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Crisis Magazine: A New Devastating Critique of the Global Sexual Revolution

"It is quite remarkable that we are fighting the same battle from before the French Revolution, the fight between sexual license and sexual morality. The fight has been non-stop. Sometimes we are winning, other times, like now, we are losing."

-Austin Ruse, Crisis Magazine.

Crisis Magazine: A New Devastating Critique of the Global Sexual Revolution

The link above is to a remarkable article about a powerful book that analyzes the roots of the sexual revolution and its resulting destruction all around us. The most eye opening part of this article is that the immoral sexual ideology of today's progressive movement can trace its roots to cultural Marxism and arguably as far back as before the French Revolution. The battle between sexual license and morality really goes back to the serpent in the garden convincing our first parents that they could be like God and determine for themselves what is right or wrong.

I recommend this book as well as Takedown: From Communists to Progressives, How the Left Has Sabotaged Family and Marriage by Paul Kengor, Ph.D. Both these books provide the reader a much better perspective of what is really driving the LGBTQ agenda in today's culture and the historical roots of this revolution.

My hope is that books and other media like this will be successful in waking people up to the madness around us before it is too late.

We Are an Easter People

In this Easter season, we rejoice in the hope and promise of victory that we see in the Risen Christ. Just as the Lord conquered sin and death, we know that through Him we will be ultimately victorious. We, as the Body of Christ, are an "Easter People" because at the core of our faith is the hope of the resurrection.

This world constantly tells us that our Church is outdated and dwindling. Judging by the media, it seems as if we are losing the battles against intrinsic evils such as abortion and homosexual marriage. Think about how many times you have heard lately that the Catholic Church is on the wrong side of history and the most Catholics don't agree with Church doctrine on issues like contraception and gay marriage. Judging by all of these messages, it sounds as if the Church is on it's death bed.

The truth is that like Christ on Good Friday, we will be mocked and condemned in the court of public opinion. This world want's nothing more than to see the Church on its own road to Calvary, where it will be put to death once and for all. As the Body of Christ, our Church will be persecuted and suffer. It seems we may be entering into those dark times right now with the threat to our religious freedoms casting a large shadow over us. But as an Easter people we know that the story doesn't end there. Because of Christ's Resurrection, we know that ultimately we as the Church will be victorious over sin and death.

During this Easter Season, let us celebrate and show the world that Easter is more than just a day about spring, eggs, and bunnies. It is a time to rejoice in the promise of victory that we have witnessed in the Risen Christ! Alleluia!

Related story:
How we can be Easter people

The Catholic Vote and The Non-Negotiable Moral Principles

With Election Day approaching, I think its important to clarify what Pope Benedict XVI has called the non-negotiable moral principles. I want to first start with a letter that was published recently in my local newspaper, The Providence Journal by a self identified "Catholic" voter.

My conscience as a Catholic voter

Conscience and voting have been the the topic of concern throughout the Catholic community as well as many other religious communities. Seeking to establish a clear and informed conscience, I have concluded:
* To gut many safety-net programs for the poor, the handicapped and the elderly would be contrary to the Vatican II declaration of "preferential option for the poor."

* To force us as citizens to make the lives of illegal immigrants who have not committed any other crime in our country so miserable that "they will want to leave on their own," flies in the face of our commitment to charity and the corporal works of mercy.

* To remove the long-overdue opportunities for so many more of our citizens to receive health care is blatantly unjust in our democratic society. Trying to justify this just to satisfy a "teaching" that all contraceptives are either a means of abortion or at least contrary to the unfounded notion that intercourse between husband and wife must be with the accepted knowledge that a pregnancy might result is wrong.

Our Catholic leaders' role is to persuade; not to control. And the range of persuasion is to its own and those who might be interested. Many Catholic institutions employ large numbers of non-catholic people.

* To believe that running our country like a huge corporation will result in millions of new jobs, increase in wages and major reduction of debt in four years is, to say the least, unrealistic.

* To think that our modern world of global communication and myriads of governments and religions will be convinced by military domination is naive and dangerous.

Thus with a clear and informed conscience (which my Catholic Church teaches is the bottom line for any decision-making) I will vote for another term for President Obama.

Ray H__.

This is my reply letter which was published the following day:

Catholic Teachings

This is in response to the letter by Ray H__ , “A Catholic's Vote”, published on the Providence Journal on October 31, 2012. While the issues of safety net programs for the poor, illegal immigration, and healthcare are all very important, Mr. Hodges own remarks demonstrate that his conscience is not as well informed on Catholic doctrine as he thinks it is.

Pope Benedict XVI has stated repeatedly that there are three non-negotiable moral principles that should come before all other issues in politics. Those principles are the protection of human life, the protection of traditional marriage and family, and religious freedoms. President Obama has failed miserably on these three issues. Ray H. is correct that the Catholic Church teaches about the primacy of the conscience. But that applies to a conscience well formed by Catholic teachings grounded in moral and natural law. By this standard, no Catholic in good conscience can justify voting for Obama because of his disregard for these moral principles.

Secondly, Ray H__'s comments such as “gutting safety net programs” and removing healthcare demonstrates that his political beliefs are not formed by the Catholic Church or Vatican II documents but by the falsehoods of a Presidential administration that has been an abysmal failure over the last four years.

Rob A.

I shared this to highlight how so many Catholics are in denial , misinformed, or poorly catechized about these moral issues. I agree that issues like aiding the poor, illegal immigration, and healthcare are all very important matters which deserve consideration when voting. However, the three non-negotiable moral principles, mentioned in my letter above, are the foundation stones which all others are built upon. When these are not properly respect and come under attack, society and all other issues will greatly falter as is clearly evidenced by what is happening in our nation today.

Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI as well as Blessed John Paul II have spoken and written extensively on the utmost importance of these moral principles. Unfortunately many Catholics and non-Catholics alike have yet to open their minds and hearts to this truth. Please pray for our nation during these final days before the election that all people and especially our newly elected leaders will embrace these principles and rebuild a culture of life. I have included links below to a voting guide on EWTN.com based on these moral principles and to a speech given by Pope Benedict in 2006 in Europe regarding these same issues. Please share this information with others.

Voting and the Non-Negotiable Moral Principles

Pope Benedict XVI's Address to European People's Party

The Line in the Sand

By now everyone has probably heard about the disappointing ruling by the Supreme Court and Chief Justice Roberts inexplicable decision to support Obamacare. While I would have preferred seeing this so called Affordable Care Act completely struck down, the SCOTUS decision upholding Obamacare will serve a greater purpose in defending religious freedoms in the long term.

If this healthcare overhaul was struck down, the HHS Mandate lawsuit would have also ended since the mandate itself would no longer be in effect. However, the question of religious freedom would have gone unanswered. The current administration has set a dangerous precedent by infringing on religious freedoms to further its political and ideological agenda. The lawsuits against the mandate will now continue and hopefully end with the Supreme Court definitively ending this abuse of power and disregard of religious freedoms by the President.

How can we be so hopeful that the Supreme Court will make the right decision in regards to religious freedoms? As reported by Michelle Baumann of Catholic News Agency: (emphasis mine)

[Hannah Smith, Senior Counsel, The Beckett Fund] pointed to the majority opinion, penned by Chief Justice John Roberts, which states, “Even if the taxing power enables Congress to impose a tax on not obtaining health insurance, any tax must still comply with other requirements in the Constitution.”

The opinion of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan, was even more explicit, she said.

Ginsberg wrote, “A mandate to purchase a particular product would be unconstitutional if, for example, the edict impermissibly abridged the freedom of speech, interfered with the free exercise of religion, or infringed on a liberty interest protected by the Due Process Clause.”

The direct mention of religious freedom as a reason to find such a mandate unconstitutional is a hopeful sign in the battle over the contraception requirement, Smith said.

She explained that these two statements are “essential” in suggesting that the court may strike down the contraception mandate if asked to rule on it, a positive indication for defenders of religious freedom.

The line in the sand has been drawn. The current administration is now even more emboldened with this Supreme Court victory. This can become a defining moment in history for us as Catholics. By coming together and supporting our Bishops in this battle, we can truly show the world what it means to be "One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic".

Even though the Fortnight for Freedom is over, the battle continues. There are several things that we can all do to help our Bishops in this fight. First, we must pray and fast for religious freedom. Secondly, speak out publicly in favor of the Church and against this HHS mandate. By this I mean call and write to your elected officials and write to your local newspapers. You can also write about it on your blogs and social media sites. We need to get the truth out to counter the lies in the media. This isn't just some "Catholic thing" about contraception or abortion. This is about protecting the religious freedoms of every citizen in this country. In this battle, we are all Catholics. Finally, take the time to educate yourself on Obamacare, the HHS Mandate and how this impacts our freedoms. This will help you better understand the issues when you vote and allow you to better defend the position of the Catholic Church on this matter.

The line in the sand has been drawn. The question is now do we stand and fight or do we stick our head in the sand and ignore it?

Pro-Life Thoughts

I just wanted to share two articles that I wrote for my parish's new Pro-Life newsletter on the important topics of abortion and euthanasia.

40 Days for Life – The Power of Prayer

Since 2007 the National 40 days for Life campaign has brought thousands of people together in all 50 states to fast and pray for an end to abortion. These campaigns happen twice yearly, in the spring and fall, and the success stories are truly miraculous. The 2012 spring 40 Days for Life is now over; however, nationwide over 883 babies were spared from abortion! Praise God! Through the peaceful and prayerful presence of ordinary people in the 40 Days campaign, the hearts of so many men and women were converted resulting is over 800 precious lives saved.

But the success doesn’t stop there. 21 abortion centers have shut down permanently because of local 40 Days for Life Campaigns. 61 abortion clinic workers also quit their jobs and turned away from this industry all because of the power of these prayers. The success of the 40 Days for Life depends on ordinary people making a commitment to pray and fast whether it’s for one hour or several hours, anything will help. Please pray for the continued success of the 40 Days for Life campaigns and consider joining the next campaign whether it’s signing up to pray with a group at a local clinic or just praying at home. Your prayers will make a difference.

Euthanasia – Our Prayers are Needed

Here in Rhode Island, many of us may be unaware of the growing push for the legalization of physician assisted suicide in several other states. In Massachusetts, euthanasia advocates are working towards a ballot question that have voters decide on its legalization in November. In New York, Vermont, Hawaii, and Montana, state legislatures are debating bills to decriminalize assisted suicide. These bills are being reviewed by legislative committees and no votes have been scheduled yet, but the pro-euthanasia lobbyists are pushing hard. In New Mexico, two doctors have filed a court challenge against the state’s laws prohibiting assisted suicides. If any of these are successful, they will join Oregon and Washington, were euthanasia has been legal for several years.

While it may appear that we don’t have much say as to what happens in other states, what we can do is pray. Like abortion, euthanasia is another affront to the dignity of all human life. From conception to the grave, all life is a precious gift from God and has meaning. All our prayers are needed so that the elected officials embrace a culture of life and work against these misguided bills. We also need to remain vigilant against any future attempt in our state to legalize assisted suicide. Please keep these states in your prayers as well as our own state and our nation during this election year.

Will you vote the values that will stand the test of fire?

Nancy Pelosi Scandalizes the Church Again

Congresswoman and Democrat Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi once again showed her true feelings regarding her faith with this recent statement regarding Obama's HHS mandate:

First of all, I am going to stick with my fellow Catholics in supporting the Administration on this. I think it was a very courageous decision that they made, and I support it.

She claims to be an ardent Catholic, but has no problem forcing her Church to violate it's beliefs on contraception and sexuality. This should come as a surprise to no one, since this is not the first time Pelosi has been at odds with the Bishops and our Church.

Over at Fr. Z's blog, he wrote a very strongly worded statement about what actions the Bishops should take against Pelosi and other high profile Catholics who continue to publicly scandalize the Church and mislead other Catholics. I wholeheartedly agree with his suggestion: deny her Communion. Her Bishop needs to make a very clear and very public message that she can no longer present herself for Communion until she publicly renounces her sinful actions. This would send a clear message and draw a line in the sand that our Shepherds will no longer tolerate the actions of these dissenting Catholic politicians.

I stand with Fr. Z on this one.

Let there be national repercussions and a media firestorm.

Pres. Obama and his administration have openly and aggressively attacked the Catholic Church by trying to force Catholic institutions to perform actions which are evil even by reason alone and natural law, and not just by Catholic doctrine.

Nancy Pelosi has publicly chosen sides against the Catholic Church's teachings and against the bishops.

Let her choice be publicly confirmed by those same bishops.

Nancy Pelosi must not admitted to Holy Communion until she publicly changes her defiant stance and positions.

News Media Ignores Nearly Half Million People Marching for Life

Organizers of the 2012 March for Life in Washington DC estimate between 400,000 and 500,000 people marched to show their support for life and and end to abortion.

Yet the mainstream media ignores scenes like this:

and instead ignored the March completely or publicized scenes like this:

This is what we are up against in this battle for life. We are not only fighting against well funded groups like Planned Parenthood and a President that is openly hostile to pro-life causes, we are also facing a powerful media machine that is trying to poison the minds of all against a culture of life.

The news media has deliberately distorted the facts to give the perception that the size of the pro-abortion protestors was comparable in size to the pro-life marchers. I guess there must be a new type math being taught in our public schools, where less than one hundred protestors is equal to over 400,000 marchers.

Since the March for Life, we have witnessed what pro-abortion supporters will resort to. We have seen outright lies from the news media, the Komen Foundation coming under attack, and a Pro-life rally in Rhode Island disrupted by pro-abortion thugs throwing condoms a teen age girls at the rally.

The pro-abortion side is afraid because they see the growing momentum behind the pro-life movement. They have admitted that last year, pro-life advocates scored major victories in passing legislation such as de-funding Planned Parenthood and requiring ultrasounds before abortions. They know that the culture of life is winning the hearts and minds of many, especially the youth of our society. The culture of death is desperate and is resorting to desperate measures.

Related Articles:

Our Broken World and Why We Need Christ Now More Than Ever

I can't help but feel a mix of shock and sadness when reading headlines like these:

Obama Defends Roe v. Wade As Way for ‘Our Daughters’ to Have Same Chance As Sons to ‘Fulfill Their Dreams’

Brave New World: UK ethicist wants women to abandon motherhood, use artificial wombs

Drugs halt sexuality until children choose gender

It's just another sign of how far our society has fallen when headlines like these become all too common. Rather than see life for the precious gift that it is, President Obama sees a child as an obstacle to a girls dreams. This is the same man who, while campaigning, compared an unexpected pregnancy to being punished. As shocking as this may seem, he is just echoing the selfish and self-centered mentality that is so prevalent in our culture.

The next headline reflects a similar mindset. Dr Amada Smajdor, an ethicist from the U.K. views pregnancy as a burden or a disease in need of a cure. Her disturbing idea is to use science to completely destroy what Blessed John Paul II in The Theology of the Body called the bond between the unitive and the procreative aspects of human sexuality. Not only is this a selfish use of sexuality, it is the very root of Original sin, man trying to make himself into a god by controlling God's gifts of procreation and life .

The final headline takes "man playing god" even further as misguided parents and doctors are playing with children's' gender as if it is something that we choose rather than are born with. What kind of a dark and disturbed world are we living in when children become lab mice for us to experiment on? Why have the specific differences God created in male and female become a big target for these attacks by scientists, feminists, gay activists and other misguided people?

Our world is growing more aggressive in its attacks on God's gifts of life and sexuality. Many of these scientists and so called scholars feel with all the advancements in science and medicine, man no longer has a need to cling to God. Precisely the opposite is true. My whole point here is while science and technology have enabled us to accomplish what was never dreamed of before, it has made us arrogant and more selfish. We have now, more than any other time in history, made ourselves into our own gods by trying to control life and the creation of life. We are now experimenting with gender and sexuality in order to make man in our own image and likeness and not God's. Our world is closing itself off from God's graces, leading to all the social and economic problems plaguing us today. I fear for the future unless we embrace a culture of life and turn back to Christ.

2012 March For Life

Hundreds of thousands of people have already gathered in Washington D.C. to commemorate the anniversary of Roe v. Wade with the annual March for Life tomorrow. Over the past few days, we have already seen similar pro-life marches in San Francisco, CA and in Baton Rouge, LA.

Unfortunately our mainstream media is too preoccupied with such global matters as the Kardashians' latest exploits to notice these historic gatherings. Thankfully we have EWTN, CatholicTV, and various websites reporting on the March for Life for those of us unable to attend.

Let us pray that the Holy Spirit pour His graces on those participating in the marches so that their example will inspire more people to stand in defense of life even in the face of a society hostile to our faith. May the Holy Spirit also touch the hearts of our elected leaders so that they too can see abortion for the evil that it really is and finally work to end it's practice. Finally, let us pray to Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness of the Americas and of the Pro-Life movement, that she may lead our nation to finally embrace a culture of life.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us. St. Michael pray for us.

Blessed John Paul II Prayer for Life:

O Mary, bright dawn of the new world, Mother of the living, to you do we entrust the cause of life.

Look down, O Mother upon the vast numbers of babies not allowed to be born, of the poor whose lives are made difficult, of men and women who are victims of brutal violence, of the elderly and the sick killed by indifference or out of misguided mercy.

Grant that all who believe in Your Son may proclaim the Gospel of life with honesty and love to the people of our time. Obtain for them the grace to accept that Gospel as a gift ever new, the joy of celebrating it with gratitude throughout their lives and the courage to bear witness to it resolutely, in order to build, together with all people of good will, the civilization of truth and love, to the praise and glory of God, the Creator and lover of life.

Related articles

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.”

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.

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.

Pro-Life Flash Mob Strikes Again!

I absolutely love this. Thanks to Jill Stanek for video.

Two Awesome Videos

Here are two videos I came across recently that are targeted to college students. The first is by the Cardinal Newman Society as part of thier campaign called AdorationU.com. It is focused on encouraging young adults in college to spend time in Eucharistic Adoration. It conveys a very powerful message. I was really moved by the scene in the video (at 2:02 in the video) when you hear the narrator speaking as Christ calling out to the students:

"Talk to me. Listen. Pray. I may not take away every burden, but I will carry them with you."

The second video below is from Students for Life of America. It is a rapidly growing pro-life movement among college students in the United States. This powerful video gives hope in two ways. First, we can see that the tide may be finally turning in the war against abortion in this country as more of the young are becoming very pro-life. Secondly it also demonstrates that even in the liberal anti-Christian cultures that are in many colleges and universities, students are still being touched by God and called to build this culture of life.

May God continue to bless the organizations behind both these awesome videos!

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.

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.?

Abortion, Gay Marriage, Teachers, and Healthcare

I want to ask for your prayers for us in the state of Rhode Island. We are gearing up for the latest round in the battle to preserve traditional marriage. A hearing was scheduled this week at the state house for the judiciary committee to review a bill that would legalize gay marriage. This committee has to approve it before it goes before the full assembly for a vote. Fortunately, the hearing was postponed because of a snowstorm. (I'd like to think it was God casting His vote on the side of traditional marriage.) However, the gay marriage advocates were quick to get it rescheduled for next week.

In years past, we had a Catholic governor as well a speaker of the house and several state representatives who opposed gay marriage. This year, our new governor, who won with only 36% of the vote, advocates gay marriage. We have also lost some key allies in the state house as well as now having an openly gay speaker of the house. It's easy to see how personal agendas have pushed gay marriage to the top of the list of legislative priorities in a state with double digit unemployment, nearly bankrupt cities and towns, and decaying schools.

The Providence Journal had an interesting article this morning on the upcoming hearing and planned gay marriage rally. These particular paragraphs really jumped out at me:

“Please wear red to show your support for equality,” said an e-mail that the advocacy group, Ocean State Action, issued this week to draw attention to the event.

Members of Ocean State Action include Planned Parenthood of Rhode Island, the National Organization for Women Rhode Island Chapter (RI NOW), the Sierra Club and a host of unions, including the Association of University Professors Rhode Island Chapter, Hotel Employees Restaurant Employees Local 217, the National Association of Social Workers RI (NASW), National Education Association RI (NEARI), the New England Health Care Employees Union District 1199 SEIU, United Auto Workers Region 9A (UAW) and the United Nurses & Allied Professionals (UNAP).

It's pretty interesting that Planned Parenthood and NOW are behind this gay marriage push since they also advocate the murder of millions of unborn each year through abortion. It really should come as no surprise since they, like gay marriage advocates, want to separate the sacred gift of sexuality from its true purpose of uniting a married couple through the procreation of children, which is the embodiment of their love for one another.

The environmentalist group Sierra Club, advocates keeping abortion legal and views it as birth control as part of their view that couples should be limited to only two children as a remedy to their mythical problem of overpopulation. I guess allowing gays to marry is one way to confront overpopulation, since there is no way they can conceive naturally.

I find it most disturbing that groups like unions for teachers, college professors, nurses and other health care professionals are also assisting this push for gay marriage. These are the same people that we entrust our children to in the classrooms and our health care to in the hospitals. Yet they are trying to advance an unhealthy and destructive lifestyle while at the same time also aligning with those that advocate and profit from the killing of innocent lives.

On a related note, a Rhode Island legislator introduced a bill that would allow citizens to vote on whether or not to legalize gay marriage on the 2012 ballot. I agree with the National Organization for Marriage on this being a fair and just course of action because over 80% of Rhode Islanders polled want this on the ballot. However, because gay marriage advocates know that in every state where this has been on the ballot, traditional marriage has been upheld. They know they can only win this by the legislature or the courts forcing this on the citizens of this state. Since we have an openly gay speaker of the House, I don't expect this gay marriage referendum bill to ever get a fair hearing.

I ask for your prayers for Rhode Island as well as other states that are once again entering into this battle to protect traditional marriage and families. Despite what the media or the advocates are telling us, with the help of God, we can win this battle. Also if you are in the area, please attend the hearing on February 9 at the State House in Providence, RI at 4 pm to show your support for God's model of marriage and families.

March for Life 2011

This past weekend was the anniversary of the tragic Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade. The March for Life 2011 in D.C., the West Coast Walk for Life in San Francisco, and many other pro-life rallies and marches all took place to mark this day of infamy. As usual there was very little coverage in the media about these marches. It is shameful how the mainstream media practically ignored marches of this size opting instead to spend their resources on more "worthwhile" stories such as the latest celebrity gossip.

Let's get back to the Marches for Life. I was not able to attend personally, but the eyewitness accounts I have read estimate the crowd size to be as much as 400,000 people in DC and over 50,000 people in San Francisco. It is a great sign of hope that each year these crowds continue to grow, especially the number of youth and young adults, along with the fact the the majority of Americans now consider themselves pro-life. In my own experience as a CCD teacher for a group of ninth graders, I find it very encouraging that most of my students are repulsed by the very idea of abortion even though some of their parents were critical of our Deacon's homily against abortion at mass last weekend.

I pray that the battle against abortion may be finally turning the corner and the seeds planted since 1973 by the pro-life movement are finally bearing fruit as we see so many of our young now opposing abortion. However what greatly disturbed me was the latest statement by President Obama reaffirming his pro-abortion stand:

Today marks the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that protects women’s health and reproductive freedom, and affirms a fundamental principle: that government should not intrude on private family matters.

I am committed to protecting this constitutional right. I also remain committed to policies, initiatives, and programs that help prevent unintended pregnancies, support pregnant women and mothers, encourage healthy relationships, and promote adoption.

And on this anniversary, I hope that we will recommit ourselves more broadly to ensuring that our daughters have the same rights, the same freedoms, and the same opportunities as our sons to fulfill their dreams.

So by the President's own words, a pregnancy is a detriment to a woman's health, and an impediment to women having the same freedoms, rights, and opportunities as men. I don't want to get political here. All I ask is for the continued prayers for our President and others like him who fail to see pregnancy and human life are a sacred gift and that the right to choose who lives and who dies is God's alone.

I'll end by sharing something from our Deacon's homily at mass this past weekend. During the course of his sermon which focused on the evils of abortion, he held up the sign seen in the image to the left. The image is from the website for Priests for Life. The deacon explained that Fr. Frank Pavone put this on the website after he saw it on a beach in Florida to point out the absurdity and conflicting standards in our laws. County, state, and federal law prohibits disturbing nesting female turtles and their eggs and hatchlings. It even mandates that you turn off lights that shine on the beach to protect these turtles. The penalty for violating these laws is a fine up to $20,000.

Unborn turtles and their mothers receive protection under the law while unborn humans have nothing. Our federal, state, and county laws apparently value the lives of sea turtles over that of humans since an unborn baby has no protection against abortion through most months of the pregnancy. If it wasn't so sad and disturbing, the absurdity of it all would make you want to laugh. What does it say for our society when we have to pray that our leaders will grant at least the same protections to unborn humans as they do to sea turtles?

Please pray for women everywhere who may be contemplating having an abortion. Pray for those also who may feel pressured into it and think they have no other choice. As our deacon also asked, pray that God directs these women into our lives so that we can guide them to get the help the really need to save their unborn baby's life. Finally, please pray for God to touch the hearts of those in power, like our President, so that they can embrace the culture of life.

If you know of anyone facing a crisis pregnancy and is contemplating an abortion, please help them get in touch with services in your diocese like Project Gabriel. Most dioceses in the U.S. have this program which provides assistance and support to pregnant women. Click here for a list of Project Gabriel contacts by state. In Rhode Island and the surrounding areas you can also contact the Mother of Life Center.