Listen and weep...

...as  Mr. Barack Obama, as an Illinois state senator on April 4, 2002, argues against SB1663, the Illinois Born Alive Infant Protection Act:




Heartless.

Pray for Rimsha Masih

I would be over the moon if the Democrats, including the president, would quit harping on the non-existent "War on Women" and start bringing up the all too real War on Christians in the Middle East:

From The Catholic Register (in Canada) (with my emphases and comments):

Work under way to free Pakistani girl [falsely] accused of blasphemy 

Written by Catholic News Service Friday, 24 August 2012 10:14

VATICAN CITY - Pakistani institutions and religious leaders are working together for the release of a Christian girl accused of blasphemy and to reduce the risk of Muslim-Christian violence over the incident, said the Pakistani prime minister's special advisor on minorities.

Paul Bhatti, the Catholic advisor, told the Vatican's Fides news agency Aug. 23 that those working to secure the girl's release included Muslim leaders.

Fides, the news agency of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, has reported that the girl, Rimsha Masih, is an 11-year-old with Down syndrome.  She was taken into custody Aug. 18 after allegedly being found with burned pages of the Quran, the Muslim holy book. When the police took her away, hundreds of angry Muslims were reportedly gathering in the mainly poor Christian neighbourhood of Islamabad where she lived.[I have had the privilege of working with people with Down's Syndrome, some of whom were very "high-functioning" and some of whom needed assistance with every aspect of daily life. It makes me sick to think of one of those innocent souls being arrested, locked up, and interrogated.]

Hundreds of families have fled the neighbourhood, and the police presence has increased.

"The situation is under control," Bhatti told Fides. [And the check is in the mail, the innocent have nothing to fear, etc., etc.]

Catholic leaders in Pakistan and human rights activists have said the country's anti-blasphemy law, which includes offenses against the Quran, has been misused to persecute Christians and other minorities in the country. [You think?]

Daughter of St. Paul Sister Daniela Baronchelli, who works in Pakistan, told Vatican Radio Aug. 20: "We have been told that the girl cannot respond to the interrogation. They found her with a bag that had parts of a burned Quran inside. They don't know, however, who gave it to her or where she got it; they don't know anything." [I wonder if the same person who gave it to her was the one who reported her.]

Sr. Daniela said the angry crowd "wanted to burn her alive because they say it was a great offense against the Quran." [May God have mercy on their souls for even considering it.]

The unjust use of the anti-blasphemy law "unfortunately is becoming all too common. The fact is that the extremists don't want the Christians here any more, so any little thing — true or not — is enough to incite a revolt," she said.

In related news (in case you're not yet horrified enough at the so-called "religion of peace") is this story from The International Business Times:

11-Year-Old Christian Boy Mutilated in Pakistan

By Vasudevan Sridharan

August 24, 2012 11:33 AM GMT

Less than a week after an 11-year old Christian girl was arrested for blasphemy in Pakistan, the mutilated body of an 11-year-old Christian boy has been found in the Punjab province.

The body, identified as that of Samuel Yaqoob, was found with its nose and lips cut off. Samuel's legs had been chopped off and the stomach organs removed. [Monsters. Kyrie eleison.]

It is reported that police officials who found the body had difficulty identifying it. With the help of Samuel's relatives, the police eventually identified the body because of a unique mark on the boy's forehead.

The boy, who lived in the Faisalabad area, was reported missing four days before his body was found during the religious holiday of Eid. [I'm tempted to make some snarky comment about how Christians celebrate their holidays, but I'll refrain...]

Although police officials are investigating the issue of blasphemy [How about investigating the butchery of an innocent child instead?], it remains unclear whether Samuel's words or actions contributed to the murder. [ He. Was. 11. Years. Old. He was butchered. Repeat as freaking necessary until you get those facts through your skull. In no realm of reason could anyone ever make the claim that his "words or actions contributed" to what those monsters did to him. What kind of world do we live in that a reporter would write it, an editor approve it and a newspaper publish it? God have mercy.]

 The boy's background is subject to conflicting reports. While some suggest he was an orphan, others quote his mother as saying: "We neither received any phone call for ransom nor were we told that Samuel had committed blasphemy."

Samuel's murder follows the detention of an 11-year-old girl, widely reported to have Downs syndrome, for allegedly burning the Koran.

The incident has ignited a debate on religious tolerance in the country and the strict laws against blasphemy. Under current law, the authorities can impose the death penalty for desecrating the Koran.

Still want to claim that Islam is a "religion that reaffirms peace, fairness, tolerance", Mr. President?

As the Democrats move to solidify their position as anti-child and pro-abortion, here's a story pointing out just one of the myriad of detrimental effects of such a worldview.

From Bloomberg, with my emphases and comments:

Americans Having Fewer Babies Crimping Consumer Spending

 By Steve Matthews - Aug 21, 2012 4:11 PM ET

 Debra Mollen, 41, a psychology professor in Denton, Texas, said she and her husband don’t plan to have children as they strive to pay down their mortgage and save for retirement. [I do hope they don't regret it when they're old, retired and alone in that mortgage-free house.]

“Children are really expensive,” Mollen said, and the 2008 financial crisis shows the importance of building a nest egg. “Retirement is not an option for a lot of folks.”

Mollen isn’t alone, as Americans have had fewer babies each year since the 2008 financial meltdown, with births falling to a 12-year low in 2011, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. The low birth rate and reduced immigration resulted in the smallest gain in population since World War II, which may hurt spending on everything from Huggies diapers to pregnancy kits, child care and education. [Which makes me wonder: the EU countries have a birth rate below replacement level and the Eurozone is in crisis. Are these factors related? I wouldn't be surprised.]

“Consumption bumps up when families have children,” said Dean Maki, chief U.S. economist at Barclays Plc in New York, who worked at the Federal Reserve from 1995 to 2000, and researched household finances. “The fact we are seeing fewer births is something of a drag on consumer spending. To the extent this turns out to be a persistent trend, it is something to be worried about.” 

The population increased by 0.92 percent, or 2.8 million people, to 311.6 million from the end of the decennial population count on April 1, 2010, to July 1, 2011, the slowest rate over a similar period since the mid-1940s, the Census Bureau said.

‘Risk Aversion’

The number of births fell to 3.96 million in 2011, and it may fall again this year to 3.94 million, forecaster Demographic Intelligence predicted in July. “A culture of risk aversion among young adults” is behind the drop, the Charlottesville, Virginia-based firm said. [Really? Did someone put "risk aversion" in the same sentence with a culture of young adults who have been taught that sex is a recreational sport?]

“Population is a very strong motivation for consumer spending,” said Chris Christopher, director of U.S. and global consumer economics research at IHS Global Insight in Lexington, Massachusetts. “Weak population growth due to fewer children will play itself out in years to come.”

 ....

As most U.S. parents know, having a child is costly. A middle-income family having a baby in 2011 will spend about $234,900 over 17 years for things like food, shelter, transportation and child care, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in June. [I swear they make up these numbers just to scare people into popping the pill. This works out to $13,817.65 per year or $1151.47 per month. Given how bloody expensive health insurance is (mine went up 17% this year, thanks to Obamacare),

Household purchases rose at a 1.5 percent rate from April through June, down from a 2.4 percent gain in the prior quarter and the weakest increase in a year, according to the Commerce Department. Purchases added 1.05 percentage points to last quarter’s 1.5 percent pace of economic growth, which was down from 2 percent from January through March.

“To the degree that family formation is being suppressed, we should be concerned,” said Neal Soss, chief economist at Credit Suisse in New York. “That holds back housing. It holds back all the spending associated with housing. Family formation is a very important motivator of economic growth.”
 
....

Read the rest at Bloomberg.

A Suggestion for a Gathering Hymn

For some reason, during this period of the Church, we seem to be stuck with the "gathering hymn."

I have fervent hope that the Church historians centuries from now will astound and shock their fellow Catholics when they write books about the Liturgical Dark Ages of the 20th and 21th centuries.

"Did they really decorate their churches with felt banners?" they will ask. "Did they really remove altar rails and put sand in the holy water fonts for Lent? Did they actually replace Gregorian chant and theological sound hymnody with songs that sounded like Broadway show tunes, wannabe folk music or video game soundtracks?"

Yes, yes they did, to our everlasting shame.

But I digress.

Gathering hymns tend to actually use the word "gather" in the lyrics, for example:

"Gather the People" by Dan Schutte (Warning: This links to an official version of this song. It seems to involve bongos, trumpets and cymbols. You've been warned. Don't complain to me if your ears bleed.)

Gather the people, enter the feast
All are invited, the greatest and least
The banquet is ready, now to be shared
Join in the heavenly feast that God has prepared

There's also Bob Hurd's "Gather Your People", which might work at a Protestant church that sings gospel music, except they tend to have better taste:

Gather your people, O Lord.
Gather your people, O Lord.
One bread, one body, one spirit of love.
Gather your people, O Lord.

And we can't forget Marty Haugen's infamous contribution, "Gather Us In" (which not only makes Baby Jesus cry, but has also spawned numerous parodies, such as this one):

Gather us in the rich and the haughty
Gather us in the proud and the strong,
Give us a heart so meek and so lowly,
Give us the courage to enter the song.

 (It always makes me snicker that Marty thinks its a lack of courage that prevents people from singing, and not good taste).

Since we have to sing a gathering hymn, at least at this point in time, might we start writing gathering hymns that men wouldn't be embarrassed to sing? That say more than "it's nice to be here with nice people"?

How about something like:

Gather your people, O Lord, to do battle with the forces of darkness and spread the truth of the gospel, which requires that we cooperate with your grace to grow in holiness, not just sit around and sing how wonderful we are.

Ok, so it could use some work, but I think you get the gist. Feel free to share you own suggestions in the combox.

St. Cecilia, pray for us.

Filipino Bishops Show Admirable Leadership

How many of our so-called "Catholic" universities actively undermining the faith? And how many times have you heard the USCCB call them out on it, let alone remind the schools that a crozier is a big stick for a reason?

Yeah, that's what I thought.

From GMA News, with my emphases and comments:

CBCP warns Catholic schools against pro-RH teaching 

August 19, 2012 1:16pm

Catholic schools that do not toe the line on the reproductive health (RH) bill may be stripped of their affiliation with the Church, the head of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines warned over the weekend.

CBCP president and Cebu archbishop Jose Palma said such a sanction awaits Catholic schools and institutions that violate the Church's ethical and religious directives.

 “If we are a Catholic school, we should not teach anything contrary to the official teaching of the church,” Palma said in an article posted Saturday night on the CBCP news site. [What is the world coming to when a Catholic Archbishop in the Philippines has to make such a statement?"

His warning came after some 160 professors of the Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU) expressed their support for the passage of the RH bill. [And I bet they think they're so brave and modern and smart for fighting the power so people in the Philippines can embrace the culture of death. I'd be curious as to how many of these professors can tell me what Scripture says about the wisdom of the world.]

The Catholic Church is vocal against the RH bill for its provisions allowing artificial contraception. The Church advocates natural family planning.

"We have no comment," deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said on government-run dzRB radio Sunday regarding the matter.

President Benigno Aquino III had risked crossing paths with the Catholic Church after his policy on responsible parenthood allows the use of artificial contraceptives. ['Responsible parenthood'? I'm tempted to quote Inigo Montoya on this one, but I'll let the temptation pass. How long, O Lord, until people realize that responsible parenthood starts with responsible sex, and that responsible sex isn't about artificial hormones or latex or injections or sterilizations?]

The CBCP quoted Palma as saying there is a clash of beliefs between the Church and some teachers in some Catholic schools. [The easy solution is to invite these false prophets to take up another line of work, one that does not involve poisoning impressionable young minds.]

[Read the rest at GMA News]

I fear the good bishops in the Philippines are going to lose the fight, but I'm so very grateful for their leadership and willingness to remind Catholic schools that their most important quality is their fidelity to the Catholic faith.

St. Michael the Archangel, pray for us.

A sneak preview from the Catholicism project

Learn more Fr. Robert Barron's upcoming 10-part series at his website, Word On Fire.

Warning: Ugly vestments...

...and bad theology go together.

Brought to you by the New York Times, your friendly neighborhood purveyor of anti-Catholic media, a story about dissident Belgium Catholics pretending to form their own parishes and be priests:  

BUIZINGEN, Belgium — Willy Delsaert is a retired railroad employee with dyslexia who practiced intensively before facing the suburban Don Bosco Catholic parish to perform the Sunday Mass rituals he grew up with.

“Who takes this bread and eats,” he murmured, cracking a communion wafer with his wife at his side, “declares a desire for a new world.” 

 I'd love to know what "Sunday Mass rituals" include those meaningless and trite words.The reporter doesn't have a clue what she's writing about, does she?

 At this sturdy brick church southwest of Brussels, men and women are trained as “conductors.” They preside over Masses and the landmarks of life: weddings and baptisms, funerals and last rites. Church members took charge more than a year ago when their pastor retired without a successor. In Belgium, about two-thirds of clergymen are over 55, and one-third older then 65. 

 "Conductors" drive trains and lead orchestras. Priests - men called by God and made into living icons of Christ through the sacrament of holy orders- have the authority and the responsibility to baptize, act as the Church's witness at a wedding, hear confessions, anoint the sick and dying, and celebrate Mass. Just FYI, folks, since you're apparently reeaaallly confused.

“We are resisting a little bit like Gandhi,” said Johan Veys, a married former priest who performs baptisms and recruits newcomers for other tasks at Don Bosco. “Our intention is not to criticize, but to live correctly. We press onward quietly without a lot of noise. It’s important to have a community where people feel at home and can find peace and inspiration.”

Interesting how their hero is Gandhi, and not a saint, isn't it? And that their focus is all about "living correctly" and "community" and "peace and inspiration", and not one word about worshiping, loving and serving God? But it gets even better. Here's the description of their "worship service":

Mr. Delsaert had no such qualms. He donned a rainbow sash — the church’s symbol of a worship leader — and carried his notes. “It’s the second time,” he said. “For me, it’s very intense. Reading is very difficult for me because I have dyslexia.”

Almost 150 people gathered around him for a service organized by teenage members who picked a theme of peace and music from John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

Mr. Delsaert delivered a homespun sermon that drew on his years as a railroad worker, urging parishioners to wage peace by talking to people in their daily lives. By bidding hello to a daily commuter, Mr. Delsaert said, “the man opened up to talk about train delays.”

“He seemed much happier,” Mr. Delsaert said.

During services, teenage members surrounded the table while a parish statement was read aloud: “We regret the pain caused by priests and those responsible in the church. We regret the damages to the victims, to the community and our church.”

Then a young girl lighted a rainbow-colored candle in the center of the table. She watched the flame flicker in memory of the 475 Belgian victims of sexual abuse.

Those priests who committed unspeakable acts will tremble before God when they must accept responsibility for destroying lives and souls. May God grant their victims healing and peace.

But no act of evil ever justifies apostasy, schism or heresy, any more than the treachery of Judas justifies abandoning Jesus Christ.

Nevertheless, I'm afraid that it wasn't the scandal that drove them out - though it certainly gives them a great excuse. I'm afraid that these folks lost their faith in the Lord and His Church a long time ago, when neither would condone today's trendy sins and become "relevant."

Or perhaps, due to the abysmal catechism of the past couple of generations, perhaps they were never taught the faith to begin with, and truly do not understand the nature of the priesthood, the Holy Eucharist, and the mission of Christ's Church.

I'm inclined to think it's a little of both, combined with the smoke of Satan, who delights in division and confusion.

St. Jude, exorcist, pray for us.

Congratulations, Archbishop Dolan!

New York Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan was elected president of the USCCB today.

The true treasures of the Church

The 800 Martyrs of Otranto, who died rather than convert to Islam, honored by the Otranto Cathedral in Italy.

"..but the bones were preserved by the church, and held more precious than gold and diamonds." The Martyrdom of Polycarp, Antoninus Pius. a.d. 137-161.

Martyrs of Otranto, pray for us.

(Picture source.)

Hymn of the Week

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence



Just once in my life, I want to sing this at Mass.

Perhaps someday the music director will realize that Haugen, Haas, Farrell and Schutte are sooo 1970s? And that its way cooler to be 370s? Or 1370s? Maybe?