For the bad times, and good: prayer

Yet another shooting at a high school in Iowa.  And as far removed we are from them, we offer our prayers for the victims and their families, as well as for the gunman and his family.   Todd Starnes at foxnews.com asks: 

Why is school prayer only allowed during tragedies?

It was supposed to be a fairly quiet week at Chardon High School.
The boys basketball team, the Hilltoppers, was scheduled to play a game Monday night. Parent-Teacher conferences were set for Thursday.
It was just a normal day in Chardon, Ohio.
But normal changed at approximately 7:30 Monday morning.
Gunfire. Screams. Chaos.
A teenager – an outcast – armed with a gun – walked into the school cafeteria. In a matter of moments, five students were gunned down. At least one child died.
Terrified students huddled in classrooms. They called 911. They texted and tweeted. Teachers locked doors and implemented emergency procedures.
And at least one teacher chased the gunman out of the school – an act of bravery that possibly saved lives.

As police try to make sense of the senseless, the school superintendent called on people to pray.
It was a wise decision.
But perhaps lost in the chaos is the irony that in American public schools – people are not allowed to pray.
Liberals have successfully banished God from the classroom, replacing Him with the manmade god of secularism.
Yet in times of great tragedy, school leaders inevitably seek guidance and solace from the same God they’ve expelled. I’ve often wondered – if God is good enough for the bad times, shouldn’t He be good enough for the good times?
It’s a lesson I sadly suspect our nation’s educators will never learn.

True.  Why indeed?

We are still fortunate that prayer, even in public schools, in the Philippines is still allowed, or at the very least, no one gives a hoot about it when prayer is said in school.

In the public sphere, it is not uncommon that even the leftists offer Holy Mass before any protest action.  Why even NPA's or criminal elements when they find themselves cornered in a gun battle against the armed forces or police do not forget to seek the intercession of the saints in heaven.  

Any calamity or disaster strikes the faithfuls' hearts and souls with the fire to seek comfort in church and prayer, not only for their survival, but also petition strength for the victims that they may get back on their feet again.

Still, we notice that the churches are filled up few days prior and during final or board examinations, or when results are expected to come out; but very few come back after the good results are received.  The party places replace the churches, and the merry-making, the prayers of thanksgiving.

Now that we are in Lent, perhaps, we can find more time (the good times) with God.  Forty days is not that long.  So many to pray for as well.

Contempt and then some

Ambrose Gwinett Bierce “CONTEMPT, n. The feeling of a prudent man for an enemy who is too formidable safely to be opposed.”

That's what libs do, and more.  Like stealing documents (by deceit) and forging memos.  Much like what AGW environitwit Peter Gleick confessed to.  Although it does not seem that any apology, real apology, is forthcoming.  For these types of people, ethics sure goes out the window.  Especially if it is for Mother Earth. Here's Heartland Institute's response to what Gleick fessed to. “Earlier this evening, Peter Gleick, a prominent figure in the global warming movement, confessed to stealing electronic documents from The Heartland Institute in an attempt to discredit and embarrass a group that disagrees with his views. “Gleick’s crime was a serious one. The documents he admits stealing contained personal information about Heartland staff members, donors, and allies, the release of which has violated their privacy and endangered their personal safety. “An additional document Gleick represented as coming from The Heartland Institute, a forged memo purporting to set out our strategies on global warming, has been extensively cited by newspapers and in news releases and articles posted on Web sites and blogs around the world. It has caused major and permanent damage to the reputations of The Heartland Institute and many of the scientists, policy experts, and organizations we work with. “A mere apology is not enough to undo the damage. “In his statement, Gleick claims he committed this crime because he believed The Heartland Institute was preventing a “rational debate” from taking place over global warming. This is unbelievable. Heartland has repeatedly asked for real debate on this important topic. Gleick himself was specifically invited to attend a Heartland event to debate global warming just days before he stole the documents. He turned down the invitation. “Gleick also claims he did not write the forged memo, but only stole the documents to confirm the content of the memo he received from an anonymous source. This too is unbelievable. Many independent commentators already have concluded the memo was most likely written by Gleick. “We hope Gleick will make a more complete confession in the next few days. “We are consulting with legal counsel to determine our next steps and plan to release a more complete statement about the situation tomorrow. In the meantime, we ask again that publishers, bloggers, and Web site hosts take the stolen and fraudulent documents off their sites, remove defamatory commentary based on them, and issue retractions.” The Heartland Institute is a 28-year-old national nonprofit organization with offices in Chicago, Illinois and Washington, DC. Its mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems. For more information, visit our Web site or call 312/377-4000. But where are mainstream media and AGW supporters now?  Where is the outrage?  The deafening silence is way opposite the noise from MSM and global warming advocates in the case of the "stolen" emails from East Anglia.

"Reality vs Alarm"

H/T:  WSJ

An invite from Dawn

Greetings from Eden--or make that Washington, D.C.!

I'm writing to invite you to save the date for the launch event for my new book, My Peace I Give You: Healing Sexual Wounds with the Help of the Saints. The talk and signing will be Monday, April 23, 6:30 p.m., at the Catholic Information Center, 1501 K St. NW, Washington, DC. (Click here to see a flyer for the event.)

My Peace I Give You (Ave Maria Press, 2012) is the first book ever to offer a Catholic spirituality of healing for adult victims of childhood sexual abuse. It bears an Imprimatur (ecclesiastical approbation) from Washington Archbishop Donald Cardinal Wuerl.

Here's more from the Ave Maria Press website:

Eden uses her own story as a backdrop to introduce numerous holy people— like Laura Vicuña, Thomas Aquinas and Bernard of Clairvaux—who suffered sexual abuse or sexual inappropriateness, as well as saints such as Ignatius of Loyola who suffered other forms of mistreatment and abandonment. Readers seeking wholeness will discover saints with wounds like their own, whose stories bear witness to the transforming power of grace. Eden explores different dimensions of divine love—sheltering, compassionate, purifying, etc.—to help those sexually wounded in childhood understand their identity in the abiding love of Christ.

Sisters of Life Superior General Agnes Mary Donovan S.V. writes in the book's foreword:

“An inspired work . . . powerfully moving and hope-filled. . . It is my hope that this book may become a resource readily available: in churches, schools, counseling centers, young adult ministries, libraries, and hospitals. Through it may many whose human dignity has been offended come to know their beauty in the eyes of God, and learn to sing in joy of His love and His mercy. I pray that for every reader this book will be an instrument of grace and instruction.”

The book has also received endorsements from Father James Martin S.J., Alice von Hildebrand, Barbara Nicolosi Harrington, and others.

Would you like to help spread the word about My Peace I Give You? If so, here are some things you can do:

• Mention it on your blog, Facebook page, or other media outlet. Include links to the book's Ave Maria Press home page and its Amazon page (now taking pre-orders). Please also link to my blog, The Dawn Patrol, as I've resumed regular blogging.

• If you would like to review My Peace I Give You for your blog or other media outlet, or if you would like to host my upcoming "blog tour," write to me with your snailmail address so I may ask Ave Maria Press to send you a review copy.  

• Are you in radio or TV, or do you know someone who is? If so, please help me get media interviews. Any personal introductions you could provide to such contacts would be enormously helpful.

• Is there a bookstore, church, college, or any other venue in your area that might like me to come and speak as I promote My Peace I Give You this spring and summer? If so, please link me up with them. I want to speak at shelters and prisons too--anywhere where people might be helped.

• Most of all, please pray for God's will for My Peace I Give You, that it may reach those who would be helped by it. Please also pray for me as I seek to help adults who have suffered childhood wounds find healing in Christ.

Thank you so much for your support and prayers. If you are in Washington, D.C., hope very much to see you April 23 at the Catholic Information Center.

Take on, Shamcey

I was in Cagayan de Oro City for three days last week.  There is much hope.  Of course, that hope is spurred by the "awakening", as a friend says, of how much the local government has not really worked for the people, but rather for their own grip on power.  There are these streamers that say something like Bangon CdO and Go (forward) CdO.  Let us see how far they can sustain this hope.

From the airport, we mistakenly took the main road and ended up having to use one of the newer flyovers (one of those expensive "humps" as they call it) that reminded me of ube ice cream.  Yep, it was painted in purple, shades of purple.   I heard it is the mayor's favorite color.  Then again, it is about Lent, so that'll be a good reminder for the folks at CdO during Lent.

The rest of the days were really routine chats and meetings of sorts.

On Sunday, while lining up to pay for the terminal fee, it happened again.

I had the queezy (is that even a word?) feeling that people were looking at me or at least towards my direction.  Then I felt some sort of, figure, hovering over me.  Like a small cloud suddenly covering the sun on an otherwise cloudless sky.

Nope it wasn't any dementor.  It was BbP. Shamcey S. a little behind me.  At her natural height, plus 4-inch heels, that's hovering.  I did not know it was her at that moment, only some minutes later at the pre-departure area when some ladies went a little agog at her "hovering" presence.  No pictures, you just have to take my word for it, I guess.

On the Q400, before take off, a four-year old kid kept asking his Mum what time we were to take on in Cebu, persistenly, as Mum was keeping things in order and convincing older brother to give in to little sister who wanted a window seat.  

Take on?  What are you saying, son?  Take on?

Take on.  Aren't we to take off shortly?  Take off, then take on.

We had a good flight.  And a good take on.  I like the Q400.

Fruit of the poisonous tree

Why I am not surprised at this:  faulty formation in the faith from both the parents and the educators.  Fruit of a poisonous tree indeed.

Animals, right?

A US federal judge will hear arguments whether animals may have constitutional rights against slavery.  Yep, true.  A case brought on by PETA.*

Perhaps the judge simply wanted to make history, and he did.  Whether these animal rights proponents will succeed is a big question though as the constitution is meant for people.  And these are animals, right?

*People who eat and torture animals?

Earthquake

Everyone's (ok, definitely not) certainly talking, blogging, texting, tweeting, fbing, etc. about the earthquake that hit Central Visayas at about noon today. There have been many more aftershocks that were felt after that 6.8 mag shakedown.  Casualties and damage are minimal as of latest news.  We are thankful.

There was of course a tsunami warning level 2 which caused a lot to panic.  That level meant that we need to be watchful of signs of tsunami, but it did not call for evacuation.  Some had other things in mind.  So they started running up to higher ground.  I cannot really blame them, but when people start believing everything they read via sms or hear things without verification (typical hysteria and panic effects), well, sh_t happens. 

Pray and stay safe.

The truth will set you free; then it will piss you off.

One of the many possible effects of an RH Law is the suspension or eradication even of conscience rights important not only in the religious sense, but in all senses.  Look at what issues come to fore in relation to the universal health care law in the United States.  

Look at how this law becomes problematic for groups, especially Churches, when it comes to conscience rights.  Now even the US Catholic bishops conference, as well as other Catholic and Christian groups who were fence-sitting on the issue of the pro-choice mandates of Obamacare, are complaining.  My nasty twin wants to say I told you so.

Read Judie and like her say:

But wait a minute. Where have these people been for the past four years? Why didn’t they work with other ... four years ago to stop this draconian law from ever being passed in the first place?

Now that the horse is out of the barn, they are screaming? Give me a break! What else can you expect when you sit down with the devil?  

We Filipinos should learn from this.  Let us not miss this true learning moment.

I hate people who say "He's a nice person once you get to know him."  They might as well just say "He's a d__khead, but you'll get used to it."