Monthly Archives: November 2013

From the Encyclical Letter Ecclesiam Dei by Pope Pius XI He gave his life for the unity of the Church

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From the Encyclical Letter Ecclesiam Dei by Pope Pius XI
He gave his life for the unity of the Church

In designing his Church God worked with such skill that in the fullness of time it would resemble a single great family embracing all men. It can be identified, as we know, by certain distinctive characteristics, notably its universality and unity. Christ the Lord passed on to his apostles the task he had received from the Father: I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations. He wanted the apostles as a body to be intimately bound together, first by the inner tie of the same faith and love which flows into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, and, second, by the external tie of authority exercised by one apostle over the others. For this he assigned the primacy to Peter, the source and visible basis of their unity for all time. So that the unity and agreement among them would endure, God wisely stamped them, one might say, with the mark of holiness and martyrdom.

Both these distinctions fell to Josaphat, archbishop of Polock of the Slavonic rite of the Eastern Church. He is rightly looked upon as the great glory and strength of the Eastern Rite Slavs. Few have brought them greater honor or contributed more to their spiritual welfare than Josaphat, their pastor and apostle, especially when he gave his life as a martyr for the unity of the Church. He felt, in fact, that God had inspired him to restore world-wide unity to the Church and he realized that his greatest chance of success lay in preserving the Slavonic rite and Saint Basil’s rule of monastic life within the one universal Church.

Concerned mainly with seeing his own people reunited to the See of Peter, he sought out every available argument which would foster and maintain Church unity. His best arguments were drawn from liturgical books, sanctioned by the Fathers of the Church, which were in common use among Eastern Christians, including the dissidents. Thus thoroughly prepared, he set out to restore the unity of the Church. A forceful man of fine sensibilities, he met with such success that his opponents dubbed him “the thief of souls.”

The Crisis of the Western World

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 “The crisis of the Western world exists to the degree in which it is indifferent to God.” Whittaker Chambers

William F. Buckley Jr.called this Russian spy, Whittaker Chambers, “the most important American defector from Communism.” Whittaker had lived under such indifference and saw its consequences. Empirical evidence led to his change of heart and country. He warned us to be vigilant. Are we vigilant?

We are living in a society that prides itself on its humanity, and credits itself with such as its accomplishment, all the while, being unaware of the source of such blessedness.  We are living and enjoying the vestiges, perhaps,the last vestiges of Judeo-Christian ethic, morality and virtue.

 Do we yet recognize the Western world’s indifference to God? Let’s start with the image of God. Where do we find it if not imprinted on every child created within Woman?  Look at the way that child is provided for,  by God’s design, within the woman’s womb. “Love”, “nurture”, “protection”, all these words and more come to mind.  How do we recognize God, if not primarily in His creation.

Many think themselves, their thought and policies, humane, yet act in a way that can only be characterized as “sub-humane” toward the image of God in the womb.  Where are we in our Western thought and society?  Can we recognize Crisis when confronted with it. Do we even care?

Perhaps, God is confined to the box with such as the Sunday morning sermon, forgotten as we get back to “the real world.”  God, the Creator of All,  a matter of indifference!? His life and image in the flesh and substance of every innocent human procreation goes unrecognized in our law and land. Where the sublime humanity of this age?

Albuquerque Fighting For the Lives of Its Young – Very, Very Young

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Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave:
Vice President for Government Affairs
Susan B. Anthony List

In Albuquerque, for the first time in our nation’s history, voters – not the legislature, not the courts – will decide if we should end barbaric late abortions going into the sixth month of pregnancy.

The procedure used for a late abortion at this stage, a D&E (Dilation and Evacuation) is simply brutal – just ask Dr. Anthony Levantino. He is a former abortionist, turned pro-life doctor who testified before Congress this year in support of the House bill to end abortion after 20 weeks (which thankfully passed over the summer). In his testimony, he described the procedure in heartbreaking, stomach-churning detail:

“With suction complete, look for your Sopher clamp. This instrument is about thirteen inches long and made of stainless steel. At the business end are located jaws about 2 ½ inches long and about ¾ of an inch wide with rows of sharp ridges or teeth. This instrument is for grasping and crushing tissue. When it gets hold of something, it does not let go. A second trimester D&E abortion is a blind procedure. The baby can be in any orientation or position inside the uterus. Picture yourself reaching in with the Sopher clamp and grasping anything you can…Once you have grasped something inside, squeeze on the clamp to set the jaws and pull hard – really hard. You feel something let go and out pops a fully formed leg…”

This is what we are fighting to end.

Mesmerizing Northern Lights From Around The World

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Mesmerizing Northern Lights From Around The World.
Image Credit & Copyright: Ole C. Salomonsen (Arctic Light Photo)

voting “yes” will stop late-term abortions

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By the Most Rev. Michael J. Sheehan / Archbishop of Santa Fe | 8 hours ago
The Archdiocese of Santa Fe congratulates the grass root efforts of so many to place a late-term abortion ban on the ballot of the city of Albuquerque. This achievement demonstrates the people’s will to defend life.

As archbishop of Santa Fe, I encourage all the people of Albuquerque to support the proposed ordinance to ban late-term abortion after the 20th week.

Even some pro-abortion people will vote for the ban after 20 weeks because they don’t want babies to suffer pain. These babies are able to feel pain and suffer greatly when aborted.

The campaign to pass this proposal will bear much fruit.

First, if the ordinance passes, it will protect children.

Some people say that the ban is unconstitutional and will be thrown out. But we will make a strong case that it is constitutional.

Even if it is eventually thrown out, some babies will have been saved.

Second, the energy, time and resources dedicated to the campaign will educate the public.

I daily meet people who are shocked to know that New Mexico permits late-term abortion. The public will be educated as to the reality of what is happening in our state.

New Mexico now attracts those seeking late-term abortions from around the country because of the lack of laws.

During this campaign, many people will learn the immorality of abortion and some children’s lives will be saved by the education of their parents’ thinking.

I hope the State Legislature will pass a statewide bill banning late-term abortion, given the support in Albuquerque.

I voted at an early voting place in Taylor Ranch.

The ballot is a bit confusing, as it isn’t so clear to those of us without a legal background. But it is a ban on late-term abortion, and so those against such abortions should vote “yes” on the ballot.

Please join me in supporting this effort with energy, time and resources.

Together we can get out the vote on Nov. 19 and succeed in banning late-term abortion in our city.

Philippines typhoon CRS emergency response | Catholic Relief Services | Emergencies

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A man walks past a tree uprooted by strong winds brought by super Typhoon Haiyan that hit  central Philippines. The strongest typhoon in the world this year and possibly the most powerful ever to hit land forced millions of people to flee to safer ground, cut power lines and blew apart houses. Photo by Reuters/Zander Cases, courtesy Trust.org

As reports of damage from Typhoon Haiyan begin to surface, Catholic Relief Services is moving supplies and positioning staff to respond to the aftermath of what was the most powerful storm in history at time of landfall.

There is currently almost no information coming from the worst-affected areas, as power lines, phone lines, and mobile towers have all been hit.  However, there are some reports coming in of landslides, flash flooding, destroyed shelters, and missing persons.

via Philippines typhoon CRS emergency response | Catholic Relief Services | Emergencies.

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