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Ash Wednesday #AshTag? Yup.

cnl — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 04:02:06 +0000

Happy Ash Wednesday, y'all! I know this is late but I've been busy (mostly driving). Yes, those are my ashes on my freckled face. lol. My twitter is set to private and the #ashtag won't work because of it so I decided to just share it on here. :) I personally think Fr. Alexander made it look like a dove. ;)I went to Mass this morning as usual and was very excited to see the entire church packed(standing room only) at 8 a.m. I'm not even going to criticize those who only attend Mass on Ash Wednesday, Easter, and Christmas because it's not my place to. Anyway, after Mass I received my ashes and have had to keep myself from accidentally touching them. lol.I had my first "What's that on your forehead?" comment early on (at 10 something in the morning) and I followed that with an explanation on why we did it. The response to my explanation was "well, I'm Christian... we don't do that." Since I'm trying to not start any problems, I just thought "Well, I'm Christian too and I still did it." (Friendly reminder to those who didn't know: Catholics are technically Christian since we believe in Jesus Christ.) I got looks throughout the day but I didn't pay attention. Mom said Christian co-workers made fun of her and other fellow Catholics at work and then spewed hatred... you know, stuff we Catholics have unfortunately heard at some point of our lives. Since this is a quick post, I won't write what I'm giving up for Lent... mostly because I'm not really giving up anything. I'm actually adding. I'll explain it all (hopefully) tomorrow since I'm exhausted from the driving and I have an early morning tomorrow with my Thesis adviser. Quick question for those who will read this (since they are still up)... are any of you leaving your ashes on until they fade or are you washing it off today/tomorrow? I am always curious because everyone seems to have their own tradition regarding this. :)Okay, that's it for now. This sinner just wanted to share my ashes with y'all. Hope the week's been going well for y'all. :DAs always, thanks for reading and God bless. :D

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Journey of a Catholic Nerd Writer

Obama Advisor: Kids from Large Families Are Dumb

cnl — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 03:50:00 +0000

As da 5th or sixth kid in a big fambly, I guess I'm like kinda' dumm. At leest das wat da Whyte House sez.Terry Jeffrey of CNS writes:

John P. Holdren, the top science adviser to President Barack Obama, wrote in a book he co-authored with population control advocates Paul and Anne Ehrlich that children from larger families have lower IQs.The book—"Human Ecology: Problems and Solutions"—argued that the United States government had a “responsibility to halt the growth of the American population.”“It surely is no accident that so many of the most successful individuals are first or only children,” wrote Holdren and the Ehrlichs, “nor that children of large families (particularly with more than four children), whatever their economic status, on the average perform less well in school and show lower I.Q. scores than their peers from small families.”Holdren and the Ehrlichs published "Human Ecology" with W.H. Freeman and Company in 1973. In June 2000, a study published in American Pyschologist debunked the notion that children in larger families have lower I.Q.s. But when Holdren appeared in the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee in 2009 for a confirmation hearing on his appointment to run the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, he continued to argue for the benefits of “smaller families” on other bases.In "Human Ecology," Holdren and the Ehrlichs concluded: “Population control is absolutely essential if the problems now facing mankind are to be solved.”“Political pressure must be applied immediately to induce the United States government to assume its responsibility to halt the growth of the American population,” they wrote.

I guess I should apologize to my five kids. I guess I should tell them not to dive headfirst into the shallow end of the gene pool.Darn. If only the government could've stopped me from reproducing so much.Oh, and please don't think this is just one guy who said or thought something weird and he's an anomaly. Anyone else think it's a coincidence that this administration's top priority is funding Planned Parenthood and forcing Catholic institutions to pay for contraception.

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Creative Minority Report

Freedom of Worship vs. Freedom of Religion

cnl — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 03:29:01 +0000

There is much ado lately about the few times in the past three years when President Obama or Secretary of State Hillary Clinton used the phrase “freedom of worship” rather than “freedom of religion.” The term was good enough for FDR to include in his Four Freedoms in a speech before Congress on January 6, 1941 – “the freedom of every person to worship God in his own way – anywhere in the world,” as he wrote it himself. The same term is now Exhibit A for those prosecuting the charge that the Obama administration is set on subverting the freedom of religion.

The case was made this week at First Things:

Recently, both President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have been caught using the phrase “freedom of worship” in prominent speeches, rather than the “freedom of religion” the President called for in Cairo.

If the swap-out occurred only once or twice, one might appropriately conclude it was merely a rhetorical accident. However, both the President and his Secretary of State have now replaced “freedom of religion” with “freedom of worship” too many times to seem inadvertent.

Rick Santorum is in on it, too:

“When you have the president of the United States referring to the freedom of religion, and you have the secretary of State referring to the freedom of religion, not as the freedom of religion but the freedom of worship, you should get very nervous, very nervous,” he told students at Hope College, a Reformed Church school.

“Because there’s a lot of tyrants around the world who will talk about freedom of worship, but they won’t talk about freedom of religion. Freedom of worship is what you do within the four walls of the church. Freedom of religion is what you do outside the four walls of the church. What the president is now seeming to mold, in the image of other elitists who think that they know best, is to limit the role of faith in the public square and your role to live that faith out in your public and private lives.”

But a quick check of government Web sites finds that, in fact, the Obama administration continually uses the phrase “freedom of religion.” For example, Clinton started off her remarks at a conference last December by speaking of the need to protect “two fundamental freedoms – the right to practice one’s religion freely and the right to express one’s opinion without fear.” That would seem to cover the territory, twice over.

She continued:

At the same time, as we strive to protect individuals from violence and discrimination because of their religion or their beliefs, we must also express the freedom of expression. Now, in the United States, we take that especially seriously because many of those who came to our country came for religious reasons. They came because they were being discriminated against or their religion was being outlawed. They started coming in the 17th century, and they still come all the way through the 21st century.

Well, how would one know that you were being discriminated against if you didn’t have the right to freedom of expression? Your neighbor knows, well, that person is different from me because he or she believes differently. So the freedom of religion and the freedom of expression are absolutely bound up together.

One quickly finds steady use of the term “freedom of religion” on the White House Web site as well. “Our Nation’s enduring commitment to the universal human right of religious freedom extends beyond our borders as we advocate for all who are denied the ability to choose and live their faith,” President Obama said in a proclamation. ” My Administration will continue to oppose growing trends in many parts of the world to restrict religious expression.”

The term “freedom of religion” shows up frequently in statements from Obama. There are many other examples – here and here and here and here and here and here and here and others. I could only find two references to “freedom of worship.” Both were paired immediately with freedom of speech.

The terms “freedom of worship” and “freedom of religion” are often used interchangeably. There is a difference in meaning, but the effort to take a few remarks out of context and spin them into a massive conspiracy against civil rights – threatening enough to make us “get very nervous” – lacks a basis in reality.

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dotCommonweal

Lent In Two Minutes

cnl — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 03:15:00 +0000

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Making Things Visible

Docs Filmed Agreeing to Illegal Abortions "No Questions Asked."

cnl — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 03:10:00 +0000

Women are being granted illegal abortions by doctors based on the sex of their unborn baby, an undercover investigation by The Daily Telegraph reveals. The Brit newspaper is going all Lila Rose on abortuaries. Seems like great news to me that the media's stepping up -even a little.These doctors at British clinics have been secretly filmed agreeing to terminate foetuses purely because they are either male or female. Clinicians admitted they were prepared to falsify paperwork to arrange the abortions even though it is illegal to conduct such “sex-selection” procedures. Hear the doctor say, "I don't ask questions."Check out this horrifying video. Kudos to The Telegraph for doing this work:

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Creative Minority Report

Neither Catholic or Cogent

cnl — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 02:47:00 +0000

A couple of days ago I posted this video. Life moves pretty fast and I didn't have time to comment on it. A reader, a baptist convert cried out for commentary. I found this quote about Mr. Obrien on the website. "Mr. O’Brien speaks clearly and cogently against the challenges to sound reproductive rights and health policy put forward by the powerful Catholic hierarchy, which uses every means at its disposal, including financial strength, political clout, false claims of universal acceptance of its positions by Catholics, or outright threats to punish or publicly shame those who don’t follow its edicts."A couple of points. First, Mr. Obrien is in fact articulate. However, speaking articulately is a far cry from speaking "clearly and cogently." Which I assume is to say that he really makes a lot of sense. He is simply a rhetorician. That is a nice word for a big mouth. I used to enjoy guys like him in the street. Second, notice what they do here. They shift their methods and techniques off on to the Catholic hierarchy. They love to impose their secular pagan beliefs on everyone through force of law and name calling. The Catholic Church, simply proposes, and leaves to your free will whether you will accept the truth or not. Nevertheless, Mr. Obrien would have you believe that because the Church views contraception as the complete opposite of authentic sacrificial love, they are somehow heavy handed. Yes, Mr. Obrien, teaching people how to love certainly is big and mean and scary. The Church isn't trying to impose through force of law or physical force or any other such non sense Catholic doctrine on anybody. Though frankly, she needs to begin publicly and clearly denouncing guys like Mr. Obrien. Mr. Obrien uses the same stupid argument in the video. "Freedom from religion" he calls it. Wake up John, you have freedom from religion, stop calling yourself Catholic, leave the Church. You don't have to stay if you don't like the teaching. There are plenty of secular pagans who think exactly as you do. NO need to remain. I promise no one will try to put you in an arm bar and physically force you to stay. Mr. Obrien's argument is simply for tyranny. He likes freedom if it happens to coincide with his ideology. Women should be free to have the government give them free stuff, the pill for example. However, the Church, who doesn't believe in the pill is not free to say no. Insurance companies are not free to say no. And Mr. Obrien, doesn't think that arguing or fighting for having that freedom is acceptable. He thinks force is a-ok, as long as his ideologues are the people imposing it. Get used to the phrase "discriminating against a conscience." Mr. Obrien, is not clear or cogent. He is actually a silly little bugger. DO you see how quickly injects the word discriminate into the argument? A little tactic to scare the Christians. While you are wondering if you are a bigot, he is speaking some form of ancient jibberish. There is no discrimination, they are free to seek other employment if there benefits aren't to their liking, they are free to turn down the job offer if their benefits aren't to their liking. They are even free to use contraception if they like. I don't recommend it, but that's another blog entirely. What they are not free to do is impose their belief on their employer or the Church and make him give it to them for free. Imagine, if employers had to provide for our every whim so that our every pleasure could be safely indulged. What if I liked skydiving? The "safety" equipment can get quite expensive. Would it be my right to have my employer pay for it? If not why couldn't we create another right? I choose to skydive, it has consequences, but there are certain tools that can help prevent those consequences from happening. Is my employer responsible? This guy Obrien is neither Catholic nor Cogent. I long for the return of men. Real men. Men who are educated and bench 315. Men who like to talk and pray and read and at the same time ready to go to war for the good of the people. I can't lie, at certain times when I see effeminate men like Mr. Obrien acting like Mr. Aggression, I don't want to have a talk with him. His heart is hard and he isn't interested in listening, his primary interest is in undermining the Church and tearing her apart from the inside. That makes me real irritated. I would prefer bumping into him in a dark alley. Since that will probably never happen. I will pray for him. You should as well.

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Making Things Visible

Smudgegate

cnl — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:58:00 +0000

As a certified hypercritical Catholic pundit I want to gen up a controversy as an enforcer of blogosphere orthodoxy.

Here are pictures of two Catholic candidates at the Arizona GOP debate on Ash Wednesday and shockingly – no ashes on their presidential wannabe foreheads. I dub this “Smudgegate” So what if there is no requirement to keep your ashes on all day, much less receive them. So what if this is inconsequential. I demand that Catholic politicians give some signs of their faith in public.

On second thought I guess I am happy when Catholic politician don’t show their faith in this manner.

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The Curt Jester

The Vatican Express — An Authentically Catholic Vacation Bible School

cnl — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:30:02 +0000

It may seem a bit early to be planning for this summer’s Vacation Bible School experience, but it’s never too early to tell our readers about great Catholic resources. For the past several years, we have touted the VBS programming provided by Growing with the Saints. And this year, I’m happy to highly recommend their latest program — The Vatican Express. With an imprimatur granted from Bishop Kevin C. Rhodes of the Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese, Growing with the Saints provides resources that are both theologically sound and kid-tested winners! My own home parish has used their curriculum for the past few summers with the result of greater engagement and increased attendance every year.

Here’s the blueprint for The Vatican Express:

Tour the Vatican Treasures! All about the Holy Father, St. Peter’s Basilica, St. Peter’s Square, Sistine Chapel, Swiss Guard, Michelangelo, Children’s Eucharistic Adoration & more …

Campers… DON’T MISS THE BUS! Climb aboard The Vatican Express!

Meet your tour guide, a member of the Swiss Guard and uncover the Vatican treasures. First stop…St. Peter’s Square!

Explore St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel.

Meet and greet our Pope.

Get to know St. Peter and find out how the Church started.

Read about Saint Jerome (who translated the Bible), and his friend, Lion.

FUN is just around the corner. Step into sensational skits, exciting Bible stories, creative crafts and amazing music!

Fasten your seatbelts for the ride of your life! All Aboard the Vatican Express.

To learn more about Growing with the Saints and all of their tremendous Catholic Kidz Camp Programming, including this latest program, be sure to visit their website.

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CatholicMom.com

E-mail intro

cnl — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:24:00 +0000

by John Jalsevac Catholic priest gives Obama mandate “The Finger (?)”! - John Jalsevac
‘98% of Catholics contracept?’: Not true for hardcore Catholics - Peter Baklinski

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LifeSiteNews

Lent 2012: we, prodigal children, can return

cnl — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:59:13 +0000

Pope Benedict XVI processed from the Benedictine Church of Saint Anselm to the Dominican Church of Saint Sabina on the Aventine Hill. A long standing tradition of the popes, though it was in abeyance for several years until 1979 when John Paul II revived the tradition. The Benedictine monks welcome the Pope and his entourage for a moment of prayer and reflective before processing to the 5th century church of the Dominican Friars where Holy Mass is celebrated with the distribution of ashes. As usual, Cardinal Tomko, the cardinal titular of Saint Sabina's gave Benedict his ashes. The following homily of the Pope's focusses on the origins of this humble sign that assists in our recognition of salvation. Is this our recognition, too?

Ash Wednesday is a day of fasting and penance on which we begin a new journey towards the Easter of Resurrection, the journey of Lent. I would like to reflect on the liturgical sign of the ashes, a material sign, a natural element that, in the Liturgy, becomes a sacred symbol, so important on this day that marks the start of our Lenten journey. In ancient times, in the Jewish culture, it was common to sprinkle one's head with ashes as a sign of penance, and to dress in sack-cloth and rags. For us Christians, there is this one moment which has important symbolic and spiritual relevance.

Ashes are the material sign that brings the cosmos into the Liturgy. The most important signs are those of the Sacraments: water, oil, bread and wine, which become true sacramental elements through which we communicate the Grace of Christ who comes among us. The ashes are not a sacramental sign, but they are linked with prayer and the sanctification of the Christian people. Before the ashes are placed on our heads, they are blessed according to two possible formulae: in the first they are called "austere symbols", in the second, we invoke a blessing directly upon them, referring to the text in the Book of Genesis which can also accompany the imposition of the ashes: "Remember that you are dust and unto dust you shall return".

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Communio