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True Beauty  

Posted by Pieta in ,



The Advent season begins next week and we are already inundated with Christmas products in the stores. With all the false concepts of truth and beauty out there, and all the distractions that are woven into the fabric of our society, it is no wonder that we have a massive let down at the end of the Christmas season. As seen in all recent Christmas seasons, we are left with a general malaise after the season because of our misguided preparation. Advent is a preparation for the Child. We are preparing our bodies and our souls to receive him corporeally through the sacraments and through grace.
The sculpture of Mother and Child by Frederick Hart is a beautiful work to contemplate in this advent season.
Newadvent.org gives a great explanation of the Advent season :
According to present [1907] usage, Advent is a period beginning with the Sunday nearest to the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle (30 November) and embracing four Sundays. The first Sunday may be as early as 27 November, and then Advent has twenty-eight days, or as late as 3 December, giving the season only twenty-one days.
With Advent the ecclesiastical year begins in the Western churches. During this time the faithful are admonished
to prepare themselves worthily to celebrate the anniversary of the Lord's coming into the world as the incarnate God of love,
thus to make their souls fitting abodes for the Redeemer coming in Holy Communion and through grace, and
thereby to make themselves ready for His final coming as judge, at death and at the end of the world.

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Harsh Words?  

Posted by Pieta in ,


Cardinal Francis George from the Archdiocese of Chicago had congratulated the President Elect Obama in the USCCB Statement on Obama Administration on November 12th. In his statement, he warns of the possible obstacles the Bishops might have with a radical pro-death agenda. In particular, he forsees the "destructive effect" that FOCA would have on the Pro-life cause.


On wednesday November 19th, the good Cardinal George takes a seemingly strong stance on FOCA.


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Viva Cristo Rey!  

Posted by Pieta in , ,


Fr. Pro walked from his cell to the courtyard and the firing squad, he blessed
the soldiers, knelt and briefly prayed quietly. Declining a blindfold, he faced
his executioners with a crucifix in one hand and a rosary in the other and held
his arms out in imitation of the crucified Christ and shouted out, "May God have
mercy on you! May God bless you! Lord, Thou knowest that I am innocent!
With all my heart I forgive my enemies!" Before the firing squad were
ordered to shoot, Pro raised his arms in imitation of Christ and shouted the
defiant cry of the Cristeros, "Viva Cristo Rey!" -"Long live Christ the King!". When the initial shots of the firing squad failed to kill him, a soldier shot him point blank.

On November 22, 1927, Blessed Miguel Pro was martyred at the age of 37. His love is a testimony to those who face persecution. I often wonder, in the face of martyrdom, would I have the grace to accept death. Or...would I deny our Lord like St. Peter did(three times). That seems so unlikely that a situation like that may present itself in this country of ours. In America, the martyrdom that we see more often is a kind of "white" martyrdom. We are pushed to the boundaries of our society because our refusal to give in to the spirit of the world. That is, an unbloody persecution of our faith. I find myself failing our Lord in this type of subjection,
so why would I think I would be faithful in an opportunity of "Red" martyrdom. My hope is not in my will power...it is not in my intellect...it is not in my wisdom. My hope is in God's Grace.

Blessed Miguel Pro wrote:

Neither suffering nor serious illness, neither the exhausting ministerial
activity, frequently carried out in difficult and dangerous circumstances,
could stifle the radiating and contagious joy which he brought to his life
for Christ and which nothing could take away. Indeed, the deepest root of
self-sacrificing surrender for the lowly was his passionate love for Jesus
Christ and his ardent desire to be conformed to him, even unto death.

As the feast of Christus Rex (Christ the King) approaches (Nov. 23), let the words of Blessed Pro echo in our minds. Being a martyr (def:Witness) does not require death, it requires remaining faithful (being a witness) in times of persecution. If we face any type of persecution in our life, exclaim:

"Viva Cristo Rey!"-"Long Live Christ the King"


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Gianna Jesson  

Posted by Pieta in ,

Amazing Story!!!

Gianna Jesson (Abortion Survivor) part 1

Gianna Jesson (Abortion Survivor) part 2

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WHO IS DOING THIS?  

Posted by Pieta in

Men don’t believe in a devil now as their fathers used to do
They force the door of the broadest creed to let His Majesty through.
There isn’t a print of his cloven foot or a fiery dart from his bow
To be found in earth or air today, for the world has voted so.

But who is mixing the fatal draught that palsies heart and brain?
And loads the earth of each passing year with ten hundred thousand slain?
Who blights the bloom of the land today with the fiery breath of hell,
If the devil isn’t and never was – won’t somebody rise and tell?

Who dogs the steps of the toiling saint and digs the pit for his feet?
Who sows the tares in the field of time, wherever God sows His wheat?
The devil is voted not to be, and of course, the thing is true,
But who is doing the kind of work the devil alone should do?

We are told he does not go about as a roaring lion now,
But whom shall we hold responsible for the everlasting row
To be heard in home, in church, in state, to the earth’s remotest bound,
If the devil by a unanimous vote is nowhere to be found?

Won’t somebody step to the front forthwith, and make his bow and show
How the frauds and the crimes of the day spring up, for surely we want to know.
The devil was fairly voted out, and of course, the devil is gone.
But simple people would like to know, who carries his business on?

Herbert Trench, Irish-born playwright
(1865-1923)

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Psalm 95  

Posted by Pieta in

9: when your fathers tested me, and put me to the proof,
though they had seen my work.
10: For forty
years I loathed that generation and said, "They are a people who err in heart,
and they do not regard my ways."
11: Therefore I swore in my
anger that they should not enter my rest.

What does this say about our generation? It has been
thirty five years since Roe v. Wade. The choices we made this election will surely be sworn upon us, but THERE IS STILL A GOD IN HEAVEN! The grieving for this battle is over. Lets double up our efforts.
"Jesus' victory over the tempter in the desert anticipates victory at the Passion, the supreme act of obedience of his filial love for the Father."(CCC 539)
For forty days, Christ ate nothing. At the end He was tempted three times to give up and satisfy his hunger.
We are tempted relax our efforts and satisfy our hunger to give up.
What is our "pearl of great price"? Is it our wallets? Is it our comfort? Is it politics?
Or, is it the Kingdom of Heaven.
Will we rest?

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OUR CATHOLIC VOTE  

Posted by Pieta in


The stakes could not be higher for this election. The stakes are eternal. The choice before us makes an eternal difference. The difference is eternal. What choice do we have, but to choose life eternal? The eternal choice of “life” is, as we have stated, the only eternal choice.
What will define your Catholic vote?


Is there such a thing as Our Catholic Vote?
I would suggest to you, Our Catholic Vote defines us as a people. We shall be judged by our faith working through love. Voting with our faith, is voting for the dignity of life and working our beliefs out by voting for these life principles.
In voting, we must avoid cooperating with evil at all cost. A vote for the pro-abortion candidates, if their opponent is pro-life, is cooperation with that moral evil of abortion. As Catholics in the public square, we are bound by God’s law to not cooperate with evil.

But, I am not cooperating with abortion. The candidate I am voting for happens to be pro-abortion, but that is not the reason why I am voting for him.
That is an important factor in your decision making process. But what is the moral equivalence to abortion that you can justify your vote for the pro-abortion candidate? I would suggest, in this election, we have no equal or proportionate reasons as explained in the previous articles.
I understand that, but that does not mean I am cooperating with abortion if I vote for a pro-choice candidate.
Cooperation in evil has two distinctions, namely formal cooperation and material cooperation. Formal cooperation in evil is the accent of the will to the evil deed. An example of this would be voting for a candidate precisely because he is pro-abortion. Material cooperation occurs when the cooperator participates in circumstances that are essential to the commission of an act. An example of this would be voting for a candidate despite his pro-choice stance. Either way, you would be cooperating in the evil of abortion. The only difference in cooperation is the degree of culpability.
You may not intend on cooperating with evil, but your vote for a pro-abortion candidate will surely be one that cooperates. Participation in such an evil might be remote, nevertheless, it is participation that must be avoided. This is particularly pertinent since we have a pro-life option.

But the laws of the Catholic Church are so legalistic and I am not bound by those laws when I vote. I am going to vote with my conscience.
The problem with this thought is that many interpret this to mean, “to each his own” or “that every person is entitled to his or her personal preferences and tastes”. This relativistic mantra is morally bankrupt when weighed against the particular issue of “Life”. Using your conscience as the means by which you vote is extremely important. But, your conscience must be formed in truth. If your conscience tells you to murder your child, your conscience is corrupt. The Holy Spirit active within the Church is our guide when discerning such truths.
When is a train most train-like? It is most train-like when the train follows the track that has been laid for it.
When is a person most moral? A person is most moral when that person follows a moral guide (The Church).



“For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against
the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present
darkness” Eph. 6:12

This present hour of darkness has seen a great light-bearer and they have called it “Got HOPE” and “CHANGE we need” in a man. We have “HOPE” is the Lord Jesus Christ and the “CHANGE” we need is our hearts towards the Father’s will. What will define your Catholic Vote?


What will define your Catholic Vote?
Is it, when we vote, do we have the most innocent among us in mind? Before we vote this Tuesday, remember this quote:


“I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I
have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life,
that you and your descendants may live” (Deut. 30:19)


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LAW AFTER THE VOTE  

Posted by Pieta in ,


In the last post, “LOGIC OF A VOTE”, we established that “Life” is the principle right endowed by our Creator, as described in “The Declaration of Independence”. We emphasized why our vote should be primarily geared towards these “Life” principles and how it should form our logic in voting this November. Below, we will see how absurd false logic was used in the past.

I am pro-life, but regardless of who becomes president, nothing is going to change with abortion law. I am going to vote on the other issues.
A previous generation of Americans dealt with a different moral crisis in the same fashion. In pre-Civil War America, one would find many a citizen stating, “I do not have slaves, and I am personally against slavery. But, we can’t do anything about it because it is woven into the fabric of the country.” We can see how foolish that statement is today. In fact, we would ask that person today, “What did you do to help my brothers that were enslaved? Where were you when my sister was taken from her family and sold to your neighbor?” Today we see the same false logic in regards to the law and abortion.

How can electing anyone of these individuals change anything regarding the law in “Life” issues?
This issue is a wildly important one because this is a direct influence the next president will have upon the “life” issue. We can make an obviously logical argument how the “Life” issues will be affected through the election of judges, but that is not the immediate change I am referring to. In fact, the “judges” argument is less immediate then the following argument.
-Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) –

This proposed legislation would create a federally guaranteed "fundamental right" to abortion through all nine months of pregnancy. If these “Life” principles are paramount, which we have established already, then FOCA demonstrates the exact opposite position to “Life”. FOCA would abolish virtually every existing state and federal limitation on abortion.
Click on this link to see what Obama says, in his own words, about FOCA
An example of Obama’s past vote on the Born Alive Amendment:
As an Illinois state senator, Obama opposed legislation to protect children who are born alive, either as a result of an abortionist's unsuccessful effort to kill them in the womb, or by the deliberate delivery of the baby prior to viability. This legislation would not have banned any abortions.


My friends, I submit to you today a question that we will be asked in the future generation: “What did you do to help my brothers that were unwanted? Where were you when my sister was taken from her mothers’ womb and thrown in the trash?”

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LOGIC OF A VOTE  

Posted by Pieta in ,





There is a heavy weight upon our shoulders. The line in the sand is being drawn. I feel the burden of the up and coming election and I am sure you do the same. We all know the issues of most importance.
What issues are you talking about?
We can all agree that all moral issues are critical because in all of them the dignity of the Human person is at stake. Whether the issue is war or peace, poverty, abortion, homelessness, same-sex marriage, euthanasia, cloning, healthcare, equal representation under the law, illicit overbearing taxation, embryonic stem cell research, corrupt banks and so on…. These are all principally “moral issues” because they affect human life.
So, what are you going to propose?
What I am proposing here is that there is a very logical primary principle that we should think about when we make our decision this November. That principle comes from our own Declaration of Independence,



”We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”


Ok, I agree with that, but in what manner should that effect my vote?
Some issues are clear and some are not. Not all issues are of equal importance. We must prioritize the more crucial issues over the less crucial ones. And if there is one that is of greatest importance, then that should take the greatest priority.


But, how do we apply that logic to our vote?
Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is listed in its logical order. All of these rights are fundamental, inherent, and natural. These rights we have do not come from the state or the people. They are “endowed by their Creator”. If they came from the State, then the State can take them away. Life is the foundation of all other rights and the state cannot take that away. Therefore we should vote LIFE.


I total agree with that statement, but I am not a one issue voter. What about liberty and happiness, isn’t the sum of all those issues just as important as that one issue of life?
Human lives are intrinsically valuable in all their dimensions. But there is a logical order to these rights. The third right of Happiness (John Locke called it Property) is dependent upon the second right Liberty. The second two rights are dependent upon the first right of Life. You cannot have good health care if you are not alive and you cannot climb out of poverty if you do not exist. You cannot have lower taxes, if you do not have a birth certificate. You do not have the rights to fight a war or protest a war if you are dismembered within your mother’s womb.
Since the beginning of the Iraq conflict, (7,226,631) children have been killed in American wombs. That number is the reported amount by the abortion clinics around the country. Which is the bigger war?
I think I have explained the logical argument for being a


“ONE ISSUE VOTER”







“The greatest destroyer of peace is abortion because if a mother can kill her
own child, what is left for me to kill you and you to kill me? There is nothing between”




Mother Teresa of Calcutta

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