Suicide Is Painless?

   

     On March 7, my mother, whom I care for as best I can, went into the hospital.  It wasn't anything serious other than something she has become accustomed to doing---seeking comfort in medicine for her chronic aches and pains.  Sadly, my mother is one of the 26% of the elderly population in the United States that misuses or abuses prescription medication, particularly pain medications.  Unfortunately for my mother, this recent hospital stay was almost her final one.  She was over-medicated which led to other serious conditions that nearly cost her life.  While it was an incredibly difficult time for me, I suspect, in many ways, my mother was almost relieved to be unconscious and confused.  Since she also suffers from chronic depression, her recovery from her hospital near-death-experience has been incredibly challenging.  In fact, it's been so difficult for her that the poor woman crawled into her bed and withdrew from reality.  Unfortunately, it's nothing new.
     My mother has suffered from depression for a very long time.  She probably has had bouts with depression her entire adult life, and quite possibly while she was a young girl.  Life changes cripple her.  Temporary setbacks or unexpected events become overwhelmingly tragic.  Her only coping mechanisms are sleep and avoidance, neither of which help and often times cause more problems.  It becomes a vicious cycle of tragedy brought on by personal sorrow and despair.
     For the last decade, my mother has lived with our family.  It has been a time of great reward for us and great trial.  It has been a test for me, for my patience, my strength, my resolve, and my forgiveness.  And while I am not always good at passing this test, my greatest challenge has been loving my mother through her depression, mood swings, and drug dependence.  You see, I have been depressed.  There have been a few occasions in my life where I was completely overwhelmed with my living conditions, my loneliness, my responsibilities, my doubts, and my limitations.  At times, I have found it incredibly difficult to get off the couch or out of bed.  I have even, in times of utmost despair, considered that I couldn't handle the sadness, sorrow, pain, or misery anymore.  So when my mother pulls the covers over her head and mumbles that she wishes God would take her, I understand.
     It is excruciating for me to watch my mother suffer this mental anguish.  Yet, I know there is not much I can do to help her.  I believe very strongly, that if she had access to pills, like she did recently in the hospital, that she would end her own life.  As shocking as that may seem, elder suicide is a growing problem in this country, often attributed to depression, failing health, and loneliness.  In my mother's case, the life she had planned for herself, her nursing career at the center, working well into her 70s, was abruptly interrupted when she lost her job and had a disabling stroke over a decade ago.  She has struggled to make sense of it all ever since.
     So when news broke, last week, regarding the suicide of the son of the evangelical leader Pastor Rick Warren, I was neither shocked or surprised.  Some were, of course, because Pastor Rick Warren has made quite a name for himself in the Christian community, especially since the publication of his book The Purpose Driven Life.  While there was an online outpouring of support for the Warren family, there were also the obvious questions.  Why would a Christian kill himself?  Was it his depression that drove him to take his own life?  What is the condition of this poor man's soul?  Without becoming judgmental, I think it's perfectly fair and incredibly important to consider all these questions honestly and truthfully.
      Most people who kill themselves suffer from some form of depression or drug and alcohol abuse.  This is a sad fact resulting from prolonged feelings of hopelessness and despair.  Interestingly though, while Christians experience bouts of depression like everyone else, they don't actually commit suicide as much as non-believers.  Why?  Because traditionally they have some really strong deterrent fact that actually prevents them from taking their own life.  And that deterrent is the belief that they will spend all eternity burning in the fires of Hell.
     So what of Pastor Warren's son, Matthew?  He was obviously a Christian.  I think the answer to why he decided to end his life after suffering so long from depression can be found in his own words.  "Dad, I know I am going to heaven.  Why can't I just die and end this pain?"  In a phrase---Once Saved, Always Saved.  This is what Matthew Warren believed.  This is what his father taught him and his whole congregation.  It is what my mother, a self-proclaimed Southern Baptist, believes.  The Perseverance of the Saints, as the idea is officially called, is a fundamental tenet of several Protestant sects, and it is a lie.  It is, in fact, a heresy that has caused many souls to face eternal damnation.
     The whole idea of the Perseverance of the Saints began with the grand heretic, John Calvin.  In the 1500s, Calvin, with very little theological education, rejected all the doctrines that the Church had taught and came up with his own!  His contribution to the attack against Our Lord and His Church was Calvin's Five Points, or TULIP.  The P in this acronym is Perseverance of the Saints, commonly called Predestination, or Once Saved, Always Saved.  Simply put, Calvin suggested and taught that God, for reasons known only to Him, determined beforehand who would be sent to Heaven and who would be sent to Hell.  Those people whom God has chosen, then, will go immediately to Heaven, even if they commit acts that are evil.  Those people whom God has destined for Hell can, ultimately, do absolutely no good works to merit Heaven.  For modern Protestants who hold the OSAS belief, this basically means a person, once they accept Jesus Christ, cannot lose his or her salvation.  Calvin's crazy idea is a central tenet in the Southern Baptist church, of which my mother aligns herself, and also of most of the Evangelical and Pentecostal churches.
     Just like Matthew Warren, my mother believes there is absolutely nothing she could do to lose her salvation.  And because she suffers on a daily basis, there is then absolutely no deterrent, no fear of Hell, no fear of God's wrath, to stop her from taking an overdose of pills or admitting herself into the hospital and just checking out.
     This time, my mother almost died.  In the aftermath, my husband and I considered it might be best for my mother to leave our home for the nursing home.  In my anguish over having to make that decision, I talked to my priest.  I want to do what is best for my mother, but I first and foremost want to please God.  Sensing my guilt, my priest informed me that my first and foremost duty to my mother was concern for her eternal soul.  It was a shocking consideration, indeed.  As such, he insisted that I speak to her about conversion.  It was a hard subject to approach, but when she  appeared to be fairly coherent, I asked her the question.  "Do you want to become a Catholic?"  She answered, of course, the only way she could, "I don't see much purpose in that."  My mother's Once Saved, Always Saved heart is hard.  It will be truly an act of God's grace and mercy for her to convert.  And I will constantly live wondering if one day my mother will do like Matthew Warren and end her suffering so she can "just go on to Heaven."  
     What are we to make of Matthew Warren's death?  His poor soul will never see Heaven, in spite of what he took his life believing.  It is a sad, but terrible truth.  I don't doubt Mr. Warren's life was filled with sadness and suffering.  But that is what this life is, a valley of tears.  Our Lord was born into this world to die for our salvation.  He opened the gates of Heaven for us.  Unfortunately, very few of us will ever get to share the Beatific Vision.  The Devil will see to that.


St. Dymphna, ora pro nobis.

Our Lady of Fatima, ora pro nobis.



 
   

Defenders of the Faith!

     Earlier this week, I made a serious error in judgment.  I defended Catholicism on Facebook.  Let me explain.  A traditional Catholic friend had made a simply stated post about the suicide of the country music singer, Mindy McCready.  As one who doesn't listen to modern music or watch reality television, I know absolutely nothing about Mindy McCready other than what the news reported.  So, personally, I had no comment.  It was of absolutely no surprise to me that another celebrity took their own life.  It shouldn't be to anyone else's surprise either.  I suppose my friend was simply commenting on the sadness of it all, the wasted life, and the consideration that two small children are without a mother.  Whatever her motives, my friend mentioned she wished she had prayed harder for the country music star before she killed herself.  That simple statement unleashed a chain of Catholic friends hoping to console their trad Catholic friend by offering her hope and education by reminding her that "the Church doesn't think that anymore" and "Christ is so merciful!"  Whatever.
     I admit, I should had left it alone, but I can't control my choleric nature sometimes.  I NEEDED to defend the Church.  Let me clarify that.  I didn't particularly put in my two cents just to defend my friend.  While that was part of it, certainly, my main motive was to defend Christ and His Church. The fact is simple--most Novus Ordo Catholics have no idea what the Catholic faith teaches.  And they don't know it because no one, not their families nor their priests, have every explained it to them or defended it. Oh sure, they go to Mass every Sunday, but they can only tell you what Pope John Paul II said or what Pope Benedict XVI wrote about.  Begin discussing the true doctrines and dogma of the Catholic faith and they take the same approach---the Church doesn't teach that anymore.  What???
     Since I have become a traditional Catholic, I have learned something about Novus Ordo Catholics.  They feel sorry for us.  They think we are stupid.  They think they need to go around all the time and "correct" us.  Every single time we say something, whether it is insignificant or not, they take it as an opportunity to chastise us for "leaving" the Church.  And when we attempt to defend ourselves, defend our position, defend our reasons for being traditional Catholics, they criticize and condemn us.  They even shun us.
     I used to think it's not worth it.  The debating and discussing with Novus Ordos Catholics seems to go no where sometimes, with no one willing to concede.  But does that really matter?  Eventually, if we keep telling the truth, defending Our Lord and His Church, something will make sense.  A few Sunday's ago, our priest gave a sermon about the Master and Workers in the Vineyard.  I thought about my own path to traditional Catholicism.  I wasn't "hired" in the beginning of the day.  In fact, it took me a long time to become even a Novus Ordo Catholic much less find tradition.  So I have to believe that is true for so many others.
     I also considered for a short while, that it wasn't my place to help Catholics find tradition.  I believe that's a temptation from the devil.  If we truly believe there is no salvation outside the Catholic Church, then how could we not try to convert people, especially our Novus Ordo friends who may have lost or be in jeopardy of losing their faith?  Is it really Catholic to have the attitude that "I have mine, you get yours on your own?"
     It's hard today to be a traditional Catholic.  Many times, our adversaries are our own fellow Catholics who think we have abandoned our faith and the Church.  We risk, at any moment, losing our friends and, sometimes, our families.  And since we are still human, these broken relationships can be very painful.  I think that is why a lot of traditional Catholics just decide to remain silent about the faith or not to "make waves" when discussions, like the one about Mindy McCready's suicide, pop up.
      I don't regret stepping into my friend's Facebook conversation.  In fact, I saw it as my duty to defend my faith.  The Baltimore Catechism says this regarding this matter:

326. Q.  Are we obliged to make open profession of our faith?

A.  We are obliged to make open profession of our faith as often as God's honor, our neighbor's spiritual good, or our own requires it.  "Whosoever," says Christ, "shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in Heaven."

It is not necessary for us to proclaim in the streets that we are Catholics; neither need we tell our religion to impudent people that may ask us only to insult us; but when a real need of professing our faith presents itself, then we must profess it.  You must keep up the practice of your religion even if by so doing you have to make an open profession of your faith and suffer for it.

     Does this mean we have to go around telling everyone how Catholic we are?  Absolutely not.  Does this mean we have to constantly engage people in "teachable moments?"  Of course not.  But does this mean we have to clarify Church teaching, doctrine, and dogma when having conversation with Novus Ordo Catholics, Protestants, or non-religious?  Yes, most especially with our Catholic friends.  Even if that means they argue with us or stop inviting us to parties.
     So be brave!  You never know when some lapsed, indifferent, or confused Catholic is touched or motivated by our good examples.  After all, the Master is always out calling for workers for His Vineyard.

St. Peter, ora pro nobis!

Our Lady of Good Success, ora pro nobis!
   

The Great Refusal

     Yesterday morning, my house sounded like a cage full of canaries.  My twitterfeed was tweetin' overtime about the "resignation" of Pope Benedict XVI.  I wasn't going to write about it at all.  I figured I would leave my opinions regarding the matter to myself and my husband.  But I am a melancholic by temperament, and the more I thought about the Pope's resignation, the more perplexed I became.  I researched, contemplated, and questioned most of the day yesterday and I came up with some very interesting facts and disturbing conclusions.

1)  Yes, a Pope can resign.  In the entire 1,979 year history of the Catholic Church a Papal resignation has happened only 4 other times.  In percentages, this means that 0.2% of the Vicars of Christ have ended their Papacy through resignation.  But it's rarer than an appearance Halley's Comet.

2)  Of the 4 Popes who have previously resigned, 3 had some very good reasons.  Here's a brief synopsis:
      ~~~Pope Benedict IX resigned in 1045.  He inherited the Papal Office and viewed it as his birth right.  As such, he was a terrible Pope and a disgrace to his Office.  He was a scandalous man, who used his authority as political power.  He openly carried on with many women and when it was learned that he was about to marry, the Cardinals insisted on his resignation.  Eventually, his successor, Pope Gregory VI paid him a large sum of money in exchange for his resignation.

     ~~~Pope Gregory VI, after bribing his predecessor, resigned in 1046.  The events surrounding this fight for the Papal Tiara was quite scandalous.  Benedict immediately recanted his resignation, accusing Pope Gregory of simony.  Pope Gregory refused to abdicate his authority and King Henry III was forced to intervene.  Eventually, Pope Gregory VI resigned and another Pope was chosen.

    ~~~Pope Gregory XII was chosen Pope during the Great Western Schism.  He resigned his Office in 1415.  Each Cardinal, during this difficult period, took an oath declaring that, if elected Pope,  he would willing abdicate the Papal Office to end the Schism.  Though Gregory XII was the true Pope, two others held claim to the same.  Truthful to his oath and for the sake of the Church, Pope Gregory XII resigned to prevent further rupture.

3)  The 4th Pope in the History of the Church to resign was Celestine V in 1294.  Before he was Pope Celestine V, Pietro di Murrone became a monk at 17 and later a priest.  There is no doubt he was a pious man.  He spent his life in solitude and in constant prayer and penance.  He spent his entire, long life as a hermit in the wilderness.  As such, those who knew him, greatly admired his piety and his holiness.  In a shock to his sensibilities, Pietro found his pious life interrupted, when the Cardinals found him on his mountain after having elected him Pope in 1294.  The See of Peter had been sede vacante for 2 years.  Reluctantly, Pietro accepted the Office and chose the name of Celestine V.  But within 5 months, it was obvious that the old man, nearly 80, was unfit and ill equipped to hold the Office of the Papacy.  He made a lot of poor choices in appointing Cardinals, which eventually laid the foundation for the Great Schism that was soon to follow.  He could refuse no one, and granted favors to prelates without restraint.  As such, the affairs of the running the Curia fell into disarray and corruption.  After recognizing such, Pope Celestine V longed only to return to his hermit life rather than mend the problems he had created.  He retreated into his private apartment and contemplated that his soul was in grave danger.  When he thought of resigning under these circumstances, the Cardinals agreed, and a consultation of the Canon law ensued.  It was then concluded, after 5 months, that, for the preservation of the Church, a pope could resign his Papal Office.  Celestine V resigned in that same year.  Interestingly enough, the Cardinal who helped to formulate the decree on Papal Resignation became the next Pope, Pope Boniface VIII.  He promptly rescinded all decrees issued by Pope Celestine V, save one--the decree on Papal resignations.  Celestine spent the rest of his life confined to a cell in a castle.  It was there he died, in solitude, the following year.

 4)  After Celestine V resigned his office, the Catholic world was in shock.  He was considered by most Cardinals and faithful alike to have been a very weak man.  Most viewed him as a coward.  It is to this Pope Celestine V than Dante's Inferno refers.  Dante places the cowardly Pope Celestine V at the vestibule of Hell, where their punishment is the continued pursuit of self-interest, chased by wasps and hornets who constantly sting them, and where maggots drink their blood and their tears. (Canto III).

                                      This miserable mode
                                      Maintain the melancholy souls of those
                                      Who lived without infamy or praise.
                                       Commingled are they with that caitiff choir
                                       of Angels, who have not rebellious been,
                                      Nor faithful were to God, but were for self. 
                                      The heavens expelled them, not to be less fair;
                                      Nor them the nethermore abyss receives, 
                                       For glory none the damned would have from them.
                                      
                                       These have no longer any hope of death
                                      And this blind life of theirs is so debased
                                     They envious are of every other fate.
                                      No fame of them the world permits to be;
                                      Misericord and Justice both disdain them.
                                      Let us not look at them, but speak and pass.

                                     
5)  It is this Pope, the cowardly Pope,  that apparently Pope Benedict has modeled his own resignation after.  In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI visited the tomb of Pope Celestine V.  It was here atop the tomb of Celestine V that he left his pallium, The pallium is a woolen band worn around the neck of the Pope that symbolizes his pontifical office.  In 2010, Pope Benedict found the time to pray in a cathedral near Rome where the relics of Pope Celestine V are located.

6)  Since Pope Benedict XVI is a man who seems fascinated by dates and symbols, does his fascination and homage to Pope Celestine V indicate that his Pontificate is similar in more ways than just his resignation?  How many of his personal friends did Pope Benedict XVI elevate to important offices?  Archbishop Meuller?  How many others?  Does his homage to Pope Celestine indicate that the magnitude of the office of the Papacy is too much for him to bear?

7)  Does the Popes "resignation" and his "retirement" indicate that he considers the role of the Papacy that akin to a CEO of a company?  Is that how he views the Catholic Church, as a company run by a board of officials who make decisions regarding how many "offices" they have or how many "stores" they have?  With all the church closings and restructuring, it might seem so.  Does he also want to have some sort of say-so over who his "replacement" will be?

8)  Why would a Pope, any Pope, resign his office during Lent, the Holiest Season of the year?  If his health is really bad, why wouldn't he just do what all the other Popes in history have done and wait for his death?

9)   Does he want to "retire" so he can write another book and show us his intellectual abilities?

10)  Is there something about to happen or some news about to come out that might bring scandal upon the whole Catholic Church regarding more of his responsibility and knowledge of the pederasty and sodomy in the clergy?


    While all of the above observations and questions are important, the biggest curiosity I have is why in the world the Catholic faithful are being so kind and gracious to this Pope under these circumstances.  Michael Voris is even giving an excuse for this Pope--that he couldn't fight off the wolves in the Vatican.  All the news media is reporting about the "Pope's humble resignation."  And while Cardinal Dolan was saddened by the news, he issued a statement of admiration of this Pontiff and his humility.  Some people are even suggesting that the Pope is so humble that he simply admitted his own unworthiness to be the Pope!  

  I find this all rather disconcerting but not surprising.  We live in an age where modern Catholics love the Popes more than they love the Church.  They love the Popes so much, that they hold onto every word they say as the Gospel Truth.  They view every action of the Pope as the Divine Will of God.  They are so blind to the PERSON in the Papacy that they can't grasp what the Papacy even is or what it's purpose is.  It is a sad day for Catholics and for the Church.

 The most profound statement regarding Pope Benedict's resignation came from Cardinal Dziwisz of Poland when he said "Wojytla (Pope John Paul II) stayed to the end because one does not come down from the cross."    This is absolutely correct.  The Pope is the Vicar of Christ.  He serves as the agent of Our Lord.  He is chosen, not by mere men, but by the Holy Ghost.  It is God himself who gives us our Pope to guard and protect the faith.  Just as Christ did not come down from His Cross, the Supreme Pontiff cannot relinquish his responsibilities unless the life of the Church is at stake.  To say that the Pontiff could no longer fight off the wolves is the ultimate act of betrayal and cowardice.  If the Supreme Pontiff cannot fight off the wolves then how can we, the faithful, who depend on the Pontiff to guide us????

   Our Lord suffered extreme humiliation, extreme pain, extreme agony, extreme abandonment, extreme loss of those He loved and yet HE STAYED!  He stayed because without Him, we cannot ever hope to obtain salvation.  Ever.  What does this say about the Pope if he cannot stay and defend the Church against Satan?

  As more news comes out regarding Pope Benedict XVI's resignation, the more questions I have.  Although I do not personally hold the view of my sede vacantist friends, I am walking closer towards that line.  These are indeed very dark times.

   Regardless of this news, in March we will have a new Pope.  What kind of Pope will he be and what will happen to the Barque of Peter?

  Lent begins tomorrow.  I intend to spend this time in prayer and penance that the Church is restored and the Holy Ghost chooses for us a Pope to lead us out of this modernist cesspool.

Our Lady of Fatima, ora pro nobis!

St. Peter, ora pro nobis!

Clown of the Week----Cardinal Joachim Meisner

      Before I sat down to write this blog, I hesitated.  I could almost hear the sighs from my few readers..."Ugh.  Another article about birth control!"  It's tired.  I know.  But at least once a week, a Catholic in a position of authority says something publicly about contraception that is so utterly stupid and ridiculous that I just can't hold my tongue.
     This week the Clown of the Week Award goes to the German Cardinal Joachim Meisner of Cologne.  What, you say, did the good Cardinal do to deserve such an award?  He issued a statement in response to the "controversy" surrounding two Catholic hospitals in Cologne who refused to dispense "emergency contraceptives" to a rape victim.  What exactly was that statement?  Read it and weep, good and faithful Catholics.  "If, after a rape, a supplement is used with the intend of preventing fertilization, that is in my view justifiable."  Congratulations Herr Meisner!  You have just declared utter nonsense, and confounded and confused another generation of Catholics!   
     Since many of today's Catholics are being led around and spoon fed by these clowns, I think it's time for another primer on the absolute absurdity of such a statement.  Good and faithful Catholics should be outraged every time one of these statements comes to light in the media.  Why?  Because many Catholics are blinded by obedience and will believe every single word they say without hesitation, thus finding themselves fast on the path to Perdition!  Enough!  Let's see if we can clarify, then.

1)  If, after a rape.....Yes, rape is a horrible crime against a woman.  Woman who are raped feel shame, quilt, anger, sadness, confusion, despair, remorse, disgust, and hatred.  What makes the situation worse is that most women are raped by someone they know or are at least familiar with.  After women are raped they feel so many emotions for months, perhaps even years, that it is sometimes difficult for them to even think straight.  And that is precisely the problem.  These women who have been raped and have come to a medical facility are not thinking straight at all.  They are over-run with pure emotion. In such a state of raw emotion a woman couldn't possibly consider the idea that she might have fallen pregnant with a man whom she feels nothing but disgust. Difficult dilemma, yes?

2)  ...a supplement is used with the intend of preventing fertilization.....This is called contraception.  Period.  Even the FDA, which is not noted for honesty or transparency regarding pharmaceuticals, identifies "the Pill" and the "emergency pill" as contraceptives, or methods where hormones are used to prevent ovulation or the fertilization of the egg.  There are many natural supplements that have been around for millennia that women have to prevent fertilization---pomegranates, neem oil, Queen Anne's Lace seeds, rutin, smartweed, and apricot kernels.  You see, contrary, to popular belief, ours is not the first society who desired not to have offspring.  There were many people before who discovered certain herbs and flowers could bring on a menstrual cycle, prevent fertilization, or cause a miscarriage.  Why not use one of these supplements instead of hormones which are known cancer agents? 

3)  ...in my view....It seems the good Cardinal's view is the same view as the "experts" and "scientists."  But what about God's view?  And the Church's view?  You see, the Cardinal's view doesn't really matter does it?  The only view that actually counts is God's and He left the Catholic Church solely responsible for teaching everyone what that view is.  Sorry Herr Meisner.

4)  ...justifiable.  This one word, alone, is what qualifies Herr Meisner for the Clown of the Week Award.  What exactly does this word mean?  When a decision or action is justifiable, it must be proven that the action is just, right, or reasonable.  Is preventing fertilization with a supplement in any case just, right, or reasonable?  Not according to God!  Not even in the case of rape.  What is just about denying a child created by God his natural right to live?  What is right about intentionally and willfully suppressing a woman's fertility so that she will not fall pregnant?  What is reasonable about telling a woman that it is okay to take a "supplement" to prevent a child from being conceived or born?  


     What's the big deal, you say, about Cardinal Meisner anyway.  Well, he is in a position of authority.  Faithful Catholics see him as a representative of the visible Church.  Those Catholics who are still attending Mass and who still listen to their priests and bishops will take what the Cardinal says and actually believe it is true.  This is what makes his statement absolutely absurd and dangerous.  And this is precisely why the Catholic Church is in the rotten state that it is in!  The hierarchy is rotten and they are liars.  And while they may or may not hold legitimate places of authority, one just cannot believe a word they say.  Period.  In these times, it's best not to listen to them at all or measure everything they declare with what the Church actually teaches. 

  Contraception and abortion, contrary to popular belief, are not new ideas.  Any study of the use of contraception clearly indicates that both practices, contraception and abortion, were commonplace throughout antiquity.  In fact, an exhaustive analysis of women's health, including contraception, was published in the 2nd Century by Soranus of Ephesus, a Greek gynecologist.  His works were so important that they were read and referenced for over 1500 years.  I mention this because it is important to note that these practices were part of the life and culture that Our Lord and His Apostles were teaching against.  And since these practices were part of the general culture, Christians were in direct opposition to it.  As such, this is not a new idea that just suddenly popped up in the 1960s with the invention of a birth control pill.  On the contrary, ours is not the first culture in which men and women wanted to enjoy the pleasures of the flesh without any consequences.

    From the beginning, Our Lord, His Apostles, and His Church have condemned the practice of contraception and abortion.  One does not need a degree in theology to know what the Church teaches in regards to these matters.  Neither are acceptable--both are intrinsically morally evil.  Period.  This concept is so simple that even the Protestants understand it.  God, and God alone, is the author of life.  He decides, in His ultimate Wisdom, when or if a child is to be created.  This is very difficult for us to understand, especially when the circumstances involved are so difficult.  But who are we to question Our Lord's Ways?  After all, they are not ours.  

   Is rape a horrible situation?  Yes.  Most definitely.  But sometimes Our Lord chooses this precise situation to bring a new human being into this world.  Why?  I do not know. It would be highly presumptuous of me to contemplate why the Lord would allow a child to be conceived in this way.  A report that come out in Ireland last year highlighted the fact that most women in this situation keep their children.  If a child conceived out of rape is so horrible, why do all these women keep their children?  Perhaps this is a question Cardinal Meisner ought to investigate.  The Cardinal might begin his research by reading the blog by Rebecca Kiessling, a woman who was conceived in rape and targeted for abortion.  I am certain she would have to disagree with Cardinal Meisner that "emergency" contraception is ever justified.  There are women there who have lovingly and courageously shared their stories in hopes that they can have an impact.  

     It is a really sad day for humanity the leaders of the Holy Catholic Church lose their faith and their marbles at the same time. For this reason, German Cardinal Joachim Meisner wins the Clown of the Week Award.

Our Lady of Good Success, Ora Pro Nobis!

St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Ora Pro Nobis!



     


     

We Have Become Death

   
~I Am Become Death, The Destroyer Of Worlds~
J. Robert Oppenheimer, 1945




 On Friday, a young man, the age of my oldest son, walked into a public elementary school and brutally gunned down a classroom of children, the same age as my youngest son.  It is not only a tragedy, but a horror.  Every where we turn, there is senseless murder.  We have become death.  (Click links below.)

Shooting Mass Murders

20 Dead Children In Connecticut.

A Young Man On A Rampage In An Oregon Mall.

Shooting Rampage in Colorado Movie Theater.

The Columbine School Bombing and Rampage.

7 Killed At Sikh Temple in Wisconsin.

Several Students Killed At Christian College in California.

Gunman Opens Fire In Seattle Cafe.

Disgruntled Worker Kills 5.

Virginia Tech Shooting In 2007

Amish School Shooting 

Immigrants Killed In Binghamton, New York Shooting.

The 1966 Shooting At The University of Texas

The Long Island Railroad Shooting in 1993

Tucson Mall Shooting That Injured Congress Woman.

"Going Postal"--Postal Worker Shootings In The 1980s


     While all of these deaths were senseless and unnecessary, what are we to make about it?  This is what our secular society has truly wrought and what goes unreported every day.  In context of the people killed, these rampages have nothing on the real agents of death and destruction in our society.  Wake up, Americans!  It's not the guns that are killing!  It's this culture, this Godless culture, that has given us this legacy of death!  It will not end; it will never change unless we allow Our Lord to truly reign in our hearts and in our nation.  The only one who can end it now is Our Most Blessed Mother.  Our only weapons in these dark times are the Rosary and Our Lady's Scapular.  

Euthanasia

51 Assisted Suicide Murders in 2010 Alone.

95 People Were Assisted in Their Own Murders in Washington and Oregon.

Man Murders His Wife But Fails To Kill Himself.  Is Charged With Assisted Suicide.

Movement To Change The Definition Of Suicide To Assisted Dying.

Terry Schiavo Starved To Death For 13 Days.

Murder of The Disabled

Autistic Young Man Tortured and Murdered By Brother

Abuse And Death In Homes For The Disabled.

Family Murders Disabled Mother For Monthly Benefits.

Rape And Murder Of Disabled Girl.

Girl With Cerebral Palsy Murdered By Mother Hours Before Wedding

Woman Murders And Dismembers Disabled Step-Daughter.

Elder Abuse And Murder

Elder Abuse Masked Under Disguise Of Assisted Suicide

Woman Murders Bed-Ridden Mother

Woman and Daughter Allow Elderly Aunt To Die Of Neglect

Man Allows Elderly Mother To Sit And Rot In Her Own Waste.

Murder of the Unborn

In 2008, 1.21 Million Children Were Ripped From Their Mother's Wombs.

90% Of Babies With Down Syndrome Are Murdered Before Birth.

Pregnant Mothers Counseled To Murder Unborn Daughter Because She Was Not A Boy

Bill To Ban Sex Selective Abortion Defeated In Congress.

Murder Of Unborn Babies Based On Sex Is A Real Problem In The United States.


     This is what we have become!  We are a people without God.  We are a people without love.  We are a people without compassion.  When we, as a people, as a nation embraced the willful murdering of our own children in the womb, we dropped the Atomic Bomb on our society.  We can not stop the fall out.  We we can kill the children we cannot see, what is left to stop us from killing the people we can see?  If we have no God, how are we to stop ourselves from starving to death our own helpless aging parents and disabled children?

We have become death, the destroyer of worlds.

Know also this, that, in the last days, shall come dangerous times. Men shall be lovers of themselves, covetous, haughty, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, wicked,Without affection, without peace, slanderers, incontinent, unmerciful, without kindness,  Traitors, stubborn, puffed up, and lovers of pleasures more than of God: Having an appearance indeed of godliness, but denying the power thereof.  But evil men and seducers shall grow worse and worse: erring, and driving into error. But continue thou in those things which thou hast learned, and which have been committed to thee: knowing of whom thou hast learned them; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; 13-14

Our Lady Of Guadalupe, Pray For Us!

O, Emmanuel, Come, Bring Your Justice!  Show Your People Mercy!

Oh, Mom, You're So Old School!

      On Saturday, my husband and I had a meeting with our priest.  He is a good and holy priest, filled with gentleness and wisdom.  We met with him because our teenage son is rebellious, more so than we can handle, and we hoped for some guidance.  While we did get just that, we also came away with a greater understanding of why we are having this trouble in the first place.
     Our oldest two sons were raised by and in the culture.  In those early days, I worked, they went to the babysitter or daycare.  As they became school age, they went off to public school.  The schools were good, we believed, and they had programs and activities before and after school to accommodate most schedules. Finding a place to live with a good school system was imperative because public education by trained teachers was important and necessary.  It mattered and we believed in it.  And it's a communist lie.
     Before you dismiss me as some McCarthian nut, please hear me out.  See I didn't believe it myself.  Oh, yes, I have known for a long time that the public school system is wrought with problems.  I know that the schools are failing, students are failing, money is being wasted.   Everyone knows that.  We all know they eliminated prayer in the classrooms, they've instituted diversity programs, they've emphasized sports.  But these are good things right?  Not all children share the same religious beliefs, not all children share the same cultural background, not all children are physically active.  These are all things that children need to feel comfortable about.  If they feel comfortable, then learning is made easier, right?  We also know that our society is increasingly technological.  We need more scientists, more science, more technology.  And where are children going to get that when their parents aren't so inclined?  We need the public school system, right? We need the educated to educate.  The children need to learn, need to think about their futures, need to join the workforce, need to be healthy and fit, right?  The sooner they begin learning, the better, right?  And all little children have a right to this, a right to learn, a right to be guided, a right to be treated equally and fairly?  Yes!  All of us agree on that, right?
     Keep all these thoughts in mind.  Keep these ideas of fairness, equality, science, religious freedom, and diversity in mind when you read what I am going to share with you.  Keep all of it in mind when your 9 year old daughter is practicing her hip-hop dance moves.  Keep all of it in mind when you drop your 3 year old off at pre-pre-school.  Keep all of this in mind when your 5th grader is working on his Earth Awareness Project.  Keep this in mind when your teenager tells you that your values are not the same as hers.  Keep this in mind when your son invites you to his wedding at the Elvis chapel in Las Vegas.

From the ABC of Communism by Nikolai Bukharin and Evgenii Preobrazhensky

It is the task of the new school to adapt the mentality of adults to the changed social conditions. It is the task of the new school to train up a younger generation whose whole ideology shall be deeply rooted in the soil of the new communist society.  The attainment of this end must be promoted by all our educational reforms, some of which have already been inaugurated, whilst others still await realization.

In bourgeois society, the child is regarded as the property of its parents - if not wholly, at least to a major degree. When parents say, 'My daughter', 'My son', the words do not simply imply the existence of a parental relationship, they also give expression to the parents' view that they have a right to educate their own children. From the socialist outlook, no such right exists.

The child, therefore, belongs to the society in which it lives, and thanks to which it came into being - and this society is something wider than the 'society' of its own parents.

To society, likewise, belongs the primary and basic right of educating children. From this point of view, the parents' claim to bring up their own children and thereby to impress upon the children's psychology their own limitations, must not merely be rejected, but must be absolutely laughed out of court.

Society may entrust the education of children to the parents; but it may refuse to do anything of the kind; and there is all the more reason why society should refuse to entrust education to the parents, seeing that the faculty of educating children is far more rarely encountered than the faculty of begetting them.

Social education will make it possible for socialist society to train the coming generation most successfully, at lowest cost, and with the least expenditure of energy.

Hundreds of thousands, millions of mothers will thereby be freed for productive work and for self-culture. They will be freed from the soul-destroying routine of housework, and from the endless round of petty duties which are involved in the education of children in their own homes.

That is why the Soviet Power is striving to create a number of institutions for the improvement of social education, which are intended by degrees to universalize it. To this class of institutions belong the kindergartens, to which manual workers, clerks, etc., can send their children, thus entrusting them to experts who will prepare the children for school life. To this category, too, belong the homes or residential kindergartens. There are also children's colonies, where the children either live permanently, or for a considerable period, away from their parents. There are in addition the crèches, institutions for the reception of children under four years of age; in these the little ones are cared for while their parents are at work.

The Communist Party, therefore, must, on the one hand, ensure, through the working of soviet institutions, that there shall be a more rapid development of the places where children are prepared for school life, and it must ensure that there shall be a steady improvement in the training given at such places. On the other hand, by intensified propaganda among parents, the party must overcome bourgeois and petty-bourgeois prejudices concerning the necessity and superiority of home education. Here theoretical propaganda must be reinforced by the example of the best conducted educational institutions of the Soviet Power. Only too often, the unsatisfactory condition of the homes; crèches, kindergartens, etc., deters parents from entrusting their children to these. It must be the task of the Communist Party, and especially of the women's sections, to induce parents to strive for the improvement of social education, not by holding aloof from it, but by sending their children to the appropriate institutions, and by exercising the widest possible control over them through parents' organizations.

The preparatory institutions are for children up to the age of seven.

Universal, equal, and compulsory education is made available for all children from the ages of seven to seventeen.

The school must be unified. This means, first of all, that the segregation of the sexes in the school must be done away with, that boys and girls must be educated together, that there must be co-education.

The unified school provides a single gradated system, through which every learner in the socialist republic can and must pass. Boys and girls will begin with kindergarten, and will work their way together through all stages to the top. This will conclude general compulsory education and also such technical education as is compulsory for every pupil.

It will be obvious to our readers that the unified school is not merely the ideal of every advanced educationist, but is the only possible type of school in a socialist society, that is to say, in a classless society or in one that is striving to abolish class. Socialism alone can realize this ideal of the unified school, although certain bourgeois educationists have entertained aspirations towards it.

The school of the socialist republic must be a labour school. This means that instruction and education must be united with labour and must be based upon labour. 

Finally, for communist society, the labour school is absolutely indispensable.   Labour should be a need, like the desire for food and drink; this need must be instilled, and developed in the communist school.

The unified labour school, and nothing else, can provide for the training of workers who will be able to perform the most diverse functions of communist society.

Up to the age of seventeen, all the young people in the republic must attend the unified labour school, acquiring there the sum of theoretical and practical knowledge indispensable to every citizen of communist society. 

Until seventeen, the pupils at the labour school are scholars rather than workers.

The fundamental aim of the labour processes in the school is not that of creating values and of contributing to the State budget, but that of conveying instruction.

After the age of seventeen, the pupil becomes a worker. He must perform his quota of labour, must play his due part in producing goods for the human community. He can receive specialist instruction only in so far as he has first fulfilled his fundamental duty towards society. 

All distinction between professors and students will have disappeared.

The transitional period between capitalism and communism has given birth to a special type of school, which is intended to be serviceable to the revolution now in progress and to assist in the construction of the soviet apparatus.

 Such were the aims of the party and soviet schools which have grown up under our own eyes, in order to give brief and occasional courses of instruction, and which are being transformed into permanent institutions for the training of those who work in the party and in the soviets.

The Communist Party has to create out of the younger generation an entirely new school of educationists, consisting of persons who have from the very first been trained in the spirit of communism, and above all in the spirit of the communist educational programme.

From the Selected Writings of Alexandra Kollantai

Communist society will come to the aid of the parents. In Soviet Russia the Commissariats of Public Education and of Social Welfare are already doing much to assist the family. We already have homes for very small babies, creches, kindergartens, children’s colonies and homes, hospitals and health resorts for sick children. restaurants, free lunches at school and free distribution of text books, warm clothing and shoes to schoolchildren. All this goes to show that the responsibility for the child is passing from the family to the collective.

The parental care of children in the family could be divided into three parts: (a) the care of the very young baby, (b) the bringing up of the child, and (c) the instruction of the child.

The more the workers became conscious of their rights and the better they were organised, the more society had to relieve the family of the care of the children.

Communist society considers the social education of the rising generation to be one of the fundamental aspects of the new life. 

The old family, narrow and petty, where the parents quarrel and are only interested in their own offspring, is not capable of educating the “new person”. 

The playgrounds, gardens, homes and other amenities where the child will spend the greater part of the day under the supervision of qualified educators will, on the other hand, offer an environment in which the child can grow up a conscious communist who recognises the need for solidarity, comradeship, mutual help and loyalty to the collective.

What responsibilities are left to the parents, when they no longer have to take charge of upbringing and education?  The workers’ state aims to support every mother, married or unmarried, while she is suckling her child, and to establish maternity homes, day nurseries and other such facilities in every city and village, in order to give women the opportunity to combine work in society with maternity.

Do not be afraid of having children. Society needs more workers and rejoices at the birth of every child. Communist society takes care of every child and guarantees both him and his mother material and moral support. Society will feed, bring up and educate the child. At the same time, those parents who desire to participate in the education of their children will by no, means be prevented from doing so. Communist society will take upon itself all the duties involved in the education of the child, but the joys of parenthood will not be taken away from those who are capable of appreciating them. 

Communist society wants bright healthy children and strong, happy young people, free in their feelings and affections.

     This is why we are having trouble with our oldest children.  They were raised and educated by our culture in our public school system.  The indoctrination begins at birth.  It is preparation.  The communists knew it.  That's why they pushed parents to placing their children in day cares and nursery schools.  To prepare them for the communist indoctrination.  And that is exactly the system we have willingly instituted in the United States.  And it is that system that has instilled in them the idea that we, their parents, do not have a right to them.  We have no parental sovereignty.  We have no obligations given us by Our Lord.  We can't tell them what to do or seek to offer them advice.  We are not to interfere with their actions or their judgments.  We are to be silent.  

     They were taught that they were scholars first, tasked with learning information and data.  We could not expect them to work summer jobs and save money for college or work after school to help pay for food or clothes.  They could only do it, if they wanted to and only if the school board gave a business permission to hire them.  They were taught that someone else was supposed to provide for their needs, their clothes, their food, their entertainment.  

     They were taught that their happiness comes first.  We are supposed to respect their feelings, their desires, their emotions.  If they love some young person, we are supposed to support it and encourage it.  We are supposed to accept it if they have sexual relations, if they are homosexual, or if they "feel" they are a girl in a boy's body.

    And now on this day, those sons we entrusted to the care of the state, the institutions that were made available for us to go to work and provide food for our family, come to us to tell us to leave them alone.  Stay out of my business.  Your values are different from mine.  I don't need an education; I can just go to work.  I don't believe in God.  I need a new computer.  They come to us and spit in our faces, disrespect us, ignore our pleas, disobey our rules, and mock us behind our backs, lie to our faces.  

  My husband and I are reaping what we have sown.  We are getting what we deserve.  We didn't know.  And that's the wickedness of it all.  Our society, our culture is positively evil. We became young adults when our society was beginning the transition from capitalism to communism, from Christianity to Paganism.  We accepted it because our parents embraced it.  We wanted it.  We liked the freedom from responsibility.  We liked the independence to do our own thing, follow our own paths.  We accepted it as normal, as modern, as necessary, as progress.  We bequeathed it to our children.  But we didn't know what we were doing! 

     Unfortunately, our transition period is over.  Our nation has already adopted communism as its ruling principle.  And it happened not through war or invasion.  It happened in our public school system.  They educated our children with the freedom of the parents.  As parents, we willingly dropped them off, day after day, into the day care centers, the kindergartens, the play groups, the elementary schools, and the high schools.  We paid for them to go to colleges and universities were they were trained to take over our children and educate them in the "new ways."  We did it all willingly.  We relinquished our responsibilities because it was too hard, too time consuming, to much trouble to raise them and work.  They told us we weren't smart enough to raise our children, to teach them, to guide.  We believed them and we packed them up and sent them out.  We took them to their counselors when we were troubled.  We followed their advice when we were confused.  We bought their books.  And now we are a nation of socialists and communist sympathizers.  And it happened without a single bullet being fired.

     As for us, we can only pray that our two oldest children find God.  They have no foundation other than the one they got from the culture.  It is where they will turn by default.  But Our Lord is the Lord of Mercy.  We pray constantly that our sons will consent themselves to God, to His Divine Will.  It is all we can do.  

     Our priest, on Saturday reminded us, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and he will not part from it."  That gives me hope for our 5 remaining children. Will they be rebellious?  Maybe.  But it is we who have raised them.  And we raised them at home, with Catholicism as our foundation.

     Almost 100 years ago, Our Lady came to visit us at Fatima.  She told the three little children that Russia had to be consecrated to Her Immaculate Heart.  She left specific instructions on how to do this.  She said that if this was done, Russia would be converted and the world would have peace.  She warned that if it did not happen, the errors of Russia would be spread throughout the world and all the nations would be annihilated.  This has not been done in the manner that Our Lord requested and therefore we are experiencing His chastisement.  

     May God grant His Mercy to us all!

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!

Love, Peace, and Deer in the Headlights

 Tolerance is the only virtue common to those who don't believe in anything.----G.K. Chesterton 

This is going to be a really quick post.  It is entirely in response to my personal opinion of an audio that was posted on my Facebook by a friend, who just happens to be Novus Ordo.  I'm sure you've seen it posted on Facebook, too, or YouTube.  But just in case, here is Donna, the Deer Lady.  I remarked on Facebook that there is no excuse for the stupidity of the American people.  Personally, I think that was a fair representation of the situation, and something poor Donna even admitted herself!  What surprised me, really, in the whole matter, was that eventually I was admonished for my comments and counseled to be more tolerant and compassionate.  And why?  Because I found this poor woman's ignorance to be offensive rather than humorous.  What a shame.
     Somewhere in the comments, there began a conversation regarding the nature of what I was saying.  I was reminded that the poor woman was just "an airhead" and I should give her a break.  Most people, my Catholic friends, seemed to be offended by my not finding any humor in the ignorance and stupidity of this woman.  They were offended by me!  Finally, I was completely admonished and then reprimanded for not being tolerant and lacking compassion.  I shouldn't be surprised, really.   The modern Catholic Church has taught her children well:  Be Nice At All Costs!  Some People Are Just Born That Way.  They Can't Help It.  You MUST Show Them Compassion!  You MUST Be Tolerant!  
   Of course, poor Donna has zilch to do with Catholicism.  But lucky for Donna, she has had good friends who have been charitable enough to instruct her in her ignorance.  And because she is warm and forgiving, she has, by her own admission, learned the truth about the deer.  Good for Donna's friends!  So in a like manner, I am going to be charitable with my friends and instruct them in their ignorance.  What will happen as a result:  I will probably be unfriended and chastised for being judgmental!
     As always, I suppose the best place to start is with the words themselves.  Words have meanings.  Yes, some words, like "nice," have changed over time, well because we just don't like what they mean!  I will let you do your own research on that word and focus my thoughts on just four:  ignorant, stupid, compassion, and tolerance.  Oh this is so much fun!

Ignorant:  lacking knowledge or comprehension.

Stupid: acting in an unintelligent or careless manner.

Compassion: a sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it.

Tolerance: sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one's own.

    Let's talk about poor Donna first:  Poor Donna was ignorant.  She lacked a real knowledge about the nature of animals.  She really believed that these poor creatures had some primitive form of intelligence and could be convinced to cross the highway at specifically designated points.  I don't know why this poor woman thought this.  Perhaps this lack of comprehension grew out of her genuine love for animals and elevating them to some status they don't deserve.  Who knows?  But she admitted that this is indeed what she thought, that animals could understand road signs.  Her phone call into the radio station, her letter writing, her insistence were all very stupid.  She was acting in a very unintelligent manner.  Her actions were based purely on her lack of knowledge.  And she embarrassed herself.  And that is absolutely not funny.  But lucky for Donna, her friends decided she was important enough and loved enough to be saved from this embarrassment.  Out of genuine compassion, a desire to alleviate her stupidity and embarrassment, they called her and instructed her on the true nature of deer---they cannot read.  They do not follow road signs.  The deer crossing signs are not to guide them, but are there to ALERT US to their presence!  Out of love for their friend, they just could not tolerate her ignorance.  Why?  Because she had already had 3 accidents due to her ignorance and stupidity.  They love her and just could not imagine allowing her to continue to risk her life over her ignorance.  Such good friends that sweet Donna has.  And yes, I think Donna is genuinely sweet.  Bless her heart!
     Now let's talk about what any of this  has to do with Catholicism:  Modern Catholics are ignorant.  They, by their own admission, lack any real knowledge about their faith.  Oh sure, they know who the Pope is.  They love him dearly.  They trust him.  But they couldn't tell you a thing about Catholicism, other than what their priest tells them.  Syllabus of Errrors--what's that?  Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus--Huh?  Christ is Really Present in the Eucharist---what does that mean?  Why are so many Catholics ignorant of their own faith?  I don't know.  Most have never been properly instructed by either their parents or their priests.  Many just don't have time or no where to go.  Some or blissfully happy with the way things are because of sentiment.  Whatever the reason for their ignorance, these Catholics just do the silliest and nonsensical things.  They marry people who are not Catholic or who have no faith at all.  They don't have their children baptized.  They receive the Precious Body of Our Lord in their dirty hands.  They continue to send their children to public schools.  And they do so in good faith and in all sincerity.  And eventually they embarrass themselves, like these people in Germany.
     Lucky for our modern Catholics, they have friends of the traditional variety, who love them and don't want them to continue to risk their souls.  So out of compassion, we approach them.  We bring them books on the dangers of the New Mass.  We invite them over on Fridays in the summer for fish and chips.  We encourage them to read the Encyclicals of all the Popes, not just the modern ones.  We keep on encouraging them to find a traditional Mass and go there.  We share with them the necessity for confession.  Most of all we pray for them.  What we don't do is tolerate the ignorance, the stupidity.  Why?  Because tolerance is an infection.  It grows in our hearts like a virus, eventually making us comfortable with whatever anyone wants to do.  All we become concerned with in our tolerance is making people happy, being nice, and making people feel comfortable.  In our tolerance, we've decided to replace compassion with acceptance.  Instead of sharing other's distress and attempting to alleviate it, we just approve of whatever they are doing because it makes them happy or feel comfortable.  It is truly sorrowful.  But that is the state of modern Catholics and the modern Catholic Church.
    Advent is upon us.  Perhaps during the time of fasting, sacrifice, and contemplation, we can offer prayers up for the whole Church.  She is suffering.  She is not what she used to be and many Catholics are confused and many souls are lost.

St. Andrew, pray for us!