BIG C CATHOLICS

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness...  — Isaiah 5:20  On October 8th, in Cleveland, Ohio, United Methodist and Episcopalian Church clergy led a prayer rally to "Bless" an abortion clinic. Brietbart and Lifenews report that the event outside the Preterm abortion clinic was arranged by Rev. Laura Young, a United Methodist minister. Young calls herself a “progressive theological thinker and a feminist,” who actively urges clergy members to advocate for abortion. (For earlier culture of death personified posts see here and here . This is stomach turning stuff, indeed. Fortunately, Lifenews adds the following : Thankfully, pro-abortion religious groups are in the minority and countless prominent religious leaders have expressed disapproval for Planned Parenthood’s outrageous practices. For example , Cardinal Seán O’Malley, OFM Cap., archbishop of Boston and chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Act

Via the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops . Pop culture tells us love is mostly about feeling good, but true love is about wanting the absolute best for the person we love. Jesus wants the absolute best for us, and he asks us to follow his example of self-sacrificial love so we can live in union with him forever. Jesus showed us what real love looks like when he died for us on the Cross. He is the only one who can fill our hearts, and when we grow in love — becoming more like him — we become more fully the people we were created to be. Part of this growth includes living out the virtue (a habit of doing good) of chastity. While practicing chastity does require saying "no" to some things, it is actually a much bigger and better "yes" to love and the life God has planned for us. Respecting and living out our sexuality means that we're called to discover how to love all people and develop healthy relationships (not just romantic ones) in the u

The Visitation, Luke 1:39-56 When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice saying, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb." Prayer for the Unborn in Danger of Abortion Prayer for the unborn baby by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen to our Lady of Guadalupe Intercessor for the Unborn Jesus, Mary and Joseph; I love you very much, I beg you to spare the life of the unborn baby that I have spiritually adopted; who is in danger of abortion. Amen. Say this prayer each day for one year and a child in danger of abortion will be saved.

In the first week of the Synod, several priests who read this blog weighed in. One commented specifically on the media's portrayal of events: I am not worried that Holy Mother Church will alter her teachings. It is the perception of the Synod that concerns me. The Fourth Estate is fixated on all things controversial. Truth is secondary. Thanks to social media, rumors go viral. As Mark Twain observed, "A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting its shoes on."

The first 14 minutes discuss the Church's role in ensuring the safety of persons in families and society at large. After, Fr. Robert Dodaro, who edited the book Remaining in the Truth of Christ: Marriage and Communion in the Catholic Church , speaks about the Synod. His comments are enlightening and informative. (25 min in length)

The most persecuted and victimized people in the world today are Christians in the Middle East. The perpetrators of the widespread destruction of that region's Christian community? Islamists. Middle East expert Raymond Ibrahim lays out the grim details. Visit our Nasarean.org page  for information about helping Christians in the Middle East.

Synod Fathers gathered for proceedings Thirteen cardinals wrote to Pope Francis at the opening of this year's Synod on the Family. Here is the letter via Chiesa (L'Espresso ) Your Holiness, As the Synod on the Family begins, and with a desire to see it fruitfully serve the Church and your ministry, we respectfully ask you to consider a number of concerns we have heard from other synod fathers, and which we share. While the synod’s preparatory document, the " Instrumentum Laboris ," has admirable elements, it also has sections that would benefit from substantial reflection and reworking.  The new procedures guiding the synod seem to guarantee it excessive influence on the synod’s deliberations and on the final synodal document.  As it stands, and given the concerns we have already heard from many of the fathers about its various problematic sections, the " Instrumentum " cannot adequately serve as a guiding text or the foundation of a final docum