“Loyal, Lame, Defiant, and Demonic”
November 20, 2008 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
That’s how Fr. Dwight Longenecker classifies the 5500+ e-mails that Fr. Jay Scott Newman, (pastor of St. Mary’s Church in Greenville, SC) received in the wake of his courageous statement regarding those Catholics who supported pro-abortion politicians in the election and their need to repent and go to confession.
On Married Couples Who Refuse to Have Children
November 20, 2008 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
I feel very sorry for men and women who refuse to be open life, which is a refusal to be open to God’s will for their marriage. His will for them may well include the blessings of children. When these childless-by-choice Christians die and face Christ their Judge (just as we all one day will face Him), their matching Harley-Davidson bikes and gourmet kitchens won’t pray for them or play any positive role in their judgment.
The following article is worth reading and forwarding to your friends, Catholic and Protestant. And for a good antidote to the contraceptive “childless by choice” insanity so rampant among many married couples, check out Dr. Janet Smith’s “Contraception: Why Not?” presentation, available for cheap at One More Soul.
Touchstone Magazine ran an eye-opening piece about this issue awhile back:
Joe and Deb Schum aren’t worried about baby-proofing their house or buying a car seat. They don’t intend ever to have children. As a matter of fact, they are proud of their childlessness. According to a report in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “The Schums are part of a growing number of couples across the country for whom kids don’t factor in the marriage equation.”
The nation’s birthrate fell in 2002 to a historic low of 66.9 births per 1,000 women age 15 to 44. That represents a decline of 43 percent since just 1960. “Many childless couples,” according to the report, “revel in their decision, despite badgering from baffled mothers and friends. Others struggle with the choice before keeping the house kid-free.”
An Epidemic
The Schums just don’t want kids to get in the way of their lifestyle. They enjoy cruising to the Georgia mountains on their matching Harley-Davidson motorcycles. They love their gourmet kitchen, outfitted with the very latest stainless steel appliances and fashionable countertops. Deb Schum explains, “If we had kids, we would need a table where the kids could do homework.”
This pattern of childlessness has caught the media’s attention. The left-wing Internet site Salon.com actually published a series of articles entitled, “To Breed or Not to Breed,” featuring couples and individuals who have decided that children are not a part of their chosen lifestyle.
One woman wrote that motherhood just doesn’t fit her self-image or her schedule. “I compete in triathlons; my husband practices martial arts; we both have fulfilling careers; we travel the world . . . we enjoy family and friends; we have a fun, intimate relationship.” Another woman asked: “What would the return be on the investment? Are there any laws that would require my children to pay for my nursing home when I am old? Are they going to be a sufficient hedge against poverty and loneliness?”
Some who have chosen to be childless have actually formed organizations in order to band together. The group “No Kidding” was formed in Atlanta four years ago as a social outlet for couples choosing to have no children. . . . (article)
This Is Exactly Why the Envoy Institute Was Established
November 20, 2008 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
Since some of you have children in college or you have high-schoolers who will soon be headed to college (or both), I thought it would be helpful to post a link to this article, which came out a couple of years ago but is still just as important as ever for parents to read and think carefully about.
More Heat Than Light From the East
November 20, 2008 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
You can’t draw pure water from a poisoned well.
November 20, 2008 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
Father Philip Neri Powell, O.P., posted a brief but deft parable at Domine, da mihi hanc aquam. His fellow priests may find it quite useful as fodder for sermons. (Hint, hint, nudge, nudge.)
You can't draw pure water from a poisoned well.
November 20, 2008 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
Father Philip Neri Powell, O.P., posted a brief but deft parable at Domine, da mihi hanc aquam. His fellow priests may find it quite useful as fodder for sermons. (Hint, hint, nudge, nudge.)
A Refresher on the Sacrament of Refreshment
November 19, 2008 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
Q. 895. Why did Christ institute the Holy Eucharist?
A. Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist:
1. To unite us to Himself and to nourish our soul with His divine life.
2. To increase sanctifying grace and all virtues in our soul.
3. To lessen our evil inclinations.
4. To be a pledge of everlasting life.
5. To fit our bodies for a glorious resurrection.
6. To continue the sacrifice of the Cross in His Church.
Q. 896. Has the Holy Eucharist any other effect?
A. The Holy Eucharist remits venial sins by disposing us to perform acts of love and contrition. It preserves us from mortal sin by exciting us to greater fervor and strengthening us against temptation.
Q. 897. How are we united to Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist?
A. We are united to Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist by means of Holy Communion.
Q. 898. What is Holy Communion?
A. Holy Communion is the receiving of the body and blood of Christ.
Q. 899. Is it not beneath the dignity of Our Lord to enter our bodies under the appearance of ordinary food?
A. It is not beneath the dignity of Our Lord to enter our bodies under the appearance of ordinary food any more than it was beneath His dignity to enter the body of His Blessed Mother and remain there as an ordinary child for nine months. Christ’s dignity, being infinite, can never be diminished by any act on His own or on our part.
Precursor to Persecution?
November 18, 2008 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
It’s getting closer, I fear. And these people will be in the vanguard when it breaks out.
Tall, Dark, and . . . What?
November 18, 2008 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
Okay, Daniel Pipes has just officially blown my mind with his recent article on a connection of sorts between our new president elect and Muslim “prophecies” regarding the end of the world. See what you think about this:
Back down on earth, the Muslim reaction to Obama’s victory is more mixed than one might expect.
American Islamists are delighted; an umbrella group, the American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Election, opined that, with Obama’s election, “Our nation has … risen to new majestic heights.” Siraj Wahhaj, Al-Hajj Talib Abdur Rashid, the Council on American Islamic Relations, the Muslim Public Affairs Council, the Islamic Society of North America, the Islamic Circle of North America, and the Muslim Alliance in North America responded with similar exuberance.
Hamas, and Islamist movements in Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, India, Indonesia and the Philippines delighted in Obama’s election. Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch generalizes that jihadists and Islamic supremacists worldwide showed “unalloyed joy.” The New York Times finds public reaction in the Middle East mostly “euphoric.” John Esposito of Georgetown University emphasizes the Muslim world’s welcome to Obama as an “internationalist president.”
Tall, Dark, and . . . What?
November 18, 2008 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
Okay, Daniel Pipes has just officially blown my mind with his recent article on a connection of sorts between our new president elect and Muslim “prophecies” regarding the end of the world. See what you think about this:
Back down on earth, the Muslim reaction to Obama’s victory is more mixed than one might expect.
American Islamists are delighted; an umbrella group, the American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Election, opined that, with Obama’s election, “Our nation has … risen to new majestic heights.” Siraj Wahhaj, Al-Hajj Talib Abdur Rashid, the Council on American Islamic Relations, the Muslim Public Affairs Council, the Islamic Society of North America, the Islamic Circle of North America, and the Muslim Alliance in North America responded with similar exuberance.
Hamas, and Islamist movements in Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, India, Indonesia and the Philippines delighted in Obama’s election. Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch generalizes that jihadists and Islamic supremacists worldwide showed “unalloyed joy.” The New York Times finds public reaction in the Middle East mostly “euphoric.” John Esposito of Georgetown University emphasizes the Muslim world’s welcome to Obama as an “internationalist president.”