Tag Archive | 2010
Ave Verum by Mozart (San Giovanni Nepomuceno 2010)
Bolivian Bishops: Corruption, Drug Trafficking are Creating a ‘Culture of Death’ (August 9, 2010)
Bolivian Bishops: Corruption, Drug Trafficking are Creating a ‘Culture of Death’
August 9, 2010
The Bishops of Bolivia have issued an independence day statement lamenting the “plague of corruption” and increasing rates of drug abuse among youth.
“As a Church, rooted in our faith in Jesus Christ, we have actively participated in building the country,” the bishops said in their August 6 statement. “We have helped to overcome moments of confrontation; we have raised our voices when injustices have brought suffering and pain for the most disadvantaged, especially when the dictatorial and repressive regimes have violated human, civil, social, and political rights.”
“The justice that, in many cases, in our country has been an instrument of economic power and thus discredited, especially among the poor, is now in danger of falling subject to political interests, in such a way that it continues to create mistrust,” they continued. “We note with great concern that the scourge of corruption and drug trafficking continues to grow in the country and create a culture of death. There is a growing number of Bolivian youth who are victims of this social scourge of drugs. Given the scope and implications of this phenomenon, a reaction is needed from society, especially from authorities, in order to counter its growth and foster a culture of life.”
83% of the nation’s 9.3 million people are Catholic, according to Vatican statistics.
Mexican Bishops Denounce Arizona Immigration Law CWN: (August 03, 2010)
Mexican Bishops Denounce Arizona Immigration Law
CWN: August 03, 2010
The Bishops of Mexico have released a press statement denouncing the controversial Arizona immigration law. The statement was signed by Bishop Víctor René Rodríguez Gómez of Texcoco, secretary general of the Mexican bishops’ conference.
“With deep sadness, we have received the news that the immigration law SB1070 has entered into force,” the statement begins. Expressing solidarity with Latinos residing in the United States, the Bishops “ask with insistence that the Lord of life and all the earth move the hearts of all people who do not know the Father of All and have not been able to discover Brotherhood, Tolerance, and Mercy.”
“We value and we are thankful to the noble and generous people of the United States of America, who for years have offered a warm welcome and support to Mexico and so many countries in need on the continent and in the world,” the statement continues. “We are disappointed to see, and we firmly condemn, the selfish and irresponsible attitude of certain powerful groups which aim to separate countless families, leaving them to drown in deepest misery and poverty after having made enormous sacrifices and risked their lives in the search for a better life and a future of wellbeing and justice for their children.”
“We join our voices with those of all men and women of goodwill calling on Mexican authorities, and Mexican families and parishes, to warmly welcome with specific pastoral care our brothers and sisters forced to retrace their steps.”
“We intend to continue our activity to render our people of Mexico ‘A Home and a School of Communion,’ enabling them to be present in faith and prayer. We give them our blessing as Bishops and we commend them to the Heart of God, to His Son Jesus Christ, and to Holy Mary of Guadalupe.”
Dr Patrick Fagan’s Research in 2010 Proves Lesbianism is Learned Behavior Not Innate
“Washington D.C., May 21, 2010 / 03:21 am (CNA).- Family Research Council released a new study on Thursday, detailing how women who grow up without their biological parents are more likely to engage in homosexual conduct as adults versus women who were raised with both a father and a mother.”
(My Note: EWTN interviewed Dr Patrick Fagan recently on a Sunday Program….I cannot recall which one. He sounded interesting, so I looked him up online and whhaa la! Thus the several posts about his work, today. Check out the two links. One is from CNA and one is from two other websites).
The Two Researchers Photograph’s follow. One a priest researcher and one a layman. Interesting research work.
Article from website: www.mappingamericaproject.org
“Women (aged 14-44) Who Had Homosexual Sexual Partners in the Past Year Are More Likely to Worship Infrequently and to Have Grown Up in Non-Intact Families Women (aged 14-44) who have not had a homosexual sexual partner in the past year are more likely to worship at least weekly and to have grown up in intact families than those who have had a homosexual sexual partner in the past year. According to the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG), 2.1 percent of women who grew up in intact married families and attend religious services at least weekly have had a homosexual sexual partner in the year prior to being asked, followed by women who grew up in other family structures and worship at least weekly (4.6 percent), those who grew up in intact married families and never worship (7.3 percent), and those who grew up in other family structures and never worship (9.5 percent).
Examining structure of family of origin only, four percent of women who grew up in intact married families have had a homosexual sexual partner in the year prior to being asked, followed by women who grew up in intact cohabiting families (4.3 percent), those from married stepfamilies (6 percent), single divorced parent families (6.6 percent), always single parent families (6.6 percent), and cohabiting stepparent families (9.6 percent).
Examining current religious attendance only, 2.8 percent of women who worship at least weekly have had a homosexual sexual partner in the year prior to being asked, followed by women who worship between one and three times a month (2.9 percent), those who worship less than once a month (6.9 percent), and those who never attend religious services (8.7 percent).1
Related Insights from Other Studies
Several other studies throw some light on why this might be so. Michele Dillon of Yale University reported that 44 percent of frequent Catholic church attendees “said that sexual relations between two adults of the same sex were wrong,” compared to 10 percent “of those who attended occasionally or never.”2
Darren Sherkat of Southern Illinois University also found that heterosexual women have much higher rates of church attendance than homosexual women.3
Examining the current family structure of homosexual men, Daryl Higgins of Deakin University reported that homosexual men who married women usually did so because “it seemed natural” or they “wanted children or family life.” Separation or divorce from their spouses often “led to an increase in the range of sexual behaviors engaged in with other men.”4
“As the evidence indicates, more family brokenness in family of origin and less frequent worship correlate positively with homosexual activity.”
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Study done by: Patrick F. Fagan, Ph.D. and D. Paul Sullins, Ph.D.
Dr. Fagan is senior fellow and director of the Marriage and Religion Research Institute (MARRI) at Family Research Council.
Dr. Sullins is an associate professor of sociology at The Catholic University of America.
Direct Quotations is from a PDF Article: “Women (aged 14-44) Who Had a Homosexual Sexual Partner in the Past Year” by Current Religious Attendance and Structure of Family of Origin
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My Two Cents Worth
Proves Christ Jesus’ words to be true: “Apart from Me ~ You Can Do NOTHING!”
And as the Protestant saying goes: “NO GOD – NO PEACE.” Conversely, “KNOW GOD – KNOW PEACE!”
It’s not Rocket Science. TRUTH IS PERRENIAL – Evergreen – and EVER RELAVENT. Jesus is TRUTH.
Jesus never changes. Truth never changes.
The Politically Correct Agenda is Opportunistic and Self-Serving. However, God gives us smart Grace driven men and women, in every age to put up a mirror to the moral decadences in society, not masking it, or lying about it. Simply they state the Truth reflected in that mirror on cultural trends, that are messing up individuals, families and society.*
*We only have to see the serpentine ways of Rock Groups of Infamy like Led Zeppelin, who acted-out on stage, in very depraved ways: to see how their “sex, drugs and rock and roll” messages ruined our nation, and many nations.
*Then, we see the opposite affect, in Grace-driven work of Mother Angelica, Blessed Mother Teresa and Blessed John Paul II had on the World, positively.
Amorality versus Morality, is the Age-Old Human Drama, in every Era. Grace versus Depravity.
One can use our time to Pray and Forgive them. As Saint Francis of Assisi said, “There, but for the Grace of God, go I.”
Praying for Conversions of Others, Jesus told Saint Faustina greatly pleases Him. This is what Lent is all about. It is a year round Catholic Layman and Laywoman Vocation.
Border Patrol Agent Brian A. Terry August 11, 1970 – December 14, 2010 – RIP!
Border Patrol Agent Brian A. Terry
August 11, 1970 – December 14, 2010 – Rest In Peace, via the Mercy of God! May God grant his family Justice and Peace!
Border Patrol Agent Killed in Southern AZ
The Link above is this news story as it was reported on Fox News, in 2010. This is so sad.
August 8, 2010 – Feast Day of Saint Dominic Guzman
August 8, 2010 - Feast of Saint Dominic Guzman
POPE BENEDICT XVI’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS August 2010
REFLECTIONS ON POPE BENEDICT XVI’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS August 2010
Editor’s Note: Apostleship of Prayer receives monthly prayer intentions from Pope Benedict XVI and urges Christians throughout the world to unite in prayer for those intentions. The reflections below seek to illuminate the Holy Father’s concerns.
General Intention The Unemployed and the Homeless. That those who are unemployed, homeless, or in any serious need may find welcome, understanding, and help in overcoming their difficulties.
We are praying this month for people in serious need, but especially for the unemployed and the homeless. Certainly Pope Benedict chose this prayer intention with the recent economic crisis in mind. Stock markets may be up somewhat, but the world economy is still fragile. An economic problem in one country affects other countries. Suddenly people find themselves in serious need of help. The U.S. unemployment rate for the last 12 months exceeds 9.5 percent, which means over 15 million Americans don’t have jobs. On any given night, there are somewhere between 700,000 and 2 million homeless people in the U.S. Conservatively estimated, there are at least 100 million homeless people worldwide. How are we to respond to these people in serious need? First and last, we pray for them. Beyond that, Pope Benedict asks us to welcome, understand, and help them. To welcome someone is to spend time with a person, recognizing that he or she is important to God and therefore to us. Let’s remember that in welcoming anyone we are actually welcoming Jesus, for he identified himself with people in serious need. Only by spending time with someone can we begin to understand his or her situation. When we open ourselves to see each person with the Heart of Christ, we find loving and beautiful ways to respond. If we love, any action we do cannot be in vain. Too often we think that helping the poor is simply a matter of giving money. This month the Holy Father is asking us to be more creative, to get personally involved. In doing so, we have a special opportunity to respect the worth and dignity of those in serious need. We are children of the same Father, so let us treat those in serious need as we would the members of our own family.
Reflection: How will you become personally involved with someone in serious need? In what ways will you welcome, understand, and help others overcome their difficulties? Reading: Luke 9:58 Jesus said to them, “The foxes have lairs, the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
Mission Intention Victims of Discrimination, Hunger, and Forced Emigration. That the Church may be a home for all people in need, opening its doors to any who suffer from racial or religious discrimination, hunger, or wars forcing their emigration.
Migration is the history of the human race. It is also the history of God’s people. The Jews migrated to Egypt in time of famine, then centuries later followed Moses back to their homeland. After Jesus was born, the Holy Family too fled to Egypt to escape the murderous intent of King Herod. Jesus began his life as a political refugee. People have always migrated to escape drought, hardship, war, religious persecution, and discrimination, and they do so still. Each year many millions leave their own countries to find food, shelter, and safety in another country. In many cases families are split as one parent leaves to find work elsewhere and to send back support. We have seen such migration to the United States since the beginning, and we see it most recently in the many Latin American immigrants who have left their homes because of severe hardship. This month Pope Benedict asks us to pray for those who have been forced to emigrate. Jesus said that people will be judged based on whether they welcomed the stranger (Matthew 25:35). In his third encyclical, Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth), Pope Benedict called for policies among nations for “safeguarding the needs and rights of individual migrants and their families, and at the same time, those of the host countries.” Challenged by these and other Scriptures, the Holy Father asks us to pray with him that the Church may be a home for all people in need. He said: “Every migrant is a human person who, as such, possesses fundamental, inalienable rights that must be respected by everyone and in every circumstance.” As members of the Body of Christ, our hearts should go out to those in need just as Jesus’ Heart does.
Reflection: Immigration is a difficult and controversial issue. How are my own views challenged by what the Pope says? Do I see ways in which welcoming the immigrant relates to the sanctity of life? Reading: Leviticus 19: 33-34 When an alien resides with you in your land, do not molest him. You shall treat the alien who resides with you no differently than the natives born among you; have the same love for him as for yourself; for you too were once aliens in the land of Egypt.
Prayer of the Month
St. Maximilian Kolbe, amidst the hate and lonely misery of Auschwitz, you brought love into the lives of fellow captives and sowed the seeds of hope amidst despair. You bore witness to the world by word and deed that “Love alone creates.” Help me to become more like you. With the Church and Mary and you, may I proclaim that “Love alone creates.” To the hungry and oppressed, the naked and homeless, the scorned and hated, the lonely and despairing, may I proclaim the power of Christ’s love, which endures forever and ever. Amen.
- from http://www.catholicity.com
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POPE BENEDICT XVI’S — Prayer Intentions – For May 2010
Editor’s Note: Apostleship of Prayer receives monthly prayer intentions from Pope Benedict XVI and urges Christians throughout the world to unite in prayer for those intentions. The reflections below seek to illuminate the Holy Father’s concerns.
Human Trafficking. That the shameful and monstrous trafficking in human beings, which sadly involves millions of women and children, may stop.
The world’s poor are easy prey for those who wish to profit from the slave market. Many in rich countries like our own purchase women and children to exploit. Slaves are raped, tortured, put to hard labor, and even forced to have babies who are also sold as slaves. The Pope asks us to hear the cries of the millions and pray for the end of this shameful and monstrous trafficking in human beings.
The problem is especially difficult because those who are enslaved sometimes cannot or do not understand that they are victims. Desperate because of poverty, war, or disaster, they seek to escape the hardship and danger of their circumstances. They are fooled by promises of adoption, marriage, and employment. Once sold, they are typically isolated, afraid, ashamed, unable to speak the language of their captors, and ignorant of laws and social services that would rescue them and allow them to live in freedom.
As many as 17,000 people are trafficked into the U.S. each year from Asia, Central and South America, and Eastern Europe. The U.S. State Department reports that they are exploited for prostitution, pornography, domestic servitude, sweatshop labor, and migrant agricultural work.
In her book, The Sacred Bath: An American Teen’s Story of Modern Day Slavery, Theresa Flores tells how at 15 she was drugged, raped, and tortured for two years in an upper-class suburb in Detroit. After 20 years of silence, she began telling her story to help others. Now a licensed social worker, she works at Gracehaven, a safe home in Dublin, Ohio, for girls under 18 who have been sexually exploited.
How can we help end human trafficking? Let’s pray, offering ourselves to God each day this month on behalf of the victims. Praying for the Pope’s intention helps us be aware of the enormity of the problem of human trafficking – awareness we can share with those around us.
Reflection:
How can you make others compassionately aware of human trafficking?
Reading:
Luke 4:16-19 Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went…into the synagogue on the Sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found a passage where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives…”
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Links
The US State Department’s 2009 Report on Human Trafficking Address at the Vienna Forum on the Fight Against Trafficking in Human Beings, February 13-15, 2008Marchetto’sArchbishop Agostino
Coalition of Catholic Organizations Against Human Trafficking
International Justice Mission
Pope Benedict’s Message for the 2006 World Day for Refugees and Migrants
Pope John Paul II’s Letter on the Occasion of the International Conference “Twenty-first Century Slavery – The Human Rights Dimension to Trafficking in Human Beings”
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Mission Intention
Priests, Religious, and Committed Lay People. That priests, religious women and men, and lay people involved in apostolic work may understand how to bring missionary enthusiasm to the communities they serve.
The Holy Father often asks us to pray for a missionary spirit to pervade the entire Church. But this month we are praying specifically for those priests, religious men and women, and lay ministers who are actively involved in apostolic work: that they bring a missionary enthusiasm to their service.
At the Ascension Jesus told his disciples that when they received the Holy Spirit they would receive the power to be witnesses to him to the very ends of the earth. And they did.
We need that power now – all of us. Have you ever heard some good news that you couldn’t wait to tell someone else? You couldn’t keep it to yourself.
That’s the way it’s supposed to be with all of us who have received new life in baptism, especially those who have been called to serve Church ministries. Church workers are to be so inspired by the Holy Spirit that they, like the first disciples after Pentecost, cannot keep the Good News to themselves. From a very small beginning, the Gospel has spread to the ends of the earth. And from your parish, it can spread across your city or county, your state and the nation.
Sunday, May 16, is the 44th World Communications Day, and for it Pope Benedict has written a beautiful message, “Priests and Pastoral Ministry in a Digital World: New Media at the Service of the Word.” The digital world too is part of the new frontier of the missions. It is where pastoral workers – ordained, religious, and lay -must be involved in spreading the word. We pray they may do so with the enthusiasm of the Holy Spirit.
Reflection:
Do you know someone who ministers to others with “missionary enthusiasm”? Pray specifically that the power of the Holy Spirit may grow in that person.
Reading:
Acts 1:8 You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
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Links
Society for the Propagation of the Faith
Pope Benedict’s Message for the 2010 World Day of Communications
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Prayer of the Month
Father, of all, I ask that you grant freedom and comfort to the millions of women, girls, men, and boys who are enslaved throughout the world. End their exploitation and abuse. Awaken the consciences of those who buy, sell, and hold them as slaves. Make people aware that this violation of human rights is among us and growing, even in the United States. Give wisdom to lawmakers and law enforcement. Help me live in your hope until all God’s children are free. Amen.
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Divine Mercy Sunday Is April 11, 2010
