Kasper Unfriendly to Holy Ghost

Cardinal Kasper appears to speak out of both sides of his mouth.  

On the one hand he admits that there can be only ONE true marriage among a living married couple- if they should divorce and ‘re-marry’ the second so-called ‘marriage’ is not a true marriage -its ADULTERY.  That is Church teaching, always has been, always will be.

"Because they are human and prone to sin, husbands and wives continually must follow a path of conversion, renewal and maturation, asking forgiveness and renewing their commitment to one another, Cardinal Kasper said. But the church also must be realistic and acknowledge "the complex and thorny problem" posed by Catholics whose marriages have failed, but who find support, family stability and happiness in a new relationship, he continued.

"One cannot propose a solution different from or contrary to the words of Jesus," the cardinal said. "The indissolubility of a sacramental marriage and the impossibility of a new marriage while the other partner is still alive is part of the binding tradition of the faith of the church and cannot be abandoned or dissolved by appealing to a superficial understanding of mercy at a discount price."At the same time, "there is no human situation absolutely without hope or solution," he said Catholics profess their belief in the forgiveness of sins in the Creed, he explained. "That means that for one who converts, forgiveness is possible. If that's true for a murderer, it is also true for an adulterer."

Kasper is confused about a murderer -vs- an on going adulterous false marriage…he seems to think that the murderer is forgiven if they continue murdering.  This is NOT repenting.  Repenting isn’t just say “Oh sorry about that!” and then moving on still committing the same sin.  Repenting is truly being sorry and STOPPING the sin- at the very least TRYING to stop the sin.  Does Kasper think a serial killer is forgiven and allowed Holy Communion because he confessed one killing but continues to kill others-thus continuing the sin?

How can a person who remarries STOP continuing in the sin of adultery unless they STOP having sex with their spouse?  If they stop having sex and live chaste lives this isn’t an issue. If they are "married in name only" there is no adultery.  But we all know that is NOT the case.  These "remarried" couples are having sex and they want the Church to not just "tolerate" it, but accept it and tell them they are not sinning because it's "love" (just like the gay "marriage" issue).  

Adultery is a MORTAL sin, a person committing MORTAL SIN cannot have Holy Communion.  There is of course forgiveness if a person TRULY is sorry and truly REPENTS. That's the wonderful gift of our Sacrament of Reconciliation.  

Catechism

 #1446 Christ instituted the sacrament of Penance for all sinful members of his Church: above all for those who, since Baptism, have fallen into grave sin, and have thus lost their baptismal grace and wounded ecclesial communion. It is to them that the sacrament of Penance offers a new possibility to convert and to recover the grace of justification. The Fathers of the Church present this sacrament as "the second plank [of salvation] after the shipwreck which is the loss of grace."⁴⁷

#1450 "Penance requires . . . the sinner to endure all things willingly, be contrite of heart, confess with the lips, and practice complete humility and fruitful satisfaction."⁴⁹

So we first hear Kasper reaffirm that a second "marriage" is not a valid marriage, then we hear him say these adulterers should be forgiven while they continue to commit MORTAL SIN (so no repenting needed) and then we get this... 

And out of the other side of his mouth, Cardinal Kasper wants some wiggle room to play around with…he thinks there are special cases which the Church should/could ‘allow’ but not ‘accept’.

The Catholic Church needs to find a way to help divorced and remarried Catholics who long to participate fully in the life of the church, Cardinal Kasper told the cardinals. While insisting -- for the good of individuals and of the church -- on the need to affirm Jesus' teaching that sacramental marriage is indissoluble, he allowed for the possibility that in very specific cases the church could tolerate, though not accept, a second union.

So who are these special cases?  Oh you mean like the rich?  Perhaps the name Kennedy and the like?  Here in the United States we've seen this sort of divorce and "remarriage" for the privileged (and seen it reversed a decade later after YEARS of protest to the Vatican demanding that the Church uphold it's own doctrines). 

The issue is remarriage and sex within that marriage when the FIRST marriage is still valid.  It’s adultery any way you slice it.

Perhaps Cardinal Kasper needs to re-read the history of the Catholic Church and King Henry VIII.

In Christ,

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner

The confession of sins

1455 The confession (or disclosure) of sins, even from a simply human point of view, frees us and facilitates our reconciliation with others. Through such anadmission man looks squarely at the sins he is guilty of, takes responsibility for them, and thereby opens himself again to God and to the communion of the Church in order to make a new future possible.  

1456 Confession to a priest is an essential part of the sacrament of Penance: "All mortal sins of which penitents after a diligent self-examination are conscious must be recounted by them in confession, even if they are most secret and have been committed against the last two precepts of the Decalogue; for these sins sometimes wound the soul more grievously and are more dangerous than those which are committed openly."⁵⁴When Christ's faithful strive to confess all the sins that they can remember, they undoubtedly place all of them before the divine mercy for pardon. But those who fail to do so and knowingly withhold some, place nothing before the divine goodness for remission through the mediation of the priest, "for if the sick person is too ashamed to show his wound to the doctor, the medicine cannot heal what it does not know."⁵⁵

UPDATE:
Please go read: http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2014/03/exclusive-for-il-foglio-kaspers.html

Source: http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1400852.htm

Source: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07222a.htm 

Source: http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p2s2c2a4.htm

Connecticut Catholic Event

Holy Family Retreat Center, Ash Wednesday Day or Evening Retreat: Journeying to Salvation through the Lenten Responsorial Psalms

Wednesday, Mar 5, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. AND 6-9 p.m.  

Holy Family Retreat Center, West Hartford

Journeying to Salvation through the Lenten Responsorial Psalms, with Sr. Kathleen Harmon, SNDdeN, Ph.D.  From Ash Wednesday to Passion Sunday, the Sunday Gospel readings move us forward on our Lenten journey of conversion and baptismal renewal. The Responsorial Psalm we sing plays an important part in this movement by preparing us for a saving encounter with Christ in the proclamation of the Gospel. This presentation looks at our Lenten journey through the lens of the Responsorial Psalms and opens a way to pray and sing these psalms with deeper understanding of their purpose and power.  $40, includes lunch or dinner. 860-760-9705. www.holyfamilyretreat.org

Sr. Kathleen Harmon is Music Director for the Institute for Liturgical Ministry in Dayton, Ohio, and one of the authors of Living Liturgy:  Spirituality, Celebration, Catechesis for Sundays and Solemnities. She facilitates workshops on liturgy and liturgical music across the United States and Canada.

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Contributor:  

Paul A. Zalonski

Catholic Connecticut

255 Foxon Hill Road

East Haven, CT 06513-1216 USA

To contact Paul directly: CatholicCT@gmail.com

Follow Paul on Twitter @CatholicCT

Connect with Paul on Facebook "Catholic Connecticut CatholicCT"

****Paul is the Catholic Events Contributor for Connecticut Catholic Corner****

No More Eulogies at Catholic Funerals

Are eulogies at a Catholic funeral appropriate?  The good Archbishop Terrence Pendergast of Ottawa (Canada) says “no” and I couldn’t agree more.

“In the Christ funeral, we gather not to praise the deceased but to pray for them,” the decree states. “For this reason, eulogies are not given.”

Exactly!

After the decree was made public, people began to complain- probably people who don’t regularly attend Mass so don’t understand what a Catholic funeral Mass is about.

"A short explanation of the decision appears in the fall-winter Catholic Ottawa newsletter, written by Father Geoffrey Kerslake. He argued eulogies or words of remembrance are not an official part of Catholic funeral rites.

“The Archdiocese of Ottawa is implementing a new policy for words of remembrance at a funeral with Mass to encourage us to have words of remembrance spoken outside of the context of the Mass, either at the vigil service in the funeral home or at the reception after Mass,” he wrote."

I think the issue people are having is they attend a Protestant funeral and see people talking, celebrating the dead persons life with laughter and tears and WRONGLY ASSUME that this is what a Catholic funeral is about- it’s not.  Not at all.

Protestants do not pray for their dead, Catholics do.  Our Catholic funeral Mass IS a prayer for that dead person to HELP THEM- not us.  The Catholic funeral is about the dead, while a protestant funeral is about the living left behind.  I know this, because for most of my life I was a protestant and have buried many protestant friends and relatives.  The “funerals” or “memorial services” (depending on which denomination is holding the ceremony) are based on people gathering to share and celebrate the life of the dead person.

The Archbishop Pendergast said,

“Whenever there’s anything about liturgy or church, despite the fact people don’t go to church, they have something to say about it. The policy of the universal Church is eulogies don’t belong at Mass.”

He went on to say…

“…many ideas from the outer culture had crept into funerals and how we honour the dead.

“If we spend all our time talking about them saying how wonderful they are and canonizing them as some people seem to do at funerals we don’t need to pray for them and I think that would be a great loss,” he said, noting how people misunderstand “the Eucharist as the sacrifice of Christ’s presence being offered for the deceased.”

 “The Mass is the supreme gift we can give to a person when they die,” the archbishop said, noting “the homily can make some references to the person’s life of faith,” and the archdiocese will allow a brief, approved three- or four-minute “words of remembrance” to be read by a friend or family member before the funeral Mass begins. Eulogies can be made at the wake, at a reception after the funeral in the parish hall or at graveside, the decree says.

The policy was necessary to “balance what had gotten out of hand,” the archbishop said. It took two years of work by the diocesan presbyteral council made up of priests with a wide range of experience and differing views on how to deal with grieving families, he said.”

The good Archbishop is absolutely correct!

The Catholic Church needs to stop protestantizing its funerals (among other things) and TEACH people WHY a Catholic funeral Mass is so different from other religion's funerals.  What makes our funeral Mass so special?  People need to know.  Sadly, many Catholics are ignorant of these things , we can tell by the things they say and do.

“When people say I’d rather have the eulogy than have Mass then you know we have lost the sense of Catholic life,” Prendergast said.

It’s important to say we pray for God’s mercy, to pray for mercy in God’s judgment, he said. We don’t take that mercy for granted.“I’m trying to preserve for people the richness of the Catholic Mass,” he said. “If we don’t do this now we will lose a great treasure. I don’t want their children or their children’s children not to have this.”

Well done Archbishop Pendergast, well done!

In Christ,

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner

 Catholic Catechism1684    The Christian funeral is a liturgical celebration of the Church. The ministry of the Church in this instance aims at expressing efficacious communion with the deceased, at the participation in that communion of the community gathered for the funeral, and at the proclamation of eternal life to the community.
1685    The different funeral rites express the Paschal character of Christian death and are in keeping with the situations and traditions of each region, even as to the color of the liturgical vestments worn.¹⁸⁷1686    The Order of Christian Funerals (Ordo exsequiarum) of the Roman liturgy gives three types of funeral celebrations, corresponding to the three places in which they are conducted (the home, the church, and the cemetery), and according to the importance attached to them by the family, local customs, the culture, and popular piety. This order of celebration is common to all the liturgical traditions and comprises four principal elements:
1687    The greeting of the community. A greeting of faith begins the celebration. Relatives and friends of the deceased are welcomed with a word of “consolation” (in the New Testament sense of the Holy Spirit’s power in hope).¹⁸⁸ The community assembling in prayer also awaits the “words of eternal life.” The death of a member of the community (or the anniversary of a death, or the seventh or thirtieth day after death) is an event that should lead beyond the perspectives of “this world” and should draw the faithful into the true perspective of faith in the risen Christ.
1688    The liturgy of the Word during funerals demands very careful preparation because the assembly present for the funeral may include some faithful who rarely attend the liturgy, and friends of the deceased who are not Christians. The homily in particular must “avoid the literary genre of funeral eulogy”¹⁸⁹ and illumine the mystery of Christian death in the light of the risen Christ.
1689    The Eucharistic Sacrifice. When the celebration takes place in church, the Eucharist is the heart of the Paschal reality of Christian death.¹⁹⁰ In the Eucharist, the Church expresses her efficacious communion with the departed: offering to the Father in the Holy Spirit the sacrifice of the death and resurrection of Christ, she asks to purify his child of his sins and their consequences, and to admit him to the Paschal fullness of the table of the Kingdom.¹⁹¹ It is by the Eucharist thus celebrated that the community of the faithful, especially the family of the deceased, learn to live in communion with the one who “has fallen asleep in the Lord,” by communicating in the Body of Christ of which he is a living member and, then, by praying for him and with him. (1371, 958)
1690    A farewell to the deceased is his final “commendation to God” by the Church. It is “the last farewell by which the Christian community greets one of its members before his body is brought to its tomb.”¹⁹² The Byzantine tradition expresses this by the kiss of farewell to the deceased: (2300)
By this final greeting “we sing for his departure from this life and separation from us, but also because there is a communion and a reunion. For even dead, we are not at all separated from one another, because we all run the same course and we will find one another again in the same place. We shall never be separated, for we live for Christ, and now we are united with Christ as we go toward him... we shall all be together in Christ.”¹⁹³  

Link: http://www.catholicregister.org/news/canada/item/17703-ottawa-archbishop-decrees-no-eulogies-at-catholic-funerals

Link: http://www.ottawasun.com/2014/01/22/no-eulogies-for-catholic-funerals 

Upcoming Catholic Events

The First Anniversary of his Holiness, Pope Francis, Bishop of Rome

When: Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Where: American Bible Society, 1865 Broadway, New York, NY 10023 Directions
Time: 6:30 pm
Cost: Event is free and open to the public

Details: You are invited to a forum, celebrating the First Anniversary of His Holiness, Pope Francis, Bishop of Rome.  

Presenter: His Eminence, Sean Patrick Cardinal O’Malley, OFM, Cap., Archbishop of Boston

Moderator: Kenneth Woodward, former Religion Editor of Newsweek

Panel: Rev. Fr. Matt Malone, S.J. Editor in Chief, America Magazine, R.R. “Rusty” Reno Editor of First Things magazine and Mollie Wilson O’Reilly, Associate Editor, Commonweal Magazine.

Contact: Please Respond by March 14th to Margaret Sarci, MSarci@AmericanBible.org

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Dear Friends,

Please spread the word to any college students that you know.  There is still room!!!

Spring Break with the Sisters of Life (College students only, open to men & women)
Friday, Feb. 28 – Sunday, March 9, 2014

Villa Maria Retreat Center in Stamford, CT.

Experience will begin with a 3-day retreat followed by immersion in culture of life formation (including attending the Sisters of Life’s Co-Worker training), and hands-on volunteer experiences.

The Sisters will take you on a “Saints in the City Tour,” and you will also have a day off in Manhattan to explore the city on your own.

For more info and registration http://www.sistersoflife.org/villa-maria-guadalupe-retreats/sistersoflife-springbreak

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Help the African missions! As we move toward Lent, give some time in prayer, fasting and charitable giving for bringing the Good News to the Nations.

The Lay Dominicans of St. Mary's Priory and Church (5 Hillhouse Avenue, New Haven, CT) are sponsoring their annual Pancake Breakfast to benefit the Dominican mission project in Africa , "Father Tom's Kids," on Sunday, March 2 after the 8:00 and 10:00 morning Masses. It's a full breakfast including sausage, eggs, fruit, and pancakes!

The Dominican Friars of the Province of St Joseph serve in Africa and "Father Tom's Kids" is their charitable work.

Dominican Father Benedict Croell will talk to the assembled about his experience in the East African missions.

Tickets are $10 per individual and $20 per family (immediate members).

This family event could be a good way to begin Lent 2014: charitable giving and prayer for the African Missions. On Ash Wednesday, fast for the work of missionaries and for those who have been killed for trying to preach the Gospel.

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PALLIUM PILGRIMAGE TO ROME WITH ARCHBISHOP LEONARD BLAIR

June 24-July 2, 2014
Visit Rome, Vatican City State, Orvieto and Assisi

On Sunday, June 29, join Archbishop Leonard P. Blair as Pope Francis confers the pallium upon him. The pallium is a sign of communion that a metropolitan archbishop has with the Bishop of Rome and his apostolic authority. Typically, the pallium is given only to Metropolitan archbishops. Archbishop Blair is one 31 archbishops in the USA, and the only US archbishop receiving the pallium this year.

Mass celebrated each day, including at: St. Peter, St. Mary Major, Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi.

Visit www.archdioceseofhartford.org for itinerary, cost, and other details.
Deadline for registration is: Friday, March 7, 2014.

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Thinking about Lent

Pick up a copy of Mercy in the City by Kerry Weber (Ignatius Press, $13.95)

How to Feed the Hungry, Give Drink to the Thirsty, Visit the Imprisoned, and Keep Your Day Job.

The author was afraid that she’d stop seeing Christ in people. As she rightly says, it takes work to see Christ in the world with the many distractions we daily face. She wonders, “Have I put in the work?” Does mercy have a life within you? Acts of mercy can be small, as we are taught by Saint Therese of Lisieux in her Little Way.

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Do you know the Marian Faith Network? It is a dynamic formation for the Total Consecration to Mary —living the Marian spirituality of Saint Louis de Montfort.

Visit today: http://marianfaithnetwork.com

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Thinking about the Sunday Scripture ahead of time by 60 Seconds. 60 Seconds for Sunday is a weekly spiritual resource from the monks of St. Benedict's Abbey (Atchison, KS). These brief reflections on the Sunday gospel reading are helpful. Spend time with the revealed Word of God.

Watch: http://kansasmonks.org/index.php/60-seconds-for-sunday

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From: Paul A. Zalonski

Catholic Connecticut

255 Foxon Hill Road

East Haven, CT 06513-1216 USA

To contact Paul directly: CatholicCT@gmail.com

Follow Paul on Twitter @CatholicCT

Connect with Paul on Facebook "Catholic Connecticut CatholicCT"

*****Paul Zalonski is the Catholic Events Contributor for Connecticut Catholic Corner*****

Catholic Controversy over "Son of God" movie

It is seldom that I disagree with Michael Voris from Church Militant TV, but today I do.  It seems some of the more traditional leaning Catholic crowd (of which I consider myself) have taken issue with the new “Son of God” movie because it appears to be “too protestant”. 

According to Voris, the main reason it is “too protestant” is because the film fails to point out the real meaning of the Last Supper – the institution of the Eucharist.  Voris admits to not yet seeing the film, but he’s come to his conclusion from watching the movie trailers.

Voris states: "This movie appears to have been shot alongside The Bible series with an eye to a larger release. Smart business move – economies of scale, following up on one success immediately with another, etc.But here’s the issue – again. America is a protestant nation.So practically any large scale effort is gonna be tailored to a protestant audience and when you get something as important as the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity as a topic up on a movie screen – there’s gonna be issues; spiritual issues.We’ve attached a link to the movie’s promotional page. On that page you will find various video commentaries by mostly protestant religious leaders talking about various scenes in the movie.The Last Supper is one such scene. It is a hyper-dramatized scene with emphasis on Jesus saying goodbye to His Apostles, Him washing their feet, the betrayal of Judas, Peter’s pledge to die with him if needs be.Nowhere, beyond the absolute basic mention is there any real suggestion of what the Last Supper was actually about – which was the institutionalizing of the Holy Eucharist.That aspect (The Most Important One) of the Last Supper is so drastically downplayed and given short shrift, that if someone who watched the movie and knew little or nothing of Our Lord beforehand, they would leave still knowing little of Him.  The movie (at least the clips they have made available for viewing so far) is all about emotion – evoking an emotional response in the viewer – appealing to the emotions directly – to the near exclusion or bypassing of the intellect.But, that’s what should be expected in a presentation essentially produced with a Protestant approach for Protestants.We haven’t seen the whole movie – but it would be surprising if the scene in John Chapter is treated with any seriousness – if at all."

Voris goes on to say that Catholics should not support the movie or any “biblical” movie if it isn’t done properly from a Catholic point of view.

“Any movie that tries to present to us the Son of God, and yet skips over one of His most essential teachings, is definitely not worth support from Catholics.”

Voris is not alone– or he has inspired some of his fans to poo-poo the movie too after a recent episode of his “The Vortex” show…

Last week EWTN’s Director of Communications Michelle Johnson sent me TWO EWTN Press Releases promoting the movie, HERE and HERE.

To which I received the following comment on my blog…

Lucia Bartoli comments: In the name of orthodoxy please re-review the film. I tend to agree with those whose doctrine is intact insofar as emotion is not synonymous with salvation. This film, although "pretty," panders to mainstream (Protestant) Christianity. Where do Burnett and Downey insist on the emphasis of the "body and blood?" I was disappointed enough when I learned that Bishops Wuerl and Gomez found a lot of inspiration in this drek. If I want emotion and drama to feel all warm 'n fuzzy, then I choose Downton Abbey. Burnett and Downey earned their Malibu digs on the coattails of Gibson's Passion of the Christ. Hmmm, they even live in Malibu, as well. Ah, EWTN where hast thou gone? Now you insist on feeling us this pablum of unCatholic "stuff." God help us all! Now I understand precisely why our Church is like a vacillating grand dame who will not dig in her heels and call it like it is.

I am guessing from that comment that Bartoli just watched Voris' "The Vortex" before coming to my blog to read the EWTN press releases.

About my own view...I am VERY biased when it comes to actress Roma Downey. I don’t watch ANYTHING that has the fake "devout Catholic" *yeah right* Roma Downey  in it or works on (Downey is divorced twice and remarried to Mark Burnett who is also divorced and remarried at least twice - their 'wedding' was performed by actress DELLA REESE at their Malibu home- hardly "Catholic" but rather ADULTEROUS).  

Downey may wish to fool her fans with her "I'm a devout Catholic" bit but this Catholic hasn't fallen for it. And to be honest, I have NO IDEA WHY EWTN WOULD PROMOTE THIS WOMAN AS A DEVOUT CATHOLIC. My personal opinion is, you would NEVER see Downey or Burnett being interviewed by Mother Angelica if she were still doing her show.  Mother might comment on the movie, but then she would shake her finger at Downey through the camera and give it to her straight between the eyes, as is Mother's style. :)

I flat out refused to watch “The Bible” because Downey played Mary - which in my movie viewing opinion was unforgivable and laughable.  Personally, I clearly have NO liking for this false "Catholic" actress and avoid her work, so I will not be watching “Son of God”.

That said, I have to disagree with both Michael Voris and the comment left on my blog.  While I agree it would be WONDERFUL if EVERY Bible movie/television show ever made was from an official Catholic view point there can be some good found in any decently depicted Bible story shown.  For example, it gets people TALKING about Jesus!  That’s a good thing!  It takes the place on the movie screen or television screen of something secular and replaces it with a Bible story!  That’s a good thing! It can show a real THIRST for God – look at how many people tuned in to watch “The Bible” last year- people THIRST for God and are eager to hear about Jesus Christ and His life.  That is a good thing.

This controversy over watching and supporting the “Son of God” movie because it’s not strongly Catholic reminds me of the complaining disciples and Jesus’ words to them…

Mark 9^38 “John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” ³⁹ But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. ⁴⁰ Whoever is not against us is for us. ⁴¹ For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.”New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

Footnotes:

1. Mark 9:38 Other ancient authorities add who does not follow us

So while the presumed Protestant leaning view of the Bible in the “Son of God” movie may not be perfect because it doesn’t strongly enough show the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper, it’s not all bad.

“Whoever is not against us is for us.”

While I don’t particularly like Downey or the fact that this movie isn’t done in a perfect Catholic view point, I can see that it may have merit in other areas.  The Word of God NEVER goes out without producing fruits.  

Michael Voris is a “cradle Catholic” and I am a convert.  I know NOW that my old Protestant Bibles were lacking and did not contain the FULLNESS of the Catholic faith because books, chapters and verses were missing from those Protestant Bibles, yet I still found God among those pages and those Bibles –missing parts as they were- they still helped lead me to the Catholic Faith.

If assorted Protestant Bibles missing entire books, chapters and verses can feed people and lead them to the Truth found in His Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, then a mere movie depicting a few moments in our Lord’s life can too.

In Christ,

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner

Link: http://www.churchmilitant.tv/scripts/vort-2014-02-19.pdf

7 Quick Takes Friday: It's been a GAY week

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I'm Raising My 3-year Old Daughter to be A Lesbian

Corey Levintan wrote a "tongue-in-cheek" article over at "The Stir" about raising their daughter to become a lesbian.

"In fact, my wife and I are raising our daughter as a lesbian. We're religiously watching Ellen and sprinkling Ani DiFranco songs into our Spotify playlists. We encourage play dates with her female daycare classmates. And, as I revealed in a previous Stir blog, 'I walk around the house naked', which should forever put her off to the male form.
Men are just disgusting. I know, being one occasionally myself. I'm crass, smelly, and selfish and all I ever want is sex (when I'm not hungry or tired). Fifty years ago, women needed men to have children, to eat food, and to live indoors. But all that has changed. So why not take advantage?" -end quote-

Not funny in my opinion, but I think there is more truth to this satire than not. 

Face it, if you raise a child with a belief the child is more open to accepting that belief and then also being open to "trying out" that belief for themselves one day to see if its for them or not. If the child's parents are gay, the child might wonder if they are gay too without ever feeling the 'confusion' truly gay people feel.  They might wonder "How will I know unless I experiment with my sexuality?"  The mere fact of having a gay parent is an open invitation to check it out for themselves.  This flies in the face of people's belief that all gays are BORN gay.

Are people born gay?  Some are, I believe.  Not because God made them that way, but rather because we live in a fallen world where people are born with all sorts of issues- including homosexuality.

But others are INFLUENCED into believing they are gay or they could be gay, so they set off to have some homosexual experiences to help them figure it out. I know one woman (family member) who DECIDED to be gay because "women understand her better than men" and "it's nice to have a woman partner because they share so much more than male/female relationships do". She marches in 'pride parades' and is 'proud' that she DECIDED to be a lesbian. For that lesbian it was a CHOICE. 

[I can see the hate mail coming now- don't bother, it won't get read because my opinion will not change from the official teachings of the Roman Catholic Church]

The Church is very clear on homosexuality- BE CHASTE.  Period.
Gay parental adoption: NO WAY
Why: Because it's damaging to the child/children.
Why is it damaging to the children?  Because it MORALLY corrupts them.

Since the Church teaches homosexual relationships are sinful, how then can the Church support a corrupt, sinful, morally damning couple to raise an innocent child?  The Church can't.

I stand by Catholic teaching and think this 'tongue-in-cheek' article is not funny at all but in reality very sad.

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Gay Anti-christ

African American Southern Baptist Minister William Dwight McKissic believe's he's identified that the Anti-christ will be a gay man.

Rev. McKissic explains in part: "Jesus makes it clear here that sordid, sinful, sexual behaviors, similar to the type of sexual behaviors that were occurring during the day of Lot in Sodom would also be occurring when He is revealed (Luke 17:30). Incidentally, “sodomy” is a legal term that is commonly used today in courts of law, as a reference to anal sex. For those who argue that Jesus never addressed homosexuality; that is simply untrue. He used the same words that prosecutors, Judges, and lawyers use today to label homosexual activity, “Sodom” (Luke 17:29).
John the Apostle was given a telescopic view of end time events. God removed the panorama that separates the known from the unknown and showed John a spiritual battle taking place just before the seventh trumpet sound saying, “The Kingdoms of this world have become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” (Revelation 11:15). Just prior to the seventh angel, blowing the seventh trumpet, the sixth angel, blows the sixth trumpet, and among the many things John envisioned before the sounding of the seventh and final trumpet, signifying the end of the world as we know it today: John saw two witnesses dead bodies “lying in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt” (Revelation 11:8). The spiritual condition of our great cities of the world when the Lord return can spiritually be labeled as “Sodom” (Revelation 11:8). Today we call “Sodom,” “same-sex marriage” and homosexuality."-end quote-

Source: http://www.blackchristiannews.com/2014/02/saints-in-sodom-how-are-gods-people-to-live-in-an-america-that-is-increasingly-accepting-of-homosexuality/

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Ridiculous... Lesbian Wedding Cake Toppers

A feminine woman and a "butch" woman lesbian couple cake topper.
Do Catholics who attend gay "weddings" not see the problems with this ridiculousness?

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Disney's "Frozen" has a Gay Agenda

A Mormon Grandma, Kathryn Skagg's NOT keeping quiet about what she sees as a sneaky move by Disney to push the gay agenda on innocent children and clueless parents who don't see what is going on with Disney's hit movie "Frozen".

She writes on her blog "A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman": "To Christian parents, who don't support the legalization of SSM, or the normalization of same-sex sexual behavior, oppositional to God, I feel strongly that we must become more aware of how liberal media advocate these messages. It is often accomplished through infiltrating mainstream channels with the specific attitudes and ideologies necessary to advance these practices, as progressive, within mainstream society.
If good parents fail to accept that progressivism is strongly behind the entertainment industry, then we risk being, unknowingly, undermined as parents. Coupled with the power of media, and social media, to advance much of what is contrary to Christian values, by brilliantly marketing their message, as popular, inviting our aid as Christians, we also fail society.
If you feel you've been duped by the surface story of the movie Frozen, try not to feel too bad. The way in which Frozen wraps up the false doctrine perpetuated throughout the film, is as skillfully done as I have ever seen it, which makes calling it out and not being labeled crazy difficult. Nevertheless, after months of vacillating over whether I wanted to share my thoughts, broadly, with a bit of encouragement from only one friend, I've finally decided to just do it, regardless of the high approval ratings for the movie, which most are insistent to retain." -end quote-

Please visit Skagg's blog and read her DETAILED review of "Frozen" - if you saw nothing wrong with the movie, maybe you missed the things that jumped out at this concerned Mormon grandma.

Link: http://wellbehavedmormonwoman.blogspot.com/2014/02/movie-frozen-gay-homosexual-agenda.html#.Uwd_FGI7s6Z


Skagg's isn't alone in her view of "Frozen" and the gay agenda... Catholic blogger Steven Greydanus over at EWTN's National Catholic Register in his article titled "So, How Gay IS Disney's 'Frozen' Movie"? shares some of the same views of the movie.

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Lying L.I. Radio Hosts are Suspended

Two radio hosts from Long Island... 

"Steve Harper and Leeana Karlson, the hosts of K-98.3′s morning show, posted an invitation from two gay dads to their daughter’s seventh birthday party along with a controversial response from another parent which read in part, “I do not believe in what you do and will not subject my innocent son to your ‘lifestyle.’”The invitation and response, which were both fake, were posted to the station’s Facebook page and listeners were not told it was a complete fabrication, 1010 WINS’ Mona Rivera reported."

The hoax caused social media and media outlets to scream "HOMOPHOBIA" where NONE existed.  There was NO invitation, NO such child, NO such parents, NO such party or invitation.  The radio hosts lied to stir up trouble and enrage gay rights groups to hate anyone who opposes their agenda or (yes) lifestyle (gays raising children).

They are currently suspended from the radio station- they SHOULD be fired in my opinion.  There is enough hatred already in the world without making up lies to stir up more.

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NOW Donates GLBT books to Library

Watch out parents, KNOW WHAT YOUR KIDS ARE READING another library accepts more liberal books donated by NOW meant to send their message to children.  The article list several Young Adult books about gay children and transgender children sorting out the ways they act and experiment with sex and their sexuality in their search to figure out what they are etc... (I wonder if they include all the 50+ gender options Facebook offers?)

 "Words have power. That’s the idea behind the donation of books to the Pittsburg Public Library Monday by the Southeast Kansas Chapter, National Organization for Women, in conjunction with the Pittsburg State University Gay Straight Alliance. The books deal with issues faced by gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender young people. Books will also be donated to the Axe Library at PSU and the Pittsburg High School Library. “The Gay Straight Alliance came up with the idea,” said Laura Lee Washburn, NOW member and PSU faculty member."

Megan Stoneberger, SEK-NOW coordinator, said that most of the books deal with young people who are “coming out” as gay or lesbian, or transitioning from their birth gender to the gender they feel is truly their own. “As an English teacher, I believe in the power of literature,” Stoneberger said. “I think books can be a refuge for people, and reading and empathizing with a character can help someone relate to what people are going through in their lives.”

Source: http://www.morningsun.net/article/20140218/News/140219746#ixzz2tyhjLU4u

This is not new or specific to the Pittsburg Public Library...I've seen for myself what is on the shelves of children's books in public libraries and it's not what you think.  Hetero- and homosexual sex is often found in today's YA books and it's sadly done in detail that even adults should shun.

For Catholics, this is the sort of thing (if sex is depicted) that you need to tell your children IF they read it, they need to CONFESS IT TO THEIR PRIEST!  

It can lead to porn (women's explicit "romance" books or nude/sexual magazines) addiction in adulthood.  Keep away from ALL VICES so that you and your children do not fall into sin!

From the Vatican website (catechism):

II. THE BATTLE FOR PURITY

2520 Baptism confers on its recipient the grace of purification from all sins. But the baptized must continue to struggle against concupiscence of the flesh and disordered desires. With God's grace he will prevail
- by the virtue and gift of chastity, for chastity lets us love with upright and undivided heart;
- by purity of intention which consists in seeking the true end of man: with simplicity of vision, the baptized person seeks to find and to fulfill God's will in everything;³¹³- by purity of vision, external and internal; by discipline of feelings and imagination; by refusing all complicity in impure thoughts that incline us to turn aside from the path of God's commandments: "Appearance arouses yearning in fools";³¹⁴- by prayer:
I thought that continence arose from one's own powers, which I did not recognize in myself. I was foolish enough not to know . . . that no one can be continent unless you grant it. For you would surely have granted it if my inner groaning had reached your ears and I with firm faith had cast my cares on you.³¹⁵

 2521 Purity requires modesty, an integral part of temperance. Modesty protects the intimate center of the person. It means refusing to unveil what should remain hidden. It is ordered to chastity to whose sensitivity it bears witness. It guides how one looks at others and behaves toward them in conformity with the dignity of persons and their solidarity.

2522 Modesty protects the mystery of persons and their love. It encourages patience and moderation in loving relationships; it requires that the conditions for the definitive giving and commitment of man and woman to one another be fulfilled. Modesty is decency. It inspires one's choice of clothing. It keeps silence or reserve where there is evident risk of unhealthy curiosity. It is discreet.

2523 There is a modesty of the feelings as well as of the body. It protests, for example, against the voyeuristic explorations of the human body in certain advertisements, or against the solicitations of certain media that go too far in the exhibition of intimate things. Modesty inspires a way of life which makes it possible to resist the allurements of fashion and the pressures of prevailing ideologies.

 2524 The forms taken by modesty vary from one culture to another. Everywhere, however, modesty exists as an intuition of the spiritual dignity proper to man. It is born with the awakening consciousness of being a subject. Teaching modesty to children and adolescents means awakening in them respect for the human person.

2525 Christian purity requires a purification of the social climate. It requires of the communications media that their presentations show concern for respect and restraint. Purity of heart brings freedom from widespread eroticism and avoids entertainment inclined to voyeurism and illusion. 

2526 So called moral permissiveness rests on an erroneous conception of human freedom; the necessary precondition for the development of true freedom is to let oneself be educated in the moral law. Those in charge of education can reasonably be expected to give young people instruction respectful of the truth, the qualities of the heart, and the moral and spiritual dignity of man. 

2527 "The Good News of Christ continually renews the life and culture of fallen man; it combats and removes the error and evil which flow from the ever-present attraction of sin. It never ceases to purify and elevate the morality of peoples. It takes the spiritual qualities and endowments of every age and nation, and with supernatural riches it causes them to blossom, as it were, from within; it fortifies, completes, and restores them in Christ."³¹⁶

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Unrepenting Gay Furious Last Rites was denied

Ronald Plishka, a 63 year old heart patient at MedStar Washington Hospital Center was enraged when the priest who was praying with him wouldn't give him Holy Communion and Last Rites because he refused to repent of his homosexual sins.  

Father Brian Coelho apparently told Plishka that if he would not repent of his sins, then as a priest he could not give the man Holy Communion or Last Rites.  

Plishka was so furious he screamed insults at the priest, called him names and even cursed him!

“Then we started talking about the pope, and I said I was so excited about him, because of what he said about gays. I said, ‘Does that bother you, that I’m gay?’ And he [the priest] said ‘no,’ ” Plishka said.
The conversation was interrupted by someone coming into the room, which he shared with another patient, Plishka recalled. After that, Coelho “would not continue” with the specific prayers and acts of Communion and anointing, Plishka said. “He said, ‘I will pray with you,’ but that’s all he’d do. That was it.
“I just saw red. I cursed at a priest. I called him a hypocrite. As he was leaving — I can’t repeat what I said, but it was bad. . . . I’m thinking I’m going to rot in hell now,” he said.

 He apparently didn't think homosexual sexual relationships would lead him to "rot in hell" but now worries about yelling a priest would.  This man is all kinds of confused and full of pride.  Self pride because he has decided he knows better than God and Christ's Holy Catholic Church what is sin and what needs repenting (or not) to enter Heaven.  THAT is what he should be worried about!

He goes on...

“But after that, I became scared — fear settled in. I don’t have the rites, I didn’t get Communion. I believed in the sacraments; this is something we’re taught we need before we die.
“I’ve tried to be a decent person all my life. I’m not perfect, believe me. And I wouldn’t wish [being gay] on anyone. But you can’t be somebody you’re not. Otherwise you’ll end up 63 and alone,” he said." -end quote-

He's again worried about the wrong thing... "end up 63 and alone" rather than ending up in Hell for unrepentant mortal sins.  He confuses "being someone your not with REFRAINING FROM SEX.  If a person is homosexual, they are to be chaste- period.  No sex outside of marriage and marriage as defined by God and the Church is between a man and a woman. Period.

The hospital (of course) sided with gay rights or religious rites...

"Washington Hospital Center said officials there have “taken our patient’s concerns very seriously. While the priest is not an employee but rather is assigned by the Archdiocese to provide spiritual care at our hospital, it is our expectation that all who support our patients adhere to our values. This includes offering pastoral and spiritual support to all patients, regardless of their faith traditions. Our hospital was recognized last year as a ‘Leader in LGBT Healthcare Equality’ by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. We want to hold true to this important commitment to the LGBT community and to all of our patients. Our Department of Spiritual Care has reinforced our expectations with this particular priest and his superiors.”

Oh goody.

Plishka did not die and continued his whining demands soon after being released from the hospital.

Plishka said, he called the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, where he has attended Sunday noon Mass for at least a decade. He didn’t know any priests but asked for one on duty to call him back, Plishka said. The priest agreed with the chaplain, Plishka said.“He said he can’t give you [Communion] if you continue that lifestyle, if you’re an active participant,” he said.

Wonderful!  The Basilica didn't cave in (yet) to the demands of the sinners to be coddled and told their sins aren't sins anymore. And the hospital chaplain wasn't thrown under the bus (like we've all seen happen before).

“When I go [to the basilica] I’m a loner, I sit in the very last pew,” he said. But Mass “is a psychological lift. I come out of there, it serves its purpose. I feel better. I love the church. I love the Mass.”

And of course, its ALL about how the sinner FEELS. *sigh*


Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/gay-patient-says-catholic-chaplain-refused-him-last-rites/2014/02/19/35d163f6-99b1-11e3-80ac-63a8ba7f7942_story.html

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In Christ,

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!