It is, appropriately, on Lent and offers you insight on how to make this holy sojourn both effective and fruitfu. Have a most blessed Ash Wednesday.
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Birth Control Pill Leading Carcinogen
I have a question:
Where is the frontal attack on the lynchpin of the left's argument regarding Mandate HHS -- that this mandate is pro woman's health.
Balderdash!
EWTN Update!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
| Contact: | Michelle Johnson |
| Director of Communications | |
| EWTN Global Catholic Network | |
| Phone: (205) 795-5769 | |
| E-Mail: mjohnson@ewtn.com |
EWTN Responds to Announcement of Religious Accommodation in HHS Healthcare Mandate
Irondale, AL – The following statement was released by Michael P. Warsaw, President & Chief Executive Officer of EWTN:
“I am certainly pleased to see that EWTN’s decision to file suit against the recent contraception mandate of the Department of Health and Human Services may have played some role in forcing the administration to revisit the application of these rules on religious institutions. However, we remain quite skeptical that the changes announced by President Obama will in fact address the concerns raised by EWTN.
According to a White House statement, some religious institutions may no longer be required to directly provide insurance coverage for contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs; however, this accommodation may not actually apply to EWTN or actually give any relief to the Network and other similar organizations. Like EWTN many religious institutions self-insure their healthcare plans, meaning that we will still be forced to pay for these services in violation of our religious beliefs. Today’s announcement certainly does not give any hope to countless individual business owners and people of faith who share the concern about being required to provide for these services which they personally find immoral.
EWTN is particularly concerned that the proposed rules for non-exempted religious organizations will still not be finalized until later in the coming year. This leaves EWTN and other such organizations very uncertain about what the future may hold with regard to this mandate. We will continue to consult with our legal counsel at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty to determine the implications of this revised approach; however, our legal action against the administration will continue. “
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Woman of Grace: St. Scholastica
Woman of Grace: St. Scholastica (480 – 543)
Woman of Grace: St. Scholastica (480 – 543)St. Gregory the Great recounts this story from the life of St. Benedict’s beloved twin sister, St. Scholastica, which shows how expressing our petitions to God with childlike faith and confidence sometimes yields immediate and amazing results.
After Benedict founded a monastery for men, Scholastica remained very close to her brother, founding a convent for women some miles away. Every year Scholastica went to visit Benedict at a little place just outside the monastery gate.
Congratulations, EWTN!
Congratulations to EWTN for its courageous stand in suing the U. S. Government over the HHS Mandate requiring Catholic institutions to offer insurance coverage for contraception and abortion! As we so often emphasize through our television and radio programs and at our conferences and in our study groups, our day and time truly require heroic fortitude and perseverance. We MUST continue to preserve and protect all that is God-honoring in our culture and to reclaim that which has been lost. The Scripture passage from the Book of Esther says it all: "How do you not know that you have been born for such a time as this?" (4:14).
However, this will not be easily done. In many diverse ways we will all be called upon to exercise heroic virtue in the quest to rebuild a culture of life. It may, and will, cost us much. We need to prepare for trial and struggle. We need to embrace our holy duty to meet the challenge -- every challenge presented-- with faith and trust in the God who calls us to it. He will not abandon us nor will He leave us orphaned. But, He may well ask us to enter into the passion of His Son and to suffer with Him for the work to be accomplished. Remember, the blood of the martyrs is the seed of faith.
May we demonstrate by our faithful action and through thought and word that we are truly the sons and the daughters of the Most High God who understand the mission entrusted to us at this critical juncture in the history of man! And may the martyr saints and all of those who stood for truth in their day and time assist us by their prayers and holy example.
Mary, Help of All Christians, pray for us! Angels of God, assist us! Saints Triumphant and Suffering, pray for us! AMEN.
Woman of Grace: St. Josephine Bakhita
Woman of Grace: St. Josephine Bakhita (1869 – 1947)It is natural to express thanksgiving for being released from difficult trials and circumstances. But who would be grateful for those who cause such difficult trials or circumstances? This is the stuff of saints — the very stuff of which Saint Josephine Bakhita was made.
Reconciliation: Breath of Life
I went to Cconfession today. And once again, I was overcome by the gracious goodness of our God. It caused me to wonder why it is that we do not use this sacrament more frequently.
I do know numbers of dear souls who have made a pledge of sorts to go to the Sacrament of Penance at least once a month. And this is commendable -- laudable, even. And I know other souls who frequent the Sacrament bi-weekly or even weekly. This is saintly.
It is said that Pope John Paul II went to confession every day. Imagine. Every day! He, like so many others who have been raised to the altar of Christ, discovered the treasury of grace that awaits us in the Sacrament even when grave sin is not present. Simply put, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is restorative. It is, after all, a sacrament of healing.
For myself this morning, I found it to be exactly that: restorative. And renewing, revitalizing. redeeming. The graces received in the quiet and solitude of confronting Our Lord with our weakness and frailties, our struggles and concerns, our discouragements and frustrations are boundless -- like God's own mercy of which they are replete.
Something about exposing the dark parts of our being to the rays of light that emanate from the Heart of Christ sets us free in new ways. It affects every part of us -- our psyche, our emotions, our spiritual life to be sure, even our physiology -- all are inundated with the healing love of God and, in that holy exchange of Heart-to-heart, new life comes.
I remember one of my teachers in grade school tell us that she often prayed that God would let her die right after receiving the Sacrament of Penance because she would go straight to Heaven. My little girl's mind strove to plumb the depths of what this good and holy religious woman was imparting. She pointed to the sun shining on the snow outside of our classroom window so bright it was near blinding. "That", she said, "is what a soul looks like when it has made a good confession." I got it then. I understood. At least to some extent. Today, I understand more.
What is your burden this day? Is it a deep sin for which you need to receive forgiveness? Is it a weakness or tendency from which you wish to be set free? How about discouragement, hopelessness, or despair? There is a solution. Run -- don't walk -- to the Sacrament! Be set free!
Happy 25th!
Today is our 25th Anniversary in Catholic communications. I can’t believe it! What a joy it has been to proclaim the Good News of Our Lord, Jesus Christ around the world! And what an absolute pleasure and privilege it has been for both Fr. Ed and I to work together in this apostolic work. We appreciate your love and support!
The Meaning of "Duh"
"Mom," said Julia. "It is so sad that Maggie and Elise aren't friends anymore."
"They're not?" asked my daughter. "What happened?"
"Maggie said 'duh'." Julia replied somberly.
"She said, 'duh'?" asked Thea.
"Yes," said Julia, clearly with the sound of "duh" in her voice.
"Well," said Thea. "You know Julia, there are two meanings for 'duh.' It all depends on your tone of voice. You can say 'duh' and it means you agree with someone. Or you can say 'duh' and it means the other person is stating the obvious -- you know, saying what everyone else already knows."
"I know that, Mommy. She said 'duh'!" definition two.
"That's too bad," said my daughter.
"I know." said Julia. "It's really sad."
Thea and I exchanged a knowing glance. Julia was "coming of age" in the world of social communication and beginning to realize that tone of voice matters. She was also beginning to see how fragile friendship can be -- the power of one syllable can destroy it.
Tone of voice and tonal inflection communicate -- often more directly than the actual words being spoken. Tone of voice can bring comfort and solace or hurt and misery. It can be an instrument that heals and bonds a friendship or a sword that slashes it to ribbons.
Tonal inflection is just the same -- it can indicate solidarity or derision by the mere emphasis placed on one word over another.
Just as we ought to select our words carefully so that we properly communicate what we are expressing and are rightly understood, so too should we guard our tone of voice and tonal inflection to make sure of the same.
What we say matters. And how we say it matters, too. Both are creative forces that can bring joy and peace or sorrow and pain. What are your words saying today? Are they relationship builders or relationship busters?
No Mistaking the Line in the Sand
Recently, Bishop David Zubik, Diocese of Pittsburgh, issued a call to action as he spoke plainly about the "battle line" drawn by President Barak Obama regarding health care. Below, you will find the whole letter the good Bishop wrote to his flock. In the meantime, consider the words of Our Lady of Salette, recently posted on the Women of Grace page on Facebook. She, too, is issuing a call to action. Will we heed it? Here is her urgent appeal, and followoing is Bishop Zubik's letter:
"I make an urgent appeal to the earth. I call on the true disciples of the living God who reigns in Heaven; I call on the true followers of Christ made man, the only true Savior of men; I call on my children, the true faithful, those who have given themselves to me so that I may lead them to my divine Son, those whom I carry in My arms, so to speak, those who have lived according to My spirit. Finally, I call on the apostles of the Last Days, the faithful disciples of Jesus Christ who have lived in scorn for the world and for themselves, in poverty and in humility, in union with God, in suffering unknown to the world. It is time they came out and filled the world with light. Go and reveal yourselves to be my cherished children. I am at your side and within you, provided that your faith is the light which shines upon you in these unhappy days. May your zeal make you famished for the glory and the honor of Jesus Christ. Fight, children of light, you, the few who can see.(...)
‘To Hell With You’
January 27, 2012
HHS Edict Will Force Catholics to Violate Conscience
By Bishop David A. Zubik
It is really hard to believe that it happened. It comes like a slap in the face. The Obama administration has just told the Catholics of the United States, “To Hell with you!” There is no other way to put it.
In early August, the Department for Health and Human Services in the Obama administration released guidelines as part of the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The guidelines mandated that by Summer 2012 all individual and group health insurance plans, including self-insured plans, cover all FDA-approved contraception, sterilization procedures and pharmaceuticals that even result in abortion.
A million things are wrong with this: equating pregnancy with disease; mandating that every employer pay for contraception procedures including alleged contraceptives that are actually abortion-inducing drugs; forcing American citizens to chose between violating their consciences or providing health care services; mandating such coverage on every individual woman without allowing her to even choose not to have it; forcing every person to pay for that coverage no matter the dictates of their conscience.
Let’s be blunt. This whole process of mandating these guidelines undermines the democratic process itself. In this instance, the mandate declares pregnancy a disease, forces a culture of contraception and abortion on society, all while completely bypassing the legislative process.
This is government by fiat that attacks the rights of everyone – not only Catholics; not only people of all religion. At no other time in memory or history has there been such a governmental intrusion on freedom not only with regard to religion, but even across-the-board with all citizens. It forces every employer to subsidize an ideology or pay a penalty while searching for alternatives to heath care coverage. It undermines the whole concept and hope for health care reform by inextricably linking it to the zealotry of pro-abortion bureaucrats.
For our Church this mandate would apply in virtually every instance where the Catholic Church serves as an employer. The mandate would require the Catholic Church as an employer to violate its fundamental beliefs concerning human life and human dignity by forcing Catholic entities to provide contraceptive, sterilization coverage and even pharmaceuticals that result in abortion.
There was a so-called “religious exemption” to the mandate, but it was so narrowly drawn that, as critics charged, Jesus Christ and his Apostles would not fit the exemption. The so-called exemption would only apply to the vast array of Catholic institutions where the following applied:
- Only Catholics are employed;
- The primary purpose of the institution or service provided is the direct instruction in Catholic belief;
- The only persons served by the institution are those that share Catholic religious tenets. (Try to fit this in with our local Catholic Charities that serve 80,000 every year without discrimination according to faith. It would be impossible!)
Last September I asked you to protest those guidelines to Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the U.S. Department for Health and Human Services, and contact your political leadership in the federal government. I asked that you request that this flawed mandate be withdrawn because of its unprecedented interference in the religious liberty and freedom of conscience of the Catholic community, and our basic democratic process.
You did. And you were joined by Catholics throughout the country (and many others as well) who raised their voices against the mandate, raised their voices against a meaningless religious exemption.
On January 20, 2012, the Obama administration answered you and me. The response was very simple: “To Hell with You.”
Kathleen Sebelius announced that the mandate would not be withdrawn and the religious exemption would not be expanded. Instead, she stated that nonprofit groups – which include the Catholic Church – will get a year “to adapt to this new rule.” She simply dismissed Catholic concerns as standing in the way of allegedly respecting the health concerns and choices of women.
Could Catholics be insulted any more, suggesting that we have no concern for women’s health issues? The Catholic Church and the Catholic people have erected health care facilities that are recognized worldwide for their compassionate care for everyone regardless of their creed, their economic circumstances and, most certainly, their gender. In so many parts of the globe – the United States included – the Church is health care.
Kathleen Sebelius and through her, the Obama administration, have said “To Hell with You” to the Catholic faithful of the United States.
- To Hell with your religious beliefs,
- To Hell with your religious liberty,
- To Hell with your freedom of conscience.
As I wrote to you last September, with this mandate the democratic process is being ignored while we are being ordered to ignore our religious beliefs. And we are being told not only to violate our beliefs, but to pay directly for that violation; to subsidize the imposition of a contraceptive and abortion culture on every person in the United States.
It is time to go back to work. They have given us a year to adapt to this rule. We can’t! We simply cannot!
Write to the president.
Write to Secretary Sebelius.
Write to our Senators.
Write to those in Congress.
Use the PA Catholic Advocacy Network to send an email message, too.
I have included the addresses in a box accompanying this article. Here’s what you can write:
“Dear (Representative):
“In early August, the Department for Health and Human Services released guidelines that would force Catholic institutions to subsidize through their health care plans contraception, sterilization procedures and pharmaceuticals that even result in abortion.
“It was announced on January 20thby Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the U.S. Department for Health and Human Services, that this mandate is affirmed and that non-profit institutions, including the Catholic Church, have one year to adapt to the mandate.
“This is a direct threat to the religious liberty of Catholics, freedom of conscience and the social service ministry of the Catholic Church. The so-called ‘religious exemption’ in the mandate is no exemption at all as it would require any Catholic institution (that serves non-Catholics or employs non-Catholics) to violate Catholic belief, discontinue to provide health care, or close its doors.
“I ask that you do all possible to rescind the ‘Preventive Service Mandate’ as an unprecedented federal interference in the right of Catholics to serve their community without violating their fundamental moral beliefs.”
This mandate can be changed by Congressional pressure. The only way that action will happen is if you and I take action.
Let them know that you and I will not allow ourselves to be pushed around (or worse yet) be dismissed because of our Catholic faith.
Let them know that you and I will not allow our religious freedom to be compromised.
Let them know that you and I will not allow our religious liberty to be rescinded.
Nobody, not even the president of the United States or anyone who represents him, has the right to say to you and to me as U.S. citizens, as Catholics, or as both: “To Hell with You.”
The president and our elected leaders need to hear from you and me and to listen to us NOW.
And if NOT now, HOW can we get the president to listen to us???
Contact your political leaders
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