Jesse Ray here: I found this article by Rabbi Sacks very educational and the section on “Morality and the Crisis” especially thought provoking. He explores how our current market economy was formed under the auspices of Judeo-Christian values, and he draws a compelling picture of why our current economic shake-up has a central spiritual dimension: http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/social_justice/sj0255.htm

Enjoy.

If you are interested in seeing a little bit of the March for Life, this is the link.  As usual the weather is miserable, but they expect over 400,000 people, but what is most encouraging is that 75% of them are young people. 

Obama and Sebelius announce requirements that violate Catholic teaching and consciences

This morning President Obama called New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan to break the news. (Announced by www.CatholicVote.org)

Secretary of Health and Human Services and pro-abortion Catholic Kathleen Sebelius just announced that the proposed mandate requiring all insurance plans to pay for contraception, sterilization and some abortion drugs is official — and Catholics cannot escape.

…and the fig-leaf exemption for religious groups will not be modified, apart from allowing some groups an additional year to comply.

Cardinal-designate Timothy M. Dolan responded minutes ago, saying: “In effect, the president is saying we have a year to figure out how to violate our consciences.”

Beginning August 1, 2012 (less than eight months from today), the insurance premiums we pay, including the insurance premiums paid by Catholics for employees of churches and schools — will be used to cover drugs and procedures that are in direct conflict with the teachings of our Church.

Cardinal-designate, Archbishop Timothy Dolan opposes Obama!

That’s right. Our government will now force us to pay for insurance coverage for birth control, sterilization and even some abortion drugs.

President Obama ignored the organized efforts of Catholics across the country, including bold statements from the Bishops, university presidents (including Notre Dame’s Rev. Jenkins), and even his Catholic allies like Sr. Carol Keehan.

Instead, President Obama stood with his real friends — Planned Parenthood.

Make no mistake, this decision is a direct attack on you, our Church, and the religious liberty of all Americans.

Just yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI addressed the bishops from the United States who were completing their “Ad Limina” visit in Rome. The Holy Father specifically cited the “grave threats” to the freedom of the Church in America, and urged the Catholic community to respond, especially with “an engaged, articulate and well-formed Catholic laity.”

He’s talking to you and me. The Holy Father’s brief address is a must read (link below).

Catholics arrested in China. Wake up America!

Finally, today marks exactly one year from Inauguration Day. In exactly 12 months, America will welcome a new president, or usher in four more years of Barack Obama and his assault on our liberties. This irony is not lost on us.

For on a day such as this, we realize that elections indeed have consequences. The Catholic vote must rise up like never before. 

Father Walter Nagle’s Excellent Blog:
http://walter-nagle.blogspot.com/2012/01/obamacare-hhs-mandate.html

Mark Shea Chimes in “RESIST THE TYRANT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NCRegisterDailyBlog/~3/I3lVN7woz8c/im-not-normally-a-man-of-few-words

U.S. Bishops Vow to Fight HHS Edict
http://www.usccb.org/news/2012/12-012.cfm

Read the Holy Father’s Address to the US Bishops:
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2012/january/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20120119_bishops-usa_en.html

Read the text of the HHS Announcement:
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2012pres/01/20120120a.html

Church torched by Muslims in Cairo Egypt

ROME, DEC. 24, 2011 (Zenit.org).- For Christians in so many countries around the world — Iraq, Pakistan, Egypt, and others — and even for Christians in Bethlehem, the celebration of Christmas means facing particular difficulty.

In Iraq, for example, where another round of suicide bombings on Thursday killed some 70 people, there will be no Midnight Mass.

Iraq’s Christians spend Christmas in “great fear,” Archbishop Louis Sako, the Chaldean Catholic Archbishop of Kirkuk, northern Iraq, told Aid to the Church in Need.

Christian prisoners in China

He said that it will not be possible to hold Midnight Mass because of the high security risk — all services over the festive period will be held in daylight — and Christians are not displaying Christmas decorations outside their homes.

In Pakistan, meanwhile, the Fides news agency reported that more than 2,500 police will be protecting Christian churches during Christmas. Local sources told the agency that some 430 churches in Pakistan will have “special security measures.”

Victim of Christmas Day Muslim Terrorist bombat St. Theresa's Catholic Church in Nigeria

“There are about 2,500 police, including snipers, to protect the faithful Christians at Christmas,” said a police spokesman in Lahore, in Punjab, home to the majority of Christians and their places of worship. “We have given priority to 38 churches, 20 of which are widely attended by foreign Christians participating in the Christmas Mass.”

Christians make up about 3% of the Pakistani population. As reported to Fides by official sources, over the past five years, nearly 5,000 people have been victims of attacks by fundamentalist groups in Pakistan: a quarter of the victims are Christians.

Few local Christians left in Bethlehem where Jesus was born. Two praying at place of Nativity.

In Bethlehem, few Christians remain to celebrate Christmas at the site of Jesus’ birth. [The Christians are squeezed between two forces: Israel and Muslims. They are leaving in droves.]

But Christmas “is an opportunity to encourage [these Christians] to stay there,” said the Franciscan custos of the Holy Land, Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, “and become more anchored to their town and to their identity.”

Imagine Christians in China, North Korea and many other such places. Lord, bless them all.

What a delightful and fun hour!

If you have two brain cells that connect and wish to understand God and the world — and if you aren’t afraid of the truth and talk about sex — you will LOVE this.

If you aren’t polltically correct about atheism and Islam and other such things, you will love this talk. Listen to the end if you want to know why Muslims might win in the end — listen to the end.

Kreeft is a saint, a “brain,” a philosopher, a theologian, a prophet, a Catholic and a hero for the modern world.

WATCH THIS VIDEO!

Milton Friedman interviewed by liberal TV host Phil Donahue thirty years ago. Two minute video well worth watching which blows away some of the confusion about Capitalism and Free Market Enterprise. Click HERE.

My insurance agent sent out a promotional flier with a “Holiday Special.” Plastered on the front of the oversized envelop was “Merry, Merry, Merry!”       Then nothing!

Why not finish it with what we all expect — Merry CHRISTMAS!

People are cowards and afraid to say something that 99% of people want to hear and 1% are adverse to. You can see what I did with his envelop below to the right.

Then my son called them and said, “Why not just say Christmas?! If you can’t say the truth and realize that this whole season is around Christ and the vast majority of your customers are Christians, and the rest understand why you’d say Christmas, then why snub us all with your political correctness?” They got the point and promised to be more careful what they send out in the future.

At a restaurant yesterday the hostess said, “Happy Holiday!!” I replied, “Thanks, but you should really say Merry Christmas because Jesus is the reason for the season.” Boy was she excited. “That’s exactly what I told my manager. People want to hear Merry Christmas and from now on that’s what I’m going to say!”

I dare say if one out of 10 Christians would speak out — the public denial of Christ Christmas would be over in two days. Retailers and others respond to their customers. So, tell them what you think and wish them a Merry CHRIST-mas!

A book and a review evaluate the sad but predictable situation. The Zenit article begins:

1. Churches do have an active engagement with teens, but many of the young people do not grow up to be faithful adult followers of Christ.

2. There are a variety of reasons people drop out, so it is important not to generalize about an entire generation.

3. Churches are not adequately preparing the next generation to follow Christ in the context of a rapidly changing culture.

The problem, Kinnaman explained, is not that teens are any less active in church than in previous times. In fact, around four out of five teens in America will spend a part of their childhood or teen years going to a Christian congregation or parish. What happens is that this activity fades away during their 20s.

For both Catholics and Protestants the age group of those in their 20s is the least likely to say that they are committed to Christ, in spite of their previous religious experience.

An even greater problem is the disconnect with the church. Even more than a struggle with their faith in Christ, young people cease their institutional participation.

For the whole article, click here.

********************************************************

My own thoughts on this are these: We have changed our philosophy as a culture from God-centered to Man-centered — from theistic to materialistic. No one explained this to us. Most people catch their worldview like they catch a cold, by being too close to someone who has it. Our world view is not something we should “catch” but something we should CHOOSE. We should think through the philosophical possibilities and CHOOSE to be Christians and Catholics because IT IS TRUE!

We have failed to teach out children to think about our surrounding culture, to ask “Why is Christianity true? And if it is true then the alternatives must be false, right?” Our schools, the media and entertainment tell them there is NO GOD and to live as though He is dead. Our young people have been lied to and no one inoculated them from the humanist, materialist world view.

Janet and I back in our Switzerland Study Days with Schaeffer

I taught my kids to be rebels, to argue with the secular culture, to resist pressure from the modernist philosophy and to know why we lived and acted differently. Many parents parents have failed to set the example. Children will usually love what their parents love. We should love the truth, love the Church, love to speak out and be counter-cultural.

Below are two good video clips of about 8 minutes each (Part I and Part II) which explain the situation in the modern world and why we have failed — not only our young people — but most all of our people.

This man in the videos is a Presbyterian minister and philosopher who was (and still is) a hero of mine. His name is Dr. Francis Schaeffer. I moved to Switzerland in 1982 to study with him. I affectionately call him my Protestant Patron Saint. I wouldn’t be a Christian today without his earlier influence in my intellect and wider life. He taught me to think and to think like a Christian who has the ultimate Truth of reality.

He taught me that it is not true because we believe it, but it we believe it because IT IS TRUE!  (He was thoroughly Protestant for which I am now saddened. (Had he lived longer I am convinced he would have become a Catholic because from my perspective his intellectual momentum was heading in that direction.)

It is because of him that I was able to stay Christian — and to love and commit my life to Christ in my early twenties.  Catholics will profit greatly from his pithy, prophetic words which he spoke in 1982 when I was in Switzerland. He predicted our state of affairs today but I think he would have been surprised and dismayed at how quickly we are falling and proving him unhappily correct.

Part I (eight minutes)

Part II (eight minutes)

“Hi. This is President Obama. Is our good Jewish Senator Joe Lieberman in?”

“No, Mr. President. It’s Yom Kippur!”

“Well, Hello, Yom. Can I leave a message?”

(I was criticized for posting this joke about President Obama. If interested, I responded to the criticism below in the Comments.)

Click here to see the Brilliance of the Atlanta Occupiers

Interesting new slogan: “Beat Obama with a Cain!”

What do you think?

Read the full article HERE to see why the Vatican has not done what the media is trying to tell us it did. The media loves to twist the Vatican’s words to suit their own purposes and to be sensational.

First, the matter came from a Vatican congregation – not the Pope. Second, there was no “call” but simply a possible “contribution” and a “possible path.”

One should read the document in context and in the manner it which it was written and to be received.

George Weigel says “Rubbish, rubbish, rubbish!”

Ignatius Press’s Carl Olson weighs in well HERE.

Fr. Z rants like a loon

It won’t stop with the Gay Agenda. What is next?

The article linked below is saying what I’ve warned for a long time. When one unthinkable activity and sin is allowed there is always another more grotesque moral deviancy lined up in the queue.

What is the next agenda to be forced down our throats by the liberal courts and media? Bestiality (or zoophilia)? Pedophilia? Incest? Polygamy (with any combination of men and women all called “family”)?

read this scary article here.

“Gay” used to be a good word meaning happy and care-free, but now it has been corrupted.

Imagine what will happen to innocent phrases like “puppy love”?

Hang on Christians! We are all in for a horrific ride. We better be teaching our children and grandchildren another word – martyrdom!

Check out my new talk Swimming Upstream: Living as Catholics in a Neo-pagan Society

John Adams (1735-1826) was a Founding Father of the United States. He was raised in an austere Protestant movement called the Puritans who left England to flee liturgical Christianity and to find religious freedom. He was raised as a Congregationalist and later turned to Unitarianism. He was elected President of the United States in 1796.

From Wikipedia we read, “Adams criticized the claims to universal authority made by the Roman Catholic Church. In 1796, Adams denounced political opponent Thomas Paine’s criticisms of Christianity in his book The Age of Reason, saying, “The Christian religion is, above all the religions that ever prevailed or existed in ancient or modern times, the religion of wisdom, virtue, equity and humanity, let the Blackguard Paine say what he will.”

My older brother sent me the page (84) on the left from a biography of Adams entitled John Adams by David McCullough. I thought it was insightful. Click on the image of the page to read the comments.

I responded to my brother:
Thanks for sharing this with me. I quite feel like this too at Mass, especially in some of the old beautiful churches, like the majestic churches in Detroit and in Europe. And, I still tear up frequently during the spender of the Mass.

His explanation shows he picked up on much of what is known to most Catholics. I sense this awe at Mass and can relate to Adams’ observations — having lived deeply now in both worlds, plain and chatty Protestantism and mysterious and heavenly Catholicism.

I recommend taking 30 minutes to watch this video. A Protestant Christian is confronting people on the street. He starts with Hitler and the slaughter of innocent people and then uses it with precision in his questions about abortion, heaven and hell.

In this short video young people are interviewed on the street. It is stunning how so many young people have no idea who Hitler was, no idea that the Holocaust really happened or how many people were killed. Most have no idea how Hitler brainwashed people to accept killing.

This video demonstrates how people try to justify evil behavior and often don’t see their own hypocrisy. It shows how poorly most people reason through moral issues and are brainwashed by the culture. And it also shows how the old quote, “He who ignores history is bound to repeat it,” is accurate.

This interviewer asks questions to make people realize how they are also brainwashed to accept abortion, and how ignoring God and the Commandments can only lead to hell. Hear his excellent examples and comparisons; he is talented at presenting ideas to help everyone understand the truth.

Here is the preview:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxou1UADa4E.  Here is the 30 minute movie:  www.180movie.com.

I JUST DOWNLOADED THIS ON MY IPHONE!

SOUTH BEND, Indiana, SEPT. 28, 2011 (Zenit.org).- The company that put confession preparation on the iPhone now has a tool for Catholic voters: CatholicVote Mobile, aimed to mobilize and unify those who want to get the Church’s view to Congress.

Little i Apps, LLC, makers of Confession: A Roman Catholic App, collaborated with CatholicVote.org in the development of the new app.

The service provides a method to contact members of Congress, as well as offering mobile access to CatholicVote.org’s blogs and news.

A one-touch method allows Catholic voters to more easily participate in the political forum. Based on a user’s GPS location or zip code, the app generates the contact information for their representative and senators. Users can select to automatically add this information to their contact lists or simply tap to connect.

“It was an incredible opportunity for Little i Apps to be a part of this project. We are excited about the potential impact an app like this could have on American politics,” said Patrick Leinen, co-founder of Little i Apps. “Imagine what could happen if every Catholic voter used the Contact My Representative option to contact their congressional representative or senator before a critical vote. With the launch of this app, CatholicVote.org has given voters an incredible tool. We can’t wait to see how they use it!”

CatholicVote Mobile is free and is available on the Android Market and the iTunes Store.

Unbelievable! I was here 25 years ago during Soviet Communism. Hit’s me more today. More soon.

Gas is $10 a gallon on England! It cost me $150 to fill the tank that was only 3/4 empty!

Welcome to socialism. America, wake up!

Renowned financial planner Dave Ramsey compares the US budget to the budget of your family. Pay attention!

“If the US Government was a family, they would be making $58,000 a year, yet they spend $75,000 a year, and have $327,000 in credit card debt.

“They are currently proposing BIG spending cuts to reduce their spending to $72,000 a year.

“These are the actual proportions of the federal budget and debt, reduced to a level that we can understand.”
~ Dave Ramsey