"Love until it hurts; it takes deep sacrifice to proclaim the word of God. "
"Love until it hurts; it takes deep sacrifice to proclaim the word of God. "
- That all people may receive the opportunities they need to reach their full potential
- For the poor and the poor souls in purgatory
- For the Intentions of the Catholic forum that I put together
(There is a pious story that soon after the death of a certain Poor Clare nun, she appeared to her Mother Superior - who was praying for her soul - and made the following revelation: " I went straight to heaven because I paid all my debts by virtue of this prayer (below)." Please note that this prayer is not meant to take the place of making a sincere Confession. It is meant only as a prayer to foster true contrition and reparation.)
Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Sacred Heart of Jesus, with al its love, all its sufferings and all its merits.
To expiate all the sins I have committed this day and during all my life.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
To purify the good I have done poorly this day and during all my life.
Glory be, etc.
To supply for the good I ought to have done, and that I have neglected this day and all my life.
Glory be, etc.
Image Source: Image believed to be in the Public Domain.
"In the history of the world, the true test of a civili[z]ation is how well people treat the most vulnerable and most helpless in their society," Rounds said. "The sponsors and supporters of this bill believe that abortion is wrong because unborn children are the most vulnerable and most helpless persons in our society. I agree with them."The law, would put abortion practitioners in prison for 5 to 10 years along with fining them $5,000 for performing an illegal abortion. Although it is slated to take effect July 1, 2006, Planned Parenthood is planning to object.
According to Rasmussen Reports, 45% of South Dakotans support the measure while 45% do not. Fox News concluded Americans in general disapprove of it by a 59-35 percent margin. This however is most likely because the law does not include exception for rape and incest, which 70% of Americans support.
Read more on this victory and read the text of this new law.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church:
2271. "Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law: You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish. [Didache 2, 2: SCh 248, 148; cf. Ep. Barnabae 19, 5: PG 2, 777; Ad Diognetum 5, 6: PG 2, 1173; Tertullian, Apol. 9: PL 1, 319-320.] God, the Lord of life, has entrusted to men the noble mission of safeguarding life, and men must carry it out in a manner worthy of themselves. Life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception: abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes. [GS 51 # 3.]"
2272. "Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life. 'A person who procures a completed abortion incurs excommunication latae sententiae,' [CIC, can. 1398.] 'by the very commission of the offense,' [CIC, can. 1314.] and subject to the conditions provided by Canon Law. [Cf. CIC, cann. 1323-1324.] The Church does not thereby intend to restrict the scope of mercy. Rather, she makes clear the gravity of the crime committed, the irreparable harm done to the innocent who is put to death, as well as to the parents and the whole of society."
2274. "Since it must be treated from conception as a person, the embryo must be defended in its integrity, cared for, and healed, as far as possible, like any other human being. Prenatal diagnosis is morally licit, 'if it respects the life and integrity of the embryo and the human fetus and is directed toward its safe guarding or healing as an individual.... It is gravely opposed to the moral law when this is done with the thought of possibly inducing an abortion, depending upon the results: a diagnosis must not be the equivalent of a death sentence.' [CDF, Donum vitae I, 2.]"
2322. "From its conception, the child has the right to life. Direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, is a 'criminal' practice (GS 27 # 3), gravely contrary to the moral law. The Church imposes the canonical penalty of excommunication for this crime against human life."
Image Source: AP
I ask you to join me in writing to Walmart and voicing your opposition. Lent is a great time of year to stand up for our faith. Just write a short comment voicing your opposition to their decision.
Write to Walmart
O my God, at the end of this day I thank you most heartily for all the graces I have received from you. I am sorry that I have not made a better use of them. I am sorry for all the sins I have committed against you. Forgive me, O my God, and graciously protect me this night. Blessed Virgin Mary, my dear heavenly mother, take me under your protection. St. Joseph, my dear guardian angel, and all you saints of God, pray for me. Sweet Jesus, have pity on all poor sinners, and save them from hell. Have mercy on the suffering souls in purgatory.
Tonight's Intentions:
Since this is Lent I am trying to follow the Lenten calendar outlined by Operation Rice Bowl. I will be posting their prayer intentions onward now.
Tonight I pray for those in third world countries that went to bed hungry, and for the small business owners of their countries. May they be safeguarded and find work and food but also saved by Christ.
I've been wanting to post about this for awhile, but I haven't had a chance until today. We, as Catholics, have thousands of beautiful churches, cathedrals, and basilicas around the world. I want to share pictures of some of these.
Please comment below and leave links to information and pictures on some of your favorite Catholic Churches. Here's some of mine:
- The Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, which houses St. Louise and St. Catherines' bodies.
- The Basilica of St John Lateran
- Holy Name Cathedral
- Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
Lent has begun. Last Wednesday we took the blessed ashes upon our foreheads and accepted the invitation of the Church to go into the desert with the Lord.
The desert is the place where Jesus prays and fasts to prepare for his public ministry. It was not the fasting sometimes fashionable today—dieting to have better health or a more attractive figure or to train for a sporting event.
Like Moses in the desert, the pious Jew of Jesus’ day would fast from earthly nourishment in order to become hungry for divine food, to become hungry for God. In the desert for 40 days, Jesus fasted to become empty in order to receive and carry out the will of his Father.
We, the followers of Jesus, need to fast to become free for God. The Church no longer has precise rules for substantial Lenten fasting, except for Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and the result might be that we too easily drift through Lent and find at Easter that we have not made any serious effort. This is greatly to our spiritual loss and that of the Church.
Continue reading
Image Source: Cardinal George Fan Club
St. Catherine was born in the nobility as the youngest of five children in an era when only luxury and art mattered in Europe. However, at the age of 13, St. Catherine sought to become a nun. She was however denied because of her age. So, at the age of 16, immediately following her father's death, St. Catherine married a man named Julian. Julian was a cruel man that didn't provide for Catherine; his unfaithfulness nearly led them to bankruptcy.
It was not until Confession one day that St. Catherine realized how much Jesus loved her even though she sinned. This realization helped St. Catherine to immediately reform her life and in doing so Julian also left his self-centered life behind. St. Catherine shows us the necessity of Confession. St. Catherine even received the Stigmata.
St. Catherine and Julian worked together from that day to help the poor and suffering. They continued this until Julian's death in 1497. In 1493, St. Catherine of Genoa caught the plague yet she miraculously survived.
She was a mystic, visionary, and a writer. She died on September 15, 1510. She was canonized in 1737.
Semidouble (1955 Calendar): March 4
Today the Church remembers St. Casimir of Poland (1458-1483). He was born in 1458 third in the line to the throne of Poland. Yet, even his adolescence was filled with acts of penance including sleeping on the ground, spending a great part of the night in prayer, dedicating himself to lifelong celibacy. He lived for a penitential life for Christ. St. Casimir also had a devotion to Mary and a love for helping the poor.
At the age of fifteen, St. Casimir was made king of Hungaria, but he refused to exercise his intense power. His army was outnumbered and deserted because they were unpaid, so St. Casimir returned home. He once again took up intense prayer. He reigned as king briefly during his father's absence and remained celibate his entire life even when asked to marry the emperor's daughter.
St. Casimir died March 4, 1484 at the age of 26 in Grondo, Lithuania of tuberculosis.
Visit the Sisters of St. Casimir for more information
Prayer:
O God, Who didst strengthen holy Casimir with the virtue of constancy in the midst of royal luxury and the snares of the world: we beseech Thee, that by his intercession Thy faithful people may despise earthly things, and ever aspire to those of heaven. Through our Lord.
Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal
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