Bishop Olmsted has removed the Catholic status from St. Joseph’s hospital in ]]> I’ve always thought Cardinals should be rock solid in the Catholic faith, fearless of what the world thinks, and shining examples of how Bishops should be Bishops. So count me in on campaigning for Bishop Olmstead to be a made a Cardinal.

Bishop Olmsted has removed the Catholic status from St. Joseph’s hospital in Phoenix, AZ due to the multiple non-Catholic practices that have been occuring there. The media is trying to swirl up controversy but the matter is actually quite simple. If you don’t follow Catholic teaching your not Catholic. The following video is the press conference on the removal of St. Joseph’s Catholic status eariler this week.

News Conference at the Diocesan Pastoral Center, Dec. 21, 2010 from Diocese of Phoenix on Vimeo.

Bonus Video

CCC 2370 Periodic continence, that is, the methods of birth regulation based on self-observation and ]]> A reminder of something you won’t hear much of in your Sunday Homily.  Contraception is sinful!  If you use in or outside of marriage stop its use and repent.  Read Humane Vitae to gain a better understand of Catholic teaching.

CCC 2370 Periodic continence, that is, the methods of birth regulation based on self-observation and the use of infertile periods, is in conformity with the objective criteria of morality.¹⁵⁸ These methods respect the bodies of the spouses, encourage tenderness between them, and favor the education of an authentic freedom. In contrast, “every action which, whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible” is intrinsically evil:¹⁵⁹ Carnal union is morally legitimate only when a definitive community of life between a man and woman has been established. Human love does not tolerate “trial marriages.” It demands a total and definitive gift of persons to one another.¹⁸⁵

Thus the innate LANGUAGE that expresses the total reciprocal self-giving of husband and wife is overlaid, through contraception, by an objectively contradictory LANGUAGE, namely, that of not giving oneself totally to the other. This leads not only to a positive refusal to be open to life but also to a falsification of the inner truth of conjugal love, which is called upon to give itself in personal totality. . . . The difference, both anthropological and moral, between contraception and recourse to the rhythm of the cycle . . . involves in the final analysis two irreconcilable concepts of the human person and of human sexuality.¹⁶⁰

CCC 2390 In a so-called free union, a man and a woman refuse to give juridical and public form to a liaison involving sexual intimacy.

The expression “free union” is fallacious: what can “union” mean when the partners make no commitment to one another, each exhibiting a lack of trust in the other, in himself, or in the future?

The expression covers a number of different situations: concubinage, rejection of marriage as such, or inability to make long-term commitments.¹⁸³ All these situations offend against the dignity of marriage; they destroy the very idea of the family; they weaken the sense of fidelity. They are contrary to the moral law. The sexual act must take place exclusively within marriage. Outside of marriage it always constitutes a grave sin and excludes one from sacramental communion.

CCC 2391 Some today claim a “right to a trial marriage” where there is an intention of getting married later. However firm the purpose of those who engage in premature sexual relations may be, “the fact is that such liaisons can scarcely ensure mutual sincerity and fidelity in a relationship between a man and a woman, nor, especially, can they protect it from inconstancy of desires or whim.”¹⁸⁴ Carnal union is morally legitimate only when a definitive community of life between a man and woman has been established. Human love does not tolerate “trial marriages.” It demands a total and definitive gift of persons to one another.¹⁸⁵

1. 12 Things Every Catholic Should Know About ]]> Its been a while since I last posted.  I’ve been busy at work and last week I was swamped as a single parent.  Thankfully my wife is back from her trip.  Today during lunch I came across three good artcles that I think will interest you.

1. 12 Things Every Catholic Should Know About the Sex Scandals

2. More Info on Homosexualities Linkage to the Sex Scandal

3. After 50 Years of “The Pill”, Half of Pregnancies are Unplanned

First my priest spoke about the 37th anniversary of Roe v. Wade last Sunday.  He was at the March for Life in DC on the 22nd.  I think it’s great that he spoke about ]]> So it’s been about a week since my last post.  A few things have crossed my mind since last week. 

First my priest spoke about the 37^th anniversary of Roe v. Wade last Sunday.  He was at the March for Life in DC on the 22^nd.  I think it’s great that he spoke about abortion in his homily as I feel Catholics across the United States, as a whole rarely, hear about abortion from the pulpit.  If there are any priests reading this, I implore you to speak about abortion from the pulpit and speak about it with authority.  Yes there are men and women in the pew who have had abortions or participated in them.  Ask them to come to reconciliation if they have not already or to attend a retreat.  But what ever you do please don’t stay quite about the issue because you’re afraid of offending someone.

Second, during my priest’s homily on abortion, I was thinking about our taxpayer dollars going to fund Planned Parenthood.  This has to stop.  A parallel when through my head.  Would the government fund dentists that gave out candy?  Common sense tells you that a dentist that hands out candy doesn’t have your best interest in mind.  The candy will cause you to have more cavities which will make the dentist more money on repeat visits.  This is exactly how Planned Parenthood works, they hand out condoms and sell birth control on the cheap and when they fail Planned Parenthood cashes in on the abortion.  This is the very definition of evil.

Lastly tonight I’m flipping TV channels and came across Celebrity Rehab on VH1.  I’m not sure what to think of the show.   I’m sure arguments can be made both for and against for having the show on TV.  What comes to mind is that these people not only need medical help, which they are getting on the show, but they need spiritual help.  They need prayer, and they need my prayer.  As easy as it is to dismiss these people as not worth of my time, which is what I’d like to do, this is not what Christ asks of me.  I can, and should, pray for these people and others dealing with addiction.  I have known addictions in my life and they can be beat, and its much easier to beat them with Christ in your life.

I thought I’d bring to light some of the numbers (lives) of Kansas Abortions just for 2008.

These numbers can be found in the Abortions in Kansas report for 2008 produced by the Kansas Department of Health & Environment

How our society can categorize abortion under the Department of Health ]]>

I thought I’d bring to light some of the numbers (lives) of Kansas Abortions just for 2008.

These numbers can be found in the Abortions in Kansas report for 2008 produced by the Kansas Department of Health & Environment

How our society can categorize abortion under the Department of Health and Environment is beyond me, considering they won’t hold abortion clinics to the same health standards in Kansas as any other health clinics where you see a doctor for shots and check-ups.

• In 2008 there were 10,642 abortions performed in the State of Kansas
• 5131 were performed on women who were not residents of Kansas. (Get that? Almost half of the women who received abortions in Kansas were not Kansas residents) (Did their contraception not work?)
• 1769 abortions were performed on Married women. (Did their contraception not work?)
• 323 abortions were performed on children with 22 weeks of gestation or more. (yet it’s against the law to kill a baby that is viable outside the womb, your telling me all 323 of these babies were not viable?)
• 10 abortions were performed on women who refused to state how many weeks of gestation their baby was (how sad)
• According to the report no Partial Birth Abortions procedures have been used in Kansas since 1999 (Dr. Tiller’s method was to inject digoxin in the babies while in uetro in order to stop their heart and then to be later delivered dead)
• 6455 abortions occurred on babies who had living siblings (I wonder if their brothers and sisters will ever know there younger sibling was killed)
• 4141 abortions were performed on women who had prior abortions (Is abortion their way of contracepting?)
• There have been more than 10,000 abortions performed in Kansas every year since 1991 (I guess reducing abortions really isn’t a goal after all)
• 1286 abortions were performed in Johnson Co (one of the wealthiest counties in the United States) (I thought economic reasons was the main reason women had abortions?)
• 1146 abortion were performed in Sedwick Co / Wichita, KS (Did their contraception not work?)

If you look at the election a few weeks ago you will see that the Pro-Life side of the abortion issue was defeated in multiple locations. I think ]]> I heard a statement the other day that stuck with me. The statement is “One death is considered a tragedy. One million deaths is a statistic.”

If you look at the election a few weeks ago you will see that the Pro-Life side of the abortion issue was defeated in multiple locations. I think the vast majority of people in our country would not put themselves in either the Pro-Life or Pro-Choice camps. For the silent majority the issue is just too politically divisive and their true preference would be to have the issue just go away, but of course it won’t. The statistics that Pro-Lifers throw around, myself included, are just truly not comprehendible to the average citizen who is focused on their own life. The silent majority does not attach a fleeting thought to the statistic of 48 million deaths post Roe v Wade because they just can’t comprehend it nor do they want to. They are bombarded through the media with terms like fetus, cells, and embryo, causing them not to see the human person that is being killed during an abortion. Therefore in order to truly combat the issue of abortion, we have to do it one death at a time. We have to show the relevance of how each life that has been taken affects the average Joe.

We also have to remember that abortion was legal upon request prior to Roe v Wade in 4 states and with strict stipulations in 16 other states. I question if we will ever get back to that status again in our country even if Roe v Wade is overturned. It’s not a bad thing to try and limit or remove the “legal” supply of abortions but as long as there are unwanted pregnancies there will be a demand for abortion, legal or illegal.

Therefore I think the Pro-Life Community is better to focus its long-term resources on combating the demand for abortions rather than the laws of the nation. If I was to act on the abortion issue, and I’m starting to really consider taking some true action, here is how I’ve considered approaching the problem.

1) Make the abortion issue local. Instead of talking about how there have been 48 Million abortions since Roe v. Wade made abortion “legal” we need to talk about how many abortions are happening in our own communities. People can understand and tie their conscience to a number like 1388, the # of abortions in my community last year, much more readily than then can to 48 million. In my state of Kansas here are some statistics I found for 2007 from the Kansas Center for Health & Environmental Statistics:

• 10,836 abortions were performed in Kansas
• 1388 were performed in Johnson County pop. 525,000 (which is where I live)
• Almost half of the 10,836 were performed on non-Kansas residents
• There are 5 abortion facilities in the state of Kansas
• 1808 of the 10,836 abortions were performed on married women
• 4305 of the 10,836 abortions were performed on women who had one or more previously induced abortions
• 0 of the 10,836 abortions performed were to prevent the mother’s death

By making the issue local you help people comprehend its affect in their own community, by using numbers that they can associate with. I would also do what I can to show the average Joe what a number like 48 million looks like.

2) Education – Educate people on what really happens during an abortion. Make even the thought of having an abortion from being non-existent in the community around you. Show people, especially those ages 10 to 30 on what abortion truly is. Educate people about the facts of how contraception causes abortion and how failed contraception results in pregnancy. Educate our community on how the Planned Parenthood organizations pushes “safe-sex” to our society only to ensure their organization a steady supply of unwanted pregnancies who’s mothers are more likely to choose to have an abortion. Educate parents on how to discuss the topics of sex and abortion with their kids and show them how to create a line of communication and support, where if a teen pregnancy does occur, that there is a culture of trust and love that the teen will work with their parents verses seeking out an abortion on their own. Educate the African-American community on how Planned Parenthood targets them.

3) Focus – Leave the other life issues of euthanasia, embryonic stem cell, and the death penalty to other groups. Yes, we need cultivate and entire culture of life, but in order to cause an actual change in the status quo of abortion we have to focus our energies on the single issue in order to truly make a difference.

4) Prayer – Cultivate a community of prayer by organizing prayer & fasting that requests people in your local parishes to pray for specific intentions. 1) for the conversion of those who perform abortions 2) for a change of heart for those considering an abortion 3) for a healing of those who have had an abortion 4) thanksgiving for mothers who have said yes to the miracle of life & 5) for a society that values every conceived life.

5) No Political Pandering – Do not align with any political party or politician. Siding with one side of the political spectrum will not defeat Abortion. No one party or politician will solve the abortion issue. By siding with specific politicians or parties will only alienate the other side of the political spectrum. For abortion to be defeated the whole society will need to be involved.

6) 80/20 Rule – We must be willing to agree to take the 80% or 90% and fight for the 20% or 10% another day. Too often the Pro-Life forces seem to be after the big target and appear to be an all or nothing crowd. Rome was not built in a day nor was it destroyed in a day. We must be willing to settle for smaller victories providing an appearance of compromise along the way. How does one eat and elephant? One bite at a time. Abortion is bigger than an elephant. The civil rights movement was not a one-day event. Nor will be the defeat of abortion. The fight at this point in time appears to be life long one.

Roe v Wade is definitely bad law. But in my opinion because of it, a genie of sorts, is out of the bottle. And it may not go back into the bottle. There for we must address the demand of abortion over and above the supply of abortion. Drugs are illegal in this country, but the mere fact they are illegal does not stop the demand for them, likewise with the issue of abortion. It was an issue in the United States prior to Roe v Wade and regardless of its “legality” it will remain an issue.

Now I ask you to ponder this question. If abortion is wrong, why would contraception not be considered just as evil as abortion? 48 Million deaths have occurred due to induced abortions in the USA since 1973 it is estimated. But I would estimate an even greater and unfathomable number of human persons have died due to the affects of contraception since the introduction of the pill in the last century.