More On The Loss of Our Religious Freedoms

Recently, I did a couple of posts about the loss of religious freedom because of the homosexual agenda. ( Those posts can be seen here and here.) I came across two headlines yesterday that further underscore this growing threat to our religious rights

Illinois gay civil unions threatens to force Catholic Charities out of adoptions

Army: court-martial Chaplains for "religious, conscience" objection to homosexuality.

This is the stark reality we are facing. Because of a well organized and well funded gay agenda and political correctness becoming its own religion in this country, we are witnessing the dawning of a new age of Christian persecution in our society. The concepts of tolerance and equality are nothing more than a thin veneer masking an ugly hostility towards our faith. Unless more of us stand up and act like true followers of Christ, the voice of Catholics and Christians in general will be silenced in our society.

I also wanted to share the following links and video which demonstrates the level of "tolerance" shown to members of TFP Student Action during their rally to defend traditional marriage here in Rhode Island. The very same people who claim to believe in tolerance and civil rights are spewing hatred and obscenities at these young men standing up for their faith and true marriage. What is even more disturbing is that a week earlier, the local media, displaying their usual bias, reported on the peaceful rally at Brown University in favor of same sex marriage. But when Traditional Marriage supporters rallied in the very same location and were attacked, it was completely ignored by all local news channels and newspapers.

Pro-Homosexuals at Brown University Respond to Peaceful TFP Rally with Violence

Pro-Homosexuals Attempt to Rip TFP Sign in Newport

Catholic weddings drop 71 percent in R.I.

This article recently appeared in the Providence Journal from my home state, little Rhode Island:

Catholic weddings drop 71 percent in R.I.

The Providence Journal, typical of most news media, loves to publish anything that will cast the Catholic Church in a negative light. This article was no exception. In an example of sloppy one sided journalism, the 71% decline in Catholic weddings was stressed over and over, but no other statistics from any other church was given. No context was provided to let the reader see how the number of Catholic weddings compared to other denominations. This article made you believe that it was time to put the last nails in the coffin of the Catholic Church. This is hardly surprising from the Providence Journal, since it many of its past articles have had an obvious liberal slant and heavily biased against the Church.

The truth of the matter is that this 71% decline is more indicative of societal problems than issues within the Church. One of the few bright spots in this article were these quotes from two priests in the Diocese of Providence:

The Rev. Joseph D. Santos Jr., pastor of Holy Name Church in Providence, contends that the falloff in Catholic weddings has its roots in the 1970s. That, he says, is when Catholic educators started revamping religious education and “basically destroyed or watered down” traditional teachings to the extent that increasing numbers of Catholics no longer understand what marriage and sexuality are about.

The church has traditionally taught that matrimony has two purposes: To allow the couple to love each other in a way that mirrors Christ’s love for his church, and to become partners with God in bringing new life into the world.

Unfortunately, says Father Santos, the failure to show the connection between those aspects has caused many Catholics to mistakenly think that sex can be primarily about pleasure and gratification and to believe that premarital sex, and even living together without marriage, are OK.

The Rev. Ronald E. Brassard, pastor of Immaculate Conception parish in Cranston, says there is no doubt that cohabitation has been the biggest factor in the decline in the number of Catholic weddings.

“It’s not so much that Catholics are getting married someplace else,” he says. “They are not getting married, period.

“In 1965, if a couple was living together, it would have been scandalous. Today, it seems no one blinks an eye.”

I completely agree with these statements. It's not hard to see how many Catholics and society and general do not have a healthy understanding or respect for marriage, family, and sexuality. This is evidenced by the proliferation of pornography, contraception, and abortion in our culture. Young couples also don't value marriage like previous generations did, and many decide on cohabitation instead. So many young adults today came from broken homes and single parent homes. Unfortunately, because of these experiences, they don't fully appreciate marriage as a lifelong commitment. Add to that the fact that many young couples that do decide to marry, are opting to have their wedding outside such as on a beach rather than in a Church. This also has a lot to do with the messages they get from media and Hollywood. They are bombarded with images of romantic outdoor ceremonies which overshadows the truth that a marriage is a sacrament and lifelong vow before God that should occur in a sacred place.

The article also had comments from recently wed young couples who call themselves Catholic but chose to marry outside the Church. The common theme was that these couples did not agree with Church doctrine. They did not want the Church telling them what to do or believe. They wanted to decide for themselves. Isn't this what happened in the Garden of Eden? We want to be in control and ultimately lead self centered lives rather than lives centered on God. That is the whole issue behind this decline in marriage. The Catholic Church is not alone in this as virtually all denominations are experiencing this. Our society is turning away from God and becoming more secularized. So it should come as no surprise that as we turn away from God's will for marriage that we will try to redefine it to suit our own wills.

The Feast Day of Saint Joseph

In honor of the feast day of St. Joseph, I have posted a dad's prayer and a parent's prayer to St. Joseph. In these times of darkness and constant attacks on family and the Church by the enemy, we all need St. Joseph's protection now more than ever. St. Joseph, pray for us!

A Dad's Prayer to St. Joseph.
Dear St. Joseph, help me be 
a father just like you - 
Supportive of my family,
devoted, wise and true. 

Give me gentle strength, I pray, 
and patient undertstanding, 
Especially when being a dad 
is stressful and demanding. 

Guide and guard my family, 
and may my life's reward 
Be to see them grow in faith 
and love for Christ the Lord.

A Parent's Prayer to St. Joseph

O glorious St. Joseph,

to you God committed the care

of His only begotten Son

amid the many dangers of this world.

We come to you

and ask you to take under your special protection

the children God has given us.

Through holy baptism

they became children of God

and members of His holy Church.

We consecrate them to you today,

that through this consecration

they may become your foster children.

Guard them,

guide their steps in life,

form their hearts

after the hearts of Jesus and Mary.

St. Joseph,

who felt the tribulation and worry of a parent

when the child Jesus was lost,

protect our dear children for time and eternity.

May you be their father and counsellor.

Let them, like Jesus,

grow in age as well as in wisdom and grace

before God and men.

Preserve them from the corruption of his world,

and give us the grace one day to be united

with them in Heaven forever.

Amen.

The Inevitable Collision of Gay Marriage and Religious Rights

This is a video that anyone on the fence about gay marriage should watch. This is a talk given by Rhode Island attorney Scott Spear gave to the Knights of Columbus in Providence. I have had the privilege of hearing Mr. Spears in person on two occasions. This is a powerful presentation that I hope will open eyes to the looming legal threat that the gay marriage agenda is to our faith.

Thanks be to God that same sex marriage was defeated in Maryland. We are in the middle of this battle again in Rhode Island and the fight is far from over in other states as well. The erosion of religious freedoms has already begun in several states and in Europe. Do a quick search on the web and you will see headlines about children, as young as kindergarten, indoctrinated in the gay agenda in public schools against their parents wishes. Catholic Charities as been attacked in some states for upholding Catholic teaching against same sex marriage. A Christian couple that own a bed and breakfast in England is being sued for not allowing a gay couple to share a bed because it is against their faith. It each of these cases, those opposing same sex marriage are accused of bigotry and discrimination. As Attorney Spears discusses in the video, institutions such as Christian Churches, that were at the forefront in the battle for civil rights in the 60's are now being charged with discrimination as same sex marriage laws take hold in our society. This collision course of gay marriage and religious freedoms is not some exaggeration or conspiracy theory. It is happening right before our eyes and will get worse as long as we remain silent. Please watch the video and pass it along to others.

Thanks to Air Maria for this video.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I want to commemorate the feast day of St. Patrick by posting the Breastplate Prayer that is attributed to this great hero and saint. I like to think that this is how he would want this day to be celebrated instead of the usual silliness we see each year.

I posted the entire prayer below. (Thank you to PatrickMadrid.com for this translation of the prayer.) I also want to share with you this link to a slide show from the 2007 Boston Catholic Men's Conference. The slide show is set to a song by Martin Doman which was inspired by this same prayer. The song is titled "St. Patrick's Breastplate".

St. Patrick pray for us!

Breastplate Prayer of Saint Patrick

I bind to myself today

The strong virtue of the Invocation of the Trinity:

I believe the Trinity in the Unity

The Creator of the Universe.

I bind to myself today

The virtue of the Incarnation of Christ with His Baptism,

The virtue of His crucifixion with His burial,

The virtue of His Resurrection with His Ascension,

The virtue of His coming on the Judgement Day.

I bind to myself today

The virtue of the love of seraphim,

In the obedience of angels,

In the hope of resurrection unto reward,

In prayers of Patriarchs,

In predictions of Prophets,

In preaching of Apostles,

In faith of Confessors,

In purity of holy Virgins,

In deeds of righteous men.

I bind to myself today

The power of Heaven,

The light of the sun,

The brightness of the moon,

The splendour of fire,

The flashing of lightning,

The swiftness of wind,

The depth of sea,

The stability of earth,

The compactness of rocks.

I bind to myself today

God’s Power to guide me,

God’s Might to uphold me,

God’s Wisdom to teach me,

God’s Eye to watch over me,

God’s Ear to hear me,

God’s Word to give me speech,

God’s Hand to guide me,

God’s Way to lie before me,

God’s Shield to shelter me,

God’s Host to secure me,

Against the snares of demons,

Against the seductions of vices,

Against the lusts of nature,

Against everyone who meditates injury to me,

Whether far or near,

Whether few or with many.

I invoke today all these virtues

Against every hostile merciless power

Which may assail my body and my soul,

Against the incantations of false prophets,

Against the black laws of heathenism,

Against the false laws of heresy,

Against the deceits of idolatry,

Against the spells of women, and smiths, and druids,

Against every knowledge that binds the soul of man.

Christ, protect me today

Against every poison, against burning,

Against drowning, against death-wound,

That I may receive abundant reward.

Christ with me, Christ before me,

Christ behind me, Christ within me,

Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ at my right, Christ at my left,

Christ in the fort,

Christ in the chariot seat,

Christ on the deck,

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks to me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.

I bind to myself today

The strong virtue of an invocation of the Trinity,

I believe the Trinity in the Unity

The Creator of the Universe.

Pro-Life Flash Mob in Chicago Surprises "Walk for Choice"

This is an awesome video of a pro-life "flash mob" bursting into the middle of a pro-abortion rally in Chicago. They are led by a pro-life youth group called Crusaders for Life from St. John Cantius Catholic Church. It is pretty interesting to note the contrast between the youthful, joyous, and very energetic pro-life group and the much more low key and somber pro-choice demonstrators.

God bless these Crusaders for Life and the other youth around the country that have shown the courage to go against the tide and stand up for life.



On a related note, pro-life advocate Jill Stanek wrote a great article on these nationwide pro-abortion "Walk for Choice" rallies, like the one in Chicago in the video above. She points out the lack of organization, passion, and energy in these sparsely attended rallies when compared to the record breaking number of people participating the annual March for Life and the 40 Days for Life campaign. It's a pretty interesting comparison of both sides of the abortion debate.  Praise be to God for the amazing growth and success of these pro-life rallies.

Please pray for the continued growth and success these pro-life rallies and groups like Crusaders for Life so that more hearts will be converted to embracing a joyous culture of life.

A Great Book for Guys

I recently came across the book Choosing the Right Urinal by Kyle Heimann. Once you get past the unconventional title, you will discover that the author does a remarkable job of fusing together humor and spirituality to get men to think about their relationship with Christ. Kyle Heimann uses a metaphor that all men can easily relate to - choosing a urinal in a public bathroom - as a tool to help men think about the decisions that they make on a daily basis and how they relate to God's will for our lives.

It is an easy read and a worthwhile book to read alone or to use with a men's group. At the very least, how often are you going to find a book that combines bathroom humor and spirituality? Probably not very often. The curiosity alone may be enough to make you want to read it.

The book is available on the website http://www.kyleheimann.com/urinal/. You can either purchase hard copies or download it for free in a PDF format. It's an outstanding little book that can help all men focus on what is truly important in life.

Why Barack Obama has to be seen as an enemy of the Catholic Church

Why is it that so many here in the U.S. are totally blind to what is obvious to our friends in the U.K.? Click on the headline below to read a great piece from U.K.'s Catholic Herald:

Why Barack Obama has to be seen as an enemy of the Catholic Church

Let's see look at President Obama's track record. All these points are verifiable in the above article as well as through an easy Google search:

• Strong supporter of abortion on demand
• Supports federal funding of abortions in this country and abroad
• Supports partial birth abortion.
• Supports minors getting abortions without parental notification
• Supports embryonic stem cell research
• He voted for a proposal to vote $100,000,000 for the funding of sex-education and contraceptives for teenagers.
• He opposed the “Born Alive Infants Protection Act” on the Senate floor and in 2003 killed the bill in committee. This would have outlawed “live birth abortion,” where labor is induced and an infant is delivered prematurely and then allowed to die.
• Supports the repeal of Don't ask, Don't tell in the military
• Recently weakened conscience protection laws
• Refuses to defend Defense of Marriage Act
• Has referred to the concept of traditional families as "discriminatory" and "products of outworn arguments and old  attitudes".

Yet so many Catholics continue to support him and make excuses. I don't want to get too political here, but if you are going to call yourself a Catholic, or a Christian for that matter, then act like one. When any politician has such a vile track record against life and families, then it is our obligation as Catholics to pray for their conversion and to oppose their political agenda. It's time to stop making excuses. If people in the U.K. can see how opposed Obama is to the Catholic Church, why are we still so blind right here in the U.S.?