Iron Works

The Most Anti-Catholic Administration in History

The title of this post is pretty blunt, but as time goes on, it is becoming increasingly obvious. The latest headlines just further prove my point:

All of the above links are reporting that the Obama administration and the Secretary of Health and Human Services have refused to change the new requirement for all health plans to cover sterilization and birth control, some of which are known abortifacients. While churches are covered by a very narrow exemption, organizations such as Catholic hospitals and universities will be forced to violate their religious beliefs.

This comes on the heels of the Hosanna-Tabor decision by the Supreme Court where, against the wishes of the Obama administration, the court upheld the ministerial exemption to anti-discrimination laws. This allows church the freedom to decide who they hire to teach their faith. The Obama administration appeared that they were ready to use anti-discrimination laws as a backdoor to influence who churches hire as ministers and priests.

The disgusting behavior of the Obama Administration in both these cases should outrage all Christians and especially Catholics. Never in the history of our country has our religious freedoms been attacked as they are today. It is unbridled arrogance and thirst for power on the part of our elected officials that allow them to slowly erode our religious liberties to benefit their own personal agendas. It doesn't seem so far fetched to imagine a United States where religion is under the thumb of the state much like we see in communist countries today. This is the path were we are headed if we don't take a stand today. This attack on our faith has become so obvious that our Bishops and the Pope have been increasingly vocal in their concerns:

Pope: America is “increasingly hostile to Christianity”

If you think I may be exaggerating in my statements above, read what our Holy Father said recently concerning these attacks:

The Pope was emphatic in insisting that the threat posed by current trends threatens not only Christianity but “humanity itself.” He said: “To the extent that some current cultural trends contain elements that would curtail the proclamation of these truths, whether constricting it within the limits of a merely scientific rationality, or suppressing it in the name of political power or majority rule, they represent a threat not just to Christian faith, but also to humanity itself and to the deepest truth about our being and ultimate vocation, our relationship to God.”

Happy New Year - Top 10 Reasons for Hope

Happy New Year to all! May 2012 be filled with God's peace blessings on your families. May God also continue to bless us and fill us with hope as we work to rebuild His church.

Judging by the video below, despite the uncertainty and darkness around us, God has shown He is with us and that we should be filled with hope in 2012.

Rebuild the family, rebuild the nation

This post ties in with my previous two posts on the social and economic importance of rebuilding the family in our society. Below I have three more outstanding articles which use history, statistics, and current research to underscore the importance of the family to our economy and society in general.

Read the articles and then take a look at the world around you. It's hard to ignore that all the problems associated with the disintegration of the family, as mentioned in the articles, are happening right before our eyes. I just pray that more people, especially our leaders, wake up and see this before it's too late.

I want to end with some wisdom from G. K. Chesterton, quoted from The Basis of Civilization by Dale Ahlquist:

Chesterton says that every high civilization decays by forgetting obvious things. The obvious things are the ordinary things, and we have forgotten them. The modern world that we have created has brought with it great strain and stress so that even the things that normal men have normally desired are no longer desirable: “marriage and fair ownership and worship and the mysterious worth of man.” Those are the normal and ordinary things. Those are the things we have lost, and we need to recover them.
“The disintegration of rational society,” says Chesterton, “started in the drift from the hearth and the family; the solution must be a drift back.”

What is Happening to the Men in Our Society?

I want to bring three articles to you attention that focus on the disturbing decline of manly virtues and the role on men in our world and the negative consequences this is having on the family and society. Click on the links below to read these eye-opening pieces.

The statistics from the articles above paint a bleak picture:

In 1970, men earned 60% of all college degrees. In 1980, the figure fell to 50%, by 2006 it was 43%. Women now surpass men in college degrees by almost three to two. Women's earnings grew 44% in real dollars from 1970 to 2007, compared with 6% growth for men.

Men are more distant from a family or their children then they have ever been. The out-of-wedlock birthrate is more than 40% in America. In 1960, only 11% of children in the U.S. lived apart from their fathers. In 2010, that share had risen to 27%. Men are also less religious than ever before. According to Gallup polling, 39% of men reported attending church regularly in 2010, compared to 47% of women.

Today, 18-to- 34-year-old men spend more time playing video games a day than 12-to- 17-year-old boys. While women are graduating college and finding good jobs, too many men are not going to work, not getting married and not raising families. Women are beginning to take the place of men in many ways. This has led some to ask: do we even need men?

With evidence like this, you can't help but ask the question, are men in our world going to wake up before its too late? Let's face facts here, families in our world are crumbling, marriage rates are falling while divorce still remains high. Our media is saturated with sex and pornography is everywhere. Crime and poverty continues to get worse, while the number of children in single parent homes or broken homes continues to increase. How much longer can we deny that Satan is attacking our families, especially God's appointed spiritual head of every household, the father? How much longer will our leaders and our society turn a blind eye to the real root of many of the problems we face, the attack on fatherhood and the deterioration of the family?

Where the real solutions are found.

I want to share with you a letter I wrote recently to our Diocesan newspaper in response to the articles in the links below:

Below is my response which discusses the real solutions to the problems mentioned in these articles:

As I was reading the Commentary section of the November 10 edition of the Rhode Island Catholic, two articles really stood out to me because of how the issues they address are related. I am referring to the editorial "Failed policies and misguided morality do not help our youth" and the letter by Patricia Fontes of Hopkinton, "Deal with issues, not personal attacks".

The editorial is rightly critical of First Lady Stephanie Chafee's severely misguided views on distributing condoms to children. She has actually stated that rather than prevent our children from engaging in sexual practices, we should instead teach them about "safe sex". However, all she will accomplish with this is encouraging irresponsible and reckless behavior by our youth. I agree with the editor that our children deserve better than this. Contrary to what this culture of death telling them, our youth don't need "safe sex", rather they need to learn about the beauty and sacredness of the gift of human sexuality and human life. But most of all, we as parents need to take a stand to ensure that the guidance and values we give our children are not deliberately undermined by political leaders, Planned Parenthood, or teachers with messages of promiscuity and irresponsibility.

In the letter by Patricia Fontes, the writer criticizes the Rhode Island Catholic and the Catholic Church for apparently focusing on issues involving sexuality and not doing enough for the poor. Her accusations, such as this paper being "neo-conservative", a lobbyist for the Republican Party, and the Church silenced by the "1%", just serve to underscore her misguided support for the "Occupy Wall Street" movement. Unfortunately, her political leanings prevent her from seeing that some of the demands of the occupiers and the actions of the Obama administration are directly contrary to Catholic doctrine and deserve the condemnation they have received by the RI Catholic and the Church.

But how is this related to Stephanie Chafee's desire to distribute condoms? Whether the issue is teenage promiscuity and contraception, or a faltering economy and income inequality, the solutions all start in the same place. If we want to rebuild this country and save our youth, the first place we need to start is to strengthen and support the family in our culture. The seeds of the the ills our nation faces today were planted years ago when family came under attack and Christian family values were replaced with materialism, greed, and sexual license. Contraception and socialism are not the answer, as history has shown. Restoring the family and reopening hearts to the grace of God are where the real answers are found.

Thousands of Rallies Worldwide

Take a look at the map below. Each of those red dots represents a city or town where a rally was happening on October 15, 2011. The people at these rallies are concerned about where our society is headed and want to make a difference. No, these weren't Occupy Wall Street protests, these were the annual Public Square Rosary Rallies by America Needs Fatima.

This map is from their blog which details the amazing growth of these rallies every year:

As the world situation becomes increasingly bleak, confused and hopeless, the idea of holding a Rosary in a public place has caught on: in 2007, where there were 2,107 rallies. In 2008, 3,500. In 2009, 4,337. In 2010, 5,963.
Today, thanks to the intercession of Our Lady, there were 7,515 Public Square Rosary Rallies held across the United States as well as in 22 other countries across the globe.

Over 7,500 rosary rallies in 23 countries around the globe. That is truly powerful. This is the type of rally that will bring about real change in our world. This is what brings comfort and healing to the poor and marginalized in our culture as opposed to the chaos and and insanity we are seeing by these "occupiers" on Wall Street and elsewhere which only brings more conflict and division.

According to news reports there were protests inspired by "Occupy Wall Street" in 951 cities worldwide on October 15, 2011. This same day there were over 7,515 Rosary Rallies worldwide. I think the message is quite clear as to what this world really needs.

Click here for the America Need Fatima Blog and more information on these amazing Public Square Rosary Rallies.

Courageous - The Movie

The video below is for the song Courageous by Casting Crowns, from the soundtrack to the movie Courageous. If you haven't seen this movie yet, then what are you waiting for? It was the top new movie in ticket sales on the opening weekend. But more importantly, it is challenging men to reexamine themselves as fathers, husbands, and men of God.

I've written enough here, now watch the video and then go see the movie!

Lyrics to Courageous by Casting Crowns:

We were made to be courageous
We were made to lead the way
We could be the generation
That finally breaks the chain
We were made to be courageous
We were made to be courageous

We were warriors on the front lines
Standing unafraid
But now we're watchers on the sidelines
While our families slip away

Where are you, men of courage?
You were made for so much more
Let the pounding of our hearts cry
We will serve the Lord

We were made to be courageous
And we're taking back the fight
We were made to be courageous
And it starts with us tonight

The only way we'll ever stand
Is on our knees with lifted hands
Make us courageous
Lord, make us courageous

Men and Faith: Expressing Male Spirituality

To all men, take a minute and watch the video below. Once you have finished, then share it with other men. This is a message that men near to hear. Once we wake up and realize what it truly means to be a real man then we can make a difference in this decaying culture.

Spiritual Warfare and Catholicism Under Attack.

I want to share with you a presentation I gave recently to the Christian Men's Breakfast Meeting Group at the Cathedral of Sts Peter and Paul in Providence RI:

Good morning. I want to begin our discussion about the attacks on our faith with some examples from my own experiences. As some of you know, I have written quite a few letters over the last few years to state, and federal leaders and to the news media on topics such as gay marriage, abortion, and in defense of our Bishop. What you may not be aware of is the disturbing reactions and backlash I have gotten from these letters. Many times people have written back to the Providence Journal and left comments on their website viciously attacking our faith and me personally. I have been called a hater, bigoted, sexist, racist, a closet homosexual, and a dangerous fanatic. I have also been accused several times of brainwashing and psychologically abusing my children because I dare to teach them the truths of our faith such as homosexual behavior is disordered and abortion is murder. Even my wife has been harassed. Several months ago, during the time that the civil unions bill was being rammed through the state house, my wife was driving home from work when another driver started yelling and cursing at her. Why? Because she dared to have a bumper sticker on her car that displayed our support for traditional marriage.

I could go on, but all this pales in comparison to the way other Catholics, our Church and even Bishop Tobin have been attacked for preaching the truth. It goes far beyond just a disagreement or a difference of opinions. There is a feeling of darkness and evil behind the open hostility shown toward Catholics and even Christians in secular world and especially in the media. Just a couple of weeks ago, a Catholic writer in Massachusetts who writes for the Diocese of Worcester’s newspaper, wrote an article on her own website about how she was not comfortable taking her young children to a local park because of the open display of affection she had seen there between two gay men. Being a devout Catholic mother, she only wanted to protect her children from inappropriate behavior. She ignited a firestorm of hatred from athiests and gay advocates because of this article. She and her family were viciously attacked on-line when gay advocates found her article and spread it to other gay friendly websites. They somehow found her street address and phone number and actually posted it online and encouraged people to contact her at home and harass her. It got to the point where she actually received a death treat and finally contacted the police. The police investigated the matter but as you would guess, they never classified it as a hate crime. As in the norm in our society, hate crimes don’t matter when they are against Catholics because it seems this is an acceptable form of bigotry.

DENVER, CO - JULY 20: Catholic Archbishop Cha...

I want to share with you powerful homily recently given by Archbishop Charles Chaput during the Mass for his installation as the new head of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. I have respected and admired Archbishop Chaput for many years because of the courage he has shown in standing for the truth and defending the Church.

His homily further exemplified his courage and conviction as he addressed the beginning of his difficult task to rebuild an archdiocese that has been plagued with scandals. Below is my favorite quote from this inspirational homily:

But the Church is not defined by her failures. And you and I are not defined by critics or by those who dislike us. What we do in the coming months and years to respond to these challenges – that will define who we really are. And in engaging that work, we need to be Catholics first. Jesus Christ is the center of our lives, and the Church is our mother and teacher. Everything we do should flow from that.

(Click here to read the full homily.)

We need to be Catholics first. Everything we do should flow from that. That is a message that we as Catholic men should always focus on, especially in a world were faith is under attack and belief in God is marginalized and even seen as offensive to some. It gives me a sense of hope to see our Church blessed with more leaders like Archbishop Chaput.

Please pray for God blessings on Archbishop Chaput as he faces the difficult challenges that lie ahead.

Absolutely Beautiful - Eucharistic Adoration Flash Mobs

These videos are awesome. It is absolutely beautiful and inspiring to see Eucharistic Adoration in public. This is a powerful witness to Catholics, reminding us that we should put our hope and trust in Christ and not fear the scorn and ridicule of this world. These videos also tell us that we should be proud to be Catholic!

God bless the priests and lay people who organized the Eucharistic Adoration in these videos.

The Battlelines Have Been Drawn

US bishops’ lawyers accuse Obama Administration of ‘an unprecedented attack on religious liberty’

This is really only the beginning. Over the last several years under the current administration, we have seen a gradual erosion of religious liberties. We have witnessed this with forcing the acceptance of gay marriage on the state and federal level, and now with this mandatory coverage of contraception with its dangerously narrow religious exemption clause.

I seriously feel that this is only the beginning and it will get much worse. Christians, and especially Catholics, will continue to be marginalized and forced to choose between their faith and obeying the law. Unless we wake up soon and finally take a stand for our faith, we will be sliding down that slippery slope with increasing speed.

Forced To Accept Immorality

Stacy Trasancos at Accepting Abundance wrote a great commentary on her experience as a practicing Catholic and mother of young children, having to face the immorality our society finds acceptable. Specifically, she mentions her children encountering public displays of affection among gays in a local park in her town.

As expected the gay-rights crowd, whose mantra is tolerance, have flooded her blog with comments attacking her and even making threats against her and her family. In other words, they refuse to tolerate her beliefs and her rights to free speech. As Mark Shea, in his own unique way, states on his blog: "Tolerance is not enough. You. MUST. Approve. And you MUST force your daughter to approve as well."

Stacy responded bravely to these attacks with two more posts on her blog, You duped me, O LORD and Accepting Evangelization. In the latter posting, she discusses one important lesson she learned from these ugly attacks. It is an important lesson all Catholics should remember:

Be willing to suffer, but know that you in fact may not. Grace will conquer suffering and turn it into rejoicing. And that, dear fellow Catholics, will make you never want to give up or shut up! It will instill in you an abundance of joy that will bless you in ways you will not even expect.

Thank you Stacy for having the courage to speak the truth and to stand by our faith. May God bless you and please continue your good work.

Please click on the links above to visit Stacy's blog and to leave words of encouragement and support for her.

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