The Way of the Cross

• Meditations from Pope John Paul II
• Cardinal Ratzinger's Meditations
• St. Francis of Assisi's Meditations
• Scriptural Way of the Cross with Meditations from St. Alphonsus Liguori
• Creighton University Meditations

Updates to Come...

Right now, I have a little too much going on to post much. It's Good Friday, the day of our Lord's death. Please consider praying the Rosary and/or the Chaplet of Divine Mercy on this Friday, and also praying for Terri Schiavo.

Maine Right to Life Disappointed with Maine Lawmakers and Judicial Abuse

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Lisa Roche, 207-622-3837
Date: March 22, 2005

Maine Right to Life Disappointed with Maine Lawmakers and Judicial Abuse

Judge James D. Whittemore has ruled, that Terri Schindler-Schiavo may not receive the federal court hearing mandated by Congressional passage of the federal "Terri's Law". Claiming that she has no "probability of success on the merits," Whittemore denied any stay of the state court's starvation/dehydration order during further proceedings in federal court. The denial of stay must immediately be appealed to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

"Judge Whittemore has engaged in a gross abuse of judicial power," said Burke J. Balch, J.D., director of the Robert Powell Center for Medical Ethics of the National Right to Life Committee. "Giving not even the slightest deference to an Act of Congress, without even allowing time for meaningful legal argument or consideration of evidence, Whittemore has ruled that Terri Schiavo's death sentence must be carried out.

The Maine Right to Life Committee is disappointed to say the least, that Maine’s lawmakers, Senator Collins, Senator Snowe, and Congressman Allen did not vote in favor of Terri’s law, which passed both houses of congress and was signed by the President on Monday. “Maine’s legislators continue to err on the side of death,” said Lisa Roche, Executive Director of MRLC. “Terri has been denied food and water for almost four days and has never had an attorney represent her constitutional right to life nor her freedom of religion claims. Yet Maine’s lawmakers refuse to give Terri’s death sentence the review of a federal court as is always given to death row inmates after they have exhausted their state court appellate process.”

Roche states that Maine’s lawmakers have once again refused to go the extra mile in order to protect life; they refuse to give Terri, who is innocent, the protection that death row inmates receive automatically.

The Maine Right to Life Committee (MRLC) is the largest pro-life organization, in Maine, and an affiliate of National Right to Life. MRLC works through legislation and education to protect those threatened by abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, and assisted suicide.

News - Abortive Pill w/o Prescription, Campaign Against Death Penalty

FDA Expects To Make Emergency Contraception Available Without Prescription

"FDA Acting Commissioner Lester Crawford on Thursday at his confirmation hearing told the... Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions that the agency is close to approving Barr Laboratories' application to allow the emergency contraceptive Plan B to be sold without a doctor's prescription..."

Read more...

U.S. Catholic Bishops to Launch Campaign Denouncing Death Penalty

Tying the move to the beginning of Holy Week, which celebrates the execution of Jesus more than two thousand years ago, the Roman Catholic bishops of the United States on Monday will announce one of the most aggressive campaigns against the death penalty in recent years...

Read more...

Passion (Palm) Sunday - A Little Humor

For some helpful reading concerning Holy Week: The Paschal Mystery (by Archbishop Burke).

The Abortion 'Debate' - It's All About the Beginning

But I would like to state a few facts:

1. There is a God.
2. All life comes from God.
3. All human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception.

Second, all human life comes from God. "The State did not create us, design us, or give us life. Nor did it give us the right to life. Therefore the State cannot take away that right" (Kreeft, 231). In the same train of thought, no other group or person gave you life; therefore, they have no right to take away that life. Again: pretty simple.

Third: All human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. Why? Well, two main reasons: 1) All human life comes from God; 2) We are not God.

Now, we have established that, if there is a God, it is wrong to take a human life, for God is the author of that life—not us. And we know there is a God; if you don't believe me, read St. Thomas Aquinas' Proof of the Existence of God in his Summa Theologica (or read the Catechism of the Catholic Church, read Augustine's On the Free Choice of the Will, Boethius' The Consolation of Philosophy, or some other proof).

"These proofs' truths are apprehended only in the light of faith, which is a gift from God--that one can't come to faith by reason alone (though reason doubtless helps many come to a point where they are open to accepting God's gift of faith)." (Thanks, Dawn Eden!).

Another fact that some do not completely understand is the fact that a 'zygote' (the technical term for a baby immediately upon the sperm entering the egg) is a human being. From the first moment of conception, we must respect the life as a human life (from God). A person's a person, no matter how small (Dr. Seuss, Horton Hears A Who. A 'zygote', 'embryo' or 'fetus' doesn't 'magically become human' until he can walk and talk or is born—he is human from the time the sperm and egg meet.

If we start our arguments promoting the respect for life from this point of view, there is no argument for abortion (for any reason, whatsoever). Not even in cases where some good may come about from the abortion, for "no good reason can justify an intrinsically evil act" (Kreeft, 233). No, not even in cases of rape or when a family cannot afford another child.

If you would like to state reasons such as danger to the mother's life, rape or poverty, those are different arguments—and abortion cannot be a solution. It's all about the basis of your argument.

For Those Who Have Had an Abortion

"Forgiveness is always available for any sin, if sincerely repented, and ministries like "Project Rachel" deal compassionately with women who have had abortions... [The Church] is not in the business of stowne-throwing. But she is in the business of the accurate labeling of human acts, just like her Master, who said not only "neither do I condemn you" but also "go, and do not sin again" (Jn 8:11)" (Kreeft, 233).

Congress & Senate - Put Terri Back on Feeding Tube

Federal lawmakers reached an agreement on Saturday on a compromise bill to prolong the life of Terri Schiavo... House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said.

"We are confident that this compromise addresses everyone's concerns," DeLay, a Texas Republican, said at a news conference. "We are confident it will ... restore nutrition and hydration to Miss Schiavo."

There are still some details of the Senate version of the bill that may not be quite as good as the House version, but it just might be the key to returning Terri's chance for living her life a little longer—right now, every day is an important struggle. There's also a video (Windows Media) on 'Jackson's Junction' of Rep. Tom DeLay's announcement of the bill and details surrounding it. [And he also mentions Palm Sunday!]

As always, be sure to continually check BlogsforTerri.com and TerrisFight.org for the latest news.

Continue Your Prayers for Terri Schiavo! (UPDATED X2)

There is now a great deal of news coverage on the Terri Schiavo story; as of 9:00 this morning, Google News cataloged over 1,600 stories in worldwide media concerning her plight. As of right now, it seems that she may be allowed to live for a short while longer. Every day is another victory, and we must continue to pray for Terri—a lot rides on her case. Can we let someone starve to death as many would have Terri do?

Michael Schiavo

We must be careful, however, to not demonize and condemn Michael Schiavo - Terri's husband who is working towards taking away her nutrition. While it is true that he is living with another woman right now, there are still facts about his life which remain unclear. We must be sure to be loving towards our fellow man; instead of spreading rumors, please pray for Michael.

The Judges

Please also pray for the judges who are involved in the many cases dealing with the Terri Schiavo case. So far, we have seen, time after time, judges stepping over their boundaries and making or breaking laws. The judges in these cases are not evil—they are human, too. They can be helped by your prayer; not by curses and shouting.

The Legislature

There are many, many ways to contact your legislative representatives and let them know you are in support of Terri Schiavo and the right-to-life that is ensured by our Constitution. Our country is one one the edge of a razor blade right now. We must make a great effort to promote the most fundamental right for all mankind: the right to life.

UPDATE (also see my 2nd update below): Catholic World News reports:

A Florida judge on Friday, just minutes before the deadline for removal of a disabled woman's feeding tube, ordered a temporary hold on his previous order. The decision came after Congress subpoenaed disabled woman Terri Schiavo, her husband Michael Schiavo, her parents Bob & Mary Schindler, and two of her doctors.

Although it is obvious that Terri will not be able to attend any congressional hearings, the subpoenas make it a federal offense to tamper with a person who is the recipient of such an order. As a congressional witness, Terri is the beneficiary of many legal protections.

This inquiry should give hope to Terri, her parents and friends and the millions of people throughout the world who are praying for her safety,' House Speaker Dennis Hastert, Majority Leader Tom DeLay and Government Reform chairman Tom Davis said in a joint statement. ``This fight is not over.'

Truly, the fight is not over. And so we pray on.

UPDATE 2: It would seem that Terri's feeding tube has, in fact, been pulled.

Pictures - and News - from Irish-German St. Patrick's Day Celebration

The Germans (with whom I am affiliated) won in overall competition. We did not win the Volleyball match (to my great dismay), but we dominated the crab soccer game, the shower curtain flip and the Irish trivia (imagine that: Germans winning Irish trivia!).

It was, of course, all in good fun, and I look forward to possibly switching alliances next year. After the competitions, we finished the evening with evening prayer and a hearty German and Irish dinner (bratwursts, potatoes, clover-cookies, rice crispie treats and a green cake with mint-green ice cream).

Happy Feast of St. Joseph of Arimathea!

I think I might be missing some other feast today...

Oh, wait! I think I've found it! There's some Irish guy also... I'm thinking the color green... AH! St. Patrick. So that's why we're having 'German/Irish day' at the seminary. Oh, and that's why we're playing VOLLEYBALL! (In case you don't know, volleyball is my favorite sport—which I played throughout my life until recently).

Ah, the memories...

I'll be posting pictures sometime soon, so check back often!

Planned Parenthood - EXTREMELY Disturbing Teenwire Website

It contains a picture of some childishly-drawn outlines of a nude male and female speaking words such as body rubbing, kissing, and cyber sex, suggesting that these are all acceptable methods of birth control. They don't even mention the most important, most mature, and most effective method—abstinence. Instead, they focus on ways they can make children more sexually charged in order to create more Planned Parenthood business.

It amazes me that there can be adults (those who run Teenwire, and even PP itself) who can be so perverted in not only their thoughts on sexuality, but also their ways of expressing themselves. It seems as if they have an obsession with drawing line-figures of naked people, condoms and the like. Teenwire seems more and more to me like it is simply some sort of sexual content provider site for teenagers. A simple glance at the home page makes it seem like some sort of 'adults-only' site, with all the 'hot' colors (reds, oranges, yellows, black).

It is disrespectful to my human dignity to have sites such as Teenwire on the Internet. I do not even link to this site in the interests of not allowing it to have higher page-ranking on Google, or to have any connection to it. The worst part of this situation is that Planned Parenthood receives federal funding!

From The Dawn Patrol: "Planned Parenthood's annual report shows that it received over a quarter-billion dollars in taxpayer funding in fiscal 2004. That money is fungible; it enables the organization to spend more money on Teenwire, as well as on abortions. If you do not want to see your tax dollars go towards Teenwire and other outlets of Planned Parenthood's so-called "comprehensive sex education," contact your senator or your congressman."

Italian Cardinal: "DaVinci Code" Plays on Anti-Catholic Sentiment

"The success of Dan Brown's novel, "The Da Vinci Code," is the result of a marketing strategy playing on anti-Catholic sentiment, said Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone of Genoa, Italy.

The cardinal told Vatican Radio he was particularly concerned about the fact that the book, first published in Italian in 2004, now is available in paperback and is popular among high school students.

"There is an idea circulating in the schools that one must read this book to understand the dynamics of history and all the manipulations carried out by the church in the course of history," Cardinal Bertone told Vatican Radio March 15.

"This is truly sad and terrible," he said, explaining why he had scheduled a public discussion about the book in Genoa.

Cardinal Bertone said the most ridiculous premise in the novel is the Catholic Church's alleged "obliteration of the feminine aspect from the Gospel narratives and in the life of the church."

"There is nothing more false," he said, pointing to the importance the church gives to the Blessed Virgin Mary and to the attention the Gospels pay to Jesus' female disciples, including the women who announced to the male disciples that Jesus had risen.

"There is nothing more false than the need to rediscover a -- how can I say it -- an 'amazon' Mary Magdalene in order to recuperate the presence of women" in the church, he said.

"The more mystifying element" of the book, Cardinal Bertone said, is its "denial of the death and resurrection of Jesus."

Read More...

St. Patrick — A German?!?

14.214.2% - Spanish Grades...

14.214.2% - I used to think only the Library could use 'numbers' such as this, but I was wrong... Unless the libraries are taking over our classrooms!

A Thank You to the Mass Media (from Pope John Paul II)

Pope John Paul II, upon returning from the hospital, had Archbishop Leonardo Sandri read this text on behalf of him in St. Peter's Square, followed by a blessing in the Pope's name (Source):

"Dear Brothers and Sisters!

1. In these days of hospitalization here at the Gemelli, I notice in a particular way the presence and attention of so many agents of the mass media. Today I wish to address a word of gratitude to them, because I know that they carry out -- not without sacrifice -- their appreciated service, thanks to which the faithful, in all parts of the world, can feel me closer and support me with affection and prayer.

2. The role of the mass media is very important in our age of global communication. Great, also, is the responsibility of all those who work in this field, called to provide always accurate information, respectful of the dignity of the human person and attentive to the common good. In this time of Lent, which invites us to nourish ourselves more abundantly with the Word of God, I would like to recall that it is also possible to nourish one's spirit through radio, television and Internet. I am grateful to those who, appreciating the mass media, are dedicated to these new forms of evangelization.

3. Let us pray, finally, to Mary Most Holy that she may help us to prepare well for Holy Week, which will begin next Sunday. I hope to see numerous young people take part, in St. Peter's Square, in the solemn liturgy of Palm Sunday, which will project us toward World Youth Day, planned in Cologne, Germany."

More of my thoughts on the issue.

Break's Over

1. I'm selling an old Handspring Visor Deluxe (barely working) with many extras - really only good for parts and accessories. Link here.
2. I'm thinking of selling an old (working) Palm m505 (color, screen has about 10% dead pixels) on eBay, with 2 USB Hotsync cradles (and power adaptors), all original manuals, a leather cover, a leather belt clip case and a pack of Fellowes WriteRight screen covers. If you're interested, email me.
3. I'm participating in the "Preparation for Total Consecration" According to Saint Louis Marie de Montfort (something that I recommend anyone interested in advancing in the spiritual life to do!).
4. I returned from St. Ambrose parish on the Hill in St. Louis earlier today, and I discovered how much Italians love food—especially Italian food!
5. I just installed my air conditioner in my window—and the outside temperature is 34° F.
6. I only have one and one-half weeks left until Easter Break - and the other seminarians and I get to spend Holy Thursday in and around the New Cathedral (The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis) serving two Masses and dining with the Archbishop!
7. 3M Command® Strips are awesome! You can stick them on your wall and pull them off later without any residue (great for the seminary dorm rooms, where we can't use nails or regular tape).

Homeschooling - a Great Option for Children Today

Many people say that homeschooling is a bad thing for children: they say 'children find it more difficult later in life to become socially accepted with the rest of their peer group' and that 'kids just don't become prepared for the real world'. While there may be a small percentage of cases where a homeschooled child becomes a recluse, this rarely happens, for a variety of reasons.

Nowadays, there are many different organizations to help families which choose to homeschool one or more of their children. There are groups which allow children to come for social activities on certain days of the week, for activities such as science and arts. There are many different curriculums which can be taught to children at their own pace; instead of children either being bored with something they know or being steamrolled with too fast a rate of learning, an in-home teacher can allow each child to learn at his or her own pace.

I often find homeschooled children to be among the socially well-adapted children and teenagers, even in groups of predominantly non-homeschooled children, such as sports teams. I myself was homeschooled for a time, and have no negative thoughts about it. I feel that, as long as the parents who choose to homeschool their children are dedicated to the task (and they usually are) and are willing to sacrifice a lot to make sure their children remain active in many different social activities (which they usually do), homeschooling will remain a very beneficial and good tool for families.

Raising children with solid faith and a great respect for their religion is much easier when a parent can choose to use well-written, truthful textbooks and curriculum for schoolwork. Many of today's popular textbooks (used even in many Catholic and other private Christian schools) contain many 'culturally diverse' sections which downplay the religion and the Church's role in the world of history, geography, mathematics, science, music and art, and sometimes present unstable facts grounded not in objective reality, but rather in whatever slant the text's author wishes to portray.

There are now many great resources for families wishing to homeschool, and ThankEvann's Homeschool Goodies is one of them. (Here are some more:)

• Catholic Heritage Curricula
• Homeschool Central
• Favorite Resources for Catholic Homeschoolers
• Seton Home Study School
• St. Louis Catholic Homeschool Association

On the Eucharist — from Our Sunday Visitor

"We need to savor the presence of Jesus within us. That is why a thanksgiving after Communion is so important, and ideally this should extend to after Mass.

Some of our Communions are too much like a visit to a fast-food restaurant and ordering God 'to go.' The expericence merits more consideration and a certain etiquette. We are accustomed to flying out of church or to carry on conversations with others. Habit will make it easier to kneel down after Mass and to say 'thank you.' You will give good example."

As the author says, "you will give good example" when you remain with the Lord after Mass is over, and you will likely have a greater appreciation of the sacred event that has just happened. Jesus spent his whole life living for you—won't you spend a few more minutes with Him?

It is also important to remember that Jesus is still present in the tabernacle, and a chapel or church is not just a room for people to hold meetings. If you would like to speak about something, try to do it in the lobby or outside; and if you have to talk while in the church, make sure you speak quietly, so as not to disturb others.

Randomness for Thursday

A couple of cool things:

• Google News has added a feature enabling you to rearrange the layout of the page, and even add custom news watch channels (i.e. add a 'Catholic' or 'Pro-Life' section to watch for news with those keywords). Pretty cool, by my standards!
  
  
• Linus Trovalds (the creator of Linux, a free operating system) now uses a Mac as his main machine. If it's good enough for him, it must be good enough for home users ;-)

The Divine Office (The Liturgy of the Hours)

The Knights of Columbus - to the 4th Degree!

There seems to be much confusion and misunderstanding when it comes to the Knights of Columbus, even from people who are in the Catholic Church, so I decided to try to explain what this organization does and who is involved. From the KofC.org website's "About the Knights of Columbus" web page:

The Knights of Columbus is a lay Catholic family fraternal service organization. Membership in the Knights of Columbus is open to all practical Catholic men in communion with the Holy See, age eighteen and above. The term practical Catholic implies that a person accepts and abides by the Commandments of God and the precepts and tenets of the Catholic church.

On October 2, 1881, Father Michael J. McGivney, 29-year-old assistant pastor at St. Mary's Church in New Haven, Connecticut, brought together a group of laymen with whom he discussed his dream for a Catholic fraternal benefit society. It not only would assist widows and orphans of deceased members through its life insurance program, but also would boost members' sense of pride in their Catholic religion, then frequently challenged in the anti-Catholic climate of 19th-century America. Father McGivney and his associates met several more times over the next several months to continue planning, and the new organization --the Knights of Columbus -- was formally launched in early February, 1882. The officers of the new Catholic organization chose the name Knights of Columbus to honor Christopher Columbus, the Catholic discoverer of America. The word knights is also significant. We are ever mindful of the knightly qualities of spirituality and service to church that is embodied in the Knights of Columbus. The Order has evolved into a service organization with a strong family orientation.

By the end of 1897 the Order was thoroughly rooted in New England, along the upper Atlantic seaboard and into Canada. Within the next eight years it branched out from Quebec to California, and from Florida to Washington.

The Knights of Columbus remains headquartered in New Haven, but is now present with nearly 12000 Councils in the United States, Canada, the Philippines, Mexico, and several other countries.

One of the primary missions of the Knights of Columbus is to support local charities. The Knights are a familiar sight around town during the annual Tootsie Roll® drive, which raises funds for charities that support the retarded and handicapped. We also support other fund raising drives to aid local parishes and charities.

The Knights of Columbus promotes family values by providing numerous activities throughout the year that the entire family can participate in. Additionally, the organization provides an opportunity to ensure that a knight's family is provided for in the event of his death.

Pictures from Couch Potatoes

Sorry I haven't had time to mention this earlier: I've posted pictures from Couch Potatoes, the Seminary's 2005 Variety Show, on my seminary website.

Spring Break Begins Today

I pray that students on spring break this year may remain safe and not find themselves in any bad situations. I also pray that these students will be able to be able to find peace and relaxation during this break; mid-term exams can be extremely distressing!

Some interesting things to read over the break:

• The Lamb's Supper
• The Bible
• Life of Christ
• Google News

Prayer Request

National Geographic Channel Will Explore Life Inside the Womb

This Sunday, March 6, from 8-10 p.m., the National Geographic Channel will be playing "In the Womb", "a two-hour special that uses the latest advances in technology to take viewers on the incredible adventure of a developing new life. Revolutionary 3-D and 4-D ultrasound imagery sheds light on the delicate, dark world of a fetus. Viewers will also have the chance to witness a rare fetoscope operation performed in the hope of correcting life- threatening complications before birth." (source).

Besides being an interesting show, about life inside the womb, "In the Womb" will be using computer graphics, 2-D ultrasound, 4-D imaging and other technologies to give an unprecedented look into the life of a child inside its mother's womb.

I think this show will be very well worth anyone's time. I, unfortunately, will not be able to watch this show live, but I am most definitely going to have someone record it for me! It will hopefully cause a stir in the abortion issue and show people how precious life in the womb is. Let us pray for Mary's intercession while many people view this show.