Little Catholic Bubble

Still no time to blog...

2013-05-19T01:13:00.001-07:00

…so here are some things that inspired me this week:

A priest for forty hours

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Have a beautiful Pentecost Sunday, the birthday of the Church!

Jean II Restout

The irony of the CBSNews headline:

2013-05-13T13:45:00.000-07:00

See, Gosnell is only guilty of murdering three babies, because the thousands of other babies he killed (same ages, same sizes) were killed legally.

It's sort of like when the Nazis killed the Jews. It wasn't murder, you understand, because in Germany at that time, the law said it was okay.

And if men make laws saying that it's okay to target and kill certain groups of human beings, then, well, it must be okay, right?

There are surely no other abortionists guilty of murdering any other babies day in and day out, they are only efficiently providing "reproductive health services". Aside from those three murdered babies (an anomaly!), all is well in Abortionville, USA. Nothing to see here, move along now….

Life is good!

2013-05-11T00:09:00.001-07:00

Been off the grid for a couple of days and had a wonderful time at our eldest daughter's college graduation!

We are so proud of her, and we are looking forward to our other daughter's high school graduation in just a few weeks!

And I must say, it's been so peaceful, beautiful, incredible not to be reading and talking about all the darkness in the world, not debating about down being up and up being down, but instead just being grateful to the Lord for every grace and blessing (which is easier to do when one walks away from screens for a bit)!

In keeping with the joy theme, I hope to tell you in the next post how my daughter and her fiancé met, so stay tuned!

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Invite your atheist friends to StrangeNotions.com!

2013-05-06T09:39:00.003-07:00

Hooray!

Whenever I get an email from Brandon Vogt, I know it's gonna be good. The email I received this morning was the best yet.

His new site, two years in the making and designed to be the central place of dialogue between Catholics and atheists, has just launched! It's called StrangeNotions.com, and as Brandon explains:

Strange Notions gets its name from St. Paul's speech at the Areopagus in Acts 17:16-34. There he proclaimed the Resurrection to the intellectual elite of the ancient world, who responded by saying, "you bring some strange notions to our ears; we should like to know what these things mean."

StrangeNotions.com helps those asking the same thing today. Open-minded atheists will encounter reasonable arguments for God and his Church, maybe for the first time in their lives, and like St. Paul's listeners they’ll leave intrigued by these strange notions.

Hot dog!

The list of contributors includes friends of the Bubble (Dr. Stacy Trasancos, Jennifer Fulwiler, Dr. Kevin Vost, Trent Horn, Steve Gershom, Devin Rose, Joe Heschmeyer) and other Catholic rock stars (Fr. Robert Spitzer, Dr. Peter Kreeft, John C. Wright, Dr. Janet Smith, Fr. Robert Barron [swoon!!!], Leah Libresco, Jimmy Akin). Not to mention the myriad other giant minds!

I am giddy. I am floating on a cloud. Here, watch the trailer:

And now, clear your schedule, grab a cup of tea, go to the site and start exploring:

StrangeNotions.com

Better yet, direct your atheist friends there. Truth be told, not every Catholic is able to debate these issues skillfully or possess the relevant knowledge, but the friendly, faithful, brilliant, and lettered contributors at StrangeNotions.com have that ability and are at your service. Let them engage your atheist friends and family with respect and intellectual rigor.

Bookmark it, share it on facebook, feature it on your blog, email it to everyone you know.

Did I mention that I am giddy?

Thanks, Brandon, for all you do!

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Gosnell is not an anomaly.

2013-05-03T23:47:00.003-07:00

I finally had the chance to sit down and watch the 21-minute documentary on Gosnell's House of Horrors abortion clinic, which was produced as Gosnell awaited trial. Pay special attention to the women's testimonies:

Another young victim (just sixteen at the time of her late-term abortion by Gosnell) has a hard story to tell:

Now of course, you all know the narrative. We are supposed to believe that Gosnell's actions and attitudes are a shocking anomaly. However, I fail to see a moral difference between Gosnell and what is revealed in the following Live Action videos.

Bronx, NY:

Washington, DC:

My hometown, Phoenix, AZ:

And of course, the man we elected President of the United States, our highest leader:

Honestly, I can hardly believe we are having this discussion. I cannot believe this is even a debate. When evil itself is right in front of our eyes, and we cannot see it, or we calmly look away, or we justify and condone it, who are we?

One of the clearest and most cringe-worthy examples of the avenging conscience that I've ever witnessed is this explosive exchange between pro-life Lila Rose and pro-"choice" Tamara Holder:

Debate over shocking undercover abortion video

I actually felt sorry for Tamara, but her language, anger, and facial expressions confirmed for me that she knows. She knows.

Lord, have mercy. On Gosnell, on the abortionists and staff in the videos, on Barack Obama, on Tamara Holder, and on all of us.

Holy Innocents, pray for us.

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Quick Takes: About that slippery slope...

2013-04-26T15:47:00.001-07:00

Yikes, as I go to hit "publish", I realize that this is a terribly depressing Quick Takes! You might want to skip this one if you are having a bad day. (Although you shouldn't miss #6 and #7!)

1) Sexual "progressives" have no natural stop, no identifiable point at which sexual "progress" is complete. Despite this fact, we are told that there is surely no slippery slope leading from gay "marriage" to the acceptance of other types of disordered sexual relationships. Yet amidst these denials, other minority sexual orientations are busy walking the legal and social trail that's been blazed for them by gay activists:

Consider three articles that I ran into on the same day.

First, Slate runs a serious plea for the acceptance of polygamous marriage:

Legalize Polygamy!

(Polygamy, by the way, is more naturally ordered than any gay sexual pairing; I'm not sure why gay unions are embraced while polygamous marriages are vilified? I think polygamy stands a good chance of winning approval, eventually, especially if folks are serious about "marriage equality for all". I mean, why not?)

Next, German proponents of bestiality protest a law that they claim discriminates against zoophiles:

German Zoophiles Protest Law Banning Bestiality

The zoophiles claim that they are "born with" their sexual orientation and that their sexual expression should be seen as normal, acceptable behavior that can be exercised responsibly. These particular zoophiles are advocating in progressive Europe, but American zoophiles are looking to follow the course that gay "marriage" proponents have taken here in the United States.

The third article opens a path for human/animal "marriage" someday, the way I see it. Princeton bioethicist Peter Singer is to be featured at a Yale conference promoting -- I kid you not -- "non-human personhood":

Yale conference to promote ‘non-human personhood’: will feature infanticide advocate Peter Singer

Hey, if animals can be declared persons (a designation denied human beings in the womb), then couldn't (and shouldn't) marriage rights follow? After all, Peter Singer and others see some forms of bestiality as a positive good, and we are told that it is much more common than we know (I believe that). Yale recently held a conference at which students were taught to be more sensitive to "sexual diversity", including sex with animals.

As to pedophilia, we've talked about the ripening conditions for its acceptance here, and pedophile advocacy groups continue to operate both here in American and in progressive nations.

If it all seems too far-fetched, just remember that gay "marriage" used to be unthinkable -- even a few years ago. I actually hope we slip down the slope quickly enough to shock all the boiling frogs and snap us back to reality. Nothing is inevitable, and any society can right itself again if it chooses.

2) This is one of the saddest stories I've ever read, and we as a nation are guilty:

My Hardest Night: A Nurse’s Story

This is the very situation -- leaving babies who survive abortion to die without medical care -- that Barack Obama voted more than once to legally allow. Oh, to hear one Obama supporter, or one abortion supporter, denounce Obama's votes as evil. And today comes word that as Obama stood before an adoring Planned Parenthood crowd, he invoked God's blessing upon them. The bloody, broken bodies of the millions of God's children Planned Parenthood has killed were the proverbial elephant in the room.

And the irony of invoking God's blessing continues: Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, established her organization under the motto of "no gods, no masters". So, exactly which god should bless PP's work?

Interesting that Obama never once used the word "abortion" in his fawning speech to the nation's largest abortion provider.

Yeah, I'm rambling, but since we are talking about the evils of Planned Parenthood, how's this:

Planned Parenthood Sex-Ed for Children "Too Graphic" to Show Adults

The leftist New York Times and Washington Post rejected this ad as being "too graphic" and "shocking" for their adult readers, yet Planned Parenthood endorses these materials for children as young as ten years old. Why are we giving hundreds of millions of dollars a year in taxpayer money to this corrupt and violent organization that sexualizes our kids, and why is our president its biggest champion?

3) Logic, logic, logic:

Why Gosnell’s ‘house of horrors’ is the logical result of legalized abortion

It is not hard to understand. It is not "complex". It is simple truth.

There are not different degrees of humanity. Either we are all human, or none of us is. And no one member of the human family gets to determine the humanity of any other member of the human family. Not allowed.

4) Oh, my goodness. I had no idea until today:

At Boston's bombing scene: Catholic priests need not apply

As dozens of victims were sprawled across Boylston Street, many of them in danger of death, Catholic priests came running to the scene—and were turned away.

Doctors and nurses were welcome at the bombing scene. Firefighters and police officers were welcome. But Catholic priests, who might have offered the solace of the sacraments, were not.

...

Jennifer Graham captures the problem well:

"But it is a poignant irony that Martin Richard, the 8-year-old boy who died on Boylston Street, was a Catholic who had received his first Communion just last year. As Martin lay dying, priests were only yards away, beyond the police tape, unable to reach him to administer last rites…"

Where are we? What have we become?

5) Some more interesting reading I've done this week:

A Catholic Response to Utopian Modernity

Columbus Diocese Remains Resolute, Lesbian Teacher Basks in Spotlight

Gay Marriage: A Case Study in Conformism

Where Masturbation and Homosexuality Do Not Exist

(Hat tip to Dr. Stacy!)

Giving the Addict His Due
(This really convicted me!)

And, finally, perhaps the most disturbing and inspiring thing I have seen in a while:

Naked Feminist Protesters Drench Catholic Archbishop as He Prays Quietly
(With a great analysis here: Girls Gone Witless)

6) I have been meaning for so long to tell you about my friend Marcus Daly, who is a master craftsman, a devout Catholic, and owner of Marian Caskets, a family company which has so incredibly impressed me! Marcus and his wife Kelly live a life of beautiful simplicity with their six children on Vashon Island, WA, and his handcrafted natural wood caskets, inspired by the life and death of Pope John Paul II, are carved with the prayers of the Divine Mercy and inlaid with a Marian Cross. Truly awesome!

I never thought that caskets could bring supernatural comfort, but these do. Check them out.

Oh, and a bonus! Because of the family's commitment to the sacredness of life, a portion of all proceeds goes toward the purchase of ultrasound machines for pregnancy care centers, "so that pregnant women in crisis can make informed choices about the futures of their babies".

7) Won't someone go and scoop up Justin and take him home forever? He has been waiting so long. And his grant just jumped by several thousand dollars, all of which can be used toward the cost of his adoption. I know a very special advocate who would be thrilled to work with any family who commits to bring him home. ;)

Justin as an infant

Getting to be a big boy!

Click here for more info on this precious little guy!

Thank you, wonderful Jen, for hosting!

And next time I will try to be more upbeat! :) :)

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Harried moms: Don't feel guilty if you do a split shift! It's okay!

2013-04-22T13:14:00.002-07:00

I am seeing a proliferation of blog posts today about babies and toddlers at mass. It's an interesting discussion, and I am a big proponent of little ones in the pews -- bring 'em on!

However, when I saw one blogger (whom I admire!) mention that it's actually an "injustice" to leave a small child home (or take him to church child care, I am guessing?) and a "serious impediment" to his or her spiritual development, it crossed a line for me. I do not want frazzled, guilt-ridden moms to have one more reason to beat themselves up, so I am reposting my "I don't bring my babies to mass" post from last year.

With docility we must obey what the Church in her loving wisdom requires, but beyond that, each family is free to determine what is best.

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I don't bring my babies to mass.

Yes, there, I said it!

Before I explain, here is the necessary disclaimer:

For all of the wonderful moms and dads who bring their babies and toddlers to mass every week, I salute you. No, I applaud you. No, I pretty much worship you! (Okay, I don't worship you, but only because that would be a sin.) You are amazing and incredible, and I mean that with full sincerity and from the bottom of my heart. In no way is this post meant to suggest that you should leave your children at home, because I truly love seeing little ones at mass, and it's a joy to watch them grow through the seasons. Keep bringing them!

But, I can't do what you do.

I used to think I should, and I used to wonder if I was wrong not to, but about a decade ago, I made peace with the way we do things in the Miller family.

I am not able to deal with fussy babies and active toddlers at mass. We've already clearly established that I am not supermom, and that my having eight kids is only possible through a tidal wave of God's grace combined with a delicate logistical balancing act that I keep recalibrating. For my personal sanity, I must keep things as easy as possible in order to make the "Leila has a ton of kids" thing work. There might be a few other moms out there who are like me, and to them I simply want to say that you are not alone, and it's really okay.

On and off over the years (the last two years being "on"), my husband and I have done split shifts for mass, which amounts to Dean taking two or three kids to an early morning mass nearby, while I take the rest to our regular parish later in the day. Any babies or toddlers simply stay home. As a result, mass is peaceful, calm, and prayerful. Since my life is not that way otherwise, I need it for an hour or so on Sundays. I mean, I reeeaaaallllly neeeeeeeed it!

Some questions might spring to mind:

Do you miss being at mass with Dean and all the kids together? Sure, but not enough to make me want to take the two-year-old. And, I know from 20+ years of parenting that "this too shall pass", and there will come a time when we'll go to mass together as a family again. But now is not that time, and we're all okay with that.

Why not use the cry room? Well, we do -- but only when absolutely necessary. For example, recently, Dean took some of the kids out of town, and I had to bring the littlest guy, Benevolent Destruction, to mass. No way that kid can sit in a pew without putting on the baby equivalent of a Broadway show, so while my older kids stayed with the congregation, I traipsed off to the cry room with the little man. That experience reminded me why I love the split shift.

We are blessed to have oodles of big families and many young children at my parish, and the cry room is ~~just like my house~~ a mad house. Frankly, Miller boys make it worse. There has been many a child o' mine who could not be contained even in the cry room, including the one son who had to be carried out of there by Daddy all the way into the far parking lot, where mortified Mommy (and the rest of the worshipers, including the priest) could hear his unrelenting shrieks and wails.

So, we've never seen the cry room as a good regular option.

Why not church child care then? Actually, I am a huge fan of church child care! We have used that wonderful option over the years, and we will undoubtedly use it in the future. Not every parish is blessed to have such a ministry, and our parish's child care (we call it "church school") is fabulous. The kids are kept busy with good stuff: They learn their Faith, pray the Rosary, sing Bible songs, talk about Jesus, celebrate feast days and the liturgical year, do arts and crafts, have snacks, watch videos, etc. But at this moment, my youngest is not ready to be foisted upon the lovely ladies who run the child care; I wouldn't do that to them. Also, I know that if I did leave him there, I would be sitting at mass just worrying. So for now, split shift is our norm.

The biggest question is probably this: What about teaching your kids to behave at mass by taking them consistently from their infancy? My answer is simply that it's never been a problem for us. When my children reach a certain age -- or rather, a certain level of self-control -- we start bringing them to mass regularly. And for child after child, they've adapted just fine. They sit through mass quietly (as quietly as little kids can), and we all have a peaceful hour of worship. So for me, the whole thing is just a wait-it-out-till-they-are-mature-enough situation. At about age four or five, they suddenly become mass-goable. It's like a dream, and it works for us.

And to put another worry to rest, I have living proof -- in the form of tweens, teens, and even a couple of adults now -- that children do not grow up and leave the Church because they missed mass as babies.

Parenting little children is hard, and much of that difficulty cannot be avoided. But if a split shift eases the difficulty, if it helps keep you sane for the rest of the week, if it affords you that bit of tranquility you need, if it works for you, then do it, and be at peace.

That's what I do.

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Quick Takes: I'm Going Green!

2013-04-19T23:29:00.001-07:00

1) No worries, I'm not going green like this. I'm going green to support a company that has the guts to fight Obama's HHS mandate and is now paying the price:

"A principled, 45 year independent manufacturer of natural food, offering 300+ authentic, organic, traditional,
kosher, pure and purifying foods."

It all started when I read this piece, from Simcha Fisher:

So long, and thanks for all the intersex fish

Well, we keep hearing about all the health benefits of eating clean, pure, organic food. I guess we can add "extreme flexibility of intellect" to the list of benefits of all that clean eating, because a large portion of Eden Foods' clean-living clientele is flipping out over [CEO Michael] Potter's decision to sue the government over the HHS Mandate. Yep, organophages are twisting themselves into mental pretzels: they love, love, love to make sure that everything they put into their mouths is clean, clean, clean, and that their lifestyle does nothing but good, good, good for the environment . . . but they hate, hate, hate the idea that Eden Foods refuses to pay for the very hormones that pollute the waterways and cause cancer.

Read it all, here.

I spent part of the day on Eden Food's facebook page, not only learning more about their yummy-looking food, but jumping into some lively debates. The boycott by the left is in full swing, and the writer for Salon.com who started this crusade against Potter has gleefully followed up, hopeful that the company may now be in deep trouble. All Catholics (and any lover of religious freedom and rights of conscience) should consider patronizing Eden Foods. Do what I did and use this store locator to find out which grocery stores near you carry the Eden line.

Please also sign this quick and easy statement of support (and look how aesthetically pleasing it is! I'd love to know who set that up!).

Finally, pray that all the many companies and organizations suing the Obama administration prevail in court.

2) I don't have any profound words to say about the horror that we witnessed at the Boston Marathon on Monday. It hit a lot of folks close to home, including me. I spent four years in Boston for college, I have an eight-year-old son like one of the victims, and I have a nineteen-year-old son like one of the murderers.

Evil is a privation of good. The human heart is made for goodness, but goodness cannot stay where it is not willed and welcomed. I am heartsick about the evil we saw play out, but I am not sure that I'm shocked anymore when evil happens. The human condition has not changed. Human nature has not "evolved". Sin is as prevalent and as ugly as ever, and the bloody murder of innocents has been with us since Cain killed his brother Abel. We need to stop being shocked that evil lurks in the hearts of men, including our own hearts. The counter to evil is to fill the privation with sanctity, virtue, love, truth, and beauty. We need grace and goodness and self-sacrifice. We need offered suffering. We need the witness of more saints.

None of that can come without God. The only answer to the massacre is the Person of Jesus Christ. There is ultimately nothing else and no other hope. But that's okay, because He is the only hope we need. He more than suffices.

"The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." -- John 1:5

3) In the last post, I included a heartbreaking photo of a beautiful little boy who was viewed as so much garbage and brutally cast off. In this post, I am including a breathtaking photo of a child who is just like the other boy (except for "wantedness", of course).

As you can see, this child is still in his amniotic sac (an incredibly rare situation) and at the moment this photo is taken, the baby is still completely dependent on his mother, not yet having taken his first independent breath. He is quite comfortable, unaware that he is even outside of Mama's body.

Seems an ethical dilemma for abortion advocates. Since he is still fully attached to his mother, even receiving oxygen from her body, is he a human person yet? Does he have the right to remain alive and unharmed? Some would argue no. But we all know better. Heck, even the abortion defenders know better. That's what makes the debate so chilling.

Photo posted at Online for Life

4) How about some comic relief? If you have seen the Dove Real Beauty Sketches for women, you will really want to see the one for men!

Classic!

5) If you're like me, you want to sit at the feet of virtuous intellectuals and soak up their wisdom (while looking at a really elegant-looking blog!). To that end, you really need to be reading and sharing The Public Discourse.

Here's what they're about:

Public Discourse is an online publication of the Witherspoon Institute that seeks to enhance the public understanding of the moral foundations of free societies by making the scholarship of the fellows and affiliated scholars of the Institute available and accessible to a general audience.

Guys, keeping this nation moral and free depends on an educated citizenry. Add this to your blog roll, and read it! Yes, there are a lot of smarty-pants who write for it, but they make it easy to understand. We need to be taught well, and we need to teach our children.

6) An atheist commenter on this blog once implied that must be embarrassed about the Church's teaching on the reality of Satan. I assured him that nothing could be further from the truth. I know that Evil One is very, very real, and I am not ashamed to say it. Neither is Pope Francis:

Pope Francis: Where Calumny is, There is the Devil

Satan has a sneaky way of enlisting folks who deny his existence, and the Holy Father is not about to let the Prince of Darkness slip around unannounced and unnoticed. Thank you, Papa!

7) I am sure you all remember Carla and her beautiful family. Our hearts broke when their precious Henry went to Heaven on November 28, 2012.

But now by the grace of God and surely Henry's intercession, they are going back to Henry's country to adopt this beautiful sibling group!

In Mama Carla's words:

It started with Henry. We brought him home in September of 2011 at the age of 1. He was very sick and had a much more severe and rare disability than was originally thought. We loved him through ICU admissions and surgeries and therapies and learning how to eat and clap and laugh. He was our precious youngest of 7 and the treasure of our entire family.

He died on November 28, 2012, a few months after his 2nd birthday.

We grieved. We knew his short life made a difference from the hundreds of emails and cards and Facebook and blog tributes to him. We knew he changed us.

Now God has shown us our next adventure. Not to replace Henry. Never that. But to give AND receive love and family in a different way. To a sibling group that DESERVES to stay together…with a baby girl who needs a little extra help, and for us to figure out exactly what help she needs.

We are up for the challenge and we know Henry is cheering us on from heaven. Thank you so much for your prayer and financial support to help us bring ALL THREE home.

Follow their journey on Carla's blog, below, and please use the yellow "Donate" button on the top right to support them in bringing this precious sibling group into their loving home!

Bringing Henry Home

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On to another orphan update, this time a sad one:

The Russian ban on American adoptions has devastated many of my friends (some of whom, like Malcolm's committed family, had already traveled and met their child). After some initial hope for a diplomatic solution, it now appears that there is no road open for those families to reach their children. The grief is great, and there is nothing more to do but pray for a miracle.

Meanwhile, Kara -- who still fiercely loves but now has to let go of precious Nico -- is committed to adopting Colton, from another Eastern European country. Please consider helping her by entering the amazing "Happiest Place Giveaway"!

You can enter without donating (though your odds increase if you do), and you simply must check out the prizes! Click Colton's cute face for details:

Thanks for all your love and prayers for the orphans and their families.

And thanks to Jen -- the new mommy who now has her baby boy HOME! -- for hosting.

The largely unasked question about the Gosnell mass murder case

2013-04-12T12:41:00.000-07:00

****WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGE BELOW****

The question is not: "Why isn't the media covering this huge, newsworthy, made-for-TV, gruesome true crime story?"

Don't get me wrong, that is a great question to present for discussion, and I've been following that angle closely, this being one of the latest responses:

Washington Post reporter explains her personal Gosnell blackout

Ultimately, I think all sides pretty much understand why the fiercely pro-abortion media cannot bring themselves to report on this particular case of mass child murder: It might make abortion and abortionists look bad if they did. So even though the media's obsessive protection of the abortion industry in America is ridiculously obvious, pro-lifers (and really all people of good will) are right to press and challenge them on this glaring, disturbing, unprofessional silence.

But the question not asked as often, and not answered the last time I tried, in October 2011, is the following:

...can anyone tell me what the salient, essential difference is between Gosnell's abortion mill and any other?

I'm serious. What's the difference?

Sanitary conditions?

If sanitation's the issue, then this part shouldn't be so horrible to read:

"According to testimony by former employees, Gosnell and his assistants killed 'hundreds' of newborn babies by severing their spinal cords rather than killing them in the womb…."

Because, severing a baby's spinal cord outside the womb (rather than dismembering a baby or crushing his skull in the womb), can be done sanitarily, I'm certain of it.

So, I'm truly interested in what the big deal is? If they had cleaned the place up (assuming anyone cared about standards for abortion clinics), there would be no moral objections, right?

Fast forward to today, and I am still honestly asking. What is the moral difference between Gosnell and others who make a living killing unborn humans more neatly? What makes the Gosnell case more macabre than this or this or this or this? Why is one late-term abortionist considered a monster for all the blood, ripped flesh, broken bones, and death he caused with his own hands, but these four late-term abortionists are feted and embraced as heroes -- even though the results are the same and mass death was the goal all along? And why are we outraged that the Gosnell clinic babies were victims of infanticide, but don't mind a bit that our own President voted multiple times to let infants born alive from botched abortions die without requiring medical care? Isn't infanticide infanticide, no matter the methods used to ensure the child's death?

A difference of inches or of moments cannot be the difference between a moral, acceptable killing of a child and an immoral, unspeakable one. A man-made law cannot make this little boy's murder moral, even if the killing had been committed a few moments and and a few inches earlier:

So I ask again, what is the salient, essential, moral difference between Gosnell's House of Horrors and the abortion clinic right at the end of your tree-lined suburban street?

Anyone?

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Quick Takes: To stir the soul

2013-04-06T23:47:00.000-07:00

Yep, I'm late again! Here are my ~~Friday~~ Saturday Quick Takes!

1) This is love. This is Catholicism lived out. I've no doubt that Father Kapaun's posthumous Medal of Honor will be topped by his future canonization as a saint of the Catholic Church.

Chaplain gets Medal of Honor 62 years after his death

Fr. Emil Kapaun

In the cold, barren hills of Korea more than 60 years ago, two teary-eyed soldiers stood in a prisoner of war camp where their chaplain lay dying.

The Rev. Emil Kapaun was weak, his body wracked by pneumonia and dysentery. After six brutal months in the hellish camp, the once sturdy Kansas farmer's son could take no more. Thousands of soldiers had already died, some starving, others freezing to death. Now the end was near for the chaplain.

Lt. Mike Dowe said goodbye to the man who'd given him hope during those terrible days. The young West Point grad cried, even as the chaplain, he says, tried to comfort him with his parting words: "Hey, Mike, don't worry about me. I'm going to where I always wanted to go and I'll say a prayer for all of you."

Lt. Robert Wood wept, too, watching the Roman Catholic chaplain bless and forgive his captors….

Read the rest, here.

2) This also is love. This is Catholicism lived out. It is what every human soul is longing for. I am so moved by this segment, but the part that really gets me is when the young boy, Dominic, wraps his arm around Pope Francis' neck. Just pure love, given, received, and returned. And as we know from the Trinity, of which all human love is a mere reflection, true love is always generative. So, much fruit has and will come.

To see an emotional Megyn Kelly interview Dominic's father, theology professor Dr. Paul Gondreau, go here.

3) A regular reader and friend of the Bubble, Liesl, alerted me the other day to the situation at George Washington University, where homosexual activists are trying to get the university's Catholic chaplain, Fr. Greg Shaffer, kicked off campus. His crime? Teaching Catholicism, namely sexual morality, which offended and disturbed two homosexual men.

But here, in the dozens of testimonials written by the students who support Fr. Greg, who have been loved unconditionally by him, counseled by him, brought back from the abyss by him (Catholic and non-Catholic alike), you will see more of what you've seen in #1 and #2. This is love. This is Catholicism lived out:

The Chaplain We Know

May God bless and protect this kind, selfless, and holy priest of God as he is unjustly persecuted for being faithful to His promises, in persona Chrsiti.

4) And here is love in the form of the gift of human life. The newest grade of ultrasound is just breathtaking!

Tell me about that "blob of tissue", Planned Parenthood?

5) Speaking of which, I'm sorry to go from all this love to its opposite, but this simply must be exposed. If you can stomach it, watch the following shocking video of an attorney for Planned Parenthood testifying in front of the Florida legislature about what Planned Parenthood would do with a child, like the one above, who manages to survive a botched abortion at one of their clinics:

The banality of evil, folks.

It dovetails chillingly with the Gosnell "House of Horrors" trial that is, of course, being ignored by the major networks that normally love such gruesome, shocking, serial crimes. And as one commenter noted: “If the pro-life movement were involved in this type of insanity, there would be wall-to-wall coverage from every major news outlet." Does anyone doubt it?

Here is an excellent article on the silence of the media (warning: heartbreaking image), and I would love for a pro-"choice" reader to weigh in and give thoughts on why there is no coverage.

6) Yeah, so, um, I did this little post for Catholic Exchange the other week, and if you want to check it out, here it is, but just so you know, I long ago lost track of the comments and won't be answering any more, ha ha.

3 Things People Don't Know About Same-Sex "Marriage"

Speaking of love and its opposite, I think I have a love-hate relationship with comboxes, and with facebook and email debates. How did I get myself into this? Oh, that's right! I started a blog. And a couple days ago was my third blogoversary! It's been wild and educational, that much I know! And I have had the pleasure of getting to know some of the most amazing people: YOU. :)

7) Speaking of amazing people, Simon is a special needs teenager from Eastern Europe who deserves the love of a family. When he turns 16 in October, he will have lost his chance to be adopted. He has about six months before his hope for a family is gone.

Click my photo for more info!

Visit my Orphan Report blog for more on Simon, and let's help him find that mom and dad he so desperately needs.

Many blessings for a wonderful Easter Season (that's right, Easter is not just a day, it's a whole liturgical season! Hooray!), and thanks to Jen for hosting, even as she prepares to give birth under extraordinary medical circumstances. We love you, Jen!

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Final Sheen post: Easter! So appropriate for today, you'd think he was talking in 2013.

2013-04-01T23:17:00.001-07:00

Background and Part I, here.
Part II, here.
Part III, here.
Part IV, here.
Part V, here.
Part VI, Good Friday, here.

Concluding our Lenten meditations on the Seven Last Words and the Seven Virtues, by Venerable Fulton J. Sheen.

Easter

Excerpts from his Easter address delivered on March 24, 1940, in the midst of World War II:

One of the greatest needs of our day is authority; for minds are not universally perverse, but they are confused -- they know not what is right. The criterion of right is agreement with a will or intention. For example, an engine works well when it conforms to the intention which the engineer had in designing it; a pencil is good when it writes, thus fulfilling the will of its maker.

...

[R]ight for man means acting in accordance with the will of God or the intention God had in creating him. Holiness consists in fixation to that Divine will. It happens that, since God made man free, man may follow another will than God's will; for example, his own will, like the prodigal, or the popular will, like Pilate. Unfortunately, too many in our day choose the second standard and identify right with the will of the majority, or the mood of the masses, or the spirit of the world.

…

Conflict arises between these two standards of right, the popular will and God's will, as it did when conscience told Pilate Christ was a just man and the mob told him Christ was the enemy of Caesar; or as it does in our own life when the good, such as fidelity to the marriage bond, is unpopular, and the wrong, such as divorce, is popular. In such cases where we are face to face with two standards of right and wrong -- God's will, the popular will -- we become confused and know not what to choose; we may even find it difficult to believe that what is so unpopular could be good.

…

Just suppose you stood on Calvary on Good Friday and saw Him who called Himself the Way, the Truth, and the Life, nailed to a Cross. On whose side would you have been? On the side of Christ or on the side of the government, the masses? If your standard of goodness and virtue is what the public believes to be good and virtuous, then with the mob you would have agreed that Christ was not the Son of God, but an impostor; not the Messiah of the Chosen People, but a perverter of the nation; not the Redeemer of men, but a mock king. There was no doubt that the Crucifixion was popular with the masses, as they chose Barabbas to Christ.

…

And when finally the sun had set on Good Friday and the last lengthening shadows of three crosses had silhouetted themselves against a sealed tomb, everything proceeded to go on as normal. The world apparently was so right in its judgment that even those who believed were somewhat shaken in their belief, like the rocks of Calvary.

…

But as He appeared among His disciples, spoke to His Apostles, ate with them, prepared a seashore meal for them, remained on earth with them forty days after His Resurrection instructing them in the Kingdom of God, the truth finally emerged. The mob on Good Friday was wrong; the majority had erred. He was in very truth the Son of the Living God, risen from the dead. Truth is oneness with the Divine mind, not the public mind; goodness is oneness with the Divine Will not the popular will.

…

The lesson that emerges from Easter is that the world was wrong and Christ was right; that there is a world of difference between an authority on which you rely when it pleases you, and one which you trust absolutely whether it pleases you or not; for what the world needs is a voice that is right not when the world is right, but right when the world is wrong.

…

To avoid another Calvary and its colossal error that the majority is always right, the world needs a standard of virtue, truth, and goodness, other than the will of the masses. In those moments when the popular will coincides with God's will there is no need of an external authority outside the mass; but there is need of one when there is a conflict between the two, as there was on Calvary.

...

The millions of the world who keep their fingers on the pulse of public opinion and follow every theory, every vogue, every panacea, every popular immorality, and who approve the appointment of every anti-moral educator, have no standard of right and wrong. A thing cannot measure itself: A tape measure must be outside the cloth; a speedometer must not be a brick in the roadway; a judge must not be a shareholder in the corporation whose cause he judges. In like manner the judgment of the world must be from outside the world. Such a standard is the need of the hour -- an authority that does not, like some politician, find out what the people want and then give it to them, but which gives them what is true and good whether it is popular or not. We need someone to be healthy when the world is sick; someone to be a stretcher-bearer when the battlefields are freighted with wounded; someone to be calm when the house is burning; someone to be right when the world is wrong, as on Easter when they who slew the Foe lost the day.

…

Where is that authority except in the Church of the Risen Christ which in each new generation is condemned by the world and then rises to a new and glorious Easter? At least a thousand times the bells have tolled in history for the death of the Church, but the execution never took place; the coffin is ordered by the corpse never appears; the mourners assist at her burial but she sings a requiem over her mourners; still doomed to death, but fated not to die, she survives a thousand crucifixions and a thousand deaths, and alone has survived the crash of all civilizations, because not involved in their ruin.

…

There is often an hour when the world cannot understand the reason the Church gives for her position, but there is never a time when men do not live to see that her judgment was reasonable.

…

And now the Church is once more speaking to the world. The present Holy Father [Pius XII] in the first encyclical of his reign warned about a drift to chaos unless men restored "a universal norm of morality," rooted law in "God the supreme lawgiver," healed "the divorce of civil authority from every kind of dependence upon Supreme Being," and restored "religious education of the young." Once more the world brought the nails and the hammer and nailed him to the cross, saying his plan would destroy academic freedom, and -- worst nonsense of all -- lead to the union of Church and State.

…

The world has not yet seen how wrong it is in rejecting [the Holy Father's] pleas for peace and a return to the authority of Christ; but it will when the civilization built upon sand begins to crumble and fall. Easter's lesson is ever the same: They who slay the Foe lose the day; men who do not see the Church's reason live to see the Church as reasonable.

…

God grant that we may not be stupid children, but may soon come to recognize that authority of Christ living in our day which is right not when the world is right, but right when the world is wrong. Then shall we not despair even in times of war, for it is error and hate which perish -- not Christ and the Church. Despair not -- moments of great catastrophe may be eves of great spiritual renaissance. Easter was within three days of the tragedy of Good Friday, but not within three days of the glorious Transfiguration.

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, Venerable

Christ is Risen!

2013-03-31T00:20:00.001-07:00

Indeed, He is Risen!

Annibale Carracci

There is joy in our hearts, as the long preparatory days of Lent are over, and we can once again sing "Alleluia!"

Remember always that the Christian religion is based not on a wise man's philosophy or on an ancient set of rules, but on one major historical fact:

Jesus of Nazareth truly lived, truly died,
and truly rose from the dead.

If the Resurrection never happened, then Christianity is not true, and our faith is in vain.

But the truth is, Jesus Christ is Risen! Alleluia, Alleluia!

A blessed Easter season to all!

"Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important." -- C. S. Lewis

(I'll be back soon to finish out the Fulton Sheen series with his reflections on Easter!)

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Fulton Sheen, Part VI: GOOD FRIDAY. The Sixth and Seventh Words and the Virtues of Justice and Charity

2013-03-28T20:18:00.000-07:00

Background and Part I, here.
Part II, here.
Part III, here.
Part IV, here.
Part V, here.

Continuing with Lenten meditations on the Seven Last Words and the Seven Virtues, by Venerable Fulton J. Sheen.

The Fourth Word:

"It is consummated … Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit."

The Corresponding Virtue:

Justice and Charity

Velázquez

Excerpts from Sheen's March 22, 1940 address:

This is Good Friday -- the day when freedom revolted against Truth, and nailed it to a Cross. It is not a history everyone likes to hear recalled, and generally those who most shrink from the sight of the Saviour on the Cross are the very ones who delight in the grotesque murder stories in our tabloids and follow with bold interest in the harrowing details of a sex crime. Why is it that the lover of horror cannot stand the sight of the Crucifix? Why is it that the fanatics of murder stories are so cold to the story of the world's greatest sacrifice? The answer is that unlike all other crimes the Crucifix is self-accusing.

…

We can look on other scenes of injustice without feeling we are involved in them; but we cannot look on a Crucifix without feeling that we had something to do with it, either for better or worse; either as a robber brought before his victim for judgment, or as a drowning man brought before his rescuer for thanks.

…

In the Crucifix is symbolized the perennial crisis in the soul of every man, the choice between the illusory end of time and the imponderable ends of eternity. Here are focused all the microscopic conflicts of good and evil that go on in every conscience; or, to put it another way, every man's soul is Calvary written small. That is why the Crucifix is inescapable; we either shrink from it or we embrace it; but we are not indifferent to it.

...

For those who are brave enough to look at the Crucifix there is a revelation of the moral order -- not a moral order based on abstractions, theories and hypotheses, but a moral order revealed in a Person of absolute goodness who has met the impact of human evil and sin. It is more like a mirror than a scene, for it reveals not something unrelated to us, but ourselves, our moral beggary, our perversities and our defeats.

...

Like nothing else in all the world [the Crucifix] seems to ask the questions: "Where do you stand?" "Which side do you propose to take from this moment on -- My side, or the side of moneyed Judas, cowardly Pilate, crafty Annas, or lustful Herod?" We cannot escape an answer. If on that Cross were someone who himself had been wrong and failed and had compromised with goodness, we could plead and excuse. But here neutrality is impossible, because there is no question of something more good or less good -- there is only right and wrong.… We cannot be on both sides, anymore than we can be in Light and Darkness at the same time.

…

The [empty] Cross they can look at, for that might be only a symbol of the contradictions of life; but the Crucifix -- they call it 'horrible' when they mean it is accusing. They may run away from it during life, but they will meet it at the Eternal Judgment when the Son of Man shall come bearing the Cross in triumph in the clouds of heaven to render to every man according to his works. It is better to face it now.

…

The modern mood of mutilating the Gospel, choosing some texts and ignoring others, makes men miss the purpose of the life of Christ. He came on earth not primarily to preach, but to redeem. He came less to live than to die. His mission was not one of mere benevolence, nor to create a revolution in politics or economics, nor to heal, nor to leave a humanitarian ethics -- all these were secondary to the one absorbing purpose of His life, the redemption of man.

…

What happens often in the economic order, happened in the moral order; man contracted a bigger debt than he could pay. A sin against Divine Love is greater than man alone can repair. But if God undertook to forgive the debt through mercy, justice would have been unrequited. God of course could pay the debt of man's sin, but He could not in justice do it apart from man.

…

God could not pay our debt unless He became in some way involved in it. This the Son of God, Jesus Christ, did by becoming man, assuming a human nature like unto us in all things save sin. He did not merely substitute for us, nor take our place; there is an identification of Him with us. He is the Head of our sin-laden race. In a certain sense He and we are one Person -- the new Adam. Strictly speaking, Our Lord is man in an absolute sense, no just a man; His humiliation was not so much in assuming a human nature, but in making Himself one with us in the sinful conditions which we created.

…

The Cross was not merely the outbreak of human passion -- it was the violent expression of anti-God. It was sin in its essence -- the attempted destruction of Divinity. Sin is self-mutilation, the destruction of personality -- when it takes the form of pride, it crowns Goodness with thorns; when it takes the form of dishonesty, it nails hands to a Cross; when it takes the form of hate, it blasphemes the dying; when it takes the form of lust, it crucifies. Nothing less than bloodshed could have been sin's worst crime and registered sin's deepest hurt.

…

Evil must work its power to the bitter end, use all its hatred, exhaust all its deceits, unsheathe all of its bloody swords, that being exhausted Goodness may be revealed as triumphant. And now that evil was spent in the final act of crucifixion, seeing that in Justice the last farthing was paid in the red coin of His blood and the mortgage against man paid back, He uttered His Cry of Triumph: "It is consummated … Father into thy hands I comment my spirit." All history, pagan and Jewish, looked forward to this moment; Heaven and earth were separated -- now they could be united. The Pontiff or Bridge-builder has spanned the shores of eternity and time, and the Bridge is the Cross. The last rivet has been put in place; the last nail driven; there is no "unfinished symphony"; with Him -- It is consummated.

…

It was the beauty and loveliness of the God-Man Christ which on the one hand made the crime so great, and on the other hand made the Divine forgiveness so final and so certain. That Figure on the Cross bore to the full not only the physical effects of sin which any man might suffer, and not only the mental effects of sin which all of us ought to feel, but the spiritual effects of sin which only He could feel because being sinless He was not part of it. Only the sinless know the horror of sin.

…

If you can stand the gaze of a Crucifix long enough you will discover these truths. First, if sin cost Him, who is Innocence, so much, then I who am guilty cannot take it lightly; second, there is only one thing worse in all the world than sin -- and that is to forget I am a sinner; third, more bitter than the Crucifixion must be my rejection of that Love by which I was redeemed.

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I was moved to the depths of my soul today when I read my friend Karen Pullano's meditations on her own walk to Calvary -- enduring the deaths of two of her children. She hadn't consciously sought to write it for Holy Thursday, the beginning of the Passion, but Providence found it fitting: Jesus, I Trust in You

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Learn your Faith, find your courage

2013-03-26T12:37:00.002-07:00

As much as I regret that the lead up to Holy Week is being overshadowed by the incessant drumbeat of gay "marriage", that's how Providence would have it.

I just want to encourage all of you to find your voice. If you don't know your Faith well enough, learn your Faith. If you don't have courage to stand up or speak up, find your courage. Yes, it's scary, but our love for Christ is tested in the crucible, not in the comforts of life and the acceptance of men. We are Catholics. We should not care to be on the "right side of history", but rather on the right side of Truth.

Here is an excellent resource on how to engage the culture from Archbishop Cordileone of San Francisco who was interviewed by USA Today:

Archbishop Cordileone states case against gay marriage

How I wish I had the eloquence and intelligence of this kind and thoughtful man of God.

Back soon, with (appropriately) some thoughts on the Cross, from the Venerable Fulton Sheen.

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I have no words.

2013-03-23T09:12:00.005-07:00

Just joy.

Vatican Radio

Update: For video, go here.

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Fulton Sheen, Part V: The Fifth Word and the Virtue of Temperance

2013-03-19T22:08:00.001-07:00

Background and Part I, here.
Part II, here.
Part III, here.
Part IV, here.

Continuing with Lenten meditations on the Seven Last Words and the Seven Virtues, by Venerable Fulton J. Sheen.

The Fourth Word:

"I thirst."

The Corresponding Virtue:

Temperance

Excerpts from Sheen's March 17, 1940 address:

Because our needs are limited, but our wants are unlimited, a virtue is necessary to restrain our inordinate appetites and desires -- and that virtue is called temperance. It has for its object the regulation of the sensible appetites by reason. The two strongest appetites in man are eating and drinking which sustain his individual life, and the sexual act which propagates his social nature. Excesses in these appetites are the sources of the two sins of gluttony and lust. Temperance is the virtue which moderates them for the sake of the soul.

…

Temperance must not be confused either with Puritanism, which because of the abuse of a thing would take away its use; nor with license which would interpret all restraint as an infringement of liberty. Rather there is a golden mean, as revealed in Our Lord's first miracle at Cana where he changed water into wine to satisfy the individual appetite and blessed the married couple for the satisfaction of the creative instinct. There is no consolation here for those gloomy souls who would kill the joy of living, nor for those frivolous souls who would isolate pleasure from the end of living, namely, the salvation of the soul.

…

[T]he material exists for the spiritual. Christ expressed a physical thirst for a spiritual reason, namely, the fulfillment of a prophecy as a proof of His Divinity [Psalm 68:22]. In like manner, every material thing on the earth, from salt to flesh, is a means, not an end -- a bridge, not a goal of life.

…

Because temperance teaches us that the earthly exists for the heavenly, the motive of a Christian is far different from the motive of a pagan. Take two persons who by cutting down on their food lose twenty pounds each. Materially, twenty pounds off a pagan is the same as twenty pounds off a Christian. But the motive in each case is quite different … The pagan diets for the sake of his bodily appearance; the Christian fasts for the sake of his soul. Each receives his corresponding reward, either the praise of men who love leanness or the praise of God who loves virtue. The tragedy of so much dieting, from a Catholic point of view, is how much restraint goes to waste. That is why one of the first questions in our [Baltimore] Catechism is: "Of which should we take more care, our soul or our body?" And the answer is: "We should take more care of our soul, for 'what doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his immortal soul?'"

…

The basis of the Catholic secret of temperance and discipline is exchange. All life is founded on exchange … We get light in exchange for heat; bread in exchange for a dime. If you want to be an expert in mathematics you have to give up being an expert in tennis; if you want to give your body all its satisfactions, you have to give up the joys of the soul.

…

A saint is always joyful, but our modern pleasure-hunter is always melancholy. He is not really happy, because he laughs too much. The laughter is artificially stimulated from the outside by a stooge with a wise-crack; it is not a joy that proceeds from the inside because of a duty fulfilled out of love of God. Happiness comes from self-possession through temperance, not from self-expression through license.

…

Loving enemies out of a divine intention is worth more than loving friends out of a personal satisfaction. The philanthropists who give millions to erect art museums, libraries, and playgrounds out of purely humanitarian reasons will not further their eternal salvation as much as the poor widow who gives a nickel to a poor man on the street because in his need she sees the poverty of Christ.

…

It is not what is given that profits unto salvation; it is why it is given. That is why a friendly meal given to an enemy in the name of Him who loved us when we were His enemies, is worth more on the day of our judgment than a 50 million dollar hospital given to perpetuate a family name. There is no injustice in this. Each gets the reward he wanted: In one instance, the love of Christ; in the other, the memory of men.

…

Great sacrifices without love are worthless for the soul; nor because they are great does it follow they were done with love; it is the motive that matters -- do them out of love of God!

Venerable Fulton J. Sheen

Quick Takes: What else? Pope Francis!

2013-03-15T23:30:00.002-07:00

Reuters

1) I was born during the reign of Pope Paul VI, and his was the name I remember being spoken at mass during the Eucharistic prayer: "Paul our pope, Francis our bishop…." I heard it hundreds of times as a child in Tucson, Arizona, and it still sounds the most familiar to me in some ways.

When Popes John Paul I and John Paul II were elected in quick succession in 1978, I was too young to care much. Although I was eleven and I must have seen some coverage, I don't even have a memory of those conclaves or outcomes.

When Pope Benedict XVI was elected in 2005, I was a joyful revert of ten years, and I knew and loved Cardinal Ratzinger as the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (in other words, he was the guy in charge of doctrinal clarity and purity). When the white smoke came, I waited for what seemed an eternity and then -- along with tens of thousands in St. Peter's Square and millions around the world -- I screamed in elation when I heard the name "Ratzinger" announced. He was "our guy", the one so many of us had hoped for! Incredible joy!

On Wednesday, I stood in front of the TV once again, ready to burst after the hour-long wait that had come after the white smoke was seen. Finally, the name was announced and… and… wha…..? Who? Huh? I was totally stunned, confused. I had no idea what I had just heard (except that he had chosen the name "Francesco", or was it "Franciscum"? -- Francis). This was nothing like 2005, and the crowd in the Square seemed a bit perplexed, too. Finally, looking to social media, I saw a news flash someone had posted to facebook: Jorge Bergoglio from Argentina. I still had no clue. Then… a Jesuit? A slight bit of alarm, then trust. And of course, now, two days later, I am totally, utterly in love with Francis the Humble (who frankly looked as stunned and confused as the rest of us as he stood on that balcony in the first moments of our acquaintance!).

2) One exciting result of this papal election that no one seems to be talking about: Finally modern-day folks will come to know the difference between Francis (masculine) and Frances (feminine). It is about time! Whew! And of course, after an explosion of Catholic baby boys named John Paul and Benedict, we will see the Francis boom coming now!

3) My favorite quote from Pope Francis' first homily:

“We can walk all we want, we can build many things, but if we don't proclaim Jesus Christ, something is wrong. We would become a compassionate NGO and not a Church which is the Bride of Christ.”

Amen, Papa! We are not social workers, as Mother Teresa used to say. We work for and through and because of Jesus Christ, for love of Him and for the salvation of souls. It's what the secular world cannot understand. Teach them, Francis!

4) George Weigel has, to my mind, written one of the most interesting post-Conclave pieces. Especially interesting is the account on page three of how some of the "progressive" Cardinals may have used Cardinal Bergoglio (against his will) in the 2005 Conclave, in order to derail a Ratzinger papacy. Fascinating stuff:

The First American Pope

Oh, and for anyone tempted to believe the smears about Pope Francis' complicity with the military dictatorship in Argentina in the 1970s, please check with Amnesty International for the facts. JoAnna put it succinctly:

Pope Francis and the Dirty War

5) One thing is sort of nagging at me. All this talk of the humble Francis makes me terribly protective of our wonderful Pope Emeritus Benedict, who -- despite what the media and dissident Catholics would have you believe -- is a deeply, beautifully humble soul as well. He is gentle, kind, thoughtful, a brilliant intellect and teacher, and a misunderstood introvert. I imagine him following the news and feeling pained at the implications that only now do we have a humble Pontiff. Silly me, I know he is too holy for that kind of nonsense ("Hey, look at me! I'm humble too, people!!"), but it's just my own daughterly affection for him that makes me want to say it.

6) Want to relive some of the excitement of Wednesday? Here it is in under two minutes:

So much more to say, so many emotions, so much joy and hope. Overall, I'm exhausted, aren't you? What a blessed, beautiful week. And what the non-Catholic world doesn't know is that our new Papa Francis is their Papa Francis, too. He loves us all and is charged with bringing us all to sanctity, to live forever in Heaven in the Heart of the Trinity. We are so blessed.

7) With such a champion of the poor on the Throne of Peter, let us not forget the poor orphans this day. Today, let me introduce you to Griffith, a four-year-old boy in an Eastern European orphanage:

Click my photo for more information!

Griffith is described as "a very nice boy!" with minimal hydrocephalus. He needs and deserves a family of his own. Please consider adopting him as your son, or help spread the word. And pray.

Also, a reader of the Bubble and a friend of the orphans, Kate Daneluk, has offered a free Lenten song download for your children, no strings attached. Go to this link and grab the song:

Making Music Praying Twice

Explore her site a little to see what else Kate is up to this Lent (check out the adorable video). Any homeschoolers and parents or godparents of littles will love her unique and educational music ministry!

And on that happy note (get it?), have a wonderful weekend, and thanks to Jen for hosting!

Habemus Papam! Francis!

2013-03-13T13:20:00.003-07:00

Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina, a Jesuit, becomes the first pope from the Americas! Many blessings, dear Papa!

AP/FoxNews

This was a total shock to me. I had no idea who he was! But the more I learn, the more I love Pope Francis. Faithful, humble, intellectual, a theologian (with a master's in chemistry), openly rebuked by his nation's president for speaking out against sexual sins and homosexual public policy agendas. Preferential treatment for the poor. Personal comfort to AIDS patients. Wishes to evangelize Rome! Seems Marian in his devotions, annoys the dissenting Jesuits. Warm and gentle smile. Looks a bit like Pope Pius XII, no?

My heart overflows with joy for our new Pontiff.

May God protect and guide him.

I welcome your thoughts on our new pope, Francis, as we all get to know him!

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As the Conclave begins...

2013-03-12T07:31:00.000-07:00

… how about some information on how it all works!

For an incredible amount of detailed information, all presented clearly and in an aesthetically pleasing manner, go here:

Electing the Pope

And if you prefer a short video, Catholic News Service has produced a beautiful five-minute summary of what happens in the Conclave:

For even more, my friend Tom Perna has compiled a great set of resources on his blog, here.

And of course, for ongoing television coverage of the Conclave, tune in to EWTN (check your local listings!).

While we wait, here's comic relief for those of us who are happy that the next pope will be (gasp!) Catholic, but who are suffering through the dissenters' oft-expressed (if fruitless) hope that he will be something else. Some clever and hilarious Lutherans seem to understand certain ironies and absurdities better than many Catholics:

Now, my fellow Catholics, I know we are all incredibly excited, full of nerves perhaps, and on the edge of our seats! We know above all that our job now is to pray. This is a hushed and reverent time, and it's a sacred, fearsome business that the Cardinals are about.

If I could reach the Cardinal Electors with any words of solace and strength, it would be these, which are directed to all of us in the Body of Christ:

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Fulton Sheen Part IV: The Fourth Word and the Virtue of Faith

2013-03-10T22:25:00.001-07:00

Background and Part I, here.
Part II, here.
Part III, here.

Continuing with Lenten meditations on the Seven Last Words and the Seven Virtues, by Venerable Fulton J. Sheen.

The Fourth Word:

"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"

The Corresponding Virtue:

Faith

Excerpts from Sheen's March 10, 1940 address:

[Y]ears ago, many who did not have faith knew what they disbelieved and why; today those who do not have faith do not even know what they disbelieve. Having abandoned all certitudes they have no standards by which to judge even their own agnosticism.

…

Faith is not, as too many believe, an emotional trust; it is not a belief that something will happen to you; it is not even a will to believe despite difficulties. Rather faith is the acceptance of a truth on the authority of God revealing. It therefore presupposes reason.

...

You cannot start a religion with faith, for to believe someone without a reason for belief is credulity and superstition. The principal cause for the decline of religion in America is the irrational and groundless character of belief. Unless the foundation is solid the superstructure soon totters and falls. Try out the experiment and ask those who call themselves Christians why they believe and the majority of them will be found unable to give a reason.

…

Since Truth is life, it must like a living babe be accepted in its entirety. Just as we are not falsely broadminded about life and accept a child on condition he has no arms or only one eye, so neither can we say we will believe Christ when He talks about the lilies of the field and not believe Him when He talks about the sanctity of the family. It is all or nothing.

...

[T]he condition of becoming a Catholic is the total, complete, and absolute submission to the authority of Christ and its prolongation in the Church. A Catholic may be defined as one who has made the startling discovery that God knows more than he does.

…

Faith then is related to reason as a telescope to the eye. A telescope does not destroy vision, but opens new worlds hitherto closed to it. We have the same eyes at night as we have in the day, but we cannot see at night because we lack normally the additional light of the sun. Let two minds with exactly the same education, one without and the other with faith, look on a piece of unleavened bread in a monstrance. The one sees bread; the other sees the Eucharistic Lord. One sees more than the other because he has a light which the other lacks -- the light of faith.

…

[Jesus experienced] isolation and abandonment. "Why hast thou forsaken me?" … And yet it was not abandonment, for it was prefaced by: "My God, my God!" The sun does not abandon its task to light a world because temporarily overshadowed by a cloud. Even though these misty shapes hide its light and heat, we still know a day of dawning is near. Furthermore the Fourth Word was a verse from a Psalm of faith which ends: "He hath not slighted nor despised the supplications of the poor man. Neither hath he turned away his face from me: and when I cried to him, he heard me" (Psalm 21:25).

…

Faith does not mean being taken down from a cross; it means being lifted up to heaven -- sometimes by a cross.

…

Scripture states that when they crucified Christ, darkness covered the earth. That is exactly the description of our modern world. If the darkness of despair, the black-outs of peace, make our world wander blindly, it is because we have crucified the Light of the World.

…

It may even be that our woes are the last stage of sin. For a century or more, governments and people have abandoned God; now God is abandoning them. It is a terrible punishment when a just God strikes; but it is more terrible when He does not, but leaves us alone to our own devices to work out the full consequences of our sins.

…

We are at the end of a tradition and a civilization which believed we could preserve Christianity without Christ, religion without a creed, meditation without sacrifice, family life without moral responsibility, sex without purity, and economics without ethics. We have completed our experiment of living without God and have proven the fallacy of a system of education which calls itself progressive because it finds new excuses for sins. Our so-called progressiveness, did we but realize it, is like unto the progressive putrefaction of a corpse. The soul is gone, and what we call change is only decay. How stop it except by reversing the process by which we drove God out of the world, namely by relighting the lamp of faith in the souls of men?

…

[We must not] abandon creeds, and water down the milk of religion to a point where it would no longer nourish. The Catholic Church for one would never do that, because since its truths are God-made they cannot be man-unmade. We are trustees not creators of faith.

…

[T]o all, may there come the full-visioned understanding of how souls are won to truth by the Cross. As the poet puts it:

"I slipped His fingers, I escaped His feet,
I ran and hid, for Him I feared to meet.
One day I passed Him, fettered on a Tree,
He turned His Head, and looked, and beckoned me.

"Neither by speed, nor strength could He prevail.
Each hand and foot was pinioned by a nail.
He could not run or clasp me if He tried,
But with His eye, He bade me reach His side.

"For pity's sake, thought I, I'll set you free.
'Nay -- hold this cross,' He said, 'and follow me.
This yoke is easy, this burden light,
Not hard or grievous if you wear it tight.'

"So did I follow Him Who could not move,
An uncaught captive in the hands of Love."

-- Elizabeth Cheney

Fulton Sheen, Part III: The Third Word and the Virtue of Prudence

2013-03-06T00:07:00.000-07:00

Background and Part I, here.
Part II, here.

Continuing with Lenten meditations on the Seven Last Words and the Seven Virtues, by Venerable Fulton J. Sheen.

The Third Word:

"Woman, behold thy son…. (Son) behold thy mother."

The Corresponding Virtue:

Prudence

Excerpts from Sheen's February 25, 1940 address:

[T]hough men failed in this crisis [the Lord's Passion], there is no instance of a single woman failing. In the four trials the voice heard in His defense was that of a woman, Claudia Procul the wife of Pontius Pilate, warning her husband not to do anything unjust to that just man…. On the way to Calvary, it is the woman who offers consolation, first Veronica wiping away the blood and sweat from His Sacred Face … then the holy women to whom the Prisoner turned suggesting that only such multiplied mercies and charities as their own could avert catastrophe for their children…. Again on Calvary it is woman who is fearless, for there are several of them at the foot of the Cross. Magdalene, among them as usual, is prostrate. But there is one whose courage and devotion was so remarkable that the Evangelist who was there indicated that she was "standing." That woman was the Mother of the Man on the Central Cross.

…

Since He was the second Adam undoing the sin of the first, Mary would be the new Eve proclaiming the glory of womanhood in the new race of the redeemed. The woman Eve would not be so cursed that her most glorious daughter could not undo her evil. As a woman had shared in the fall of man, so woman should share in his redemption.

…

Mary is a creature, human, not Divine. We Catholics do not adore Mary. That would be idolatry. But we do reverence her. And to those Christians who have forgotten Mary, may I ask if it is proper for you to forget her whom He remembered on the Cross? Will you bear no love for that woman through the portals of whose flesh, as the Gate of Heaven, He came to earth?

…

The gift of Mary was extremely prudent because it took cognizance of the difference between two faculties: The intellect, which knows, and the will, which loves. The intellect always whittles down the object to suit itself. That is why the intellect always insists on examples, explanations, and analogies. Every teacher must accommodate himself to the mentality of his class, and if the problem which he is presenting is abstract and complicated, he must break it up into the concrete, as Our Lord described the mysteries of the Kingdom of God in parables.

But the will never works that way. While the intellect pulls down the object of knowledge to its level, the will always goes out to meet the object. If you love something, you lift yourself up to its level; if you love music you subject yourself to its demands, and if you love exploring you meet its conditions. We tend to become like that which we love…. It follows that the higher our loves and ideals, the nobler will be our character.

…

Our Divine Lord gave us His Mother as our mother. Too beautiful a treasure to keep only for Himself, He willed to share her with us. She was to become our Mother in the supernatural life of the Kingdom of God as really as a woman is our earthly mother in the human order. In giving her to us, He was equivalently saying: "Never do anything of which your Heavenly Mother would be ashamed." The nobler the love, the nobler the character; and what nobler love could be given to men than the woman whom the Saviour of the world chose as His own Mother?

...

Why is it that the world has confessed its inability to inculcate virtue in the young? Very simply because it has not co-related morality to any love nobler than self-love. Things keep their proportion and fulfill their proper role only when integrated into a larger whole. Most lives are like doors without hinges or sleeves without coats, or bows without violins; that is, unrelated to wholes or purposes which give them meaning…. The modern emphasis on sex is a result of tearing a function away from a purpose, a part away from a whole.

...

The level of any civilization is the level of its womanhood. What they are, men will be, for, to repeat, love always goes out to meet the demands of the object loved. Given a woman like the Mother of Our Lord as our supernatural Mother, you have one of the greatest inspirations for nobler living this world has ever known.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, Our Mother

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Fulton Sheen, Part II: The Second Word and the Virtue of Hope

2013-03-02T23:57:00.000-07:00

Urgent note: Please pray for a wonderful friend and member of our Bubble family, Karen Pullano, who lost her beautiful daughter Anna in a car accident this weekend. The family has already suffered the loss of their four-year-old Mikey to brain cancer a few years ago, and they are asking for your prayers today as they prepare to bury a second beloved child.

Eternal rest, grant unto her O Lord,

and let perpetual light shine upon her.

May her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed,

through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Amen.

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Background and Part I of this series can be found here.

Continuing with Lenten meditations on the Seven Last Words and the Seven Virtues, by Venerable Fulton J. Sheen.

The Second Word:

"This Day Thou Shalt Be With Me In Paradise."

The Corresponding Virtue:

Hope

Excerpts from Sheen's February 18, 1940 address:

[W]e speak of the virtue of Hope to differentiate it from the emotion of Hope. The emotion centers in the body and is a kind of dreamy desire that we can be saved without much effort. The virtue of Hope, however, is centered in the will and may be defined as a divinely infused disposition of the will by which with sure confidence, thanks to the powerful help of Almighty God, we expect to pursue eternal happiness, using all the means necessary for attaining it. The virtue of Hope lies not in the future of time, but beyond the tomb in eternity; its object is not the abundant life of earth, but the eternal love of God.

…

[Jesus was crucified between two thieves.]

As one gazes on that spectacle of three crosses silhouetted against a black and frightened sky, one sees in prospect the future judgment of the world; the Judge in the center and the two division of humanity on either side: The Sheep and the goats; the blessed and the lost; those who love and those who hate; for the end shall be as the beginning, except that Christ shall appear for the final judgment not on the cross of ignominy but in glory in the clouds of heaven.

…

In a single moment a soul with a genuine fear of God can come to a greater understanding of the purpose of life than in a life-time spent in the study of the ephemeral philosophies of men. That is why death-bed conversions may be sincere conversions. The hardened soul disbelieves in God until that awful moment when he has no one to deceive but himself. Once the spark of salutary fear of God had jumped into the soul of the thief from the flaming furnace of that central Cross, fear gave way to faith.

…

Two thieves there were: One who loved and one who hated. Each was on a cross. Neither the good nor the bad can ever escape the cross. One thief was saved; therefore let no one despair. One thief was lost; therefore let no one presume. The two extremes to be avoided then are presumption and despair. Presumption is an excess of hope and despair is a defect of hope.

…

What we all have to realize is that when we sin we turn our back on God. He does not turn His back on us. If we are ever to see His face again we must turn around, that is, turn from sin. That is what is meant by conversion…. God cannot save us without that conversion; if we die in our unrepentant sin we are forever turned away from God. Where the tree falleth, there it lies. There is no reversal of values after death. We cannot love sin during life and begin to love virtue at death. The joys of heaven are the continuance of the Christ-like joys of earth. We do not develop a new set of loves with our last breath.

…

If He forgave the thief and Magdalene and Peter, why not you? What makes many in old age sad is not that their joys are gone, but that their hopes are gone. Your earthly hopes may decrease with the years, but not heavenly hope. Regardless of the sinful burden of the years, God's mercy is greater than your faults. Only when God ceases to be infinitely merciful and only when you begin to be infinitely evil, will there be reason for despair; and that will be never.

…

If you insist that you are disgusted with yourself, may I say that you can come to God even by a succession of disgusts? What does your disgust mean except that everything earthly has failed you? That is one of the ways God makes you feel hunger for the Divine. Do you not crave food most when you are hungry? Do you not want water most when you are thirsty? Your own disgust, if you knew it, is the distant call of Divine Mercy. If then the poverty of your merits makes you shrink from the Divine Presence, then let your needs draw you to it. And that, incidentally, is why we Catholics find comfort and solace in the Sacrament of Penance. When we are disgusted with our sins we can go into a little booth called a confessional box, unload our misery, have our sins washed away, and start life all over again. I know a thousand psycho-analysts who will explain sins away, but that is not what we want. We want them forgiven.

The Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

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Thank you, Papa Bene

2013-02-28T03:00:00.000-07:00

I'm struggling to find words as Pope Benedict leaves us. So, here's an excerpt from Thomas L. McDonald:

Non-Catholics can’t possibly understand the connection truly faithful Catholics have to their pope. He’s not magic, he’s not a god, and oddly enough he doesn’t even need to be holy or even particularly inspirational … What he is, is this: a promise. He is a promise, made by the Incarnate Lord, of a visible leadership that will last for all time, beginning with the flawed, hot-headed, cowardly fisherman who sat at His right hand, and stretching down through the millennia to us today. “Tu es Petrus et super hanc petram aedificabo ecclesiam.”

Final Angelus

Papa Bene, we will miss you terribly. Your ascent to the Throne of Peter eight years ago soothed our sorrowing souls after the crushing loss of Blessed John Paul the Great. You restored our joy! We thank you for your fatherly care, your gentle spirit, your keen intellect, your love of truth, your faithful service, your imitation of Christ. As you take your leave to pray for us and for the whole world, we will pray for you, too. We love you so.

"Well done, good and faithful servant."

Thank you, gentle Papa. Be at peace.

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The Seven Last Words and the Seven Virtues

2013-02-26T23:55:00.001-07:00

Eighteen years ago as I was coming back into the Church, my mother gave me an out-of-print book that my late grandfather had owned, written by Monsignor Fulton J. Sheen, later archbishop.

The book, The Seven Last Words and the Seven Virtues, was transcribed from Sheen's radio talks in 1940 and is a meditation on the seven last statements ("words") that Jesus spoke from the Cross, corresponded with the seven virtues of fortitude, hope, prudence, faith, temperance, justice, and charity. After 27 years of banal homilies and fluffy catechesis, I was blown away by Sheen's simple, profound way of exploring and explaining the Faith.

It made sense when I later learned that Archbishop Sheen had been a household name in America for decades, hosting his own national radio and television shows, and even winning an Emmy. Non-Catholics admired and loved the man as much as Catholics, and my own wonderful aunt (a Protestant) still talks of him so fondly and watches his videos when she comes across them.

Archbishop Sheen died in 1979, and recently his cause for canonization was opened.

Anyway, in cleaning out my dusty bookshelves for Lent, I stumbled again upon the book, and I knew that I had found my Lenten reading. Eighteen years later, the material is as rich and stirring as I remember.

I would like to share the Venerable Fulton J. Sheen with you over the next weeks, by posting brief excerpts from each chapter, for meditation, though the excerpts surely do not do justice to the whole.*

The First Word:

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

The Corresponding Virtue:

Fortitude

Fortitude is that virtue which enables us to face undismayed and fearlessly the difficulties and dangers which stand in the way of duty and goodness. It stands midway between foolhardiness, which rushes into danger heedlessly, and cowardice, which flees from it recreantly. Because Fortitude is related to bravery, it must not be thought that bravery is devoid of fear; rather it is control of fear …. It is in the presence of the fear of death that Fortitude reaches its peak; that is why the highest peak of supernatural Fortitude is martyrdom.

…

[Jesus'] first word from the Cross is not in self defense, not a protestation of His own innocence, not a fear of death nor a plea for deliverance, nor even a fear of enemies. Fear of death makes most men turn away from doing good. It makes even innocent men thoughtful of themselves as they proclaim their innocence to their executioners. Not so with Him. Fortitude reaches the peak of self-forgetfulness. On the Cross He thinks only of others and their salvation. For his first word is not about death, but about the good it will accomplish; it is directed not to His friends, His Apostles, or His believers who will proclaim His gospel, but to those who hate Him and His Apostles and His Church …. Often during his life He preached: "Love your enemies: do good to them that hate you" (Matt 5:44). Now that He is strong enough to ignore death, He the Conqueror bestows on His momentary conquerors the very thing they had forfeited by their sins -- forgiveness.

…

Of all the nonsense our modern world has invented nothing surpasses the catch-words or claptrap we give the unfortunate or the sick: "Keep your chin up" or "Forget it." This is not solace, but a drug. Consolation is in explaining suffering, not forgetting it; in relating it to Love, not ignoring it; in making it an expiation for sin, not another sin. But who shall understand this unless he looks at a Cross and loves the Crucified?

…

There is no challenging the fact that Catholics could get on better with the world if they were less Catholic. Not a single sentence can be found in the words of our Divine Lord promising you the love of the world because of your faith. But you can find a golden string of texts warning you that the world will hate you because you are His….

…

[I]f Catholics will not be strong in their love of Christ because of Christ, then let them be strong out of fear of the scandal of their weakness. The example of a bad Catholic is most often appealed to as a justification for evil. Why is it that the world is more scandalized at a bad Catholic than a bad anything else, if it be not because his fall is rightfully measured by the heights from which he has fallen?

…

[E]ntering into the Church lifts us into another world -- the supernatural world. It gives us a new set of values, a new objective, new ways of thinking, new standards of judgment, all of which are in opposition to the spirit of the world. The world with its hatred of discipline, its courtesy to the flesh, and its indifference to truth, cannot tolerate a life based upon the primacy of Christ and the salvation of souls.

…

Peace, we are just discovering, is in the identity of our will with God who wills our perfection. When we disobey His will we are not asserting our independence; we are mutilating our personality as we might mutilate a razor by using it to cut a tree. Being made for God, we can be happy only with Him. All our misery is traceable to that rebellion. All our peace is traceable to training the lower part of ourselves in service to Him. Hence the Cross, the symbol of that sacrifice inspired by love.

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*Note: The whole of the chapter discusses three types of souls who need the virtue of fortitude in order to have peace: "Those who suffer and mourn, saying 'What have I done to deserve this?'; those who possess faith, but who through a love of the world deny their faith or hide it; and those who do not possess the faith, but are convince of its truth and yet refuse to pay the price."

A modern day David vs. Goliath story

2013-02-20T22:52:00.001-07:00

The most amazing, inspiring "David" I know is a thirty-something Nigerian woman. She is my hero. I do not want her to stand and fight alone.

When I published Obianuju ("Uju") Ekeocha's Open Letter to Melinda Gates and a follow-up last year, she was a stranger. Now, I call her friend. It is humbling, an honor. Not only because she is beautiful inside and out (she has more grace, humility, dignity, intelligence, and wisdom in her little pinkie than I have in my whole body), but because she is courageous in a way that should inspire the rest of us.

Sweet Uju was minding her own business, not looking for any trouble, home from a long day at the lab in England where she works as a scientist, when she happened to see Melinda Gates being interviewed on CNN, discussing her "non-controversial" project to flood Africa (and African women) with billions of dollars of contraceptive pills, injectables, and devices. It set something off inside Uju's soul, and though she wanted to, she could not remain silent. That night, she prayed a rosary and she wrote. She has not stopped writing, and speaking out, since.

Recently, on the Feast of St. Josephine Bakhita and under her patronage, Uju launched the site, Culture of Life Africa, whose mission is to

passionately preserve and promote, through good information, this Culture of Life and Civilization of Love. It's hope and commitment is to present the real image of Africa, especially that of the African woman, who is valiant in motherhood even as she is vibrant in her deep faith in God Almighty who fills her heart with splendorous light and love of life.

Our little "David" has also inspired a ground-breaking event in Nigeria: Her bishop has asked her to organize a full pro-life conference! This request understandably sent her reeling, as she has no experience in putting on such a conference, and had no idea where or how to start. Looking to America (as the pro-life stronghold in the western world), she was soon working in collaboration with our own Nicole at Mom and Then Some (president of Delaware Right to Life; wife and mommy extraordinaire). The conference is set for May 30 - June 1.

This outside help is so important, for as Uju has said: "We don't have any good pro-life advocacy in place in most African countries and so we really are not prepared at all for this move by Melinda to plant the seeds of the Culture of Death."

If you don't want Uju to stand alone to fight the Goliath bearing down, you can help with your Lenten prayers and sacrifices. And since Lent calls us to extra almsgiving as well, I will make you aware of a very important need, if this conference is to be a success:

Human Life International's Brian Clowes, a pro-life heavyweight with years of experience and expertise to impart to the Nigerian people, is set to be a speaker. But unlike the other side -- which could fly every contraception peddler and abortion pusher to Africa on private jets if desired -- there is no money for his airfare. Once (if) he gets to Africa, he will be hosted by the diocese, but they cannot afford to fly him out. Two donors have already paid for about half his flight, but we still need the other $600 to $700 that is needed to cover Mr. Clowes' ticket.

They have $4.6 BILLION.

We scramble to find a few dollars for one airline ticket.

But that's okay. We can do a lot with a little. It's how God rolls, and we expect to be the underdog. He assured us we would be.

You know what's next, dear, smart readers: If anyone feels led to contribute toward Mr. Clowes' trip to Africa, perhaps even a very small amount for Lenten almsgiving, please let me know, and I will put you in touch with Nicole. My email is littlecatholicbubble@gmail.com. I think we can do this, and I am pretty sure that any donors to this cause will be blessed beyond words!

Should there be funds that go over what is needed for the ticket, they will be used to secure a speaker from Birthright International, who will teach African citizens how to start up pregnancy resource centers for women in crisis.

Let's help our "David", our Uju, on her God-inspired (and slightly terrifying) mission, which she never in a million years expected to be on.

Pray for her.

Spread the news about Culture of Life Africa.

"Like" it on Facebook.

And pray for her beautiful continent and its beautiful people.

Oh, and by the way, you will love Uju's latest article, rebutting the critics of Pope Benedict:

Benedict's Legacy: Did he fail Africa?