Unfortunately, many (most?) have left their reason behind and this has taken on the dimensions of a witch hunt, which I think is due to the implications of Romans 1. “Although they knew God they did not accord him glory as God or give him thanks. Instead, they became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless minds were darkened.” or as Mark Shea says, “sin makes you stupid.”

The media have driven people to the “frothing at the mouth” stage of the witch hunt by their continuous articles on matters which are 30+ years old, and many are all too happy to latch onto every (twisted, deceptive) word, as it discredits the Catholic Church, which tells them that their behavior is sinful.

This isn’t a huge surprise, as the Church is destined to walk the path of Jesus Christ…the Pharisees did not really care about the woman caught in adultery (much less the man). They only cared about tripping Jesus up and discrediting Him.

Similarly, the media does not really care about children (otherwise why don’t we see daily front page articles about sexual abuse in schools, or even abuse by Protestant ministers, which is much more widespread in the former case, and at least as widespread in the latter?), they only care about discrediting the Church.

Don’t misunderstand me!  Any sexual abuse by a priest, and any cover-up (or worse, transferring the abuser to a location where he could abuse again) by a bishop is a horrible thing.   Anyone who had anything to do with the abuse or with enabling abusers should be removed from their positions.  The fact is, though, that sexual abuse (and even the enabling behavior) is not just a Catholic problem.  It is a problem in EVERY sector in society.   The Church is already ahead of most in cleaning itself up.

The campaign to drag Pope Benedict XVI into the mud is especially despicable.  He has done more than anyone else to clean up the Catholic Church, and any impartial observer can see that, if they care enough to review the facts.   The evidence against him is non-existent, and it’s a frightening fact that so many have easily absorbed the media’s lies (or at the very least, extreme twisting of the truth and deception).

There may be persecution ahead, folks, if people are this easily deceived.   Pray, pray, pray!!

1. Some pseudo-Catholics came out from the woodwork, and took a stand directly against the voice of the American bishops.  Will the bishops now have the courage to take official sanctions against these groups?  Let us pray that they will.
2. We found out that many of the “pro-life” Democrats are pro-life in name only.  With some of the comments Bart Stupak has made lately, it’s pretty unclear whether he is actually pro-life at all.  People will now think twice before voting for a Democrat who claims to be pro-life.  For that matter, we need to investigate more thoroughly the pro-life credentials of any candidate for office, not just see whether they identify themselves as pro-life on a questionnaire.
3. The health care reform (and the abortion coverage within it) was very unpopular, leading to hope that the Democratic majority in the House will be erased after this year’s elections.

What do we do now?  We continue to fight even harder and keep the real goal in mind.  Make no mistake; our goal is that abortion will be illegal, and that we will create a civilization of love such that abortion will not be even considered as an option.  If we do that, the concerns about the health care plan will fade away.  America is becoming more pro-life.  The outcome this time does not change that.

One thing we need to get into the public consciousness is that the “no federal funding of abortion” claim in regards to the health care reform is a farce.  It’s no more than an accounting gimmick.  The important thing is that people know that the bill DOES specify that the government plan covers abortion.

In the short term, this was a failure, but that we even came close to derailing it with sizable Demoncratic majorities throughout the government is somewhat encouraging.  There is still hope that this can be repealed or at least heavily modified before it begins to drain the lifeblood out of our country.

The important things to know are in this article by Abp. Chaput.  Besides the points that Abp. Chaput mentions, I would also add that the plan violates the Catholic social principle of subsidiarity.

There are three things we all must do:

1)  Fast and pray this week!  At least one diocese has declared a day of prayer and fasting today.

2) Contact your House representative.

3) Go to the StandWithStupak site to sign a petition and send a note to several key Democratic House members who have stood with Stupak in resisting this bill so far.  It also has the phone numbers of several of the Representatives so you can call them directly.

That is why this article is so very important.  The article is written by Jennifer Fulwiler, who I have mentioned before in this blog, and explains the reasons why she was pro-choice before her conversion.   To sum up a great article into three words, the reason was:  the contraceptive mentality.   This insidious mentality is behind nearly all of our sexual and family problems in the Western world today, and during Lent, I will be posting a series on how each problem is traceable back to contraception as the root.

If we are going to heal our society and once again instill a reverence for life, it will have to start with rooting out the contraceptive mentality.  As people are starting to realize the harmful effects of non-natural foods, lotions, etc., this task may not be as overwhelmingly difficult as it seems.

Pray the Rosary today that God will end this scourge.  National opinion on the abortion issue seems to be trending in the right direction, and even the Democrats, with full control of our government, has thus far been mostly thwarted in their attempts to expand access to abortion.  I attribute this to the 130,000+ Rosaries that have been pledged here, and the many millions of Rosaries that have surely been said throughout our land for pro-life intentions in the last 15 months or so.

It is unclear how Roe v. Wade will be overturned at this point, but with God and with unceasing prayer, all things are possible.  Please recruit others to join the Rosaries for Life cause, and watch for exciting news over the next few months about the expansion of our apostolate.

Here is something she recently wrote regarding prayer, which I suspect a lot of us can identify with.  We don’t pray, or we pray halfheartedly, because we don’t really fully believe or understand the importance of our prayers, or we don’t believe that we are doing anything important enough to pray fervently for.  Both ideas are so far off the mark.

I am convinced that the main reason our society and our world are going “down the drain” right now is a lack of prayer.  Certainly, we don’t DO enough to evangelize, help the unborn, etc.  but the graces to do these things and for them to bear fruit come through prayer.  These foundational thoughts are the very bedrock of Rosaries For Life.  A better world for us, our children, and our grandchildren will come about only through unceasing prayer.

In my next post, I will endeavor to explain why the Rosary, in particular, is such a mighty weapon of spiritual warfare.

Public opinion is against this bill because of abortion, as well as other reasons.  NOW is the time to make your voice heard to your Senators and Congressmen.  For those of you that have Senators or Congressmen that will not be convinced by arguments about abortion (such as is the case with the Senators here in Minnesota), try using other reasons to make the case, such as the angle that the health care bill is a major expense at a time when our country can’t afford another money pit.

The best chance to defeat the bill is still in the House, so focus on your Congressmen, especially those of you who live in districts with more moderate Democrats who voted for the original Stupak amendment.  Move your cursor over the Contact header on the main Rosaries for Life site to contact your Senators and Congressmen!

Don’t forget to fast and pray the Rosary for our nation in this critical time!  If you have not already pledged your prayers, please do so!

Update:  At US News and World Report, there is this informative report about the current abortion related issues in the health care bill.

She crossed the Atlantic 25 times back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, founded many hospitals, and spent time in Central and South America as well.  She cared deeply about immigrants and is now the Patron Saint of Immigrants.

She also performed a spectacular miracle after her death.  A nurse/nun accidentally gave a newborn baby an incorrect dose of silver oxide in the eyes that burned the baby’s eyes out!   The baby’s eyes and sight were miraculously recovered due to the intercession of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini.

For more about this wonderful saint, go here, and for a detailed account of the miracle mentioned above (and others), I recommend the book,  Nothing Short of A Miracle, by Patricia Treece.

Let’s ask this great saint to intercede strongly for our country, especially for moral and compassionate solutions to our immigration and health care issues!

Now on to the subject at hand…  A little known apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which was approved both by the local bishop and by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (then headed by Cardinal Ratzinger), took place in Akita, Japan in 1973.  1973, of course, was the year in which abortion was legalized in the United States, and also a time when abortion laws were liberalizing around the world.

A statue of Mary wept 101 times there, and Sister Agnes Sasagawa received some very serious messages.  It is quite enlightening, as we consider the dangers of our times, that such frightening messages were approved by the Vatican.  Please read this approved message (which occurred on October 13th, also the date of the last apparition at Fatima) and let it inspire you to greater prayer for our country, for the unborn and other lives at risk, and for the whole world:

If men do not repent and better themselves, the
Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It will
be a punishment greater than the deluge, such as one will never
seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great
part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither
priests nor faithful. The survivors will find themselves so
desolate that they will envy the dead. The only arms which will
remain for you will be the Rosary and the Sign left by My Son.
Each day recite the prayers of the Rosary. With the Rosary, pray
for the Pope, the bishops and priests.

The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in
such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops
against bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and
opposed by their confreres…churches and altars sacked; the
Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon
will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service
of the Lord.

The demon will be especially implacable against souls consecrated
to God. The thought of the loss of so many souls is the cause of
my sadness. If sins increase in number and gravity, there will be
no longer pardon for them.

Pray very much the prayers of the Rosary. I alone am able still
to save you from the calamites which approach. Those who place
their confidence in me will be saved.

Don’t be fooled by the rhetoric.  Even the left-leaning factcheck.org comes to the conclusion that the health care bill currently being proposed WOULD have coverage of abortion.

Don’t be fooled by Obama’s misleading statement in his speech to Congress that “no federal funds will pay for abortions” either.  Many seem to have been fooled by this, including some elements within the USCCB.  This DOES NOT mean that the plan does not COVER abortions (though that’s what he would like you to believe).  It simply means (again from the factcheck.org article linked above):

The Capps amendment does contain a statement…that prohibits the use of public money to pay for abortions, except in cases of rape, incest and to save the life of the mother. That would still allow the public plan to cover all abortions, so long as the plans took in enough private money in the form of premiums paid by individuals or their employers.

In other words, abortions ARE covered by the plan, but they are paid for using the premium revenues rather than the money that the government chips in.  Very deceptive indeed, and probably an outright lie, since premiums, once received, are also federal funds.  With this, any tiny bit of good will and honesty that I’d have liked to presume that this Administration had is gone.   Go here for more details about this deception.

PLEASE get involved and let your senators and congressmen know how you feel.  The “Contact” tab on our main site will get you to the right place.  It is vitally important to the future of our country that we derail this plan.

For the best Catholic perspective I’ve seen on this health care bill, and health care issues in general as they relate to Catholic teaching, I HIGHLY recommend that you read the statement of Bishops Finn and Naumann of Kansas City.  It is quite debatable whether this plan is the right plan for our country even if the legislation did not provide coverage for abortion, but as long as it does include abortion, we Catholics MUST oppose this with all of our might!