7 Quick Takes Friday (set #14)

7 Quick Takes Friday

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. Without further ado:

— 1 —

Support of Susan G. Komen is support for abortion. Last year, they passed along some of the money you gave them to Planned Parenthood to the tune of $7.5 million. Nancy Brinker, Komen’s founder, was a strong supporter of Planned Parenthood and and advisory board member. Komen theoretically restricts its funding. Do not let this claim confuse you for a moment, it simply frees Planned Parenthood to reallocate other funds to abortion.

— 2 —

They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks Isaiah 2:4. Technology originally developed for the US Military has been adapted to enable some paralyzed people to once again walk:

— 3 —

Denver’s Archbishop Chaput is an insightful shepherd. Recently he wrote a piece entitled Repentance and renewal in the mission of catechesis. It is all really good, particularly:

We need to really believe what we claim to believe. We need to stop calling ourselves “Catholic” if we don’t stand with the Church in her teachings – all of them. But if we really are Catholic, or at least if we want to be, then we need to act like it with obedience and zeal and a fire for Jesus Christ in our hearts. God gave us the faith in order to share it. This takes courage. It takes a deliberate dismantling of our own vanity. When we do that, the Church is strong. When we don’t, she grows weak. It’s that simple.

In a culture of confusion, the Church is our only reliable guide. So let’s preach and teach our Catholic beliefs with passion. And let’s ask God to make us brave enough and humble enough to follow our faith to its radical conclusions.

— 4 —

The Most Rev. Raymond Burke (Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura and Archbishop Emeritus of St. Louis) was just named as a new cardinal. He commented recently at the Human Life International Prayer Congress, calling for public repentance of professed Catholic politicians who have supported abortion:

Turning to the issue of scandal within the Church, the archbishop said, “We find self-professed Catholics, for example, who sustain and support the right of a woman to procure the death of the infant in her womb, or the right of two persons of the same sex to the recognition which the State gives to a man and a woman who have entered into marriage. It is not possible to be a practicing Catholic and to conduct oneself publicly in this manner.”

To resounding applause Burke said, “When a person has publicly espoused and cooperated in gravely sinful acts, leading many into confusion and error about fundamental questions of respect for human life and the integrity of marriage and the family, his repentance of such actions must also be public.”

— 5 —

What happens to your beloved pet after the Rapture? Eternal Earth-Bound Pets, USA offers a type of insurance if you live in one of the 24 states they serve. For $110, their network of certified atheists will rescue and care for your pet should the Rapture happen in the next 10 years.

They even have a complete FAQ. For example “Q: What if one of my family members are [is] left behind. Will you still take possession of my pet? A: That depends. When the rescuer arrives, if your loved one wants to retain possession of the pet, the pet stays in the home. We expect in these circumstances that the pet will offer the family member some comfort and stability given the trauma of what has occurred. If the family member prefers, we will adopt the pet per our contract.”

You can’t make this stuff up.

— 6 —

President Obama has once again misquoted the Declaration of Independence. Our founding document says: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights…”

This is now the third time he has chosen to omit “by their Creator.” One wonders who he thinks granted those rights. The government? Certainly one would assume that this Harvard educated lawyer would be familiar with the actual document establishing our sovereignty.

— 7 —

Quote of the day:

The wise man’s understanding turns him to his right; the fool’s understanding turns him to his left.

7 Quick Takes Friday (set #13)

7 Quick Takes Friday

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. Without further ado:

— 1 —

I like Father Barron. He is quite knowledgeable and an excellent speaker. Yet, for me, some of his videos can be uninteresting. I suspected that would be the case for this one on the connection between Ezekiel and the sex abuse scandal. Actually, it is quite interesting:

— 2 —

Your elderly parent has an accident. The head doctor confides frankly, asking you to choose “aggressive treatment” or “comfort care.” You know what he is asking and you don’t want to see your mom or dad suffer needlessly. You also understand the Church teaching on extraordinary treatment (it is not required in terminal cases). What do you do?

Not so fast. Ask questions and do not rush prematurely to an irreversible decision. Read Not Letting Dad Die over at Headline Bistro.

— 3 —

True love responds decisively to suffering, leftist humanitarian and beacon of morality Virginia Ironside explains. Speaking for most mothers in this clip on “Can abortion be a kindness?” she explains genuine motherly love from the enlightened, progressive viewpoint:

I am glad she wasn’t my mom. If I were her children (should she have “chosen” not to abort them), I would be scared – really, really scared.

— 4 —

Marcel over at Aggie Catholics continues to do a wonderful series of Q&A pieces. In a recent post he answers 2 questions: Methodist vs. Catholic differences and why non-Catholics may not receive the Eucharist. As always, he covers both topics quite well in a loving and informative way.

— 5 —

Jason Evert and his wife Crystalina are young apologist speakers from Catholic Answers. They speak to high-school kids about chastity and post videos of their presentations. They are really, really good. Here are two videos of Jason on the theology of his body and the theology of her body. Show this to your teen-aged children. Thanks go to Marcel at Aggie Catholics for finding these.

— 6 —

If you are part of the intelligentsia, then you are probably a fan of U2 Bono’s charity called ONE. Through his star-power, the charity raised $14,000,000 in donations in 2008 for worthy causes. Naturally, some of that money had to go for necessary administrative expenses. After all costs and expenses, they managed to distribute $184,000 (1%) with the rest going to operating expenses and promotion. Here is a better idea – stick to Catholic Charities.

— 7 —

Sacred Heart Of Jesus

Last Saturday, my wife and I enjoyed a nice dinner in downtown Atlanta, but first we stopped by the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus for Mass. It is a beautiful church built well over 100 years ago and recently elevated to the level of a minor basilica.

7 Quick Takes Friday (set #12)

7 Quick Takes Friday

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. Without further ado:

— 1 —

This video from Project Truth simply asks “Have you any conception what abortion is all about?” It is NOT distasteful (while abortion on the other-hand, is completely distasteful). The Irish government had banned it.

— 2 —

Father Mark Gruber was fired last year from his job at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania for downloading pornography on his computer. He didn’t deny it. In fact, he said almost nothing.

Months later, one of his students publicly admitted that it was in fact he – not Father Gruber – who downloaded that content. He had confessed his sin to Father in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Father Gruber is bound, regardless of any and all repercussions to himself, to maintain his silence. Priests have been martyred maintaining the confessional seal (as they must). Some questions remain, but at this point this story appears to be not of a shameful priest but of a good one.

— 3 —

Stephen Colbert testified before the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law. He was invited by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), the subcommittee chairwoman.

— 4 —

Two weeks ago, 25 LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) activists attended a Mass celebrated by Archbishop John Nienstedt (The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis). Most were students from (the Catholic) St. John’s University and College of St. Benedict. They wore rainbow buttons and sashes in protest of Church teaching.

When they approached the archbishop to receive the Eucharist, some even reaching for the Blessed Sacrament, they were denied. Instead, Archbishop Nienstedt offered only a blessing. These protesters have pulled this stunt before and I think the archbishop handled it very well. It would be better still if Catholic colleges would stop tolerating open rebellion against the teaching of the Magisterium.

The incident was covered in the student newspaper, but I don’t recommend its slanted coverage. Instead, read Father Zuhlsdorf’s analysis.

— 5 —

Humility in action. Recently Jimmy Carter (D) appeared on NBC News a gave this frank, candid assessment of his post-presidency:

“I feel that my role as a former president is probably superior to that of other presidents,” Carter assessed. “Primarily because of [my] activism and the injection of working at the Carter Center and in international affairs, and, to some degree, domestic affairs.”

— 6 —

Today’s quote:

Time magazine’s cover story this week about the influence of life in the womb states the case: “We are the way we are because it’s in our genes: the DNA we inherited at conception.” Yes, upbringing and environment have a huge impact on our lives, but one thing never changes until our last natural breath: our DNA. Each human embryo is unique — it does not have the same DNA of the mother or father. That cell not only becomes us, it is us.

Archbishop Allen Vigneron

— 7 —

Saturday Evening Blog Post

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 last month was the Only Catholics go to heaven?.

7 Quick Takes Friday (set #11)

7 Quick Takes Friday

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. Without further ado:

— 1 —

Where do communion wafers come from? One source is the Passionist Monastery in Erlanger, Kentucky. Sister Mary Angela explains:

— 2 —

Speaking of nuns – Sister Mary Martha writes a wonderful blog, answering questions and explaining the faith with humor and plain talk. For example, in a post explaining the brown scapular, she said “Also, just because you won’t see the fires of hell doesn’t mean you won’t do time in Purgatory. The good news is that part of the Pope’s pronouncement states that scapular wearers will get out of Purgatory of the first Saturday after their death. So: Don’t leave home without it. And……….Shoot for a Friday passing. There are many other types of Scapulars, though, and they come in different colors, like our national Terror Alert System, only useful.”

Visit her blog at Ask Sister Mary Martha.

— 3 —

If you watch America’s Got Talent, move on. If you are like me and never watch it then you have missed this little Catholic girl. Her name is Jackie Evancho and she is all of 10 years old. I stumble terribly with Latin, but not her. Previously she sang Panis Angelicus and Pie Jesu. Listen to her sing Ave Maria:

— 4 —

Todd over at The Catholic Sojourner has been writing his conversion story. He is one of the many Catholic converts listed in the Convert Stories database. It always amazes how inspiring these stories are. Read Todd’s latest piece entitled A Miraculous Resuscitation. It is not short, but it is definitely worth the read (read it all, no skimming!).

— 5 —

CatholicVote.org put together this great video reminding us of our duty to vote in the upcoming election and what is at stake.

— 6 —

Today’s quote:

The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God.

John F. Kennedy

— 7 —

Saturday Evening Blog Post

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 last month was the road trip of life.

7 Quick Takes Friday (set #10)

7 Quick Takes Friday

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. Without further ado:

— 1 —

This guy is a “goner.” Father Zakaria Botros is an Egyptian Coptic priest fearlessly spreading the message of Christ to the Muslim world. Pray for him, this modern martyr in-the-making, that he survive as long as possible against the enforcers of the religion of peace.

— 2 —

A recent report claims bloggers in my age group (27.2% of the population) makeup only 7.1% of the bloggers. The other old geezers just don’t know how to blog…

— 3 —

Catholics have come a long way in America. No longer does the public worry that our religious values will be “forced” upon everyone else. Currently, we hold the second and third positions in succession to the president. Nancy Pelosi explains her duty as a Catholic and the importance of “the word” in public policy:

— 4 —

Understanding the Catholic devotion to the Blessed Mother is difficult for some. In a Catholic Answers forum thread it was discussed (yet again). One helpful commentator provided this excellent list of links:

— 5 —

So, what makes the Constitution of the United States of America different from other objects, such as…   maybe something like…   perhaps…   toilet paper? Let Andrew Klavan explain:

— 6 —

It is CCD season again! Last year I had the opportunity to substitute some, this time I will co-teach a class of 14 6th graders. Wednesday was the first class and already I see there are things to be learned from them.

— 7 —

Some good bumper-stickerish (just invented word) sentiments I like:

If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.

and

Write your goals in cement, but your plans in sand.

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