FOCA

My mother has passed on this prayer request to me, and I have decided to share it with all of you. Please read it and prayerfully consider participating. This is very important to the future of America.

If you are opposed to abortion, please read the information below and join us in prayer and fasting January 11-19, 2009.

The Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) will be signed into law if Congress passes it on January 21-22, 2009. The FOCA is the next sick chapter in the book of abortion. If signed into law, all limitations on abortion will be lifted, resulting in the following:

1) All hospitals, including Catholic hospitals, will be required to perform abortions upon request. If this happens, Bishops vow to close down all Catholic hospitals - more then 30% of all hospitals in the U.S.

2) Partial birth abortions will be legal and have no limitations.

3) All U.S. taxpayers will be funding abortions.

4) Parental notification of abortions on minors will no longer be required (regardless of age).

5) The estimated number of increase in abortions is 100,000 annually.

Just as important, the government will now have control in the issue of abortion. This could result in a future amendment that would force women by law to have abortions in certain situations (rape, Down Syndrome babies, etc) and could even regulate how many children women are allowed to have.

Needless to say this information is disturbing, but sadly true. As Catholics, as Christians, as anyone who is against the needless killing of innocent children, we must stand as one. We must stop this horrific act before it becomes a law.

PLEASE JOIN US IN saying a novena and fasting from January 11-19. For Catholics, the prayer of choice is the rosary for the special intention of stopping the FOCA. For non-Catholics we encourage you to pray your strongest prayers with the same intention for 9 consecutive days. We hope and pray this will branch and blossom to become a global effort.



Please do the following 3 things:

1) Pass this letter to 5 or more people within 3 days or less (so as many as possible can start praying on January 11)

2) Say a novena from January 11-19, asking God to prevent the FOCA from becoming law in the U.S.

3) Fast at least 2 days during this novena (either a complete fast of bread and water, or a Lenten fast of no meat and meals limited to 1 regular meal and 2 lesser meals during the day).

Remember that with God all things are possible and the power of prayer is undeniable. If you are against the senseless killing of defenseless children, please join us in prayer and fasting.

May God bless you abundantly.

This Novemeber,

Take action.

It is a Poverty

~ re-printed with permissin from A Maiden's Wreath

I believe the truest measure of any society is how it treats those who are least able to defend and speak for themselves. And who is more vulnerable, or more innocent, than a child?
--- Sarah Palin

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has heard in these past few weeks a lot of: Catholics have one-track minds. Catholics are one-issue voters. Catholics won't use reason and won't think for themselves.

Because of the unwavering stance of devout Catholics against abortion, many are prompted to make such comments.

I don't consider myself as being a one-issue voter. I do, however, think that I have my priorities straight. When I think of the innocents being slaughtered day after day, and when I think of Christ who suffered and died for the guilty, I can't think of an issue that's higher on the list.

But like I said, I don't consider myself as being a one-issue voter. In voting for life in the best way I'm capable of, I firmly believe that I'm also addressing the other failings of society. I don't see everything as disconnected. I don't see there as being the economy, and then education, and then health-care, and then... one thing is going to impact another in some way. A society's values, or lack of, will effect all aspects of that society.

And I believe that society is founded on the family, and that when babies are being killed in their mother's wombs, family is in a bad state and so is society.

I believe that a society in which thousands are legally butchered daily cannot hope to pull itself out of any mud it's slipped into until it walks away from the gates of hell.

Yes, I'm voting pro-life. I have never apologized for it, and I never intend to. People have and will continue to say that when our country is plunged into poverty and darkness because of my bull-headed one-issue voting, I'll have only myself to thank for it.

Poverty? I happen to agree with Mother Teresa when she said: "It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish."

Pray for an end to the slaughter. Pray for America, its citizens, and its leaders.

My Power is Made Perfect in Weakness

Today is ProLife Sunday. In memory of this, I would like to share with you part of the 40 Days for Life Devotion that I received today.

The call to participate in 40 Days for Life is a call
to sacrifice. It's a call that, when answered, often
brings unexpected joy, as seen in these postings from
the 40 Days for Life blog:

* Angela wrote, "I am so excited to see so many
people arriving at these clinics to pray for
life!"

* Pat noted, "I am so grateful for the 40 days of
prayer and fasting. Praise Jesus!"

* Julie said, "I believe this campaign could be the
beginning of the end of abortion in this country.
In my adult life, I have yet to dare to have that
hope -- until now.

Unexpected joy arrived one evening at the 40 Days for
Life vigil outside the Planned Parenthood location in
Sioux City, Iowa as people gathered to pray.

A bus from Michigan broke down at the fast food
restaurant right across the street. The bus was
carrying a Christian drama team -- including 13
children with disabilities. The assistant director
saw the vigil across the street, so he walked over
and started asking questions.

Stormy, one of the vigil participants, had a bunch of
questions for him as well. When she found out who
they were and what they did, she asked if they would
put on a play -- right then and there.

"They did! Right there, facing Planned Parenthood,
these special kids and friends re-enacted the Passion
of Christ," Mary reports. "The young man who
portrayed Jesus had Down syndrome. He stretched out
his arms and 'hung on the cross.' "

The assistant director said he cries every time he
watches the kids do this play. "It might have
something to do with the actor playing Jesus," she
said, "who gets so emotional that he can't stop
crying."

Before they left from their home town of Holland,
Michigan, their principal had told them that he
didn't know when or where, but he just had a feeling
they would hold one additional performance at a time
and place that was not listed on their original
schedule.

"We are sure glad it was here," said Mary. "They were
terrific and they were so pleased to perform for
people who respect all life. Their replacement bus
arrived just after the kids were able to receive lots
of applause and thanks and a 40 Days for Life
bracelet."

The death of the innocent Lord and Savior -- staged
in front of Planned Parenthood, an organization
responsible for ending hundreds of thousands of
innocent lives every year; performed by special needs
children, upon whom the abortion industry has
declared open season -- how powerful!

There is indeed joy. And there is indeed hope.

Life Matters ~ Part 2

This is the continuation and finish of the article I posted yesterday. Enjoy!


So, what's wrong with the picture?
Nothing. In fact, what this picture demonstrates is that it is possible and, in some cases, desirable to successfully raise 17 (and soon to be 18) children.

What is wrong is the outrageous condemnation of large families expressed by so many people today. Sadly, even among some of out Catholic brothers and sisters, it is not unusual to hear negative comments about families that have more than the socially accepted 2 child family.

Secular society and, unfortunately, some religious institutions continue to insist that responsible parenthood includes contraception, sterilization and abortion. In 1958, Pope Pius XII commented that "one of the most harmful aberrations that has appeared in modern society with its pagan tendencies is the opinion of those who are eager to classsifyt fruitfulness in marriage as a 'social malady', and who maintain that any nation that finds itself thus afflicted must exert every effort and use every means to cure the disease." It's still true today.

Responsible partenthood.
The Church has never taught that married couples should have a certain number of children, but it does teach about responsible parenthood. WHile married couples are called to be open to life, they may for just reasons limit the size of their families by the practice of Natural Family Planning (NFP). They may not, however, resort to contraceptive means "even if such use is inspired by reasons which my appear honest and serious." [Humanae Vitae #16]

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) summarizes that the "Church encourages people to be 'responsible' stewards over their fertility:

In this view of "responsible parenthood" married couples carefully weigh their responsibilities to God, each other, the children they already have, and the world in which they live when making decision about the number and spacing of children.
Responsible parenthood is lived out within the structures which God has established in human nature. The nature of sexual intercourse, which is both life-giving (pro-creative), and love-giving (unitive), reflects a Divine place. That is why the Church teaches that couples must not actively intervene to separate their fertility from their bodily union. To do so is to show disrespect for an important gift of the Creator."

Even though not of the Catholic faith, the Duggars by all accounts appear to be exercising responsible parenthood. The negative comments about them and about those Catholics with large families is unacceptable.

As Pope Pius XII said, "Wherever you find large families in great numbers, they point to" the physical and moral health of a Christian people; a living faith in God and trust in His Providence; the fruitful and joyful holiness of Catholic marriage."

While not all married couples will be called to have large families, we need to repent of any negative responses we may have about large families and recognize that children are precious gifts. We must also remember that faithful Christian families come in all sizes.

For information on this wonderful Christan family, visit their website: www.duggarfamily.com

Life Matters ~ Part 1

We picked up this edition of "Life Matters" from our church bulletin, and I thought that I would post it on here in two parts, since it is rather long. It is a great article! Hope you all enjoy it!

What's wrong with this picture?
By Patricia Pitkus Bainbridge

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are happily expecting their 18th child in January 2009, With that announcement, the family (pictured in front of their home) has once again become the object of world wide media coverage and blogoshpere discussion.

The fascination, of course, is with the size of the Duggar family. Back in 2005, the Dallas Morning News ran a story on the family (which then consisted of only 16 children) observing, "in an era when the ideal family is is widely viewed as two children - one girl, one boy - the Duggars are an anomaly..."

The U.S. Census Bureau reported in 2003 that family groups with four or more children continue to decline from 17% in 1970 to 5% in 2003. In addition, the Census Bureau reported in 2004 that "During the past decade, the [fertility] rate has fluctuated between 2.0 and 2.1 births per woman, close to the rate required for natural replacement of the population (about 2.1 births per woman.)

Unwarranted criticism and attacks
Based on this information, there is no doubt the Duggar family size is atypical. But "atypical" should in no way generate criticism of Jim Bob and Michelle's openness to life, an yet, that is exactly what has and continues to happen.

With the exception of Mark Morford, a popular columnist who writes for the San Franciscan Chronicle and sfgate.com, the mainstream media has generally shied away from judgmental comments about the Duggars. In his October 2005 column - entitled "God does not want 16 kids" -Morford referred to Michelle and Jim Bob's decision to have a large family as "weird pathological protofamily breeding happy gluttony". Then he asked, "Why does this sort of bizarre hyperbreeding only seem to afflict antiseptic megareligious families from the Midwest?"

Following these vitriolic comments, Morford lamented that these "kidbots will never be allowed near a decent pair of designer jeans or a tolerable haircut from a recent decade, and assuming that they will all be tragically encoded with the values of the homophobic asexual Christian right - where are the forces that shall help neutralize their effect on culture? Where is the counterbalance to offset the damage?"

There you have it. This "tolerant", progressive so-called "pro-choice" writer does not believe the Duggars (or other large families) should have the freedom to choose how many children they have. He has no tolerance for people who have what he believes are too many children and he has no tolerance for those of us who believe in God. And, he apparently thinks designer jean and a good hair cut are more important than love and responsibility.

Moford comments "mild" compared to blogosphere.
Just as the case in 2007 when Michelle gave birth to her 17th child, the blogosphere is abuzz about her 18th baby in utero. While there certainly have been positive comments about the Duggars, the majority are negative. Many are down right malicious and venomous - terribly cruel to say the least. Many are so sexually explicit that I would not even consider citing them in this publication.

The majority of the negative comments contain over the top stereotypical remarks not based on factual information. I found the comments from the pro-abortion radical feminists to be the most interesting and ironic. Their mantra has always included "a women has the right to choose", "all children should be wanted", and "women have the right to choose if and when to have a child."

Yet, the feminist blogs are chock-full of condemnations of Michelle Duggar's choice to have 18 children. One feminist who dared to challenge the criticism was told, "What the Duggars are doing amounts to the emotional abuse of the mother, not reproductive freedom."
Unbelievable.

I have seen the Duggar family a number of times on The Learning Channel and they appear to be a happy, well-adjusted, responsible Baptist family. Michelle was named Arkansas mother of the year for 2004. They live in a 7,000 square foot house with nine bathrooms on 20 acres in Tontitown, Arkansas. They are debt free and the children are home-schooled.

The rest of this article will be continued tomorrow. Once again, I did not write this article. Comments are welcome, but keep them positive. Anything abusive, rude or with inappropriate language will not be published. Keep your thoughts and comments kind and charitable!