Earth Day post

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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"

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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.

"Insanity of Choice"

From Jill Stanek

The case for NFP in media

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

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?

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"

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

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