Principles and Practices, November 18

Note: This is the first of the coming year's meditations/reflections which be be posted here since we concluded one year of daily meditations taken from the book, "Just for Today."
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WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?

In the contemplative life the soul, intellect, and will tends to no other thing than God; in the active life, on the contrary, it tends at the same time to other things, namely to exterior good works, so long as these be for God.

That is why in the active soul the works undertaken for God impress themselves more strongly than God Himself. Therefore also is it said of the active life that it is solicitous and troubled by many things, that is to say, by exterior good works, that are numerous and distracting; while of the contem­plative life it is said that it is occupied with One only matter, which is God.

And thus it happens that the active life brings with it a certain trouble, and the dispersion of the soul over numerous and varied things, whereas the contemplative life brings peace, serenity, and the simplification of the soul.
-Boniface Maes.
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From Principles and Practices
Compiled by Rev. J. Hogan of The Catholic Missionary Society
Published by Burns Oates & Washbourne Ltd., Publishers To The Holy See
Nihil Obstat; Eduardus J. Mahoney, S.T.D. Censor deputatus.
Imprimatur; Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius generalis.
First printed in 1930

Thoughts of St Augustine for November 18

WHAT is it that the soul desires, what does she crave? Whither is she going? On what is our yearning fixed? Whither is it hurrying us?
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Click here for more information.

From Thoughts of St Augustine for Every Day
by Kathleen Mary Balfe (© 1926)
Nihil Obstat: Georgius D. Smith, S.T.D
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont

Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day-November 18

WHOEVER would become a saint, must during this life resemble the lily among thorns, which, however much it may be pricked by them, never ceases to be a lily; that is, it is always equally sweet and serene. The soul that loves God maintains an imperturbable peace of heart.
_________________
From Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day
Compiled by Rev. C. McNeiry, C.SS.R.
Imprimatur: Joseph Hull, C.SS.R., Prov. Angl. Sup.
Nihil Obstat: Innocentlus Apap, O.P., S.T.M., Censor Deptutatus.
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius Generalis.
Westmonasterii, Die 9a Junii, 1927.
First published 1927

News Updates, 11/17

Father of soon-to-be-excommunicated priest Roy Bourgeois confirms son in his sin
"...God is going to take care of Roy now...Roy is doing the right thing by following his conscience, and I support him."
[Can we presume that if good ol' Roy were to jump off a cliff to certain death, then daddy would support him in that decision as well? These people are intellectually immature, ignorant, or lying. No father, mother, or fellow Catholic for that matter, could honestly support another's decision to choose hell over heaven.]

Reilly: Obama's Catholic backers
Supporting pop culture over church teaching
[It's shameful that these scandalous heretics are not excommunicated.]

“Deafening silence of our elected officials”
Proposition 8 supporters want to know why politicians won’t speak out against violence
[That's easy - they approve of and sanction violence when it promotes hedonism and immorality!]

Ga. priest facing excommunication will appeal
Maryknoller participated in women's ordination ceremony

Priest's words about Obama draw censure
Diocese repudiates comments about voting democrat

50,000 Hindus march against Christians in India
Fundamentalists call for an 'end to conversions'

Britain to push contraception jabs for girls
Gov't to 'urgently' bring down teen pregnancy rates

Fort Worth is 4th Episcopal diocese to break away
Latest fallout from consecration of openly gay bishop

The world's top ten ugliest buildings
Space capsule cathedral in Liverpool ranks no. 4

Salvador archbishop nixes probe of killed Jesuits
'El Salvador's affairs should be resolved in El Salvador'

Priest believes satanic cult behind church thefts
Man tried to steal consecrated Hosts, snakes appear

Police raids reveal Nigerian 'baby farms'
20 teenage girls rescued in human trafficking sting

“Scheme to cover up a fraud”
Court records show how Planned Parenthood over-billed government for millions -- and may get away with it

Former Obama opponent (Alan Keyes) now suing to prove President-Elect's citizenship
SACRAMENTO, Ca.- A former opponent of Barack Obama's has come back to haunt him over questions regarding Obama's citizenship. Former presidential candidate Alan Keyes and other members of his American Independent Party have filed suit in California Superior Court in Sacramento to stop the state from giving its electoral votes to President-elect Barack Obama....

Obama Declares War on Conservative Talk Radio
...Obama is on record as saying he does not plan an exhumation of the now-dead "Fairness Doctrine". Instead, Obama's attack on free speech will be far less understood by the general public and accordingly, far more dangerous. The late community organizer Saul Alinsky taught his followers to strike hard from an unexpected direction, an approach known as Alinsky jujitsu....

Gospel for Nov 17, Memorial: St Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious

Monday, 33rd Week in Ordinary Time

Old Calendar: St. Gregory the Wonderworker, bishop and confessor

From: Luke 18:35-43

The Cure of the Blind Man of Jericho

[35] As He (Jesus) drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging; [36] and hearing a multitude going by, he inquired what this meant. [37] They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." [38] And he cried, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" [39] And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" [40] And Jesus stopped, and commanded him to be brought to Him; and when he came near, He asked him, [41] "What do you want Me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, let me receive my sight." [42] And Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well." [43] And immediately he received his sight and followed Him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.
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Commentary:

35-43. The blind man of Jericho is quick to use the opportunity presented by Christ's presence. We should not neglect the Lord's graces, for we do not know whether He will offer us them again. St. Augustine described very succinctly the urgency with which we should respond to God's gift, to His passing us on the road: "`Timeo Jesum praetereuntem et non redeuntem': I fear Jesus may pass by and not come back." For, at least on some occasion, in some way, Jesus passes close to everyone.

The blind man of Jericho acclaims Jesus as the Messiah--he gives Him the messianic title of Son of David--and asks Him to meet his need, to make him see. His is an active faith; he shouts out, he persists, despite the people getting in his way. And he manages to get Jesus to hear him and call him. God wanted this episode to be recorded in the Gospel, to teach us how we should believe and how we should pray--with conviction, with urgency, with constancy, in spite of the obstacles, with simplicity, until we manage to get Jesus to listen to us.

"Lord, let me receive my sight": this simple ejaculatory prayer should be often on our lips, flowing from the depths of our heart. It is a very good prayer to use in moments of doubt and vacillation, when we cannot understand the reason behind God's plans, when the horizon of our commitment becomes clouded. It is even a good prayer for people who are sincerely trying to find God but who do not yet have the great gift of faith.
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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.

Just for Today, November 17

Note: As previously discussed here, this is the last meditation/reflection from the little book, "Just for Today". I hope the next set of reflections will be beneficial.
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O that with Thy presence thou wouldst enflame, burn, and transform me into Thyself, that I may be made one spirit with Thee, by the grace of internal union and by the melting of ardent love!
-Bk. IV, ch. xvi.
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If Thy justice loves to stay its course upon earth, how much more must not Thy merciful love wish to enflame souls, for Thy mercy is in heaven (Ps. xxxv, 5). O Jesus, may I be the favoured victim...consume Thy little host in the fire of divine love!

-The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme).
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For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.

Thoughts of St Augustine for November 17

THEY have loved the present and slept on the present, and the present has become delicious to them, as he who dreams he has found treasures is rich so long as he does not awake.
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Click here for more information.

From Thoughts of St Augustine for Every Day
by Kathleen Mary Balfe (© 1926)
Nihil Obstat: Georgius D. Smith, S.T.D
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont

Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day-November 17

ECCLESIASTICUS says that her bonds are a healthful binding, and that in the latter end thou shalt find rest in her. You will be indeed fortunate if at death you are bound with the sweet chains of the love of the Mother of God. These chains are chains of salvation.
_________________
From Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day
Compiled by Rev. C. McNeiry, C.SS.R.
Imprimatur: Joseph Hull, C.SS.R., Prov. Angl. Sup.
Nihil Obstat: Innocentlus Apap, O.P., S.T.M., Censor Deptutatus.
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius Generalis.
Westmonasterii, Die 9a Junii, 1927.
First published 1927

News Updates, 11/16

Pope says Catholics in politics must follow faith
Pope Benedict XVI is encouraging Catholics who get involved in politics to stay true to their church's teaching. Benedict says it is necessary that a new generation of Catholics in politics be "coherent" with the faith they profess.

Get rid of your 'false hang-ups' and be disciples of Christ, cardinal says
The president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, Cardinal Stanyslaw Rylko, said this week, “The time has come to free ourselves from our false hang-ups of inferiority towards the secular world and courageously be ourselves, disciples of Christ.”

Vatican cardinal: Obama is 'Aggressive, Disruptive and Apocalyptic'
His Eminence James Francis Cardinal Stafford criticized President-elect Barack Obama as "aggressive, disruptive and apocalyptic," and said he campaigned on an "extremist anti-life platform," Thursday night in Keane Auditorium during his lecture "Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II: Being True in Body and Soul....Because man is a sacred element of secular life," Stafford remarked, "man should not be held to a supreme power of state, and a person's life cannot ultimately be controlled by government."

Issues & Politics
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Obama Admits He Was A British Citizen "At Birth" - As Such, Obama Is Not A Natural Born Citizen Of The United States
And Neither Were The Framers Of The Constitution, Hence The Grandfather Obama Admits He Was A British Citizen "At Birth" - As Such, Obama Is Not A Natural Born Citizen Of The United States

The B-Cast: Examination of Obama’s Selective Service Registration Raises Questions

Gospel for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

From: Matthew 25:14-30

The Parable of the Talents

(Jesus said to His disciples,) [14] "For it will be as when a man going on a journey called his servants and entrusted to them his property; [15] to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. [16] He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them; and he made five talents more. [17] So also, he who had the two talents made two talents more. [18] But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. [19] Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. [20] And he who received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, `Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.' [21] His master said to him, `Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.' [22] And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, `Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.' [23] His master said to him, `Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.' [24] He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, `Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not winnow; [25] so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.' [26] But his master answered him, `You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed, and gather where I have not winnowed? [27] Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. [28] So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents. [29] For to every one who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. [30] And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.'"
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Commentary:

14-30. A talent was not any kind of coin but a measure of value worth about fifty kilos (one hundred pounds) of silver.

In this parable the main message is the need to respond to grace by making a genuine effort right through one's life. All the gifts of nature and grace which God has given us should yield a profit. It does not matter how many gifts we have received; what matters is our generosity in putting them to good use.

A person's Christian calling should not lie hidden and barren: it should be outgoing, apostolic and self-sacrificial. "Don't lose your effectiveness; instead, trample on your selfishness. You think your life is for yourself? Your life is for God, for the good of all men, though your love for our Lord. Your buried talent, dig it up again! Make it yield" ([St] J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 47).

An ordinary Christian cannot fail to notice that Jesus chose to outline his teaching on response to grace by using the simile of men at work. Here we have a reminder that the Christian normally lives out his vocation in the context of ordinary, everyday affairs. "There is just one life, made of flesh and spirit. And it is this life which has to become, in both soul and body, holy and filled with God. We discover the invisible God in the most visible and material things. There is no other way. Either we learn to find our Lord in ordinary, everyday life, or else we shall never find Him" ([St] J. Escriva, "Conversations", 114).
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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.

2nd Reading, 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

From: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6

The Second Coming of the Lord (Continuation)

[1] But as to the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. [3] When people say, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as travail comes upon a woman with child, and there will be no escape. [4] But you are not in darkness, brethren, for that day to surprise you like a thief. [5] For you are all sons of light and sons of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. [6] So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.
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Commentary:

1-3. "The day of the Lord" is an expression used a number of times in Sacred Scripture to refer to that point at which God will intervene decisively and irreversibly. The prophets speak of the "day of Yahweh" sometimes fearfully (cf. Amos 5:18-20), sometimes hopefully (cf. Is 6:13). In his eschatological sermon (cf. Mt 24; Mk 13; Lk 21), Jesus foretold the destruction of Jerusalem in a style very reminiscent of that used by the prophets (cf. Amos 8:9ff) when speaking of the "day of Yahweh". The destruction of the city brings to an end the Jewish era in the history of salvation and prefigures the second coming of Christ as Judge of all. In St Paul's letters, as in other New Testament writings, the "day of the Lord" is the day of the general judgment when Christ will appear in the fullness of glory as Judge (cf. 1 Cor 1:8; 2 Cor 1:14). The Apostle brings in some examples used by our Lord in his preaching about the fall of Jerusalem and the end of the world (the "thief in the night": cf. Mt 24:43; the pains of childbirth: cf. Mt 24:19) to warn people that that day will come unexpectedly, and to exhort them to be always ready.

The Christian, therefore, should always be on the watch, for he never knows for sure when the last day of his life will be. The second coming of the Lord will take people by surprise; it will catch them doing good or doing evil. So, it would be rash to postpone repentance to some time in the future.

4-6. A thief works by night because he thinks that darkness will find the householder unprepared. Our Lord also used this metaphor when he said that if the father of the family had known when the thief would come, he would have kept a look-out (cf. Mt 24:43)--in other words, we need to be always alert, in the state of grace, surrounded by light. So, "if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 Jn 1:7).

On the same subject the Church teaches that our souls are "illumined by the light of faith" ("St Pius V Catechism", II, 2, 4).

We should therefore live a transparent life, with the divine light shining clearly through it; if we do, the "day of the Lord" (which can also be applied to the day each person dies) will not find us unprepared, even if it comes suddenly. "A true Christian is always ready to appear before God. Because, if he is fighting to live as a man of Christ, he is ready at every moment to fulfill his duty" (St. J. Escriva, "Furrow", 875).
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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.

1st Reading, 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

From: Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31

Epilogue: Poem of the Perfect Wife

[10] A good wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. [11] The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. [12] She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. [13] She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. [19] She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle. [20] She opens her hand to the poor, and reaches out her hands to the needy. [30] Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. [31] Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.
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Commentary:

31:10-31. The book closes with a beautiful acrostic poem (the first letter of each verse corresponds to a Hebrew letter, in alphabetical order) about the qualities of the perfect wife in the context of a rural family in ancient Israel. The whole poem is probably symbolic. The prologue to the book depicted Wisdom as a woman who invites everyone to a banquet prepared at her house. Now, in this ideal woman who always knows the right thing to do in every situation, we can see once more the wisdom that God has left stamped on creation.

The poem reveals the moral strength of women. John Paul II comments that this strength “expresses itself in a great number of figures of the Old Testament, of the time of Christ, and of later ages right up to our own day. "A woman is strong because of her awareness of this entrusting", strong because of the fact that God ‘entrusts the human being to her’, always and in every way, even in the situations of social discrimination in which she may find herself. This awareness and this fundamental vocation speak to women of the dignity which they receive from God himself, and this makes them ‘strong’ and strengthens their vocation. Thus the ‘perfect woman’ (cf. Prov 31:10) becomes an irreplaceable support and source of spiritual strength for other people, who perceive the great energies of her spirit. These ‘perfect women’ are owed much by their families, and sometimes by whole nations” ("Mulieris Dignitatem", 30).
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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.

Just for Today, November 16

No man securely rejoiceth, unless he have within him the testimony of a good conscience. Yet the security of the saints was always full of the fear of God. Neither were they less careful or humble in themselves, because they were shining with great virtues and graces.
-Bk. I, ch. xx.
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They tell me that I shall be afraid of death; that may well be. If you only knew how diffident I am about myself: I never rely on my own ideas; I know my weakness only too well, but I will take comfort in what Our Lord allows me to feel at the moment. It will be time enough to suffer when I feel differently.
-Novissima Verba.
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For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.

Thoughts of St Augustine for November 16

EVIL suggestions and allurements are not wanting, but inasmuch as in mind thou art united with God, thou art victorious over that element in thee which refuses to follow him. Thou hast gone forward in part, and in part art hanging back. Draw thyself to him who is bearing thee aloft.
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Click here for more information.

From Thoughts of St Augustine for Every Day
by Kathleen Mary Balfe (© 1926)
Nihil Obstat: Georgius D. Smith, S.T.D
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont

Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day-November 16

OF what use is it to pass for great in the eyes of the world, if before God we be vile and worthless? On the contrary, what matters it to be despised by the world, provided we be dear and acceptable in the eyes of God?
_________________
From Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day
Compiled by Rev. C. McNeiry, C.SS.R.
Imprimatur: Joseph Hull, C.SS.R., Prov. Angl. Sup.
Nihil Obstat: Innocentlus Apap, O.P., S.T.M., Censor Deptutatus.
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius Generalis.
Westmonasterii, Die 9a Junii, 1927.
First published 1927

News Updates, 11/15

Georgia Planned Parenthood Loses $420,000 Grant Because of Economic Woes
There is a silver lining in the troubled economic times for pro-life advocates in Georgia as Planned Parenthood of Georgia (PPGA) has lost a massive grant from the state. As the state government cuts spending as a result of the economy, the state abortion business received news a contract was not renewed...

Diocese Responds To Priest's Obama Voter Stand: 'Statements Didn't Reflect Church Teachings'
The day after a Greenville priest drew national attention with a directive to his parishioners who voted for Barack Obama, the Diocese of Charleston issued a statement saying criticizing the priest's stand....The statement from Monsignor Martin L. Laughlin, administrator of the Diocese Charleston, issued on Friday said, "Let me state with clarity that Father Newman's statements do not adequately reflect the Catholic Church's teachings. Any comments to the contrary are repudiated.' The statement said, "The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, 'Man has the right to act in conscience and in freedom so as personally to make moral decisions.'"
[Diocese leadership apparently lacks courage and is fearful is preaching the truth - Maybe they haven't heard the Pope? Too bad for the faithful of Greenville]

Bishops React to Priest who Told Obama-Supporting Catholics to Confess before Receiving Communion

Bishop Emeritus Rene Henry Gracida of Corpus Christi, TX, told LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) his reaction to Fr. Newman's letter "is one of admiration and awe. I find nothing in what he has written that is at variance with the Magisterium of the Church. He is to be congratulated."

Bishop Vasa of Baker, OR told LSN that, while Fr. Newman was correct to say that voting for Obama constitutes a material offense against moral teaching, it would nonetheless be impossible to "to ascertain with any degree of certainty the sinfulness of the action of any particular voter"...

Open Letter To The Catholic Bishops Of The United States: Reform The Catholic Campaign For Human Development
On November 5 the American people elected the most liberal candidate in the history of our country who has promised to advance abortion and same‐sex “marriage.” Sadly, his accomplishment could only be achieved with the active cooperation of millions of Catholic voters. What is particularly appalling, however, is that millions of Catholic dollars were funneled directly into liberal coffers through the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). The fraud and financial mismanagement of ACORN was exposed recently and we applaud the CCHD suspension of grants for that organization. However....

El Salvador Praised for Rejecting Pro-Abortion Ibero-American Convention
The tiny Central America nation El Salvador is earning praise from pro-life advocates for rejecting an international treaty that would promote abortion. The Hispanic nation's president, Elias Antonio Saca, says he will not sign the Ibero-American Convention on the Rights of Youth (ICRY)

Portsmouth [UK Cath] Bishop Gently Backs Away from “Thrilled” Obama Welcome
Following a barrage of criticism from Catholics and advocates for the unborn, the Catholic bishop of Portsmouth in the U.K., Crispian Hollis, has issued a “clarification”...

Issues & Politics
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Alan Keyes Files Suit in California Superior Court to Enforce the Consitution!

...Senator Barack H. Obama is a candidate for the Office of the President of the United States. However, to assume such office, Senator Obama must meet the qualifications specified for the Office of the President of the United States, which includes that he must be a "natural born" citizen.

Senator Obama has failed to demonstrate that he is a "natural born" citizen. There are other legal challenges before various state and federal courts regarding aspects of lost or dual citizenship concerning Senator Obama. Those challenges, in and of themselves, demonstrate Petitioners’ argument that reasonable doubt exists as to the eligibility of the Democratic Party’s nominee for President.
More here.

[What sort of individual hires three (or more) law firms to fight these lawsuits when all he has to do is show his Birth Certificate which would put an end to these legal actions? So much for "transparency." Prayers for Alan Keyes and his (& our) success!]

Republican Party Race: Steele Faces Abortion, Fred Thompson May Run
The race for the chairmanship of the Republican Party is heating up and abortion issues are already playing a role as party activists talk about who will keep the party strongly pro-life. Michael Steele has officially launched his bid, but Fred Thompson appears to be a possible candidate as well...

Canada’s Health Care System heading for “Demographic Blowout” with Aging Population: Study
The Canadian government will spend $171.9-billion this year on health care, or $5,170 per person. At this rate “health care spending is expected to grow faster than Canada’s economy, outpacing inflation and population growth'...
[Nationalized healthcare - ticket to bankruptcy]

Constitutional crisis looming over Obama's eligibility
The California secretary of state should refuse to allow the state's 55 Electoral College votes to be cast in the 2008 presidential election until President-elect Barack Obama verifies his eligibility to hold the office, alleges a California court petition filed on behalf of former presidential candidate Alan Keyes and others....

Gospel for Saturday, 32nd Week in Ordinary Time

Optional Memorial of St. Albert the Great, bishop, confessor and doctor
Old Calendar: St. Albert the Great; St. Leopold of Austria

From: Luke 18:1-8

Persevering Prayer. Parable of the Unjust Judge

[1] And He (Jesus) told them a parable, to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. [2] He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor regarded man; [3] and there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him saying, `Vindicate me against my adversary.' [4] For a while he refused; but afterward he said to himself, `Though I neither fear God nor regard man, [5] yet because this widow bothers me, I will vindicate her, or she will wear me out by her continual coming.' [6] And the Lord said, "hear what the unrighteous judge says. [7] And will not God vindicate His elect, who cry to Him day and night? Will He delay long over them? [8] I tell you, He will vindicate them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"
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Commentary:

1-8. The parable of the unjust judge is a very eloquent lesson about the effectiveness of persevering, confident prayer. It also forms a conclusion to Jesus' teaching about watchfulness, contained in the previous verses (17:23-26). Comparing God with a person like this makes the point even clearer: if even an unjust judge ends up giving justice to the man who keeps on pleading his case, how much more will God, who is infinitely just, and who is our Father, listen to the persevering prayer of His children. God, in other words, gives justice to His elect if they persist in seeking His help.

1. "They ought always to pray and not lose heart." Why must we pray?

"1. WE MUST PRAY FIRST AND FOREMOST BECAUSE WE ARE BELIEVERS.
"Prayer is in fact the recognition of our limitation and our dependence: we come from God, we belong to God and we return to God! We cannot, therefore, but abandon ourselves to Him, our Creator and Lord, with full and complete confidence [...].

"Prayer, therefore, is first of all an act of intelligence, a feeling of humility and gratitude, an attitude of trust and abandonment to Him who gave us life out of love.

"Prayer is a mysterious but real dialogue with God, a dialogue of confidence and love
"2. WE, HOWEVER, ARE CHRISTIANS, AND THEREFORE WE MUST PRAY AS CHRISTIANS.

"For the Christian, in fact, prayer acquires a particular characteristic, which completely changes its innermost nature and innermost value. The Christian is a disciple of Jesus; he is one who really believes that Jesus is the Word Incarnate, the Son of God who came among us on this earth.

"As a man, the life of Jesus was a continual prayer, a continual act of worship and love of the Father and since the maximum ___expression of prayer is sacrifice, the summit of Jesus' prayer is the Sacrifice of the Cross, anticipated by the Eucharist at the Last Supper and handed down by means of the Holy Mass throughout the centuries.

"Therefore, the Christian knows that his prayer is that of Jesus; every prayer of his starts from Jesus; it is He who prays in us, with us, for us. All those who believe in God, pray; but the Christian prays in Jesus Christ: Christ is our prayer!

"3. FINALLY, WE MUST ALSO PRAY BECAUSE WE ARE FRAIL AND GUILTY.

"It must be humbly and realistically recognized that we are poor creatures, confused in ideas, tempted by evil, frail and weak, in continual need of inner strength and consolation. Prayer gives the strength for great ideas, to maintain faith, charity, purity and generosity. Prayer gives the courage to emerge from indifference and guilt, if unfortunately one has yielded to temptation and weakness. Prayer gives light to see and consider the events of one's own life and of history in the salvific perspective of God and eternity. Therefore, do not stop praying!

Let not a day pass without your having prayed a little! Prayer is a duty, but it is also a great joy, because it is a dialogue with God through Jesus Christ! Every Sunday, Holy Mass: if it is possible for you, sometimes during the week. Every day, morning and evening prayers, and at the most suitable moments!" (John Paul II, "Audience with Young People", 14 March 1979).

8. Jesus combines His teaching about perseverance in prayer with a serious warning about the need to remain firm in the faith: faith and prayer go hand in hand. St. Augustine comments, "In order to pray, let us believe; and for our faith not to weaken, let us pray. Faith causes prayer to grow, and when prayer grows our faith is strengthened" ("Sermon", 115).

Our Lord has promised His Church that it will remain true to its mission until the end of time (cf. Matthew 28:20); the Church, therefore, cannot go off the path of the true faith. But not everyone will remain faithful: some will turn their backs on the faith of their own accord. This is the mystery which St. Paul describes as "the rebellion" (2 Thessalonians 2:3) and which Jesus Christ announces on other occasions (cf. Matthew 24:12-13). In this way our Lord warns us, to help us stay watchful and persevere in the faith and in prayer even though people around us fall away.
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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.

Just for Today, November 15

By degrees, and by patience, with longanimity, thou shalt by God's grace better overcome than by harshness and thine own importunity. Deal not roughly with one that is tempted, but comfort him, as thou wouldst wish to be done to thyself.
-Bk. I, ch. xiii.
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During her illness she noticed with what care the infirmarian chose out the smoothest linen for her use, and drew this conclusion: We ought to treat suffering souls with the same delicate care, even the most imperfect. How often out of thoughtlessness we wound them by neglect, lack of consideration, discourtesy, when we should be doing our utmost to soothe and comfort them.
-Novissima Verba.
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Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.

Thoughts of St Augustine for November 15

INASMUCH as thou art discontented with thyself, thou art united with God, and inasmuch as thou art united with God thou wilt be apt to overcome thyself, because he is with thee who overcomes all.
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From Thoughts of St Augustine for Every Day
by Kathleen Mary Balfe (© 1926)
Nihil Obstat: Georgius D. Smith, S.T.D
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont

Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day-November 15

DURING a period of thirty-eight years 5t Lidwina was afflicted with numberless suffer­ings - fevers, gout in the feet and hands, and sores; nevertheless, from never losing sight of the sufferings of Jesus Christ, she main­tained an unbroken cheerfulness and joy.
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From Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day
Compiled by Rev. C. McNeiry, C.SS.R.
Imprimatur: Joseph Hull, C.SS.R., Prov. Angl. Sup.
Nihil Obstat: Innocentlus Apap, O.P., S.T.M., Censor Deptutatus.
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius Generalis.
Westmonasterii, Die 9a Junii, 1927.
First published 1927