Wednesday, September 3, 2008

FROM H2O News:

Our Lady of Guadalupe in the life of Ingrid Betancourt

Faith in Christ and Marian piety are the two pillars in the life of Ingrid Betancourt. After nearly 7 years of being held captive in Colombia, Betancourt gave an exclusive interview to Vatican Radio and H2onews.

"Without faith there is no hope, without hope there is no strength, no strength to continue spiritually fighting. Faith is everything, it is what gives meaning to life and faith in Christ in particular."

Betancourt confided to the Pope that she discovered the Virgin through reading the Gospels, adding that she has full confidence in the intercession of Our Lady of Guadelupe for resolving this conflict.

"When I thought of the Virgin, I thought of Our Lady of Guadelupe, the Guadalupana, the little dark one, and I always, always felt that she was very close to me, and even now I know that she is close, helping us and will help all those who remain in captivity in Colombia. She will rescue them, you will see it. She will do this miracle for us. "

YouTube bans videos critical of Planned Parenthood

Silencing the opposition


LOS ANGELES, Sept. 2 /Christian Newswire/ -- YouTube, the popular Internet-video website, blocked four videos from the pro-life student organization Live Action over the past two weeks, saying that the videos contained "inappropriate content."

YouTube gave neither advance warning nor specific reasons for why the videos were removed, and has not responded to Live Action's request to cease censorship and to unblock the videos for public viewing.

Read the rest of the story here: California Catholic Daily

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

USCCB RESPONDS TO PELOSKI

Breaking: USCCB releases 2-page responding to Pelosi

The USCCB Press Release:

CHURCH TEACHING AGAINST ABORTION CONSTANT THROUGH CENTURIES, SAYS NEW RESOURCE

WASHINGTON— To help end confusion caused by recent misrepresentations of Catholic Church teaching on abortion, the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities has issued a two-page fact sheet called “Respect for Unborn Human Life: The Church’s Constant Teaching.” [Here as PDF]

Public debate on the topic was prompted by misleading remarks by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, August 24 in an interview on Meet the Press. On August 26, Cardinal Justin Rigali, chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Bishop William Lori, chairman of their Committee on Doctrine, issued a statement to correct her remarks. Other Catholic bishops released similar statements.

“This well documented fact sheet will help Catholics and others form their consciences in accordance with the Church’s unchanging teaching in defense of unborn human life,” said Deirdre McQuade, Assistant Director for Policy and Communications at the USCCB’s Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities.

Among other points, the fact sheet states that “modern science has not changed the Church’s constant teaching against abortion, but has underscored how important and reasonable it is, by confirming that the life of each individual of the human species begins with the earliest embryo.”

The full text of “Respect for Unborn Human Life: The Church’s Constant Teaching” is available online at wwwusccb.org/prolife/constantchurchteaching.shtml.

Tribulation Times - http://www.tribtimes.com


Tribulation Times

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/august.asp?version=31

September 3, 2008     

HOMILY: What Ardent Practicing Catholics Do

EXCERPT: Don't Blame the Bishops- Catholic means pro-life by Father Thomas D. Williams

Some people think that when Catholics compare abortion to slavery or to Nazi anti-Semitism they are engaging in hyperbole. They couldn't be more wrong. Abortion is not only the greatest social injustice of our century; it is arguably the greatest social injustice of all time. Abortion circumscribes an entire class of human beings (the unborn) as non-citizens, excluded from the basic rights and protections accorded to all other human beings. In this way abortion mimics the great moral tragedies of all time, which always began with the denigration of an entire class of people as unworthy of life or freedom.

The evil of abortion is compounded by the magnitude of the problem. Though completely reliable statistics are unavailable, conservative estimates place the number of legal abortions performed worldwide each year at 25-30 million, a figure that alone makes abortion a social problem of staggering proportions. "Humanity today offers us a truly alarming spectacle," wrote Pope John Paul in his 1995 encyclical letter Evangelium Vitae, "if we consider not only how extensively attacks on life are spreading but also their unheard of numerical proportion." The legal, systematic elimination of the most vulnerable members of society is the most heinous crime known to man. To fail to oppose it is to make oneself complicit in it.

MORE: Can't Be Right by Fr. Frank Pavone  National Director, Priests for Life

An honest look at what an abortion is, and at how many victims it claims, is enough to reveal that nothing outweighs its gravity among the many "life issues." Multiple Church documents have confirmed this insight, repeating over and over that the abortion tragedy demands urgent attention and priority.

While some have tried, shamelessly, to obscure and contradict this teaching, many are quite able to understand and accept it.  Yet the truth is even deeper than the statement, "Being wrong on abortion outweighs being right on other issues."

The full truth is, if you are wrong on abortion, you can't be right on other issues.

To permit abortion, but then to cry out for the right to work, housing, education, health care, and so forth, is to say that these other rights belong to some people but not to all.  They obviously do not belong to those who were snuffed out by abortion.

Therefore, these rights cannot be human rights, because you have already said that not all humans have a claim on them.  This trivializes those other rights and puts them on an obscure and questionable foundation.

If you permit abortion, then, on what basis do you defend the other rights?  Why do we care for the poor?
Because they have a right to food, clothing, and shelter.  But why do they have a right to those things?
Because they have a right to live.  Why are we concerned about unemployment?  Because people have a right to make a living.  Why do they have that right?  Because they have a right to live.  It all comes back to that foundational right.  Abortion is not the only issue, but neither is the foundation of a house the only part of a house.  Take it away, however, and see how well you can build the rest.

The reason that being wrong on abortion makes it impossible to be right on other issues is that the heart and soul of every "issue" is precisely the dignity of the human person, whose right to life is not under the dominion of any other person.  A person's dignity comes from the fact that he or she is human, not that someone else decides to grant that right at some point in time.  Any human right begins when human life begins; otherwise, it isn't a human right, but rather some kind of benefit bestowed for another reason.

Now if you can take the right to life away from some humans, as abortion does to the children in the womb, then obviously you can take away from those same humans all their other human rights, because none of those other rights made such a claim upon your respect that you had to let those people live to possess it.

This is why the Pope has said that when the right to life is not protected, cries for other human rights are "false and illusory." When one is wrong on abortion, one cannot be right on anything else.

Ladder of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 7- "On Joy-Making Mourning"

31. Just as fire is destructive of straw, so are pure tears destructive of all material and spiritual impurity.   

Prayer request?  Send an email to: PrayerRequest3@aol.com

This month's archive can be found at: http://www.catholicprophecy.info/news2.html.


Sad Story

Rare exception

Tijuana prosecutor says abortion ok for 12-year-old rape victim


State prosecutors in Baja California have given the green light for a 12-year-old girl who became pregnant after twice being raped to obtain a legal abortion.

Rape, "genetic malformation," and grave risk to the life of the mother are the only exceptions to a Baja California law making abortion a criminal offense. In order to obtain an abortion under any of the exceptions, a woman must first present evidence and obtain permission from state legal authorities, then find a physician willing to perform the procedure.

The case involves a girl identified publicly only as "Yesenia," who is six weeks pregnant after allegedly being raped first by her brother-in-law and later by a man identified only as "a mechanic." The child's mother brought the case to the attention of authorities.

Continue reading here: California Catholic Daily

Monday, September 1, 2008

Labor Day Blessing: SBA List President Praises Latest Example of Palin Pro-Life Values



ST. PAUL, September 1 /Christian Newswire/ -- Today, in response to the announcement that GOP Vice Presidential Nominee and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will soon be a grandmother to the child of daughter Bristol, the President of the Susan B. Anthony List offered the following statement:

"The unexpected child -- what Barack Obama has called 'punishment' -- is praised as a blessing by Todd and Sarah Palin," said Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser. "Once again, the contrasting wordviews of the pro-life Sarah Palin and the pro-abortion Barack Obama come into stark relief for American voters."

"We live in an imperfect world. When crisis reaches our children we feel it intensely. As a mother of five, I am uplifted to have this example of incredible maternal courage. I am not alone in this. Today's announcement is just one more example of how Sarah truly represents authentic women's leadership. When it comes to choosing life, Sarah Palin doesn't just talk the talk, she personally walks the walk, time and time again."

"Sarah Palin's family is a microcosm for every courageous pro-life story there is, and I admire her even more now. Her response of boundless love and inclusiveness is a shining example for every family facing a crisis. As Americans everywhere relax and ponder the fruits of their labor today, the Palin family offers us a powerful reminder of what matters most: family, love, and the blessing of human life."

Today the Palin family announced that their daughter Bristol is facing her first pregnancy at age 17. She will marry the child's father. Sarah and Todd Palin issued a statement saying, "We are proud of Bristol's decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents. As Bristol faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support." In April of this year, Sarah Palin gave birth to her fifth child, Trig, who was born premature with Down Syndrome. Recent statistics show that in the U.S., approximately 90% of Down Syndrome diagnoses end with the mother choosing abortion.

In 2006, Sarah Palin was endorsed by the Susan B. Anthony List Candidate Fund in her race for Alaska governor. In addition to extensive fundraising for pro- life candidates, the Susan B. Anthony List will implement "When Women Vote, Pro-Life Candidates Win!"- a sophisticated voter mobilization program that will target over one million pro-life women voters across seven battleground states. The Susan B. Anthony List plans to invest over $6 million in its 2008 election efforts.

Since its founding, the Susan B. Anthony List Candidate Fund has helped elect 75 pro-life candidates to the House, seven to the Senate, and seven to other statewide offices across the country.

Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser is currently in St. Paul, MN, for the Republican National Convention. She is available for interviews in person and by telephone in St. Paul through Thursday of this week.

The Susan B. Anthony List is a nationwide network of Americans, over 147,000 residing in all 50 states, dedicated to mobilizing, advancing, and representing pro-life women in politics. Its connected Candidate Fund increases the percentage of pro-life women in the political process.

Sad News From Mexico

“Execrable crimes”

Mexico City’s archbishop condemns Supreme Court ruling upholding abortion law, while abortion advocates celebrate


Bells in the towers of Mexico City’s 16th century Metropolitan Cathedral rang out in mourning on Thursday, Aug. 28, when news reached the archbishop that Mexico’s Supreme Court was going to let stand a law legalizing abortion in the nation’s capital city.

While the
high court has yet to issue a formal written opinion, during a nationally televised hearing last Thursday, it became clear that eight of the court’s 11 justices were going to rule in favor of legalized abortion in Mexico City.

Since the left-leaning local Assembly of the Federal District adopted a law permitting unrestricted abortion through the twelfth week of pregnancy in April 2007, more than 12,000 women have obtained free abortions in government-run hospitals. The Federal District, which includes Mexico City, is similar to the District of Columbia in the U.S. – the seat of the federal govern
ment.

The law was challenged by the federal attorney general and the National Human Rights Commission, who argued that it violated a provision in Mexico’s constitution that promises protection of human life from the moment of conception.

Continue reading here: California Catholic Daily