‘Gay Pride’ vs Humility
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love

Some tweets for your consideration.

“Gay pride”…


Swalling your pride…

“Gay pride”…

False pride…

“Gay pride”…


No room for pride…

“Gay pride”…

Rejecting pride…

“Gay pride”…


Dangers of believing lies about pride…

“Gay pride”…

Letting go of pride…


The opposite of pride is humility, the “moral virtue that keeps a person from reaching beyond himself. It is the virtue that restrains the unruly desire for personal greatness and leads people to an orderly love of themselves based on a true appreciation of their position with respect to God and their neighbors.”

He whose heart rejects humility does not know God and cannot truly love his neighbor because he is too busy loving himself.

 

 

 

 

There is a holy pride. Holy pride is the kind that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., had. That is in knowing your value and dignity in GOD’S EYES, as He defines you, regardless of what government and popular society may say about you. Dr. King knew that what God says trumps what society may say.

Donahue: IRS Targeted Catholic League at Behest of Soros-Funded Catholics United
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catholics for obama

If you know anything about Catholic organizations that are engaged in speaking out on political issues, you will know that Catholic League and Catholics United do virtually the same activity, though with opposing opinions. In light of the news that the IRS has been actively targeting conservative groups, Bill Donahue of Catholic League has decided to go public with the news that the IRS targeted Catholic League at the behest of Catholics United.

Newsmax:

Just weeks after Barack Obama was elected president in 2008, I was notified by the IRS that the Catholic League was under investigation for violating the IRS Code on political activities as it relates to 501(c)(3) organizations. What the IRS did not know was that I had proof who contacted them to launch the investigation: Catholics United, a George Soros-funded Catholic organization.

By the way, we now know that the White House knew early, in the words of the Washington Post, about this targeting.

You may remember George Soros as the billionaire backer of Barack Obama in his first presidential election. Should it be legal for a billionaire to back a political organization? Absolutely. It should be legal. People, especially Catholics, need to be aware, however, that Catholics United is an organization that is designed to spread confusion among Catholics about core Church teaching on essential matters like life, marriage, and how to address poverty. Organizations like Catholic League, on the other hand, are designed to educate people about what the Church actually teaches on these issues and to fight against false stereotypes and misinformation about the Catholic Church.

For the IRS to target Catholic League in the first place is wrong. For them to do so at the behest of Catholics United is high magnitude corruption.

Donahue writes:

So the problem extends beyond the IRS. It extends to left-wing activists, funded by left-wing tycoons, all for the purpose of silencing conservatives. It’s time someone was held accountable for this obscene political game.

Agreed.

The Catholic faithful will continue to defend the Church, no matter how ugly our opponents may get. My hope is that this ugliness will be remedied…soon. If not, we’ll still be Catholic.

Light from Light: Catholic Dioceses are Tweeting!
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light

In the creed we say that Jesus is “Light from Light.” Jesus is the light of hope and salvation for the world. The internet is referred to often as “light” in the sense that energy is required for it, and we view it using the light from this energy. Proclaiming the Gospel, the Light of Christ, through this light of the internet are innumerable Christians who have found their hope and salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. Among them are the Twitter accounts of Roman Catholic dioceses in America. Follow my list of Twitter accounts of Catholic dioceses in America. Reweet them often! Some of their tweets are below.

See also: Catholic bishops on Twitter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Follow @CatholicLisa’s list of Catholic dioceses on Twitter.

Pope Francis: ‘If we annoy people, blessed be the Lord’
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thorns

There is much wisdom here, so take note. Some people think that if they are annoyed by someone, it automatically means the person annoying them lacks charity. Nuh uh. It doesn’t work that way, folks. If you are annoyed, it is better to ask yourself if you lack patience than it is to point fingers of judgment at the “annoying” person. It is the annoying people who make converts, not the “polite” people.

Via Catholic News Agency:

The Pope told Christians it is better to be “annoying” and “a nuisance” than lukewarm in proclaiming Jesus Christ.

“If we annoy people, blessed be the Lord,” said Pope Francis during his morning Mass at the Vatican on May 16.

“We can ask the Holy Spirit to give us all this apostolic fervor and to give us the grace to be annoying when things are too quiet in the Church,” he said at the chapel of the Saint Martha residence, where he lives.

He celebrated the Mass alongside Cardinal Peter Turkson and Bishop Mario Toso, the president and the secretary of the Vatican Council for Justice and Peace.

Council staff and employees from Vatican Radio were among those attending the Eucharistic celebration.

The Pope preached on today’s first reading from Acts 22 and contrasted “backseat Christians” with those who have apostolic zeal.

“There are those who are well mannered, who do everything well, but are unable to bring people to the Church through proclamation and apostolic zeal,” he stated.

The pontiff said apostolic zeal “implies an element of madness,” which he labeled as “healthy” and “spiritual.”

He added that it “can only be understood in an atmosphere of love” and that it is not an “enthusiasm for power and possession.”

How exactly does that work? Well, as a convert, I can tell you that the “polite” Catholics were the ones who never told me anything but the most superficial things about Catholicism. They never questioned me about what I believed. They never challenged me. They never pushed my proverbial buttons. For this reason, it took me many years to find the Church even though I had a LOT of Catholic friends. Unfortunately for me, my Catholic friends were all too polite to have a serious impact on me as far as making me THINK and truly consider whether the Catholic Church might actually be different from any other social institution or club.

Annoying people make you think. If you’re annoyed, your natural reaction is going to be to think through WHY that person who is annoying you is “wrong” to say what he/she is saying. People who believe it is most important to be “polite” are the people who never challenge anyone to consider that they might actually be horribly wrong about something related to their salvation.

That’s why the annoying people, provided that they are loving in their hearts, are the ones who effect conversions. “Polite” people stuff feathers into the feather pillows that people sit on, on their way to hell.

Holy Media! Catholic Bishops Are Tweeting! Which Ones Do It Best?
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Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, has over 120,000 followers on Twitter. Click image to visit his account.

Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, has over 120,000 followers on Twitter. Click image to visit his account.

Pope Benedict XVI became the first Pope to use Twitter. Pope Francis, the current Bishop of Rome, now tweets from the same @Pontifex account and has embraced Twitter as an important media tool. He is not alone. There are many Roman Catholic Bishops on Twitter. Below are tweets I found of Roman Catholic Bishops in the United States who are actively tweeting (some more than others). Follow them all. Which ones do it best? There are many criteria we can use to judge that, including quality of tweets, number of followers and number of retweets. You decide who is doing the best job.

Note: In a subsequent post, I’ll share some diocesan accounts with you.

 

Bishop Dewane has an account but hasn’t tweeted yet…so it shows up like this.


Same with Bishop Quinn.


 

 

 

 

 

Oops! We’re missing a LOT of bishops here! I may have missed some. Some bishops’ accounts don’t readily show up in Twitter search. Also, mind you, some bishops have wonderful diocesan accounts, so their absence on Twitter as individuals does not mean they are ignoring Twitter. Personally, I’d like to see bishops with their own accounts, though. Wouldn’t you? Contact the following bishops and ask them to join Twitter as INDIVIDUALS: Bishop Robert Baker (Birmingham), Archbishop Roger L. Schwietz (Anchorage), Bishop Donald J. Kettler (Fairbanks), Bishop Gerald Dino (Byzantine Eparchy of Phoenix), Bishop Thomas Olmsted (Phoenix), Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas (Tucson), Bishop Anthony B. B. Taylor (Little Rock), Bishop Sarhad Jammo (Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle), Bishop Armando X. Ochoa (Fresno), Bishop Richard J. Garcia (Monterey), Bishop Michael C. Barber SJ (Oakland), Bishop Jaime Soto (Sacramento), Bishop Gerald R. Barnes (San Bernardino), Bishop Robert H. Brom (San Diego), Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone (San Francisco), Bishop Robert F. Vasa (Santa Rosa), Bishop Stephen E. Blaire (Stockton), Bishop Michael J. Sheridan (Colorado Springs), Bishop Fernando Isern (Pueblo), Bishop Michael R. Cote (Norwich), Bishop Paul P. Chomnycky (Ukranian Catholic Eparchy of Stamford), Bishop W. Francis Malooly (Wilmington), Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio (U.S. Military), Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski (Miami), Bishop Gerald M. Barbarito (Palm Beach), Bishop Felipe J. Estévez (St. Augustine), Bishop Robert N. Lynch (St. Petersburg), Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory (Atlanta), Bishop Gregory J. Hartmayer (Savannah), Bishop Larry Silva (Honolulu), Bishop Michael P. Driscoll (Boise), Bishop Edward K. Braxton (Belleville), Francis Cardinal George (Chicago), Bishop R. Daniel Conlon (Joliet), Bishop David J. Malloy (Rockford), Bishop Thomas John Paprocki (Springfield, Illinois), Bishop Richard Stephen Seminack (St. Nicholas of Chicago for Ukranians), Bishop Jacob Angadiath (St. Thomas Syro Malabar Diocese of Chicago), Bishop Charles Thompson (Evansville), Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades (Fort Wayne – South Bend), Bishop Dale J. Melczek (Gary), Archbishop Joseph William Tobin (Indianapolis), Bishop Timothy L. Doherty (Lafayette, IN), Bishop Martin J. Amos (Davenport), Bishop Richard E. Pates (Des Moines), Bishop Michael O. Jackels (Dubuque), Bishop R. Walker Nickless (Sioux City), Bishop John B. Brungardt (Dodge City), Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann (Kansas City), Bishop Edward Joseph Weisenburger (Salina), Bishop Eugene J. Gerber (Wichita), Bishop Ronald W. Gainer (Lexington), Bishop William F. Medley (Owensboro), Bishop Ronald P. Herzog (Alexandria), Bishop Robert W. Muench (Baton Rouge), Bishop Sam G. Jacobs (Houma-Thibodaux), Bishop Michael Jarrell (Lafayette, LA), Bishop Glen J. Provost (Lake Charles), Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond (New Orleans), Bishop Michael G. Duca (Shreveport), Bishop Joseph J. Gerry (Portland, ME), Archbishop William E. Lori (Baltimore), Bishop Nicholas J. Samra (Melkite Eparchy of Newton), Bishop George W. Coleman (Fall River), Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell (Springfield, MA), Bishop Robert J. McManus (Worcester), Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron (Detroit), Bishop Bernard A. Hebda (Gaylord), Bishop Walter A. Hurley (Grand Rapids), Bishop Paul J. Bradley (Kalamazoo), Bishop Joseph R. Cistone (Saginaw), Bishop Michael J. Hoeppner (Crookston), Bishop Paul D. Sirba (Duluth), Bishop John M. LeVoir (New Ulm), Archbishop John C. Nienstedt (St. Paul and Minneapolis), Bishop Roger P. Morin (Biloxi), Bishop Joseph N. Latino (Jackson), Bishop John R. Gaydos (Jefferson City), Bishop Robert Finn (Kansas City – St. Joseph), Bishop Robert J. Shaheen (Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon), Bishop James V. Johnston, Jr. ( Springfield – Cape Girardeau), Bishop Michael W. Warfel (Great Falls – Billings), Bishop George Leo Thomas (Helena), Bishop William J. Dendinger (Grand Island), Archbishop George Lucas (Omaha), Bishop Joseph Pepe (Las Vegas), Bishop Randolph Calvo (Reno), Bishop Peter Libasci (Manchester), Bishop Dennis J. Sullivan (Camden), Bishop Yousif Habash (Syriac Eparchy of Our Lady of Deliverance), Bishop Paul Bootkoski (Metuchen), Bishop Arthur Serratelli (Paterson), Bishop David O’Connell (Trenton), Bishop Oscar Cantú (Las Cruces), Archbishop Michael Sheehan (Santa Fe), Bishop Howard J. Hubbard (Albany), Bishop Mikaël Mouradian (Armenian Eparchy of Our Lady of Nareg), Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio (Brooklyn), Bishop Richard J. Malone (Buffalo), Bishop Gregory John Mansour (Eparchy of St. Maron, Brooklyn), Bishop Terry LaValley (Ogdensburg), Bishop Robert J. Cunningham (Rochester and Syracuse), Bishop William F. Murphy (Rockville Centre), Bishop Thomas Eusebius (Syro-Malankara Exarchate), Bishop Peter Jugis (DIocese of Charlotte), Bishop John Folda (Fargo), Archbishop Dennis Schnurr (Cincinnati), Bishop Frederick Campbell (Columbus), Bishop John Kudrick (Eparchy of Parma), Bishop Jeffrey Monforton (Steubenville), Bishop Leonard Blair (Toledo), Bishop John Bura (Ukrainian Eparchy of St. Josaphat), Bishop George Murry (Youngstown), Bishop Edward Slattery (Tulsa), Bishop Liam Cary (Baker), Bishop John Barres (Allentown), Bishop Mark Bartchak (Altoona – Johnstown), Archbishop William Skurla (Byzantine Archeparchy of Pittsburgh), Bishop Lawrence Persico (Erie), Bishop Lawrence Brandt (Greensburg), Archbishop Charles Chaput (Philadelphia), Bishop David Zubik (Pittsburgh), Bishop Joseph C. Bambera (Scranton), Archbishop Stefan Soroka (Ukrainian Archeparchy of Philadelphia), Bishop Thomas J. Tobin (Providence), Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone (Charleston), Bishop Robert D. Gruss (Rapid City), Bishop Paul J. Swain (Sioux Falls), Bishop David R. Choby (Nashville), Bishop Patrick J. Zurek (Amarillo), Bishop Joe S. Vásquez (Austin), Bishop Daniel E. Flores (Brownsville), Bishop Wm. Michael Mulvey (Corpus Christi), Bishop Mark J. Seitz (El Paso), Daniel Cardinal DiNardo (Galveston – Houston), Bishop James A. Tamayo (Laredo), Bishop Plácido Rodríguez (Lubbock), Bishop Michael D. Pfeifer (San Angelo), Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller (San Antonio), Bishop Joseph E. Strickland (Tyler), Bishop David E. Fellhauer (Victoria), Bishop Salvatore R. Matano (Burlington), Bishop Paul S. Loverde (Arlington), Archbishop J. Peter Sartain (Seattle), Bishop Blase J. Cupich (Spokane), Bishop Michael J. Bransfield (Wheeling – Charleston), Bishop William P. Callahan (LaCrosse), Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki (Milwaukee), Bishop Peter F. Christensen (Superior), Bishop Paul D. Etienne (Cheyenne).

 

Ten Rights Not Mentioned in the U.S. Constitution
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prayer

One of the very frustrating things about politics for me is that so many people, both on the Left and the Right, speak about rights as if the Constitution (or government, in general) is their source. God is the source of our rights, not any man-made government. In America, certain of these God-given rights are considered to be so basic that, in order to have an orderly society, government must defend them. This is why we have a Constitution, because laws and law enforcement preserve us from the horrific consequences of anarchy. In all other things but defense of basic rights, government is supposed to be silent. Because our rights come from God, and because people have diverse views about God, the force of government in defense of rights has to be limited to the basics in order that our civil government does not oppress those of different beliefs. Our rights, though, are many more in number than what we see in civil law.

Here, in no particular order and paraphrased from the Code of Canon Law, are ten rights that I have, in my understanding as a Catholic believer in God, that are not listed in the Constitution. I have others besides those I list here. The silence of government on these matters does not mean that the right does not exist. It is between me, God, and the Church. Having said that, if any civil law infringes on these and any other rights that I have in accordance with the Catholic Faith, then that law is an unjust law.

Ten Rights Not Mentioned in the U.S. Constitution

1. Right to spread the Gospel in accordance with the teaching of the Catholic Church.

2. Right to express my needs and desires, particularly spiritual ones, to the Church.

3. Right to express any concerns that I may have to priests and to my bishop about matters pertaining to the good of the Church.

4. Right to follow my own spiritual life provided that it is in keeping with the teaching of the Catholic Church.

5. Right to education that is in accordance with the teachings of the Catholic Church.

6. Right to a good reputation.

7. Right to be free from coercion in choosing a state of life.

8. Right to inquire about spiritual matters from those I am in obedience to, such as a spiritual director or confessor.

9. Right to worship God in accordance with the Latin rite of the Catholic Church.

10. Right to be subjected to discipline that is within the bounds of the norms of Church law. (No excessive discipline.)

Again, this list is not a complete list of my rights. None of these rights are specifically delineated in the federal United States Constitution and it is certainly not necessary for me, or any Catholic, that they be in the Constitution. What is necessary for me as a Catholic is that my government, no matter which country I am a citizen of, refrain from enacting laws that trample on my rights as a Catholic.

As it stands, the U.S. Constitution protects freedom of religion. That includes any expression of my Catholic Faith, no matter what it may be. Unfortunately, our government is doing more and more these days to trample on our rights as Catholics. The reason is that so many people today see government as if government is God and, as such, the author of all rights. They have no religion apart from government, which has become their religion. While I see God as the source of my rights, they see government as the source, whether as a conservative Republican who believes the only rights are listed in the Constitution, or as a liberal Democrat who believes that rights are determined by majority vote.

Until Americans decide once more to embrace the Founders’ view that our rights come from God alone, and that it is government’s role to defend, even with the proverbial sword, only the most basic of them, Catholics are going to have differences of opinion with people in both parties.

 

 

 

The Left in Crisis
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Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Regular readers know that I used to be a crisis pregnancy counselor. Strangely enough, that experience has proven to be quite helpful in reading the political winds. An example of this is what we are going through right now as a country with the IRS scandal, the Department of Justice / Associated Press scandal, and the Benghazi scandal, not to mention the unresolved questions about Fast and Furious, EPA practices, etc. One thing is different from before. The Left is in crisis right now. Even Andrea Mitchell and Chris Matthews have ventured to question the president in relation to the latest scandals.

I know something about people in crisis during what we might refer to as a “moment of truth.” It’s similar to women experiencing indecision in a crisis pregnancy. In ministering to a woman in a crisis pregnancy situation, there comes a point where you realize that the wheels are turning in their heads and nothing you can say or do is going to change what is set in motion. They have to “process” everything that they already know. If you say more, you will overload them with too much information and they will recoil from it, as anyone naturally would from too much information….unless the person giving them information is someone they trust a great deal. This is what the Left is going through right now with Obama’s scandals.

This is a time not to raise voices in anger, nor to bombard them with new facts that are not relevant to the main issues. It is also time to pray that they might be open to the Holy Spirit to do His work. It is only with the light of truth, from the Holy Spirit, that the truth will fully be known. Let us now ask for His help.

Pray for those who are questioning now whether to do the right thing or to do the politically expedient thing, but especially for President Obama and those who work closely with him in his administration. Now is the time for calmness and prayer, for the sake of our country.

It’s also a situation that is very fluid. Anything could happen between now and tomorrow…and there is no telling where we will be in all of this by next week. Just pray. It’s important.

O Holy Spirit, Spirit of truth, come into our hearts; shed the brightness of Thy light upon the nations, that they may please Thee in unity of faith. Amen.