “Abortion is a demonic industry,” he told The Bulletin. “Abortion is blood sacrifice of innocent blood to the devil. The clinics are like temples, the doctors are like priests, the medical table is like their altar. It’s a ritualized sacrifice. They have a dogma called choice, a hierarchy called Planned Parenthood, and guardian angels in the form of police guards that will arrest you if you try to stop them.” He said that there have been abortionists who have called abortion “their sacrament.” Fr. Euteneuer advocates prayer as a necessary step to successfully fighting abortion. “Abortion is a spiritual evil,” he said. “If we are to beat it, we can’t just fight it in the political realm. It derives its power from below. To confront a force this strong, you need a massive amount of prayer. That’s why I like the 40 Days For Life group, because they bring us what we need where we need it.”

Fr. Euteneuer explained the basic exorcism procedure, and the tactics the devil uses to possess a person. The first tactic relies on seduction, trying to get the victim to invite him into their lives. “Most people with demonic problems have opened a door somewhere,” said Fr. Euteneuer. He cited the popularity of the occult in bringing people closer to demonic interaction, primarily through the growth of the New Age movement and other paraphernalia. He said that even Hasbro markets Ouija boards to children. “I’m very set against Harry Potter,” he said. “It’s pumping into our children’s minds the language and imagery of the occult. It’s extremely spiritually dangerous.” He also called attention to a growing fascination with the cult of the vampire, especially through the popularity of books and movies like Twilight, where the main character falls in love with a vampire. “I predict that in the next 10 years or so, we’ll see an explosion of occult activity,” said Fr. Euteneuer. “The number of soft-core occultism in the form of things like Harry Potter, Wicca and the New Age is on the increase. These are the gateways to the hardcore stuff. Ask any inner-city police department if they’re seeing evidence of Satanism. They’re organizing whole task forces to deal with crimes having to do with these things. As society becomes more faithless, this wickedness comes and fills the vacuum.”

Fr. Euteneuer said the other tactic a devil uses is victimization of a person. The person in question doesn’t always need to invite demonic activity, but can have it placed on them by other groups or people. Nevertheless, Fr. Euteneuer stressed that exorcism is not often the dramatic thing the movies make it out to be. “The devil doesn’t have the power you see in the movies,” he said. “He cannot hold onto a state of possession for a given length of time. The movies glorify his power. They do a good job in showing the priest coming to care for these people, but the priest carefully binds that devil, and he is a prisoner in that person.” Exorcism requires prayer and fasting, and requires a long period of discernment to determine if the problem is not, in fact, psychological. “A report is made to the diocese, and then the bishop must authorize a solemn exorcism,” explained Fr. Euteneuer. The priest will then use a ritual in Latin where he binds whatever demonic entity is troubling a person and commands him. Fr. Euteneuer told the audience that the process is not unlike a trial, where the priest is the prosecuting attorney and the demon is trapped. The word “exorcism” itself means to put somebody on trial. The devil is required to answer any demands the priest makes to him in the name of Christ, because of the authority that the priest has from Christ. “Exorcism is a pastoral ministry of the Church, and it’s an important ministry,” said Fr. Euteneuer. “But confession is a much more important ministry, because it pulls out the sins which are the conditions for a possession.”

IHS Network Serves As Radio Ministry

The In His Sign Network (IHS) has been a listener-supported radio ministry for over 30 years. IHS broadcasts a daily show on WTMR 800 AM, out of Trenton from 5 to 6 p.m. “We put on retreats or events that are topical to issues going on in the Catholic Church,” said Kathleen McCarthy, president of IHS. “I see our mission as bringing the fire of God’s love to the world.” Ms. McCarthy’s son, Brian, spoke about its mission at the luncheon on Sunday. “One way or the other, media will guide and shape society,” he said. “That society has a lot of weaknesses, fears and anxieties. [But] Christ has already won the victory. The IHS Network is proclaiming that victory.”

For more information on IHS, readers may visit their Web site at www.catholicinternetradio.com

John P. Connolly can be reached at jconnolly@thebulletin.us

Please Help Save the Defense of Marriage Act

From the National Organization for Marriage:

Updated just minutes after the inauguration, the new Obama White House website declares "we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act," instantly jeopardizing the marriage laws of 45 states, including constitutional amendments in 30 states where voters have recently acted to give marriage the greatest protection possible at the state level. Instead of protecting the will of voters all across the country, President Obama's policy would allow a handful of judges in Massachusetts and Connecticut to force same-sex marriage on the entire nation.

To stop this next repeal you can contact your Congressmen here!!!

March For Life 2009

Today the 35th Annual March For Life was held in Washington DC. There were many wonderful speakers full of encouragement before the actual march, including several congressmen and Terri Schiavo's Family. Their rousing words were something that I had been in great need of following the election. EWTN had extensive live coverage of the event and an encore presentation of this coverage will be aired tonight on EWTN at 10pm Eastern Time. The March was a very uplifting and inspiring sight. Hopefully, it will spur great motivation in the Pro-Life movement.

Prevent FOCA Novena Jan. 11th - 19th

If you are opposed to abortion, then there is bad news on the horizon. For those of you who do not know, the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) is set to be signed if congress passes it on January 21-22 of 2009. The FOCA is the next sick chapter in the book of abortion. If made a law, then all limitations on abortion will be lifted which will result in the following:

1) All hospitals, including Catholic hospitals will be required to perform abortions upon request. If this happens Bishops vow to close down all Catholic hospitals, more then 30% of all hospitals in the United States .

2) Partial birth abortions would be legal and have no
limitations.

3) All U.S. tax payers would be funding abortions.

4) Parental notification will no longer be required.

5) The number of abortions will increase by a minimum of 100,000 annually.

Perhaps most importantly the government will now have control in the issue of abortion. This could result in a future amendment that would force women by law to have abortions in certain situations (rape, down syndrome babies, etc) and could even regulate how many children women are allowed to have.

Needless to say this information is disturbing, but sadly true. As Catholics, as Christians, as anyone who is against the needless killing of innocent children, we must stand as one. We must stop this horrific act before it becomes a law.


The Plan :

To say a novena ( 9 days of prayer ) along with fasting starting on January 11th. For Catholics, the prayer of choice will be the rosary with intentions to stop the FOCA. For non Catholics, I encourage you to pray your strongest prayers with the same intentions, also for nine consecutive days.

Remember that with God all things are possible and the power of
prayer is undeniable. If you are against the senseless killing of
defenseless children, then the time is now to do something about it!

May God bless you all!!

Please Take the Time...

If you have not done so yet, please take 30 seconds to sign the Fight FOCA petition and help stop the progression of the culture of death by keeping this horrid bill in committee.

The Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) would eliminate every restriction on abortion nationwide.

• FOCA will do away with state laws on parental involvement, on partial birth abortion, and on all other protections.
• FOCA will compel taxpayer funding of abortions.
• FOCA will force faith-based hospitals and healthcare facilities to perform abortions.

Fr. Corapi's Eleventh Hour Election Alert

Fr. Corapi produced a half hour video today that all Catholics (and Americans) should see. It expounds upon what Bishop Rene H. Gracida just said boldly in a recent radio spot. (He is the Bishop that ordained Fr. Corapi a Deacon).

"This is Bishop Rene H. Gracida, reminding all Catholics that they must vote in this election with an informed conscience. A Catholic cannot be said to have voted in this election with a good conscience if they have voted for a pro-abortion candidate. Barack Hussein Obama is a pro-abortion candidate."

Parts 2 and 3 are also available on youtube.

"Catholics in the Public Square"

With the Election less that 10 days away, I submit the following excerpt from the Most Reverend Thomas J. Olmsted's booklet, "Catholics in the Public Square," for further reading. The complete, question and answer formatted, booklet is available for consumption here. Finally, as we are faced with this monumental decision on the 4th, it is crucial that we do not neglect to most fundamental and essential of all rights in America, the right on which all of our subsequent privileges are built upon, the right to LIFE.


"Catholics in the Public Square"


• How should Catholics understand the separation between Church and state?

The separation of Church and state all too often is used as an excuse to silence people of faith and to discourage them from legitimately participating in the public square. The First Amendment of the United States Constitution, of course, does not advocate for a separation of Church and state at all, but rather the protection of religious freedom from the state.

Our founding fathers intended all persons to have the equal right to voice their opinions, including those based on religious convictions. Even more, they understood that it was imperative that the state not infringe upon the religious beliefs of its citizens. The Constitution is aimed at allowing all people to have a voice in government, including those whose voice is distinctively religious.

In other words, there is nothing in the Constitution excluding people from bringing their faith into the public square.


• Should Catholics take into account their own faith at the moment of voting?

It only makes sense that if Catholics are supposed to live their faith in all of their daily activities that they should also take their faith into account while voting. As noted in the Second Vatican Council's teaching, " every citizen ought to be mindful of his right and his duty to promote the common good by using his vote ." ( Gaudium et Spes , 75)

In preparing to vote, Catholics need to understand their faith so that their consciences are properly formed. Subsequent to this formation, it is important to research all of the important issues and candidates that will appear on the ballot. Only after sufficient preparation and prayer, is a Catholic fully ready to discharge his or her responsibilities as a faithful citizen and cast a meaningful vote.


• Can Catholics honestly disagree in matters of politics, social or cultural issues?

In 2002, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a document entitled Doctrinal Note on Some Questions Regarding Participation of Catholics in Political Life , that addresses the existence of political matters in which Catholics may disagree. There are, indeed, many issues upon which Catholics may legitimately differ such as the best methods to achieve welfare reform or to address illegal immigration.

Conversely, however, there are other issues that are intrinsically evil and can never legitimately be supported. For example, Catholics may never legitimately promote or vote for any law that attacks innocent human life.


• What does it mean that Catholics should follow their conscience when making a moral decision?

Before following our conscience, we must form it in accord with the voice of God. Our conscience is not the origin of truth. Truth lies outside us; it exists independent of us and must be discovered through constant effort of mind and heart. This is no easy task for us who suffer the effects of original sin and must contend with the constant temptations of the devil. Conscience receives the truth revealed by God and discerns how to apply that truth to concrete circumstances.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1783) teaches, “ Conscience must be informed and moral judgment enlightened. A well-informed conscience is upright and truthful. It formulates its judgments according to reason, in conformity with the true good willed by the wisdom of the Creator. The education of conscience is indispensable for human beings who are subjected to negative influences and tempted by sin to prefer their own judgment and to reject authoritative teachings .”

As we see, to form one's own conscience well and to follow it with integrity is no small task. For a person's conscience cannot invent what is true and good. It must search it out beyond itself. When acting correctly, we discover the truth through the grace of the Holy Spirit and the help of God's word handed down to us in the Church. Then, when we submit our conscience to this objective truth, we act uprightly and grow to maturity in Christ.


• Is it mandatory for Catholics to follow what the Pope or bishops say on political issues?

Because they are the leaders of the Church, it is always important to respect statements from the Church's hierarchy. It is the role of the Pope and the bishops to teach clearly on matters of faith and morals, including those touching on political issues.

There are some matters, however, on which Catholics may disagree with the Church's hierarchy. In some cases, for example, a Catholic may agree with the teaching of the Church, but come to a different prudential judgment about its application.

Examples of these issues might include an instance where someone agrees with the Church's teaching on “just war” or “capital punishment,” but reaches a different conclusion as to whether the facts of the situation constitute a “just war” or the “rare” circumstances where capital punishment may be used under Church teaching.

It should be emphasized, however, that despite these examples, there are other issues, such as abortion or euthanasia, that are always wrong and do not allow for the correct use of prudential judgment to justify them. It would never be proper for Catholics to be on the opposite side of these issues.


• Are all political and social issues equal when it comes to choosing a political candidate?

Absolutely not! The Catholic Church is actively engaged in a wide variety of important public policy issues including immigration, education, affordable housing, health and welfare, to name just a few. On each of these issues we should do our best to be informed and to support those proposed solutions that seem most likely to be effective. However, when it comes to direct attacks on innocent human life, being right on all the other issues can never justify a wrong choice on this most serious matter.

As Pope John Paul II has written, " Above all, the common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights - for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture - is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights, is not defended with the maximum determination ." (Christifideles Laici , 38)


• Are there any “non-negotiable” issues for Catholics involved in politics?

There are several issues that are “not negotiable” for Catholics in political life, because they involve matters that are intrinsically evil. In an address to European politicians on March 30, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI stated: “ As far as the Catholic Church is concerned, the principal focus of her interventions in the public arena is the protection and promotion of the dignity of the person, and she is thereby consciously drawing particular attention to principles which are not negotiable. Among these the following emerge clearly today:

• Protection of life in all its stages, from the first moment of conception until natural death;

• Recognition and promotion of the natural structure of the family – as a union between a man and a woman based on marriage – and its defense from attempts to make it juridically equivalent to radically different forms of union which in reality harm it and contribute to its destabilization, obscuring its particular character and its irreplaceable social role;

• The protection of the rights of parents to educate their children.”

The issues mentioned by Pope Benedict are all “non-negotiable” and are some of the most contemporary issues in the political arena. I should note, however, that other issues, while not intrinsically evil, deserve prayerful consideration, such as questions of war and capital punishment, poverty issues and matters relating to illegal immigration.


• What are the causes that can ban Catholics from Holy Communion?

No one who is conscious of having committed a serious sin should receive Holy Communion. For the Eucharist is the very Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, our most precious gift in the Church. And St. Paul warns us (I Cor 11:27-29): " Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself ."

All Catholics should examine their consciences, and refrain from receiving Holy Communion if they are not living in a proper state of grace. Should some Catholic politicians who are presently pro-abortion obstinately persist in this contradiction to our faith, this becomes a source of scandal. In these and similar cases, measures beyond those of moral persuasion may need to be taken by those in leadership in the Church . As God tells us in the Book of Leviticus (19:16), " You shall not stand by idly when your neighbor's life is at stake."

If a politician is actively supporting and furthering the culture of death, he is not only causing scandal; he is sinning. Similarly, when a politician performs actions (like voting) that allow for abortions and even promote abortions, or that mandate the distribution of contraceptives by pharmacists and others, that politician is materially cooperating in grave sin. When this occurs, then the politician cannot receive Holy Communion without previously making a good confession. A good confession would require sincere sorrow for such sin and a firm purpose of making amendment. Since the harm done would be public in nature, the amendment should also be public.


• How would you define a “candidate who is a faithful Catholic?”

There are a large number of candidates or politicians in our country that label themselves as Catholic. Regrettably, however, some of these are an embarrassment to the Church and a scandal to others by virtue of their support of issues that are intrinsically evil.

A candidate who is authentically Catholic is one who always defends the dignity of every human person and who puts the welfare of the common good over various partisan or self interests. His personal and public life is shaped by faith in Christ and His teachings. Such a candidate can be from any political party, but will never support matters that are intrinsically evil such as abortion, euthanasia, or “same-sex marriage.”


• What line should an elected official draw between his faith and his political commitments?

Elected officials should bring their faith to bear on all of their activities, including public affairs. In living out their faith, they should have a proper respect for the civil liberties of all people, including those of other faiths, or with no faith at all.

It should be pointed out, however, that sometimes Catholic politicians mistakenly claim that they need to abandon their faith out of an obligation to respect those of differing opinions or to honor a political commitment inherent with their office. These claims are perhaps most frequently made when Catholic politicians claim to be personally opposed to the killing of innocent unborn children.

Incredibly, it is somehow claimed by such people that it would be inappropriate to support legislation protecting human life because doing so would impose their faith on others or somehow violate their oath of office. These claims are ludicrous. Protecting human life is not only a religious imperative, it is a human imperative, and it is an imperative for all people.

People of faith have every right to bring their beliefs into the public square just like anyone else. In fact, Catholic elected officials should always live out their faith while promoting the welfare of all, including the protection of innocent human life.

Guadalupe Radio Network's 2008 'Celebration of St. Paul' Fall Radiothon

Today is Day 2 of the Guadalupe Radio Network's 3 Day long Radiothon. The Guadalupe Radio Network produces 2 Catholic radio stations in North Texas, KATH 910 AM in English and its Spanish counter-part, KJON 850 AM. These stations are sponsored entirely by the generous donations of their listeners. So PLEASE call 800-476-3311 or go online to the network's website (click on the 'Donate Now' icon at the top of the page) and make whatever donation you can to help keep both of these evangelism mediums broadcasting over the airwaves of North Texas.

Fr. Corapi Calls for a Rosary Novena Leading up to the Election

A 
Call 
for 
a 
Rosary 
Novena


By
 Fr.
 John 
Corapi

www.fathercorapi.com


Among 
the 
most 
important 
titles 
we 
have 
in 
the 
Catholic 
Church 
for 
the 
Blessed 
Virgin 
Mary 
are 
Our
 Lady 
of 
Victory 
and 
Our 
Lady 
of 
the 
Rosary. 
These 
titles 
can 
be 
traced 
back 
to 
one 
of 
the 
most
 decisive
 times
 in
 the
 history
 of 
the 
world 
and 
Christendom. 
The 
Battle 
of 
Lepan to 
took 
place 
on 
October 
7 
(date
 of
 feast 
of 
Our
 Lady 
of 
Rosary), 
1571. 
This 
proved 
to 
be
 the
 most 
crucial 
battle 
for 
the 
Christian 
forces
 against 
the
 radical 
Muslim 
navy 
of 
Turkey. 
Pope 
Pius 
V 
led
 a 
procession
 around
 St. 
Peter’s 
Square 
in
 Vatican
 City
 praying 
the 
Rosary. 
He 
showed 
true 
pastoral 
leadership 
in 
recognizing 
the
 danger 
posed 
to
 Christendom
 by
 the
 radical 
Muslim 
forces,
 and
 in 
using
 the
 means
 necessary
 to
 defeat
 it.
 Spiritual
 battles 
require 
spiritual 
weapons, 
and 
this 
more 
than 
anything 
was 
a 
battle 
that 
had
 its 
origins 
in 
the
 spiritual 
order — a 
true 
battle 
between 
good 
and 
evil.


Today
 we 
have 
a 
similar 
spiritual 
battle 
in 
progress — a 
battle 
between 
the 
forces 
of 
good 
and 
evil, 
light
 and 
darkness, 
truth 
and 
lies, 
life 
and 
death. 
If 
we 
do 
not 
soon 
stop 
the 
genocide 
of
 abortion 
in 
the
 United 
States, 
we 
shall 
run 
the 
course 
of 
all 
those 
that 
prove 
by 
their 
actions 
that 
they 
are 
enemies 
of
 God — total
 collapse,
 economic,
 social, 
and 
national. 
The
 moral
 demise
 of
 a 
nation
 results
 in 
the
 ultimate
 demise 
of 
 a 
nation. 
God
 is 
not 
a 
disinterested 
spectator 
to 
the 
affairs 
of 
man. 
Life 
begins 
at 
conception. This 
is 
an
 unalterable 
formal
 teaching
 of
 the 
Catholic
 Church.
 If
 you
 do
 not
 accept
 this
 you
 are
 a
 heretic
 in
 plain
 English. 
A
 single
 abortion 
is
 homicide. 
The 
more 
than
 48,000,000
 abortions
 since 
Roe 
v.
 Wade in the 
United
 States 
constitute 
genocide 
by
 definition. 
The 
group
 singled 
out 
for 
death — unwanted,
 unborn
 children.


No
 other 
issue, 
not 
all 
other 
issues 
taken
 together, 
can 
constitute 
a
 proportionate 
reason 
for
 voting 
for
 candidates 
that 
intend 
to 
preserve 
and 
defend 
this 
holocaust 
of 
innocent 
human
 life
 that
 is
 abortion.


I
 strongly 
urge
 every
one 
of 
you 
to 
make 
a 
Novena 
and 
pray 
the 
Rosary 
to 
Our 
Lady
 of 
Victory
 between
 October 
27th 
and
 Election
 Day,
 November
 4th. 
Pray
 that
 God’s
 will
 be
 done
 and
 the
 most 
innocent 
and 
utterly 
vulnerable 
of 
our 
brothers 
and 
sisters 
will 
be 
protected 
from
 this
 barbaric 
and 
grossly
 sinful 
blight 
on 
society 
that 
is 
abortion. 
No
 woman, 
and
 no
 man, 
has 
the
 right 
to 
choose 
to 
murder 
an 
innocent 
human 
being.



May 
God
 grant 
us 
the 
wisdom, 
knowledge,
 understanding,
 and
 counsel 
to 
form
 our
 conscience 
in
 accordance 
with
 authentic 
Catholic 
teaching, 
and 
then 
vote 
that 
well‐formed 
Catholic 
conscience.


Please
 copy,
 email,
 link
 and
 distribute
 this
 article
 freely.


God
 Bless 
You

Fr.
 John
 Corapi

www.fathercorapi.com


A Prayer for the Upcoming Election

As we quickly approach this important day in our nation's history, please join me in praying for the election and a return to a culture of life, using the following beautiful prayer from EWTN:

O Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, at this most critical time, we entrust the United States of America to your loving care.
Most Holy Mother, we beg you to reclaim this land for the glory of your Son. Overwhelmed with the burden of the sins of our nation, we cry to you from the depths of our hearts and seek refuge in your motherly protection.
Look down with mercy upon us and touch the hearts of our people. Open our minds to the great worth of human life and to the responsibilities that accompany human freedom.
Free us from the falsehoods that lead to the evil of abortion and threaten the sanctity of family life. Grant our country the wisdom to proclaim that God’s law is the foundation on which this nation was founded, and that He alone is the True Source of our cherished rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
O Merciful Mother, give us the courage to reject the culture of death and the strength to build a new Culture of Life.

Humanae Vitae Expounded 6

Humanae Vitae and True Sexual Freedom — Part 6 of 6

By Christopher West
August 5, 2008

This column concludes my series of reflections on Pope Paul VI’s document Humanae Vitae, which we have been reviewing in light of its fortieth anniversary [[1] Part one, [2] Part two, [3] Part three, [4] Part four, [5] Part five]. In the last installment we examined the difference between rendering sex sterile with contraception and choosing to abstain from intercourse during the fertile time. If one can see the difference between telling a lie and remaining silent, one can tell the difference between contraception and periodic abstinence.

One of the main objections to Humanae Vitae is that following its teaching (that is, practicing abstinence when avoiding pregnancy) impedes couples from expressing their love for one another. But of what “love” are we speaking: authentic conjugal love that images God, or its perennial counterfeit — lust?

God is the one who united marital love and procreation. Therefore, since God cannot contradict himself, as Vatican II taught, a “true contradiction cannot exist between the divine laws pertaining to the transmission of life and those pertaining to the fostering of authentic conjugal love” (Gaudium et Spes 51). It may well be difficult to follow the teaching of Humanae Vitae, but it could never be a contradiction of love.

Following the Church’s teaching is difficult because of the internal battle we all experience between love and lust. Lust impels us, and impels us very powerfully, towards sexual intercourse. But if sexual intimacy results from nothing more than lust, it’s not love. On the contrary, it’s a negation of love. Love is being ready to sacrifice oneself entirely for the good of the beloved, and for the good of the offspring that might result. Lust seeks the pleasure and sensation of the sexual act, but without the sincere gift of oneself.

If one is unprepared to receive a child, the only responsible choice is to abstain from that act that leads to a child. And as any married couple knows, abstaining from sex can be a profound act of love. In fact, there are many occasions in married life when a couple might want to engage in sexual intercourse, but have a serious reason to abstain. Maybe one of the spouses is sick. Maybe it’s after childbirth. Maybe they’re at the in-laws and there are thin walls. If a couple can’t abstain in these situations, their love is actually called into question. It’s the same thing with needing to avoid a pregnancy. If the couple cannot abstain, their love is called into question.

What purpose does contraception really serve anyway? This might sound odd at first, but let it sink in. Contraception was not invented to prevent pregnancy. We already had a 100% safe, 100% reliable way of doing that — abstinence. In the final analysis, contraception serves one purpose: to spare us the difficulty we experience when confronted with the choice of abstinence. When all the smoke is cleared, contraception was invented because of our lack of self-control; in other words, contraception was invented to serve the indulgence of lust.

Why do we spay or neuter our dogs and cats? Why don’t we just ask them to abstain? If we spay and neuter ourselves with contraception, we’re reducing the “great mystery” of the one flesh union to the level of Fido and Fidette in heat. What distinguished us from the animals in the first place? Freedom! God gave us freedom as the capacity to love. Contraception negates this freedom. It says, “I can’t abstain.” Hence, contracepted intercourse not only attacks the procreative meaning of sex, as John Paul II observed, “it also ceases to be an act of love” (TOB 123:6).

If you can’t say no to sex, what does your “yes” mean? Only the person who is free with the freedom for which Christ set us free (see Gal 5:1) is capable of authentic love. Authentic love, as the Catechism observes, requires “an apprenticeship in self-mastery which is training in human freedom. The alternative is clear: either man governs his passions and finds peace, or he lets himself be dominated by them and becomes unhappy” (CCC 2339).

This is what is at stake in the prophetic teaching of Humanae Vitae: man’s true peace and happiness. I’m convinced that the teaching of Humanae Vitae — which is still being rejected in the name of sexual “liberation” — will one day be vindicated as the only path to authentic sexual freedom: the freedom to love.

Humanae Vitae Expounded 5

Contraception v. Natural Family Planning — Part 5 of 6

By Christopher West
August 4, 2008

For several columns now we’ve been reflecting on the Church’s teaching on contraception in commemoration of the fortieth anniversary of Pope Paul VI’s letter Humanae Vitae [[1] Part one, [2] Part two, [3] Part three, [4] Part four]. We’ve observed that sexual intercourse is meant to incarnate the marriage commitment itself, and that an integral part of that commitment is openness to children.

So, does fidelity to the wedding vows imply that couples are to leave the number of children they have entirely to “chance”? No. In calling couples to a responsible love, the Church calls them also to a responsible parenthood.

Pope Paul VI stated clearly that those are considered “to exercise responsible parenthood who prudently and generously decide to have a large family, or who, for serious reasons and with due respect to the moral law, choose to have no more children for the time being or even for an indeterminate period” (HV 10). Notice that large families should result from prudent reflection, not “chance.” Notice too that couples must have “serious reasons” to avoid pregnancy and must respect the moral law.

Assuming a couple have a serious reason to avoid a child (this could be financial, physical, psychological, etc.), what could they do that would not violate the consummate expression of their sacrament? In other words, what could they do to avoid conceiving a child that would not render them unfaithful to their wedding vows? You’re doing it right now (I presume). They could abstain from sex. There is nothing wrong with abstaining from sex when there’s a good reason to do so. The Church has always recognized that the only method of “birth control” that respects the language of divine love is “self-control.”

A further question arises: Would a couple be doing anything to falsify their sexual union if they embraced during a time of natural infertility? Take, for example, a couple past childbearing years. They know their union will not result in a child. Are they violating their vows if they engage in intercourse with this knowledge? Are they contracepting? No. Contraception, by definition, is the choice to engage in an act of intercourse, but then do something else to render it sterile. This can be done by using various devices, hormones, surgical procedures, and the age-old method of withdrawal.

Couples who use natural family planning (NFP) when they have a just reason to avoid pregnancy never render their sexual acts sterile; they never contracept. They track their fertility, abstain when they are fertile and, if they so desire, embrace when they are naturally infertile. Readers unfamiliar with modern NFP methods should note that they are 98-99% effective at avoiding pregnancy when used properly. Furthermore, any woman, regardless of the regularity of her cycles, can use NFP successfully. This is not your grandmother’s “rhythm method.”

To some people this seems like splitting hairs. “What’s the big difference,” they ask, “between rendering the union sterile yourself and just waiting until it’s naturally infertile? The end result is the same: both couples avoid children.” To which I respond, what’s the big difference between killing Grandma and just waiting until she dies naturally? End result’s the same thing: dead Grandma. Yes, but one is a serious sin called murder, and the other is an act of God.

If a person can tell the difference between euthanasia and natural death, he can tell the difference between contraception and NFP. It’s the same difference. I’m not equating contraception and murder. That’s not the analogy. Rather, Grandma’s natural death and a woman’s natural period of infertility are both acts of God. But in killing Grandma or in rendering sex sterile, we take the powers of life into our own hands — just like the deceiver originally tempted us to do — and make ourselves like God (see Gn 3:5).

This is why Pope John Paul II concludes that contraception “is to be judged so profoundly unlawful as never to be, for any reason, justified. To think or to say the contrary is equal to maintaining that in human life, situations may arise in which it is lawful not to recognize God as God” (address Oct. 10, 1983).

If you have resisted the Church’s teaching on contraception, maybe it’s time to give it some more thought.