July 1, 2008 by Eugene Michael
By Lisa Spellman
Out of all the gifts we receive from God in our lives, perhaps one of the most uniquely human is free will. While He grants us the ability to make our own decisions, it is through accepting responsibility for our choices that God teaches us and, often, reaches us. God does not force. And while he allows us our individual freedom, it is through His grace that He manifests His greatness and love.
The awesomeness God’s grace and guidance have had a special significance for Dorothy Hayes. As an independent-minded woman, she is not one to be pressed into making decisions. A Catholic convert of 20 years, Dorothy describes her Catholicism as the “greatest gift of my life”. In her story, there are no dramatic revelations that influenced her decision to convert and no discrete turning points. There are only His gentle reminders throughout her life, almost as if God was saying, “I’m here. I’m here.” She speaks of the breadth and depth of God’s workings in her life, and over time how she grew more aware of His near presence. To this day, Dorothy has a great appreciation of how perfectly He understands each one of us: “He knows us so well, He knows just how to approach us.”
(Read more…)
June 30, 2008 by Eugene Michael
“On abortion, the survey found that a plurality of Catholics - 48% –agree that abortion should be legal in most or all cases. Forty-five percent said abortion should be illegal in most or all cases.”
“The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a press release in response to the Pew study on the day it was made public, concluding that the results were positive because ‘Americans take religion seriously, that faith is a very important part of their lives and that many of them attend religious services regularly and pray daily.’ ”
“The bishops’ statement largely ignored findings that suggest Catholics do not regard their faith as a special means of salvation, and did not mention at all the results showing that many Catholics disagree with the teachings of the Church on fundamental issues like abortion.” From California Catholic Daily.
The USCCB once again assumes the role of Pollyanna as the slaughter of the innocents continues unabated.
June 29, 2008 by Eugene Michael
“There is only one priest ordained into the Diocese of Rochester annually, and that it is a great joy for the entire community, said Bishop Mathew Clark, who presided over the ordination.”
“The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate projects the number of diocesan priests will decline to 96 by 2015 and only 62 by 2025 if current trends continue.” From this morning’s D&C.
Hopefully the bishop misspoke. Only one ordination a year is a cause for great concern rather than great joy.
June 28, 2008 by Eugene Michael
“In a recent survey by the Pew Forum 79% of Catholics believe that many religions can lead to eternal life.”
“The Prophet Muhammad is the model we follow. He took Aisha to be his wife when she was 6, but he had sex with her only when she was 9.” From WorldNetDaily, 6/27/08.
I wonder how many Catholics think it’s OK to have sex with a 9 year old? Don’t think I want to know.
June 23, 2008 by Eugene Michael
“And although his charged views on race were partly to blame for his recent suspension, Pfleger said he would continue to speak out against racism, which he called ‘the greatest sin’.” Father Pfleger on Sunday in his first homily after his recent suspension.
I wonder where he ranks baby killing and euthanasia? Probably someplace after climate change and being a conservative Republican.
June 18, 2008 by Eugene Michael
“The unnamed girl, who already had one child, had been fitted with a contraceptive device provided by CCR(Catholic Charities, Richmond) two months earlier, the letter said. CCR members signed the consent form necessary for a minor to have an abortion and had someone drive her to and from the abortion clinic.”
“Some members of the MRS(USCCB Migration and Refugee Services) staff were not sufficiently aware of church teaching and [USCCB] policy regarding these matters to take stronger and more appropriate actions,” Bishops DiLorenzo, Wester and Driscoll said in a letter to their peers.”
“Officials for the diocese, the Catholic bishops and their agencies declined multiple requests for comment.” From The Washington Times, 6/18/08
It’s bad enough that we have to fight Planned Parenthood. Now we have to worry about Catholic Charities and the USCCB. And the bishops have “no comment”. I don’t think that “no comment” will pass muster on judgment day.
June 17, 2008 by Eugene Michael
“When asked to consider the statement “abortion should be legal and solely up to the woman to decide,” 51 percent of non-Hispanic self-described Catholics agreed.” From a story posted on California Catholic Daily.
Bishops, are you listening?
June 15, 2008 by Eugene Michael
On Saturday, June 21, Father John Reif will be celebrating a Mass for the unborn at the Focus Pregnancy Help Center on University Ave. Please follow this link for more information.
June 14, 2008 by Eugene Michael
“The number of parishes that reached their assigned goal climbed to 42, with another 20 parishes bringing in more than 90% of their goal.” From the DOR web site in reference to the 2008 Catholic Ministries Appeal(CMA).
When the DOR states that the 2008 CMA set a new record for giving it must be remembered that much of the “giving” was due to coercion or confiscation. The DOR’s policy is to extract the funds from each parish’s general fund if they don’t meet their DOR established goal. Also, some people donate because they know that the DOR will get the money anyway through this confiscation of funds from the parish.
The fact that only 42 out of 176 parishes met their goals this year(before confiscation) says a lot about the state of the DOR. Obviously the school closings and the parish clusterings are having a significant impact on giving. If people were satisfied with the leadership here then the DOR would not have to forcibly extract funds that are surely needed by the parishes to fund their operations. Much of this so-called giving represents nothing more than a diocesan tax on the parishes.
No taxation without representation, anyone?
June 9, 2008 by Eugene Michael
Yesterday my wife attended a wedding shower for a young Catholic bride-to-be and asked her if she and her fiancee had found a place to live after the marriage. The young woman replied, “Oh, we’re already living together in sin”. She said this with a giggle and had no sense of shame regarding her immoral lifestyle. She will be married in a Catholic church.
Several months ago a coworker of my daughter, who is also “living in sin”, was getting ready to meet with her parish priest in order to plan her upcoming wedding. The girl’s father warned her that the priest would certainly have a big problem with the immoral living arrangement of his daughter. In fact, the young woman became quite anxious and concerned about the upcoming meeting. She needn’t have worried-not a word from the priest about her cohabitation.
One of the explanations I have heard for the priests who refuse to communicate the Church’s teaching on premarital sex is that they don’t want to drive these young people out of the Church. Now this would be laughable if it weren’t so serious. In a way these couples are already out of the Church. They certainly aren’t following the Church’s teaching on premarital sex and you can be sure that they are using artificial contraception.
We are currently living through one of the greatest spiritual struggles in the history of mankind. There is an all out war being waged by secular forces against the teachings of Jesus Christ. Many of our leaders in the Church refuse to engage in the battle. They are complacent and perhaps cowardly as millions of souls are being lost in this all out war.
In the military a soldier convicted of cowardice is dishonorably discharged and faces a prison sentence. In God’s Church a priest or bishop who refuses to teach sound doctrine will one day have to face his Creator. If they are found guilty and convicted, their prison sentence could be of an eternal nature. They may want to consider this the next time they give a free pass to a couple who is “living in sin” and proud of it.
