Blessings at Christmas

“He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God's providence to lead him aright.” —Blaise Pascal (French mathematician, philosopher, physicist and writer, 1623-1662)

May the Lord show you the way and support you in fidelity to His law.

A Blessed Christmas!

Cardinal Laments Same-Sex "Marriage" Law

MEXICO CITY, DEC. 23, 2009 (Zenit.org).- After a law allowing same-sex "marriages" was passed by Mexico City's assembly, the archbishop of that region said that no matter the legislation, these unions will always be immoral.

Cardinal Norberto Rivera, archbishop of Mexico City, stated this after the city's legislative assembly voted Monday to legalize these unions, and to allow adoption by same-sex couples.
The mayor, Marcelo Ebrard, is expected to give the final approval of the measure.

It will never be a marriage, the prelate stated, but only a formal union between two persons of the same sex, and from the perspective of Christian values "it will always be immoral."
He stated that the opposition to homosexual "marriage" is not discrimination, but rather "recognizing and defending marriage as an essentially heterosexual institution."
"Our children and youth run the grave risk of seeing these types of unions as normal," the cardinal said, "and they can falsely understand that sexual differences are simply a personality type."

In this way, he said, they will fail to appreciate the duality of human sexuality, "which is a condition for procreation, and thus, for the conservation and development of humanity."
Cardinal Rivera continued: "Homosexual acts, in effect, close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not come from a true affective and sexual complementarity."

Obama on the Senate Bill

From the Washington Post's blog page:

"President Obama's Broken Health Care Promises"

"Every single criteri[on] I put forward is in this bill," said President Obama about health-care legislation.

Really? Obama promised not to raise taxes for anyone making less than $250,000. The Senate bill includes several tax increases that apply to people who make less than that.

Obama said he wanted a bill that would leave the status quo in place with respect to federal financing of abortion. The Senate bill provides federal funds to help pay for the cost of insurance plans that cover abortion.

Obama said there would be no benefit cuts. The bill cuts Medicare benefits, as the Congressional Budget Office has confirmed.

Obama said that health legislation shouldn't add a "dime" to the deficit. Unless you believe that Congress is going to allow steeper cuts in doctor payments than it has done before, it will add a lot more than a dime.

He said legislation would cut premiums. CBO reports that a lot of premiums will go up.

He said that legislation would reduce health-care costs. The administration's actuaries say it would cause national health-care spending to go up."

NOW IS THE ONLY TIME YOU OWN

STORY NUMBER ONE

Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago. Capone wasn't famous for anything heroic. He was notorious for enmeshing the windy city in everything from bootlegged booze and prostitution to murder.

Capone had a lawyer nicknamed 'Easy Eddie.' He was Capone's lawyer for a good reason. Eddie was very good! In fact, Eddie's skill at legal maneuvering kept Big Al out of jail for a long time.
To show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only was the money big, but Eddie got special dividends, as well. For instance, he and his family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of the conveniences of the day. The estate was so large that it filled an entire Chicago City block.

Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago mob and gave little consideration to the atrocity that went on around him.

Eddie did have one soft spot, however. He had a son that he loved dearly. Eddie saw to it that his young son had clothes, cars, and a good education. Nothing was withheld. Price was no object. And, despite his involvement with organized crime, Eddie even tried to teach him right from wrong. Eddie wanted his son to be a better man than he was.

Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were two things he couldn't give his son; he couldn't pass on a good name or a good example.

One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. Easy Eddie wanted to rectify wrongs he had done.

He decided he would go to the authorities and tell the truth about Al 'Scarface' Capone, clean up his tarnished name, and offer his son some semblance of integrity. To do this, he would have to testify against The Mob, and he knew that the cost would be great.

So, he testified. Within the year, Easy Eddie's life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago Street. But in his eyes, he had given his son the greatest gift he had to offer, at the greatest price he could ever pay. Police removed from his pockets a rosary, a crucifix, a religious medallion, and a poem clipped from a magazine.

The poem read: ‘The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power to tell just when the hands will stop, at late or early hour Now is the only time you own. Live, love, toil with a will. Place no faith in time. For the clock may soon be still.'

STORY NUMBER TWO

World War II produced many heroes. One such man was Lieutenant Commander Butch O'Hare. He was a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier Lexington in the South Pacific. One day his entire squadron was sent on a mission. After he was airborne, he looked at his fuel gauge and realized that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank.

He would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to his ship. His flight leader told him to return to the carrier. Reluctantly, he dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet. As he was returning to the mother ship, he saw something that turned his blood cold; a squadron of Japanese aircraft was speeding its way toward the American fleet.

The American fighters were gone on a sortie, and the fleet was all but defenseless. He couldn't reach his squadron and bring them back in time to save the fleet. Nor could he warn the fleet of the approaching danger. There was only one thing to do. He must somehow divert them from the fleet.

Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, he dove into the formation of Japanese planes. Wing-mounted 50 caliber's blazed as he charged in, attacking one surprised enemy plane and then another. Butch wove in and out of the now broken formation and fired at as many planes as possible until all his ammunition was finally spent.

Undaunted, he continued the assault. He dove at the planes, trying to clip a wing or tail in hopes of damaging as many enemy planes as possible, rendering them unfit to fly. Finally, the exasperated Japanese squadron took off in another direction. Deeply relieved, Butch O'Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the carrier.

Upon arrival, he reported in and related the event surrounding his return. The film from the gun-camera mounted on his plane told the tale. It showed the extent of Butch's daring attempt to protect his fleet. He had, in fact, destroyed five enemy aircraft.

This took place on February 20, 1942 , and for that action Butch became the Navy's first Ace of WW II, and the first Naval Aviator to win the Congressional Medal of Honor. A year later Butch was killed in aerial combat at the age of 29. His home town would not allow the memory of this WW II hero to fade, and today, O'Hare Airport in Chicago is named in tribute to the courage of this great man.

So, the next time you find yourself at O'Hare International, give some thought to visiting Butch's memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of Honor. It's located between Terminals 1 and 2.

SO WHAT DO THESE TWO STORIES HAVE TO DO WITH EACH OTHER? Butch O'Hare was Easy Eddie's son.

Senate Vote Update: Catholic Heath Association SUPPORTS Senate Bill

I had not known this. Tom Peters reports that the Catholic Healthcare Association supports the Senate bill, including taxpayer funded abortions.

Back on August 6, Jack Smith at "The Catholic Key" wrote:

"Since the election and during the buildup toward health care reform, Sister Carol Keehan and the Catholic Health Association she leads have come up for sharp criticism from prolife advocates. For her public support of the president's pro-abortion appointees to her campaign to enact health care reform now, she is accused of being at odds with the USCCB and the prolife cause, both of which have serious reservations about current health care proposals."

On September 11, Jack took some heat from John Allen at the National Catholic Reporter for his column. Defending Sr. Keehan, Mr. Allen wrote:

"Over the years she’s emerged as an important spokesperson for Catholic health care, including the church’s unambiguously pro-life position."

Looks like Mr. Allen owes Mr. Smith an apology.

Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney

Obamacare Moves Forward in Senate. The "Party of Death" Lives up to It's Name

Democrats: all for. Republicans: all against. The Party of Death lives up to its name.

The vote reminded me of the statement columnist Micheal Sean Winters made on July 14, 2009 in the Jesuit America magazine:

"To be clear: I have never voted for a Republican in my life. My mother told me my right hand would wither and fall to the ground if I did. But, if the President or my representatives in Congress support federal funding for abortion in any way, shape or form, I will never vote for them again and I might risk my right hand in the next election by voting for their opponent.

So, call your Senators and Representatives. Call the White House. Many of us pro-life Democrats have given the President the benefit of the doubt on the abortion issue because of his repeated commitment to trying to lower the abortion rate, a commitment he reiterated to Pope Benedict XVI last week. All the good will he has earned among Catholic swing voters, and all the arguments on his behalf progressive Catholics have mounted, all could be swept away if abortion is part of a federal option in health care. Politics is the art of compromise, but on this point, there can be none."

I'm waiting to hear what "progressive Catholics" say about this vote.

Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney

Obamacare, San Francisco Style

On December 16, the left-leaning SF Weekly ran a long story about the insanity of San Francisco government: "The Worst-Run Big City in the U.S."

It's well worth reading. Here's a short excerpt showing what happens when the government get's its hand on healthcare:

"Back in 1999, San Francisco voters were pitched a $299 million bond to "save" Laguna Honda Hospital as a 1,200-bed facility for the city's frail, elderly population. Who doesn't want to help the frail and elderly? A decade later, the Department of Public Works project is still incomplete, its price tag has swelled by nearly $200 million, and the hospital is slated to hold only 780 beds — so the city is going massively overbudget to construct a hospital only 65 percent as large as promised, which is four years behind schedule.

Amazingly, this gets worse. After securing the bond funding to save Laguna Honda as a hospital for the elderly, the Department of Public Health began transferring younger, often dangerous and mentally ill patients there and mixing them among the old people. This went about as well as you'd think: A 2006 state and federal licensing survey noted numerous instances of elder abuse, staff abuse, and patients toting drugs, alcohol, and even loaded weapons. One patient was assaulted four times in four months; to address this problem, staff erected signs reading 'No Hitting.'"

"Catholics Come Home" Initiative

Nice video from CatholisComeHome.org:



I had not heard of this before, that I remember, but it has been around for a while. The video reminds us that our civilization is the work of the Church, which I liked a lot. The Diocese of Sacramento (and others around the U.S.) will be using a variation of this video.

Our San Francisco CBS Affiliate, KPIX TV, came by today to interview Fr. John Itzaina, the pastor of Saints Peter and Paul. You can see the clip here, which also has nice shots of the church, and 94-year old Fr. Austin Conterno celebrating the Mass.

Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney

Virginia Infanticide Case

Diogenese does justice to the story out of Virginia about the Mother who killed her child and is "free as a bird."

"A woman in Virginia suffocated her newborn last week. Because the mother and child were still connected by the umbilicus and placenta at the time the former dispatched the latter, the act is considered no different from clipping a toenail. You go, girl!

Momma is free as the breeze:

“In the state of Virginia as long as the umbilical cord is attached and the placenta is still in the mother, if the baby comes out alive the mother can do whatever she wants to with that baby to kill it,” said Investigator Tracy Emerson. “She could shoot the baby, stab the baby. As long as it’s still attached to her in some form by umbilical cord or something it’s no crime in the state of Virginia.”

The news story attributes the authorities’ inability to prosecute the murder to a 'loophole in state law.' But it isn’t a loophole. It’s a carefully crafted legal fiction whose sole purpose is to declare the unborn child as something less than human in order to permit its mother to kill it...."

"Our society tolerates the gross incoherence of these legal fictions because the fictions themselves are necessary lies, necessary to the public justification of abortion. You'll notice that even the journalists find the business difficult to report without knotting themselves in contradictions. Of this case they write, 'Because the mother and baby were still connected by the umbilical cord and placenta, state law does not consider the baby to be a separate life.' They're saying, in short, state law does not consider the baby to be a baby.

Put that way, something looks wrong."

Nice to See One Man Making a Difference

Senator Ben Nelson is fighting his entire party.

The AP reports on the staunchly pro-life Nebraska Democrat:

"A moderate Democrat whose vote could be crucial said Thursday an attempted Senate compromise on abortion is unsatisfactory, raising doubts about whether the chamber can pass President Barack Obama's health care overhaul by Christmas.

"As it is, without modifications, the language concerning abortion is not sufficient," Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson, a key holdout on the health care bill, said in a statement after first making his concerns known to Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev."

It is certainly nice to see one man fighting for his principles. Senator Nelson says he has other problems with the bill besides abortion, too.

Abortion ? Health Bill?

E. Christian Brugger, a senior fellow in ethics at the Culture of Life Foundation, published an essay that gives a careful analysis of the bills and laws in question.He noted that President Barack Obama himself made a false statement to Congress on Sept. 9 when he said, "[U]nder our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions.

"The falsity of the statement, Brugger explained, "is cleverly disguised."At the end of his analysis, the ethicist concludes: "[A]bortion will be available for federal funding under both the private option and the government subsidized exchange options."Presently, because of the Hyde Amendment, only abortions in extreme situations -- e.g., rape, incest, threat to the life of the mother -- can be federally funded.

VATICAN INVESTIGATION

The Vatican is conducting a doctrinal investigation of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. For the past forty years, the LCWR has deliberately shaped religious life along a path of dissent and apostasy, emerging now finally as an advocacy group for “post-Christian” patterns of life.

It is difficult to imagine how the Vatican has allowed the manifest rebellion and catastrophic decline of female religious communities in the United States to continue for so long. It has been apparent from the first that women religious were hardest hit by the upheaval in values caused by “sexual liberation” and the rapid secularization of culture beginning in the 1960s. Indeed, the fundamentally anti-Christian commitments of many mainstream religious communities was already crystal clear by the 1970s, and after a long generation of ignoring and resisting every effort of the Vatican to bring order out of the chaos, the LCWR—which has always represented the vanguard of the deChristianization of religious life—is finally openly admitting that it is giving up not only on the Church but on Christ Himself.

The sordid history of the LCWR has been cogently recounted by Ann Carey in a fine article in the July 2009 issue of Catholic World Report: Post-Christian Sisters. If you read it, you’ll gasp again at the monumental failure of discipline on the part of Church leadership over the same long generation. This consistent failure to discipline is a scandal of huge proportions in itself, as I have often noted. What might have been handled far more simply, and with the support of many women religious, in the early 1970’s will now be almost impossible to manage without allowing many communities to die, or indeed actively suppressing them.

It has long since been obvious that the Leadership Conference of Women Religious should be disbanded (which, even if it persisted in its defiance, would eliminate its official connection with the Church). It is noteworthy that the doctrinal investigation of the LCWR is proceeding at the same time as the Apostolic Visitation of female religious communities. Readers may recall that two major visitations of American seminaries did help to get priestly formation back on track, but the biggest problems there continue to be with (male) religious institutes. The fact is that ecclesiastical governance and infrastructure facilitates responsiveness to Rome on the part of bishops far more than on the part of religious superiors. Moreover, typical dioceses never became as sick as female religious communities. One wonders, therefore, whether some limbs will have to be amputated to preserve the life of the body as a whole.

In 1992 Rome set up an alternative Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious to accommodate those who could no longer stomach the LCWR. The fact that only ten percent of female orders have since affiliated with the CMSWR is an outrageous testimony to the scope of the problem, though one would love to know what percentage of religious under age 40 are represented by that ten percent. Sadly, as has been typical in our time, what Rome has failed to do has made things worse. In the matter of women religious, Pope Benedict XVI may now have few options left.
Jeffrey Mirus - President of CatholicCulture.org