Iron Works

How Daily Mass Benefitted My Day to Day Life

2016-05-11T13:50:00.000-04:00

Prayer is at the heart of any relationship with God, but to many people, including myself, maintaining a healthy prayer life is a constant struggle. Our daily schedules become so filled with our careers, family, and other activities that it seems we barely have time to breathe. But this is really when we need prayer the most. As I write this I am reminded of a quote from St. Francis de Sales, “Every one of us needs a half hour of prayer a day, except when we are busy, and then we need an hour.” In other words, as life becomes increasingly more complicated and hectic, that’s when our relationship with God becomes ever more critical.

In my personal experience, attendance at daily mass as helped me greatly in this area. I am fortunate in that there are a few churches near my job that offer daily mass at times that are easy to attend before I have to report to the office. I also realize that not everyone reading this may be in a similar situation and finding a daily mass may be much more difficult. I strongly encourage everyone to give it serious consideration. Start off slowly by attending a daily mass once or twice a week and you can eventually grow from there. The benefits and graces from faithfully attending a weekday mass even once or twice weekly are powerful.

Focus – Every day from the minute I get out of bed, I feel as if I am being pulled in several different directions. My mind usually bounces around from thinking about deadlines at work to which activities do I need to bring my kids to on that day. Add to this the external noise of the world vying for our attention, such as the latest headlines and advertisements. Attending daily mass allows me to spend time each day and remember what is truly important in this world, working on my relationship with Christ. Listening to the Gospel and the homily and then uniting to Christ through the reception of Holy Communion helps me to focus on what really matters and offer up the day to the Lord. It’s a powerful start to the day to have this mass as a reminder that whatever may happen, Christ is there to get you through it all.

Peace – St. John Bosco had a vision in which he saw the Church as a ship guided by the Pope through very stormy seas. This ship was also being attacked by dark ships as the Holy Father was trying to guide it between two pillars to safety. At the top of the larger pillar was the Holy Eucharist while our Blessed Mother was standing at the top of the other. Why am I bringing this up? This is to illustrate what daily mass has become to me. The world we live in is chaotic. Things are constantly changing around us while our faith is attacked incessantly. Attending mass reminds me that that there is one constant in this world, one thing that will never change and that is our Lord Jesus Christ. The Mass has become my refuge, my safe harbor from the darkness of this world. It gives me a sense of comfort and peace when I can focus on the liturgy and on Christ’s presence and shut out all the noise of the world. Of course this first starts with regular attendance at weekly mass, but daily mass builds upon this and helps me stay safely between the pillars of the Eucharist and our Blessed Mother throughout the week. This goes hand in hand with what I mentioned earlier about focus. The peace and stillness that we receive from being in the presence of the Lord, enables us to more clearly focus on what matters most in the world and take on the day’s challenges with a renewed sense of hope in Christ.

Personal Holiness – This past summer I had the privilege of chaperoning the youth group from my parish to the annual Steubenville East retreat which is organized by the Franciscan University of Steubenville. One of the speakers at this event, Fr. Jose Sanchez, spoke to these teens about growing in personal holiness. He spoke in a common sense approach to make it relatable to the youth present. Fr. Jose likened daily mass to a bridge. We are required to attend mass weekly, but that is the bare minimum. Throughout the rest of the week we struggle with bad habits, sin, and temptation. Daily mass is a bridge to help get through all this and link us to the mass next weekend. In other words, when we attend Sunday mass and receive the Eucharist, we are strengthened and receive graces from God. As the week goes on, life distracts us from God and slowly chips away at our resolve. This makes it much more difficult to avoid sin and grow in holiness as God calls us. He urged us all to start with attending one daily mass each week on Wednesdays. By doing this, we only have to go a few days before we listen to God’s word and receive the Eucharist. This will give us the graces we need and strengthen our resolve against sin until the next Sunday mass. We grow in holiness by working to overcome sin and bad habits. This is accomplished by building good habits. Weekly mass is the right place to start, but it may not be enough. As I have experienced in my life, good spiritual habits such as prayer and daily mass are powerful tools to get us through the week and break away from habitual sins that we struggle with. I can’t stress enough how much daily mass has helped me in this area, especially in those times where I have fallen again. It has given me the resolve to get up, not lose hope, and continue the fight.

This is just my personal witness to how even one extra mass a week has benefited my daily life. There many more ways in which the graces of a daily mass will transform us if we open ourselves to it. Life moves around us at a maddening pace, consuming what little time we have. But this is precisely why it is critical to take the time to reach out to God through prayer each day. The most powerful way to do this is the Mass.

“Every one of us needs a half hour of prayer a day, except when we are busy, and then we need an hour.” - St. Francis de Sales.

Crisis Magazine: A New Devastating Critique of the Global Sexual Revolution

2016-05-07T12:18:00.000-04:00

"It is quite remarkable that we are fighting the same battle from before the French Revolution, the fight between sexual license and sexual morality. The fight has been non-stop. Sometimes we are winning, other times, like now, we are losing."

-Austin Ruse, Crisis Magazine.

Crisis Magazine: A New Devastating Critique of the Global Sexual Revolution

The link above is to a remarkable article about a powerful book that analyzes the roots of the sexual revolution and its resulting destruction all around us. The most eye opening part of this article is that the immoral sexual ideology of today's progressive movement can trace its roots to cultural Marxism and arguably as far back as before the French Revolution. The battle between sexual license and morality really goes back to the serpent in the garden convincing our first parents that they could be like God and determine for themselves what is right or wrong.

I recommend this book as well as Takedown: From Communists to Progressives, How the Left Has Sabotaged Family and Marriage by Paul Kengor, Ph.D. Both these books provide the reader a much better perspective of what is really driving the LGBTQ agenda in today's culture and the historical roots of this revolution.

My hope is that books and other media like this will be successful in waking people up to the madness around us before it is too late.

The Hypocrisy of Our Culture and Our Condemning Silence

2016-05-07T08:46:00.000-04:00

By now, most people have already heard how former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling was fired from his position at ESPN. (see story here).The reason for his termination was a post he put on his personal Facebook account that some found offensive to the transgender (or whatever we are calling them this week) community. ESPN then went so far as to remove virtually any reference to Curt Schilling in documentary they produced about the Red Sox 2004 World Series win, in which he played a large part in.

You can view his facebook post at this link. While I agree that it is somewhat unpleasant to look at, it points out the absurdity of the transgender bathroom debate in our culture right now. To sum it all up, the "progressive" minded folks in our society are willing to put our children at risk in public bathrooms in order to appease a very minuscule, but very vocal, percentage of the general population that due to a mental disorder, cannot identify with their God given gender. Schilling agrees with those of us who see the need for states to pass these "bathroom laws" to protect the most vulnerable in our society.

But the politically correct crowd is vilifying Schilling any one else who dares to publicly oppose this latest push in their LGTBQ ideology. Celebrities are urging boycotts of those states that had the moral courage to pass the bathroom protection laws. Even our "Panderer-in-Chief", President Obama is again shamefully overstepping his federal authority and threatening to withhold federal funds from these states if they don't repeal these laws.

What does all this have to do with the hypocrisy and the silence in the title of this post? Let's step back and look at Schilling's employer, ESPN. This sports network is currently owned by media giant Disney, who also owns the ABC network. The ABC network has chosen to air a sitcom called the "Real O'Neals". This supposed comedy is anything but funny and is nothing more than a weekly episodic attack on Catholicism. The show revolves around a dysfunctional Catholic family that act idiotic most of the time. The only member of this family that is portrayed as reasonable and intelligent is their gay son. Not much of a shocker there! (see more here.) Despite calls from various Catholic and Christian organizations to ABC to stop this bigotted attack against Catholics, network executives are persisting in airing this weekly filth.

The blatant hypocrisy of this situation lies with the Disney executives. On one hand, they allow the firing of Schilling so as to not offend the so called "transgender" community, but on the other hand they find it completely acceptable to offend the entire Catholic Church every week. Can someone in the House of Mouse tell me why it is forbidden to offend one community while yet obstinately attacking another community? Would anyone at Disney ever allow ABC to air a comedy that would similarly attack the gay community or the Muslim community? The answer is an obvious no.

The reason we Catholics have become the last acceptable target of bigotry is in part because of our silence. This same silence reveals the stark truth that we as a Church are losing these battles because we are not even showing up for the fight. I am not saying we should become extremists and use violence. What I am saying is that we as Catholics should stop being lazy and make our voices heard. Start by contact Disney and ABC and telling them to end this anti-Catholic bigotry. Take it even further by boycotting Disney, ABC, their sponsors, and anything else affiliated with Disney. Trust me when I say this, you and your family will survive if you forgo the usual pilgrimage to Disneyworld! Encourage others to stand up against this bigotry as well. Yes you may loose a few Facebook friends by standing up for the Church, but you will survive this too.

Most importantly, the best way to make a difference is to proudly live your faith even in the face of hatred and adversity. Prayer, fasting, the Sacraments, and publicly living your faith can change the world. There are thousands of Christians throughout the Middle East who are being persecuted, tortured and murdered by ISIS just for believing in Christ and refusing to renounce their faith. Yet so many of us Catholics here in the U.S. choose to be silent when our faith is attacked in the media. Our silence is condemning.

Pope Francis and President Obama

2013-05-29T13:08:00.000-04:00

The difference between the two couldn't be more striking.....

Gay Marriage - A Pro-Life Issue

2013-04-05T21:48:00.000-04:00

The video below is from the March 26 episode of Piers Morgan's show on CNN. By now you may have already heard about this video where Morgan and his guest Suze Orman try to debate Ryan Anderson of the Heritage Foundation on the issue of gay marriage. Anderson did a brilliant job of defending traditional marriage despite the fact that the whole event was a farce and staged against him. I don't want to rehash the whole debate, but if you want more details please watch the video below and then read this article: How not to have a debate about gay marriage.

What I want to discuss here is what happened beginning around the 11:25 mark in the video. It was both eye-opening and disturbing. Anderson attempts to explain how the true definition of marriage is not just about uniting a man and a woman, but also about the procreation and raising of children.It was at this point that Orman and Morgan mocked him and encourage the studio audience to do so as well. Their point was that Anderson was wrong and that marriage has nothing to do with children and is only about whatever two consenting adults want.

I shouldn't be too surprised about this reaction. Our society has embraced death through the use of artificial contraception and abortion. The logical progression from there would be to separate marriage from openness to life. Blessed John Paul II in the Theology of the Body, described marriage has having two important aspects that can never be seperated, the unitive and procreative. Unfortunately, as Ryan Anderson tried to explain in the video, we began to change marriage and split those two aspects 40 years ago with the sexual revolution and widespread use of contraception and abortion.

The sad result of that is exactly what we saw in the video, our society does not see the importance of both the unitive and procreative sides of marriage. Instead it sees marriage as just a type of recognition of a sexual relationship between two people. If children and openness to life is not important in marriage, then it's no surprise that a growing number of people support same-sex marriage.

This is why this battle to protect traditional marriage is a pro-life issue. It all goes back to the central issue of life. Gay marriage will only further the split between marriage and children that began 40 years ago. Future generations will not see children as a blessing and part of the very nature of marriage, but instead as an incidental outcome or even a burden. The daunting challenge that we face is changing people's hearts to accept that sex is sacred, every life is a blessing, and participating with God in the creation of a new human life is at the very heart of marriage.

We Are an Easter People

2013-04-01T10:51:00.000-04:00

In this Easter season, we rejoice in the hope and promise of victory that we see in the Risen Christ. Just as the Lord conquered sin and death, we know that through Him we will be ultimately victorious. We, as the Body of Christ, are an "Easter People" because at the core of our faith is the hope of the resurrection.

This world constantly tells us that our Church is outdated and dwindling. Judging by the media, it seems as if we are losing the battles against intrinsic evils such as abortion and homosexual marriage. Think about how many times you have heard lately that the Catholic Church is on the wrong side of history and the most Catholics don't agree with Church doctrine on issues like contraception and gay marriage. Judging by all of these messages, it sounds as if the Church is on it's death bed.

The truth is that like Christ on Good Friday, we will be mocked and condemned in the court of public opinion. This world want's nothing more than to see the Church on its own road to Calvary, where it will be put to death once and for all. As the Body of Christ, our Church will be persecuted and suffer. It seems we may be entering into those dark times right now with the threat to our religious freedoms casting a large shadow over us. But as an Easter people we know that the story doesn't end there. Because of Christ's Resurrection, we know that ultimately we as the Church will be victorious over sin and death.

During this Easter Season, let us celebrate and show the world that Easter is more than just a day about spring, eggs, and bunnies. It is a time to rejoice in the promise of victory that we have witnessed in the Risen Christ! Alleluia!

Related story:
How we can be Easter people

Update on my Last Post About the Catholic Vote and Non-Negotiable Moral Principles

2012-11-02T23:48:00.001-04:00

I wanted to share a few responses I received to my recent letter to the Providence Journal regarding the Catholic Vote and the non-negotiable moral principles. Below are two letters published on the Journal' website rebutting my letter. (My comments about these and much more are after the fold.)

Think for yourself, rather than heeding pope

Ah, there is a rivalry of consciences in the letters to the editor. ("My conscience as a Catholic voter," Oct. 28, by Ray H__; and "Catholic teachings," Nov. 1, by Rob A).Mr. H__'s discussion of the decisions of his conscience was reasoned and well explained. I admire his conscience.
Mr. A's conscience seems to rely on the teachings of a man who happens to be pope. None of those "non-negotiable moral principles" came from the pope under the cloak of infallibility, so a Catholic can disagree with him and follow his own conscience.
As I recall, there is not supposed to be anyone in the voting booth with us, directing how we vote.
I do not admire the conscience of Mr. A, who seems content to not struggle with these hard things himself, but, instead, lean on the words of the pope.

Peggy G__

Church is not a political party

Rob A's Nov. 1 letter ("Catholic teachings") states that Catholics cannot vote for President Obama because Obama violates moral principles that "Pope Benedict XVI has stated repeatedly ...should come before all other issues in politics."If true, Benedict's political directive is contrary to the teaching of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II.
In addressing the question of legalized abortion in newly democratic Poland after the fall of communism ("Witness to Hope" by George Weigel), John Paul echoed the voice of Jesus with regard to politics: "The Church is not a political party nor is she identified with any political party; she is above them, and no political party can claim her."
It is the Church's role to be "a guardian of the moral order and a critical conscience... the laity's task to be directly involved in the area of politics." And it is the responsibility of the people to "learn to dialogue with one another in truth and with respect for their own dignity and that of their counterparts, who, although differing, are not enemies."
John Paul knew instinctively that mixing politics with the pulpit eventually will corrupt the pulpit.

Jack O___

My first reaction to these letters is to be defensive. But the best course of action would be to pray for these people and our nation. These responses are unfortunate indicators of the state of faith in our world. They are also a reminder of the significance of Pope Benedict's call for a year of faith. Religion and faith are being increasingly ridiculed and pushed out of the public sector and confined to home or church on Sundays.

In response to Peggy G's letter, I admit that I do lean on the wisdom of the Pope. Being a faithful Catholic means that we are loyal to the Magisterium and believe that the Holy Father is guided by the Holy Spirit in matters of the Faith.

Peggy G, you are free to disagree with Pope if you like. However these three non-negotiable principles of the dignity of all human life, the importance of marriage and family, and authentic human freedom are all included in the doctrines of the Catholic Church. These are not some opinion of the current pope, but are core teachings of the Church which all popes throughout history have taught and all Catholics must follow.

As for the second letter from Jack O, contrary to your interpretation. Pope Benedict is not contradicting Blessed John Paul II, but reinforcing what John Paul II stated in his encyclical Evangelium Vitae (Gospel of Life). In his encyclical, he states that we have a grave and clear obligation to oppose any law that attacks human life and that it is impossible to promote such laws or to vote for them.

Pope Benedict was not advocating that the Church belong to a political party but that we are not Democrats or Republicans first but Catholics first. We should vote using these moral principles as a guide and not just vote according to party lines. It is again another said reminder that faith in our society is secondary to political party agendas.

This final letter which I included below really disturbed me the most for a couple of reasons. First it was mailed directly to my home address. I don't know how this person got my address or if this is their attempt to intimidate me. Honestly, after the anger and initial surprise wore off, I don't feel intimidated, but rather sorry for this person. Below is a scan of the actual letter:

Since the handwriting is barely legible, I have typed the body of the letter below:

You are an ignorant Catholic who puts your Catholicism ahead of your U.S. Citizenship. Even Jesus would criticize you for the letter you wrote to the Prov. Journal.

Jack Kennedy years ago spoke elegantly about how his Catholicism would affect his role as President and demonstrated that U.S. citizenship comes first not loyalty to the Church or the Pope. President Obama has done what is right for America, not for Catholics, Jews, or Protestants and he'll continue to do so and hopefully will Romney if he's elected. Putting Catholic principles above the U.S. Constitution is an insult to all Americans. Look at the school in Cranston that was forced to remove the sign that had a religious value stressed over school principles.(see this link for more on this case) It's people like you that the Courts rule against in supporting individuals freedom to do as the individually believe, not to be stupid followers of the Pope. That's why the Catholic Church is losing so many followers and why attendance at mass and why communion is ever decreasing. Enough Catholics agree with Ray H__ and disagree with Rob't A and hopefully they will vote to relect Barack Obama as you should do if you consider yourself an American citizen.

I don't want to launch into a personal attack on the person who wrote this misguided letter, but it is so very wrong in so many areas. First, I will proudly say that my loyalty is to God and His Church first and foremost. To be a Catholic means you are a Catholic before you are a Democrat or Republican and even before you are an American. This is not meant to diminish in any way our role as American citizens, but to emphasize that our faith should be the foundation of everything else in our life. Embracing and living my faith does not make me less of an Amercian, but it is what helps me be a better person and a better citizen. As for Jack Kennedy's speech about his faith, Archbishop Charles Chaput did a better job than I ever could in discussing how wrong Kennedy was.

Secondly, The U.S. Constitution was built on Judeo-Christian principles, the same principles that this person claims is insulting to all Americans. Being a Christian and being an American are not mutually exclusive. Our Constitution protects religious freedoms where religion and government can co-exist and work together for the common good and where religion can have a voice in the public square.

I wish the writer of the above letter had include their name and address. I would have liked to invite this person to a civil discussion on the Catholic faith over a beer or two. Sending an anonymous letter and calling me ignorant and insulting accomplishes nothing. As I mentioned before, I think the best thing I can do is pray for this person and for our nation so that we are all more open to God's truth and love.

The Catholic Vote and The Non-Negotiable Moral Principles

2012-11-02T12:00:00.000-04:00

With Election Day approaching, I think its important to clarify what Pope Benedict XVI has called the non-negotiable moral principles. I want to first start with a letter that was published recently in my local newspaper, The Providence Journal by a self identified "Catholic" voter.

My conscience as a Catholic voter

Conscience and voting have been the the topic of concern throughout the Catholic community as well as many other religious communities. Seeking to establish a clear and informed conscience, I have concluded:
* To gut many safety-net programs for the poor, the handicapped and the elderly would be contrary to the Vatican II declaration of "preferential option for the poor."

* To force us as citizens to make the lives of illegal immigrants who have not committed any other crime in our country so miserable that "they will want to leave on their own," flies in the face of our commitment to charity and the corporal works of mercy.

* To remove the long-overdue opportunities for so many more of our citizens to receive health care is blatantly unjust in our democratic society. Trying to justify this just to satisfy a "teaching" that all contraceptives are either a means of abortion or at least contrary to the unfounded notion that intercourse between husband and wife must be with the accepted knowledge that a pregnancy might result is wrong.

Our Catholic leaders' role is to persuade; not to control. And the range of persuasion is to its own and those who might be interested. Many Catholic institutions employ large numbers of non-catholic people.

* To believe that running our country like a huge corporation will result in millions of new jobs, increase in wages and major reduction of debt in four years is, to say the least, unrealistic.

* To think that our modern world of global communication and myriads of governments and religions will be convinced by military domination is naive and dangerous.

Thus with a clear and informed conscience (which my Catholic Church teaches is the bottom line for any decision-making) I will vote for another term for President Obama.

Ray H__.

This is my reply letter which was published the following day:

Catholic Teachings

This is in response to the letter by Ray H__ , “A Catholic's Vote”, published on the Providence Journal on October 31, 2012. While the issues of safety net programs for the poor, illegal immigration, and healthcare are all very important, Mr. Hodges own remarks demonstrate that his conscience is not as well informed on Catholic doctrine as he thinks it is.

Pope Benedict XVI has stated repeatedly that there are three non-negotiable moral principles that should come before all other issues in politics. Those principles are the protection of human life, the protection of traditional marriage and family, and religious freedoms. President Obama has failed miserably on these three issues. Ray H. is correct that the Catholic Church teaches about the primacy of the conscience. But that applies to a conscience well formed by Catholic teachings grounded in moral and natural law. By this standard, no Catholic in good conscience can justify voting for Obama because of his disregard for these moral principles.

Secondly, Ray H__'s comments such as “gutting safety net programs” and removing healthcare demonstrates that his political beliefs are not formed by the Catholic Church or Vatican II documents but by the falsehoods of a Presidential administration that has been an abysmal failure over the last four years.

Rob A.

I shared this to highlight how so many Catholics are in denial , misinformed, or poorly catechized about these moral issues. I agree that issues like aiding the poor, illegal immigration, and healthcare are all very important matters which deserve consideration when voting. However, the three non-negotiable moral principles, mentioned in my letter above, are the foundation stones which all others are built upon. When these are not properly respect and come under attack, society and all other issues will greatly falter as is clearly evidenced by what is happening in our nation today.

Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI as well as Blessed John Paul II have spoken and written extensively on the utmost importance of these moral principles. Unfortunately many Catholics and non-Catholics alike have yet to open their minds and hearts to this truth. Please pray for our nation during these final days before the election that all people and especially our newly elected leaders will embrace these principles and rebuild a culture of life. I have included links below to a voting guide on EWTN.com based on these moral principles and to a speech given by Pope Benedict in 2006 in Europe regarding these same issues. Please share this information with others.

Voting and the Non-Negotiable Moral Principles

Pope Benedict XVI's Address to European People's Party

Re-emergence of the Church Militant

2012-07-07T08:04:00.000-04:00

I want to share with you an outstanding article by Fr. Rick Heilman on the growing prosecution of our church:
The Growing Persecution of the Church and the Re-emergence of the Church Militant.

In this article Fr. Heilman quotes Pope Pius XII and Pope Benedict XVI on the attacks the Church has faced in the past and up until the present day:

“The Church, the Mystical Body, exists on this earth, and is called the Church militant, because its members struggle against the world, the flesh and the devil.” (Pope Benedict XVI)

In 1953, the Pope who had led the Church through two decades of darkness in a world besieged by war, Pope Pius XII stated, “We belong to the Church militant; and She is militant because on earth the powers of darkness are ever restless to encompass Her destruction.”

We are becoming increasingly aware in our time that we are the Church militant as we battle the ravages caused by the culture of death. In addition, as we witness the growing hostility toward the church throughout the world, we realize that we are indeed engaged in a spiritual warfare.

This article from Fr. Heilman is a great reminder that there is an ongoing spiritual battle and we are all enlisted to stand against this evil and defend our Church and our faith. Pray for our Church, our Pope and Bishops, and our families, that God may strengthen us in this spiritual war and that more Catholics also wake up and stand with the Church Militant.

I have also included below the awesome video, "The Church Militant - Bringing Catholic Back", which Fr. Heilman included at the end of his article. Please take the time to read the full article and watch this powerful video.

Venerable Fulton J. Sheen

2012-07-05T20:26:00.000-04:00

Recently, the Vatican announced that the cause for canonization for Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen has progressed to the next step and he has been declared Venerable. This announcement was made on the same day as the Supreme Court ruling on Obamacare. I am not sure if this is just a coincidence, but we as the Church now have Venerable Fulton Sheen as an intercessor for us in this battle for religious freedom.

To commemorate the Vatican's announcement, I have re-posted a video that I had shared here sometime ago that tells a great story about Archbishop Sheen and his passion for the faith.

Venerable Fulton Sheen, please pray for us and for our nation!

The Line in the Sand

2012-07-05T19:39:00.000-04:00

By now everyone has probably heard about the disappointing ruling by the Supreme Court and Chief Justice Roberts inexplicable decision to support Obamacare. While I would have preferred seeing this so called Affordable Care Act completely struck down, the SCOTUS decision upholding Obamacare will serve a greater purpose in defending religious freedoms in the long term.

If this healthcare overhaul was struck down, the HHS Mandate lawsuit would have also ended since the mandate itself would no longer be in effect. However, the question of religious freedom would have gone unanswered. The current administration has set a dangerous precedent by infringing on religious freedoms to further its political and ideological agenda. The lawsuits against the mandate will now continue and hopefully end with the Supreme Court definitively ending this abuse of power and disregard of religious freedoms by the President.

How can we be so hopeful that the Supreme Court will make the right decision in regards to religious freedoms? As reported by Michelle Baumann of Catholic News Agency: (emphasis mine)

[Hannah Smith, Senior Counsel, The Beckett Fund] pointed to the majority opinion, penned by Chief Justice John Roberts, which states, “Even if the taxing power enables Congress to impose a tax on not obtaining health insurance, any tax must still comply with other requirements in the Constitution.”

The opinion of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan, was even more explicit, she said.

Ginsberg wrote, “A mandate to purchase a particular product would be unconstitutional if, for example, the edict impermissibly abridged the freedom of speech, interfered with the free exercise of religion, or infringed on a liberty interest protected by the Due Process Clause.”

The direct mention of religious freedom as a reason to find such a mandate unconstitutional is a hopeful sign in the battle over the contraception requirement, Smith said.

She explained that these two statements are “essential” in suggesting that the court may strike down the contraception mandate if asked to rule on it, a positive indication for defenders of religious freedom.

The line in the sand has been drawn. The current administration is now even more emboldened with this Supreme Court victory. This can become a defining moment in history for us as Catholics. By coming together and supporting our Bishops in this battle, we can truly show the world what it means to be "One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic".

Even though the Fortnight for Freedom is over, the battle continues. There are several things that we can all do to help our Bishops in this fight. First, we must pray and fast for religious freedom. Secondly, speak out publicly in favor of the Church and against this HHS mandate. By this I mean call and write to your elected officials and write to your local newspapers. You can also write about it on your blogs and social media sites. We need to get the truth out to counter the lies in the media. This isn't just some "Catholic thing" about contraception or abortion. This is about protecting the religious freedoms of every citizen in this country. In this battle, we are all Catholics. Finally, take the time to educate yourself on Obamacare, the HHS Mandate and how this impacts our freedoms. This will help you better understand the issues when you vote and allow you to better defend the position of the Catholic Church on this matter.

The line in the sand has been drawn. The question is now do we stand and fight or do we stick our head in the sand and ignore it?

Fellowship of the Unashamed - Part 2

2012-05-26T15:33:00.002-04:00

This is a great video presentation of the Mission Statement I wrote about in my last blog post. This video was too good to pass up and definitely worth sharing with others.

The Fellowship of the Unashamed

2012-05-11T22:57:00.000-04:00

I found this mission statement on the blog of Catholic author and speaker Patrick Madrid back in September of 2011. I am posting it now because more relevant than ever in light of the open hostility of our society and government towards our faith.

God is calling every Catholic today to live up to the ideals in this mission statement and follow in the steps of the the saints and martyrs of our Church. This is how we defend our faith, protect our families, and fight against this culture of death.

MISSION STATEMENT: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE UNASHAMED
(Author unknown)

I AM A PART of the Fellowship of the Unashamed.

The die has been cast. The decision has been made. I have stepped over the line. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is in God’s hands. I am finished and done with low living, small planning, the bare minimum, smooth knees, mundane talking, frivolous living, selfish giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, applause, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, the best, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith. I lean on Christ’s presence. I love with patience, live by prayer, and labor with the power of God’s grace.

My face is set. My gait is fast, my goal is heaven. My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my Guide is reliable, and my mission is clear.

I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won't give up, shut up, let up or slow up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and spoken up for the cause of Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus. I am a Catholic. I must go until He comes, give until I drop, speak out until all know, and work until He stops me. And when He returns for His own, He will have no difficulty recognizing me. My banner is clear: I am a part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed.

Adapted from the original (author unknown) by Patrick Madrid

Obama Announces He Supports Gay Marriage

2012-05-10T00:10:00.000-04:00

From CNN: Obama Announces He Supports Gay Marriage

Does the above story really surprise anyone? I don't believe that his position on gay marriage has "evolved" at all. The truth is he didn't have the backbone to take a stand on this issue until he was finally backed into a corner by remarks by Joe Biden and others in his cabinet. As far back as 1996, Obama was on record supporting gay marriage. More recently, Obama's repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell and his push to end the Defense of Marriage Act made it very clear what he thought of traditional marriage. Also in 2009, Obama criticized supporters of traditional families as trying to "enshrine discrimination in the Constitution" and "holding on to outworn arguments and old attitudes". Make no mistake about it, Obama holds very radical views on religious freedom, marriage, family, and even human life.

To put it bluntly, it is unconscionable for any Catholic to vote for Barack Obama. While there may be issues where he is in agreement with Catholic doctrine, absolutely nothing outweighs his stances on the intrinsic evils of abortion and gay marriage and his blatant attacks on religious freedoms. I cannot fathom any circumstances that would justify a Catholic voting for Obama. The problem here is that too many Catholics are not educated enough in their faith and don't fully understand the Church's teachings on these critical issues.

This is a crucial point in our nation's history. Never before has a sitting president been so opposed to the teachings of the Catholic Church on marriage, family, and human life. With the upcoming election, we have the opportunity to right this ship and get our nation off of the deadly course it's on right now. This isn't about being a "progressive catholic" or "liberal catholic" or "conservative catholic" or a "traditional catholic". This is about being a Catholic first and foremost and standing shoulder to shoulder with our Bishops and priests as well as our brothers and sisters from other denominations to defend our faith and families.

I strongly encourage you to read "Our First Most Cherished Liberty" by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. It is a powerful document that details the current threat to our religious freedoms by the the recent HHS mandate, gay marriage laws, and even illegal immigration laws. It is very important that we as Catholics educate ourselves and share these truths with as many people as possible. Our Church and our faith are under attack and we can't afford to be complacent. To quote Roger Cardinal Mahoney in the above Bishop's statement, "this must be fought against with all the energies the Catholic community can muster."

Pro-Life Thoughts

2012-05-09T13:02:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to share two articles that I wrote for my parish's new Pro-Life newsletter on the important topics of abortion and euthanasia.

40 Days for Life – The Power of Prayer

Since 2007 the National 40 days for Life campaign has brought thousands of people together in all 50 states to fast and pray for an end to abortion. These campaigns happen twice yearly, in the spring and fall, and the success stories are truly miraculous. The 2012 spring 40 Days for Life is now over; however, nationwide over 883 babies were spared from abortion! Praise God! Through the peaceful and prayerful presence of ordinary people in the 40 Days campaign, the hearts of so many men and women were converted resulting is over 800 precious lives saved.

But the success doesn’t stop there. 21 abortion centers have shut down permanently because of local 40 Days for Life Campaigns. 61 abortion clinic workers also quit their jobs and turned away from this industry all because of the power of these prayers. The success of the 40 Days for Life depends on ordinary people making a commitment to pray and fast whether it’s for one hour or several hours, anything will help. Please pray for the continued success of the 40 Days for Life campaigns and consider joining the next campaign whether it’s signing up to pray with a group at a local clinic or just praying at home. Your prayers will make a difference.

Euthanasia – Our Prayers are Needed

Here in Rhode Island, many of us may be unaware of the growing push for the legalization of physician assisted suicide in several other states. In Massachusetts, euthanasia advocates are working towards a ballot question that have voters decide on its legalization in November. In New York, Vermont, Hawaii, and Montana, state legislatures are debating bills to decriminalize assisted suicide. These bills are being reviewed by legislative committees and no votes have been scheduled yet, but the pro-euthanasia lobbyists are pushing hard. In New Mexico, two doctors have filed a court challenge against the state’s laws prohibiting assisted suicides. If any of these are successful, they will join Oregon and Washington, were euthanasia has been legal for several years.

While it may appear that we don’t have much say as to what happens in other states, what we can do is pray. Like abortion, euthanasia is another affront to the dignity of all human life. From conception to the grave, all life is a precious gift from God and has meaning. All our prayers are needed so that the elected officials embrace a culture of life and work against these misguided bills. We also need to remain vigilant against any future attempt in our state to legalize assisted suicide. Please keep these states in your prayers as well as our own state and our nation during this election year.

Will you vote the values that will stand the test of fire?

2012-04-09T09:46:00.000-04:00

Almost Everything in Society Is Against Fatherhood

2012-03-11T12:02:00.013-04:00

NFL Player Turned Pastor: Almost Everything in Society Is Against Fatherhood

Unfortunately, rather than listening to Freddie Scott in the article at the link above, men and boys today are instead flooded with Hollywood's and pro-sports images of what today's "real men" are like. These are usually summed up in the following categories:

Selfish, spoiled, and womanizing
Immature, lazy, and stupid
Effeminate, and/or gay.

Freddie Scott hit the nail on the head with these quotes:

"We are facing some serious problems in our nation and if we do not take the appropriate steps we're going to continue to see this," said Scott.
"The term fatherless does not only refer to a child who does not have a father in the home," said Scott.
"Biblical fatherlessness also occurs when a man in the home does not meet the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of his children; by definition its being less than a father."

I sincerely fear for the future of our world if continue on this path. Pray for the success of ministries like Freddie Scott and that more men wake up and accept God's call for them to embrace true manliness and true fatherhood.

Nancy Pelosi Scandalizes the Church Again

2012-02-08T09:34:00.002-05:00

Congresswoman and Democrat Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi once again showed her true feelings regarding her faith with this recent statement regarding Obama's HHS mandate:

First of all, I am going to stick with my fellow Catholics in supporting the Administration on this. I think it was a very courageous decision that they made, and I support it.

She claims to be an ardent Catholic, but has no problem forcing her Church to violate it's beliefs on contraception and sexuality. This should come as a surprise to no one, since this is not the first time Pelosi has been at odds with the Bishops and our Church.

Over at Fr. Z's blog, he wrote a very strongly worded statement about what actions the Bishops should take against Pelosi and other high profile Catholics who continue to publicly scandalize the Church and mislead other Catholics. I wholeheartedly agree with his suggestion: deny her Communion. Her Bishop needs to make a very clear and very public message that she can no longer present herself for Communion until she publicly renounces her sinful actions. This would send a clear message and draw a line in the sand that our Shepherds will no longer tolerate the actions of these dissenting Catholic politicians.

I stand with Fr. Z on this one.

Let there be national repercussions and a media firestorm.

Pres. Obama and his administration have openly and aggressively attacked the Catholic Church by trying to force Catholic institutions to perform actions which are evil even by reason alone and natural law, and not just by Catholic doctrine.

Nancy Pelosi has publicly chosen sides against the Catholic Church's teachings and against the bishops.

Let her choice be publicly confirmed by those same bishops.

Nancy Pelosi must not admitted to Holy Communion until she publicly changes her defiant stance and positions.

Stop the Shredding of Our Values

2012-02-07T20:52:00.000-05:00

A New Catholic Action is Rising

2012-02-07T20:45:00.001-05:00

I recently came across this article by Deacon Keith Fournier: Silver Lining in the Unconstitutional HHS Edict? A New Catholic Action Is Rising

In this article, Deacon Fournier discusses the silver lining in the recent attack on our faith by the Obama administration, the birth of a New Catholic Action. Since this whole mess started, I too have noticed many of the same things that the Deacon mentions, such as an unprecedented unity among the Bishops in this matter and Catholics from both sides of the political spectrum coming together to fight this battle. Over the past few days, I have also seen reports that Obama's high profile Catholic allies are now abandoning him over this HHS mandate. (See here and here.)

I pray that Deacon Fournier is correct in his prediction and that we Catholics see this as an opportunity to finally unite and, through the the grace of God, work together the bring about the real change this country desperately needs.

News Media Ignores Nearly Half Million People Marching for Life

2012-02-06T23:12:00.001-05:00

Organizers of the 2012 March for Life in Washington DC estimate between 400,000 and 500,000 people marched to show their support for life and and end to abortion.

Yet the mainstream media ignores scenes like this:

and instead ignored the March completely or publicized scenes like this:

This is what we are up against in this battle for life. We are not only fighting against well funded groups like Planned Parenthood and a President that is openly hostile to pro-life causes, we are also facing a powerful media machine that is trying to poison the minds of all against a culture of life.

The news media has deliberately distorted the facts to give the perception that the size of the pro-abortion protestors was comparable in size to the pro-life marchers. I guess there must be a new type math being taught in our public schools, where less than one hundred protestors is equal to over 400,000 marchers.

Since the March for Life, we have witnessed what pro-abortion supporters will resort to. We have seen outright lies from the news media, the Komen Foundation coming under attack, and a Pro-life rally in Rhode Island disrupted by pro-abortion thugs throwing condoms a teen age girls at the rally.

The pro-abortion side is afraid because they see the growing momentum behind the pro-life movement. They have admitted that last year, pro-life advocates scored major victories in passing legislation such as de-funding Planned Parenthood and requiring ultrasounds before abortions. They know that the culture of life is winning the hearts and minds of many, especially the youth of our society. The culture of death is desperate and is resorting to desperate measures.

Related Articles:

The Problem with Men Today

2012-01-25T23:26:00.001-05:00

The following link is to a remarkable article that perfectly describes what radical feminism and the sexual revolution have done to men in our world.

‘Captain Coward’: Behold our brave new sexually emancipated world

I can not agree strongly enough with the author's conclusions in this brilliant piece. Men in our society have become effeminate or have refused to grow up. True masculinity, as created by God, has been torn down, leading to the cowardice the witnessed in the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster.

The Costa Concordia disaster brought into the limelight the effects on men of feminism, and her strumpet daughter, the Sexual Revolution. Feminism has killed the cultural priority of men protecting and being responsible for women. In one video, Michael Voris spoke of the “hero’s journey,” the traditional western cultural archetype of the boy who leaves home, faces and overcomes adversity and becomes a man capable of protecting a family. But our feminist-inspired anti-culture, coupled with a soul-deadening consumerist materialism, has tossed these concepts out.

By telling women they don’t need men, by demonizing the value of masculinity, feminism has at the same time told men that they never need to grow up. If feminism has told women they can sleep around “like men,” it must be remembered that this implies that men may do the same right back. Instead of insisting that men grow up, marry a woman and protect and care for their children, it has offered men women as toys while offering women the Pill, abortion and family court as the back-up plan. Feminism defines “equality” as men and women competing equally in the labour market and using each other equally as objects.

I strongly urge you to read the article in its entirety and watch the videos in the links at the end of the piece. It will definitely open your eyes to what we are sowing from the seeds of feminism and the sexual revolution.

Our Broken World and Why We Need Christ Now More Than Ever

2012-01-24T22:55:00.000-05:00

I can't help but feel a mix of shock and sadness when reading headlines like these:

Obama Defends Roe v. Wade As Way for ‘Our Daughters’ to Have Same Chance As Sons to ‘Fulfill Their Dreams’

Brave New World: UK ethicist wants women to abandon motherhood, use artificial wombs

Drugs halt sexuality until children choose gender

It's just another sign of how far our society has fallen when headlines like these become all too common. Rather than see life for the precious gift that it is, President Obama sees a child as an obstacle to a girls dreams. This is the same man who, while campaigning, compared an unexpected pregnancy to being punished. As shocking as this may seem, he is just echoing the selfish and self-centered mentality that is so prevalent in our culture.

The next headline reflects a similar mindset. Dr Amada Smajdor, an ethicist from the U.K. views pregnancy as a burden or a disease in need of a cure. Her disturbing idea is to use science to completely destroy what Blessed John Paul II in The Theology of the Body called the bond between the unitive and the procreative aspects of human sexuality. Not only is this a selfish use of sexuality, it is the very root of Original sin, man trying to make himself into a god by controlling God's gifts of procreation and life .

The final headline takes "man playing god" even further as misguided parents and doctors are playing with children's' gender as if it is something that we choose rather than are born with. What kind of a dark and disturbed world are we living in when children become lab mice for us to experiment on? Why have the specific differences God created in male and female become a big target for these attacks by scientists, feminists, gay activists and other misguided people?

Our world is growing more aggressive in its attacks on God's gifts of life and sexuality. Many of these scientists and so called scholars feel with all the advancements in science and medicine, man no longer has a need to cling to God. Precisely the opposite is true. My whole point here is while science and technology have enabled us to accomplish what was never dreamed of before, it has made us arrogant and more selfish. We have now, more than any other time in history, made ourselves into our own gods by trying to control life and the creation of life. We are now experimenting with gender and sexuality in order to make man in our own image and likeness and not God's. Our world is closing itself off from God's graces, leading to all the social and economic problems plaguing us today. I fear for the future unless we embrace a culture of life and turn back to Christ.

2012 March For Life

2012-01-22T21:40:00.000-05:00

Hundreds of thousands of people have already gathered in Washington D.C. to commemorate the anniversary of Roe v. Wade with the annual March for Life tomorrow. Over the past few days, we have already seen similar pro-life marches in San Francisco, CA and in Baton Rouge, LA.

Unfortunately our mainstream media is too preoccupied with such global matters as the Kardashians' latest exploits to notice these historic gatherings. Thankfully we have EWTN, CatholicTV, and various websites reporting on the March for Life for those of us unable to attend.

Let us pray that the Holy Spirit pour His graces on those participating in the marches so that their example will inspire more people to stand in defense of life even in the face of a society hostile to our faith. May the Holy Spirit also touch the hearts of our elected leaders so that they too can see abortion for the evil that it really is and finally work to end it's practice. Finally, let us pray to Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness of the Americas and of the Pro-Life movement, that she may lead our nation to finally embrace a culture of life.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us. St. Michael pray for us.

Blessed John Paul II Prayer for Life:

O Mary, bright dawn of the new world, Mother of the living, to you do we entrust the cause of life.

Look down, O Mother upon the vast numbers of babies not allowed to be born, of the poor whose lives are made difficult, of men and women who are victims of brutal violence, of the elderly and the sick killed by indifference or out of misguided mercy.

Grant that all who believe in Your Son may proclaim the Gospel of life with honesty and love to the people of our time. Obtain for them the grace to accept that Gospel as a gift ever new, the joy of celebrating it with gratitude throughout their lives and the courage to bear witness to it resolutely, in order to build, together with all people of good will, the civilization of truth and love, to the praise and glory of God, the Creator and lover of life.

Related articles

The Most Anti-Catholic Administration in History

2012-01-21T09:50:00.004-05:00

The title of this post is pretty blunt, but as time goes on, it is becoming increasingly obvious. The latest headlines just further prove my point:

All of the above links are reporting that the Obama administration and the Secretary of Health and Human Services have refused to change the new requirement for all health plans to cover sterilization and birth control, some of which are known abortifacients. While churches are covered by a very narrow exemption, organizations such as Catholic hospitals and universities will be forced to violate their religious beliefs.

This comes on the heels of the Hosanna-Tabor decision by the Supreme Court where, against the wishes of the Obama administration, the court upheld the ministerial exemption to anti-discrimination laws. This allows church the freedom to decide who they hire to teach their faith. The Obama administration appeared that they were ready to use anti-discrimination laws as a backdoor to influence who churches hire as ministers and priests.

The disgusting behavior of the Obama Administration in both these cases should outrage all Christians and especially Catholics. Never in the history of our country has our religious freedoms been attacked as they are today. It is unbridled arrogance and thirst for power on the part of our elected officials that allow them to slowly erode our religious liberties to benefit their own personal agendas. It doesn't seem so far fetched to imagine a United States where religion is under the thumb of the state much like we see in communist countries today. This is the path were we are headed if we don't take a stand today. This attack on our faith has become so obvious that our Bishops and the Pope have been increasingly vocal in their concerns:

Pope: America is “increasingly hostile to Christianity”

If you think I may be exaggerating in my statements above, read what our Holy Father said recently concerning these attacks:

The Pope was emphatic in insisting that the threat posed by current trends threatens not only Christianity but “humanity itself.” He said: “To the extent that some current cultural trends contain elements that would curtail the proclamation of these truths, whether constricting it within the limits of a merely scientific rationality, or suppressing it in the name of political power or majority rule, they represent a threat not just to Christian faith, but also to humanity itself and to the deepest truth about our being and ultimate vocation, our relationship to God.”

This goes beyond the actions of the current President and his administration. For some time now we have seen similar attacks on religious freedoms from homosexual activists and sympathetic judges. The recent case of a Methodist Church in New Jersey forced by the courts to violate its belief against gay marriage is another classic example.

Judge Rules Christian facility cannot ban same-sex civil union ceremony on its own premises

The following statement from the judge in the above case is a chilling reminder of where our religious liberites are heading:

But Judge Metzger said church doctrine was irrelevant. “As to ‘free exercise’ [of religion], the state Law Against Discrimination is a neutral law of general application designed to uncover and eradicate discrimination; it is not focused on or hostile to religion,” he wrote. The free exercise clause did not factor into his ruling, he stated, but “a much lower standard that tolerates some intrusion into religious freedom to balance other important societal goals.”

Yes, you read that right. A judge is advocating intruding in religious rights to achieve other goals, which is also the mindset of the Obama regime. History has shown the disastrous effects of the state deciding what rights can be suppressed to achieve "societal goals". These disasters are called the Communist and Nazi regimes. Our nation and society are headed down a very dark and dangerous path where secular desires and relativism are replacing the moral absolutes and truths given to us by God. In this election year, we now have the opportunity to send a very loud message to our elected leaders and the world by choosing a leader who believes in the dignity of all human life and the importance of traditional families to our society. The first stand we can all take is with our vote in November. We can also take a stand by publicly supporting our Pope and our Bishops in this battle and to get involved at the parish and diocesan levels with groups and activities that promote life and family. We can also contact our elected leaders and send the clear message that any intrusion in our faith will not be tolerated.

I have included below a video message from Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York and president of the USCCB regarding the decision of the HHS. Please pray for our country and our Church and may God bless us and be with us in these difficult times.

Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan on HHS Conscience Regulation from Rocco Palmo on Vimeo.