Monday, September 30, 2013

Ready for battle, soberly aware of the stakes

     Sure, there has been some good-natured ribbing between myself and Brenda Johnson on Thursday's upcoming debate. Yes, it is also true that there is a certain level of pride in wanting to keep our win streak (now at 20) intact.

     I do find myself consciously trying to push that pride down and focus on what is really at stake because it is no small thing. As I often find myself amazed at the level of my own weakness, I should not be. That again, is that stubborn pride within me that I must fight to vanquish, with the help of God's Grace.

     That I need God desperately and that my soul cries out for Him is not a matter in dispute. It is quite plain, it is quite evident, it is quite uncontested. I know very well how sinful and weak I can be and I certainly don't need anyone to point it out to me. This is to say that I am a Christian- one who loves, worships, adores and desperately needs Jesus Christ.

     I doubt Brenda, if asked, would deny that she needs Jesus as desperately as I do. I also, do not doubt that she desires to follow Him every bit as much. The difference is how we find Him.

     Do we find Him at the christmas tree or at the tree of the cross? Is He found in the green pastures or the storm? Do we find Him in our joys or in our sorrows, in our triumphs or in our tragedies? Is His grace showered on us at once or given to us drop by drop like an IV?

     I believe some people spend too much time looking for Him in the wrong places or, at least, in the right places at the wrong times. If you haven't got the Jesus of the gospels right, how can you hope to get the Jesus of the end-times right?

     Thursday's debate is so critical because it goes to the heart of who Jesus is and what His church looks like. Sola Scriptura makes us orphans, left to try and find our way, as best we can, with nothing but a book we can't understand to guide us. I know that Jesus did not mean for it to be that way. He left us a church to be His hands and feet- to comfort, to minister to us, to guide us. He left His Holy Spirit to lead us through that church, not against it.

     This debate is about helping people find Christ, where He is- in His church. Jesus gave us His Scripture, yes. He gave us His Sacraments and His ministry as well. His church is the true path to heaven, His infallible Scripture, in her care.






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Sunday, September 29, 2013

It's on!


To say that we are anxious to get this debate on would be a huge understatement. Listen live!

The show starts at 7:00 PM Eastern time. The call-in number is (646) 595-2071. Donald Hartley will run the switchboard/soundboard and Mr. Kohl Nelson will be our moderator. Please post this everywhere!




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Friday, September 27, 2013

The Catholic Defender: Lady Of The Valley

My Brother David was a veteran of the Viet Nam War and he really did not survive it.

Like many other Vets, David did come home but because of the climate of the times, many Viet Nam Veterans never fully integrated back to the States.

According to John Draper, the project director of the "National Suicide Prevention Lifeline" states that Viet Nam Veterans are the highest of any particular group.


When David would go into town, he was always messed with by the local Sheriffs department. When they saw his car they always searched him.

On one occasion, knowing that he was going into town, he found a black snake living in one of our sycamore trees and he placed it in the trunk knowing they were going to stop him. 

Sure enough, they did and when they found the snake, that earned him a flash light across the back of the head.  He felt that he had at least some satisfaction that he earned that one.

David enrolled in a local bible college thinking he could get himself set on a right path, but that did not last long.  This was one of the hardest things my Mother had to endure watching one of her Son's enduring much pain just to live.

David eventually pulled up stakes and traveled west to Kansas for a little while, but he would end up in Seattle Washington where he began working at a hospital working with physical therapy.

It seemed like a couple of years went by, I was in college myself with a baseball scholarship when the Chaplain called me to his office.  It was then that I found out David was killed.  The Chaplain didn't know how at the time, but I spent some time in the chapel and made plans to go home to help my Mother.

Remembering this has been very difficult, I recently rediscovered a song that helped me cope with the loss.  It is from a group called White Lion, the song called "Lady of the Valley".  The words just fit perfectly with my emotions.

The words of the song:


Lyrics to Lady Of The Valley :



lady of the valley
can you hear me cry
in the sillness of the night
I have lost my brother
in the fights of the war
and my heart has broken down

in the night I cry but no one seems to hear
I step into the light but all I feel is fear

lady of the valley
can you bring him back
to the days when we were kids
once we were together
we stood young and strong
now it seems so long ago

the golden key is at the end of the chain
how it hurts ohh lady free me from this pain

in the night I cry to the lady of the valley
cause I'll die without the lady of the valley
in the night I call to the lady of the valley
on my knees I fall before the lady of the valley

in the valley lies the treasure
and the lady guards it well
he who bears all the pressure
is the one to break the spell
there's a sign that I've followed
and it has led me to your seat
I have brought my fallen brother
and I've laid him, yes I've laid him
at your feet

in the night I cry to the lady of the valley
cause I'll die without the lady of the valley
in the night I call to the lady of the valley
on my knees I fall before the lady of the valley
This life is but a journey, we are pilgrims in a strange land.  We have a God who truly loves us.  Jesus is our King, and from the cross he gives us His Mother that we can place our pain before Our Lady of the Valley.



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Thursday, September 26, 2013

The Catholic Defender: Stand For Life

Folks, it is that time of year when people will put on their marching shoes and go pray at the Abortion facilities.

This is good because "40 Days For Life" has done a lot of good to get people to think about what abortion is.

It feels good when you have people out there all day long to stand for life.

I see people out with their rosaries and prayer books to pray and meditate.

This is American freedom to be able to assemble and take a stand for life.

Our Priest spoke of how important it was for him to have gone out there on the front line.

I think it is even more important for him to go there for the sake of the people out there.

This particular lazy day, I had the opportunity to come out to the Abortion Clinic in Killeen Texas where I prayed the Rosary and the Divine Mercy.

This day was a slow day, there was only two of us out there but I felt it mattered not.

I positioned myself with my cross and stood up where I was most visible to those driving by.

What a great feeling it is to get people honking their horns giving you the thumbs up sign and waving towards you.

That is a great encouragement. Often I will have people stop and pray with me because they are affected by our witness.

That means a lot! This day, one person stopped to thank me for taking a stand for life.

He wanted to share his story with me and I was eager to listen as I waved on to the traffic passing by.

Another Lady parked in the parking lot behind me and was taking pictures of me.

I didn't know she was there initially, but I had that feeling that someone was watching me from the back so I stopped and turned around and there she was.

She then got out of her car and brought her camera wanting to take some pictures.

She was Norwegian traveling the United States and was simply driving by and saw me with the cross.

This Lady actually took these pictures I have for this article! I encouraged her to be safe and enjoy her traveling our Country.

One of my Daughter-In-Laws (Szilvia) is leaving the United States today for Hungary.

Her Mother is in the Hospital and it is important for her to go home and see her Mother.

My wife Gigi is still watching the grandchildren in Washington State so I am still on my own for another couple of weeks.

Another lady came by with her son and saw me and then stopped to tell me her story.

She told me the sad truth that she had two abortions when she was younger. That is still affected her deeply.

I was able to encourage her and was glad that she stopped to talk to me. She told me how important her faith was to her.

This is very important, in fact, a most important message of 40 Days for Life.

That a woman needs that healing for inner peace. That Jesus will forgive her.

That is the mission of the Church, to liberate the captives and set them free in Christ.

Even on a lazy day, you can still get a lot of things done just by being available!


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The Catholic Defender: The Signers of The Declaration of Independance

The following is taken from Rush Limbaugh, I was so touched by this I wanted to share this with our readers.

Rush first shared that Senator Ted Cruz read this story during his 21 hour siege on the Senate floor.

If I am not mistaken, Rush originally states that his father wrote this story based on a work he did on this subject.

I was in the Army for more than 26 years and the Constitution has always been important to me.  Our freedoms are important to me.  Holding on to those freedoms are important to me.

The following is the writing shared by Rush Limbaugh:

 The Americans Who Risked Everything 

My father, Rush H. Limbaugh, Jr., delivered this oft-requested address locally a number of times, but it had never before appeared in print until it appeared in The Limbaugh Letter. My dad was renowned for his oratory skills and for his original mind; this speech is, I think, a superb demonstration of both. I will always be grateful to him for instilling in me a passion for the ideas and lives of America's Founders, as well as a deep appreciation for the inspirational power of words which you will see evidenced here:

Our Lives, Our Fortunes, 

Our Sacred Honor

Rush H. Limbaugh, Jr.
It was a glorious morning. The sun was shining and the wind was from the southeast. Up especially early, a tall bony, redheaded young Virginian found time to buy a new thermometer, for which he paid three pounds, fifteen shillings. He also bought gloves for Martha, his wife, who was ill at home.
Thomas Jefferson arrived early at the statehouse. The temperature was 72.5 degrees and the horseflies weren't nearly so bad at that hour. It was a lovely room, very large, with gleaming white walls. The chairs were comfortable. Facing the single door were two brass fireplaces, but they would not be used today.

The moment the door was shut, and it was always kept locked, the room became an oven. The tall windows were shut, so that loud quarreling voices could not be heard by passersby. Small openings atop the windows allowed a slight stir of air, and also a large number of horseflies. Jefferson records that "the horseflies were dexterous in finding necks, and the silk of stocking was nothing to them." All discussion was punctuated by the slap of hands on necks.

On the wall at the back, facing the President's desk, was a panoply-consisting of a drum, swords, and banners seized from Fort Ticonderoga the previous year. Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold had captured the place, shouting that they were taking it "in the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress!"

Now Congress got to work, promptly taking up an emergency measure about which there was discussion but no dissention. "Resolved: That an application be made to the Committee of Safety of Pennsylvania for a supply of flints for the troops at New York." 

Then Congress transformed itself into a committee of the whole. The Declaration of Independence was read aloud once more, and debate resumed. Though Jefferson was the best writer of all of them, he had been somewhat verbose. Congress hacked the excess away. They did a good job, as a side-by-side comparison of the rough draft and the final text shows. They cut the phrase "by a self-assumed power." "Climb" was replaced by "must read," then "must" was eliminated, then the whole sentence, and soon the whole paragraph was cut. Jefferson groaned as they continued what he later called "their depredations." "Inherent and inalienable rights" came out "certain unalienable rights," and to this day no one knows who suggested the elegant change.

A total of 86 alterations were made. Almost 500 words were eliminated, leaving 1,337. At last, after three days of wrangling, the document was put to a vote.

Here in this hall Patrick Henry had once thundered: " I am no longer a Virginian, Sir, but an American." But today the loud, sometimes bitter argument stilled, and without fanfare the vote was taken from north to south by colonies, as was the custom. On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted.

There were no trumpets blown. No one stood on his chair and cheered. The afternoon was waning and Congress had no thought of delaying the full calendar of routine business on its hands. For several hours they worked on many other problems before adjourning for the day.

Much To Lose

What kind of men were the 56 signers who adopted the Declaration of Independence and who, by their signing, committed an act of treason against the crown? To each of you the names Franklin, Adams, Hancock, and Jefferson are almost as familiar as household words. Most of us, however, know nothing of the other signers. Who were they? What happened to them?

I imagine that many of you are somewhat surprised at the names not there: George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Patrick Henry. All were elsewhere.

Ben Franklin was the only really old man. Eighteen were under 40; three were in their 20s. Of the 56 almost half -24- were judges and lawyers. Eleven were merchants, 9 were landowners and farmers, and the remaining 12 were doctors, ministers, and politicians.

With only a few exceptions, such as Samuel Adams of Massachusetts, these were men of substantial property. All but two had families. The vast majority were men of education and standing in their communities. They had economic security as few men had in the 18th century. 

Each had more to lose from revolution than he had to gain by it. John Hancock, one of the richest men in America, already had a price of 500 pounds on his head. He signed in enormous letters so "that his Majesty could now read his name without glasses and could now double the reward." Ben Franklin wryly noted: "Indeed we must all hang together, otherwise we shall most assuredly hang separately." Fat Benjamin Harrison of Virginia told tiny Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts: "With me it will all be over in a minute, but you , you will be dancing on air an hour after I am gone.

These men knew what they risked. The penalty for treason was death by hanging. And remember: a great British fleet was already at anchor in New York Harbor.

They were sober men. There were no dreamy-eyed intellectuals or draft card burners here. They were far from hot-eyed fanatics, yammering for an explosion. They simply asked for the status quo. It was change they resisted. It was equality with the mother country they desired. It was taxation with representation they sought. They were all conservatives, yet they rebelled.

It was principle, not property, that had brought these men to Philadelphia. Two of them became presidents of the United States. Seven of them became state governors. One died in office as vice president of the United States. Several would go on to be U.S. Senators. One, the richest man in America, in 1828 founded the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. One, a delegate from Philadelphia, was the only real poet, musician and philosopher of the signers (it was he, Francis Hopkinson - not Betsy Ross who designed the United States flag).

Richard Henry Lee, A delegate from Virginia, had introduced the resolution to adopt the Declaration of Independence in June of 1776. He was prophetic in his concluding remarks:

"Why then sir, why do we longer delay? Why still deliberate? Let this happy day give birth to an American Republic. Let her arise not to devastate and to conquer but to reestablish the reign of peace and law. The eyes of Europe are fixed upon us. She demands of us a living example of freedom that may exhibit a contrast in the felicity of the citizen to the ever increasing tyranny which desolates her polluted shores. She invites us to prepare an asylum where the unhappy may find solace, and the persecuted repost. If we are not this day wanting in our duty, the names of the American Legislatures of 1776 will be placed by posterity at the side of all of those whose memory has been and ever will be dear to virtuous men and good citizens." 

Though the resolution was formally adopted July 4, it was not until July 8 that two of the states authorized their delegates to sign, and it was not until August 2 that the signers met at Philadelphia to actually put their names to the Declaration.

William Ellery, delegate from Rhode Island, was curious to see the signers' faces as they committed this supreme act of personal courage. He saw some men sign quickly, "but in no face was he able to discern real fear." Stephan Hopkins, Ellery's colleague from Rhode Island, was a man past 60. As he signed with a shaking pen, he declared: "My hand trembles, but my heart does not."

"Most glorious service"

Even before the list was published, the British marked down every member of Congress suspected of having put his name to treason. All of them became the objects of vicious manhunts. Some were taken. Some, like Jefferson, had narrow escapes. All who had property or families near British strongholds suffered.

- Francis Lewis, New York delegate saw his home plundered and his estates in what is now Harlem, completely destroyed by British soldiers. Mrs. Lewis was captured and treated with great brutality. Though she was later exchanged for two British prisoners through the efforts of Congress, she died from the effects of her abuse.

- William Floyd, another New York delegate, was able to escape with his wife and children across Long Island Sound to Connecticut, where they lived as refugees without income for seven years. When they came home they found a devastated ruin.

- Philips Livingstone had all his great holdings in New York confiscated and his family driven out of their home. Livingstone died in 1778 still working in Congress for the cause.
- Louis Morris, the fourth New York delegate, saw all his timber, crops, and livestock taken. For seven years he was barred from his home and family.

John Hart of Trenton, New Jersey, risked his life to return home to see his dying wife. Hessian soldiers rode after him, and he escaped in the woods. While his wife lay on her deathbed, the soldiers ruined his farm and wrecked his homestead. Hart, 65, slept in caves and woods as he was hunted across the countryside. When at long last, emaciated by hardship, he was able to sneak home, he found his wife had already been buried, and his 13 children taken away. He never saw them again. He died a broken man in 1779, without ever finding his family.

- Dr. John Witherspoon, signer, was president of the College of New Jersey, later called Princeton. The British occupied the town of Princeton, and billeted troops in the college. They trampled and burned the finest college library in the country. 

- Judge Richard Stockton, another New Jersey delegate signer, had rushed back to his estate in an effort to evacuate his wife and children. The family found refuge with friends, but a Tory sympathizer betrayed them. Judge Stockton was pulled from bed in the night and brutally beaten by the arresting soldiers. Thrown into a common jail, he was deliberately starved. Congress finally arranged for Stockton's parole, but his health was ruined. The judge was released as an invalid, when he could no longer harm the British cause. He returned home to find his estate looted and did not live to see the triumph of the revolution. His family was forced to live off charity. 

- Robert Morris, merchant prince of Philadelphia, delegate and signer, met Washington's appeals and pleas for money year after year. He made and raised arms and provisions which made it possible for Washington to cross the Delaware at Trenton. In the process he lost 150 ships at sea, bleeding his own fortune and credit almost dry. 

George Clymer, Pennsylvania signer, escaped with his family from their home, but their property was completely destroyed by the British in the Germantown and Brandywine campaigns.
- Dr. Benjamin Rush, also from Pennsylvania, was forced to flee to Maryland. As a heroic surgeon with the army, Rush had several narrow escapes. 

 John Martin, a Tory in his views previous to the debate, lived in a strongly loyalist area of Pennsylvania. When he came out for independence, most of his neighbors and even some of his relatives ostracized him. He was a sensitive and troubled man, and many believed this action killed him. When he died in 1777, his last words to his tormentors were: "Tell them that they will live to see the hour when they shall acknowledge it [the signing] to have been the most glorious service that I have ever rendered to my country." 

- William Ellery, Rhode Island delegate, saw his property and home burned to the ground.
- Thomas Lynch, Jr., South Carolina delegate, had his health broken from privation and exposures while serving as a company commander in the military. His doctors ordered him to seek a cure in the West Indies and on the voyage he and his young bride were drowned at sea. 

- Edward Rutledge, Arthur Middleton, and Thomas Heyward, Jr., the other three South Carolina signers, were taken by the British in the siege of Charleston. They were carried as prisoners of war to St. Augustine, Florida, where they were singled out for indignities. They were exchanged at the end of the war, the British in the meantime having completely devastated their large landholdings and estates. 

- Thomas Nelson, signer of Virginia, was at the front in command of the Virginia military forces. With British General Charles Cornwallis in Yorktown, fire from 70 heavy American guns began to destroy Yorktown piece by piece. Lord Cornwallis and his staff moved their headquarters into Nelson's palatial home. While American cannonballs were making a shambles of the town, the house of Governor Nelson remained untouched. Nelson turned in rage to the American gunners and asked, "Why do you spare my home?" They replied, "Sir, out of respect to you." Nelson cried, "Give me the cannon!" and fired on his magnificent home himself, smashing it to bits. But Nelson's sacrifice was not quite over. He had raised $2 million for the Revolutionary cause by pledging his own estates. When the loans came due, a newer peacetime Congress refused to honor them, and Nelson's property was forfeited. He was never reimbursed. He died, impoverished, a few years later at the age of 50.
Lives, fortunes, honor Of those 56 who signed the Declaration of Independence, nine died of wounds or hardships during the war. Five were captured and imprisoned, in each case with brutal treatment. Several lost wives, sons or entire families. One lost his 13 children. Two wives were brutally treated. All were at one time or another the victims of manhunts and driven from their homes. Twelve signers had their homes completely burned. Seventeen lost everything they owned. Yet not one defected or went back on his pledged word. Their honor, and the nation they sacrificed so much to create is still intact.

And, finally, there is the New Jersey Signer, Abraham Clark.
He gave two sons to the officer corps in the Revolutionary Army. They were captured and sent to that infamous British prison hulk afloat in New York Harbor known as the hell ship "Jersey," where 11,000 American captives were to die. The younger Clarks were treated with a special brutality because of their father. One was put in solitary and given no food. With the end almost in sight with the war almost won, no one could have blamed Abraham Clark for acceding to the British request when they offered him his sons' lives if he would recant and come out for the King and Parliament. The utter despair in this man's heart, the anguish in his very soul, must reach out to each and every one of us down through 200 years with the answer: "No." 

The 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence proved by their every deed that they made no idle boast when they composed the most magnificent curtain line in history. "And for the support of this Declaration with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."






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The Catholic Defender: Celibacy

The foundations for celibacy in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church go all the way back to the time of the Apostles.

St. Paul speaks to the challenges of married life and supports those inclined to the religious life.

St. Paul writes, "So this is what I think best because of the present distress: that it is a good thing for a person to remain as he is. Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek a separation. Are you free of a wife? Then do not look for a wife. If you marry, however, you do not sin, nor does the unmarried woman sin if she marries; but such people will experience affliction in their earthly life, and I would like to spare you that" (1 Corinthians 7:26-28).

Notice St. Paul refers to the "present distress", the Catholic Faith was being persecuted first by the Jews and then by the Romans. It was difficult times to raise a family when your trying to survive.

St. Paul connects the problems associated between this distress and the afflictions experienced in this life.

If St. Paul were here today, he might say the same thing for different reasons.

Our society has progressed so far to the left that it is difficult to see anything holy in marriage or outside?

The attacks upon marriage has had it's affect.

St. Paul continues: "I tell you, brothers, the times is running out. From now on, let those having wives act as not having them, those weeping as not weeping, those rejoicing as not rejoicing, those buying as not owning, those using the world as not using it fully. For the world in its present form is passing away" (1 Corinthians 7:29-31).

St. Paul seems to be writing as if there was another passover taking place, we must be on the ready, much like that first passover when they ate with their loins girt, sandals on their feet, and staff in hand.

The Israelites were commanded to eat like those who were in flight.

This seems to be the feel that St. Paul was giving because of that "present distress" and that fierce persecution.

St. Paul continues, "I should like you to be free of anxieties. An unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord. But a married man is anxious about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and he is divided. An unmarried woman or a virgin is anxious about the things of the Lord, so that she may be holy in both body and spirit. A married woman, on the other hand, is anxious about the things of the world, how she may please her husband" (1 Corinthians 7:32-34).

Clearly, St. Paul sees being unmarried as an advantage in overcoming the present difficulties experienced in the world.

Today, the Catholic Church echos this sentiment wanting couples asking to be married to discern if this was truly what the Lord is wanting in their lives.

It is so easy to marry for the wrong reasons, especially because of the glorification of self gratification.

There is so much immorality today that it would be difficult to find an unmarried woman who is a virgin?

If sex was love, then the United States would be a very loving country?

Critics of celibacy will attack the Catholic Faith for promoting something that is so out of date, it is not expected or realistic to think that anyone could possibly remain faithful in their celibacy.

Some will even say that Jesus himself never supported celibacy?

Matthew 19:12 Jesus says, "Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it."

Jesus is clearly showing that those who renounce marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven "ought to accept it".

This is the position of the Catholic Church! It is a calling!  Luke 18:29 Jesus says, "Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God who will not receive back an overabundant return in this present age and eternal life in the age to come."

A religious who chooses to live the religious life as a priest, brother, or sister are accepting for their lives the higher reward from the Lord in their service to Him.

It is coming from His holy Catholic Church the mission and God's grace to fulfill this mission.

The enemies of Christ hate the purity of what celibacy means to the servant of God. To put God first in all things is  something the progressive liberal cannot accept.

It is a contradiction to the world that says you can't do it, that you must be liberated from the kingdom of God.

Celibacy actually represents liberation from the bondage of sin and it's power.

No question celibacy is a challenge and the religious have to overcome many temptations, but the secularist can't reason this for the modern age.

Yet, celibacy is a deep sign of the love for God in his service.

Notice the hatred displayed here by George Lujack, an anti-Catholic who spills this kind of hate on Facebook:

"There can be no doubt that homosexuality is CONDONED among the Catholic clergy. They certainly DO NOT condemn it, except in the pulpit, but then they must believe that this "perverted sin," along with pedophilia, is something that they as Catholic priests are entitled to."

People like this are devoid of anything Christ like.

They are filled with hate for the Catholic Faith. It is interesting that during the midst of the "priest scandal" the media, the Church, the law, went back 50 years wanting to uncover every rock and the most they found was about 3%.

George and company will condemn the 97% who were innocent.

Dr. James Dobson of "Focus On The Family" took an inward study of their own and found that within Non-Catholic Pastors, there were something like 30% of sexual sin to include child molestation.

This ranks far worse that what was uncovered against Catholic Priests.

Not only this, but Protestant Ministers have a divorce rate about 50% near the national average.

That would play havoc on a Catholic Parish.

Even though Non-Catholic Pastors have a married clergy, they have a much higher incidence of sexual immorality.

The attack on celibacy is not because of celibacy itself, it is because it is coming from the Catholic Faith.

Anything that the Catholic Faith does, the world will attack no matter how pure and good it is.

We as Catholics must remain strong united in the same mind and purpose (1 Corinthians 1:10).

On the question of Marriage, the Catholic Church lifts it as a Sacrament, it is holy.

Like celibacy, marriage is under attack as is the family. Deepertruth wants to help lead the prayer for our religious as well as our families!


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Wednesday, September 25, 2013

The Catholic Defender: Senator Ted Cruz

Senator Ted Cruz, my hats off to you and thank you for being a leader who is truly seeking to defund Obamacare.

At a time when people are giving platitudes of their opposition to Obamacare, you are actually doing something about it.

You stood up for more than 21 hours trying to bring into focus for the American people what is at stake with Obamacare.

I listened to your interview with Rush Limbaugh just moments after spending nearly 2 days on the Senate floor.  Even then, you came off totally sincere in your convictions to overturn Obamacare.

For some of you who might not have been following the problems with Obamacare, consider some of the following.

1.  When they passed Obamacare, there was an American cry to kill the bill, Nancy Pelosi and Company ramrodded this bill through against the American people's opposition at 70%.

2.  Nancy Pelosi called to vote for the bill so they could actually read what was in it?  In other words, it was a vast Government take over of basic American freedoms.  Since people have read the bill, 70% of the American people support defunding the bill.

3.  From Forbes Magazine:    Based on a Manhattan Institute analysis of the HHS numbers, Obamacare will increase underlying insurance rates for younger men by an average of 97 to 99 percent, and for younger women by an average of 55 to 62 percent. Worst off is North Carolina, which will see individual-market rates triple for women, and quadruple for men.

4.  Forbes Magazine:    Worst off was Nebraska, where the difference between the cheapest plan under the old system and under Obamacare was 279 percent for men, and 227 percent for women: more than triple the old rate. Faring best was Colorado, where rates will decline for both 27-year-old men and women by 36 percent. The only other state to see a rate decline in this analysis was New Hampshire: 8 percent for both men and women.

5.  Forbes Magazine:    For this cohort, men fared worst in North Carolina, with rate increases of 305 percent. Women got hammered in Nebraska, where rates will increase by a national high of 237 percent. Again, Colorado and New Hampshire fared best, with 17 percent and 5-8 percent declines, respectively.

6.  Forbes Magazine:     In the 13 states plus D.C., a 27-year-old would have to make 59 percent of the median income of his peers, or less, to come out ahead with regard to Obamacare’s subsidies. A 40-year-old would have to make less than 57 percent of the median income for his peers. On the other hand, older people fare better; the average 64-year-old who makes less than 111 percent of the median income for 64-year-olds will spend less on premiums than he did before.

7.  Forbes Magazine:     The Obama administration knows this, which is why its 15-page report makes no mention of premiums for insurance available on today’s market. Silence, they say, speaks louder than words. HHS’ silence on the difference between Obamacare’s insurance premiums and those available today tell you everything you need to know. Rates are going higher. And if you’re healthy, or you’re young, the Obama administration expects you to do your duty and pay up.

8.  The Heritage Foundation:     Nearly one-quarter of all seniors rely on Medicare Advantage, the private health care option in Medicare. However, Obamacare makes such deep cuts to that program that half of those covered will no longer be able to keep the coverage they have.

9.  The Heritage Foundation:     New taxes on drug companies ($27 billion) and medical device makers ($20 billion), as well as new reporting requirements and regulations imposed on physicians, will make access to health care and services more costly and difficult for seniors under Obamacare.

The following is from the Heritage Foundation, Obamacare: "The Top Ten Reasons it is wrong for America" 

Revised and updated September 16, 2009
 
  1. Millions Will Lose Their Current Insurance. Period. End of Story: President Obama wants Americans to believe they can keep their insurance if they like, but research from the government, private research firms, and think tanks show this is not the case. The economic incentives plus a government-run health plan as proposed in the House bill (H.R. 3200), would cause 88.1 million people to see their current employer-sponsored health plan disappear.
  2. Individual Mandate Means Less Liberty and More Taxes: Although he once opposed the idea, President Obama is now open to the imposition of an individual mandate that would require all Americans to have federally approved health insurance. This unprecedented federal directive not only takes away your individual freedom but could cost you as well. Lawmakers are considering a penalty or tax for those who don't buy government-approved health plans.
  3. Your Health Care Coverage Will Probably Change Anyway: Even if you kept your private insurance, eventually most remaining plans--whether employer plans or individual plans--would have to conform to new federal benefit standards. Moreover, the necessary plan "upgrades" will undoubtedly cost you more in premiums.
  4. The Umpire Is Also the First Baseman: The main argument for a "public option" is that it would increase competition. However, if the federal government creates a health care plan that it controls and also sets the rules for the private plans, there is little doubt that Washington would put its private sector "competitors" out of business sooner or later.
  5. The Fed Picks Your Treatment: President Obama said: "They're going to have to give up paying for things that don't make them healthier...If there's a blue pill and a red pill, and the blue pill is half the price of the red pill and works just as well, why not pay half for the thing that's going to make you well." Does that sound like a government that will stay out of your health care decisions?
  6. Higher Taxes Than Europe Hurt Small Businesses: A proposed surtax on the wealthy, included in the House Bill (H.R. 3200), will actually hit hundreds of thousands of small business ownerswho are dealing with a recession. If it is enacted, America's top earners and job creators will carry a larger overall tax burden than France, Italy, Germany, Japan, etc., with a total average tax rate greater than 52%. Is that the right recipe for jobs and wage growth?
  7. Who Makes Medical Decisions? What is the right medical treatment and should bureaucrats determine what Americans can or cannot have? While the House and Senate language is vague, amendments offered in House and Senate committees to block government rationing of care were routinely defeated. Cost or a federal health board could be the deciding factors. President Obama himself admitted this when he said, "Maybe you're better off not having the surgery, but taking the painkiller," when asked about an elderly woman who needed a pacemaker.
  8. Taxpayer-Funded Abortions?Nineteen Democrats recently asked the President to not sign any bill that doesn't explicitly exclude "abortion from the scope of any government-defined or subsidized health insurance plan" or any bill that allows a federal health board to "recommend abortion services be included under covered benefits or as part of a benefits package." Currently, these provisions do not exist.
  9. It's Not Paid For: The CBO says the current House plan would increase the deficit by $239 billion over 10 years. And that number will likely continue to rise over the long term. Similar entitlement bills in the past, including Medicare, have scored much lower than their actual eventual cost. A new study released by the Peterson Foundation estimates the House bill would add $1 trillion to the deficit in the second decade.
  10. Rushing It, Not Reading It: We've been down this road before--with the failed stimulus package. Back then, we also heard that we were in a crisis and that we needed to pass a 1,000-plus-page bill in a few hours--without reading it--or we would have 8% unemployment. Well, we know what happened. One Congressman even said it's pointless to read the reform bills without two days and two lawyers to make sense of it. Deception is the only reason to rush through a bill nobody truly understands.  
Notice that none of this addresses the war on the Catholic Church which should be a huge concern for Christians.  Where is the public outcry? Ted Cruz is a Southern Baptist who is taking this threat seriously.  Can we call on our Catholic Senators to jump on board to defund this bill? This bill is coming next week and once it is implemented, it is not going away.  Our national debt will continue to plunge deeper and deeper into and empty pit.




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The Catholic Defender: Pre-Combat Checks

Before we went on missions, it is very important for Squad Leaders perform Pre-Combat Checks.

The Soldier is responsible to make sure they have all their gear before they go outside the wire.

That helps protect the Soldier as well as the team.

Everyone must be in the correct uniform with the required equipment. Different MOS may have equipment that is required for a specific duty such as a Medic will have his Medical Aid Bag.

Each vehicle will be loaded according to load plan. Once the Squad Leader does his checks, then the Patrol Leader will ensure that there is another Pre-Combat Check before they pull out to catch those things that slip under the radar.

Hearing protection, personal medical pouch, correct number of Magazines just to name a few items. Accountability is very important to the success of any mission. The Same can be said about our Faith.

Families should ensure that they are living their faith in the home. Hopefully, children are learning the basics. The Priest is the immediate leader of the Community, kind of like a Company Commander.

He is responsible to the Bishop of the Diocese and so there is a Chain of Command. The Priest should be reinforcing the Parents ensuring that the youth are getting the required basics for Confirmation. That should be the intent of all Parents, to ensure that their children are being properly prepared for all the Sacraments.

How many Parents would send their football players to a game without their proper gear? Yet, how many Children are being properly prepared to go to any public School, or any event in public where the faith is not supported.

It is like going out side the wire. We need to ensure that we have conducted Pre-Combat Checks ensuring that we have dawned on the whole armor of Christ.
St. Paul says "Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. Therefore,put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground. So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothes with righteousness as a breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace. In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one".



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Tuesday, September 24, 2013

The Catholic Defender: Are you Ready for Bigger Government?

"This is not a CNN political debate"!   "I'm a Parent, I have a right to speak here"!

This is a response from a parent who was trying to ask a question to the local PTA.

Well, are you ready for bigger Government intrusion in your lives?

I was just watching "Hannity" when he reports this scene at a local PTA meeting.

The Obama Administration is pushing an ultra left agenda.  They are distorting American history, twisting morals, pushing the Gay Agenda.  

I've written on this in the past when I have had issues with ultra left-wing teachers who are indoctrinating young people against their faith.  That didn't work with me.  You can check the articles, "Staying Faithful" and "Hells Bells" on this website.

It is time that we use every available lawful means to stand up against this attack on religious liberty, on families, on Americans.  We need to show ourselves at the PTA, at town hall meetings, write our representatives, vote for good Constitutional candidates.

This really infuriates me how Americans are losing their right to speak out.  This should never happen in America, the land of the free and the brave.

The following video speaks for itself, please remember to pray for this Country.  (I'd hate to think what might of happened outside off camera?) That security guard, did you see how he taunted this man, got into his face? I'm glad I was not there because I might of got involved.  This really infuriates me even watching it more!






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