Holy Family

The beauty of the family is something that is so very important to bring out in our society.

I have been so blessed to be able to be around so many good families and good examples of families. All have their struggles but all can reflect the holy family in different ways. We celebrate the feast of the Holy Family today with so many attacks on the family. There are attacks against the family through Marriage where people try changing the meaning of marriage, there are attacks against the family in changing the definition of family by people trying to change the definition of the family. We see attacks against the family by not allowing children into the world through contraception and abortion. We attacks at the mocking of large families and the society saying we should not have traditional families. We see attacks against families in so many other ways. But the Holy Family is such an important example especially now with all of these attacks. The beauty of the family that is living a life according to Christ means that children will be raised up to love God, will be raised as good citizens who will be able to help society and values and beliefs will come back into the world. With all the attacks against the families let us pray for the families that they may remain strong and may always show the love and beauty of Christ love by being models of the Holy Family to the world.

HLI Challenges Pastor’s Participation In Obama Inauguration

FRONT ROYAL, VA — The Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer, STL, president of Human Life International (HLI), today challenged Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA to reconsider his participation in the upcoming inaugural ceremonies for President-elect Barack Obama.
“We applaud Pastor Warren’s support of pro-life causes as well as his defense of traditional marriage,” said Father Euteneuer. “This is why we are concerned that his high-profile and explicitly Christian prayerful invocation at President-elect Obama’s inauguration may be perceived as an endorsement, even a blessing, of what will likely be the most anti-life administration in the history of this country.”
President-elect Obama has promised to sign into law the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA), a massive assault on the dignity of life. He is also widely expected to reverse President George W. Bush’s executive order reinstating the Mexico City Policy, which prevents funding of international groups and programs that advocate abortion, as well as funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) which, among other assaults on life, has been demonstrated to support coercive “family planning” measures in China, including forced abortions and sterilizations.
“President-elect Obama has given every indication that he has no respect for the lives of the unborn, and whenever given the opportunity, has promised to enforce the most extreme demands of anti-life groups,” said Father Euteneuer. “This extremist agenda should not be seen to have the endorsement of pro-life leaders such as Pastor Warren.”
“I respect the personal relationship that Pastor Warren has with Mr. Obama,” said Father Euteneuer. “But such a public and explicitly Christian endorsement as this invocation is certainly confusing to those who know Mr. Obama’s record on life issues. We respectfully ask Pastor Warren to reconsider his participation in the inaugural ceremonies, given Mr. Obama’s extremist anti-life views.”

Abortion in Black America

More African American babies have been killed by abortion than twice the total number of deaths from these other causes combined.
AIDS 136,557
Violence 201,491
Accidents 250,087
Brain Vessel 364,586
Cancer 1,118,609
Heart Disease 1,532,362
Abortion 9,683,928
Abortion is a silent killer in our community. From 1981-2000, 9.6 million black children have lost their lives to abortion. This number is more than twice the amount of the other six leading causes of death combined. Since the legalization of abortion in 1973 by Roe vs. Wade, it is estimated that 14,000,000 black children have been aborted.
Did you know?
Over 1,200 black babies die in the United States every day. One out of every three pregnancies in the black community ends in abortion. The birth rate of African Americans is smaller than the death rate.
Black women have 36% of all abortions in the U.S. but represent only 13% of the population. One would expect the abortion percentage to equal the population percentage.
The abortion rate for black women is 3 times that of white women. African American women abort at a rate of 529 per 1,000 live births, while white women abort at a rate of 177 per 1,000 live births. The rate is even greater for married women. Married black women are almost 5 times more likely to abort than married white women.
It has been estimated that African Americans have spent over 4,000,000,000 (4 billion) dollars on abortions since its legalization.
The abortion trend for the last 18 years has steadily declined in the white community and increased in the black community. The CDC has documented a 19% decrease in white abortions, while documenting a 25% increase in black abortions during the same period. If this current trend continues, black abortions will equal white abortions in 2014 and surpass in 2015.
http://www.abortioninblackamerica.com/stats.html

Dignity of the Human Embryo

The Document for the Dignity of a person which was just released has many good things in it but some are so important in debates and for us to help people to see here are two good examples. Paragraph 5 makes a statement that the other side has not been made by the Church. Read this carefully.
Paragraph 5 of Dignitas Personae states.
If Donum vitae, in order to avoid a statement of an explicitly philosophical nature, did not define the embryo as a person, it nonetheless did indicate that there is an intrinsic connection between the ontological dimension and the specific value of every human life. Although the presence of the spiritual soul cannot be observed experimentally, the conclusions of science regarding the human embryo give “a valuable indication for discerning by the use of reason a personal presence at the moment of the first appearance of a human life: how could a human individual not be a human person?”.8 Indeed, the reality of the human being for the entire span of life, both before and after birth, does not allow us to posit either a change in nature or a gradation in moral value, since it possesses full anthropological and ethical status. The human embryo has, therefore, from the very beginning, the dignity proper to a person.

Conclusion of the document states.
The fulfillment of this duty implies courageous opposition to all those practices which result in grave and unjust discrimination against unborn human beings, who have the dignity of a person, created like others in the image of God. Behind every “no” in the difficult task of discerning between good and evil, there shines a great “yes” to the recognition of the dignity and inalienable value of every single and unique human being called into existence. The Christian faithful will commit themselves to the energetic promotion of a new culture of life by receiving the contents of this Instruction with the religious assent of their spirit, knowing that God always gives the grace necessary to observe his commandments and that, in every human being, above all in the least among us, one meets Christ himself (cf. Mt 25:40). In addition, all persons of good will, in particular physicians and researchers open to dialogue and desirous of knowing what is true, will understand and agree with these principles and judgments, which seek to safeguard the vulnerable condition of human beings in the first stages of life and to promote a more human civilization.

Dignitas Personae

Here is just part of the introduction of the Instruction Dignitas Personae on Certain Bioethical Questions. It might be good to read the entire thing the link is at the end.

3. In presenting principles and moral evaluations regarding biomedical research on human life, the Catholic Church draws upon the light both of reason and of faith and seeks to set forth an integral vision of man and his vocation, capable of incorporating everything that is good in human activity, as well as in various cultural and religious traditions which not infrequently demonstrate a great reverence for life. The Magisterium also seeks to offer a word of support and encouragement for the perspective on culture which considers science an invaluable service to the integral good of the life and dignity of every human being. The Church therefore views scientific research with hope and desires that many Christians will dedicate themselves to the progress of biomedicine and will bear witness to their faith in this field. She hopes moreover that the results of such research may also be made available in areas of the world that are poor and afflicted by disease, so that those who are most in need will receive humanitarian assistance. Finally, the Church seeks to draw near to every human being who is suffering, whether in body or in spirit, in order to bring not only comfort, but also light and hope. These give meaning to moments of sickness and to the experience of death, which indeed are part of human life and are present in the story of every person, opening that story to the mystery of the Resurrection. Truly, the gaze of the Church is full of trust because “Life will triumph: this is a sure hope for us. Yes, life will triumph because truth, goodness, joy and true progress are on the side of life. God, who loves life and gives it generously, is on the side of life”.
http://www.usccb.org/comm/Dignitaspersonae/Dignitas_Personae.pdf

question about Holy Communion.

Sometimes you receive different questions in a day they might not all relate to what you are talking about but it is always good to know the answers to these.

So I just received this one. Where can I get information on what happens if you receive Holy Communion in sin?As an unbeliever receiving. Is it addressed in the Bible?

To receive Holy Communion in mortal sin or as an unbeliever is a Sacrilege. So it is a grave sin. Paragraph 1395 in the Catechism states "The Eucharist is properly the sacrament of those who are in full communion with the Church."
Paragraph 1457 states " Anyone who is aware of having committed a mortal sin must not receive Holy Communion, even if he experiences deep contrition, without having first received sacramental absolution, unless he has a grave reason for receiving Communion and there is no possibility of going to confession."

So turning to the Bible we see.
1 Cor 11:26 - 30 " For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. 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. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died."
Clearly St. Paul is giving us a warning. The Church Fathers speak on this and the importance of being in a worthy state to receive communion.

Pro-Abortion Slogans #17

Pro-Abortion Slogan: "Banning abortion discriminates against poor women and women of color. You are racist because you want to keep women of color down by denying them the right to control their own fertility. They will never be able to progress without reproductive rights."Summary of the Pro-Life Response.
(1) CLARIFICATION: "Abortion is not a 'good' that will improve the lives of minority women."
(2) CLARIFICATION: "How strange it is that abortion mills are concentrated in minority neighborhoods!"
(3) CLARIFICATION: "Abortion itself is a racist institution."
Background. Pro-abortionists show by their actions that they don't care as much for the poor as they do for preserving their precious abortion 'right.' They only trot out the tired old "women of color" chestnut when they want to play upon their audience's sympathies and appear compassionate. They say that their objective is to relieve poor women — especially "women of color" — of the "crushing burden of unlimited fertility."
The pro-abortionists are attempting to play the victim yet again.
In reality, they look for women in crisis situations, use them as unwitting tools, and then discard them and forget about them when their usefulness has ended.
The Role of Wealth and Power. Pro-abortionists constantly allege that, if abortion is criminalized, only rich women will be able to kill their preborn children. So what?
Wealth and power have always made breaking the law easier. For example, Teddy Kennedy (D.-umb) walked away from a drowning Mary Jo Kopechne at Chappaquiddick and got away scot-free, because he supports all the anti-life causes and is a United States Senator.
Does this mean that murder should be decriminalized, because the poor don't have the money and influence to kill with impunity? Does not being able to kill freely make the poor victims? Of course not!
The rich will always be able to afford cocaine and other dangerous and illegal drugs, even if it costs a thousand dollars per ounce. Does this mean that we should subsidize dangerous drugs for the poor? Does an inability to purchase the very finest crack cocaine make the poor a class of victims? Of course not!
Abortion is Not a "Good Thing." With this "poor folks" argument, the pro-abortionists are once again begging the question by making a basic false assumption, i.e., Abortion Is A Good Thing. They are trying to paint the poor as 'victims' who would be deprived of a 'basic human right' should abortion be criminalized.
In order to effectively rebut this argument, we must first answer the question: Where does society generally draw the line between unrestricted and restricted availability? If something is perceived to be a basic and necessary "good," i.e., clean drinking water, good food, shelter and health care, the public generally tries to insure that all persons have access to that particular "good."
If society considers something to be "bad," then it has no obligation to insure that everyone has access to it. Such "bads" are alcohol, dangerous drugs, and pornography. Restricting an evil does not make victims of those who cannot practice it. If abortion is criminalized, the only victims will be the preborn babies of the rich, and the rich women who are ravaged by the physical and psychological trauma of abortion. Abortion Itself is a Racist Institution. Pro-abortionists love to call pro-lifers "racists" because, as they allege, criminalizing abortion will hurt "women of color" the most. This is a classic example of pro-abortion projection. The truth, of course, is that abortion itself is racist. Pro-abortionists are enraged whenever a pro-lifer brings up the fact that abortion is exterminating the Black race. In some instances, pro-abortionists have even physically attacked pro-lifers during debates when they show charts demonstrating this fact. Black women obtain abortions at more than twice the rate of White women. And their fatality rate from "safe and legal" abortion is twice that of White women, as shown in the "deaths" document. What the pro-abortionists really want in many cases is not only "safe and legal abortion," but also a reduction in the number of poor and non-White people in this country, either because they are pure racists or because they consider such people to be a "drag on the economy." This is entirely in keeping with the philosophy of Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, who desired "A race of thoroughbreds." For more than a thousand lengthy pro-eugenics and other quotes by Margaret Sanger and other authors from The Birth Control Review, see the Anti-Life Quote Archive, which also contains many racist quotes by modern-day pro-abortionists. Pro-abortion publications commonly discussed this racist goal until their public relations experts wisely decided to hush them up. For example, in a looseleaf workbook entitled "Organizing for Action," published as recently as 1974, the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League claimed that "Legal abortion will result in a reduction in welfare rolls. And notorious California abortionist Edward Allred said that "I would do free abortions in Mexico to stem the new influx of Hispanic immigrants. Their lack of respect for democracy and social order is frightening. ... When a sullen Black woman of 17 or 18 can decide to have a baby and get welfare and food stamps and become a burden to all of us, it's time to stop. In parts of South Los Angeles, having babies for welfare is the only industry these people have

Too many Options

I have found the book Anecdotes & Scripture Notes by Rev John G. Hillier to be a good source for ideas for homilies. Even when though I might not use what he had it can be helpful to put you on a good path for a homily. Here is one of his stories and what he says in story 85

Too many Options.
In our technical world, our lives are drowning in options that consume our time. Even watching television may be a giant undertaking because it seems to take fifteen minutes to go through all the 197 channels trying to choose what to watch. If we shop for spaghetti sauce, we have to choose from a dozen brands the sad truth is that we have become “prisoners of options.”

Reflection
Although some options in modern living may border on the ridiculous, having them is not always bad. Worse than options is the sad truth that we often assign equal value to the choices we have. Making decisions must always be responsible and legitimate. To use the example of abortion, it can never be a correct, moral choice. The question of Choice, by definition, suggests that the outcome would be a valuable one. We may have options concerning how we are to live out the details of discipleship, but what options do we have if Jesus invites us through baptism to follow Him. In fidelity? Only two: to accept whole-heartedly, or not to accept. What will our R.S.V.P be?

There are many times in homilies and stories that we can bring in abortion and keep it on the peoples minds this is a good example of how do to that.

Pope address seminarians

I would now like to address you in particular, dear seminarians, who are preparing to be laborers in the Lord's vineyard. As the recent assembly of the Synod of Bishops also recalled, among the priority tasks of the priest is that of spreading with full hands the Word of God in the world, which, like the seed in the Gospel parable, seems too small a reality, but once it has germinated, it becomes a great bush and bears abundant fruit (cf. Matthew 13:31-32). The Word of God that you will be called upon to spread with full hands and which brings with it eternal life, is Christ himself, the only one who can change the human heart and renew the world. However, we might ask ourselves: Does modern man still feel a need for Christ and his message of salvation?
In the present social context, a certain culture seems to show us the face of a self-sufficient humanity, anxious to carry out its projects on its own, which chooses to be the sole architect of its destiny and which, consequently, believes that the presence of God does not count and so excludes it from its choices and decisions.In a climate marked by a rationalism shut-in on itself, which considers the practical sciences as the only model of knowledge while the rest is subjective, non-essential and determinant for life. For these and other reasons, today, without a doubt, it is increasingly more difficult to believe, more difficult to accept the truth that is Christ, more difficult to spend one's life for the cause of the Gospel. However, as we see every day in the news, modern man often seems to be disoriented and worried about his future, seeking certainties and sure points of reference. As in all ages, man of the third millennium needs God and seeks him perhaps without realizing it. The duty of Christians, especially of priests, is to respond to this profound yearning of the human heart and to offer all, with the means and ways that best respond to the demands of the times, the immutable and always living Word of eternal life that is Christ, Hope of the world.
In face of this important mission, which you will be called to carry out in the Church, the years spent in the seminary take on great value, a time allocated to formation and discernment; years in which, in the first place, must be the constant search for a personal relationship with Jesus, a profound experience of his love, which is acquired above all through prayer and contact with the Sacred Scriptures, interpreted and meditated in the faith of the ecclesial community. In this Pauline Year, why not propose the Apostle Paul to yourselves as model in which to be inspired for your preparation to the apostolic ministry? The extraordinary experience on the road to Damascus transformed him, from persecutor of Christians to witness of the resurrection of the Lord, willing to give his life for the Gospel. He was a faithful observer of all the prescriptions of the Torah and of the Hebrew traditions; however, after having found Jesus "whatever gain I had -- he writes in the Letter to the Philippians -- I counted as loss for the sake of Christ" (cf. 3:7-9). Conversion did not eliminate all that was good and true in his life, but enabled him to interpret in a new way the wisdom and truth of the Law and the prophets and thus be able to dialogue with all, following the example of the Divine Teacher.
In imitation of St. Paul, dear seminarians, do not tire of encountering Christ in listening to, reading and studying sacred Scripture, in prayer and personal meditation, in the liturgy and in every daily activity. In this connection, dear ones responsible for formation, your role is very important, as you are called to be witnesses for your students even before being teachers of evangelical life. Because of their typical characteristics, the Regional Seminaries can be privileged places to form seminarians in diocesan spirituality, inscribing this formation in the largest ecclesial and regional context with wisdom and balance. Your institutions should also be vocational "houses" of welcome to give greater impetus to vocational pastoral care, taking care especially of the world of youth and educating young people in the great evangelical and missionary ideals.
Dear friends, while thanking you for your visit I invoke over each one of you the maternal protection of the Virgin Mother of Christ, which the Advent liturgy presents to us as model of those who watch while awaiting the glorious return of her divine Son. Entrust yourselves to her with confidence, take recourse often to her intercession, so that she will help you to stay awake and vigilant. For my part I assure you of my affection and daily prayer, while I bless you all from my heart.

Culture of Life.

Benedict XVI is praying this month for the expansion of the culture of life.The Apostleship of Prayer announced the general intention chosen by the Pope: "That, faced by the growing expansion of the culture of violence and death, the Church may courageously promote the culture of life through all her apostolic and missionary activities."The Holy Father also chooses an apostolic intention for each month. In December, he will pray that especially in mission countries, Christians may show through gestures of brotherliness that the Child born in the grotto in Bethlehem is the luminous Hope of the world."