ForzaMillan

Silence and Word

2012-01-24T22:06:00.001+08:00

Pope Benedict XVI preempts the 46th World Day of Social Communications which falls on May 20th with his message for that occasion. He proposes the theme: "Silence and Word: Path of Evangelization".

Silence is an integral element of communication; in its absence, words rich in content cannot exist. In silence, we are better able to listen to and understand ourselves; ideas come to birth and acquire depth; we understand with greater clarity what it is we want to say and what we expect from others; and we choose how to express ourselves. By remaining silent we allow the other person to speak, to express him or herself; and we avoid being tied simply to our own words and ideas without them being adequately tested. In this way, space is created for mutual listening, and deeper human relationships become possible. It is often in silence, for example, that we observe the most authentic communication taking place between people who are in love: gestures, facial expressions and body language are signs by which they reveal themselves to each other. Joy, anxiety, and suffering can all be communicated in silence – indeed it provides them with a particularly powerful mode of expression. Silence, then, gives rise to even more active communication, requiring sensitivity and a capacity to listen that often makes manifest the true measure and nature of the relationships involved. When messages and information are plentiful, silence becomes essential if we are to distinguish what is important from what is insignificant or secondary. Deeper reflection helps us to discover the links between events that at first sight seem unconnected, to make evaluations, to analyze messages; this makes it possible to share thoughtful and relevant opinions, giving rise to an authentic body of shared knowledge. For this to happen, it is necessary to develop an appropriate environment, a kind of ‘eco-system’ that maintains a just equilibrium between silence, words, images and sounds.

Read Pope Benedict XVI's message in full. Great points to reflect on, especially those in both mainstream media and the "alternative press" who need to keep silent at times to hear the truth as it is, and report it as it should be.

The tragedy of Roe v. Wade

2012-01-24T10:05:00.001+08:00

“We cannot diminish the value of one category of human life – the unborn – without diminishing the value of all human life.” -RR

Read Sen. Orrin Hatch.

39 years

2012-01-23T08:52:00.000+08:00

After 39 years of Roe V. Wade, the battle is still on. What do they mean by "choice"?

H/T: Jill

"Girls, please, bring back the pretty."

2012-01-17T10:24:00.000+08:00

"Young women today do not seem to aspire to pretty, they prefer to be regarded as hot. Hotness is something altogether different. When women want to be hot instead of pretty, they must view themselves in a certain way and consequently men view them differently as well.

"As I said, pretty inspires men’s nobler instincts to protect and defend. Pretty is cherished. Hotness, on the other hand, is a commodity. Its value is temporary and must be used. It is a consumable."

Bold words, but true. So true.

The past three weeks or so

2012-01-11T16:21:00.003+08:00

I preface this post with this:

As I watched my girls innocently savor their loveliness and delight in their baubles and baths, I was reminded once again that I must “change and become like the little children.” In spite of all suffering--and sometimes because of all suffering--there is joy. It comes in a million varieties and will manifest itself differently for everyone but, always, there is joy. We need only accept it.

If never occurs to young children that they should reject simple pleasures in favor of toil. Though hard work and discipline have their place, we adults can learn something from the young who never agonize over whether it’s prudent for them to rest and play. They play because God calls them to play. It’s as simple and as perfect as that.

That was from Elizabeth, a "guest post" from Betty Beguiles.

I wanted to post something substantial the past three weeks, and there were many to write about, but somehow never got around to do. I decided then to just write this one long one ...

December 15. A long flight delay. Our 9:20 flight to Cagayan de Oro was pushed back so many times that we flew out of Mactan at 4:30pm. It was one of those days, y'know? At so good a record of punctuality (at least, when I am on the flight), the airline gets one "miss". Not that bad really.

Some of us were pretty prepared to meet this delay head-on, that is, we knew that we cannot really do anything much except to wait and hope for the best and dug into our books or magazines (in paper or electronic format) or strike up conversations with others (somehow it is easier to just talk since there is now one thing we have in common).

But not for the others. Well, they did have some things in common: RAGE and generally BOORISH BEHAVIOR. The customer service and airline personnel were all trying to do what they can, although for the "angry birds", it seemed that nothing these airline ladies and guys did were right: if they were silent, they are accused of having no concern; if they say something, they are accused of making excuses.

At some point I was praying that we'd get to leave so that these loose-tongued, generous with their insults types would stop whining, more than my own desire to get to CdO to start doing what I needed to finish there.

Through these 7 hours, I observed that (among many others):

Those airline personneldid try the best they could under the circumstances.
Angry passengers have ahard time listening or hearing, or waiting. I mean how many times dothey need to ask when the flight was going to happen, when theairline just announced that the flight will be further delayed andthat they will inform us of the next ETD.
Mob rule applies. Youonly need one to rant about his dismay (as if we are not alldismayed) for many others to do the same. I thought for somemoments, some would actually be more violent.
The calm ones were thosewho travel often, and have been in similar, or mostly graver,situations. I had to spend more than 12 hours in two airports onEaster Sunday 2000 because of delays; something that will happen tome and my friends three days after this Thursday flight.
Children are usuallythose who "adjust" well because they see all these delaysas play time. While their parents are close to a nervous breakdownbecause of worry, the children play. Oh how good to be littlechildren!
Some did really make gooduse of their time. A lady, who was traveling with her husband, tookthe time to have her nails (mani and pedi!) done. They did a prettyswell job she told a friend she saw from another flight. Some slept,and really, horizontally -- good for them. And still many otherswere reading out of their tablets or laptops. Me? Busy observingpeople, and writing notes for a possible blog post. I wanted to take"secret" videos but a voyeur I am not. Would have beennice to post some videos?

Later that evening, in CDO, dinner out with some friends. They were worried about Typhoon Sendong believed to make landfall the following day. Their home gets flooded on heavy rain days, although they have mitigating systems in place. Also they were hosting a couple of guys from Manila who were scheduled to fly out Friday morning and Friday afternoon.

December 16. Rains started at about 11:00. Continuous light rain. Power was cut twice, the second one maybe around 10 pm. Rain still pouring. Some wind. Slept through the storm.

December 17. Eerie feeling. No power still. Then we get the news of the devastation. We pray and try to help in whatever way we can (which was little really).May not have been totally unexpected as the tell-tale signs from January 2009 were present (then, too, I was in CdO and much of the airport aftermath I will write about later in this post happened).

December 18. Went for a walk exercise early. Everyone had water containers out. But water was very scarce. Saw some of the disaster areas. Wanted to take pictures but it was very depressing to even think of snapping some. At 11:00, left for the airport, but was stuck in traffic. Our friend who was bringing us to airport called the airline (friends of his) to "check" us in, which they did, but we were informed the flight from Cebu turned back because of technical issues and flight will be delayed. Took lunch at SM after checking in our bags. Eating places were all full. One of very few occasions SM eating places were on wait to be seated mode. Arrived at the airport at 2pm and heard the announcement that flight will be further delayed. It was deja vu at the pre-departure area: was not I in just about the same situation not too long ago?

We decided to fly to Manila with the Cdo-Dvo folks as our Cdo-Cbu flight was scheduled to fly out at 9pm yet. At least in NAIA 3, there would be a change of environment, more "empty" spaces and free WIFI. Our flight was scheduled to depart for Cebu at 9pm. We left at 9:30. Arrived an hour later. At the luggage bay, we met our would-have-been-co-passengers from Cdo.

Days before Christmas, a friend, Fred, died in his office at a BPO and helped out in taking care of him as we waited for his wife from Manila. The other friends from Educhild were really super with all they did for Fred and his wife. Great! The day after, he was back in Manila, for his wake; his funeral was after Christmas.

At about the same time, I received word that another friend, Laddie, in Cdo was in bad shape due to his cancer. He was brought to the hospital. In my most recent trip to Cdo, I spent some time with him, prayed the Rosary with RodZ and Laddie's family. He could still hear, I believe, but he could not speak, nor did he have focus in his eyes. He caught pneumonia too. Just this Monday evening, he was attached to a respirator.

2012-01-03T11:48:00.002+08:00

Starting the new year with a new look/template from Blogger.

Better safer

2011-12-30T10:15:00.002+08:00

Abby writes about the intrauterine device.

"A woman came in one day complaining of severe abdominal pain. She had an IUD. During her exam, it was determined that her IUD was the source of her discomfort…it would have to be removed. I came in to assist. I couldn’t believe what I saw. On the end of that IUD was a tiny baby. We estimated the child to be 9 weeks. That baby had been growing on the end of a birth control device. But not to worry, Planned Parenthood says IUDs are safe.

"While working at Planned Parenthood, I decided an IUD would be the best method for me. After 3 years of use, I had no side effects…so I thought. After I had my IUD removed, I realized there might be a problem with my body. I had never had a problem getting pregnant, but several months had now passed, and every pregnancy test came back negative. What was going on? I had some blood work run and was told I didn’t produce several hormones. My body had tried to produce the hormones while the IUD was in…but the IUD won. My body couldn’t compete. I am only pregnant now because of NFP, supplemental hormones and an amazing doctor.

"I found out several months ago that a woman had miscarried because of an IUD inserted at my clinic. She was pregnant when it was inserted. That isn’t supposed to happen…but mistakes are made…her child paid the price. She went to the emergency room because she was having severe abdominal pain. She didn’t know she was pregnant until they did an ultrasound to find out what was wrong. There was her baby. His heart had stopped. She had to deliver her baby and have her IUD removed all in the same visit to the hospital. He was 18 weeks old. Why did this happen? Because an IUD is made to abort children."

Disingenuous not

2011-12-27T10:15:00.000+08:00

While some anti-lifers say it is disingenuous to link abortion and anti-life medical practices to the holocaust (it is not), Gerard makes a point in the context of the win by pro-life nurses in New Jersey against their hospital's disregard of their conscience rights related to assisting in abortions.

We’ve been here before.
The Nuremberg trials at the end of World War II wrestled with a very difficult decision. Nazi leaders and concentration camp personnel claimed to be following the lawful orders of Adolph Hitler, orders which were indeed lawful under Germany’s constitution, as the constitution had been amended by the people to declare the Fuehrer’s word law. At those trials, every civilized nation in the world stood to declare that Natural Moral Law is universal, and supersedes all manmade (positive) law.
Yes, the orders in Germany were indeed lawful under positive law, but the Natural Moral Law which takes the human nature of all human beings into its view supersedes any positive law which might conflict with the dictates of Natural Law.
On that basis, war criminals were hanged or imprisoned for life.

In a manner of speaking...

2011-12-14T14:07:00.000+08:00

And this is an insult to whom?

“I remember history. When Adolf Hitler assumed power in Germany, he was a most popular figure. He put up the Third Reich and trampled on the rights of everyone because he was very popular. We all know what happened to him.”

On another note, Malacanang's Mr. Lacierda is quoted as advising some judges and court employees, in the context of what he thinks, mistakenly enough, as the Court's declaration of a court holiday: “to not let themselves be used to further the political agenda of one man and his patron.”

Seems like he is talking about the 188 congressmen and their patron. Di bala?

Sign of good times ahead

2011-12-13T10:40:00.001+08:00

... for Canada.

Canada decided to get out of the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change. Good for them.

Not for the young

2011-12-12T15:59:00.001+08:00

Got a kick out of this image from Mrs. Rant.

Those BiC ballpens did a pretty good job as well.

A rebound

2011-12-12T13:15:00.000+08:00

Apparently, SIRI has checked herself. Now it's all out for referrals to abortion services, even when not asked.

Some samples (all in jest, peeps, all in jest):

Of course, for as long as abortion clinics do not advertise themselves as abortion clinics nor call themselves as such, SIRI would not be able to locate them as efficiently. It seems that SIRI is more intelligent than those running these killer places.

Tebowing

2011-12-12T10:23:00.004+08:00

After planking and others, now there is Tebowing. Patton Todd writes in WSJ some background in God's Quarterback:

In recent weeks, as Tebow mania has re-emerged alongside the unexpected success of the Broncos, it has become clear that the fever is not confined to the quarterback's fellow evangelical Christians. Mr. Tebow's habit of taking to one knee in prayer on the field has given rise to an Internet meme called "Tebowing." Fans have posted pictures of themselves praying on one knee while doing everything from surfing and fighting fires to touring China and going into battle.

"Tebowing" is the brainchild of Jared Kleinstein, 24, a real-estate marketer in New York City who was raised in Denver, where he grew into a devoted sports fan. Mr. Kleinstein, who is Jewish, just wanted to pay tribute to the inspirational quarterback of his favorite team. He launched Tebowing.com from Manhattan in October, on the night after Mr. Tebow led the Broncos to victory over the Miami Dolphins.

"We were at a bar watching the game," he says, "and when he came back to win, everybody was cheering like we won the Super Bowl, even though we had just beat the last-place team in the league." Mr. Kleinstein noticed that as the Bronco players were jumping up and down on the sidelines, Mr. Tebow took a knee in prayer. He snapped a picture of himself and his friends doing the same, called it "Tebowing," then created the site and sent it to eight people.

Within 48 hours, Mr. Kleinstein had been interviewed by this paper, CBS, Fox, ABC and other media outlets. The site has received millions of visits and page views in its short life. Mr. Kleinstein receives pictures of people Tebowing all day long, and often posts new pictures every hour.

With his site, Mr. Kleinstein says, "people found hope through a gesture," noting a much-discussed photo that he posted of a young boy with an IV attached to his arm who wrote that he was "Tebowing while chemoing." Mr. Kleinstein adds that a lot of support for the trend has come from rabbis. "It has made prayer in public something to not be ashamed of," he says. "I think that crosses all religious boundaries."

Anyone for tebowing?

Here's one athlete tebowing: Lindsey Vonn in her World Cup win in the US.

Here they go again

2011-12-11T19:52:00.001+08:00

Unbelievable what's coming out of Durban, although hardly surprising, with the UN still pushing for the one world government thingy through a climate change treaty. Good read from Paul Joseph Watson: UN Calls for Eco-Fascist World Government at Durban Summit

Be afraid, be very afraid.

"Maybe instead of trying to be like other presidents, (he) should try being president."

2011-12-07T09:54:00.001+08:00

In the mess that is the President's disrespect for the Chief Justice and the Supreme Court a few days back, spokesperson Lacierda was reported to have pointed out that "Bernas may have overlooked the fact that US President Barack Obama did the same in his 2010 State of the Union Address when he criticized US Supreme Court justices for their decision regarding campaign finance reform."

So, is Obama now the model for the President's actions. Well, Obama likes to compare himself to other Presidents (Lincoln, for example, and as recently as yesterday, to Teddy Roosevelt), even as the comparisons are a real stretch.

AP reports of two reactions to Obama's comparing himself to TR:

One of the leading contenders for the GOP nomination, Mitt Romney, ridiculed Obama for comparing himself to Roosevelt.

Obama "said that he is like Teddy Roosevelt," Romney said at a campaign event in Paradise Valley, Ariz. "And I thought, `In what way is he like Teddy Roosevelt?' Teddy Roosevelt of course founded the Bull Moose Party. One of those words applies."

Kirsten Kukowski, spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, said, "Maybe instead of trying to be like other presidents, Obama should try being president."

I'd say to Lacierda and the President through substitution: "Maybe instead of trying to be like other presidents, P-Noy should try being president."

Even more clear

2011-12-06T10:36:00.001+08:00

The connection of global warming alarmism and population control. Can it get more obvious than this?

Worldwide population control and abortion funding in global warming bill co-sponsored by Gingrich - Jill Stanek
Newt Gingrich recently called the global warming ad he made with Nancy Pelosi in 2008 “the dumbest single thing I've done in years.” But that ad didn't come out of nowhere. Nineteen years earlier ...

Google search

2011-12-06T09:55:00.001+08:00

What the SC won't do, to descend to his level, I probably would.

What, call him.

The weird thing about this is that his handlers say that he was just reminding "all of us that we’re all accountable to the people.”

What, he can do that, but the others cannot? He is so persistent in so many of his almost rotten ways, methinks, despite the many people "reminding" him to be accountable.

It had to end, sometime

2011-12-05T14:08:00.001+08:00

Tiger booked one in the win column after clinching the Chevron World Challenge. After 749 days without a win, he's back. Now he is at #21.

Another Catholic that ...

2011-12-05T13:13:00.001+08:00

gives Catholic a bad name. And he is even the front runner in the polls re GOP candidates for US election. H/T: Jill

On another note, you must have read or heard or whatever about a youtube video that has gone viral on a "Pinoy" celeb talking about another Pinay celeb's supposed abortion. Sad. Really sad.

A blogger said that the anti-RH peeps are going to have a field day with this scandal. Really?

Perhaps so, but only because this abortion, if it indeed was procured abroad, is only a testament to the failure of contraception without the benefit of correct moral formation. Then again, a true moral formation that emphasizes on abstinence (outside of the context of marriage) will guarantee that there is no pregnancy, and there would not have been any abortion necessary (it is not, but perhaps they thought they had no other choice considering the many factors they faced).

Of course, a fact that we cannot deny is that these celebs have had sex. Multiple times. Outside of marriage. It is always the same, when "pregnancy" rumors (and now even abortion) abound concerning celebs, they seem to have a hard time getting an answer out, although they usually have a set of talking points that, in the end, muddle the issue.

I have never heard any couple simply say: that is impossible, because we have to have sex for one to get pregnant (we are not talking of IVF here, BTW).

That is the best answer, and all bets are out the window. BUT, only if it is true.

See.

The Jaffe Memo

2011-11-29T10:30:00.001+08:00

This is the 1969 memo from Planned Parenthood in their recommendations for population control. Looks to me the same could be the playbook that RP pro-RH folks got hold of. Some of the suggestions:

Restructure family:
a) Postpone or avoid marriage
b) Alter image of ideal family size
Compulsory education of children
Encourage increased homosexuality
Educate for family limitation
Allow certain contraceptives to be distributed non-medically
Improve contraceptive technology
Make contraception truly available and accessible to all
Improve maternal health care, with family planning a core element

Look familiar?
H/T: Abby

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T07:38:00.001+08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to our stateside family and friends!
Despite the worries, etc., still lots to be thankful for.

A dime a dozen

2011-11-23T09:25:00.001+08:00

Really, he is probably worth less than a penny. Another one that gives Catholic a bad name. Goes by the name of Kmiec.

As it should be ...

2011-11-23T08:48:00.001+08:00

Tim Tebow responds to Jake Plummer's comments on his faith

Broncos QB Tim Tebow responded on ESPN Tuesday to the suggestion from Jake Plummer that he limit his references to Jesus Christ during interviews.

Will probably not

2011-11-22T13:04:00.001+08:00

They could be hoping for the moon, or might as well be the sun, but I doubt he will sign.

This commitment will cost lots (for something that might not be useful enough), and while we have the budget, this government will not spend for this (or for many other things, too).

But it could be money well spent for other things.

Update: well, he signed it. Now he is committed to spend a lot. Good luck.

She who gives Catholic a bad name

2011-11-21T12:31:00.001+08:00

Nancy Pelosi does it again.

On abortion

Pelosi recently was criticized for the way she characterized a bill to amend Republican-proposed conscience exemptions for health-care reform that allow providers to refuse to perform abortions. Pelosi called the measure, which passed last month with some help from Democrats, “savage,’’ and said, “When the Republicans vote for this bill today, they will be voting to say that women can die on the floor and health-care providers do not have to intervene, if this bill is passed. It’s just appalling.”

In retrospect, does she think that assessment went too far? Not at all, she said: “They would” let women die on the floor, she said. “They would! Again, whatever their intention is, this is the effect.’’

Catholic health-care providers in particular have long said they’d have to go out of business without the conscience protections that Pelosi says amount to letting hospitals “say to a woman, ‘I’m sorry you could die’ if you don’t get an abortion.” Those who dispute that characterization “may not like the language,’’ she said, “but the truth is what I said. I’m a devout Catholic and I honor my faith and love it . . . but they have this conscience thing’’ that she insists put women at physical risk, although Catholic providers strongly disagree.

On one occasion, she said, laughing, one of her critics on the topic of abortion, speaking on the House floor, said, “Nancy Pelosi thinks she knows more about having babies than the pope. They think like this. And of course I do — I think the pope would agree — and I know more than you, too, mister.’’

I think many of our politicians (and then some) are not much different.

"It’s just that we’re not used to seeing it.”

2011-11-16T09:31:00.001+08:00

"... it’s what humans look like at that stage of development. It’s just that we’re not used to seeing it.”

Kathy Ireland Raises Funds for Abortion Alternatives Group | LifeNews.com

The gathering of about a thousand people in the Chantilly Ballroom was their largest yet, and featured a luncheon, raffle, and keynote address by model-turned-mogul Kathy Ireland.

Recent: Pope Benedict XVI on embryonic stem cell research

2011-11-15T11:41:00.001+08:00

Don’t Take One Life to Save Another

Hypocrite alert!

2011-11-15T10:26:00.001+08:00

Guess who?

Whoa!

2011-10-26T12:56:00.000+08:00

Am not sure if my reading is correct, but after some reading and then some, I am a bit unsettled about the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace's TOWARDS REFORMING THE INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL AND MONETARY SYSTEMS IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBAL PUBLIC AUTHORITY. Sure, it gets to read correctly the cause of the financial mess today, y'know, excessive credit due to excessive greed, etc.

But, as some would say, proposing a solution in the "context of a global public authority", a "global central bank"? But isn't it that the centralization of governance in the political and financial spheres contributory to the SWAFU?

Is it now succumbing to the concept of One World Government? Like the Global Warming Alarmists and Population Explosion Doomsayers? Fair question?

Back home

2011-10-20T18:51:00.000+08:00

Mom is back home after more than a week in hospital.

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE PRAYERS FOR HER AND DAD.

There might have to be other interventions (check-ups, etc), but we are happy that she is back home again.

Pro-life Day of Silent Solidarity

2011-10-18T10:24:00.001+08:00

Joe Nebrao+

2011-10-17T16:25:00.003+08:00

Dear friend Joe Nebrao passed away last Saturday evening from his cancer. I first met him in 2007. I learned a lot from him, and that says a lot. He got me to help out in Rosevale School, a school that was very close to his heart. We definitely have an intercessor for the school in Heaven.

We shared a cab to Kitanglad Center before he left for the US and even then his mind and heart were still for Rosevale as well as the Center. He was in a hurry to get things in order before his trip, and before his illness could get the better of him.

Here is a photo I snapped of him in 2008 during Rosevale School's Foundation Anniversary. I capped it as Rosevale Boss. Now, he is with his Boss.

He will be interred on Thursday, after the Mass at the Guadalupe Chapel at Xavier Estates.

Some other photos here.

1,000th post on 1,000,000 rosaries

2011-10-17T15:36:00.000+08:00

A few of us in school in the beginning, but it'spicking up as the days go for "A million roses for the world: Filipinos at Prayer: Peace for all nations".

"to me this is your first birthday"

2011-10-17T10:34:00.000+08:00

I just could not not link to this.

About eight months after the reunion, Atkins received a birthday package in the mail from his birth mother. She had learned that Atkins had played baseball as a kid and idolized Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Steve Garvey. The package contained Garvey’s MVP card, a baseball and a Dodgers jersey, all personally autographed by Garvey.

Atkins was stunned. He called his birth mom and thanked her profusely, saying she did not have to do this.

“She told me, ‘You have to understand, Rodney, to me this is your first birthday.’“

When it hits close to home 2

2011-10-14T14:31:00.000+08:00

Update 2

Mom's improving. She will stay at least another night at the ICU for continuing observation. Dad says her dear doctor will decide tomorrow on whether she goes to a private room and for how long. Or go home, we can always hope for the best, right?

She's been chatting up her nurses when they come around.

(Dad says Celing T. will visit. Thanks Celing!)

When it hits close to home

2011-10-13T11:17:00.002+08:00

Actually, it hit home.

Our Mom Elsa is in the hospital. In the ICU, for unstable angina. That is not good. We are prepared to accept that it could be worse when further tests are done.

Our Dad brought her to the hospital after midnight of the past Saturday because of pains associated with a heart problem and elevated blood pressure. Later test results were not alarming enough and her doctor let her leave on Monday to rest at home.

Yesterday, at 2am, Mom again felt the same symptoms of 4 days ago, and so Dad brought her to the hospital again. Her blood pressure was in the 200/100 range. With sedation and meds, she was improving. However, at 11:30 last night, she had more severe chest pains and her blood pressure went down to 50. She was brought to the ICU.

It was good that she was in the hospital when her blood pressure went down really low. Although, the hospital (Howard Hubbard Memorial Hospital) is really very near where they live.

Earlier today, she was given the sacrament of the anointing of the sick by their dear parish priest. Her blood pressure is rising, but still in guarded condition. Maybe well enough to make the trip to the bigger, better equipped General Santos Doctors Hospital in a couple of hours.

I am grateful to all of you praying for her recovery. Include Dad as well.

Update1: Mom was transferred to the ICU of the big hospital as I wrote the original post. We still await official 2d echo results. It was in fact a heart attack, but may have been milder than we originally feared. Which is most welcome. We continue praying, nevertheless, while the dear doctors and nurses do what they do best for her. The fact that we are far away from them at this time is also, well, bummer.

Misplaced priorities

2011-10-11T16:58:00.000+08:00

California bans tanning beds for minor teens. Harmful, they say.

What about the controversial HPV vaccine for teens without parental consent in California?

And what about abortion in California?

Let's make "baka"

2011-10-11T16:33:00.002+08:00

A friend told me that this reminded him of Arneo students in rallies in the early 80's in Manila. WhoA! That's a loaded comment. Can't verify, wasn't ever there. Photo from here.

9 years ago today ...

2011-10-06T15:05:00.000+08:00

Canonization of St. Josemaria, at communion time.

Our favorite whipping boy

2011-10-03T14:06:00.001+08:00

Again. PDI came out with a report entitled "Climate change blamed for storms, flooding, drought". It starts off with "Officials have warned Filipinos to brace against the inconvenient truth of devastating storms, flooding and drought unless policies and projects are put in place to mitigate climate change."

Of course, it also mentions that oft mistaken and proven otherwise in many fora claim that "A major factor is global warming—the increase in the oceanic and atmospheric temperatures of the planet resulting in the melting of the ice caps and the rising of the seas."

Ok. So they say. Quite convenient actually.

The weird thing is that the report also talks about other causes of the destruction that the past typhoons had. The geologists interviewed, in fact, say, that the mess isn't because of climate change per se, but ... wait for it ... wait for it ...

"... the proliferation of fishponds and aquaculture projects in the major waterways and in the coasts has slowed down the flow of water from the typhoons and the dams, resulting in prolonged flooding in residential and rural areas ...

"If there were no fishponds and garbage clogging the canals and rivers of the region, “the outflow would have been quicker ...

"... noted that deforestation had caused flooding in areas which did not experience it in the past ...

"... said that illegal logging, slash-and-burn farming and quarrying in mountain areas would lead to soil erosion and flooding."

So what is it really? Where is global warming in all this?

Also, the report says that a senator said this:

“If (Pagasa) can predict the volume of rainfall, dam operators can already release water in increments that would not be destructive,” Legarda explained.

“If this kind of meteorological information can be determined, say, one week before a typhoon arrives, does it not make common sense that the dam operators would not release the water only on the day it finally arrives,” she asked.

I do not know how she can say this. Weather is difficult to forecast, and will always be so. I do not think PAGASA, in their right mind, can and, they definitely will not try. They want to keep their jobs you know.

The heat is on

2011-09-27T16:33:00.000+08:00

Last Saturday, City Hall closed some areas of the downtown area to vehicular traffic upon the recommendation of some environmental groups. Again, an exercise in futility, and they know it, but carry out nevertheless because, "it is the thought that counts", much like your Earth Hour. And with 350.org as one of lead groups, it is nothing but an excuse to instill in the minds of folks the disingenuous man-made catastrophic climate crisis.

That Saturday activity only raised heat in the heads of people affected, and perhaps even increased emissions as cars had to go a longer way to get around the "pedonale" areas.

On another note, I wonder why they did not close down the areas where there were usually more cars like the Cebu Business Park, the IT Park, or the SM City area. In the downtown area, people are used to walking there and the volume of cars are not as much, I believe.

Last Saturday, I was on the road around the three areas previously mentioned. I saw LOTS of cars and LOTS of cars carrying only one person. At least at the downtown area, the jeeps carry more than 10 at any given time (of course the jeeps also give their share in pollution, we really need to do more about the belchers).

So why not do the "no car" activity in these areas next time?

Or why not let those with cars "enjoy" themselves more by participating in a "no car" activity (by staying home and not go to the malls and other commercial areas for retail tripping), than inconvenience those who need to go downtown to eke out a living or get most out of their hard-earned money in discounts and ukay-ukay (or others, but you get the drift).

Similar perspectives here and here.

Update Sept 28. Bobby writes about it here and Eddie similarly here.

Lots of bull

2011-09-26T09:48:00.003+08:00

No more bullfights in Catalonia -- bullfights deemed cruel. And how about abortions in Catalonia?

The last Ole! Bullfighting comes to an end in Catalonia - Telegraph
Almost seven hundred years of Catalan bullfighting history ended on Sunday night with the final death blow dealt by its hometown hero.

Who said this?

2011-09-13T16:50:00.000+08:00

For what it's worth... from Shamcey

"If I would have to change my religious beliefs, I would not marry the person that I love because the first person that I love is God, who created me. I have my faith and my principles, and this is what makes me who I am. If the person loves me, he'll love my God too."

He's back

2011-09-13T08:25:00.000+08:00

Al's back to haunt you again. Even bringing the "fight" to social networks. What, since Jerry Lewis couldn't join the last telethon of MDA, he now thinks he can be the "telethon" king? My. my.

H/T: Michelle/Doug

Get them back

2011-09-06T12:17:00.000+08:00

Now, here's something good coming from Sen. Trillanes: ... urges repeal of ban on trash incinerators.

Although I find his reason -- risk of trash slide -- skirting the more scientific ones in favor of incineration (although he did mention the advances in technology), I can accept the move to try a repeal on total ban on trash incinerators.

The issue on trash to energy conversion may still be a little more contentious in terms of cost of conversion and carbon emissions.

Safer, really?

2011-09-05T10:26:00.000+08:00

From the comments on

10 Things I'd Say To Pro-Aborts Who Blame Conservatives For Their Abortion

"... the current maternal mortality rate in the US is 13.3 per 100,000 women. Hardly the danger you purport it to be. Abortion, on the other hand, kills 1.3 million unborn children annually in the US. Put another way, there are almost 2000 fetuses killed for every 100,000 women who are pregnant. It's clear that being a fetus in the US is a lot more dangerous than being a pregnant woman."

"Women who abort have a suicide rate 4-6 times higher than women who give birth and 2-3 times higher than women who have never been pregnant."

Better if you read the post.

"...Use Technology Without Destroying Life"

2011-08-16T17:11:00.001+08:00

Directing you to Gerard's Lifenews.com article:

Pro-Life Catholic View: Use Technology Without Destroying Life

News as we call it

2011-08-01T12:13:00.002+08:00

H/T: Jill Stanek
Original here.

Ann also has something similar here.

Any criminal act committed by a white man with a gun is a right-wing, Christian conspiracy, whereas any criminal act committed by a nonwhite is the government violating someone's civil liberties.

Nono's take on pajero

2011-07-20T11:23:00.000+08:00

Here goes Nono's take on the "pajero" issue. Speaks much of how media puts words in people's mouths (as Conrado writes on the same day)? Maybe not.

Only knew when they were on the way back

2011-07-19T14:39:00.002+08:00

Apparently, the Catholic University of America has co-ed campus dormitories. I would not have thought she had these dorms, but she does in fact. Gone with the flow, I guess.

Strangely enough, I got to know about it only recenlty, when CUA is stepping back from that practice. She will revert back to single-sex dorms.

Welcome back.

H/T: Kathryn Jean Lopez

"Les moulins de mon cœur"

2011-07-06T16:04:00.000+08:00

It isn't just the windmills, for sure, but alternative energy solutions need to be checked and balanced on an effective base load from conventional energy.

We will thus be landed in the ludicrous position of having to spend an additional £10 billion on those 17 dedicated power stations, which will be kept running on "spinning reserve", 24 hours a day, just to make up for the fundamental problem of wind turbines. This is that their power continually fluctuates anywhere between full capacity to zero (where it often stood last winter, when national electricity demand was at a peak). So unless back-up power is instantly available to match any shortfall, the lights will go out.
Two things make this even more absurd. One, as the energy companies pointed out to DECC, is that it will be amazingly costly and wildly uneconomical, since the dedicated power plants will often have to run at a low rate of efficiency, burning gas but not producing electricity. This will add billions more to our fuel bills for no practical purpose. The other absurdity, as recent detailed studies have confirmed, is that gas-fired power stations running on "spinning reserve" chuck out much more CO2 than when they are running at full efficiency – thus negating any savings in CO2 emissions supposedly achieved by the windmills themselves.
Is there no longer anyone around at DECC who is familiar with these very basic practical points? The policy on which our national energy strategy is now centred is a ludicrously expensive, self-defeating joke, which will achieve no benefits whatever – even if you are among the diminishing number of people who still believe that man-made CO2 is causing catastrophic climate change.

Fr Luis+

2011-07-06T10:47:00.001+08:00

Yesterday, they laid Fr. Luis to rest at Heritage. The last time I saw him and spoke with him was after the get-together with Bishop Javier Echevarria at UA&P in July 2008. I wanted to visit him last May or June when I was in Luzon, but I could not then.

I first met Fr. Luis in the summer of 1986. That was in a seminar held at MFI's conference center in Talisay, Batangas. It was great fun. My first time up Mt. Batulao in Nasugbu was with him and maybe 10 others. No more delay! was one of his favorite cheers to us young people on that climb.

We had to hike up to Tagaytay from Talisay, continued to the rotonda and from there took a bus to Batulao resort, then hiked up to Mt. Batulao. We arrived back inTalisay at about 9pm.

Over the years I had stayed with him also in our homes in Cebu City. I remember him often pulling the leg of us CITE folks, especially after he celebrates Mass in school: When are you organizing a choir?

Thing is, we had, but you know how tech guys can generally be with respect to singing in a choir. I don't think we ever fulfilled that "dream" of Fr. Luis for CITE. We fulfilled other dreams he had for us, just not that one melodic dream. Are we working on that one? Well...

Here's a photo with him, one Christmas Day.

A little more respect: How the Feast of the Sacred Heart started for me in Cagayan de Oro

2011-07-01T12:38:00.000+08:00

Now I can write. I am less annoyed (irritated, pissed?).

This morning, I wore a red shirt I have not worn for some time. Because now it fits again. ;-)

I went to attend Holy Mass at the Sacred Heart Church in Cagayan de Oro. I like to attend Mass there as the Blessed Sacrament fathers have a Eucharistic Adoration after the Mass, and we can pray afterwards with Our Lord in a big monstrance upon the altar.

Remember the red shirt? Well, half of the Mass goers this time was in red. I fit right in. Of course, today is the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the Church celebrates with the votive colors of red. But I did not plan to wear red because of the feast, but because the red shirt fit. Again. A less worthy celebration, but a celebration nevertheless.

The Holy Mass went just fine. Nearing the end of the Mass though, the noise level outside at the entrance was increasing. Not yet disturbing. At the Benediction and Adoration time after the Mass was a different story. The noise was terrible. Shouting, running about, etc. The decibel level was nearing last night's Wimby Centre Court semi-finals.

Even as I had wanted to stay longer, I did not want since I would end up not praying at all, even probably angry, and anger does not make for good prayer and meditation. It was bad enough that the morning traffic outside was increasing.

So who were causing the ruckus? Kids.

Kids. Don't get so worked up with kids. No, I am not. They are immature, less responsible, although I can say that there were probably high school students there as well.

But they are kids. I can let that pass. But, WHERE ARE THE TEACHERS? WHERE ARE THE ADULTS OF THIS SCHOOL?

As I walked out, I saw a man who looked like he was an adult, a big man, in dress pants and long-sleeved shirt. He looked like he would be responsible enough.

So I asked him if these were his students, and he affirmed that. Then I let him really have it.

(Silly, not that way.) I told him that Our Lord was there on the altar, at the same time pointing towards Our Lord. I added that they could show a little more love, and at least reduce the noise, so that the others who wanted to pray can do so. And I said thanks. Bless that man for listening.

I walked away, thinking about Our Lord. He is indeed Lord, having all the patience there on the altar. A truly Sacred Heart.

Me? I lost it, and rightly so, because I am far from holy. Should I just have walked away without saying anything? I doubt there was anyone else who spoke up, although there were those who looked back at what the noise was all about earlier. But then slowly turned their heads back to Our Lord on the altar.

I hope that man took something from what I told him. I hope he gets to tell the adults in that school that they teach their students how to behave in Church, even as the Mass has not started. Especially since Our Lord was on the altar for adoration. I hope he gets to tell the adults in his school that they be more present so that the kids have better deportment in these similar circumstances.

It is possible. Come to Rosevale School and see for yourself. How much love these kids and teachers have for Our Lord! And they have regular Mass on the third floor of one of their buildings, not even a church.

I am at awe how students and teachers from two schools in the same city act in so contrasting fashion before Mass. I sure hope they even out DURING Mass.

I do not know how that played out in the end as I walked away. The noises from the kids were drowned by the sounds of the cars that whizzed by.

Disclosure: I help out in Rosevale School in many ways. This is why I know how they do things there. Photo was taken some weeks back.

60 years

2011-06-29T05:32:00.000+08:00

This year's feast of Sts Peter and Paul is more special: it is also the 60th anniversary of the priestly ordination of the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI. We keep him in our prayers, and if we will be at Holy Mass today, offer that Mass too. He needs our prayers. We need them too.

It's been long in coming

2011-06-23T16:03:00.000+08:00

And somehow, this is not the "coming" yet. Meantime, here's a link to:

John Hawkins

10 Ways Conservatives Should Give Liberals Exactly What They Say They Want

There are prayer requests from Dawn here and here.

Nadal: A Post-Abortive Mother’s Agony

2011-05-18T13:07:00.000+08:00

Just another link to Dr. Nadal: on a post-abortive mom's comment.

The spin, again

2011-05-11T12:47:00.000+08:00

News feature entitled "3 Miss Mandaue winners favor RH bill passage" explains the reasons for the three ladies' support for the RH Bill proposed in the Philippine Congress in so many paragraphs.

A single line was attributed to the winner's rejection of the RH Bill: On the other hand, crowned Miss Mandaue Donna Cardino opposed the RH bill because it is against the teachings of the Catholic Church.

Then again, one line says it all, and the same one line to prove her truly worthy of the prize.

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-07T20:35:00.000+08:00

from Cardinal Joseph Mindszenty: “The most important person on earth is a mother. She cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral. She need not. She has built something more magnificent than any cathedral -- a dwelling for an immortal soul, the tiny perfection of her baby's body.... The angels have not been blessed with such a grace. They cannot share in God's creative miracle to bring new saints to Heaven. Only a human mother can. Mothers are closer to God the Creator than any other human creature. God joins forces with mothers in performing this act of creation.... What on God's earth is more glorious than this: to be a mother.”

Earth Day post

2011-04-22T09:05:00.001+08:00

What you may not know about Earth Day, I link you to Paul Kengor's "Sterilizing Those Pesky Humans: Earth Day with Paul Ehrlich"

That same coercion is happening with Climate Change hysteria.

Happy Birthday Pope Benedict XVI

2011-04-16T20:09:00.002+08:00

Happy Birthday Pope Benedict! Today is the big day!

I want to say a big THANK YOU on behalf of Pope Benedict XVI! I'm sure that our prayers together are benefiting the Pope, the Church and ourselves!

Novena Prayers

Jesus, we pray for our beloved Pope and for his intentions. We pray for his personal intentions and for his April prayer intentions for the entire Church. In solidarity with the Universal Church, we ask that you grant this intention: "That the Church may offer new generations, through the believable proclamation of the Gospel, ever-new reasons of life and hope."

Heavenly Father, you commanded that we make disciples of all nations. We pray for this missionary intention given to us by the Pope: "That missionaries, with the proclamation of the Gospel and their witness of life, may bring Christ to all those who do not yet know Him."

Heavenly Father, we pray for Pope Benedict XVI as this year's World Youth Day approaches. We pray for a New Evangelization of the youth through this year's World Youth Day. Please bless all who attend and all who follow the events from afar. Give your servant Benedict XVI the words to bring all those in attendance closer to Christ.

Lord, source of eternal life and truth, give to your shepherd, Benedict XVI, a spirit of courage and right judgment, a spirit of knowledge and love. By governing with fidelity those entrusted to his care, may he, as successor to the Apostle Peter and the Vicar of Christ, build your Church into a sacrament of unity, love and peace for all the world.

[Insert your personal petitions for the Pope here]

Let us pray for Benedict, the Pope.

May the Lord preserve him,
give him a long life,
make him blessed upon the earth,
and not hand him over
to the power of his enemies.

May your hand be upon your holy servant.
And upon your son, whom you have anointed.

Our Father …
Hail Mary …
Glory Be …

Amen.

Novena for the Pope, Day 8

2011-04-15T16:19:00.000+08:00

The Pope wants you to pray for these intentions. Every month, Pope Benedict XVI specifies two prayer intentions. So, today and tomorrow we will pray for his two intentions for the month of April as we continue to pray for the Pope's birthday!

Novena Prayers

Jesus, we pray for our beloved Pope and for his intentions. We pray for his personal intentions and for his April prayer intentions for the entire Church. In solidarity with the Universal Church, we ask that you grant this intention: "That the Church may offer new generations, through the believable proclamation of the Gospel, ever-new reasons of life and hope."

Heavenly Father, we pray for Pope Benedict XVI as this year's World Youth Day approaches. We pray for a New Evangelization of the youth through this year's World Youth Day. Please bless all who attend and all who follow the events from afar. Give your servant Benedict XVI the words to bring all those in attendance closer to Christ.

Lord, source of eternal life and truth, give to your shepherd, Benedict XVI, a spirit of courage and right judgment, a spirit of knowledge and love. By governing with fidelity those entrusted to his care, may he, as successor to the Apostle Peter and the Vicar of Christ, build your Church into a sacrament of unity, love and peace for all the world.

[Insert your personal petitions for the Pope here]

Let us pray for Benedict, the Pope.

May the Lord preserve him,
give him a long life,
make him blessed upon the earth,
and not hand him over
to the power of his enemies.

May your hand be upon your holy servant.
And upon your son, whom you have anointed.

Our Father …
Hail Mary …
Glory Be …

Amen.

Novena for the Pope, Day 7

2011-04-14T17:58:00.005+08:00

Have you ever been to World Youth Day? I know a lot of young people heading to Madrid this summer to celebrate their Catholic faith and see Pope Benedict XVI. So, let's pray today for World Youth Day and the Pope's interaction with the young people in the world.

Novena Prayers

Heavenly Father, we pray for Pope Benedict XVI as this year's World Youth Day approaches. We pray for a New Evangelization of the youth through this year's World Youth Day. Please bless all who attend and all who follow the events from afar. Give your servant Benedict XVI the words to bring all those in attendance closer to Christ.

Lord, source of eternal life and truth, give to your shepherd, Benedict XVI, a spirit of courage and right judgment, a spirit of knowledge and love. By governing with fidelity those entrusted to his care, may he, as successor to the Apostle Peter and the Vicar of Christ, build your Church into a sacrament of unity, love and peace for all the world.

[Insert your personal petitions for the Pope here]

Let us pray for Benedict, the Pope.

May the Lord preserve him,
give him a long life,
make him blessed upon the earth,
and not hand him over
to the power of his enemies.

May your hand be upon your holy servant.
And upon your son, whom you have anointed.

Our Father …
Hail Mary …
Glory Be …

Amen.

Novena for the Pope, Day 6

2011-04-13T16:31:00.000+08:00

Benedict XVI is a prolific author. His writings are inspirational, educational and powerful for the faithful. Today let us pray for the promulgation of Benedict XVI's writings to more and more people around the world. Let us pray that more Catholics will be attentive to what our Holy Father has to teach us about Christ and let us pray for more non-Catholics to be drawn into the beauty of the faith through his writings. (If you're interested, you can find the Pope's latest book on Jesus here: Jesus of Nazareth, Vol. II)

Novena Prayers

Jesus, you gave to us a great Pope in Benedict XVI. You blessed him with wisdom, insight and intelligence to help guide your Church on an intellectual level. We pray for his ministry as a teacher specifically through his writing. We pray that his writings about you will reach the whole world with your saving message. We pray for a deeper understanding of our faith through the Pope's writings.

Dear Lord, your servant Benedict has given his life for the Church and for You. Please protect his health as he grows older in his pontificate so that he can lead your Church with vitality.

Lord, source of eternal life and truth, give to your shepherd, Benedict XVI, a spirit of courage and right judgment, a spirit of knowledge and love. By governing with fidelity those entrusted to his care, may he, as successor to the Apostle Peter and the Vicar of Christ, build your Church into a sacrament of unity, love and peace for all the world.

[Insert your personal petitions for the Pope here]

Let us pray for Benedict, the Pope.

May the Lord preserve him,
give him a long life,
make him blessed upon the earth,
and not hand him over
to the power of his enemies.

May your hand be upon your holy servant.
And upon your son, whom you have anointed.

Our Father …
Hail Mary …
Glory Be …

Amen.

Rights of Mother Earth

2011-04-13T11:47:00.001+08:00

Could soon be equal to human rights.

If the UN (finally) will follow the "lead" of Bolivia who recently passed a national law recognizing the rights of "Mother Earth" as equal to human rights. Incidentally, the UN will try to get this resolved by April 22, the International Mother Earth Day. A real good source of sacrifice and mortification as it is also Good Friday this year. Shush, no laughing.

The UN draft says that Mother Earth also has the right to life. That's well and good.

But knowing that the UN is supportive of abortion rights, will it be alright to say that there could also be a right to abort whatever fruits Mother Earth may have? Who will determine what fruits will be "inconvenient" and thus possible of termination?

My vibe is that Mother Earth will be luckier than some human mothers and babies.

Novena for the Pope, Day 5

2011-04-12T17:16:00.000+08:00

We are past half way to completing our birthday gift for Papa Benedict. Let's keep going and praying for his Holiness the Pope!

Novena Prayers

Dear Lord, your servant Benedict has given his life for the Church and for You. Please protect his health as he grows older in his pontificate so that he can lead your us, your Church with vitality.

Prince of Peace, we come to you today to ask for your grace of peace for our Holy Father. There are many problems in the world and in the Church that he must address everyday. We beg you for peace in the world, peace in our hearts as we face the brokenness of a fallen world and peace for the Pope as he shepherds your Church.

Lord, source of eternal life and truth, give to your shepherd, Benedict XVI, a spirit of courage and right judgment, a spirit of knowledge and love. By governing with fidelity those entrusted to his care, may he, as successor to the Apostle Peter and the Vicar of Christ, build your Church into a sacrament of unity, love and peace for all the world.

[Insert your personal petitions for the Pope here]

Let us pray for Benedict, the Pope.

May the Lord preserve him,
give him a long life,
make him blessed upon the earth,
and not hand him over
to the power of his enemies.

May your hand be upon your holy servant.
And upon your son, whom you have anointed.

Our Father …
Hail Mary …
Glory Be …

Amen.

Birthday Novena for the Pope, Day 4

2011-04-11T16:11:00.000+08:00

It's day 4 of the novena for the Pope! Let's pray today for his health. Pope Benedict XVI is not as young as he once was. At 84 he's still quite proactive which is pretty amazing. However, we need to pray that he stays healthy and strong so that he can lead the Church for many more years to come. Long Live the Pope!

Novena Prayers

Dear Lord, your servant Benedict has given his life for the Church and for You. Please protect his health as he grows older in his pontificate so that he can lead your us, your Church with vitality.

Prince of Peace, we come to you today to ask for your grace of peace for our Holy Father. There are many problems in the world and in the Church that he must address everyday. We beg you for peace in the world, peace in our hearts as we face the brokenness of a fallen world and peace for the Pope as he shepherds your Church.

Lord, source of eternal life and truth, give to your shepherd, Benedict XVI, a spirit of courage and right judgment, a spirit of knowledge and love. By governing with fidelity those entrusted to his care, may he, as successor to the Apostle Peter and the Vicar of Christ, build your Church into a sacrament of unity, love and peace for all the world.

[Insert your personal petitions for the Pope here]

Let us pray for Benedict, the Pope.

May the Lord preserve him,
give him a long life,
make him blessed upon the earth,
and not hand him over
to the power of his enemies.

May your hand be upon your holy servant.
And upon your son, whom you have anointed.

Our Father …
Hail Mary …
Glory Be …

Amen.

"Walang pakialam"

2011-04-11T14:15:00.004+08:00

Lea Salonga has been quoted in the papers as saying, in a rally at Ayala Alabang against the barangay ordinance #1 (series of 2011), "Wala namang may pakialam dapat sa nangyayari sa ating mga (No one can interfere on what's happening in our) bedrooms."

Although this rally was not a rally about the proposed RH Bill now in Congress, there were many in the rally who were pro-RH Bill.

Funny, what she says, because this is precisely what the pro-life (anti-RH Bill) groups have been saying all along, that an RH Law will legislate what couples can or cannot do in their bedrooms.

Now, why does Mainstream Media not take her up on that, but aim their guns on pro-lifers who say this of the government if an RH Law is passed? Double standard, huh?

Voluntary snip, anyone?

2011-04-11T09:41:00.002+08:00

PETA, the People Who Eat and Torture Animals, oops, damn spellcheck; People Eating Tasty Animals, not again, damn spellcheck, is offering free vasectomy for one who will have his dog or cat neutered.

"The best way to combat the companion-animal overpopulation crisis is to have your cat or dog neutered. And with a global population of almost 7 billion humans, more of our species could use a (voluntary) snip too."

This population explosion mythers (I think, lumping up Pro-RH and pro-aborts, and GWA's together with them isn't so bad -- dogs of a whisker?) can think of anything. Anything towards the agenda of population control.

H/T: Jill

Birthday Novena for the Pope, Day 3

2011-04-10T19:16:00.000+08:00

It's the Lord's day and it's time to pray... for the Pope! His birthday is coming up soon and he needs all the prayers he can get. Today, let us pray for peace. Our Holy Father is constantly reminding the world to pray for and work for peace. He is at times the lone voice for peace among world leaders. So, today let us pray together with thousands of the faithful for his intention of peace for the world but also for God's peace to rest in the heart of Pope Benedict.

Novena Prayers

Prince of Peace, we come to you today to ask for your grace of peace for our Holy Father. There are many problems in the world and in the Church that he must address everyday. We beg you for peace in the world, peace in our hearts as we face the brokenness of a fallen world and peace for the Pope as he shepherds your Church.

Heavenly father, Your Providence guides the Church and the successor to St. Peter, Pope Benedict XVI. May he be protected at all times from spiritual attacks so that he may lead Your Church to greater holiness and unity through your Holy Spirit.

Lord, source of eternal life and truth, give to your shepherd, Benedict XVI, a spirit of courage and right judgment, a spirit of knowledge and love. By governing with fidelity those entrusted to his care, may he, as successor to the Apostle Peter and the Vicar of Christ, build your Church into a sacrament of unity, love and peace for all the world.

[Insert your personal petitions for the Pope here]

Let us pray for Benedict, the Pope.

May the Lord preserve him,
give him a long life,
make him blessed upon the earth,
and not hand him over
to the power of his enemies.

May your hand be upon your holy servant.
And upon your son, whom you have anointed.

Our Father …
Hail Mary …
Glory Be …

Amen.

Birthday Novena for the Pope, Day 2

2011-04-09T17:00:00.001+08:00

Let's pray today for the spiritual protection of the Pope. As you may know, those who are in positions of leadership of the Church are often under the most spiritual attack. The Pope is, I am sure, the biggest target of the devil. So, let's pray together for his protection by the Blood of Christ.

Novena Prayers

Heavenly Father, Your Providence guides the Church and the successor to St. Peter, Pope Benedict XVI. May he be protected at all times from spiritual attacks so that he may lead Your Church to greater holiness and unity through your Holy Spirit.

Lord, source of eternal life and truth, give to your shepherd, Benedict XVI, a spirit of courage and right judgment, a spirit of knowledge and love. By governing with fidelity those entrusted to his care, may he, as successor to the Apostle Peter and the Vicar of Christ, build your Church into a sacrament of unity, love and peace for all the world.

[Insert your personal petitions for the Pope here]

Let us pray for Benedict, the Pope.

May the Lord preserve him,
give him a long life,
make him blessed upon the earth,
and not hand him over
to the power of his enemies.

May your hand be upon your holy servant.
And upon your son, whom you have anointed.

Our Father …
Hail Mary …
Glory Be …

Amen.

Believe, because they say

2011-04-09T11:59:00.000+08:00

Many believe in anthropogenic global warming. In countries where a lot more are skeptical about the science, the green lobby (Gore lackeys?) is quite active so that more people will join its ranks. No wonder they are flooding mainstream media with props. It is not difficult to see why that is.

Here is William at RWN:

After over 20 years of pushing this hoax, after seeing the overwrought and breathless reports claiming we’re all doomed, that this or that are going to die out/disappear, the planet is going to burn, snow is a thing of the past, hot, cold, wet, dry, etc and so on, yes, people are irritated. And they do not want to see their money used to curtail their own freedoms.

The study was aimed at laying the foundations of communication strategy for governments and other players attempting to enlist Australians in the switch to a low-carbon economy, said CSIRO psychologist Iain Walker, who led the project.

Personally, I lay out the facts, and let people come to the proper conclusion. Climate morons need “communication strategies,” because the science is foolish and often contradictory. The very fact that they have to term it “climate change” rather than “global warming” should tell them all they need to know. But, you can’t change the minds of cult members.

Context here.

Birthday Novena for the Pope, Day 1

2011-04-08T17:26:00.002+08:00

Today is the first day of the novena for the Pope! Are you ready to pray?

Thank you so much for praying for our beloved Holy Father. I'm sure he greatly appreciates the gift of prayer for his birthday!

Let's pray together specifically for his intentions today. Let us pray that his wisdom and guidance of the Church is rooted always in an unshakeable faith in Jesus Christ. Join me in this gift of 9 days of prayer for our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI!

Novena Prayers

[Insert your personal petitions for the Pope here]

Let us pray for Benedict, the Pope.

May the Lord preserve him,
give him a long life,
make him blessed upon the earth,
and not hand him over
to the power of his enemies.

May your hand be upon your holy servant.
And upon your son, whom you have anointed.

Our Father …
Hail Mary …
Glory Be …

Amen.

"Insanity of Choice"

2011-04-08T12:41:00.000+08:00

From Jill Stanek

The case for NFP in media

2011-04-08T09:34:00.000+08:00

A letter to the editor by Christine Jacob-Sandejas, on certain media spin on Natural Family Planning methods:

The organization Families Against the RH Bill espouses the use of these modern NFP methods, which have been proven more effective than any artificial means and are absolutely safe; and these methods promote respect for women. Women are made aware of the power of their fertility, which is liberating, as opposed to the bondage of artificial birth control methods that suppress normal body functions.

It is encouraging to hear reports that President Aquino is in favor of “modern methods of family planning.” But how much does he or his advisers know about these modern natural family planning methods? An information campaign on these modern NFP methods will not cost the government much, and requires no legislation.

We hope to be able to identify more of these common misconceptions about the people’s objection to the RH bill—not just the Church’s—for a better discussion of the issues. We trust the media will do their part.

Novena for the 84th Birthday of Pope Benedict XVI

2011-04-04T09:17:00.000+08:00

Sign up for the 84,000 novenas for the Pope Benedict XVI beginning April 8 on the occasion of his 84th birthday on April 16. To learn more, see here. You may also receive daily reminders/prayers on those days.

It's that time already?

2011-03-23T11:38:00.000+08:00

Almost. In. three. days.

Earth Hour. All the hype (which generates much unwanted emissions, really) will try to reduce carbon emissions in one hour this Saturday. Try, indeed. It will be dark(er), that is all.

Yeah, yeah. The effort and the thought that counts. It's to make some people feel good about themselves.

A California judge recently put a hold on global warming legislation. But that won't stop the AGW backers to shut off their lights on Saturday for one hour. They need to feel good about themselves after that little speed bump.

See Phineas at ST.

"even if it is strange, different and new"

2011-03-20T08:38:00.005+08:00

I still believe that all students are good (maybe bad teachers, yes). They turn out well despite us. Here is one who turned out even better. I point to her only because from among my former students, she has been probably the most in the public eye (entertainment and politics -- did I just repeat myself?). The others are doing pretty well in their own "hidden" lives.

Here is an excerpt of a speech she gave recently:

I do not claim to be an authority in the subject called Life or Success or Excellence, but I am doing pretty well on something called Happiness and Contentment, so at best, kindly please allow me to just speak from the heart.

Among the things I can share with you is that although academic excellence is as admirable as it is desirable, it does not always guarantee success. So please, never rest on your laurels. Push yourselves constantly. Life itself is a constant process of learning and the world is one big classroom. Only time will make you understand the wisdom of keeping an open mind as we constantly learn new things, and re-learn the things that we thought we already knew.

What I like is that she never fails to mention the Divine and impart the power of prayer, with palpable sincerity:

In closing, I would like to express prayers and wishes. I wish that you never fall into the trap of wasting time doing nothing, just waiting for life to find you. I say find it, grab it by the horns and dance with it. It is beautiful, always, even when it is sometimes sad. Cherish life for the gift that it is. Never be crazy enough to believe wealth is all about money. The fact that you are young is reason enough for you to consider yourselves extremely wealthy. You have the energy to propel your dreams forward, youth on your side. Take advantage of it. Speaking of that — dreams, I mean — never apologize for how big or great they may be. Do not laugh at someone else’s dreams, in the same way that you should not hunch your shoulders in defeat when others laugh at yours. Be inspired by them. No one ever said dreaming is a crime. With arms outstretched and your chin tilted up towards the sunlight, expect good things to happen to your life. Happiness comes in knowing that you need not always be the greatest, or the best. Being happy while trying to do your greatest, your best, even if others do not acknowledge it, is good enough. Remember that the journey matters as much as the destination.

I pray that after you graduate, you never get stuck in a job that, although it pays extremely well, you are unhappy about. I pray you will stay far away from anyone who makes you believe you will never be good enough. Life will throw some hard curve balls but everything is a matter of perspective and you can always choose to roll with the punches. There is no handbook to success and happiness, no hard and fast rules, but it is never lame to go back to what we learned at home from our parents. Sow the right seeds, do what feels right for the heart, and when in doubt follow your gut and do what it is that gives you the most peace. I said this earlier and I will say it again now — never underestimate the power of prayer. Be bullish in that; know that there is absolutely nothing you cannot pray for. For as long as you see God’s hand in all that happens in your life, for as long as you feel His fingers on your shoulders, all should be okay, even if it seems strange, different and new. Even if it is strange, different and new. Your job, always, is to be faithful and committed to the task at hand, whatever that is. And for as long as you believe in something bigger and greater than yourself, hope will always spring eternal.

And she is pro-woman and pro-life, too. There is no contradiction in her.

Giving up

2011-03-14T12:11:00.002+08:00

What are you willing to give up, until abortion ends?

Just linking

2011-03-14T09:45:00.000+08:00

Forgive me, I am just linking to this post by Pia.

Who said this?

2011-03-01T11:57:00.000+08:00

"We must end the fiction that an abortion at 26 weeks is no different from one at six weeks."

Frances Kissling, the former president of Catholics for Choice.

Is it a sign of a coming conversion? Hmm.

Some say perhaps it is only a part of an overall strategy to survive (meaning, to still get funding that may be dwindling in the wake of a possible PP of America defunding), as she also said this: “It may not have a right to life, and its value may not be equal to that of the pregnant woman, but ending the life of a fetus is not a morally insignificant event.”

Dr. Bernard Nathanson+

2011-02-22T10:22:00.002+08:00

Dr. Bernard Nathanson passed away February 21 of cancer. He was a hero to both the pro-abortion and pro-life movements, at different times of his life.

As an abortion advocate, Dr. Nathanson was believed to have performed or presided at about 75,000 abortions and was one of the founders of the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws or NARAL.

After witnessing an abortion through ultrasound, he made a turn-around, convinced that the fetus is as human as a grown person. He later produced a "Silent Scream" that was the first to show an abortion procedure through ultrasound. Pro-lifers regard Dr. Nathanson as a hero in the movement when he moved on to our side, and rightly so. Some time later, he also became Catholic.

Here is an article about his passing from lifenews.com.

In 1996, Nathanson wrote his autobiography, The Hand of God, in which he shared his journey from abortion practitioner and abortion advocate to becoming pro-life.

He noted, regretfully, “I am one of those who helped usher in this barbaric age.”

Nathanson also drew attention for his comments about the shooting of infamous late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller and he said he was surprised Tiller never became pro-life.

“I knew George Tiller years ago when I was on the pro-abortion side,” he told the Washington Times. “He came to a course I was giving in the technique of abortion in New York in 1970 under the auspices of NARAL. And I did late-term abortions until I changed my opinion as of 1980.”

“My switch to pro-life had nothing to do with religion,” he told the newspaper. “Tiller was a church-going man, which doesn’t say a whole lot in this country, but one wonders why he never changed his mind based on the scientific evidence. That is where I changed my mind, based on fetoscopies and ultrasound studies.”

“Once we had ultrasound in place, we could study the fetus and see it was a member of our community. If you don’t do that, you’re just a creature of political ideology. In 1970, there were approximately 1,100 articles on the functioning of the fetus. By 1990, there were 22,000. The data piled up swiftly and opened a window into the womb,” Nathanson continued.

Watch and Learn

2011-02-19T13:53:00.002+08:00

Lila Rose @ Glenn Beck

There Be Dragons

2011-02-18T18:03:00.002+08:00

A movie coming up in May. There Be Dragons.

An alternative to The Vagina Monologues

2011-02-16T09:41:00.003+08:00

Here's an alternative to Vagina Monologues in Cebu on February 19:

Here is Dawn Eden's take on the VM in campuses, written in 2006, before she became Catholic. Jeff Geerling wrote something as well.

More recent one from Gabriella and another from The Cardinal Newman Society. And even Camille (!)

And here's the link to what Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute proposes for campuses on V-Day. Download guide. Download posters.

Disclaimer: Educhild is not marketing this activity as an alternative to the VM. This post is my own way of inviting you to attend this get-together instead of the other.

Looks like it

2011-02-11T09:06:00.000+08:00

Looks like this is going to be a great day!
Happy Feastday!

Join the March for Life in Cebu City, February 11 @2pm.

2011-02-10T11:47:00.001+08:00

Andrew Blair writes at LifeNews.com:

... we were given many of our most distinct characteristics way before we left the womb. From the moment of conception, our unique genetic makeup was determined. From our very first moment of life we had a genetic makeup never before possessed by another human being. These genes dictate our sex, hair color, eye color, body type and facial features among thousands of other individual traits.

Fingerprints, a universal symbol of individuality, also develop before birth, at about 8 weeks after conception.

Join the March for Life in Cebu City, February 11 @2pm.

March for Life February 11 !!!

2011-02-08T17:05:00.000+08:00

There will be a March for Life on February 11 in Cebu City!!!

2pm assembly at the Capitol!!!

A Pastoral Letter of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines

Our Filipino Brothers and Sisters:

The State values the dignity of every human person and guarantees full respect for human rights (Art. II, Section 11). The State recognizes the sanctity of family life and shall protect and strengthen the family as a basic autonomous social institution. It shall equally protect the life of the mother and the life of the unborn from conception (Art. II, Section 12).

Background

We begin by citing the Philippine Constitution. We do so because we intend to write you on the basis of the fundamental ideals and aspirations of the Filipino people and not on the basis of specifically Catholic religious teachings.

We are at a crossroads as a nation. Before us are several versions of a proposed bill, the Reproductive Health bill or sanitized as a Responsible Parenthood bill. This proposed bill in all its versions calls us to make a moral choice: to choose life or to choose death.

At the outset we thank the government for affording us an opportunity to express our views in friendly dialogue. Sadly our dialogue has simply revealed how far apart our respective positions are. Therefore, instead of building false hopes, we wish at the present time to draw up clearly what we object to and what we stand for.

Moral Choices at the Crossroads — at EDSA I and Now

Twenty five years ago in 1986 we Catholic Bishops made a prophetic moral judgment on political leadership. With this prophetic declaration we believe that we somehow significantly helped open the door for EDSA I and a window of political integrity.

Today we come to a new national crossroads and we now have to make a similar moral choice. Our President rallied the country with the election cry, “Kung walang corrupt walang mahirap.” As religious leaders we believe that there is a greater form of corruption, namely, moral corruption which is really the root of all corruption. On the present issue, it would be morally corrupt to disregard the moral implications of the RH bill.

This is our unanimous collective moral judgment: We strongly reject the RH bill.

Commonly Shared Human and Cultural Values – Two Fundamental Principles

Far from being simply a Catholic issue, the RH bill is a major attack on authentic human values and on Filipino cultural values regarding human life that all of us have cherished since time immemorial.

Simply stated the RH Bill does not respect moral sense that is central to Filipino cultures. It is the product of the spirit of this world, a secularist, materialistic spirit that considers morality as a set of teachings from which one can choose, according to the spirit of the age. Some it accepts, others it does not accept. Unfortunately, we see the subtle spread of this post-modern spirit in our own Filipino society.

Our position stands firmly on two of the core principles commonly shared by all who believe in God:

(1) Human life is the most sacred physical gift with which God, the author of life, endows a human being. Placing artificial obstacles to prevent human life from being formed and being born most certainly contradicts this fundamental truth of human life. In the light of the widespread influence of the post-modern spirit in our world, we consider this position as nothing less than prophetic. As religious leaders we must proclaim this truth fearlessly in season and out of season.

(2) It is parents, cooperating with God, who bring children into the world. It is also they who have the primary inalienable right and responsibility to nurture them, care for them, and educate them that they might grow as mature persons according to the will of the Creator.

What We Specifically Object to in the RH Bill

Advocates contend that the RH bill promotes reproductive health. The RH Bill certainly does not. It does not protect the health of the sacred human life that is being formed or born. The very name “contraceptive” already reveals the anti-life nature of the means that the RH bill promotes. These artificial means are fatal to human life, either preventing it from fruition or actually destroying it. Moreover, scientists have known for a long time that contraceptives may cause cancer. Contraceptives are hazardous to a woman’s health.

Advocates also say that the RH bill will reduce abortion rates. But many scientific analysts themselves wonder why prevalent contraceptive use sometimes raises the abortion rate. In truth, contraceptives provide a false sense of security that takes away the inhibition to sexual activity. Scientists have noted numerous cases of contraceptive failure. Abortion is resorted to, an act that all religious traditions would judge as sinful. “Safe sex” to diminish abortion rate is false propaganda.

Advocates moreover say that the RH bill will prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. This goes against the grain of many available scientific data. In some countries where condom use is prevalent, HIV/ AIDS continues to spread. Condoms provide a false security that strongly entices individuals towards increased sexual activity, increasing likewise the incidence of HIV/AIDS. “Safe sex” to prevent HIV /AIDS is false propaganda.

Advocates also assert that the RH Bill empowers women with ownership of their own bodies. This is in line with the post-modern spirit declaring that women have power over their own bodies without the dictation of any religion. How misguided this so-called “new truth” is! For, indeed, as created by God our bodies are given to us to keep and nourish. We are stewards of our own bodies and we must follow God’s will on this matter according to an informed and right conscience. Such a conscience must certainly be enlightened and guided by religious and moral teachings provided by various religious and cultural traditions regarding the fundamental dignity and worth of human life.

Advocates also say that the RH bill is necessary to stop overpopulation and to escape from poverty. Our own government statistical office has concluded that there is no overpopulation in the Philippines but only the over-concentration of population in a number of urban centers. Despite other findings to the contrary, we must also consider the findings of a significant group of renowned economic scholars, including economic Nobel laureates, who have found no direct correlation between population and poverty. In fact, many Filipino scholars have concluded that population is not the cause of our poverty. The causes of our poverty are: flawed philosophies of development, misguided economic policies, greed, corruption, social inequities, lack of access to education, poor economic and social services, poor infrastructures, etc. World organizations estimate that in our country more than P400 billion pesos are lost yearly to corruption. The conclusion is unavoidable: for our country to escape from poverty, we have to address the real causes of poverty and not population.

In the light of the above, we express our clear objections:

1. We object to the non-consideration of moral principles, the bedrock of law, in legislative discussions of bills that are intended for the good of individuals and for the common good.

2. We are against the anti-life, anti-natal and contraceptive mentality that is reflected in media and in some proposed legislative bills.

3. We object strongly to efforts at railroading the passage of the RH bill.

4. We denounce the over-all trajectory of the RH bill towards population control.

5. We denounce the use of public funds for contraceptives and sterilization.

6. We condemn compulsory sex education that would effectively let parents abdicate their primary role of educating their own children, especially in an area of life – sexuality – which is a sacred gift of God.

What We Stand For

On this matter of proposed RH bills, these are our firm convictions:

1. We are deeply concerned about the plight of the many poor, especially of suffering women, who are struggling for a better life and who must seek it outside of our country, or have recourse to a livelihood less than decent.

2. We are pro-life. We must defend human life from the moment of conception or fertilization up to its natural end.

3. We believe in the responsible and natural regulation of births through Natural Family Planning for which character building is necessary which involves sacrifice, discipline and respect for the dignity of the spouse.

4. We believe that we are only stewards of our own bodies. Responsibility over our own bodies must follow the will of God who speaks to us through conscience.

5. We hold that on the choices related to the RH bill, conscience must not only be informed but most of all rightly guided through the teachings of one’s faith.

6. We believe in the freedom of religion and the right of conscientious objection in matters that are contrary to one’s faith. The sanctions and penalties embodied in the proposed RH bill are one more reason for us to denounce it.

Our Calls

As religious leaders we have deeply and prayerfully reflected on this burning issue. We have unanimously made the moral judgment – to reject the RH agenda and to choose life.

1. We call for a fundamental transformation of our attitudes and behavior towards all human life especially the most defenseless, namely, human life being formed or being conceived. The cheapness with which many seem to consider human life is a great bane to our religious-oriented nation.

2. We call upon our legislators to consider the RH bill in the light of the God-given dignity and worth of human life and, therefore, to shelve it completely as contrary to our ideals and aspirations as a people. We thank our legislators who have filed bills to defend human life from the moment of conception and call upon all other legislators to join their ranks.

3. We thank the great multitude of lay people all over the country, and particularly the dedicated groups who made their presence felt in the halls of Congress, to defend and promote our position. We call upon other lay people and adherents of other religions to join the advocacy to defend and promote our commonly shared ideals and aspirations.

4. We call on our government to address effectively the real causes of poverty such as corruption, lack of social and economic services, lack of access to education and the benefits of development, social inequities.

5. We call for the establishment of more hospitals and clinics in the rural areas, the deployment of more health personnel to provide more access to health services, the building of more schools, the provision of more aid to the poor for education, and the building of more and better infrastructures necessary for development.

6. We echo the challenge we prophetically uttered 25 years ago at EDSA I and call upon all people of good will who share our conviction: “…let us pray together, reason together, decide together, act together, always to the end that the truth prevail” over the many threats to human life and to our shared human and cultural values.

We commend our efforts against the RH bill (or the Responsible Parenthood bill – its new name) to the blessing of our almighty and loving God, from whom all life comes and for whom it is destined.

For the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

+NEREO P. ODCHIMAR, D.D.
Bishop of Tandag
President, CBCP
January 30, 2011

Mommy

2011-01-31T13:29:00.000+08:00

For Moms and Moms-to-be, and Moms in any which way: http://ht.ly/3N1E0

H/T Kristen: http://ht.ly/3N1F9 (read her other posts too).

$288,700

2011-01-28T08:37:00.000+08:00

That is a lot of money. That is the amount the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has spent for each green job its environmental projects have generated. Apparently the UN now is

How much money did the United Nations Development Program, the U.N.'s flagship anti-poverty agency, spend to create 5,280 "green" jobs around the world?

UNDP has said the price tag is $53.9 million—an average of $10,208 per job spent in 2010 on 135 environmental projects world-wide.

But according to documentation obtained by Fox News, the projects that generated those jobs have a total cost of about $1.68 billion—which would work out to a much more staggering average figure of about $288,700 per job.

Spontaneous, chaotic competition

2011-01-27T11:19:00.000+08:00

The best thing the government can do to allow innovation is to step back and let the spontaneous, chaotic competition of individual entrepreneurs play out. http://ht.ly/3KZEj

Bummer

2011-01-27T08:35:00.000+08:00

For Rafa's fans, his Australian Open 2011 exit was not good at all. But he'll be back.

Not for Justine Henin. She retired again after tests show that her elbow cannot take it anymore. Bummer.

"This time it's for good – I am turning an incredible page of my life."

"If you don’t come and get me, I’m going to lose my soul."

2011-01-25T07:50:00.000+08:00

Here are links to the story of former NY model Leah Darrow who quit modeling and embarked on a journey that advocates for chastity. “My focus is on helping women be the best they can be,” she said.

from NCR:

Despite the money and notoriety, Darrow was unhappy and tired. It was on one particular modeling shoot for an international magazine that she decided it was time to go home.

She met with the photographer and was given a particularly skimpy outfit to wear. She was embarrassed to put it on, but went ahead, telling herself it was just a job and she had to do it.

As the shoot was nearly complete, she had a mystical experience of sorts, which she called a moment of grace. She pictured herself before God after her death and had nothing to show for her life.

“I knew that the way I was living, I wasn’t being authentic to my faith,” she said.

She quit on the spot and went home crying.

“I called my dad and said, ‘If you don’t come and get me, I’m going to lose my soul,’” she recalled. “He said, ‘Sure, baby’ and drove all the way from St. Louis to New York City to get me.”

from LSN:

“Although not all modeling is bad, much of it is dehumanizing. The dignity of the person is of little importance,” she explained. “You’re just a body. And it’s also very important what parties you go to and who you are with. A lot of people are sad in the industry, although they cover it up. You’re just supposed to do your job, be a professional.”

She says that modesty is not just a question of dressing, but also of discretion in such things as speech and emotions.

“Modesty is more than just the length of a hemline,” she said. “It’s about our conversations, how we treat people, and how we love others.

“Modesty protects our purity and the mystery of a person. In our society, it gets a bad rap. It’s actually quite attractive.”

Largest pro-life women's clinic

2011-01-24T13:36:00.000+08:00

From CNA

Los Angeles, Calif., Jan 19, 2011 / 06:03 pm (CNA).- Mexican producer and actor Eduardo Verastegui has announced that his organization, Mantle of Guadalupe, is planning to build the largest pro-life women's clinic in the United States.

Verastegui's announcement came during the first-ever gala held by Mantle of Guadalupe and Catholic Charities of Los Angeles.

The gala took place Jan. 15 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills and brought together 300 noted guests, including Philip Rivers from the San Diego Chargers, Mexican actor Karyme Lozano, actor Sean Astin from “The Lord of the Rings,” violinist Roddy Chong and motivational speaker Nick Vujicic.

SOTU and the alarmist agenda

2011-01-24T09:27:00.000+08:00

Alarmist-(who keeps his thermostat really high, drives in massive gas guzzlers, and takes many unnecessary fossil fueled airplane trips)-In-Chief

H/T: WilliamT

Did you have any encounters with John Paul the Great?

2011-01-17T09:43:00.000+08:00

The news of Pope John Paul II's coming beatification on May 1 got me thinking again of my encounters with this great man. Come May 1, I can say that he is the only beato whom I had seen (and touched) personally. Did you have any encounters with John Paul the Great?

On April 3, 2005, I wrote about my lucky 13 encounters with Pope John Paul II. Now as look back, I had a 14th: in 1990, during the beatification of Annibale Maria di Francia (in 2004, St. Hannibal was canonized).

1. Urbi at Orbi, St. Peter's Square, Easter Sunday, April 15, 1990
2. UNIV '90 get-together at Cortille San Damaso, Vatican, April 15, 1990
3. Inauguration of the Olympic Stadium, Rome, sometime June 1990 (preparation for the World Cup 1990)
4. Sunday Angelus, Castelgandolfo, sometime August 1990
5. Wednesday Audience, Aula Nervi, sometime September 1990
6. Priestly Ordinations, St. Peter's Basilica, September 1990
7. World Youth Day 1995, Manila Apostolic Nunciature
8. World Youth Day 1995, UST
9. World Youth Day 1995, Luneta Park, encounter with the youth, January 14, 1995
10. World Youth Day 1995, Luneta Park, Holy Mass, January 15, 1995
11. Audience for St. Bridgit, St. Peter's Basilica, October 4, 2002
12. Canonization of St. Josemaria Escriva, St. Peter's Square, October 6, 2002
13. Thanksgiving Mass and services on the occasion of the Canonization of St. Josemaria Escriva, St. Peter's Square, October 7, 2002

Save the date

2011-01-14T22:14:00.000+08:00

DICHIARAZIONE DEL DIRETTORE DELLA SALA STAMPA DELLA SANTA SEDE, P. FEDERICO LOMBARDI, S.I., SULLA DATA DI BEATIFICAZIONE DEL VENERABILE SERVO DI DIO GIOVANNI PAOLO II , 14.01.2011
DICHIARAZIONE DEL DIRETTORE DELLA SALA STAMPA DELLA SANTA SEDE, P. FEDERICO LOMBARDI, S.I., SULLA DATA DI BEATIFICAZIONE DEL VENERABILE SERVO DI DIO GIOVANNI PAOLO II

Il Rito di Beatificazione del Venerabile Servo di Dio Giovanni Paolo II (Karol Wojtyła) avrà luogo in Vaticano, il 1° maggio 2011, II Domenica di Pasqua, della Divina Misericordia, presieduto dal Sommo Pontefice Benedetto XVI.

[00068-01.01]

[B0025-XX.01]

This is it, what we have all been waiting for!

Full text of John Paul II beatification decree

By The Catholic Herald on Friday, 14 January 2011

Beatification: Sign of the depth of faith and invitation to a fully Christian life
The proclamation of a Saint or of a Blessed by the Church is the fruit of putting together various aspects regarding a specific Person. First, it is an act which says something important in the life of the Church herself. It is linked to a “cult”, i.e. to the memory of the person, to his full acknowledgment of him in the awareness of the ecclesial community, of the country, of the Universal Church in various countries, continents and cultures. Another aspect is the awareness that the “presentation on the altars” will be an important sign of the depth of the faith, of the diffusion of faith in the path of life of that person, and that this sign will become an invitation, a stimulus for us all towards a Christian life ever more profound and full. Finally, the sine qua non condition is the holiness of the person’s life, verified during the precise and formal canonical proceedings. All this provides the material for the decision of the Successor of Peter, of the Pope in view of the proclamation of a Blessed or of a Saint, of the cult in the context of the ecclesial community and of its liturgy.
John Paul II’s pontificate was an eloquent and clear sign, not only for Catholics, but also for world public opinion, for people of all colour and creed. The world’s reaction to his lifestyle, to the development of his apostolic mission, to the way he bore his suffering, to the decision to continue his Petrine mission to the end as willed by divine Providence, and finally, the reaction to his death, the popularity of the acclamation “Saint right now!” which someone made on the day of his funerals, all this has its solid foundation in the experience of having met with the person who was the Pope. The faithful have felt, have experienced that he is “God’s man”, who really sees the concrete steps and the mechanisms of contemporary world “in God”, in God’s perspective, with the eyes of a mystic who looks up to God only. He was clearly a man of prayer: so much so that it is from the dynamism of his personal union with God, from the permanent listening to what God wants to say in a concrete situation, that the whole of “Pope John Paul II’s activity” flowed. Those who were closest to him have been able to see that, prior to his meetings with his guests, with Heads of State, with Church high officials or ordinary citizens, John Paul II would recollect himself in prayer according to the intentions of the guests and of the meeting that was to come.
1 – Karol Wojtyla’s contribution to Vatican II Council
After Vatican II, during the pontificates of Paul VI and of John Paul II, the manner of presentation, and thus of self-presentation of the papacy, has become quite expressive. On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the pontificate of John Paul II, the Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs published in 2004 a book entitled Go forth in the whole world. Giancarlo Zizola, a “vaticanist”, remarked on the fact that “the papacy has conquered its citizenship in the realm of public visibility, breaking away from the siege of worship marginalisation where it had been kept by decree of secular society, in the name of a militant vision of the liberal tenet of Separation of Church and State” (p. 17). A German historian, Jesuit Klaus Schatz, speaking of Paul VI and of John Paul II, underlined the meaning of the “papacy on the way” – thus in conformity with Vatican II – more in the manner of a missionary movement than as a static pole of unity. Schatz refers to the manner of interpreting the papal mission as a challenge to “confirm the brothers in the faith” (Lk 22, 32), in a way tied to structural authority, but with a strong spiritual and charismatic hint, in link with the personal credibility and rooted in God himself.
Let us pause a moment to consider Vatican II. The young archbishop of Cracow was one of the most active Council Fathers. He made a significant contribution to the “Scheme XIII” which was to become the Pastoral Constitution of the Council Gaudium et Spes on the Church in the Modern World, and to the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium. Thanks to his studies abroad, bishop Wojtyla had a concrete experience of evangelisation and of the mission of the Church, in Western Europe or in other continents, but above all of totalitarian atheism in Poland and in the other countries of the “Soviet Block”. He brought all this experience to the Council debates, which were certainly not like drawing-room conversations, extremely courteous but void of contents. Here was a substantial and decisive effort to insert the Gospel’s dynamism into the conciliar enthusiasm rooted on the conviction that Christianity is capable of furnishing a “soul” to the development of modernity and to the reality of the social and cultural world.
All this was to be of use in preparing for the future responsibilities of the Successor of Peter. As John Paul II said, he already had in his mind his first encyclical, Redemptor Hominis, and brought it to Rome from Cracow. All he had to do in Rome was to write down all these ideas. In this encyclical, there is a wide invitation to humankind to rediscover the reality of Redemption in Christ:
Man (…) remains a being that is incomprehensible for himself, his life is senseless, if love is not revealed to him, if he does not encounter love, if he does not experience it and make it his own, if he does not participate intimately in it. This, as has already been said, is why Christ the Redeemer “fully reveals man to himself”. (…) man finds again the greatness, dignity and value that belong to his humanity. In the mystery of the Redemption man becomes newly “expressed” and, in a way, is newly created. (…) The man who wishes to understand himself thoroughly-and not just in accordance with immediate, partial, often superficial, and even illusory standards and measures of his being-he must with his unrest, uncertainty and even his weakness and sinfulness, with his life and death, draw near to Christ. He must, so to speak, enter into him with all his own self, he must “appropriate” and assimilate the whole of the reality of the Incarnation and Redemption in order to find himself. (n° 10)
This union of Christ with man is in itself a mystery. From the mystery is born “the new man”, called to become a partaker of God’s life, and newly created in Christ for the fullness of grace and truth. (…) Man is transformed inwardly by this power as the source of a new life that does not disappear and pass away but lasts to eternal life. (…) This life, which the Father has promised and offered to each man in Jesus Christ (…) is in a way the fulfilment of the “destiny” that God has prepared for him from eternity. This “divine destiny” is advancing, in spite of all the enigmas, the unsolved riddles, the twists and turns of “human destiny” in the world of time. Indeed, while all this, in spite of all the riches of life in time, necessarily and inevitably leads to the frontier of death and the goal of the destruction of the human body, beyond that goal we see Christ. “I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in me… shall never die”. (n° 18)
2 – “Totus Tuus”, trust in Mary Mother of God
The life of John Paul II was totally devoted to the service of the Lord, by the intercession of the Mother. His motto was “Totus Tuus”, whether for the good of the Church or for that of man who is the way for the Church (Redemptor Hominis, n° 14). This is the “raison d’être” of the international Apostolic Voyages, the daily meetings with people, with those in charge of ecclesial communities, with cardinals and bishops, with the Heads of other Churches and Christian communities, the Heads of other religions, and with the laity. This is equally true of the written documents of the Pope, the diplomatic relations of the Holy See with the States and International Organisations. The deep conviction of the value of Vatican II – not only on the necessity but also about the possibility, by the Church, to bring the Gospel of Christ and build on it the experience of the Church as a vibrant and energising inspiration of the vision and mechanisms of the modern world – this has always been the Pope’s conviction.
In 1989 the “Berlin Wall” fell, but on the international level, one could feel the destructive force of the commercial mechanisms and of the particular economic and ideological interests, ever more anonymous, bringing injustice and marginalisation to all peoples – even of certain social groups in well developed countries –, and in particular, one could perceive how human life has been devalued. In his many International Apostolic Voyages in the various continents, the Pope voiced the Gospel of Christ and the Church’s preoccupation. He wrote it in a more systematic way in the encyclicals: Laborem Exercens, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, Centesimus Annus; and also Evangelium Vitae, Veritatis Splendor, Fides et Ratio; and the encyclicals dealing directly with life and the apostolate of the Church, like Dominum et Vivificantem, Redemptoris Missio, Ut Unum Sint, Ecclesia de Eucharistia.
3 – The Iraq war and the “peace offensive”
Sometimes, as in the case of the efforts to avoid war between the United States and Iraq, there is a real “peace offensive” not only in order to save people’s lives, but also to bring to a halt the growth of hatred and of the insane ideas about civilisation clashes, or about the new phenomenon of world scale terrorism. Thus, the New Year address to the diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See, and the unforgettable February 2002 with the series of meetings of the Pope with diplomats of “first category”: J. Fischer (7th Feb.); Tarek Aziz (14th Feb.); Kofi Annan (18th Feb.); Tony Blair (22nd Feb.); José Maria Aznar and the envoy of Seyyed Mohammad Khatami, Head of the Islamic Republic of Iran (27th Feb.); and finally, because of the humanly unbearable situation, the decision to send Cardinal Etchegaray on a special mission to Baghdad (15th Feb.) and Cardinal Pio Laghi to Washington (3rd – 9th March). The “February of the Pope” came to a conclusion with the meeting of Cardinal J.L. Tauran with the 74 ambassadors and diplomats from the entire world; as the Secretary for the Relations with the States, the “Minister for Foreign Affairs” of the Pope, Cardinal Tauran made an appeal in order to avoid war, and called to mind all that the Pope had said in his “peace offensive”.
4 – Year 2000 Jubilee: a historical reality to remember the coming of Jesus of Nazareth
The current task of John Paul II was centred on the pastoral and life of the Church: the Bishops’ Ad limina visits from the entire world, the Wednesday audiences and the Sunday meetings with the faithful for the Angelus, the pastoral visits of Roman parishes. All was done to promote the proclamation of Christ, to bring closer to our knowledge His Person and the fact that “the words that Christ has said when he was about to leave the Apostles tell us about the mystery of man’s history, of one and all, the mystery of humankind’s history. Baptism in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit is an immersion in the living God, “in the One who is, who was and who will be”. Baptism is the start of the encounter, of unity, of communion, and of this earthly life is but a prologue and an introduction; fulfilment and fullness belong to eternity. “This world’s figure is fading away.” We must therefore find ourselves “in the world of God”, in order to reach the goal, to come to the fullness of life and of man’s vocation” (Cracow, 10th June 1979).
“This was precisely one of the things that John Paul II wanted most: to explain clearly that we look to Christ who comes; of course, to the One who came, but even more to the One who comes, and that, in this perspective, our faith keeps us oriented towards the future. In this way, we are really capable of presenting the message of faith, in a new manner, in the perspective of Christ who comes,” (Benedict XVI, Light of the World).
The Great Jubilee of Redemption, in the Year 2000, was not for John Paul II a “pretext” for pastoral action, but first and foremost a historical reality reminding us of the coming of Jesus of Nazareth and everything that this historical event has brought, viz. Redemption, the Testimony of the Love of God unto the Cross and Resurrection, the life of the early Church, the path of salvation accomplished by the Saviour by which He has introduced his Church as a sign and an instrument of internal unity with God, as well as that of the human family. The Year 2000 Jubilee reminds us of the Holy Land, the land of Jesus, and of Rome, the place of apostolate of the Successor of Peter, the bond of authenticity of the message and of the unity of the ecclesial community. This message has been reformulated in the Apostolic Letters Tertio Millenio Adveniente and Novo Millennio Ineunte. But, for the Pope, what mattered most was the personal thanksgiving and that of the entire Church to our Lord Jesus and the encounter in faith with the One who has loved to the end, who has saved us and remains a sign so sorely needed in a world that is becoming increasingly deaf, while trying to organise its life as if God did not exist, thus erring without identity and without meaning.
5 – Attention to the Youth and the meaning of WYD
John Paul II used to evaluate the results of the international Apostolic Voyages with his collaborators, to identify what was well done, and to see to the changes for the coming voyages. After the voyage in Poland in 1991, the Pope noticed that, during the Mass in Warsaw, in the farthest parts, the young people came and went away, drank beer or coca-cola, and came back. “It was not like this during the previous voyages, he noted, there has been a change in the society’s mentality. It is not worth looking at the “first places”. The VIP are always seated in the same manner, but the “margins” are important and worth our attention.” It is worth noting that the Pope did not use the word “crowd”: he has always seen and paid attention to “people”. He was very attentive to the role of the laity in the life and mission of the Church. It is quite meaningful that, when he was still University chaplain in Cracow, he exploited a brief period of “political thaw” in 1957 to organise – in collaboration with the archbishop of Wroclaw, Boleslaw Kominek – a symposium in the city for more than 100 university students from all Poland (for the first time since decades!) precisely on the theme “The role of lay people in the Church” (and that was years before Vatican II!). Later, during the summer vacations, he organised spiritual exercises at the place of the Ursuline Sisters of the Roman Union in Bado Ślaskie for a slightly smaller group of the participants of the symposium of Wroclaw, precisely to promote the “formation of the laity”.
With the creation of the World Youth Days, the Pope gave his support to various forms of activity of the lay people in the life and mission of the Church, thus paving the way to the very meaningful initiatives, some years later, during the pontificate of Benedict XVI: the holding in September 2010 in Korea, of an important Congress for the lay Catholics of Asia; the meetings of African bishops who are ever more encouraging the lay people to hold positions of responsibility in the sectors of evangelisation, social activity and in the Church’s educational sphere; the significant presence of lay Catholics in the continental Mission of Latin America.
Reviewing his pontificate, Benedict XVI makes a note of the generation changes on a world scale, and comes to the same conclusion as his predecessor, namely that “times have changed”. Meanwhile a new generation has come, with new problems. The generation of the late sixties, with its own peculiarities, has come and gone. Even the following generation, more pragmatic, is ageing. Today, one must ask: “How can we cope with a world that threatens itself, and in which progress becomes a danger? Should we not start all over again from God?” (Light of the World). So Benedict XVI makes an appeal “that a new generation of Catholics may rise, people inwardly renewed who would commit themselves in politics without any inferiority complex” (an idea oft repeated by the Pope, namely in the Message for the 46th Social Week of Italian Catholics, 12th October 2010). He goes on to call for a new generation of good intellectuals and scientists, attentive to the fact “that a scientific perspective that ignores the ethical and religious dimension of life becomes dangerously narrow, just as a religion would, if it were to refuse a legitimate contribution of science to our understanding of the world” (London, St. Mary’s College, 17th September 2010); the Pope calls for a “new generation of committed Christian laypeople capable of seeking, with competency and moral rigor, solutions of sustainable development” (7th September 2008).
6 – The simplicity of John Paul II’s prayer
When we recall what John Paul II has accomplished, the “big events” are mixed with the remembrance of simple moments of prayer, which have been a source of surprise even to his collaborators. I’ll mention only two, coming from two different periods of his life. In the seventies, I was students’ chaplain at the Catholic University in Lublin. At the beginning of the academic year, the then Cardinal of Cracow came to take part in the Eucharist at the university church, in the official inauguration of the big Hall, and for lunch. After that, the Cardinal was ready to return to Cracow. The Rector of the University, Fr. Krapiec, accompanied him to the car, but stopped to chat with another guest, so much so that they were late to arrive at the car. But lo! The Cardinal had “disappeared”! The ten seconds they waited seemed like ten centuries. The Rector, accustomed to having everything under control, did not know where the Cardinal could have gone to. He asked me: “Where is Wojtyla? The Cardinal has disappeared! Where is he?” With a slight mocking smile, I took some time before answering him, just to tease him a bit. Then I told him: “He has probably gone to the church.” There we went, and sure enough, we found the Cardinal, kneeling in prayer in front of the Way of the Cross.
The other recollection was in 1999, during his seventh Apostolic Voyage in Poland. It lasted for 13 days, with 22 stops in the programme, from the North to the South of the country. A programme well beyond the physical capabilities of the Pope. One of those days, there was to be – according to the programme – the blessing of the Sanctuary of Lichen, the Eucharist in Bydgoszcz, then a meeting with the university people, the liturgy of the Sacred Heart, in link with the beatification of Fr. Frelichowski in another city, in Torun, then back to Lichen for the overnight stay. A more than busy day! Thus, after dinner, the papal suite went to bed immediately. But the Pope just locked himself in the chapel for a long, a very long moment of prayer. There remained only three of us: Bishop Chrapek, in charge of the visit planning for the episcopate; myself, as “assistant”, and the famous Camillo Cibin, head of the Vatican security. At last the Pope came out of the chapel to go to his bedroom. Cibin said to me: “Father Andrea, bring me a chair. But one that is hard, made of wood, not a sofa, two cups of coffee, strong coffee, and an apple.” All this was to help him wait all night at the door of the Pope’s bedroom, which was not totally closed, to ascertain if the Pope – not only tired but also advanced in years – was breathing normally or if he had any need of assistance. The personal holiness of the Pope was something over and above the esteem he enjoyed among his closest collaborators, and that was quite significant.
7 – The Will of John Paul II
John Paul II was conscious of the fact that we are experiencing a very trying moment in history, that the Successor of Peter has the duty to confirm in the faith, but he was equally conscious of the fact that the most important aspect was to depend on God. The will he wrote in 1979, and which he modified every year, during the spiritual exercises, gives us a powerful testimony of this. From the 24th February to the 1st March, he wrote:
“24.II – 1.III.1980. During these spiritual exercises, I reflected on the truth of Christ’s Priesthood in view of the Passage which is, for each of us, the hour of our own death. For us, parting from this world – to be reborn in the next, the world to come, eloquent sign (he adds the word decisive above it), is the Resurrection of Christ. (…) The times we live in have become unspeakably difficult and worrying. The life of the Church has also become difficult and tense, a characteristic trial of these times – for the faithful and for the pastors. In some countries (like the one which I read about during the spiritual exercises), the Church finds herself in a time of persecution equal to that of the first centuries, maybe more, according to the degree of cruelty and hatred. Sanguis martyrum – semen christianorum. Furthermore, so many innocent people have disappeared, even in this country where we are living…
Once again I wish to entrust myself totally to the Lord’s grace. He will decide when and how I am to end my earthly life and my pastoral ministry. In life as in death, Totus Tuus, through the Immaculate. By already accepting this death, I hope that Christ give me the grace for this last passage, that is (my) Pasch. I equally hope that he renders it useful for this more important cause I try to serve: the salvation of human beings, the protection of the human family, in all nations and among all peoples (among these I am thinking in particular of my own earthly country), useful for those who, in a special way, have been entrusted to me, in the Church, for the glory of the same God.”
On the 5th March 1982, he added: “The attempt on my life, on 13.V.1981, has confirmed, in a certain way, the accuracy of the words written during the 1980 spiritual exercises (24.II – 1.III). I feel even more deeply that I am completely in the Hands of God – and I remain constantly available to my Lord, entrusting myself to Him in His Immaculate Mother (Totus Tuus).”
Then, on the 17th Marche of the Jubilee Year 2000, number 3: “As for every year, during the spiritual exercises, I read my will of the 6.III.1979. I continue to maintain the provisions contained in it. What has been added, at that time and during the following spiritual exercises, constitutes a reflection of the difficult and tense general situation which has marked the eighties. Since the autumn of 1989, this situation has changed. The last decade of the past century was free of the previous tensions; this does not mean there were no new problems or difficulties. In a special way, may the Divine Providence be praised for this, in that the so-called “cold war” period has ended without violent nuclear conflict, a threat which weighed on the world during the previous period” (words underlined by the Pope himself).
8 – An essential aspect of the new Blessed: “God is the foundation of all our efforts”
This is again an essential aspect, if one wishes to understand more deeply the personality of the Church’s new Blessed, Karol Wojtyla – John Paul II. The foundation of all the efforts of our life is in God. We are covered by divine love, by the results of Redemption and Salvation. But we must help people to become deeply rooted in God himself; we must do everything possible to create personal and social attitudes rooted in the reality of God. This requires patience, time and the ability to see everything through the eyes of God.
The last, brief pilgrimage of Pope John Paul II in Poland, more specifically in his “small country”, in Cracow, Wadovice and the Way of the Cross (of Kalwaria Zebrzydowska), showed a determination, but also a spiritual acuity “in the process of maturation in time” so that all humankind, especially the ecclesial and Christian community, can understand more fully some of the fundamental aspects of faith. Since the beginning of his pontificate, in 1978, John Paul II often spoke in his homilies of the mercy of God. This became the theme of his second encyclical, Dives in Misericordia, in 1980. He was aware that modern culture and its language do not have a place for mercy, treating it as something strange; they try to inscribe everything in the categories of justice and law. But this does not suffice, for it is not what the reality of God is about.
9 – Entrusting the world to Divine Mercy
Later on, the Pope took some steps to finalise the process of Beatification of Sr. Faustina Kowalska, and the canonisation (2000). The whole ecclesial community was brought to feel the closeness of the person so intimately linked to the message of Mercy; this facilitated the development of the topic for John Paul II, showing the reality of Divine Mercy in the many contexts around the world, in various continents, of humanity today.
Finally, in August 2002, in Lagiewniki, where Sr. Faustina lived and died, John Paul II entrusted the world to Divine Mercy, to the unlimited trust in God the Merciful, to the One who has been a source of inspiration, but also of strength for his service as Successor of Peter. “It is the Holy Spirit, the Comforter and Spirit of Truth, who leads us on the ways of Divine Mercy. By convicting the world “concerning sin, righteousness and condemnation” (Jn 16, 8), he reveals at the same time the fullness of salvation in Christ. This convicting concerning sin is doubly related to the Cross of Christ. On the one hand, the Holy Spirit enables us, through the Cross of Christ, to recognize sin, any sin, in the dimension of evil which it contains and hides. On the other hand, the Holy Spirit enables us, again through the Cross of Christ, to see sin in the light of the mysterium pietatis, i.e. of the forgiving and merciful love of God (cf. Dominum et vivificantem, 32). Thus, the “convicting concerning sin” also becomes a conviction that sin can be forgiven, and that man can recover the dignity of a beloved son of God. The Cross is in fact the most profound humbling of God before man. The Cross is like a touch of eternal love on the most painful wounds of man’s earthly existence” (Dives in Misericordia, 8). This truth will always be brought to mind by the cornerstone of this Sanctuary, extracted from Mount Calvary, in a certain way under the Cross on which Jesus Christ conquered sin and death. (…) How much the world is in need of the mercy of God today! In every continent, from the depths of human suffering, a cry for mercy seems to rise. In those places where hatred and the thirst for revenge are overwhelming, where war brings suffering and the death of innocents, one needs the grace of mercy to pacify the minds and the hearts and make peace spring forth. In those places where there is less respect for life and human dignity, one needs the merciful love of God, in whose light we see the ineffable value of every single human being. Mercy is needed to ensure that every injustice may find its solution in the splendour of truth. So today, in this Sanctuary, I solemnly wish to entrust the world to Divine Mercy. I do so with the burning desire that the message of God’s merciful love, proclaimed here through Saint Faustina, may reach all the inhabitants of the earth and fill their hearts with hope. May this message spread from this place to our beloved homeland and throughout the world. May the binding promise of the Lord Jesus be fulfilled: from here has to come out “the spark that will prepare the world for his final coming” (Homily in Lagiewniki, 17th August 2002).
Thus did the last months in the life of Pope John Paul II, marked by suffering, bring his Pontificate to its fulfilment.

"Blood libel"

2011-01-10T10:42:00.000+08:00

Glenn Reynolds's piece at Wall Street Journal online editon talks of "blood libel" (in the light of the recent killings in Arizona). Below the title, one reads:

Those who purport to care about the tenor of political discourse don't help civil debate when they seize on any pretext to call their political opponents accomplices to murder.

I am reminded of last week's similar rhetoric from our President at the vin d’honneur where he assailed his and his administration's critics, calling them “noisy minority” and roadblocks of his administration in implementing "supposed" reforms in government.

With a stretch, I feel he almost calls those in opposition accomplices to the "murder" of his administration's plans. Wasn't he part of the noisy opposition back then?

On another note, read a piece by Brooks Bayne.

LSM never takes the One to account for his rhetoric:

“I don’t want to quell anger. I think people are right to be angry! I’m angry!”
“Don’t you think we’re not keeping score, brother?”
“Bring it on”
“Get ready for hand-to-hand combat with your fellow Americans”
“I want all Americans to get in each others’ faces!”
“You bring a knife to a fight pal, we’ll bring a gun”
“Republicans are our enemies"
“Hit back twice as hard.”
“We talk to these folks… so I know whose ass to kick. “
Republican victory would mean "hand to hand combat"
“It’s time to fight for it.”
Obama to Latino supporters: “Punish your enemies.”
“I’m itching for a fight.”
“They can come for the ride, but they gotta sit in back"

We are not resource limited

2011-01-07T10:35:00.000+08:00

Here's Professor Mark J. Perry at Carpe Diem on Lawrence Cathles (by way of Mark Levin):

Here's some new support for economist Julian Simon's optimistic view that resource scarcity wouldn't ever be a problem, even with a growing world population, because of the power of innovation, discovery, human ingenuity, entrepreneurship, substitutes, and technological progress to overcome any resource shortages: the ocean floor might contain reserves of minerals vastly greater than those on land.

"Diversity" version

2010-12-24T11:06:00.002+08:00

12 Days of Winter. FWIW.

More hot air

2010-12-13T11:03:00.000+08:00

Despite what the mainstream media has put out, the COP16 at Cancun only resulted to minor victories for climate change proponents: a $100B pledge to help countries "most vulnerable" to climate disruptions, technology transfer, and agreement on tropical rainforests.

The real climate treaty that would lower carbon emissions through an extension of the Kyoto Protocol, well, could not be done.

Try again in South Africa next year or wherever it will be in 2012. Maybe by that time, a deal would be unnecessary. Think of your ending: boom or gloom.