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Showing posts with label pro-life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pro-life. Show all posts
Thursday, September 30
Oklahomans For Life - ELECTION ALERT
Thursday, September 16
40 Days for Life KICKOFF
- Kick-off next week on Tuesday, September 21 from 6-8pm at the Garden of Hope
- We need you to sign-up for one hour of prayer during the first week
- Here is the link: http://www.40daysforlife.com/tulsa/index.cfm?
- Tuesday, September 21, 8pm to Thursday, September 23, 11pm
- Saturday, September 25, 12am - 6am and 7pm - 11pm
- Pray for the success of our 40 Days for Life Campaign
- Can you help during the rallies, set-up, clean-up? Please contact me.
For Life,
Tracy Callicoat
Diocese of Tulsa
Family Life, Pro-Life and NFP
Direct: 918-307-4939
Fax: 918-294-0920
tracy.callicoat@dioceseoftulsa.org
Wednesday, January 27
Tulsa World Publishes Story on March for Life
Yesterday, yes, Jan. 26th, the Tulsa World published an article about the March for Life held last Friday. The official estimates, published in the article, estimated that over 3,000 attended the March. I am including a link to the article for you to read. I encourage you to also read the comments to the article at the bottom. I was amazed at the lack of media attention to the march while, in most cases, if the protest would have had a dozen and was something more ‘popular’ or politically correct the media would have been all over it.
Thursday, January 14
Tulsa March for Life on Jan 22nd
I am reposting this from the Knights of Columbus BLOG to my family Blog in hopes of bringing more attention from my family and friends as well. This is a very important issue for me and Linda and I encourage anyone to attend this Pro-Life March in Tulsa next Friday!
Abortion was legalized in the United States 37 years ago this month. Since then over 50 million babies have lost their lives to abortion. Pray for an end to abortion and join Most Rev. Bishop Edward J. Slattery who will celebrate the Mass for Life at Holy Family Cathedral at 5:00pm on January 22, 2010. After Mass join Bishop Edward J. Slattery and participate in the 1st Tulsa March for Life. The March starts at Holy Family Cathedral and ends at 6th & Boston at the new Chapman Centennial Green where a rally will take place. A rally will be held approximately 30 minutes long with three speakers. Dr. Kevin Donovan will speak on when life begins, Cynthia Carney will share her testimony of having an abortion and Dr. McCutchens from Mount Zion Baptist Church will speak how abortion has impacted the black community.
I am enclosing a pdf file of the 'official' poster for our first-ever Tulsa March for Life. Please feel free to download and print out a many copies as you need to:
- post this weekend around your church campus
- ask people to bring one home
- ask volunteers to post them in coffee shops, food stores, and other community bulletin boards.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact me or go to our blog at tulsamarchforlife.wordpress.com. Thank you for your time.
For Life,
Tracy Callicoat
Diocese of Tulsa
Family Life, Pro-Life and Natural Family Planning
918-307-4939
Saturday, November 1
Decision 2008
Well, I don't think that any family or friends have any question by now of who I will be voting for or what values we espouse. Today Linda and I went to the Tulsa County Election Board to vote early. This is the first time we have taken advantage of voting early (heck, we didn't even know that there was such a thing, isn't Tuesday Election Day?)
Well, we heard of the long lines yesterday and today it was open from 8 AM to 1 PM. WOW! You should have seen the lines! I have a couple of pictures, just to give an idea but I doubt they will tell the story.
We continue to pray for the Unborn, Choose LIFE!
Well, we heard of the long lines yesterday and today it was open from 8 AM to 1 PM. WOW! You should have seen the lines! I have a couple of pictures, just to give an idea but I doubt they will tell the story.
We continue to pray for the Unborn, Choose LIFE!
Sunday, October 26
A Message from Fr. Farnan
I am reprinting this message in response to the very important question, how do we, as Christians, vote our conscious?
• I can’t tell you how many times in the last few months I have been approached like this:
• “Father, we know that you are a truthful man and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. And you are not concerned with anyone's opinion, for you do not regard a person's status. Tell us, then, what is your opinion: can I vote for a politician who is pro-abortion?”
• I kind of know how Jesus must have felt in our Gospel today.
• We all need to inform and follow our consciences on this issue.
• Let’s look at the Church teaching.
• Let’s look at our Tradition.
• Let’s look at Sacred Scripture.
• Frtunately we have the Holy Spirit leading the apostles in our midst, our Bishops, to help us answer that question.
• Let’s start at home. Last week Bishop Zubik, our Apostle, the primary teacher in our diocese, released a statement and published it on the front page of our diocesan Newspaper, the Pittsburgh Catholic.
• Those are strong words from our chief shepherd. Unprecedented in his Episcopal tenure. He must feel strongly, and the Holy Spirit must be moving in a powerful way in his soul. But he is not alone.
• My dear sisters and brothers in Christ, we need not look any farther than Sacred Scripture and Divine Revelation in helping to form our consciences…Recall that during the annunciation the Angel Gabriel tells Mary about her cousin Elizabeth being pregnant. Immediately afterwards, Mary travels in haste to her side. Upon her arrival, the BABY in the womb of Elizabeth leaps for joy, and Elizabeth is inspired by the Holy Spirit to say, “Who am I that the MOTHER of my Lord should come to me. At the sound of your greeting the BABY in my womb leapt for joy.” The BABY in Elizabeth’s womb? Mary, only a few days pregnant, is theotokos, the MOTHER of the Lord. Do we need anything else than the very mystery of the incarnation of God in the womb of a woman to reveal to us that life in the womb is precious, life in the womb is touched by the Divine, life in the womb is truly LIFE!
• God has revealed it…pregnant women are already MOTHERS!
• Now, the political process has played out before our eyes over the last months, and each candidate has their chance to make their position clear in regards to the important MORAL issues.
• And what we have seen is that no candidate comes to this election with clean hands. But they have stated their positions on very important life issues.
• And it is clear, we as Catholics must consider these issues FIRST when casting our vote.
• That being said, not voting or writing in someone is a viable option.
• Imagine is we all voted the truth of these issue, what effect we would have on this country. In fact I believe that if Catholics truly voted pro life, voted our beliefs, voted as a witness to our faith, we would HAVE good candidates, in both parties, to choose from.
• Our gospel today challenges us…it’s not just about the coin. It’s not just about the economy.
• In fact, what’s the most important image? The image on the coin, or the one in whose image you have been created, and every child, born or unborn, is created?
• Yes, give to God what is God’s, but I must warn you, the people of God whom I love dearly, you can give to Ceasar what is Ceasar’s, but don’t give anything to Ceasar that would jeopardize your eternal salvation.
October 18th and 19th 2008
This came from my Catholic Men's Fellowship email. Father James Farnan, our popular NFCM Channel 1 podcasters delivered a courageous homily on October 18th. He exhorted his parishioners to embrace faithful citizenship & respect for life. A few parishioners walked out of the Mass during his homily and immediately transferred parishes. However, he received a resounding applause from a majority of the parish. The text of his homily is attached to this email. Please forward it to others!
• I can’t tell you how many times in the last few months I have been approached like this:
• “Father, we know that you are a truthful man and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. And you are not concerned with anyone's opinion, for you do not regard a person's status. Tell us, then, what is your opinion: can I vote for a politician who is pro-abortion?”
• I kind of know how Jesus must have felt in our Gospel today.
o Are they “plotting how they might entrap me”? Are they being malicious?
o Or do they really want to know? How open are we to the Truth, to what Jesus might say to us if we challenged him with any question, but especially THAT question?
o But I know this parish, and I don’t find you malicious. These are real questions because this is a real problem for people. An it is a volatile issue…I would not think of addressing it but so many of you have asked me. You, like me, want to know the truth. And we pursue that knowledge, and love the Truth when we discover it.
o But the question won’t go away…Can I vote for a politician who is pro-abortion?
o I guess every Father gets asked tough questions and has to answer them…
• We all need to inform and follow our consciences on this issue.
• Let’s look at the Church teaching.
• Let’s look at our Tradition.
• Let’s look at Sacred Scripture.
• Frtunately we have the Holy Spirit leading the apostles in our midst, our Bishops, to help us answer that question.
• Let’s start at home. Last week Bishop Zubik, our Apostle, the primary teacher in our diocese, released a statement and published it on the front page of our diocesan Newspaper, the Pittsburgh Catholic.
o To assist you in understanding what the teachings of the Church are regarding the various campaign issues, I would recommend that you consult with the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults or the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church. Moreover, you might also want to secure a copy of Faithful Citizenship. Since the presidential election of 1976 and every four years, we the Bishops have offered updated versions of this important document to assist voters as they exercise their voting rights coupled with the responsibility of an understanding of the issues from the perspective of faith.
o The primary theme of Faithful Citizenship is the right to life and the dignity of every human person. As the United States Bishops made clear, this is the foundation of a moral vision for society. We cannot dismiss this foundational principle as secondary in our thinking. As the bishops insist, we cannot consider abortion or euthanasia as merely two issues among many to be weighed or dismissed with a shrug.
• Those are strong words from our chief shepherd. Unprecedented in his Episcopal tenure. He must feel strongly, and the Holy Spirit must be moving in a powerful way in his soul. But he is not alone.
o U.S. Catholic bishops affirmed in 2008 when they released “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” that, in accord with Vatican statements, a “consistent ethic of life [which] neither treats all issues as morally equivalent nor reduces Catholic teaching to one or two issues.” Life issues, like abortion are a defining issue, according to our bishops; in other words a deal breaker.
o This makes sense, as the Church has always taught that abortion is a grave evil. In the Spirit of Vatican II we see this theme: “[T]he human being is to be … treated as a person from the moment of conception,” Evangelium Vitae, no. 60. And from the Vatican’s “Instruction on Bioethics” published in 1987, we are taught that “The law must provide appropriate “penal sanctions for every deliberate violation of the child’s rights.”
o But wait, there’s more. In 2004, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, in a letter to the American bishops, said: “Not all moral issues have the same weight as abortion and euthanasia. For example, if a Catholic were to be at odds with the Holy Father on the application of capital punishment or on the decision to wage war, he would not for that reason be considered unworthy to present himself to receive Holy Communion. While the Church exhorts civil authorities to seek peace, not war, and to exercise discretion and mercy in imposing punishment on criminals, it may still be permissible to take up arms to repel an aggressor or to have recourse to capital punishment. There may be a legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about waging war and applying the death penalty, but not however with regard to abortion and euthanasia.”
o And more recently from Bishop Lori, the Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport (Connecticut) and Chair of the USCCB Committee on Doctrine, we get this: “It would be refreshing if we could find candidates whose records, party platforms, and personal commitments embody the full range of the Church’s social teaching, reasonable as that teaching is. Unfortunately that seldom happens. That is why we must have a well-formed conscience capable of giving each issue its proper moral weight and making other important distinctions and judgments. For example, a Catholic may never vote for candidates precisely because they advocate and advance intrinsic moral evils like abortion; to do so is to cooperate formally (intentionally) with a grave evil. And while Faithful Citizenship acknowledges that one may vote for a politician who supports pro-abortion policies “only for truly grave moral reasons,” a conscientious voter must question what grave moral issue rises to the level of nearly 49 million lives lost to the evil of abortion.
In our tradition, there has never been a time in the 2000 years we’ve been around when we have ever supported or encouraged abortion, or taught the same. In fact, as early as the second century Church catechisms spoke directly against disregarding innocent human life inside and outside the womb.
• My dear sisters and brothers in Christ, we need not look any farther than Sacred Scripture and Divine Revelation in helping to form our consciences…Recall that during the annunciation the Angel Gabriel tells Mary about her cousin Elizabeth being pregnant. Immediately afterwards, Mary travels in haste to her side. Upon her arrival, the BABY in the womb of Elizabeth leaps for joy, and Elizabeth is inspired by the Holy Spirit to say, “Who am I that the MOTHER of my Lord should come to me. At the sound of your greeting the BABY in my womb leapt for joy.” The BABY in Elizabeth’s womb? Mary, only a few days pregnant, is theotokos, the MOTHER of the Lord. Do we need anything else than the very mystery of the incarnation of God in the womb of a woman to reveal to us that life in the womb is precious, life in the womb is touched by the Divine, life in the womb is truly LIFE!
• God has revealed it…pregnant women are already MOTHERS!
• Now, the political process has played out before our eyes over the last months, and each candidate has their chance to make their position clear in regards to the important MORAL issues.
• And what we have seen is that no candidate comes to this election with clean hands. But they have stated their positions on very important life issues.
• And it is clear, we as Catholics must consider these issues FIRST when casting our vote.
• That being said, not voting or writing in someone is a viable option.
• Imagine is we all voted the truth of these issue, what effect we would have on this country. In fact I believe that if Catholics truly voted pro life, voted our beliefs, voted as a witness to our faith, we would HAVE good candidates, in both parties, to choose from.
• Our gospel today challenges us…it’s not just about the coin. It’s not just about the economy.
• In fact, what’s the most important image? The image on the coin, or the one in whose image you have been created, and every child, born or unborn, is created?
• Yes, give to God what is God’s, but I must warn you, the people of God whom I love dearly, you can give to Ceasar what is Ceasar’s, but don’t give anything to Ceasar that would jeopardize your eternal salvation.
October 18th and 19th 2008
Sunday, July 13
Status on Brody
Brody is finally able to wear Clothes! 7-13-08
How precious and Tiny life is! Brody's hand can now wrap around two fingers!
His eyes open! Seeing the world, and his mother!
This is a boy that needs to come home! We are still praying for this to happen soon!
Monday, July 7
Brody Not Out Of The Woods
As Frances watched them revive by bagging her 3 pound, 12 ounce baby boy in the NICU, she was all too aware of how fragile life is. They did successfully revive Brody and told Frances that it would be alright. I guess it is easy, when you work around the fragile all the time, to see things in 'alright' terms. For those of us that do not encounter it everyday, or when we do encounter it, it is our own flesh and blood, it is hard to see it as "alright".
This episode did remind us, and them I hope, that Brody is still in the woods, that he is still early and his lungs are still not to be taken for granted and are still developing. No matter how well he is doing, his body still is not ready to be in the world just yet and needs our prayers and the Hand of God. Though he was born two weeks ago, Brody was not due until August 31st, still almost 2 Months away!
So, please, keep him in prayers. I believe in prayer, it works! God Bless you all and thank you for your prayers.
Monday, June 16
Bush Becoming a Catholic?
Monday, June 16, 2008 11:05 AM
By: Jim Meyers
President Bush may follow in the footsteps of his brother Jeb and convert to Catholicism, several European papers are reporting.
In the wake of the president’s visit to see Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican, Italian newspapers, citing Vatican sources, said Bush was open to the idea of converting to Catholicism.
The Italian newspaper Il Foglio referred to such talk about Bush’s possible conversion and stated that “anything is possible, especially for someone reborn like Bush.”
Noting that Tony Blair converted to Catholicism after leaving office as Britain’s prime minister last year, the paper also stated that “if anything happens, it will happen after he finishes his period as president, not before. It is similar to Blair’s case, but with different circumstances.”
President Bush welcomed Pope Benedict XVI warmly when he visited the U.S. in April. And Vatican watchers noted that Bush met privately with the pontiff in the private gardens of the Vatican last Friday — an unprecedented place for the Pope to meet a head of state. Typically, the Vatican gardens are used by the Pope for private reflection.
A Vatican spokesman said the Pope used the unusual locale to reciprocate for the “warmth” Bush showed when the two met in Washington.
Though the Catholic Church has criticized the U.S. war in Iraq, Bush has been an ardent supporter of pro-life issues; he has staunchly opposed stem-cell research; and he opposes gay marriage — all issues important for Rome.
Currently Bush belongs to a Methodist church in Texas and attends an Episcopal church in Washington, D.C.
A friend of Bush, Father George William Rutler — who converted to Catholicism in 1979 — told the Catholic News Agency that Bush “is not unaware of how evangelicalism, by comparison with Catholicism, may seem more limited both theologically and historically.”
© 2008 Newsmax. All rights reserved.
By: Jim Meyers
President Bush may follow in the footsteps of his brother Jeb and convert to Catholicism, several European papers are reporting.
In the wake of the president’s visit to see Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican, Italian newspapers, citing Vatican sources, said Bush was open to the idea of converting to Catholicism.
The Italian newspaper Il Foglio referred to such talk about Bush’s possible conversion and stated that “anything is possible, especially for someone reborn like Bush.”
Noting that Tony Blair converted to Catholicism after leaving office as Britain’s prime minister last year, the paper also stated that “if anything happens, it will happen after he finishes his period as president, not before. It is similar to Blair’s case, but with different circumstances.”
President Bush welcomed Pope Benedict XVI warmly when he visited the U.S. in April. And Vatican watchers noted that Bush met privately with the pontiff in the private gardens of the Vatican last Friday — an unprecedented place for the Pope to meet a head of state. Typically, the Vatican gardens are used by the Pope for private reflection.
A Vatican spokesman said the Pope used the unusual locale to reciprocate for the “warmth” Bush showed when the two met in Washington.
Though the Catholic Church has criticized the U.S. war in Iraq, Bush has been an ardent supporter of pro-life issues; he has staunchly opposed stem-cell research; and he opposes gay marriage — all issues important for Rome.
Currently Bush belongs to a Methodist church in Texas and attends an Episcopal church in Washington, D.C.
A friend of Bush, Father George William Rutler — who converted to Catholicism in 1979 — told the Catholic News Agency that Bush “is not unaware of how evangelicalism, by comparison with Catholicism, may seem more limited both theologically and historically.”
© 2008 Newsmax. All rights reserved.
Saturday, February 23
Obama, Youth, Promise? Promise WHAT?
- I received this from Michael Demma, at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and thought it is really good to pass along in it's entirety. I will make some additions and comments along the way.
Today I read a headline that thoroughly concerns me.
“POLL OF YOUNG TEENS IN HIGH SCHOOL SHOW
OBAMA IN THE LEAD” “TEENS RALLY FOR OBAMA”.
It made me wonder, are we as parents failing to discuss the real issues and letting our children be influenced by the media?
So I took my own straw poll. I began asking teens starting with my own grandchildren and teens around our church. I found that it is true. Our teens seem to be enthralled with the youth and rhetoric of Obama.
While that is certainly true, the question is what change and how will the change occur?
We need fair judges to interpret the constitution not write law. The youth did not know of the issue of appointing Supreme Court Judges and the impact that would have on the future.
We need leaders who will protect our right to Democracy not socialism. By the way the teens could not tell me what socialism is. They thought the plan for national health care was a good thing to give all people medical services. When asked who is not receiving services and how many they could not tell me. When asked of the success of national health care in other countries they could not answer. If you know people in Canada ask them they will tell you it is expensive and it is dismal. We have done such a great job with Social security now is the time to screw up our medical system.
We need leaders who are going to restore pride in America not try to convince us that during the most prosperous years of this country we should all be crying gloom and doom.
When asked what the candidate’s position is on abortion the youth did not know did not know. Some said he is pro family but did not know what that meant. When told he was not only a firm supporter of abortion but an activist for it, they were amazed. How could they support a candidate for abortion? One asked me “If that is true how can my mother support him?” A good question for all Christians.
What are our social studies teachers doing?
But then again, the pointing finger has three more pointing back. What are we doing with our children and grandchildren? Are we having frank discussions with them? Do we discuss what the media and unfortunately the teachers and professors fill their minds with?
We are the change agent not the media or the candidate. We cannot allow Obama to kill 1/3 of our next generation through abortion.
Thanks for listening
Sunday, October 7
National Life Chain Sunday
Support for the Unborn
National Life Chain Sunday marks 20th year today with annual march
National Life Chain Sunday marks 20th year today with annual march
Washington DC, Oct 7, 2007 / 11:02 am (CNA).- Today marks the annual National Life Chain Sunday, during which pro-life Americans will, for the 20th year, line sidewalks in over 1,300 cities and towns to seek God's forgiveness and His help to end abortion and related evils in our culture. Participants will hold signs that include Abortion Kills Children; Adoption: The Loving Option; Lord, Forgive Us and Our Nation; and Abortion Hurts Women.
Royce Dunn, the Director of Life Chain, calls it "a peaceful witness against a violent public enemy that has terrorized and killed probably well over 100 million preborn Americans and Canadians at surgical abortion clinics and through abortifacient birth control.” Dunn also pointed to the need for educating and motivating more people to defend the children who are in danger of being aborted, "God declared that 'My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge [Hosea 4:6].' That truth is for today, when we the church--the preborns' only hope for an advocate and defender--are disgraced by our casual response to their horror and loss."
Life Chain welcomes everyone who deems human life sacred. Over 13,000 Chains have been built in North America, plus Chains in several other nations. Life Chain is but one step into a serious pro-life commitment. Much intensive follow-up is required to close the death centers, said the organizers of the National Life Chain.
The pictures attached are from the Life Chain that I participated in from St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Keller, TX. From our parish, we estimated that over 200 people attended (there were over 200 that registered, several more slipped in along the long lines!). Hopefully, this is a wonderful sign of what is to come, an end to the slaughter of innocents.
For more information visit: http://www.lifechain.net/
Wednesday, May 2
“We are an army opposed to abortion,” says president of El Salvador
San Salvador, May 2, 2007 / 11:55 am (CNA).-
The president of El Salvador, Elias Antonio Saca, said this week, “In El Salvador, we are an army of defenders of our Christian faith, we are an army opposed to abortion,” in commenting on the recent approval of a law that legalizes abortion in Mexico City.
“Those of us who love life, those of us who believe in God, those of us who believe in life cannot be in favor of abortion in any form,” the president said, adding, “I respect what has happened in Mexico, I am not going to meddle in the internal decisions of the Mexico City congress.”
“Thank God the constitution of our country and our leaders are opposed to abortion,” he went on, although there are some members of the government who “believe in these kinds of things, in this kind of dangerous modernisms.”
“All Christians must share the sentiment of the Holy See, whether we are Catholics or Evangelicals,” the Salvadoran president said in reference to the statement by the Secretary for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Archbishop Angelo Amato, who called abortion and euthanasia expressions of “terrorism with a human face.”
He also stressed that abortion is “a crime, and the Vatican has gone even further and has called it terrorism, because it is the killing of a baby in the womb of its mother, it is true terrorism.”
The president of El Salvador, Elias Antonio Saca, said this week, “In El Salvador, we are an army of defenders of our Christian faith, we are an army opposed to abortion,” in commenting on the recent approval of a law that legalizes abortion in Mexico City.
“Those of us who love life, those of us who believe in God, those of us who believe in life cannot be in favor of abortion in any form,” the president said, adding, “I respect what has happened in Mexico, I am not going to meddle in the internal decisions of the Mexico City congress.”
“Thank God the constitution of our country and our leaders are opposed to abortion,” he went on, although there are some members of the government who “believe in these kinds of things, in this kind of dangerous modernisms.”
“All Christians must share the sentiment of the Holy See, whether we are Catholics or Evangelicals,” the Salvadoran president said in reference to the statement by the Secretary for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Archbishop Angelo Amato, who called abortion and euthanasia expressions of “terrorism with a human face.”
He also stressed that abortion is “a crime, and the Vatican has gone even further and has called it terrorism, because it is the killing of a baby in the womb of its mother, it is true terrorism.”
Tuesday, March 6
The Morning After: What If Cameron Discovered the Other Jesus? | Mark Brumley | February 5, 2007 | IgnatiusInsight.com
The Morning After: What If Cameron Discovered the Other Jesus? Mark Brumley February 5, 2007 IgnatiusInsight.com
Imagine you're James Cameron on the morning after your Jesus Family Tomb documentary aired on the Discovery Channel. You thought you discovered the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth. It turns out you might have found the tomb of St. Paul's friend, Jesus also called Justus (Col 4:11), who might have been the son of Joseph also called Barsabbas (Acts 1:23).Jesus son of Joseph! Joseph and Jesus were both also called Justus! How could you have missed it? How humiliating.
At first it looked as if you were going to overthrow traditional Christianity. Now you just wind up showing that maybe these people actually existed. What a, ahem, titanic blunder!
Too bad "Jesus" was such a common first-century Jewish name. But how were you supposed to know that the "Mary" in the "family tomb" might be another friend of St. Paul (Rom 16:6), not Mary of Nazareth?
How were you to know she also might have been Mary mother of Joses (Mk 15:47) who helped bury Jesus of Nazareth but who wasn't buried with him? Maybe that's why the name "Joses" also appeared in the "family tomb"! It wasn't Jesus of Nazareth's relative after all. Somebody should have told you!
What's worse, "Judah son of Jesus" wasn't the offspring of Jesus of Nazareth and Mary Magdalene, but might have been the child of the other Jesus. The erstwhile false prophet, magician, and enemy of Christianity (Acts 13:6) could have repented in the end. What a disaster.
Then there was "Mary Magdalene". You thought she was the clincher. How were you supposed to know that "Mariamene e Mara" doesn't mean "Mary the Master" and that it doesn't refer to Mary Magdalene? That stupid Gnostic Gospel of Philip is to blame.
Now somebody points out to you that there's a Mary and Martha in the New Testament. They're the sisters of Lazarus (Jn 10:1). For all you know, they could have been buried in the tomb. If so, they should have had the decency not to get confused with Mary Magdalene.
If all these New Testament names refer to people in the tomb, and not just happen to have been shared by others at the time, then those Christians might start using it to promote their religion.
Well, you'll show them! Get that statistician. Call Simcha Jacobovici. You've got an idea for another documentary. This time, you'll prove that Talpiyot Tomb had nothing to do with Christianity!
Click the link to read the original article at Ignatius Insight
Imagine you're James Cameron on the morning after your Jesus Family Tomb documentary aired on the Discovery Channel. You thought you discovered the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth. It turns out you might have found the tomb of St. Paul's friend, Jesus also called Justus (Col 4:11), who might have been the son of Joseph also called Barsabbas (Acts 1:23).Jesus son of Joseph! Joseph and Jesus were both also called Justus! How could you have missed it? How humiliating.
At first it looked as if you were going to overthrow traditional Christianity. Now you just wind up showing that maybe these people actually existed. What a, ahem, titanic blunder!
Too bad "Jesus" was such a common first-century Jewish name. But how were you supposed to know that the "Mary" in the "family tomb" might be another friend of St. Paul (Rom 16:6), not Mary of Nazareth?
How were you to know she also might have been Mary mother of Joses (Mk 15:47) who helped bury Jesus of Nazareth but who wasn't buried with him? Maybe that's why the name "Joses" also appeared in the "family tomb"! It wasn't Jesus of Nazareth's relative after all. Somebody should have told you!
What's worse, "Judah son of Jesus" wasn't the offspring of Jesus of Nazareth and Mary Magdalene, but might have been the child of the other Jesus. The erstwhile false prophet, magician, and enemy of Christianity (Acts 13:6) could have repented in the end. What a disaster.
Then there was "Mary Magdalene". You thought she was the clincher. How were you supposed to know that "Mariamene e Mara" doesn't mean "Mary the Master" and that it doesn't refer to Mary Magdalene? That stupid Gnostic Gospel of Philip is to blame.
Now somebody points out to you that there's a Mary and Martha in the New Testament. They're the sisters of Lazarus (Jn 10:1). For all you know, they could have been buried in the tomb. If so, they should have had the decency not to get confused with Mary Magdalene.
If all these New Testament names refer to people in the tomb, and not just happen to have been shared by others at the time, then those Christians might start using it to promote their religion.
Well, you'll show them! Get that statistician. Call Simcha Jacobovici. You've got an idea for another documentary. This time, you'll prove that Talpiyot Tomb had nothing to do with Christianity!
Click the link to read the original article at Ignatius Insight
Tuesday, January 23
Why Communion Could Be Denied to Anti-Life Legislators
Zenit News Agency - The World Seen From Rome
Click above to read the whole article:
Code: ZE04042622
Date: 2004-04-26
Why Communion Could Be Denied to Anti-Life Legislators
Interview With an American Theologian in Rome
ROME, APRIL 26, 2004 (Zenit.org).- Moves by the Church to deny Holy Communion to staunchly pro-abortion Catholic politicians are growing. At a Vatican press conference last Friday, Cardinal Francis Arinze said that politicians who unambiguously support abortion must not go to Communion and priests must deny them the sacrament. Last January, then Bishop Raymond Burke of La Crosse, Wisconsin, issued a decree forbidding Catholic legislators who support abortion or euthanasia from receiving Communion. To learn more about the canonical and pastoral implications of these declarations, ZENIT interviewed American theologian Father Thomas Williams, dean of the School of Theology of the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical Athenaeum.
Q: Is the Church beginning to adopt a hard-line stance regarding the reception of Holy Communion?
Father Williams: The Church has always taken this issue seriously. In very strong terms St. Paul admonished the Church in Corinth: "Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup." That's in 1 Corinthians 11:27-28.
The 1983 Code of Canon Law, echoing the teaching of the Council of Trent, Canon 11, states that, without a very serious reason, a person who is aware of having committed a mortal sin should voluntarily abstain from Communion. "A person who is conscious of grave sin is not … to receive the Body of the Lord without prior sacramental confession," says Canon 916 of the 1983 code.
Q: But isn't there a big difference between encouraging those in a state of sin to abstain from Communion and forbidding Communion to determined persons?
Father Williams: Yes, of course. Whereas anyone who is aware of having committed a grave sin of any sort, hidden or public, should willingly abstain from Holy Communion, only grave sins committed overtly or publicly provide grounds for non-admittance to Communion on the part of priests and bishops. The pertinent reference in canon law can be found in Canon 915. In its entirety, this brief canon reads: "Those who are excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion." This canon treats two instances where members of the faithful are not to be admitted to Communion. The first deals with excommunication and interdicts -- ecclesiastical censures forbidding participation in the sacraments -- and the second refers to obstinate persistence in manifest grave sin.
Q: So in the case of pro-abortion politicians we would be dealing with a situation of manifestly grave sin? What does this mean?
Father Williams: The technical language of the code which refers to those who "obstinately persist in manifest grave sin" must be carefully parsed. Four essential elements come into play, all of which are necessary to fulfill the conditions laid out in Canon 915.
The first element is "gravi peccato," or grave sin. This can only be taken to refer to the matter of the action -- or omission -- without necessarily implying a judgment of subjective culpability. "Grave sin" in this case simply means objectively evil conduct of a serious nature.
The second requirement specified by Canon 915 refers to the "manifesto," or overt, character of the sin. This stipulation limits the sanction to sins of a public nature, and reiterates the public and ecclesial dimension of Holy Communion, which signifies moral, spiritual and doctrinal union with Christ and with his Church.
Thirdly, to be refused Communion a person must persist -- "perseverantes" -- in this openly sinful behavior. To say that a person persists in a public sin means that he somehow makes it known that he plans to continue engaging in his sinful behavior.
Finally, the code speaks of obstinate persistence. The Latin adverb "obstinate" here means that the person has been duly informed of the evil of his behavior but deliberately chooses to persist in it anyway. There is such a thing as inculpable persistence in evildoing, when a person is unaware that a certain habitual activity is sinful. But once the evil of his actions has been brought to his attention, his persistence qualifies as obstinate.
Judging from the foregoing considerations, it seems clear that a politician who votes in a way that fails to defend innocent human life on a consistent basis and gives every indication of his intention to keep doing so despite warnings from ecclesiastical authorities can be said to obstinately persist in objectively evil behavior of a public nature. And in this regard he fulfills the requirements of Canon 915.
Q: In Bishop Burke's Notification, made public this past January, he speaks of scandal. To fail to "uphold the natural and divine law regarding the inviolable dignity of all human life," he writes, "is a grave public sin and gives scandal to all the faithful." How does scandal fit into the equation?
Father Williams: Though in common language "scandal" often refers to something shocking or disgraceful, the word comes from the Greek "skandalon" -- a stumbling block -- and properly means "an attitude or behavior which leads another to do evil," as the Catechism says in No. 2284. Because of their high public visibility and moral authority, politicians can, by their example, lead others to good or to evil.
According to the Catechism, No. 2285: "Scandal is grave when given by those who by nature or office are obliged to teach and educate others." We further read in No. 2286 that "they are guilty of scandal who establish laws or social structures leading to the decline of morals."
Along with its practical role of making certain actions punishable or permissible under the law, civil legislation has a pedagogical role as well and thus contributes to the formation of public opinion and private conscience. The criminalization or legalization of determined activities influences the way people view the morality of such activities since it represents a social judgment on this sort of behavior. Thus legislators, even more than other public figures, are called to a higher standard of accountability because of their moral authority and the influence that their decisions have on others.
Click above to read the whole article:
Code: ZE04042622
Date: 2004-04-26
Why Communion Could Be Denied to Anti-Life Legislators
Interview With an American Theologian in Rome
ROME, APRIL 26, 2004 (Zenit.org).- Moves by the Church to deny Holy Communion to staunchly pro-abortion Catholic politicians are growing. At a Vatican press conference last Friday, Cardinal Francis Arinze said that politicians who unambiguously support abortion must not go to Communion and priests must deny them the sacrament. Last January, then Bishop Raymond Burke of La Crosse, Wisconsin, issued a decree forbidding Catholic legislators who support abortion or euthanasia from receiving Communion. To learn more about the canonical and pastoral implications of these declarations, ZENIT interviewed American theologian Father Thomas Williams, dean of the School of Theology of the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical Athenaeum.
Q: Is the Church beginning to adopt a hard-line stance regarding the reception of Holy Communion?
Father Williams: The Church has always taken this issue seriously. In very strong terms St. Paul admonished the Church in Corinth: "Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup." That's in 1 Corinthians 11:27-28.
The 1983 Code of Canon Law, echoing the teaching of the Council of Trent, Canon 11, states that, without a very serious reason, a person who is aware of having committed a mortal sin should voluntarily abstain from Communion. "A person who is conscious of grave sin is not … to receive the Body of the Lord without prior sacramental confession," says Canon 916 of the 1983 code.
Q: But isn't there a big difference between encouraging those in a state of sin to abstain from Communion and forbidding Communion to determined persons?
Father Williams: Yes, of course. Whereas anyone who is aware of having committed a grave sin of any sort, hidden or public, should willingly abstain from Holy Communion, only grave sins committed overtly or publicly provide grounds for non-admittance to Communion on the part of priests and bishops. The pertinent reference in canon law can be found in Canon 915. In its entirety, this brief canon reads: "Those who are excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion." This canon treats two instances where members of the faithful are not to be admitted to Communion. The first deals with excommunication and interdicts -- ecclesiastical censures forbidding participation in the sacraments -- and the second refers to obstinate persistence in manifest grave sin.
Q: So in the case of pro-abortion politicians we would be dealing with a situation of manifestly grave sin? What does this mean?
Father Williams: The technical language of the code which refers to those who "obstinately persist in manifest grave sin" must be carefully parsed. Four essential elements come into play, all of which are necessary to fulfill the conditions laid out in Canon 915.
The first element is "gravi peccato," or grave sin. This can only be taken to refer to the matter of the action -- or omission -- without necessarily implying a judgment of subjective culpability. "Grave sin" in this case simply means objectively evil conduct of a serious nature.
The second requirement specified by Canon 915 refers to the "manifesto," or overt, character of the sin. This stipulation limits the sanction to sins of a public nature, and reiterates the public and ecclesial dimension of Holy Communion, which signifies moral, spiritual and doctrinal union with Christ and with his Church.
Thirdly, to be refused Communion a person must persist -- "perseverantes" -- in this openly sinful behavior. To say that a person persists in a public sin means that he somehow makes it known that he plans to continue engaging in his sinful behavior.
Finally, the code speaks of obstinate persistence. The Latin adverb "obstinate" here means that the person has been duly informed of the evil of his behavior but deliberately chooses to persist in it anyway. There is such a thing as inculpable persistence in evildoing, when a person is unaware that a certain habitual activity is sinful. But once the evil of his actions has been brought to his attention, his persistence qualifies as obstinate.
Judging from the foregoing considerations, it seems clear that a politician who votes in a way that fails to defend innocent human life on a consistent basis and gives every indication of his intention to keep doing so despite warnings from ecclesiastical authorities can be said to obstinately persist in objectively evil behavior of a public nature. And in this regard he fulfills the requirements of Canon 915.
Q: In Bishop Burke's Notification, made public this past January, he speaks of scandal. To fail to "uphold the natural and divine law regarding the inviolable dignity of all human life," he writes, "is a grave public sin and gives scandal to all the faithful." How does scandal fit into the equation?
Father Williams: Though in common language "scandal" often refers to something shocking or disgraceful, the word comes from the Greek "skandalon" -- a stumbling block -- and properly means "an attitude or behavior which leads another to do evil," as the Catechism says in No. 2284. Because of their high public visibility and moral authority, politicians can, by their example, lead others to good or to evil.
According to the Catechism, No. 2285: "Scandal is grave when given by those who by nature or office are obliged to teach and educate others." We further read in No. 2286 that "they are guilty of scandal who establish laws or social structures leading to the decline of morals."
Along with its practical role of making certain actions punishable or permissible under the law, civil legislation has a pedagogical role as well and thus contributes to the formation of public opinion and private conscience. The criminalization or legalization of determined activities influences the way people view the morality of such activities since it represents a social judgment on this sort of behavior. Thus legislators, even more than other public figures, are called to a higher standard of accountability because of their moral authority and the influence that their decisions have on others.
Wednesday, November 29
New pro-abortion Congress Will Try to Ratify Dangerous UN Treaty….
The following message is from the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute:
================
SIGN THE PETITION TO STOP RADICAL UN TREATY
New pro-abortion Congress Will Try to Ratify Dangerous UN Treaty….
Pro-abortion Catholics to lead the fight…
Your help needed right now…
November 29, 2006
Dear Friday Fax Reader,
There is a real and immediate danger that a radical UN treaty may be forced through the US Senate. The treaty is called CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women).
If ratified by the United States government, Roe V. Wade MIGHT NEVER BE OVERTURNED. Why? Because the CEDAW Committee at the UN has determined that abortion on demand is a part of the treaty and therefore binding on states that ratify it.
Here is the further problem. With the impending change in Senate leadership, pro-abortion Democrats will soon be running the Senate Committee that has the power to send CEDAW to the Senate floor for ratification. And the pro-abortionists now hold power in the Senate…..
Pro-abortion Catholic Joseph Biden of Delaware is chair of that committee. Sitting with him on the committee is radical pro-abortion Catholic John Kerry. Sitting with them is the equally pro-abortion Senator Diane Feinstein.
As a Friday Fax reader you know about the CEDAW Treaty. What you also know from reading the Friday Fax is that this innocuous sounding treaty has been used by UN radicals to force pro-life countries to change their laws on abortion. It has been used to coerce governments from listening to religious leaders.
The CEDAW Committee has…
…directed Ireland to legalize abortion…
…directed China to legalize prostitution…
…directed Krygystan to legalize lesbiansism…
…directed Belarus to cancel Mother's Day…
(because it "perpetuates" a negative cultural stereotype)
…criticized Ireland for allowing the Catholic Church to great a voice in public policy…
Almost alone the US has stood firm against ratifying this crazy treaty…but now I am worried….
I HAVE RECEIVED WORD THAT PRO-ABORTION FORCES ARE ABOUT TO LAUNCH A WAR-LIKE PUSH TO RATIFY CEDAW IN THE US SENATE….
The coming weeks are absolutely crucial to putting a stop to this treaty and so I come to you for help.
As you know the Friday Fax has been a beacon of learning and of hope for thousands and thousands of social conservatives all over the world but especially in the United States. The Friday Fax is the only weekly source of pro-life and pro-family news coming out of the UN.
The Friday Fax has alerted the pro-life and pro-family world to literally dozens of impending crises at the UN and elsewhere. The Friday Fax has literally gathered hundreds of activists at UN conferences in New York and elsewhere.
Once more the Friday Fax is going to be a crucial warrior in this fight against ratification of CEDAW by the US Senate. The Friday Fax stands at the crucible of this fight.
Over the next few weeks I will outline our plan to fight back against CEDAW. To start, we are asking you to go immediately to www.c-fam.org/apetition.htm and sign the "Petition to Stop CEDAW". While you are there I urge you to also make a much needed contribution to this campaign and to support the Friday Fax.
I fully expect that in the coming few weeks we will garner upwards of 50,000 signatures that we will HAND DELIVER to the members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Yes, we will march across town, knock on their doors and hand the petitions to them.
While you are signing the petition I also humbly ask you to donate to this "Friday Fax Campaign to Stop CEDAW." You can sign the petition at www.c-fam.org/apetition.htm and right there is a menu button which will take you to our secure donations server!
In order to fight CEDAW we have an immediate need of $150,000. And we need it in the next 37 days (and counting)! We began this campaign last week and have raised $35,000, a very nice start.
I know $150,000 sounds like a lot but is it really that much when we are talking about defending the sovereignty of the United States and defending the defenseless unborn from pro-abortion radicals at the UN?
I urge you to go to www.c-fam.org/apetition.htm, SIGN THE PETITION and give as much as you can to help the Friday Fax stop CEDAW.
Remember, that the US stands almost alone in not ratifying CEDAW. The US remains a beacon to all those countries who want to change their minds on CEDAW. We have to give them hope by making sure the US NEVER SIGNS OR RATIFIES THIS RADICAL TREATY.
Can you make a sacrificial gift of $1000 to keep the Friday Fax fighting for the unborn and for the family? What about $500? Or even $100. Send whatever sacrificial gift you can afford!
Go to www.c-fam.org/donations.htm right now and give. There are four ways to give.
1. Credit card, by using our SECURE CREDIT CARD SERVER.
2. Calling 1-866-353-2326
3. Mailing your donation to:
C-FAM/Friday Fax
1413 K Street, NW, Suite 1000
Washington DC 20005
4. Sending a donation by wire transfer
All of these methods of helping us are explained at www.c-fam.org/donations.htm
Go there now and give us as much as you can. With your help we can use the Friday Fax to stop CEDAW and to protect the unborn.
Yours sincerely,
Austin Ruse
President, C-FAM
Editor, Friday Fax
PS If we do not stop CEDAW no one will. Help us stop this radical treaty aimed like an arrow right at the heart of unborn babies. Go to www.c-fam.org/donations.htm and give now.
PPS And it does not matter if you are not American; these Democrats always make a big deal about how the US must pay attention to global opinion. Well, give it to them!!!
SEND THIS LETTER TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY….
===========================
End of email alert
================
SIGN THE PETITION TO STOP RADICAL UN TREATY
New pro-abortion Congress Will Try to Ratify Dangerous UN Treaty….
Pro-abortion Catholics to lead the fight…
Your help needed right now…
November 29, 2006
Dear Friday Fax Reader,
There is a real and immediate danger that a radical UN treaty may be forced through the US Senate. The treaty is called CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women).
If ratified by the United States government, Roe V. Wade MIGHT NEVER BE OVERTURNED. Why? Because the CEDAW Committee at the UN has determined that abortion on demand is a part of the treaty and therefore binding on states that ratify it.
Here is the further problem. With the impending change in Senate leadership, pro-abortion Democrats will soon be running the Senate Committee that has the power to send CEDAW to the Senate floor for ratification. And the pro-abortionists now hold power in the Senate…..
Pro-abortion Catholic Joseph Biden of Delaware is chair of that committee. Sitting with him on the committee is radical pro-abortion Catholic John Kerry. Sitting with them is the equally pro-abortion Senator Diane Feinstein.
As a Friday Fax reader you know about the CEDAW Treaty. What you also know from reading the Friday Fax is that this innocuous sounding treaty has been used by UN radicals to force pro-life countries to change their laws on abortion. It has been used to coerce governments from listening to religious leaders.
The CEDAW Committee has…
…directed Ireland to legalize abortion…
…directed China to legalize prostitution…
…directed Krygystan to legalize lesbiansism…
…directed Belarus to cancel Mother's Day…
(because it "perpetuates" a negative cultural stereotype)
…criticized Ireland for allowing the Catholic Church to great a voice in public policy…
Almost alone the US has stood firm against ratifying this crazy treaty…but now I am worried….
I HAVE RECEIVED WORD THAT PRO-ABORTION FORCES ARE ABOUT TO LAUNCH A WAR-LIKE PUSH TO RATIFY CEDAW IN THE US SENATE….
The coming weeks are absolutely crucial to putting a stop to this treaty and so I come to you for help.
As you know the Friday Fax has been a beacon of learning and of hope for thousands and thousands of social conservatives all over the world but especially in the United States. The Friday Fax is the only weekly source of pro-life and pro-family news coming out of the UN.
The Friday Fax has alerted the pro-life and pro-family world to literally dozens of impending crises at the UN and elsewhere. The Friday Fax has literally gathered hundreds of activists at UN conferences in New York and elsewhere.
Once more the Friday Fax is going to be a crucial warrior in this fight against ratification of CEDAW by the US Senate. The Friday Fax stands at the crucible of this fight.
Over the next few weeks I will outline our plan to fight back against CEDAW. To start, we are asking you to go immediately to www.c-fam.org/apetition.htm and sign the "Petition to Stop CEDAW". While you are there I urge you to also make a much needed contribution to this campaign and to support the Friday Fax.
I fully expect that in the coming few weeks we will garner upwards of 50,000 signatures that we will HAND DELIVER to the members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Yes, we will march across town, knock on their doors and hand the petitions to them.
While you are signing the petition I also humbly ask you to donate to this "Friday Fax Campaign to Stop CEDAW." You can sign the petition at www.c-fam.org/apetition.htm and right there is a menu button which will take you to our secure donations server!
In order to fight CEDAW we have an immediate need of $150,000. And we need it in the next 37 days (and counting)! We began this campaign last week and have raised $35,000, a very nice start.
I know $150,000 sounds like a lot but is it really that much when we are talking about defending the sovereignty of the United States and defending the defenseless unborn from pro-abortion radicals at the UN?
I urge you to go to www.c-fam.org/apetition.htm, SIGN THE PETITION and give as much as you can to help the Friday Fax stop CEDAW.
Remember, that the US stands almost alone in not ratifying CEDAW. The US remains a beacon to all those countries who want to change their minds on CEDAW. We have to give them hope by making sure the US NEVER SIGNS OR RATIFIES THIS RADICAL TREATY.
Can you make a sacrificial gift of $1000 to keep the Friday Fax fighting for the unborn and for the family? What about $500? Or even $100. Send whatever sacrificial gift you can afford!
Go to www.c-fam.org/donations.htm right now and give. There are four ways to give.
1. Credit card, by using our SECURE CREDIT CARD SERVER.
2. Calling 1-866-353-2326
3. Mailing your donation to:
C-FAM/Friday Fax
1413 K Street, NW, Suite 1000
Washington DC 20005
4. Sending a donation by wire transfer
All of these methods of helping us are explained at www.c-fam.org/donations.htm
Go there now and give us as much as you can. With your help we can use the Friday Fax to stop CEDAW and to protect the unborn.
Yours sincerely,
Austin Ruse
President, C-FAM
Editor, Friday Fax
PS If we do not stop CEDAW no one will. Help us stop this radical treaty aimed like an arrow right at the heart of unborn babies. Go to www.c-fam.org/donations.htm and give now.
PPS And it does not matter if you are not American; these Democrats always make a big deal about how the US must pay attention to global opinion. Well, give it to them!!!
SEND THIS LETTER TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY….
===========================
End of email alert
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