Have We Become Slaves of Sin and Falsehoods?

For nearly two weeks, America has witnessed terrorism within its own borders, inflicted and sustained by those charged with protecting us from such acts - the deliberate and willful dehydration and starvation of one of its own citizens. But Terri is more than just a citizen. Let us not forget, that the Sacrament of Baptism unites us with each other with a greater bond than that which we have with our own biological families. In this regard, we can truly call one another "brother" and "sister".

Our country, in the deliberate act of murdering our sister in Christ, has abandoned its responsibilities.

Pope John Paul II, during his visit to St. Louis in 1999, reminded us:

At the end of this century at once marked by unprecedented progress and by a tragic toll of human suffering radical changes in world politics leave America with a heightened responsibility to be for the world an example of a genuinely free, democratic, just and humane society.

We have failed miserably in this responsibility.

How is it possible for our once great country to be an example of a free, just and humane society when we, and the whole world, have watched the protracted and horrific government sanctioned execution of a disabled woman for days on end. We are setting an example which is diametrically opposed to that called for by the Holy Father. It is opposed the the natural law, and most importantly, it is opposed to God's law. Tyrants have usurped that which belongs to God alone!

Our example to the entire world is that we are not a free society, nor a just society, and certainly, not an humane society. No pious platitudes to the contrary can ever justify the taking of this woman's life or the denial of her right to life.

When the "law" mandates that an innocent person must be murdered by dehydration and starvation, and the "law" furthers declares that it is a crime for one to interfere with that "death sentence" by trying to provide water or nourishment, it is a clear indication that the "law" is an act of tyranny and no "law" at all. This tyranny is made worse when government leaders give credence to this "law" by failing to act, by failing to take the necessary actions to protect that unjustly condemned person from the illegal mandates of the courts. They have become complicit by their inactions.

Those leaders who fail - and have failed - to take action to protect this woman appear to have washed their hands of the affair for the sake of political expediency, in a manner similar to others in history.

Pontius Pilate washes his hands.


The Holy Father furthered stated:

There is another lesson here: God has given us a moral law to guide us and protect us from falling back into the slavery of sin and falsehood.

When we reject the moral law, we reject God and His mercy. Coincident with this rejection, we lose our moral compass and the protection provided by adherence to the moral law.

Having no protection, then, from immorality and the evils of the world, we begin to embrace falsehoods which lead us into slavery and darkness. Where are we headed now that, under cover of "law", the government can withhold life-giving water and food from one of its own citizens (our sister in Christ), who is free from any criminal wrongdoing, and who happens to be mentally impaired. Indeed, it looks as if we are now enslaved - we have abandoned our morals and our freedom.

Pope John Paul II continues:

America first proclaimed its independence on the basis of self-evident moral truths. America will remain a beacon of freedom for the world as long as it stands by those moral truths which are the very heart of its historical experience.

The converse of his words are likewise true - if America abandons the moral truth, it will no longer be a beacon of freedom. We have been making a habit of "forgetting" our historical experience and, in so doing, we do not recall the proper meanings of "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness". Our beacon of the light of freedom has been extingushed - yet we may be able to recover it, if we can change our course.

Finally, the Pope says:

And so America: If you want peace, work for justice. If you want justice, defend life. If you want life, embrace the truth the truth revealed by God.

We do not defend life, therefore justice is denied to us on this earth. And because we do not seem to want justice, there can be no peace. We are rejecting the truth and rejecting life.

This reprehensible act of the government, this gross miscarriage of justice, leaves everyone vulnerable to the whims and desires of a few who have appropriated for themselves the power to decide who lives and dies. As we watch Terri, our precious sister in the Lord, being ruthlessly and brutally murdered in 'slow motion', so to speak, we cry out to God for mercy for her, her family, and for all who seek to be freed from the slavery now imposed by weak or corrupt leaders.

We have witnessed, in this atrocity, that which may be only the beginning of far worse things to come.

I pray that our Lord would have mercy on Terri, her family, on us and, especially, on those responsible for this criminal behavior. May He provide comfort to her and her family as they must suffer at the hands of our once great country - a country of which I am so ashamed. May You, Almighty Father, provide all of us with the strength to endure the coming trials and tribulations which are certain to befall us for such crimes. Help us to live martyrs' lives with courage and conviction. Shower your children with grace so that hardened hearts might be open to Your love.

Some of us have wept and continue to weep for Terri and her family. A watershed moment has come and many have not heeded the call for action to save her. We will be weeping for our country and for our "leaders".

Have we become slaves of sin and lies? As a nation, it appears we have. Absent any substantial change, our future has already been written in history. It's shameful that we did not heed the admonition of the Pope John Paul.


Source of the Holy Father's Address.

Gospel for Thursday Within the Octave of Easter

From: Luke 24:35-48

[35] Then they (the disciples) told what had happened on the road, and how He (Jesus) was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Jesus Appears To The Eleven And Their Companions

[36] As they were saying this, Jesus Himself stood among them, and said to them, "Peace to you!" [37] But they were startled and frightened, and supposed that they saw a spirit. [38] And He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do questionings rise in your hearts? [39] See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; handle Me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have." [40] And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. [41] Andwhile they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered, He said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" [42] They gave Him a piece of broiled fish, [43] and He took it and ate before them.

Jesus' Last Instructions And Leave-Taking

[44] Then He said to them, "These are My words which I spoke to you, while I was still with you, that everything written about Me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled." [45] Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, [46] and He said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, [47] and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. [48] You are witnesses of these things."
*****************
Commentary:

36-43. This appearance of the risen Jesus is reported by St. Luke and St. John (cf. John 20:19-23). St. John reports the institution of the sacrament of Penance, whereas St. Luke puts the stress on the disciples' difficulty in accepting the miracle of the Resurrection, despite the angels' testimony to the women (cf. Matthew 28:5-7; Mark 16:5-7; Luke 24:4-11) and despite the witness of those who had already seen the risen Lord (cf. Matthew 28:9-10; Mark 16:9-13; Luke 24:13ff; John 20:11-18).

Jesus appears all of a sudden, when the doors are closed (cf. John 20:19), which explains their surprised reaction. St. Ambrose comments that "He penetrated their closed retreat not because His nature was incorporeal, but because He had the quality of a resurrected body" ("Expositio Evangelii Sec. Lucam, in loc".). "Subtility", which is one of the qualities of a glorified body, means that "the body is totally subject to the soul and ever ready to obey its wishes" "St. Pius V Catechism", I, 12, 13), with the result that it can pass through material obstacles without any difficulty.

This scene showing Christ's condescension to confirm for them the truth of His resurrection has a charm all of its own.

41-43. Although His risen body is incapable of suffering, and therefore has no need of food to nourish it, our Lord confirms His disciples' faith in His resurrection by giving them these two proofs--inviting them to touch Him and eating in their presence. "For myself, I know and believe that our Lord was in the flesh even after the Resurrection. And when He came to Peter and his companions, He said to them, `Here, feel Me and see that I am not a bodiless ghost.' They touched Him and believed, and were convinced that He was flesh and spirit [...]. Moreover, after the Resurrection, He ate and drank with them like a man of flesh and blood, though spiritually one with the Father" (St. Ignatius of Antioch, "Letter to the Christians at Smyrna", III, 1-3).

44-49. St. Matthew stresses that the Old Testament prophecies are fulfilled in Christ, because His immediate audience were Jews, who would accept this as proof that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah. St. Luke does not usually argue along these lines because He is writing for Gentiles; however, in this epilogue he does report, in a summarized way, Christ's statement to the effect that everything foretold about Him had come true. By doing so He shows the unity of Old and New Testaments and that Jesus is truly the Messiah.

46. From St. Luke's account we have seen how slow the Apostles were to grasp Jesus' prophecy of His death and resurrection (cf. 9:45; 18:34). Now that the prophecy is fulfilled Jesus reminds them that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead (cf. Acts 2:1-4).

The Cross is a mystery, in our own life as well as in Christ's: "Jesus suffers to carry out the will of the Father. And you, who also want to carry out the most holy Will of God, following the steps of the Master, can you complain if you meet suffering on your way?" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 213).
**************************
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland.

Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.

Unworthy Reception of Communion: Christ's Greatest Suffering

Severity of Scandal of Pro-Abortion Politicians and Communion Highlighted by Top Vatican Cardinal

"How much filth there is in the Church, and even among those who, in the priesthood, ought to belong entirely to him! …His betrayal by his disciples, their unworthy reception of his Body and Blood, is certainly the greatest suffering endured by the Redeemer; it pierces his heart." In the prayer that follows, [Cardinal] Ratzinger talks about the 'fall of the Church' and includes what can only be described as a desperate plea, "Have mercy on your Church… Save and sanctify your Church. Save and sanctify us all."

Have mercy on your Church… Save and sanctify your Church. Save and sanctify us all.

That bears repeating...daily if not more often!

LifeSiteNews Article.

In Canada, Religious Freedom Under Attack

Human Rights Complaint Filed Against Catholic Bishop for Defense of Traditional Marriage

CALGARY, March 30, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A supporter of same-sex marriage is using the human rights process to take away Bishop Frederick Henry's right to freedom of religion and free speech. Despite the Catholic Church's established role in preparing men and women for marriage and conducting religious marriage ceremonies between men and women, it appears that supporters of same-sex marriage do not want religious leaders to be part of the debate on this issue.

More on this here.

We must pray always. Luke 18:1-8

1 And he spoke also a parable to them, that we ought always to pray, and not to faint, 2 Saying: There was a judge in a certain city, who feared not God, nor regarded man.

3 And there was a certain widow in that city, and she came to him, saying: Avenge me of my adversary.

4 And he would not for a long time. But afterwards he said within himself: Although I fear not God, nor regard man,

5 Yet because this widow is troublesome to me, I will avenge her, lest continually coming she weary me.

6 And the Lord said: Hear what the unjust judge saith.

7 And will not God revenge his elect who cry to him day and night: and will he have patience in their regard?

8 I say to you, that he will quickly revenge them. But yet the Son of man, when he cometh, shall he find, think you, faith on earth?
*****

[3 "Avenge"... That is, do me justice. It is a Hebraism.]

Federal Appeals Court Again Refuses to Intervene

Breakiing news here.

One must wonder why the court even went through this exercise last night - are all of these people possessed?

PINELLAS PARK, Fla. - With time running out for Terri Schiavo, a federal appeals court Wednesday rejected her parents' latest attempt to get the brain-damaged woman's feeding tube reconnected.

The Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed to consider an emergency bid by Bob and Mary Schindler for a new hearing in their case, raising a flicker of hope for the parents after a series of setbacks in the case. But the court rejected the request 15 hours later.

Three times last week, the court also ruled against the Schindlers.

"Any further action by our court or the district court would be improper," Judge Stanley F. Birch Jr. wrote. "While the members of her family and the members of Congress have acted in a way that is both fervent and sincere, the time has come for dispassionate discharge of duty."

To be granted, the parents' request would have needed the support of seven of the court's 12 judges. The court did not disclose the vote breakdown.

The law, indeed, is an ass!

Source.

Not too late to save Terri, says her father

PINELLAS PARK, United States (AFP) - Terri Schiavo's father said it was not too late to save his severely brain-damaged daughter's life 13 days after her feeding tube was removed.

"Terri is still with us," Bob Schindler told reporters. "Under the circumstances she looks darned good, surprisingly good."

"She's still fighting and we're still going to fight for her. We'll do whatever we can to save her and it's not too late," he said.

"I am asking that nobody throws the towel while she still is with us," Bob Schindler said.

My heart cries out for Terri and her family - May Almighty God, our Father in heaven, in His infinite Mercy and Wisdom, protect Terri from all harm and rescue her from the hands of those who are torturing her and trying to murder her.

Source.

1981 attack on Pope planned by Soviets: Report

New documents found in the files of the former East German intelligence services confirm the 1981 assassination attempt against Pope John Paul II was ordered by the Soviet KGB and assigned to Bulgarian agents, an Italian daily said on Wednesday.

The Corriere della Sera said that the documents found by the German government indicated that the KGB ordered Bulgarian colleagues to carry out the killing, leaving the East German service known as the Stasi to coordinate the operation and cover up the traces afterwards.

More here.

Post Chastized for Allowing Falsehoods Against Abp Burke

Frankly, I'm surprised the Post even printed such a letter:

Letters to the editor: Spreading falsehoods
Oakville-Mehlville Journal

To the editor:

Are you not a responsible newspaper at all?

I refer to your Town Talk section of the March 16 Journal. Under the heading "Religious discord" you print what is clearly a slander against a good man. Even if an (anonymous) individual says "Archbishop Burke has managed to alienate most of the few remaining Catholics in town…..," you are at fault here for printing an obvious falsehood.

Archbishop Burke is doing exactly what he is supposed to do as the archbishop of St. Louis, and he does not kiss up (I suspect as you would have him do) to politicians or others in town who want to run things and want him to act as if he were not the Archbishop.

You should be ashamed for supporting such obvious calumny by printing the dirty little piece without comment. You know very well that "most" of the Catholics in St. Louis do support Archbishop Burke. Therefore, you are not right in any respect to lend moral support to this slanderer.

William Dunn
South St. Louis

Kudos to Mr. Dunn and to all of those who have sent letters to the Post regarding its apparent support of hostility toward Archbishop Burke and the Church.

Source for Letter.

Skipping Town Talk This Week....

It appears to be a repeat of a previous comment about riding a horse our of town...Originality on the wane.

If anyone wants to see it, it's here.

PD SoundOff for March 30...

God is watching

The controversy over the St. Stanislaus Catholic Church is ridiculous. These church members have practiced their faith devoutly and taken good care of their church for over 100 years. Archbishop Burke, stop being a bully. God is watching.

Ummmmm....OK.

Source.

Governor Faces Tricky Decision On Emergency Contraception Bill

DENVER -- Gov. Bill Owens, a Roman Catholic who has campaigned on conservative values, could face a tough choice when he decides whether to sign a bill that would force hospitals to tell rape victims about emergency contraception.

Denver Roman Catholic Archbishop Charles Chaput has objected to the bill because it doesn't require health-care workers to tell rape victims that some medications stop a fertilized egg from being implanted, which he says amounts to abortion.

Chaput said the church does allow rape victims to takes steps to prevent ovulation when there is no risk that a fertilized egg would be affected.

More.

Bishop to Meet with Mother of Girl with Celiac Disease

ATLANTIC CITY: The head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton has
agreed to meet with the mother of a 9-year-old girl whose first Holy
Communion was declared invalid because the wafer didn't contain
wheat, a spokesman said Tuesday.

Bishop John M. Smith has consented to a private audience with Liz
Pelly-Waldman, 31, of Brielle, who is challenging a policy requiring
communion hosts to have wheat in them.

More.

Vatican: Pope Getting Nutrition From Tube

VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul II is getting nutrition from a tube in
his nose, the Vatican said Wednesday, shortly after the frail pontiff
appeared at his window in St. Peter's Square and managed only a rasp
when he tried to speak

Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said the step was taken to
"improve the pope's calorie intake" and so he can recover his
strength. It was unclear when the tube was inserted but it was not
visible when John Paul made his appearance.

Source.

Gospel for Wednesday Within the Octave of Easter

From: Luke 24:13-35

The Road To Emmaus



[13] That very day two of them (disciples) were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, [14] and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. [15] While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. [16] But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him. [17] And He said to them, "What is this conversation which you are holding with each other as you walk?" And they stood still, looking sad. [18] Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered Him, "Are You the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?" [19] And He said to them, "What things?" And they said to Him, "Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, [20] and how our chief priests and rulers delivered Him up to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. [21] But we had hoped that He was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since this happened. [22] Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning [23] and did not find His body; and they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that He was alive. [24] Some of those who were with us went to the tomb, and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see." [25] And He said to them, "O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! [26] Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?" [27] And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

[28] So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He appeared to be going further, [29] but they constrained Him, saying, "Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent." So He went in to stay with them. [30] When He was at table with them, He took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. [31] And their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished out of their sight. [32] They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while He opened to us the Scriptures?" [33] And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the Eleven gathered together and those who were with them, [34] who said, "The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!" [35] Then they told what had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of the bread.
**************************
Commentary:

13-35. In the course of their conversation with Jesus, the disciples' mood changes from sadness to joy; they begin to hope again, and feel the need to share their joy with others, thus becoming heralds and witnesses of the risen Christ.

This is an episode exclusive to St. Luke, who describes it in a masterly way. It shows our Lord's zeal for souls. "As He is walking along, Christ meets two men who have nearly lost all hope. They are beginning to feel that life has no meaning for them. Christ understands their sorrow; He sees into their heart and communicates to them some of the life He carries within Himself."

"When they draw near the village, He makes as if to go on, but the two disciples stop Him and practically force Him to stay with them. They recognize Him later when He breaks the bread. The Lord, they exclaimed, has been with us! `And they said to each other: "Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while He opened to us the Scriptures?"' (Luke 24:32). Every Christian should make Christ present among men. He ought to act in such a way that those who know Him sense `the aroma of Christ' (cf. 2 Corinthians 2:15). Men should be able to recognize the Master in His disciples" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 105).

13-27. Jesus' conversation with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus gives us a very good idea of the disillusionment felt by His disciples after His apparent total failure. Cleopas' words summarize Christ's life and mission (verse 19), His passion and death (verse 20), the despair felt by His disciples (verse 21), and the events of that Sunday morning (verse 22).

Earlier, Jesus had said to the Jews: "You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to Me" (John 5:39). In saying this He indicated the best way for us to get to know Him. Pope Paul VI points out that today also frequent reading of and devotion to Holy Scripture is a clear inspiration of the Holy Spirit: "The progress made in biblical studies, the increasing dissemination of the Sacred Scriptures, and above all the example of tradition and the interior action of the Holy Spirit are tending to cause the modern Christian to use the Bible ever increasingly as the basic prayerbook and to draw from it genuine inspiration and unsurpassable examples" ([Pope] Paul VI, "Marialis Cultus", 30).

Because the disciples are so downhearted, Jesus patiently opens for them the meaning of all the Scriptural passages concerning the Messiah. "Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?": with these words He disabuses them of the notion of an earthly and political Messiah and shows them that Christ's mission is a supernatural one--to save all mankind.

Sacred Scripture contained the prophecy that God would bring about salvation through the redemptive passion and death of the Messiah. The Cross does not mean failure: it is the route chosen by God for Christ to achieve definitive victory over sin and death (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:23-24). Many of our Lord's contemporaries failed to understand His supernatural mission because they misinterpreted the Old Testament texts. No one knew the meaning of Sacred Scripture like Jesus. And, after Him, only the Church has the mission and responsibility of conserving Scripture and interpreting it correctly: "All that has been said about the manner of interpreting Scripture is ultimately subject to the judgment of the Church which exercises the divinely conferred commission and ministry of watching over and interpreting the Word of God" (Vatican II, "Dei Verbum", 12).

28-35. The Master's presence and words restore the disciples' spirits and give them new and lasting hope. "There were two disciples on their way to Emmaus. They were walking along at a normal pace, like so many other travelers on that road. And there, without any fuss, Jesus appears to them, and walks with them, His conversation helping to alleviate their tiredness. I can well imagine the scene, just as dusk is falling. A gentle breeze is blowing. All around are fields ripe with wheat, and venerable olive trees, their branches shimmering in the soft glowing light.

"Jesus joins them as they go along their way. Lord, how great you are, in everything! But You move me even more when You come down to our level, to follow us and to seek us in the hustle and bustle of each day. Lord, grant us a childlike spirit, pure eyes and a clear mind so that we may recognize You when You come without any outward sign of Your glory.

"The journey ends when they reach the village. The two disciples who, without realizing it, have been deeply stirred by the words and love shown by God made man, are sorry to see Him leaving. For Jesus `appeared to be going further' (Luke 24:28). This Lord of ours never forces Himself on us. He wants us to turn to Him freely, when we begin to grasp the purity of His Love which He has placed in our souls. We have to hold Him back (`they constrained Him') and beg Him: `Stay with us, for it is towards evening, and the day is now far spent' (Luke 24:29).

"That's just like us - always short on daring, perhaps because we are insincere, or because we feel embarrassed. Deep down, what we are really thinking is: `Stay with us, because our souls are shrouded in darkness and You alone are the light. You alone can satisfy this longing that consumes us.' For `we know full well which among all things fair and honorable is the best - to possess God for ever' (St. Gregory Nazianzen, "Epistulae", 212).

"And Jesus stays. Our eyes are opened, as were those of Cleopas and his companion, when Christ breaks the bread; and, though He vanishes once more from sight, we too will find strength to start out once more - though night is falling - to tell the others about Him, because so much joy cannot be kept in one heart alone.

"The road to Emmaus - our God has filled this name with sweetness. Now the entire world has become an Emmaus, for the Lord has opened up all the divine paths of the earth" ([St] J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 313f).

32. If you were an apostle, these words of the disciples of Emmaus should rise spontaneously to the lips of your professional companions when they meet you along the way of their lives" ("The Way", 917).

33-35. The disciples now feel the need to return to Jerusalem immediately; there they find the Apostles and some other disciples gathered together with Peter, to whom Jesus has appeared.

In sacred history, Jerusalem was the place where God chose to be praised in a very special way and where the prophets carried out their main ministry. God willed that Christ should suffer, die and rise again in Jerusalem, and from there the Kingdom of God begins to spread (cf. Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8). In the New Testament the Church of Christ is described as "the Jerusalem above" (Galatians 4:26), "the Heavenly Jerusalem" (Hebrews 12:22) and the "new Jerusalem" (Revelation 21:2).

The Church began in the Holy City. Later on, St. Peter, not without a special intervention of Providence, moved to Rome, thereby making that city the center of the Church. Just as Peter strengthened these first disciples in the faith, so too Christians of all generations have recourse to the See of Peter to strengthen their faith and thereby build up the unity of the Church: "Take away the Pope and the Catholic Church would no longer be catholic. Moreover, without the supreme, effective and authoritative pastoral office of Peter the unity of Christ's Church would collapse. It would be vain to look for other principles of unity in place of the true one established by Christ Himself [...]. We would add that this cardinal principle of holy Church is not a supremacy of spiritual pride and a desire to dominate mankind, but a primacy of service, ministration and love. It is no vapid rhetoric which confers on Christ's vicar the title: `Servant of the servants of God'" ([Pope] Paul VI, "Ecclesiam Suam", 83).
******************
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland.

Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.

Fed Appeals Court Grant Terri's Parents Petition for Rehearing

11th yes Court of Appeals Federal Court

Letting Schindlers parents refile petition for rehearing for injunction.

District Court committed plain error when it reviewed only case history not facts of the case.

Heard as special report at 11:35pm CST

Link to another source

Another more detailed link here

More Judicial Lunacy...

US state supreme court blocks execution because jurors consulted bible

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - The supreme court of the western US state of Colorado has quashed a death sentence handed down to a convicted murderer and rapist after jurors consulted the Bible in reaching their verdict.

The court on Monday ruled that the Bible, which includes the ancient premise of "eye for an eye" justice, constituted an improper outside influence and a reliance on what the judges called a "higher authority."

I'm surprised the court would admit that a "higher authority" even exists...

Source

The Anonymous Priest at St Stanislaus at Easter

Here is a thumbnail jpg...


And here is the complete picture (in a PDF):
RentaPriestatStStanislaus.pdf

Does anyone have more...

Thanks to [you know who] for sending this in.

Send a Message of Love/Hope to Terri's Family

March 28, 2005

Dear Friends,

The Terri Schiavo situation has brought a sad awareness to many of our fellow citizens about how heartless the culture of death is. Please be assured that no matter what happens in the next few days, we as a people of life will stand together and will, in God's strength, turn back this tide of evil and destruction. Many negotiations are still going on behind the scenes, and Priests for Life is doing everything possible. Moreover, we are in discussion with other leaders about plans for legislation that will prevent this kind of disaster from ever happening again, not only by directly protecting the vulnerable, but also by limiting the power of the courts.

Meanwhile, I would like to deliver your messages and good wishes in person to Terri's parents Bob and Mary, to her brother Bobby, and to her sister Suzanne. If you want to send them a greeting or a promise of prayers, just email Terri@priestsforlife.org, and I will hand-deliver them every greeting you send.

On other matters, there is a new online poll on our web page www.priestsforlife.org. The question for April is, "Should the United States Congress exercise veto power over Supreme Court decisions?" As always, your opinion is welcome. And while you're there, stop in to see our products at www.priestsforlife.org/products

God bless you! Fr. Frank Pavone

Thought I would pass this on...

Press Misrepresents Catholic Teaching on End of Life Issues

An email update from Austin Ruse:
The media, in their usual cahoots with liberal theologians, are advancing the idea that the Catholic tradition would allow for Terri Schiavo to be starved to death. Two theologians spoke with Culture and Cosmos to set the record straight.

The prominence of the Terri Schiavo case has brought unprecedented media attention to the Catholic Church's teaching on end-of-life issues. But media portrayals of Church teaching are often inaccurate and misleading, according to two prominent Catholic ethicists.

Father Thomas Williams, dean of the theology department of Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University, and Richard Doerflinger, Deputy Director of the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, both said the Church makes a distinction between ordinary and extraordinary care. The first is always required while the second is not. "The Church teaches that we have a moral obligation to support life," Doerflinger said. "That obligation has limits. People talk about ordinary and extraordinary means. That just means that when the efforts to sustain life start doing more harm than good to the patient the moral obligation ceases to apply. Even then you should never abandon a patient and never deny them the basic care owed to everyone because of their human dignity."

Father Williams quotes from Pope John Paul II's 1995 encyclical, The Gospel of Life, when trying to define extraordinary means. "The Pope uses two sets of terms. For treatment to be considered extraordinary death must be 'imminent and inevitable' and the treatment would result in 'precarious and burdensome prolongation of life.'" An example might be a cancer victim who, after several rounds of treatment, has found chemotherapy to be ineffective and foregoes the treatment in order to avoid its side effects.

Father Williams and Doerflinger said that in some instances it can be extremely difficult to determine the difference between extraordinary and ordinary care and that in such instances people must follow their conscience. But both men said the Schiavo case is clear cut. "From a Catholic perspective, this is an open and shut case," Father Williams said. According to Doerflinger, "food and water should always be seen as basic care," a teaching made abundantly clear in an address by Pope John Paul II in March, 2004, he said.

A recent article in the Washington Post, "Catholic Stance on Tube-Feeding Is Evolving," tried to paint the papal pronouncement, that food and water are basic care, as contrary to the Catholic tradition. The article placed great stock in the teachings of two Spanish theologians of the 16th century, Francisco de Vitoria and Domingo Banez, as proof that the Pope has formulated a novel teaching. Banez "wrote that a sick man could refuse food without risk of committing a mortal sin if he had no hope of survival," the Post reported, and Vitora established "the guideline that 'ordinary' means of medical treatment were obligatory, but 'extraordinary' means - methods that would cause great pain or burdens - were not required."

Father Williams, says the two Spaniards are actually consistent with the teaching the Pope John Paul. "What they said does not mean that one can refuse to consume food for any length of time or refuse food that would save one's life. What they mean is that if you are dying and the food would make you sick to your stomach or you would die anyway, you can refuse the food." But even if Vitoria or Banez were at odds with the Pope, it would not mean that the Pope has made up a new teaching. "The fact is that you can find theologians on any point - even the most settled of moral doctrines like abortion, euthanasia, contraception - who disagree. That does not mean there is doubt or division or that there is not a Catholic position. The Church doesn't work that way. That's why we have a magisterium." Doerflinger, who was interviewed for the Post story, said the article failed to bring up the many statements calling food and water basic care that preceded the Pope's address. "Up until then it had not just been 'conservative' theologians versus 'liberal' theologians. There had been a number of Vatican documents. And there had been statements by the Pro-Life Committee of the US Bishops Conference that is chaired and run by cardinals and archbishops. "

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For those who are interested, Fr Richard McBrien was on Fox News last night - and wearing a Roman collar. Some think he was inpersonating a priest.

Before reading further, grab or make a tinfoil hat first...to protect against brain damaging waves.
He claimed that the Terri Schiavo case is not a case of euthanasia because the feeding tube "wasn't removed with the intent of killing her."