Important Petition

Most people have heard about the Obama administration's unconstitutional and inhumane edict to give Catholic Church 13 months to comply with unjust and unconstitutional regulations or face punitive consequences. He thinks children are a disease to be avoided at all costs. His statement that birth control is medically good for a woman shows an egregious lack of knowledge. Even if birth control wasn't linked to several cancers and autoimmune diseases, as well as to heart disease and mental health issues, even if it didn't increase promiscuity and other sexual morality, even if it didn't give people a false sense of security when it came to sexual behavior without consequences (i.e. the fuss about the fact that the Pope said that condoms don't prevent AIDS- a fact that Harvard Medical School confirmed)- even if it wasn't for all those consequences; all things that prove the Catholic teaching that birth control is against the natural law and does nothing but harm....the idea that children are a disease to be prevented, even at the risks that come with surgery to self-mutilate (sterlization) or risky medicines, or by killing children in the womb puts the lie to all his talk about "compassion". The poor need help...but don't allow them to reproduce! (I am not, by any means, defending Mitt Romney's statement or Ron Paul's for that matter.) Also, the open persecution of Catholic belief shows how dangerous this president is to Christians.

I'll probably write more on this later, especially when it comes to voting for a truly pro-life candidate. But in the mean time, here is an important petition to sign against the birth control mandate. Catholic social services, including adoption services, are the largest social service agency in the world other then governmental agencies. What Obama is doing is going to have horrific consequences for the disadvantaged. Does he really think the atheists, the Buddhists, the Muslims, the liberals are going to step up and fill the gap? Historically, they haven't, being more interested in ideology then works of mercy. Anyways, here's the link: Stop the Birth Control Mandate, by St. Gianna Physician Guild.

Madeleine

Isn't she a beauty? Our ultrasound tech should get an award for this one; I've never had a picture so clear.

Worlds Apart

I've been playing around on Playlist.com As a whole I mostly listen to classical music (including various soundtracks from movies, video games, etc.), Gregorian chant, and hymns, but I have a few other favorite songs from my "contemporary Christian music"- some I listen to more frequently, like Rich Mullins, and others not so much, like Jars of Clay, who I haven't heard until tonight for years (except when my talented husband plays it). But I was listening to their song "Worlds Apart" and it just struck something in me:

I am the only one to blame for this
Somehow it all ends up the same
Soaring on the wings of selfish pride
I flew too high
And like Icharis I collide

With a world I try so hard to leave behind
To rid myself of all but love
To give and die

To turn away and not become
Another nail to pierce the skin of One who loved
More deeply then the ocean, more abundant then the tears
Of a world embracing every heartache

Can I be the one to sacrifice?
Or grip the spear and watch the blood and water flow....

....(To love You) Take my world apart
(To need You) I am on my knees
(To love You) Take my world apart
(To need You) Broke and on my knees

Said and done I stand alone
Amongst remains of a life I should not own
Takes all I am to believe
In the mercy that covers me

Did You really have to die for me?
All I am for all You are 'cause what I need and what I believe
Are worlds apart...

I look beyond the empty cross
forgetting what my life has cost
and wipe away the crimson stains
and dull the nails that still remain
More and more I need You now,
I owe You more each passing hour
the battle between grace and pride
I gave up not so long ago
So steal my heart and take the pain
and wash the feet and cleanse my pride
take the selfish, take the weak,
and all the things I cannot hide
take the beauty, take my tears
the sin-soaked heart and make it yours
take my world all apart
take it now, take it now
and serve the ones that I despise
speak the words I can't deny
watch the world I used to love
fall to dust and thrown away
I look beyond the empty cross
forgetting what my life has cost
so wipe away the crimson stains
and dull the nails that still remain
so steal my heart and take the pain
take the selfish, take the weak
and all the things I cannot hide
take the beauty, take my tears
take my world apart, take my world apart
I pray, I pray, I pray
Take my world apart
_____________________


All I am for all You are, my Jesus.

Advent and Christmas shopping- Christian books and more!

I haven't posted for a while because we're expecting #7! And when I'm in my first- early second trimester the computer feels like riding a roller-coaster. And we found out recently that after 4 boys in a row, God is blessing us with a girl!

I saw a few great shopping specials that I wanted to let people know about:

Angelus Press: As of November 28th, they are offering free shipping. (Thanks to "A Catholic Life" for this info!). They've got great books (I highly recommend "Joy in Suffering" by Rose Hu, "The Life of Gabrielle Lefebrve" for all mothers, and "A Modern Martyr" on St. Theophane Venard- just some of my many favorites!), audio books, and a gorgeous calender (Mysteries of the Rosary this year)

Vision Forum: This is a great site for Christian books about the family, and they have great homeschooling resources, particularly in the area of creation science. They've also got some cool toys for young boys and girls. Want a zip line or for your boys to learn how to sword fight, or want to buy an authentic tea set for your girls? They've got it.

Little Flowers Family Apostolate: Their shipping is slower, and you might want to call to make sure it will get there before Christmas, but they have a lot of unique items no one else has. The book "Immodesty, Satan's Virtue" is a great book not only on the topic of modest dress but on Catholic womanhood. They have Catholic board games, unbreakable statues of Jesus and Mary for babies, and beeswax candles among other many items. Ran by a homeschooling Catholic family.

Effectively tainted by feminism

A great read!

Effectively tainted by feminism, but recovering.

Inspiring story on Primetime

The Bates are good friends of the Duggars, and Nightline just did an hour special on them, since to my knowledge, they are now tied with the Duggar family for "America's largest family". Please watch it and support it, especially in the comments.

I have read some very nasty comments on a traditional Catholic website on the Duggars, twisting their beliefs on spanking and on other issues, but I actually think many traditional Catholics could learn a lot from them. We have, and not just in the practicalities of "how to do it" with a large homeschooling family. After all, if you think about it, they're just living out our faith! I especially admire their evident joy in the children, and the witness they are in homeschooling and modesty. It has challenged me many times: if they, based on their personal interpretation of Scripture, are willing to turn their lives over to Christ in this fashion, why aren't more Catholics? We have the authoritative interpretation of Scripture, Church teaching, the lives of the saints, the examples of so many families. Where they either have to home-church or are usually alone in their churches, we have a Church that takes an authoritative stance against birth control. How many Catholics, even among traditional Catholics, refuse to dress modestly, have a negative attitude towards their children, and how many would welcome a 19th child? The Catholic families who I know who are like that are an inspiration, and I hope to become a little more like that some day. Our family of six children gets stares everywhere we go- I can't imagine 18!

(My biggest warning is you can see the error of Calvinism in the comments on government assistance- "we do X so God gives us Y, and if you would simply do X, you'd have Y too", but that's common among conservative Americans of any stripe, unfortunately

Anyways, here's the link: http://www.hulu.com/watch/271402/abc-primetime-nightline-my-extraordinary-family-bates-18-kids-?review_id=517030&reviews=1

Japanese relief efforts

The SSPX has set up their relief efforts in Japan. You can read about it here: http://www.sspxasia.com/Japan_Appeal_2011.pdf

It was put up a while ago, but I have been recovering from major surgery and thus haven't been online much.

If anyone knows of any other traditional Catholic relief organizations for the recent disasters- Japan, the US tornadoes, etc. please post them in the Comments section. Thanks!