This week: Father Barron delivers on his Catholicism project. Confusion at the UN on abortion. Hearing for the first time. Why does 1 zipcode in NYC have distinctively lower abortion rates? Msgr. Pope speaks on Satan with uncommon clarity. Big government planning, a case study. A quote of the week from Blessed Pope John Paul II.

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FINALLY, Father Barron’s long awaited Catholicism project is here. It does not disappoint. Father Barron’s writing and presentation is excellent, as always. The scenes, art and music are stunning. The HD video and surround sound are top notch. It is a compelling work for Catholics, other Christians and non-Christians alike. See it on PBS and EWTN stations around the country (10 episodes) or purchase the DVD series (5 DVDs).

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I don’t understand what is happening at the UN. To be clear, I expect nothing but bad from them. Yet, at least some pro-life forces exist there and were able to release a document to the press at the UN (without being shut-down by security). The document is called the San Jose Articles, 9 in all beginning with Article 1 “As a matter of scientific fact a new human life begins at conception.” Then Article 4 “All human beings, as members of the human family, are entitled to recognition of their inherent dignity…”

Austin Ruse explains more over at Catholic Lane.

The pro-death forces will not let this stand.

— 3 —

There is always hope. Imagine being born deaf (“handicapped”) and navigating a silent world for 29 years. Then imagine being blessed by device that in a blink of an eye (literally), changes that:

Now imagine you are only 8 months old, held by your mother, whose voice you never heard:

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The abortion rate in NYC is shocking. If you look at this map, you can see the statistics by zipcode by simply hovering your mouse over them.

Notice in southwest Brooklyn an area that is lighter than the others. Where other areas have abort as many as 60%, zipcode 11219 aborts 8.57%. Not zero, but something is at work there. That would be Regina Pacis and Msgr. Ronald Marino. Read the wonderful story of the Chapel of Mary Mother of the Unborn.

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Msgr. Charles Pope has a gift for explaining things in a powerful, compelling fashion:

It would be easy if Satan came as he is often portrayed, with horns and a pitchfork. We would naturally flee this ugliness. Alas, he often comes cloaked in beauty, in sheep’s clothing. He claims to offer us freedom and autonomy from an unreasonable God and Church, liberation from rules and being “told what to do.” He cloaks himself in the false righteousness of being “tolerant” and “not judging others.”

Satan Has Many Disguises is brief and well worth the read. (Spotted by Jeff gares.)

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Respecting the dignity of every person, big government to the rescue! It’s a good thing that they always know what is best for us.

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Quote of the week:

Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.

Blessed Pope John Paul II

Some random thoughts or bits of information are worthy of sharing but don’t warrant their own full post. This idea was started by Jennifer Fulwiler at Conversion Diary to address this blogging need. So, some Fridays I too participate when I have accumulated 7 worthy items. Thank you Jen for hosting this project!

This week: God in the streets of New York City. What the mainstream press is talking about when they say “sectarian violence.” The magical stethoscope. Covering the Pope: a guide for journalists. Tracking the anti-Catholic bias of the mainstream media. The Susan B. Anthony list recognizes a true, enduring friendship.

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God in the Streets of New York City is another wonderful production of Grassroots Films:

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In the mainstream press you will sometimes hear of “sectarian violence”, if anything at all. These are usually code words for Christian persecution. It is widespread and and growing. If you are interested in who is being persecuted and who is doing the persecution, read Raymond Ibrahim’s piece for Catholic Lane.

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Magic stethoscope exposes what is really inside:

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The Catholic Herald has published How to distort papal media coverage. It is a tongue-in-cheek guide for covering anything related to the Catholic Church and distorting it to make the Church look as bad as possible. It would be hilarious if it were not so very, very true.

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I often lament the sorry state of “journalism” in the mainstream media (MSM). The anti-Catholicism bias is unrelenting, not only in articles related to Christianity or the Church, but in so many unrelated pieces where the “journalist” feels compelled to throw-in an anti-Catholic dig.

There is a website for that. Dave Pierre’s TheMediaReport.com does a great job exposing this blatant bias (as if they cared). Typical is the New York Times (Father Zuhlsdorf calls them “hell’s bible”) coverage of Pope Benedict‘s historic visit to Germany.

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We all value a true friend. Someone we can always count on. Someone who can count on our loyalty, no matter what. The Susan B. Anthony List recognizes one such enduring friendship:

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Elizabeth Esther kindly hosts a feature she calls The Saturday Evening Blog Post. Published monthly every first Saturday, it features the best post in the preceding month on each of a few dozen Christian blogs. The “best” entries are chosen by the authors themselves (so they should know!).

It is a great way to discover new blogs. Be sure to check-it out. My entry this time was There are no clocks in heaven.

Some random thoughts or bits of information are worthy of sharing but don’t warrant their own full post. This idea was started by Jennifer Fulwiler at Conversion Diary to address this blogging need. So, some Fridays I too participate when I have accumulated 7 worthy items. Thank you Jen for hosting this project!

This week: Changing minds on abortion, a powerful approach. A story after judgment – all are surprised, both the damned and the saved. Celebrating World Contraception Day. MD does not mean “Medical Deity.” Electron Boy (a/k/a Erik Martin), RIP. The “understandable” effect of China’s one child policy. The mainstream media, slowly backing away…

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Ray Comfort has produced a movie and a book to help people understand why abortion is always wrong. This 33 minute 180 Movie (i.e. to turn around, 180 degrees) makes a good case by leading abortion supporters step-by-step until they finally “get” it:

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I wrote recently is hell empty? (my opinion: nope). Father Longenecker recounted Padre Pio’s opinion on his feast day: “They’ll believe in hell when they get there.”

Fr. Longenecker also recalled a related conversation he once had, so insightful that I just have to repeat it here:

I’m reminded of one of the great judgment carvings which is on the South portal at Chartres. It is one of those scenes with Christ enthroned in glory, St Michael weighing the souls in judgment and the demons taking some below and angels lifting others up above.

I was visiting there and the old Englishman who used to give tours said, “Notice that both the damned and the saved have expressions of surprise on their faces.

The damned are surprised to be going to hell because they were proud and self righteous (and didn’t think they were headed for hell) or scornful and unbelieving (and didn’t believe such a place existed) The saved are surprised because they were humble and didn’t think they would make it into heaven.

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We learned from the Girl Scouts that sex, in every form imaginable, is great fun at every age. The only downside is a medical condition known as “pregnancy” which, if left untreated (Planned Parenthood), will lead to the unhappy burden of “children”. There is a wonderful solution – contraception. Yea!

— 4 —

It is amazing how often doctors are wrong about “problem” pregnancies. When a less-than-perfect (in their view) child is expected, some push one “solution” – abort him or her. LifeNews.com gives one example:

The Smith family’s experience is just one example out of countless others that show many doctors think the initials MD after their name stand for “Medical Deity.” What Bernadette and Phil’s first doctor basically said was, “Since your baby might die, let’s kill her by abortion to make sure she dies.” Just stop and think of how barbaric this so-called “professional advice” is. They present intentional killing as a good and caring thing to do.

Read the full article at The Little Baby Who Can: Rejecting Abortion in Trisomy 18.

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Erik Martin was born 14 years ago with only half a heart, no spleen and sensory problems. Three years ago he was diagnosed with paraganglioma, a rare and untreatable cancer. Last Friday, Erik succumbed to his illness.

Those in the Seattle area may know him better as Electron Boy. The Make-A-Wish Foundation staged an elaborate fantasy event for him in April 2010 to save the city. Hundreds of people, equipment, celebrities and famous locations all took part to create this special day:

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Vice President Joe Biden (Democrat, Catholic) gave a speech at Sichuan University in Chengdu, China on August 21st. In that speech, he not only failed to condemn China’s “one child policy” (i.e. forced abortions), but gave acceptance:

Your policy has been one which I fully understand – I’m not second-guessing – of one child per family.

As the VP to the most pro-abortion president ever, this is not surprising.

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Tom Purcell notes even the media is beginning to question the president’s leadership. Quoting the Loyal Democrat Today (a/k/a New York Times):

Those of us who were bewitched by his eloquence on the campaign trail chose to ignore some disquieting aspects of his biography: that he had accomplished very little before he ran for president, having never run a business or a state; that he had a singularly unremarkable career as a law professor, publishing nothing in 12 years at the University of Chicago other than an autobiography; and that, before joining the United States Senate, he had voted “present” (instead of “yea” or “nay”) 130 times, sometimes dodging difficult issues.

Duh.

Some random thoughts or bits of information are worthy of sharing but don’t warrant their own full post. This idea was started by Jennifer Fulwiler at Conversion Diary to address this blogging need. So, some Fridays I too participate when I have accumulated 7 worthy items. Thank you Jen for hosting this project!

This week: Our culture – Russia has “been there, done that.” Father Barron on Protestantism and authority. Jane Roe (Roe v. Wade) today. Another Planned Parenthood manager switches sides. Margaret Sanger’s dream realized (black genocide). A whisky vending machine. “If you love me / don’t love me…”

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While we in the West are fighting feminism, liberalism, secularism, anti-family initiatives, abortion and other population controls…   Russia has “been there, done that.” The results are nothing less than a disaster. They are turning around 180 degrees, hoping it is not too late:

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Fr. Barron makes good points on the need for authority in the Church and the problems caused by the lack of it in Protestantism.

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“The biggest mistake of my life.” That is how Norma McCorvey describes her role in legalizing abortion. Norma was “Jane Roe” in Roe v. Wade and is a great example of God’s power to convert and heal. Today, she is an active pro-life campaigner. She has also converted to the Catholic Church.

This video is from Virtue Media, an organization much like Catholics Come Home. Both produce videos of the highest quality for locally funded television campaigns around the country. Virtue Media’s cause is pro-life. See their YouTube channel for many more inspiring clips.

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Like Norma McCorvey, conversion sometimes comes slowly. Such is the case of Ramona Trevino who managed a Planned Parenthood clinic. While they didn’t perform abortions at her location, it was a feeder of clients to the PP abortuaries. Ramona believed PP’s lies, that they were focused on helping women and that it wasn’t about the money. Over time she knew that simply wasn’t true.

One night, coming back from the clinic, “I was listening to Catholic radio – I remember a woman saying: ‘One day, when we die and we meet our maker, he’s going to ask: “What did you do to prevent and stop abortion??? Right there, it was like a dagger in my heart.” She began praying the Rosary during Lent, and said that on the third day, “the blinders just completely came off my eyes.” She dropped her excuses about working at a non-abortion-facility, and “understood why working for Planned Parenthood was wrong.” “Shortly after, the first 40 Days for Life vigil was held outside the clinic. I got the courage to go out and talk to them, and ask for their prayers.” Trevino says she felt the strength God gave her through the prayers of the pro-life volunteers.

CNA has the story.

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Margaret Sanger, Planned Parenthood’s founder, had a dream. She spoke of sterilizing those she designated as “unfit,” a plan she said would be the “salvation of American civilization. She also spoke of those who were “irresponsible and reckless,” among whom she included those “whose religious scruples prevent their exercising control over their numbers.” She further contended that “there is no doubt in the minds of all thinking people that the procreation of this group should be stopped.” That many Americans of African origin constituted a segment that Sanger considered “unfit” cannot be easily refuted. (source: BlackGenocide.org).

Today, Sanger’s dream is largely fulfilled. Planned Parenthood is an incredible death machine across the country, disproportionately targeting blacks. Her first “family planning clinic” in Harlem has led the way for New York City to be the most dangerous place in America for unborn black babies, killing 60% in the womb. I will never understand why so many black folks support Planned Parenthood and the politicians who worship that evil organization. They have achieved what the KKK could only dream of (excluding the “human weeds” who “never should have been born” from the “race of thoroughbreds” – as Sanger put it).

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The good old days…

— 7 —

I really, really don’t want to get into politics here, but this is so over-the-top.

Who do you love? After yet another vacation, Obama has a new plan. Take money by force from those who have earned it (tax) and redistribute it to union workers (construction workers and teachers) whose gratitude is assured (Jimmy Hoffa promised). This is the antithesis of Catholic social teaching, BTW. If you love me…

if you don’t love me, I will find out…

Readers, PLEASE don’t turn me in.

Some random thoughts or bits of information are worthy of sharing but don’t warrant their own full post. This idea was started by Jennifer Fulwiler at Conversion Diary to address this blogging need. So, some Fridays I too participate when I have accumulated 7 worthy items. Thank you Jen for hosting this project!

This week: Two great videos on what it means to be Catholic, from a young perspective. A touching story on organ donation. A picture of the Mass, in difficult circumstances. A case for communion on the tongue? A politician who actually “gets” Catholic social teaching.

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Joseph K. put together this very nice video for a young Catholic group:

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The folks at Life Teen do a lot of good work, applicable not just to our children but all of us. Here is a piece they did on the Armor of God:

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13 year old Taylor Storch died in a ski accident. Her parents, Todd and Tara donated her organs to help 5 other people. Taylor’s heart saved a mother of 3. It has been a long time since Taylor’s parents heard the strong beat of that precious heart:

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This incredible picture was featured aspect in Latin Mass Magazine sometime in 2008 or 2009. It appears to depict a Solemn High Mass somewhere in bombed-out Germany. The best description of the scene is at Gottesdienst Online (an LCMS Lutheran blog) entitled Real Worship. They describe it beautifully (also with interesting comments from Lutheran clergy).

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Communion in the hand or on the tongue? What’s the big deal?

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Faithful Catholics should vote neither Democrat nor Republican, but “Catholic.” That is, for candidates who are closest to our genuine teaching regardless if they are Catholic themselves or not. (There are countless pro-death politicians who profess the faith so obviously, being Catholic per se is no indicator.) Here is someone who truly understands:

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Elizabeth Esther kindly hosts a feature she calls The Saturday Evening Blog Post. Published monthly every first Saturday, it features the best post in the preceding month on each of a few dozen Christian blogs. The “best” entries are chosen by the authors themselves (so they should know!).

It is a great way to discover new blogs. Be sure to check-it out. My entries this time were civil vs. divine law and the soul.

Some random thoughts or bits of information are worthy of sharing but don’t warrant their own full post. This idea was started by Jennifer Fulwiler at Conversion Diary to address this blogging need. So, some Fridays I too participate when I have accumulated 7 worthy items. Thank you Jen for hosting this project!