Letters From Home
Published May 31, 2010 | 
Laura Ingle, FOXNEWS, May 16, 2010
Doris Ventres is considered a real American Hero by many people in her hometown of Ridgefield Connecticut, and it’s easy to see why.
“Mrs. V” as shes known, has been hand writing letters to U.S. soldiers from Ridgefield serving overseas for 42 years. This 82-year old 8th generation Ridgefielder was inspired to start her letter writing campaign one day while walking out of her local church. She explains, “I saw this nice plaque, a beautiful bronze plaque, in memory of two of the boys that had been killed at war. In fact, I went to school with one of them – and I thought – you know, why can’t we do something about it before they are gone?”
That’s when she got the idea to send hand written notes, detailing all the “goings on” at home, so that the troops from Ridgefield would feel included in the town’s activities. Church plays, the changing of the colors of trees, even what the local fishermen were catching, no one has missed a thing thanks to Mrs. V.
Doris knows first hand just how much a letter from home can mean to someone serving overseas. Her husband George was in the Navy, as well as her father-in-law. Doris and George have been married for 62 years, and still live in the home that they built with their own hands. (George says Doris was even up on the roof pounding nails with a hammer and did a great job!) They have two sons, Tad and Dale, and have two grandchildren.
The couple that met at a square dance, and went fishing on their second date, have a lifelong commitment to their family and community that has given back to them many times over. Earlier this year, one veteran who spent two tours of duty in Iraq with the U.S. Air Force organized a special surprise event for Mrs. V to honor her hard work. One retired Army major who remembers a letter Doris wrote him while serving in Kuwait in 1991 told the crowd “The letters we got from her were a lifeline back to the world we came from.. They were like a cool drink of water.”
Many troops are so happy to hear from her, they not only write her back from the field, but stay in touch with her after they are discharged.
Troops write her back It’s something that keeps her smiling from ear to ear. Doris has an entire room in her house dedicated to her letter writing, and keeps every memento, letter, and flag she has received over the years. She calls it her “Memory Room”
It was an incredible honor to meet Doris and George and spend time learning more about their lives and the amazing work they have done through the years to support our troops. Doris tells me that she hopes her story will inspire others to pick up a pen and paper and write to our men and women serving overseas. There is a website I found while blogging about another patriotic woman (see link below) called http://www.anysoldier.com/ which is a good place to start if you are interested. With Memorial Day coming up… it seems like a good time to dust off that stack of stationary sitting in the office!
http://onthescene.blogs.foxnews.com/2008/03/03/military-pen-pal-proposal/
Memorial Day: Heroes
Published May 31, 2010 | FRIST THINGS, Elizabeth Scalia, May 30, 2010
Remembering the heroism of Staff Sgt. Martin Richburg , who did this in 2006:
Staff Sgt. Martin Richburg byMonte Morin / S&S
Here’s the thing about real heroes: they never think they’ve done anything heroic.
AL KISIK, Iraq — The camp was still on edge from a suicide bomb attack that morning.
The bomber had targeted an Iraqi army recruiting drive at the combined Iraqi and American forces base here in northwest Iraq. Although no U.S. soldiers were injured, soldiers from the 2nd, or “Gunners,” Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, out of Giessen, Germany, dealt with the aftermath.
[...]
So it was with no small amount of suspicion that Staff Sgt. Martin Richburg observed an Iraqi civilian pacing nervously near the camp’s crowded Internet cafe that same evening.It was around 9 p.m. on March 27, and Richburg was sitting behind the wheel of his “bongo” flatbed truck in the parking lot, talking to his wife on a cell phone.
“I saw this guy duckin’ and peepin’ outside the Internet [cafe],” said the 44-year-old Baltimore, native. “I said, ‘Let me keep an eye on this guy.’ ”
Unknown to Richburg at the time, the man was an insurgent who had managed to get a job at the camp’s Iraqi army noncommissioned officer academy. Part of a cell that had planned a series of attacks, the insurgent had constructed a bomb within the camp after smuggling components in piece by piece.
Richburg, a heavy-vehicle mechanic assigned to the 142nd Maintenance Company, grew increasingly suspicious as the man peered into the cafe window, walked away, and then returned with a plastic chair and a package.
[...]
The package looked like something bulky wrapped in a blue plastic shopping bag. Richburg’s suspicion grew to alarm when the man stepped onto the chair, placed the bag on top of the window’s air conditioning unit and then took off running.Throwing down his cell phone — his wife was still on the line — Richburg dashed after the man and brought him down with a swift kick to the back of his legs. By this time, Richburg had drawn his 9 mm pistol and, holding the man down, called for another Iraqi he knew to translate.
“I asked him if he knew who this guy was and he said, ‘No,’” Richburg said. “I told him I saw him put a package on the air conditioner and asked him to find out what was in it. Then I charged my weapon to scare him.”
The man answered back quickly. He said he had placed a bomb on the air conditioner. Richburg asked how much time they had before it exploded. “Five minutes,” the man said.
Dragging the insurgent in one hand and waving his pistol in the other, the burly mechanic rushed to the cafe entrance and began shouting at everyone to get out.
Shocked by the sight of Richburg waving a pistol and swearing at the top of his lungs, a dozen soldiers and five civilians piled out of the cafe. The mechanic yelled at them to take cover behind a line of concrete blast barriers.
The soldiers braced themselves. After roughly 15 minutes, the package exploded with the noise of an artillery shell. The windshield of Richburg’s truck “crystallized” by the blast, and a Porta-John was flung into a nearby meadow. The window of the Internet cafe was destroyed, driving glass and shrapnel deep into the walls and computer booths.
Since the cafe had been cleared, nobody was injured.
[...]
Richburg has since been awarded the Army Commendation Medal with “V” device for valor, and has been nominated for a Bronze Star for his actions on that evening.“I suppose anyone else would have done it too,” Richburg said of his actions. “It was the way the guy moved. If he walked away normally I might not have done it.”
And, read about a whole family of heroes:
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And…the quietest sort of heroine.
http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/theanchoress/
Founder’s Quote Daily
Published May 31, 2010 | 
“Our own Country’s Honor, all call upon us for a vigorous and manly exertion, and if we now shamefully fail, we shall become infamous to the whole world. Let us therefore rely upon the goodness of the Cause, and the aid of the supreme Being, in whose hands Victory is, to animate and encourage us to great and noble Actions – The Eyes of all our Countrymen are now upon us, and we shall have their blessings, and praises, if happily we are the instruments of saving them from the Tyranny mediated against them. Let us therefore animate and encourage each other, and shew the whole world, that a Freeman contending for Liberty on his own ground is superior to any slavish mercenary on earth.”
–George Washington, General Orders, 1776
FEAST OF THE VISITATION OF THE VIRGIN MARY
Published May 31, 2010 | CATHOLIC NEWS AGENCY, MAY 31, 2010
Assuming that the Annunciation and the Incarnation took place about the vernal equinox, Mary left Nazareth at the end of March and went over the mountains to Hebron, south of Jerusalem, to wait upon her cousin Elizabeth, because her presence and much more the presence of the Divine Child in her womb, according to the will of God, was to be the source of very great graces to the Blessed John, Christ’s Forerunner. The event is related in Luke 1:39-57. Feeling the presence of his Divine Saviour, John, upon the arrival of Mary, leaped in the womb of his mother; he was then cleansed from original sin and filled with the grace of God. Our Lady now for the first time exercised the office which belonged to the Mother of God made man, that He might by her mediation sanctify and glorify us. St. Joseph probably accompanied Mary, returned to Nazareth, and when, after three months, he came again to Hebron to take his wife home, the apparition of the angel, mentioned in Matthew 1:19-25, may have taken place to end the tormenting doubts of Joseph regarding Mary’s maternity.
The earliest evidence of the existence of the feast is its adoption by the Franciscan Chapter in 1263, upon the advice of St. Bonaventure. The list of feasts in the “Statuta Synodalia eccl. Cenomanensis”, according to which this feast was kept 2 July at Le Mans in 1247, may not be genuine. With the Franciscan Breviary this feast spread to many churches, but was celebrated at various dates-at Prague and Ratisbon, 28 April; in Paris, 27 June, at Reims and Geneva, 8 July. It was extended to the entire Church by Urban VI, 6 April, 1389 (Decree published by Boniface IX, 9 Nov., 1389), with the hope that Christ and His Mother would visit the Church and put an end to the Great Schism which rent the seamless garment of Christ. The feast, with a vigil and an octave, was assigned to 2 July, the day after the octave of St. John, about the time when Mary returned to Nazareth. The Office was drawn up by an Englishman, Adam Cardinal Easton, Benedictine monk and Bishop of Lincoln. Dreves has published this rhythmical office with nine other offices for the same feast, found in the Breviaries of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Since, during the Schism, many bishops of the opposing obedience would not adopt the new feast, it was confirmed by the Council of Basle, in 1441. Pius V abolished the rhythmical office, the vigil, and the octave. The present office was compiled by order of Clement VIII by the Minorite Ruiz. Pius IX, on 13 May, 1850, raised the feast to the rank of a double of the second class. Many religious orders — the Carmelites, Dominicans, Cistercians, Mercedarians, Servites, and others — as well as Siena, Pisa, Loreto, Vercelli, Cologne, and other dioceses have retained the octave. In Bohemia the feast is kept on the first Sunday of July as a double of the first class with an octave.
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint.php?n=255
GOSPEL & MEDITATION: Pentecost Anticipated
Published May 31, 2010 | May 31, 2010
Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Father Walter Schu, LC
Luke 1:39-56
Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary´s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid´s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him. He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe in your supreme goodness and love. I entrust my entire self to you with all of my hopes, fears and joys. Thank you for giving us the gift of yourself in the Eucharist. Thank you, too, for giving us your own mother to be our mother during our exile on this earth and journey home to you in heaven. Here I am, like her, to do your will.
Petition: Mary, help me to grow in humility.
1. Prompt and Joyful Charity What has impelled Mary to undertake her perilous journey not only alone, but also in haste? An irresistible force was acting within Mary: the presence of the Holy Spirit overshadowed and filled her since the moment of the Annunciation. This same Holy Spirit has filled the heart of Elizabeth at Mary’s greeting and moved the infant within her womb. What is the first fruit of the fullness of the Holy Spirit? Joy. Pope Benedict XVI comments on the relationship of joy to the truth who is Christ himself: “Jesus Christ, who is the fullness of truth, attracts to himself the heart of every man, dilates it, and fills it with joy. Only the truth is capable of invading the mind and making it fully joyful. This joy expands the dimensions of the human spirit, raising it from the anxieties of egoism, making it capable of authentic love” (Discourse to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, February 10, 2005).
2. Elizabeth – The Unworthy Host Elizabeth’s moving question reflects the one virtue necessary for a person to be invaded by the Holy Spirit: humility. Elizabeth is profoundly aware of her own lowliness in the face of a visit from the mother of her Lord. Mary herself echoes these sentiments of deep humility throughout her Magnificat. What is the reason her Creator has done great things for her, so much so that all generations will call her blessed? It is not due to any talent or quality she might possess of herself. There is no magnificent grandeur by which she has captivated the Almighty. God has simply “looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness.” Do I rejoice in my own littleness, knowing that it enables the Holy Spirit to make his dwelling within me and do great things for Christ with my life?
3. The Hymn of God’s Praise Mary is so filled with the Holy Spirit that her whole being bursts forth in a hymn of joy and praise to the Almighty. Pope Benedict reflects on Mary’s joy at the infant Lord’s presence within her womb: “This is the joy the heart feels when we kneel to adore Jesus in faith” (Discourse to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, February 10, 2005). The joy of Christ, the joy of the Holy Spirit, gratitude to God for the great things he has done in us, impels us to bring Our Lord to others, just as Mary brought him to Elizabeth even before his birth. As she sings her Magnificat, Mary does not remain closed within herself, but reflects on what God has done for her in light of his saving plan for all his people. May the joy of the Holy Spirit bring about a new Pentecost that radiates from our lives.
Conversation with Christ: Thank you, Lord! The great gift of your Holy Spirit fills our lives with the unspeakable joy of your own presence within us. Help me to respond with haste — as Mary did — to the impulses of charity from the Holy Spirit.
Resolution: I will look for occasions to speak about Christ with others and do acts of charity for them with joy and haste, just as Mary did in the Gospel.
http://www.regnumchristi.org/english/articulos/articulo.phtml?se=363&ca=975&te=735&id=20302
A Holy Kick in the Pants! We Want to Have Greatness Expected of Us.
Published May 30, 2010 | Mark Shea, Catholic Exchange, May 30th, 2010
Revelation 3:16
So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth.
Today’s verse is one of those that present a bit of a challenge when you are trying to write something called “Words of Encouragement.” It just doesn’t sound all that encouraging. But it is rooted in an attitude that is, in fact, very encouraging. For we want to be challenged and not simply affirmed in our okayness perpetually. We want to have greatness expected of us. Today’s verse is simply another way of saying “Life has more for you! Don’t settle life as a bowl of tepid oatmeal when you could have a fabulous four-course dinner followed by 1812 Napoleon brandy. Raise your expectations of yourself and excel!” Sometimes, we need a kick in the rear in order to wake up, smell the coffee and stop moping around. Today’s verse is such a kick in the pants. If the shoe fits your backside, wear it and get going by repenting and doing the next practical thing. There is greatness in you!
The Seven Fatima Prayers
Published May 30, 2010 | Monday
My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love You! I ask pardon of You for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love You!
Tuesday
O Jesus, it is for love of You, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Wednesday
O my Jesus, forgive us, save us from the fire of hell. Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who are most in need.
Thursday
O Most Holy Trinity, I adore You! My God, my God, I love You in the most Blessed Sacrament!
Friday
Sweet Heart of Mary, be the salvation of Russia, Spain, Portugal, Europe and the whole world.
Saturday
By your pure and Immaculate Conception, O Mary, obtain for me the conversion of Russia, Spain, Portugal, Europe and the entire world.
Sunday
Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, I offer You the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the sacrileges, outrages and indifference by which He Himself is offended. And through the infinite merits of His most Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of you the conversion of poor sinners.”
http://www.fatima.org/essentials/requests/weapons2.asp
The Holy Trinity as Seen by Sister Lucia
Published May 30, 2010 | Sister Lucia had this vision in 1929 of the Holy Trinity with the Mother of Jesus.
The Sunday Homily: TRINITY SUNDAY
Published May 30, 2010 | 
Fr. James Farfaglia, May 29, 2010
One day a little boy was playing on the beach. He dug a small hole into the sand. By using a seashell, he began to fill the hole with the ocean water. It did not take too long for the boy to realize that it would be impossible for him to scoop the vast ocean into the small hole that he had dug.
Bribery in the First Degree? Is the Impeachment of Barack Obama Moving Forward?
Published May 30, 2010 | Floyd and Mary Beth Brown, Townhall, May 28, 2010
All of a sudden, everyone is talking about the possibility of impeaching Barack Obama.
Drudge is writing about it. Sean Hannity is talking about it. Dick Morris is saying that the potential scandal is “enormous.”. Karl Rove called it an “extraordinary charge.” WorldNetDaily.com wrote that “it could be grounds for impeachment.”
What happened? The story surrounding the alleged bribe of Congressman Joe Sestak initially broke way back in February. We wrote about it then, but it never broke out into the mainstream media. But because of activist pressure and the courageous work of California Congressman Darrell Issa the story refused to die.
ImpeachObamaCampaign.com alone has delivered more than 750,000 petitions to Congress in support of impeachment. Make no mistake, patriotic Americans are driving this sudden turn of events. It is a testament to what can happen when patriotic Americans refuse to look the other way, and they make their voices heard in a real and meaningful way. It didn’t hurt that Obama has failed to answer the questions surrounding the attempted bribe of Congressman Joe Sestak.
So did Barack Hussein Obama commit a felony by offering Congressman Joe Sestak a “high ranking” Cabinet position to drop out of the Pennsylvania Senate race against Sen. Arlen Specter?
Let’s be clear. The commission of an actual felony is not actually required in order to impeach a sitting president, but if Sestak’s allegation is true, and if Barack Hussein Obama’s fingerprints are all over this offer, that’s a felony, and drawing up Articles of Impeachment against Barack Obama becomes a necessity.
According to Judge Andrew Napolitano with Fox News: “Federal law makes it a felony to offer ‘anything of value’ to an official of the government in return for a decision in your favor by that official of the government; it is called bribery.”
And Congressman Darrell Issa has been relentlessly pushing the matter. He’s called on Attorney General Eric Holder to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the allegation, but Holder is essentially ignoring the request.
Recently, Issa directly challenged Holder: “You don’t answer or apparently investigate. … You’re not investigating whether it’s a false statement by a member of Congress or a crime by the White House. What are we to do?”
Back in February, Sestak confirmed to Larry Kane, a Philadelphia talk-show host, that the White House dangled a “high ranking” job in front of him to convince him to drop his primary challenge against incumbent Arlen Specter.
Initially, the Obama White House denied the accusation. According to a Fox News report: “White House official told Fox News that Sestak is expected to ‘clarify’ the allegation.”
But Sestak didn’t take the hint… he didn’t “clarify” the accusation.
He stood by his statement and told Fox News: “I was asked a direct question yesterday and I answered it honestly.”
Just prior to the Pennsylvania primary, Issa confronted Holder directly, but Holder refused to comment on the case. When Issa questioned Holder on why he had not responded to his request for a special prosecutor, Holder simply said that he thought he had responded to the request and offered his apologies.
Is it possible that Sestak lied, or that he was simply mistaken?
It seems unlikely as White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs issued the following carefully guarded statement to the press: “I’m told whatever conversations have been had are not problematic” and Gibbs added that the matter was “in the past.”
Stonewalling… obstruction… but it’s clear by Gibbs’ statement that someone made Sestak an offer.
Keeping in mind that only Barack Obama has the authority to appoint an individual to his own Cabinet, the only question that remains is: What did Obama know and when did he know it?
The American people deserve an answer.
http://townhall.com/columnists/FloydandMaryBethBrown/2010/05/28/is_the_impeachment_of_barack_obama_moving_forward
The Flag Still Flies
Published May 30, 2010 | …the American flag, and the things it stands for, are pretty sacred to him so he and his wife displayed Old Glory in an east-facing window…..
By Roy Exum, Patriot Post, May 29, 2010
In a most fitting prelude to Memorial Day on Monday, a property management company in Oshkosh, WI, has just had its tail tucked between its legs and been sent squalling after threatening to evict an Army veteran for his display of the American flag.
Midwest Realty Management announced late Thursday afternoon that Charlie Price, a former combat engineer who served tours of duty in Iraq and Kosovo, will be able to continue to display The Stars and Stripes in his window after the company had previously told him he would be asked to leave if it wasn’t taken down by Tuesday.
The apartment complex, you see, had a strict policy that prohibited its residents from displaying flags, banners or political and religious materials. But after an outcry that had resulted in over 3,000 emails and almost as many telephone calls in just two days earlier this week, not to mention the ire of Veterans’ groups and death threats to the owner, property manager Randy Rich announced yesterday, “They won. We compromised.”
It seems that when Charlie Price, who is now 28 and served in the Army for eight years, rented his apartment, he was hardly looking for trouble. But the American flag, and the things it stands for, are pretty sacred to him so he and his wife displayed Old Glory in an east-facing window.
The flag was put there, Charlie said, because it faces Arlington cemetery, the base in Germany where he was stationed, and both Iraq and Afghanistan where his “brothers” continue to defend freedom.
But he was told to take the flag down, well out of public view, because he had agreed to the Midwest Realty requirements that included the restrictions. The company explained, “This policy was developed to insure that we are fair to everyone as we have many residents from diverse backgrounds. By having a blanket policy of neutrality we have found that we are less likely to offend anyone and the aesthetic qualities of our apartment communities are maintained.”
Well, in the American spirit, Charlie and his wife Dawn never dreamed such a rule would include the country’s flag and when they were told to get it down or get out, they not only balked, they took a stand.
Dawn said the federal Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of 2006 states no condominium or real estate management company can stop someone from flying the flag but that the law doesn’t apply to renters.
So the Prices figured, “The best way to fight this isn’t getting an eviction and going after these people in court. That’s just going to cost us a lot of time, energy and money,” said Dawn. “We don’t want to fight the eviction,” she said. “We know we’d lose.”
But wait! Talk of the Price’s dilemma began to spread. A television station heard that the Army vet was having to take his flag down and, to be candid, there then came a rain of such fiery hell it is a wonder employees at Midwest Realty Management now even dare to answer the phone.
According to television station WBAY, the ABC affiliate in Green Bay and northwest Wisconsin, one email to the company reads, “I pray you get cancer and your kids have autism.” Another says, “I will do my best in making sure everybody I know hears about the pure hatred you have towards this great nation.”
Well, the station also reported that some of the clearly-rattled Midwest Realty employees were “scared to answer the phone or open their apartment doors.” By yesterday afternoon the company found itself in much the same position as oil company BP is stopping the oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico, saying, “This has gone too far!”
So now the company has issued an apology to the Price family and has also said there is a change in the flag policy. “It was never our intention to hurt the Prices or disrespect what Mr. Price and all veterans have sacrificed for each and every one of us,” Rich said. “We have learned from this situation and will be revising our policy to allow our residents to honor America and display the American flag in a manner similar to the Prices.”
But, around the country, the story isn’t quite over. No, what appears to be a growing number think the so-called “fairness” objectives have gone too far. Many worry “political correctness” is undermining our beliefs. There is a deep feeling that the flag, a symbol of freedom, is under attack.
On Monday the nation will celebrate Memorial Day – a tribute to those like Charlie Price who didn’t come home to an apartment in Oshkosh – but later this year many voters will go to the polls and some will be intent on making sure, in an indirect way, that the flag will still proudly wave.
http://patriotpost.us/opinion/roy-exum/2010/05/29/the-flag-still-flies/
Gary Bauer: The Spectacle of Barack Obama
Published May 30, 2010 | 
EXCERPT: ….Our president personifies a generation that’s de-emphasized America and American values. The spectacle of Barack Obama and Democrats in Congress cheering as a foreign head of state chided a commonsense Arizona immigration law reflected an ideology that sees little to like about America.
On a certain level, I couldn’t help but feel a little admiration for Mexico President Felipe Calderon. It was a disgusting display—but at least Mexico’s president is willing to stand up for his country. That’s much more than our president is willing to do for his…….READ ENTIRE ARTICLE BELOW…..
To Be an American
Published May 30, 2010 | ….Obama has made empathy his governing virtue. But he seems to feel little empathy for fed-up Arizonans, who have endured as nearly half a million illegal immigrants have poured into their state. The Obama of Hyde Park and the White House has never felt the dread of wondering whether drug smugglers were sneaking through his backyard in the middle of the night….
By Gary Bauer, Human Events, 05/30/2010
President Obama plans to spend Memorial Day weekend in Illinois, which means he won’t be participating in the customary wreath-laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington.
That’s a pity. Memorial Day has already lost much of its significance for many Americans, and the image of the president commemorating our war dead is always a great reminder—especially at war time—of what this holiday means.
In his Gettysburg address, Lincoln said that the world “can never forget” those who perished in the decisive Battle of Gettysburg. But many Americans have forgotten, or never learned, the meaning not only of Memorial Day but of the country so many of our servicemen and women have died fighting for.
When I was growing up, Memorial Day, or Decoration Day as it was known then, was the day we visited local cemeteries to decorate the graves of the war dead, with flags or flowers. Memorial Day has become little more than a long weekend to mark the beginning of summer and to gather for barbeques, picnics and sporting events.
Polls underscore how ignorant we’ve become of our history and way of life. Surveys by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute underscore American college students’ lack of knowledge of basic American history and institutions. In a 2008 study, 71 percent failed a civics knowledge test. More than half couldn’t name the three branches of government.
Our president personifies a generation that’s de-emphasized America and American values. The spectacle of Barack Obama and Democrats in Congress cheering as a foreign head of state chided a commonsense Arizona immigration law reflected an ideology that sees little to like about America.
On a certain level, I couldn’t help but feel a little admiration for Mexico President Felipe Calderon. It was a disgusting display—but at least Mexico’s president is willing to stand up for his country. That’s much more than our president is willing to do for his.
When elaborating on the country that elected him president, Obama speaks mostly of its sins, real and imagined. When asked if he believes in American exceptionalism, he answers that sure he does—in the same way the coddled Greeks now taking to the streets against their government in Athens believe in Greek exceptionalism. A simple “no” would suffice.
Watching Obama describe the Arizona law reminded me of a school teacher scolding her students for misbehaving. He said the new law is “poorly conceived” and “misdirected,” and he nodded approvingly as Calderon called it “discriminatory.”
Obama has made empathy his governing virtue. But he seems to feel little empathy for fed-up Arizonans, who have endured as nearly half a million illegal immigrants have poured into their state. The Obama of Hyde Park and the White House has never felt the dread of wondering whether drug smugglers were sneaking through his backyard in the middle of the night.
Since America’s beginning, immigrants arrived on American soil yearning to learn our language, history, laws and customs. There was a time in America’s history when new immigrants would rally to ensure their new countrymen that they loved America and were willing to become Americans.
But the metaphor of America as a “melting pot” is no longer apt. A better metaphor is of America as a “salad bowl” of mutually exclusive groups.
Today, hyphenated Americans often put other affiliations first. One poll of Hispanics in America found that 64 percent consider themselves “mostly Hispanic,” while only 15 percent see themselves as “mostly American.” Even worse, 27 percent of the survey sample had lived in America for more than 25 years, while only 15 percent lived here less than six.
The goal of American immigration is to build a citizenry that loves America first. But that hasn’t happened. While liberal elites fret about how to move illegal immigrants “out of the shadows” the immigrants themselves are busy jockeying to get in front of TV cameras while waving foreign flags and anti American signs, and crying for open borders at rallies across the country.
When Hispanics can do all their business in Spanish, vote in Spanish, take a driver’s license exam in Spanish and send their kids to bilingual public schools, what incentive do they have to assimilate?
In his State of the Union address, Obama discussed reforming immigration laws in order to “ensure that everyone who plays by the rules can contribute to our economy and enrich our nation.”
But the Democrat’s amnesty bill would reward those who did not play by the rules, while punishing those who did.
And immigrants are disproportionately low-skilled and poor. Heritage Foundation research has found that such immigrants “receive, on average, three dollars in government benefits and services for each dollar of taxes they pay.”
America has always welcomed immigrants and it should continue to do so. But, as Teddy Roosevelt famously said, immigration should be “predicated upon the man’s becoming an American and nothing but an American. There can be no divided allegiance here.” He continued:
“Any man who says he is an American but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag, and this excludes the red flag which symbolizes all wars against liberty and civilization, just as much as it excludes any flag of a nation to which we are hostile. We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language…and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.”
For immigrants to become Americans, and to embrace America, they must first recognize their new home as a great and good country. They can only do that if they learn our history, including the history of our wars and of the “honored dead” who gave “the last full measure of devotion.” A country that forgets its history will be a country that history soon forgets.
| Former presidential candidate Mr. Gary Bauer is president of American Values and chairman of the Campaign for Working Families. |
La. Rep. Steve Scalise Criticizes “Finger-Pointer-in-Chief” for Inaction; Says We Need a Quarterback on the Field Not Commentator
Published May 30, 2010 | Steve Scalise (R-LA) Furious With Obama For Failing To Act On Gulf Disaster
Written by Daniel Kaffee on May 26, 2010
Congressman Steve Scalise (R-LA) today called out the President for slow-playing the greatest environmental disaster the United States has ever seen. Having just flown in from Louisiana, Scalise was fuming over the lack of attention his home state is being shown, and rightly so. Scalise had these words for the smooth-talking Commander-in-grief:
“We need a quarterback on the field like the law says he’s supposed to be. He’s not supposed to be the commentator in the booth.”
So where has the President been spending his time during the disaster? Gateway Pundit explains:
As crude oil continued to ooze through the marshes in Louisiana, Barack Obama flew to California to hold 3 fundraisers with liberal Senator Barbara “Ma’am” Boxer yesterday. Tomorrow he goes on his second vacation since the oil rig blew up in May.
Clearly, he is failing the people; why he’s doing it is a completely different matter.
http://the-raw-deal.com/?p=2013
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BP Oil Spill: Frustrated Plaquemines Parish President Nungesser Lashes Out
May 23, 2010 — After BP oil has been found in the marshes of the parish, a frustrated Louisiana Parish President, Billy Nungesser, is interviewed after a press conference at Venice Louisiana on May 23. Nungesser, in responding to questions from Bayoubuzz.com said the U.S. Coast Guard Commandant, Thad Allen, could step up take better control of the oil spill operation which has resulted in oil-affected lands. Nungesser criticized Allen, a top BP official and others. He said something stinks, claimed that they were told to hold that permit up for some reason in referring to an emergency permit to build a barrier. Nungesser also said, its criminal, they ought to go to jail.
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Parish President: President Obama ‘Chewed Me Out’
Jake Tapper, ABC News, May 28, 2010
GRAND ISLE, La. — Billy Nungesser, the president of Plaquemines Parish whose frustrations about the federal government response have been featured prominently on TV in the past few weeks, told ABC News that in the private meeting the president had with local leaders here today, President Obama “chewed me out.”
Nungesser, a Republican, told ABC News that President Obama “told me that we need to communicate.”
He said that he told President Obama that after his first visit to the region a few weeks ago, “We got the jack-up boats done cause of you. And you spent more time with us than any other president. But since then, it was a bottleneck. Things weren’t getting done. All of it was sitting in the marsh.”
Nungesser said the president told him, “‘Well you know, if you can’t get it done through the chain of command’ – and he’s made some changes; we’ve got a guy on the ground now that can make decisions — he said, ‘you pick up the phone and call the White House. And, if you can’t get me on the phone, then you can go blast me.’”
“And I said, ‘Well, Mr. President, I didn’t want to blast you. I’ll blast the Coast Guard for not making BP be accountable.’ And I know he is the Coast Guard. So, in a sense, you know, he was right.”
Nungesser said that “if things happen like they happened after the last meeting, you won’t see me blasting anybody because things happened right after that. And things are happening today. The oil that we showed you is being cleaned up. There’s equipment all over the parish and we do have a senior person from the Coast Guard in our office now that can make decisions and can hold BP’s feet to the fire, because they are the ones that should be stepping up to the plate.”
He concluded: “I think he cares and he’s a hands-on guy. I was real impressed.”
- Jake Tapper and Karen Travers
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/05/parish-president-president-obama-chewed-me-out.html
Archbishop Gomez analyzes future of Hispanics in US Catholic Church
Published May 30, 2010 | ….Our people have some of the highest rates of teen pregnancy, abortion, and out-of-wedlock births, of any ethnic group in the country . . . But we cannot write these issues off as just “conservative issues.” . . . To my mind, these are serious “justice” issues. If we want justice for our young people, if we want what God wants for them, then we need to find ways to teach our young people virtue, self-discipline, and personal responsibility…..
CATHOLIC NEWS AGENCY, MAY 28, 2010
Coadjutor Archbishop of Los Angeles Jose Gomez.
Los Angeles, Calif. (CNA).- As he prepares to lead the largest archdiocese in the United States, Archbishop Jose Gomez, spoke with CNA in an exclusive interview addressing the role of Hispanics in the U.S. Catholic Church.
The full text of the interview can be read below:
CNA: What is your own background?
Archbishop Gomez: I grew up in Monterrey, Mexico. My father was a medical doctor in Monterrey. My mother was raised in San Antonio, Texas, where she completed high school. She also went to college in Mexico City, and although she completed her course, my mother married my father instead of graduating. Education was always very important in my family.
I am both an American citizen and an immigrant, born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico. Some of my ancestors were in what’s now Texas, since 1805. (At that time it was still under Spanish rule.) I’ve always had family and friends on both sides of the border.
CNA: As the next Archbishop of Los Angeles, you will be the most prominent Hispanic prelate in the Catholic Church in the United States. What is your view of the state of Catholicism among U.S. Hispanics?
Gomez: The number of Hispanics self-identifying as Catholics has declined from nearly 100 percent in just two decades, while the number who describe themselves as Protestant has nearly doubled, and the number saying they have “no religion” has also doubled.
I’m not a big believer in polls about religious beliefs and practice. But in this case the polls reflect pastoral experience on the ground.
CNA: What questions do you see as key for Catholic ministry to U.S. Hispanics?
Gomez: As Hispanics become more and more successful, more and more assimilated into the American mainstream, will they keep the faith? Will they stay Catholic or will they drift away—to Protestant denominations, to some variety of vague spirituality, or to no religion at all?
Will they live by the Church’s teachings and promote and defend these teachings in the public square? Or will their Catholicism simply become a kind of “cultural” background, a personality trait, a part of their upbringing that shapes their perspective on the world but compels no allegiance or devotion to the Church?
Hispanic ministry should mean only one thing—bringing Hispanic people to the encounter with Jesus Christ in his Church.
All our pastoral plans and programs presume that we are trying to serve Christ and his Gospel. But we can no longer simply presume Christ. We must make sure we are proclaiming him.
We should thank God every day many times for the good things we have been given. But we also need to give thanks to God through service, through works of mercy and love.
CNA: What is the most serious problem Hispanic Catholics face in the U.S.?
Gomez: The dominant culture in the United States, which is aggressively, even militantly secularized. This is a subject that unfortunately doesn’t get much attention at all in discussions about the future of Hispanic ministry. But it’s time that we change that.
“Practical atheism” has become the de facto state religion in America. The price of participation in our economic, political, and social life is that we essentially have to agree to conduct ourselves as if God does not exist. Religion in the U.S. is something we do on Sundays or in our families, but is not allowed to have any influence on what we do the rest of the week.
This is all very strange for a country that was founded by Christians—in fact by Hispanic Catholics. Indeed, in San Antonio, the Gospel was being preached in Spanish and Holy Mass was being celebrated by Hispanics before George Washington was born.
CNA: You have said these secularizing forces put even more pressure on Hispanics and other immigrant groups. Why?
Gomez: Because immigrants already face severe demands to “fit in,” to downplay what is culturally and religiously distinct about them; to prove that they are “real” Americans, too. We might feel subtle pressures to blend in, to assimilate, to downplay our heritage and our distinctive identities as Catholics and Hispanics.
I believe that in God’s plan, the new Hispanic presence is to advance our country’s spiritual renewal. To restore the promise of America’s youth. In this renewed encounter with Hispanic faith and culture, I believe God wants America to rediscover values it has lost sight of—the importance of religion, family, friendship, community, and the culture of life.
CNA: What are other challenges facing Hispanics in the U.S.?
Gomez: In our Hispanic ministries, we must understand that we are preaching the Good News to the poor. The second and third generation of Hispanics are much better educated, much more fluent in the dominant language, and are living at a higher economic standard of living than the first generation.
But still about one-quarter of all Hispanics, no matter what generation, are living below the poverty line. Combine that with high school drop-out rates of about 22 percent, and a dramatic rise in the number of Hispanic children being raised in single-parent homes—both strong indicators of future poverty—and I worry that we may be ministering to a permanent Hispanic underclass.
We have moral and social problems too. Our people have some of the highest rates of teen pregnancy, abortion, and out-of-wedlock births, of any ethnic group in the country. These are things we don’t talk about enough. But we cannot write these issues off as just “conservative issues.”
To my mind, these are serious “justice” issues. If we want justice for our young people, if we want what God wants for them, then we need to find ways to teach our young people virtue, self-discipline, and personal responsibility.
CNA: What do you tell Latino leaders?
Gomez: Don’t be intimidated by the truths of our faith. They are a gift from God. Let these truths touch your heart and change your life.
You should own copies of the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church. If you spend a few minutes each day reading these books and also reading from the Gospel, you will notice a change. You will look at the world and your own lives with new eyes.
“Be proud of your heritage! Deepen your sense of your Hispanic identity, the traditions and customs of our ancestors!” I tell them. “But you are Catholics. And ‘catholic’ means universal. That means you can’t define yourself —nor can you let society define you—solely by your ethnic identity. You are called to be leaders—not only in the Hispanic community, but in every area of our culture and society.”
As Catholic leaders and as Hispanics, we must reclaim this culture for God.
Being a leader means, first of all, accepting Jesus Christ as the ruler of your life. The martyrs of Mexico all lived—and died—with these words on their lips: Viva Cristo Rey! (“May Christ the King live!”) To be true leaders, the living Christ must be your king.
CNA: What is the role of the Church in the political debate over immigration?
Gomez: The Church is not a political party or interest group. It is not the Church’s primary task to fight political battles or to be engaged in debates over specific policies. This task belongs to the laity. Continue reading
GOSPEL & MEDITATION: How to Grow in My Faith
Published May 30, 2010 | May 30, 2010
Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
Father Edward Hopkins, LC
John 16: 12-15
“I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.”
Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, I believe in you. I believe you have called me to the faith and to share that faith. I trust that you will fill me with your spirit of courage and truth so that I might faithfully assimilate and transmit the faith. I love you. I want to love you more with my prayer and with my life, and so grow in the unity of the love you share with your Father and the Holy Spirit.
Petition: Reveal yourself to me, Lord.
1. Knowledge of the Truth The Blessed Trinity is a mystery that far surpasses our comprehension. Yet it also reveals the most basic process of faith, of Christian maturity. When we receive faith, it is like a seed that needs development: “You cannot bear it now.” The Holy Spirit guides us to a fuller understanding so that our faith can show itself in our lives. We come to a better understanding of God, ourselves, our lives and others, especially in a world that tends to distort them. We must be convinced that we need to grow, to deepen our faith, and to widen it to encompass all the dimensions of our lives. To stop learning about our faith (that which we believe) and to stop growing in our faith (that by which we believe) is to thwart the Holy Spirit’s plans over our lives. He has more to tell us! Do I believe it and seek it? How?
2. Accepting and Living the Truth Jesus here identifies the truths of faith – as well as what the Father “has” – as “his”. So the faith is something personal to be possessed. It must be made our own! Faith is not made our own by reducing it to mere sentiment or subjective conviction. It is the same for everyone. We must adjust to it, not adjust it to ourselves. It is personal but not therefore different for each, like choices on a cafeteria menu. As Pope Benedict XVI clarified in the homily before his election: “An ‘adult’ faith is not a faith that follows the trends of fashion and the latest novelty; a mature adult faith is deeply rooted in friendship with Christ” (Homily, April 18, 2005). Do I fully possess my faith? Or do I feel it forced upon me, as though something foreign? Is my faith heartfelt as well as accepted by my intellect? Do I make it my own by accepting it, embracing it, loving it, growing in it, exercising it, defending it, sharing it?
3. Evangelization The unity of the Trinity is not static, but a living dynamism. They live and act in unity. “He will take from what is mine.…” This has two implications. The mission of the Holy Spirit is precisely to remind us of what Jesus taught (Cf. Jn.14:26). He is faithful to his mission by teaching Christ. For us, too, possessing the faith leads to sharing it. What is alive tends to grow. “Those who have come into genuine contact with Christ cannot keep him for themselves, they must proclaim him. This proclamation must not be imposed but proposed ‘with confidence…’” (Pope John Paul II, Address of June 5, 2001). We must proclaim the one truth we have received. “He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears.” Our love for Christ can be measured by how faithful we are in transmitting his message without alteration. How great is my love for him?
Conversation with Christ: Dear Jesus, send me your Holy Spirit so that I might better know and love you. Grant me a hunger to know you better, to experience you more deeply. May my knowledge of you set my heart on fire so that I cannot keep you to myself. Aid me in faithfully communicating you and your message of love.
Resolution: I will (re-)commit myself to a regular study of my faith using the Catechism or the Compendium to the Catechism.
http://www.regnumchristi.org/english/articulos/articulo.phtml?se=363&ca=975&te=735&id=20302
TODAY’S SAINT: ST. JOAN OF ARC
Published May 30, 2010 | CATHOLIC NEWS AGENCY, MAY 30, 2010
Joan was born into a family of five children in 1412, and she worked as a shepherdess. When Joan was 13, she believed she received visions urging her to save France from the joint forces of England and Burgundy and to restore to the French throne the true king.
In 1428, after successfully convincing the French commander and the court that her visions were genuine, she led some troops into battle, carrying a banner that read: “Jesus, Mary” and a symbol of the Trinity.
She and her troops had a series of victories and King Charles VII was crowned in 1429.
She was captured by the Burgundians in May 1430 and sold to the English for 10,000 francs. She was put on trial by an ecclesiastical court and accused of heresy and witchcraft. She was burned at the stake in the marketplace at Rouen in 1431. In 1456, 23 years after her death, her case was retried, and she was found not guilty.
She was canonized May 16, 1920 by Pope Benedict XV. She is the patron of France, captives, soldiers and those ridiculed for their piety.
Sacred Traditions Still Mean Something in America!
Published May 29, 2010 |  |
Memorial Day Traditional: May 30
Observed: last Monday of May
Changing of the Guard – Tomb of the Unknown Soldier |
U.S. Bishops Fall Hook, Line and Sinker for Global Warming….Watch Video!
Published May 29, 2010 | SOURCE: USCCB
http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/ejp/
The Catholic Coalition on Climate Change
http://catholicclimatecovenant.org/
The impact of climate change falls heaviest on the world’s poor. As Catholics, our faith demands prudent action.
Have the US Bishops Bought Into Climate Change, AKA Global Warming? Look, See: The USCCB’s Environmental Justice Program!
Published May 29, 2010 | USCCB’s Environmental Justice Program: Caring for God’s Creation
The Environmental Justice Program (EJP) calls Catholics to a deeper respect for God’s creation and engages parishes in activities that deal with environmental problems, particularly as they affect the poor.
- Learn the Background
- Useful Resources for Dioceses & Parishes
- Special Projects
- Climate Change Justice and Health Initiative
- Children’s Health and the Environment Initiative
- EJP News
The Catholic Coalition on Climate Change
World Day of Peace – January 1
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EXCERPT from “Development and Climate Justice” (USCCB website on Climate Change!)
http://www.catholicsandclimatechange.org/
1. A post-2012 global climate change agreement
With our global constituency and our grassroots links, CIDSE believes it is crucial that the voices of
those most affected by climate change are heard and taken into account in identifying the solutions.
To ensure that the perspectives and needs of developing countries are taken effectively into account,
we believe the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is and
should remain the primary intergovernmental forum for decision making on climate change.
A chair at the table, however, is not enough to ensure equitable representation of views. Additional
actions are needed to increase the capacity of developing countries and developing country civil
society organisations to participate fully in the negotiations…………….
Issues Analysis: Social Justice Pastors, Your Chickens Will Come Home to Roost
Published May 29, 2010 | ….Excerpts from Erik Rush . . . “‘Social justice Christians’ are those who profess Christianity, but who adhere to politically entrenched concepts of equality and redistribution of wealth. These ideas are ostensibly rooted in their faith, but in truth, they have been incrementally and insidiously insinuated into many American churches by Marxists, progressive politicians, and pastors whose religion has been tainted by the aforementioned parties….
Marie Jon , RA analyst, Renew America, May 27, 2010
“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it begins at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” — 1 Peter 4:17
When clergy knowingly become involved in an unscriptural heresy called Social Justice, they have sinned against God. It does not matter what denomination is tainted by this false theology, the results will be the same. The Bible says there will be a falling away from God’s truth, which many believe is taking place now:
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition” (2 Thessalonians 2:3).
Worldly-minded ministers who get caught up in this “progressive” movement do so for many reasons, including power and political gain. They knowingly misrepresent the Word, and do not appropriately tend their congregations. Among other things, they’re intentionally obsessing their parishioners with Mother Earth (environmentalism).
“I am come that they might have life”
God sent His Son to save the human race from sin. He died so we could have life eternal with Him. The Lord will destroy the world someday and present to His family a new heaven and a new earth. Sin will be vanquished and never be allowed to rise again.
The scriptures beautifully portray the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, in which old things pass away. Revelation 1:7 reads: “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him.” And in Revelation 21:4, we catch a glimpse of God’s plan for our new future: “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” The very thought expressed in the verse is comforting and extremely powerful.
The full text says,
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21: 1-4)
Unfortunately, progressive pastors are not interested in being about their Father’s business of saving souls for Christ’s sake. They appear to have their feet firmly planted in the here and now. They are very content to let big government dole out “social justice” (and in some parts of the world, are even willing to let government provide greenhouse churches to worship in, complete with solar panels and all). Such slothful and unconsecrated frauds will eventually stand before the Great White Throne of God and answer to the Almighty for leading others astray and not teaching the everlasting gospel.
The unrepentant pastors will find that their chickens have come home to roost. They’ll reap what they have sown: “For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch” (Malachi 4:1).
The gospel of Karl
There are false pastors embedded within America’s churches who want to destroy the gospel of Christ and replace it with Marxism. The deceivers are not afraid of the wrath of the Lord. They do not believe in the God of the Bible. They are pandering a scheme that involves big government programs and a myriad of things that have nothing to do with the command to finish up the work and the preaching of the Good News.
God’s relationship with man is one of love. He wishes for us to obey Him freely through love. The Almighty gave mankind the gift of free will and the knowledge of how Christians should relate to each other, including the poor.
Americans are good and generous people who have always risen up to meet the needs of the poor. We also entrust our churches with our tithes and offerings. We give freely of our time and money to charitable organizations. The Bible does not mention one word about forced redistribution of wealth, or intrusive government programs for bringing about coercive “social justice.”
Charity is a desirable human tendency that comes from our relationship with our Lord. It’s an action God never forces. God “loves a cheerful giver.” However, the Obama administration has enticed some well-known denominations with “pay for play.” Become a lover of the Green Earth and your church will receive special favors.
Unconstitutional maneuvering
Our government plans to bypass Congress through administrative edicts of the EPA. And if your church embraces climate change — well, let’s say good things will happen. At the peril of the entire country, progressive churches will promote Cap and Trade. Yes, Democrats want Christians and others faiths to become titillated about saving the globe.
I guess these same misguided Christians have forgotten that, in the Garden of Eden, God cursed the earth. It’s a tragic true story of human disobedience — the lack of respect and adherence to God’s Word.
While all this clever chicanery is going on, Christians are to be led by God’s Holy Spirit. We’re to live a righteous life — to be set apart. We are not to engage in the sinful activities that this fallen world promotes, nor are we to retain a corrupt mind that this world has helped to create. Rather, we are to conform ourselves to the mind and will of Jesus Christ (Romans 12:1-2). We must be a living testament of joy in all our daily activities and personal commitments.
All believers need to understand their role in the world. We are the children of light. We’re not to be led by those who try to bring us into bondage and spiritual darkness. Christians are to live in such a way that those outside the faith see our good deeds and know that there is something special about us. While holding on to God’s saving grace, we’re to make every effort to live Christlike before those who do not know the Lord. Otherwise, we do Him a great disservice. By our example, non-believers will see fulfillment of Christ’s admonition that “by their fruits you shall know them.”
Enjoy the beautiful things that God has laid before us. Nature is breathtaking. Worship Him — but never His creation.
Excerpts from Erik Rush
Recently, writer Erik Rush addressed the growing movement of progressive socialists among those professing Christianity. Below are excerpts from his article “The apostasy of ‘social justice Christians’”:
“Revelations concerning people who call themselves ‘social justice Christians’ have recently become a cause célèbre among conservative commentators. Initially, I was disinclined to tackle the subject, since there have been several worthwhile articles and programs addressing it as of late. However, since the phenomenon so closely resembles another upon which I have expounded with regularity, I reasoned that some elucidation thereupon would be accommodating to civic-minded Americans.
“‘Social justice Christians’ are those who profess Christianity, but who adhere to politically entrenched concepts of equality and redistribution of wealth. These ideas are ostensibly rooted in their faith, but in truth, they have been incrementally and insidiously insinuated into many American churches by Marxists, progressive politicians, and pastors whose religion has been tainted by the aforementioned parties.
“How can this be? Well, through the misrepresentation of Gospel messages in the areas of charity and egalitarianism, such Christians have been led to believe that:
- Government has a right to enforce religious doctrines (such as those of charity and egalitarianism); and
- Jesus Christ, as a threat to the existing paradigm, was the “first radical” and essentially commanded this in His teachings.
“A preposterous extrapolation, to be sure, but that’s what they espouse. And of course, government only has the right to enforce the religious doctrines of which these folks and their leaders happen to approve.
“Organizations such as the Sojourners (founded by communist ‘reverend’ Jim Wallis) and other SJC entities have been flexing their collective muscle since the election of Barack Obama as president. Most recently, a public service announcement campaign led by the Hollywood Adventist Church (don’t laugh; this is serious stuff) via New Name Pictures and entitled “I’m a Social Justice Christian” hit the Web, provoking the condemnation of those who, well, see social justice Christianity for what it is.
“Why do I bring this up now — other than because social justice groups have been flexing that muscle lately? Because the methodology in play is precisely how the left corrupted the black community — through their pastors and their churches. In the 1960s, the church was still the bulwark of the black community. Marxists subverted black pastors, then interwove their (social justice) dogma into the Gospel.
“It is the same creed that destroyed black families and the character of black Americans; now, the political left is mobilizing deluded Christians in the general population to do their malevolent bidding. President Obama’s “organizers” are capitalizing on the raw sensitivities of a largely white middle-class subgroup that has been browbeaten with charges of racism for years.
“According to SJ Christians, in addition to oppressing minorities (though it remains a mystery as to precisely how), we are destroying the planet; these issues must be addressed decisively and with all due speed — by the federal government. First, it was necessary to advance the notion that the Earth’s atmosphere was going to flash off into space imminently, hence the climate-change fear-mongering.
“In addition to the discredited (and therefore dubious) evidence supporting climate-change theory, adherents to “environmental justice” wholly ignore the fact that we have managed to engineer automobiles that are exponentially more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly than those produced in the 1970s, when the last environmental panic occurred. American industry has done likewise across the board, and environmental consciousness and our sense of stewardship of the Earth is at record levels across the political spectrum in America.” Full Article
Corruption from within
When Christians become aware that their own denominations have been infiltrated by progressives, they’ll probably not get very far contacting the church’s conference offices or hierarchy. Those in charge are most likely involved and will simply turn a deaf ear.
Most of Christendom will worsen as liberal ideas — such as same sex marriage, global warming, and evolution — continue to creep into the church.
When godly people of faith see the changes taking place, it’s time to leave and start afresh in a church where the Word is not being compromised. I’m afraid there will be very few places where a soul can find refuge, yet God will always have a people who will hear His voice.
Remember that biblically-sound Evangelicals have always presented the truth of the seven-day creation story that is found in the book of Genesis. Why? Because it is scriptural. Yet the progressives have managed to increase their numbers by touting evolution in places where it previously had never been taught, including privately-owned Christian universities and other learning institutions.
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1)
And as President Barack Obama proceeds to purposely destroy America, he wants to create a new paradigm that will eventually diminish Christianity, so our country can continue down the path of secularism, along with a thrashed interpretation of our Constitution.
Return to Christ
Take out your Bibles. Read them. Know who Jesus Christ is. Only then can we defend the faith by knowing the truth and holding it up against and defeating the counterfeit.
Our nation is being taken apart, inside out, by radical forces who abuse their powers. Obama and his Democrat cronies are seeking to destroy America and then rebuild it in their own image. The president has ignored the will of the people, and has forced upon every citizen an insidious socialized healthcare plan. Yet Social Justice Christians stood by his side, aware of the ugly outcome of his actions.
Resolve now to vote them out of office. Let us begin humbly but boldly, as we move ever forward. We will take back the country, a nation founded upon Judeo-Christian beliefs.
Marie’s Choice Song: YouTube — Make Me A Servant — Maranatha Singers
Related Readings:
American Thinker: What Exactly Is ‘Social Justice’?
American Thinker: The Ugly Side of Social Justice
http://www.renewamerica.com/analysis/jon/100527
INSANE! Counterterror Adviser Defends Jihad as ‘Legitimate Tenet of Islam’
Published May 29, 2010 | FOXNews.com, May 27, 2010
White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan speaks to reporters in the White House Jan. 7. (AP Photo)
The president’s top counterterrorism adviser on Wednesday called jihad a “legitimate tenet of Islam,” arguing that the term “jihadists” should not be used to describe America’s enemies.
The president’s top counterterrorism adviser on Wednesday called jihad a “legitimate tenet of Islam,” arguing that the term “jihadists” should not be used to describe America’s enemies.
During a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, John Brennan described violent extremists as victims of “political, economic and social forces,” but said that those plotting attacks on the United States should not be described in “religious terms.”
He repeated the administration argument that the enemy is not “terrorism,” because terrorism is a “tactic,” and not terror, because terror is a “state of mind” — though Brennan’s title, deputy national security adviser for counterterrorism and homeland security, includes the word “terrorism” in it. But then Brennan said that the word “jihad” should not be applied either.
“Nor do we describe our enemy as ‘jihadists’ or ‘Islamists’ because jihad is a holy struggle, a legitimate tenet of Islam, meaning to purify oneself or one’s community, and there is nothing holy or legitimate or Islamic about murdering innocent men, women and children,” Brennan said.
The technical, broadest definition of jihad is a “struggle” in the name of Islam and the term does not connote “holy war” for all Muslims. However, jihad frequently connotes images of military combat or warfare, and some of the world’s most wanted terrorists including Usama bin Laden commonly use the word to call for war against the West. Continue reading
GOSPEL & MEDITATION: From Heaven or Earth?
Published May 29, 2010 | May 29, 2010
Saturday of the Eighth Week of Ordinary Time
Father John Doyle, LC
Mark 11:27-33
Jesus and his disciples returned once more to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the Temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do them?” Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin? Answer me.” They argued with one another, “If we say, ´From heaven,´ he will say, ´Why then did you not believe him?´ But shall we say, ´Of human origin´?” – they were afraid of the crowd, for all regarded John as truly a prophet. So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”
Introductory Prayer: Once again, Lord, I come to you to pray. Even though I cannot see you, I trust that you are present and want very much to instruct me in your teachings. In the same way you demonstrate your love for me by spending this time with me, I want to express my love for you by dedicating this time to you with a spirit of faith, confidence and attention. Here I am, Lord, to listen to you and respond with love.
Petition: Jesus grant me true sincerity and uprightness of life.
1. The Horror of Insincerity It was the day after Jesus had caused an uproar in the Temple at Jerusalem, the like of which had not been seen for a long time. Jesus had overturned the moneychangers’ tables and driven out the animals. Anyone else would surely have landed in prison, but this was Christ, and his hour had not yet come. Still the chief priests and scribes are looking for an explanation –– or better yet, an excuse –– to accuse Jesus. He shrewdly answers their inquiry with a question that they cannot answer for fear of revealing their insincerity before the crowds. How this insincerity on the part of the scribes and Pharisees offended Our Lord! He would not speak to them plainly because their purpose was to twist his words. Do I detest insincerity as well? Do I find traces of dishonesty in my own life? Am I more concerned about what others think or about what Christ thinks?
2. To Believe Demand Change Jesus did not say these words, but they knew he could have. Their troubled consciences were aware it would have been a fitting accusation. Why had they not believed in the precursor of the Lord? Was it not for the same reasons that they would not believe in the Lord himself? John the Baptist had called them on their insincerity. They went to receive his baptism of repentance, but they did not really mean to amend their lives. Would Jesus have to reproach me for any insincerity? Do I ever go to receive the sacrament of penance without a real desire to change my life? Or do I avoid confession altogether because I really don’t see anything in my behavior that needs to change?
3. Ignorance Is a Cheap Excuse This is certainly not the first or the last time that ignorance is pleaded to avoid the consequences of the truth, but this kind of ignorance is clearly culpable. The speakers were not uneducated men, but rather the leaders of God’s people, responsible for guiding them along the way of God’s covenant. While it was generally accepted that John the Baptist had been a great prophet who stirred sinners to repentance with his preaching and example of austerity, the Jewish authorities were unwilling to accept that anyone besides themselves could claim any authority in God’s name. Truly they did know, but they were unwilling to accept the truth. Do I ever lean on ignorance in plowing forward with some action that I’m not sure is quite right?
Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, at times I know what your will for me is, but it costs me greatly to put it into practice. Some times I am too worried about what others think and say, or I am afraid of the consequences. Grant me a spirit of sincerity and strength always to accept and follow your will.
Resolution: I will arrive a little early to Mass tomorrow in order to spend a few quiet moments with Our Lord asking for the grace of always being sincere and upright in my actions.
TODAY’S SAINT: BLESSED RICKARD THIRKELD
Published May 29, 2010 | CATHOLIC NEWS AGENCY, MAY 29, 2010
He was imprisoned for two months before being brought to court May 27, 1538 for hearing confessions and bringing lapsed Catholics back to the Church. He was sentenced to death the following day and executed May 29 in York. He used his short time in jail to minister to other prisoners, especially those sentenced to death.
He was executed secretly because authorities feared that his public execution would have caused a public demonstration.
He was beatified by Pope Leo XIII in 1886.
Perpetual Light Shine Upon Them…
Iwo Jima Memorial – USMC War Memorial Sunset Parade 2008-07
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Arlington National Cemetery Continue reading →