India’s Supreme Court orders the local government in the state of Orissa where the recent persecution of Christians has occurred to put an end to the violence. The court addressed a state official, “If your government is unable to protect Christians, you better resign”

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A Lesson from Blessed Teresa of Calcutta on Abortion

“America needs no words from me to see how your decision in Roe v. Wade has deformed a great nation. The so-called right to abortion has pitted mothers against their children and women against men. It has sown violence and discord at the heart of the most intimate human relationships. It has aggravated the derogation of the father’s role in an increasingly fatherless society. It has portrayed the greatest of gifts — a child — as a competitor, an intrusion, and an inconvenience. It has nominally accorded mothers unfettered dominion over the independent lives of their physically dependent sons and daughters”

“And, in granting this unconscionable power, it has exposed many women to unjust and selfish demands from their husbands or other sexual partners. Human rights are not a privilege conferred by government. They are every human being’s entitlement by virtue of his humanity. The right to life does not depend, and must not be declared to be contingent, on the pleasure of anyone else, not even a parent or a sovereign.”

(Mother Theresa — “Notable and Quotable,” Wall Street Journal, 2/25/94, p. A14)

“But I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child – a direct killing of the innocent child – murder by the mother herself. And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another?

How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion? As always, we must persuade her with love, and we remind ourselves that love means to be willing to give until it hurts. Jesus gave even his life to love us. So the mother who is thinking of abortion, should be helped to love – that is, to give until it hurts her plans, or her free time, to respect the life of her child. The father of that child, whoever he is, must also give until it hurts.

By abortion, the mother does not learn to love, but kills even her own child to solve her problems. And by abortion, the father is told that he does not have to take any responsibility at all for the child he has brought into the world. That father is likely to put other women into the same trouble. So abortion just leads to more abortion. Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching the people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want. That is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion. ”

“Please don’t kill the child. I want the child. Please give me the child. I am willing to accept any child who would be aborted, and to give that child to a married couple who will love the child, and be loved by the child. From our children’s home in Calcutta alone, we have saved over 3,000 children from abortions. These children have brought such love and joy to their adopting parents, and have grown up so full of love and joy!”

February 1997 – National Prayer Breakfast in Washington attended by the President and the First Lady. “What is taking place in America,” she said, “is a war against the child. And if we accept that the mother can kill her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another.”

“Any country that accepts abortion, is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what it wants.”

“It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish.”

Mother Teresa with a Rosary in her hand was unafraid to stand before the United Nations or the President of the United States or any personage in the world and deliver the message of the dignity of life.  May we follow her example as best we can in our own lives. Ave Maria!

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Brian Brown has since moved on to the the National Organization for Marriage where he spearheaded Proposition 8 against Gay Marriage in California.]

Original Post:

Ave Maria!

This is a special AIRMARIA report on the status of religious liberty in America, relative to the ongoing push on the part of the homosexual lobby for full same-sex marriage in Connecticut. Last year same-sex civil unions were legalized by the state assembly with an amendment defining marriage as a union of one man and one woman.

In Connecticut, same-sex couples already have all the rights and benefits of married people, just not the name “marriage.” This year they are back for what they call “equality,” but in reality the legalization of same-sex marriage in Connecticut will only codify the defense of traditional marriage as a form of discrimination.

Witness the erosion of your religious liberty! This assault will not stop at the state line. The same-sex marriage lobby wishes to challenge the federal Defense of Marriage Act. This affects you, no matter where you live in America.

On March 26, Brian Brown, Executive director of the Family Institute of Connecticut, testified before the judiciary committee of the state legislature in regard to raised House Bill 7395: An Act Concerning Marriage Equality. He was grilled on the question of commitment to civil rights and his religious convictions. Brian defended both traditional marriage and religious liberty in an eloquent and courageous way. He continues to be attacked on the FIC blog. In this video Brian also tells us what we can do to protect religious liberty.

Don’t underestimate this attack on religious liberty. This has implications for us all. Bill Donohue of the Catholic League has picked up on the threat and is bringing it to national attention. This video is a good synthesis of what happened last Monday.

Ave Maria!

The post Video – News #1 – Religious Liberty Under Fire first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Face of Pro-Life #80 – Susan Boyce ( 29min) >>> Play

Ave Maria!

Susan Boyce outlines the hidden horrors of the latest National Health Care Bill, HR 3590. She covers the fact that 1000 pages have been added to the bill just since the summer. Now is 2074 pages, 2.5 trillion cost over ten years,  mandatory visitation of government officials to your homes, massive increase in family health care costs in very high taxes. For all US employees an abortion premium will be charged that goes diectly to the procurement of abortions. Also the head of Health and Human Services, currently pro-abortion Kathleen Sabelius, will have carte blanche powers to make changes to the plan with no recourse for the people to protest. Rationing by denial of care to long term or elderly patients, realtime access to bank accounts in, requirements to. Why, based on Catholic measures, the whole thing needs to be scrapped because of its neglect of Catholic principles of whether the Stupac Amendment is added or not and how the Catholic bishops and the USCCB are the only ones that can make this happen. National ID Card.

Update – Sources referenced in talk:

John Boehner explaining the monthly abortion fee:
http://republicanleader.house.gov/blog/?p=690

Liberty Counsel’s Comparison chart

Health care premium cost for a family of four with an annual salary of 75K

Rasmussen Reports on percentages favoring reform

I mentioned this article but didn’t have it handy to pull info from:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120723411

Raymond Arroyo (again)
http://www.ewtn.com/news/blog.asp?blog_ID=2

Rush Limbaugh explanation of the 2.5 trillion dollar price tag:

“RUSH: Let me give you the real number on this, Deborah, because it’s even worse. The way this is working, it’s the same thing they did in the House. They do a ten-year projection. However, the tax increases that fund it start immediately. The health care bill doesn’t get implemented until year three or four, and that’s how they’re able to bring in this phony price. It’s also phony because the numbers are just targets. The real number in this bill — and I’ll spell it out for you when we come back from the break — is $2.5 trillion. It’s over 2,000 pages. It would take 34 hours to read this bill from start to finish. Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma wants to make that happen, make them read it on the floor of the United States Senate. Thanks, Deborah. ”

Ave Maria!

Audio (MP3)

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Face of Pro-Life #77 – John Martin and Corinn Dahm ( 59min) >>> Play

Ave Maria!

John Martin discusses with host Corinn Dahm the growing conflict between Catholic morals and government policy which is pitting Bishops vs Politicians. This is exemplified by the recent clash between Senator Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island and Archbishop Tobin of Providence, RI over abortion funding in health care. They discuss the ramifications of the government funded heath care on the quality of medical services and its effects on religious liberty for medical personnel and Catholic Hospitals.

Ave Maria!

Audio (MP3)

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Face of Pro-Life #89 – Susan Boyce with the Health Care facts that will surprise you.  ( 30min) >>> Play

Ave Maria!

Susan Boyce explains how the federal health care plan which seems to have been defeated when Scott Brown won the late Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat in Massachusetts is not at all defeated and still needs to be vigorously opposed. There is a real danger of stealth efforts to bypass normal rules by sneaking it into reconciliation without bringing it past the new senator. She further outlines the many problems that still exist in the plan, including half a trillion of new spending that will increase costs and taxes on employers reducing the number of jobs, unelected boards with unprecedented powers to dictate what gets funded, who gets health care or not. There are many indications that this rationing will be based on how ‘useful’ you are to society, similar to the Nazis.

It would also be a blow to religious freedoms due to the lack of conscience clauses in regard to abortion and abortifacients, mandated home visits, government oversight of marriage counseling. And, of course, abortion funding is still in the plan.

Ave Maria!

Audio (MP3)

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The post Video – Face of Pro-Life #89: Susan Boyce Federal Health Care Not Dead Yet first appeared on AirMaria.com.

The Catekids #3 – The Catekids pray with their parents for all those in authority ( 11min) >>> Play

Ave Maria!

The Catekids are back with the Fourth Commandment, Honor Your Father and Your Mother. They cover all the various aspects of this important commandment of God, including obeying our parents, our government and our Church and praying for those who are placed over us. Baltimore Catechism 4th Commandment. Cf. CCC 4th Commandment. To contact the Catekids: catekids1@gmail.com

Ave Maria!

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Since “Eucharist” means “Thanksgiving,” this story is well timed. (My thanks to Opinionated Catholic for spotlighting this story.)

The State of Louisiana has modified its already beautiful state flag. Here’s the flag they already had:

via Louisiana’s flag becomes more Eucharistic | CatholicVote.org.

The post Louisiana’s flag becomes more Eucharistic | CatholicVote.org first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Homily #120813 ( 05min) Play– Fr. Bonaventure explains how Our Lord did not come to put the authorities out of business, but to sanctify them. Ave Maria!

Mass: Pontian and Hippolytus – Opt Mem – Form: OF
Readings: 
1st: eze 1:2-5, 24-2
Resp: psa 148:1-2, 11-12, 13, 14
Gsp: mat 17:2227

Audio (MP3)

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Homily #141019b ( 25min) Play – Fr. Elias on how God is so omnipotent that he can work His will through the most unlikely people, including Cyrus the King of Persia, who was the pagan ruler over the Israelites and unexpectedly allowed them to go back to Jerusalem from which they were exiled. This also applied to Caesar in the day of Jesus and any ruler even today. Father ties this together to delineate how government and religion are separate but related and complimentary and how both should be respected. He gives a final exhortation regarding the spiritual practicality of sacramentals.
Ave Maria!
Mass: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Sunday – Form: OF
Readings: 
1st: isa 45:1, 4-6
Resp: psa 96:1, 3, 4-5, 7-8, 9-10
2nd: 1th 1:1-5
Gsp: mat 22:15-21

Audio (MP3)

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The post Oct 19 – Homily – Fr Elias: God’s will be Done first appeared on AirMaria.com.