When are we going to start teaching the faith to our children?

Obama Strikes Again
Always watch what he does on Friday.....

I fail to see how grinding up human babies for experimentation differs too much from the types of activities engaged in by Nazi Germany that so horrified the world. Do you?

*****"Today's news that President Obama will open the door to direct taxpayer funds for embryonic stem cell research that encourages the destruction of human embryos is a slap in the face to Americans who believe in the dignity of all human life," said Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council. "It is unethical to use human life, even young embryonic life, to advance science.

*****"We should be increasing funding for adult stem cell treatments, which have been used to treat patients for over 70 diseases and conditions, and we should fund the historic achievements in reprogramming ordinary skin cells into embryonic-like stem cells without compromising ethics by destroying life."

*****Once again, our current President tells his adoring public just exactly who is and what he intends to do. He promised to "change the face of America" and he is doing a great job.

*****And still the adorers sit in blissful ignorance, getting all excited about his choice of dog, and wondering how to get Michelle's sculpted arms.

*****Meanwhile the Obama's, displaying their usual lack of class and utter lack of taste, give a gift of DVD's to Gordon Brown (which can't even be played on a UK player), and courtesy of Hillary, a "reset button" to Russia labeled with the wrong Russian word.

*****And then he tells us we "must endure in these economic hard times" just before flying off with his family to Camp David for the weekend. Where are you spending your weekend?


Congressman Labels Obama "Abortion President" Ahead of Stem Cell Reversal
Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., accused Obama of launching two attacks on pro-life measures. read more

Deception at Core of Obama Plans
By Charles Krauthammer

WASHINGTON -- Forget the pork. Forget the waste. Forget the 8,570 earmarks in a bill supported by a president who poses as the scourge of earmarks. Forget the "$2 trillion dollars in savings" that "we have already identified," $1.6 trillion of which President Obama's budget director later admits is the "savings" of not continuing the surge in Iraq until 2019 -- 11 years after George Bush ended it, and eight years after even Bush would have had us out of Iraq completely. read more

Incompetence, malevolence, or both? or Why Obama’s policies are pink, not green...

*****I was having lunch yesterday with a prominent critic of the Spender in Chief, and he raised a possibility that many of us have entertained over the past several weeks: that Obama is simply out of his depth: that he hasn’t a clue about what makes the economy tick and his talk about the “profit-to-earnings ratio” was not a slip of the tongue but a worrisome confirmation of the suspicion that he is an empty suit floundering around in the dark. read more

Obama touts recovery amid grim economic news
By John Whitesides

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama tried to highlight some good news and tout his economic plan on Friday, but the grim reality of plunging employment and faltering stock markets once again stepped on his message. read more

Warning: Bracket Creep Ahead
*****With a guarantee that only those making more than $250,000 a year will see a tax increase it is probably a good time to talk about something that has not been a problem for decades: Bracket Creep read more

Meantime the Obama's party in the White House....

Why do I keep hearing the song "Don't Cry for Me Argentina"??


The sad state of Catholic liturgy and music....

*****We attend a Saturday evening Mass at one of the three churches in our cluster which is blessed by not having a choir. The parishioners manage quite nicely to sing the Our Father and the responsorial without even the help of a barroom piano banging away in the background. Father leads the opening hymn and the recessional hymn.

*****We are afforded the luxury of times of silence for prayer and reflection. The children are quiet because there is not the constant noise and motion that rattles their little cages. No one has to tell the people they are in church and need to be quiet.

*****It is time for the bishops and priests to start offering the Mass as called for by the Second Vatican Council and stop with the innovation and whimsy. It is distorting theology, and it is driving people out of the Church. Stop communion in the hand, "altar girls", and rock and roll Masses. Give us the music that is called for by the official documents and let us smell the incense again.

Ray from MN has a thoughtful post "How Come They Never Sing Anything Old?", over at Stella Borealis which is well worth a read.

When are we going to start teaching the faith to our children?

*****Having been involved in youth ministry for many years, I was always astounded at the complete lack on knowledge I witnessed in these young people after their first seven or so years of "religious education." I first got my hands on them when they were in 7th grade and not one of them was ever able to tell me the simplest fact about the Catholic faith.

*****Their education had consisted of learning moronic "singey songs", drawing pictures, and the teacher's favorite maxim - "Jesus loves you." The Ten Commandments, precepts of the church, or even the definition of a sacrament? Nope, nope, and nope (which rhymes with dope).

*****This sort of travesty has been going on in the church for forty years. Is it any wonder that Catholics raised in this atmosphere of contempt for the authentic teachings of the Church voted for a person like Obama?

Catholic Mom Climbing the Pillars puts a point on it in High Profile "Catholics" Need to Study

Radical Pro-Abortion FOCA Bill Coming Soon, Pro-Life Advocates Must Prepare

from Deliberate Engagement by Christine

The pro-aborts like to pretend that FOCA is not being proposed, or that it won’t be as radical as believed. Both lies. It IS coming, and it WILL remove any and all abortion restrictions. There will be NO parental consent required. Your 16 year old daughter, who can’t get a tattoo without your permission, can now get an abortion without your knowledge or consent. Obama has promised to sign it. read more

*****I just mailed hundreds of post cards to Washington, filled out and signed by the parishioners of the church I attend. When the priests of our diocese met just a few weeks ago for a retreat of sorts, the post card campaign was brought up.

*****Our bishop, Michael Driscoll, assured the assembled priests that it wasn't an issue since the bill would never even make it to the President's desk. I'm quite certain he was more concerned with the Idaho Catholic Appeal than with doing anything about the sorry moral state of this country.

“I weep for the liberty of my country when I see at this early day of its “successful experiment” that corruption has been imputed to many members of the House of Representatives, and the rights of the people have been bartered for promises of office.” Andrew Jackson

Hug a Catechist for Lent

Very few catechists command the instant respect of a Scott Hahn or a Marcus Grodi. Most of them are ordinary people with ordinary lives and an extraordinary love of their faith.

The lay catechists in our parishes are seldom afforded the respect and admiration they deserve. In today’s church, when obedience has become a rather rare commodity, the laity fails to understand the authority of the catechist. The parish priest who has chosen this person for the position gives this authority. Their authority is not the same as the priest, whose authority is not the same as the Bishops, and so on. But they do have a position of authority.

Often they are marginalized and ignored. In many cases outright animosity is often the reward for teaching the truths of the faith. Just let their audience hear something they don’t want to hear and they run to the pastor. If the catechist is lucky, the pastor will defend them, assuming, of course, the correct thing was taught.

They also struggle with the issue of “familiarity.” It’s just so-and-so from down the street. What do they know or who do they think they are? I’m guessing that Peter Kreeft is just plain old Pete in his own parish.

Pope Benedict had this to say on February 8 concerning catechists:

"They undoubtedly deserve the gratitude, encouragement, and constant attention of their pastors," he said, "so they always systematically receive a solid Christian formation, taking into account as well that they are called to carry Christian values into the various areas of society: the world of work, of civil society and of politics."

To honor the catechists who give of their time and talent, I’m declaring this Lent a time to hug a catechist. Next time you see a good catechist, thank them for the job they do. It’s much harder than you think it is.