The Need to Bear Fruit
Published March 6, 2010 | 
Posted By Fr. Jerome Magat, Catholic Exchange, March 6, 2010
The Gospel passage for this second Sunday of Lent focuses upon the parable of the fig tree that had borne no fruit but was allowed to remain another year so that it might produce a harvest. Like all of our Lord’s parables, the metaphor for the fig tree would have been especially meaningful for His hearers, even as it teaches us important lessons about the time each of us is given in this life to become saints.
The first lesson that can be culled from this parable is that those who only take and don’t give eventually collapse upon themselves and die. The fig tree drew the ire of the person who planted it when he noticed that it had not borne fruit but only exhausted the soil. The same can be true of those who do not bear fruit for the kingdom of God because they only take away from it but do not invest of themselves in the kingdom. Each of us is indebted to God for our lives. None of us willed ourselves into existence. No one ever earned the love that they received in childhood or a chance to live in a Judeo-Christian culture. We all enter into life as debtors and each of us is charged with the task of leaving this world better than we found it when we depart for the next life.
The second lesson that the fig tree teaches us is that God is willing to give us another chance to become holier. Each day is a gift from God. We can use it to advance His kingdom or we can use it merely for our own purposes. Among the sacraments, the sacrament of penance is sometimes referred to as second or third or fourth baptism insofar as it cleanses us from the guilt of our sins. Time and time again, God beckons us to repentance. His generosity is immense.
Finally, the parable of the fig tree teaches us that while God’s generosity is immense, it is not infinite, insofar as God will call us all to an accounting of our lives. God’s mercy is always tempered by His justice. Both His mercy and justice are held in dynamic tension, yet never contradict one another. At a certain point, our chances to repent are exhausted and each of us will have to answer for our lives. It is not as if God shuts us out — we are responsible for our own downfall, should we reject His invitation to repent with contrite hearts. May we never face that sorry predicament.
As the Lenten season draws on, may each of us sense the urgency for conversion that this parable communicates to us. May we be inspired and motivated by the Lord’s expectation that we all bear fruit for His kingdom, each according to his state of life and capacity. And while we depend on God’s mercy to save us, may we never forget that while we live in His mercy in this life, we will live under His justice in the next.
http://catholicexchange.com/2010/03/06/127786/
Cavuto Blasts Obama Transparency Claims: ‘People Have Had It With Phonies’
Published March 6, 2010 | “You know what I think really turns off voters? Not lying politicians, but lying politicians who insist they’re not lying politicians.”
The Neuropsychology of Political Integrity
Published March 6, 2010 | ….The United States is the most successful nation in history because it was founded in governance in God, without conflating politics and religion….
The neurons of the human prefrontal cortex are the only objects in the known universe that are functionally altered by exposure to abstract concepts such as God, truth, freedom, and justice. If God created man in His image, He uses the cells and synapses gathered on the wrinkly surface of the brain behind the forehead to enable us to be grateful to Him and good to each other according to learned values.
Pastor Warren: At what point is a baby entitled to human rights?
Mr. McCain: At the moment of conception.
Pastor Warren: At what point does a baby get human rights?
Mr. Obama: Well, you know I, I, I think that whether you’re looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, uh answering that question with specificity, uh, you know is, is is uh above my pay grade. Uh but but but but let me let me just speak more generally about the issue of abortion because this is something I, uh, obviously the country wrestles with. One thing that I’m absolutely convinced of is that there is a moral and ethical aspect to this issue and so I think anybody who tries to deny the moral difficulties and gravity of the abortion issue I think is not paying attention. So so so so that would be point number one. …
http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/03/the_neuropsychology_of_politic.html
So Much for Draining the Swamp!
Published March 6, 2010 | 
Vatican Hit by Gay Sex Scandal
Published March 6, 2010 | Vatican chorister sacked for allegedly procuring male prostitutes for papal gentleman-in-waiting
The Vatican was today rocked by a sex scandal reaching into Pope Benedict’s household after a chorister was sacked for allegedly procuring male prostitutes for a papal gentleman-in-waiting.
Angelo Balducci, a Gentleman of His Holiness, was caught by police on a wiretap allegedly negotiating with Thomas Chinedu Ehiem, a 29-year-old Vatican chorister, over the specific physical details of men he wanted brought to him. Transcripts in the possession of the Guardian suggest that numerous men may have been procured for Balducci, at least one of whom was studying for the priesthood.
The explosive claims about Balducci’s private life have caused grave embarrassment to the Vatican, which has yet to publicly comment on the affair.
While Catholicism does not condemn homosexuality outright, its teaching is that homosexual acts “are intrinsically disordered”. The Catechism of the Catholic church states unequivocally: “Under no circumstances can they be approved.”…. CONTINUE…. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/04/vatican-gay-sex-scandal
Country Music Star Randy Travis to Headline Terri Schiavo Benefit Concert
Published March 6, 2010 | By Peter J. Smith, March 5, 2010, LifeSiteNews.com
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana – Country music stars Randy Travis and Collin Raye will both be performing in Indianapolis in April to benefit the foundation set up in honor of Terri Schiavo and to help commemorate the five year anniversary of her death.
Randy Travis is headlining The Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Concert scheduled for Sunday, April 11, 2010, 7 PM at the Murat Theatre in Indianapolis.
Bobby Schindler, Terri Schiavo’s younger brother, spoke with LifeSiteNews.com about the event. “Randy Travis was part of our efforts way back in helping Terri,” he said. “He attached his name to a press release with some other celebrities speaking out on behalf of Terri and our family. So he was kind of the first one we wanted to approach because of his support.”
Travis has spent twenty-five years on the country music charts and has become one of the top-ten selling solo country artists of all time, with twenty-two number one hits, six Grammy Awards, five Country Music Awards, nine Academy of Country Music Awards, and ten American Music Awards to his credit.
“Even if you don’t like country music,” said Schindler, “anybody that has every listened to Randy’s voice will walk away agreeing that he’s got one of the best voices in the music industry, and not just country.”
The ticket proceeds from the April 11 concert will benefit the Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation (Terri’s Foundation), a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to helping persons with disabilities, and the incapacitated, who are in or potentially facing life-threatening situations.
Collin Raye, who has five Platinum Albums, fifteen number one hits and twenty-four top ten songs, and who was five times nominated as Country Music’s Male Vocalist of the year, will open for Travis.
Schindler said Raye was also very receptive to performing for the benefit concert. His granddaughter, Hailey, is afflicted with a rare degenerative brain disorder and Collin has worked tirelessly to help develop a cure for Hailey and assist other families faced with similar situations. Continue reading
RealCatholicTV.com Has New Program: “Catholic Investigative Agency”…aka CIA
Published March 6, 2010 |
PRO-LIFE VICTORY! Ultrasound Coupon Saves Life of Baby
Published March 6, 2010 | By David Bereit, National Coordinator, 40 Days for Life, March 5, 2010
Last week, we reported on a young mother in Louisville, Kentucky who chose life for her baby after redeeming a coupon for a free ultrasound. That story struck a chord with the 40 Days for Life team in Southfield, Michigan.
The Southfield team tried the same idea … and it worked!
Howard, one of the prayer volunteers, showed his “free ultrasound” coupon to women who were approaching the abortion facility. One woman took the coupon – she seemed quite excited to get it – but then walked into the building.
She came out ten minutes later – and told the volunteers that while she was inside the abortion center, she had called the pro-life pregnancy resource center to ask about the free ultrasound.
They left the abortion facility immediately. “We did the ultrasound and had everyone crying tears of joy,” said Mike, the 40 Days for Life coordinator in Southfield. “The baby’ mother was so overjoyed to see her baby. Praise God!”
A verbal offer of a free ultrasound is certainly good; it appears, though, that the “free coupon” idea makes it seem more real. And besides, everybody likes to get a good deal with a coupon!
Ultrasound also helped save a life in Bakersfield, California. Of course, the prayer vigil in front of the abortion center had a lot to do with it as well.
40 Days for Life volunteers spoke to a 17-year-old and her mother as they arrived for the teen’s abortion appointment. The girl said she was the youngest of five children and she did not want to disappoint her father.
Tim in Bakersfield said both the girl and her mother seemed to have very hard hearts. Although they listened for several minutes, “they seemed to have no change in their attitude.” But when they were about to walk into the building, someone approached the girl and said, “Don’t be afraid – trust in God.”
When she heard this, tears began rolling down her cheeks. But her mother remained firm.
So the prayer team quickly made arrangements for an ultrasound. As the girl’s mother watched the perfectly formed body of her grandchild on the ultrasound screen, “she began to cry,” Tim said. “The baby’s tiny feet and hands were clearly visible on the screen, and the baby even waved at his mother and grandmother!”
Did the baby wave? See for yourself in the actual ultrasound here!
This is most definitely the image of a very young human being. And that fact was immediately evident to both mother and grandmother.
Please pray that more pro-life centers will have greater access to this amazing, life-saving technology!
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/mar/10030515.html
LifeNews.com Headlines: March 5, 2010
Published March 6, 2010 | PRO-ABORTION HOUSE LEADER: PRO-LIFE ADVOCATES CAN’T STOP SENATE HEALTH CARE BILL
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) – The leader of the pro-abortion contingent in the House of Representatives claims pro-life advocates don’t have the votes to stop the pro-abortion Senate health care bill there. However, it appears Rep. Diana DeGette’s arithmetic may need some updating as opponents have the advantage.
SIDEBAR BILL DISCUSSED TO BAN ABORTION FUNDING IN HEALTH CARE BILL, PROSPECTS DIM
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) – The talk in Congress of a sidebar bill to attempt to ban the massive abortion funding currently found in the Senate health care bill is escalating. But the prospects for such a bill are dim as the Senate doesn’t have enough votes and pro-life advocates worry such an idea may backfire.
CATHOLIC BISHOPS WOULD PROMOTE SIDEBAR ABORTION FUNDING BILL IN SENATE
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) – A spokesman for the nation’s Catholic bishops, who were instrumental in getting the Stupak amendment to ban abortion funding in the House health care bill, said they would work to get a sidebar bill through the Senate to offset the massive abortion funding in the Senate bill the House may approve.
SENATE HEALTH CARE BILL FUNDS, PROMOTES ABORTIONS DESPITE OBAMA, PELOSI’S PROTESTS
by Douglas Johnson
The Senate health bill is a 2,407-page labyrinth strewn with the legislative equivalents of improvised explosive devices – disguised provisions that will result in federal pro-abortion mandates and federal subsidies for abortion. The so-called abortion limits that are in the Senate bill are all very narrow, riddled with loopholes, or booby-trapped to expire.
THERE IS NO MIDDLE GROUND: HEALTH CARE BILL WILL FUND ABORTIONS OR IT WON’T
by Charmaine Yoest
It’s now becoming clear that Barack Obama is willing to put everything on the table in order to be the president who passes health-care reform. Everything, that is, except a ban on federal funding for abortion. The question of abortion funding doesn’t have any Zen to it: The funding is either prohibited or it’s not.
ANTI-EUTHANASIA GROUPS BLAST NEW WASHINGTON STATE REPORT ON ASSISTED SUICIDE
Olympia, WA (LifeNews.com) – Two groups that oppose euthanasia are taking issue with a new report released by Washington state officials showing at least 36 people died after they killed themselves under the first year of the state’s new law legalizing assisted suicides. They say the law has opened up elderly abuse and other problems.
LIVE TWEETING ABORTION: EXPERIENCE SHOWS ABORTION STILL HURTS WOMEN
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) – Angie Jackson made national headlines recently when she decided to use a combination of Twitter and YouTube updates to document her abortion using the dangerous mifepristone abortion drug. Two pro-life advocates say the experienced shows abortion still hurts women.
AMERICAN IDOL, STAYTEEN.ORG, AND PLANNED PARENTHOOD: PROMOTING SEX, ABORTION
by Kortney Blythe
After leaving the “abstinence” section and perusing the rest of the site, I came upon the “help and advice” section. Who took the top spot under the first three resource topics? Planned Parenthood. Yes, that bastion of abortion, libertine sex (for the young and old) and the undermining of parents and purity.
SITUATION DIRE! United Nations Report Warns of Dire Effects of Underpopulation, Fertility Decline
Published March 6, 2010 | By Susan Yoshihara, Ph.D., LifeNews.com, March 5, 2010
LifeNews.com Note: Susan Yoshihara, Ph.D. writes for the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute. This article originally appeared in the pro-life group’s Friday Fax publication and is used with permission.
New York, NY (LifeNews.com/CFAM) — A recently-released United Nations (UN) report finds that the global trend of fertility decline and population aging will have devastating economic and societal effects on the developing world, particularly on women who are now targeted by UN agencies to further reduce fertility.
“World Population Ageing 2009” was published in December 2009 by the UN Population Division, a statistics research branch within the UN’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).
Because fertility is decreasing in the developing world, there will be fewer and fewer workers to support aging citizens, the report found. The ratio of workers to older non-workers dropped from 12 to 9 between 1950 and 2009. By 2050, there will be only 4 workers supporting every retiree: “The reduction of potential support ratios has important implications for social security schemes, particularly for pay-as-you-go pension systems under which taxes on current workers pay the pensions of retirees.”
The effects of fertility decline and population aging will hit the developing world hardest, according to the report, because, “The pace of population ageing is faster in developing countries than in developed countries. Consequently, developing countries will have less time to adjust to the consequences of population ageing.” Furthermore, “ageing in developing countries is taking place at lower levels of socio-economic development than has been the case for developed countries.”
Evidence in the report shows that UN programs aimed at reducing fertility in the developed world will do the most harm to women who will have fewer children to support them in their old age. Since women live longer than men, they make up the majority of older persons……. Entire article may be found at: http://www.lifenews.com/int1479.html
GOSPEL & MEDITATION: The Prodigal Father
Published March 6, 2010 | Father Andrew Mulcahey, LC
Luke 15: 1-3, 11-32
Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to him, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So to them he addressed this parable. Then he said, “A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, ´Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.´ So the father divided the property between them. After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. Coming to his senses he thought, ´How many of my father´s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger. I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”´ So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. His son said to him, ´Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.´ But his father ordered his servants, ´Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.´ Then the celebration began. Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean. The servant said to him, ´Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.´ He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him. He said to his father in reply, ´Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.´ He said to him, ´My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.´”
Introductory Prayer: Lord, though I cannot see you with my eyes, I believe you are present to me now, in my innermost being, and that you know me far better than I know myself. I also know that you love me much more than I love my own self. Thank you for loving and watching over me, though I don’t deserve your love. In return, I offer you my sorrow for my sins and my hope to love you more each day.
Petition: Jesus, guide me to a complete rejection of sin in my life.
1. Love: The Double-Edged Sword – Place yourself in the father´s shoes. He loves his sons, sacrifices himself for them, and has tremendous hope and fatherly pride in them. He intensely wants them to be happy and seeks what´s best for them. Above all, he wants them to respond to his love for them with the same generosity, the same intensity of self-giving. There is nothing more painful for a lover than unanswered, ignored or scorned love. Imagine how much God loves us: he sends his only begotten Son into the world, to become man––with all the limitations and suffering this entails––to die on a cross, in our place, because of our sins.
2. Forgetting to Count Your Blessings – The minute the son begins to think about himself and turn his attention away from the father´s love is the minute he begins to have problems that will lead to spiritual and material bankruptcy. Asking for his inheritance was tantamount to wishing his father´s death, since an inheritance is bestowed only after the death of one’s parents. How many times have I asked God to die by choosing my own will over his? Self-centeredness leads to ingratitude: forgetting that I have received everything from God through no merit of my own and that it will all return to him. Self-centeredness also leads to trying to find happiness anywhere except the one place it truly is found: God.
3. A Rude Awakening – Anytime we turn away from the love and grace of God and turn to sin, we lose our senses and leave God for a “distant country.” God´s will is our home, even if on the surface it may seem unpleasant. Sin blinds the intellect and weakens the will. Its every moment is a point of departure. But—every saint has a past and every sinner has a future. We can turn back to God right now. He is with us right here, right now, pouring out his grace. He ardently longs for us to respond to him, just as the father in the parable must have longed for the return of his son. I can stand up. I can return to my Father. I can bury my past in Christ. I can go to him for forgiveness.
Conversation with Christ: Heavenly Father, I clearly see the many times I have said “No” to you and chosen myself. I give thanks for having such a patient and forgiving father as you. I am sorry for my lack of love for you. Now I reject sin once more and turn back to you, confident of your mercy and forgiveness.
Resolution: I will say a heartfelt act of contrition, relishing God´s love and mercy for me.
http://www.regnumchristi.org/english/articulos/articulo.phtml?se=363&ca=975&te=735&id=20302
TODAY’S SAINT: ST. COLETTE
Published March 6, 2010 | CATHOLIC NEWS AGENCY, MARCH 06, 2010
St. Colette was the founder of the Colettine Poor Clares (Clarisses)
Colette was born, January 13 1381, the daughter of a carpenter named DeBoilet at Corby Abbey in Picardy, France. Orphaned at seventeen, she distributed her inheritance to the poor.
She became a Franciscan tertiary, and lived at Corby as a solitary. She soon became well known for her holiness and spiritual wisdom, but left her cell in 1406 in response to a dream directing her to reform the Poor Clares. She received the Poor Clares habit from Peter de Luna, whom the French recognized as Pope under the name of Benedict XIII, with orders to reform the Order and appointing her Superior of all convents she reformed. Despite great opposition, she persisted in her efforts. She founded seventeen convents with the reformed rule and reformed several older convents. She was reknowned for her sanctity, ecstacies, and visions of the Passion, and prophesied her own death in her convent at Ghent, Belgium. A branch of the Poor Clares is still known as the Collettines.
Collete was canonized in 1807. Her feast day is March 6th.
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint.php?n=413
‘You Cannot Believe That?’: Dick Armey Stuns Charlie Rose
Dick Armey Manages To Make Charlie Rose Lose His Cool . . . Armey says…“Nearly every important office in Washington is occupied by someone with an aggressive dislike for our heritage, our freedom, our history, and our Constitution.”
By Glynnis MacNicol, March 5th, 2010
WATCH STUNNING VIDEO:
http://www.mediaite.com/online/dick-armey-manages-to-make-charlie-rose-lose-his-cool/