The Spirituality and Miracles of St. Clare of Assisi
August 11 is the memorial of St. Clare, one of my favorite saints. She was the first woman to follow the life of radical poverty practiced by St. Francis of Assisi and is the co-founder of the Poor Clares. Although I am not a Franciscan, I have had Franciscan friends, clergy, and spiritual directors instruct me on the beauty of St. Clare's spirituality. I have also learned a great deal from reading about her over the years. Clare and Francis (2007) is a film which depicts the fascinating story of her dramatic conversion and surrender to the will of God. St. Clare is the patron saint of television. She is also the patron of eye disorders, embroiderers, good weather, and telephones. The Contemplative Life The Lady Clare was born into a noble family in Assisi in 1193 and was admired for her great beauty. When she heard Francis of Assisi preach his Lenten homilies at the Church of San Giorgio, she was captivated by his words. At age eighteen, she heard him say: "When the
Sarah Palin is a member of the Pentecostal Assembly of God church (or AG as they refer to themselves). I was raised this religion from birth and attended regularly through my teen years. From my first hand knowledge and experience, I can tell you that those who attend that church are extreme fundamentalists.
ReplyDeleteThey believe that Jews and people from all other religions other than some protestant faiths will go to hell. This includes Catholics. You will not "get her back" as one person wrote. They will cover up this fact during this election, but what I'm telling you is the truth.
I left that religion because they are so judgmental and un-christian like. I now teach music at a catholic school and attend a non-denominational church, but it is NOT pentecostal. My brother converted to Catholicism and my parents attend his parish.
It frightens me and my family that this woman (or anyone from AG) has been nominated and could potentially be in the most powerful position in the world.
Please, please...don't let one single issue be your deciding factor. I don't believe in abortion either, but this election is truly about much, much more than that.
I suggest that each one of you attend a Sunday morning church service at an Assembly of God church. Don't tell anyone who you are or why you're visiting. Just quietly sit in the back and watch. You will understand why I wrote this.
Anyboy that gets Planned Parenthood this upset HAS my vote!
ReplyDeleteThe letter below is from Ann Richard's (past governor of TX, my state) daughter who is President of
the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.
This is why all pro-lifers must support McCain and Palin.
****
Dear John,
Yesterday morning, on my way back from the high of the Democratic
National Convention, I learned that Sen. John McCain chose Alaska
Governor Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential pick.
What might have been encouraging news for women was just the opposite
— somehow McCain had managed to find a woman running mate even more
conservative than he is on women's rights.
It was heartbreaking news, especially on the heels of such an
inspiring week. Right now there is so much shameless rhetoric from the
Republicans about breaking the glass ceiling, especially from McCain
and his running mate. What good does it do to break a glass ceiling
with a woman who wants government to control women's reproductive
health? That isn't the world I want for my two daughters.
A day later, and I'm still having trouble expressing the depth of my
anger about McCain's choice of a running mate. This shameless
pandering to women — with a woman who doesn't trust other women to
make their own decisions about childbearing — has really got me going.
My dear friends and supporters, the stakes in this election just got
unbelievably higher. More than ever before, the November 4 election is
the most important vote for women's rights of my generation. And our
actions in the next eight weeks — yours, mine, the Planned Parenthood
Action Fund's — have never been more critical. Believe me, I don't say
that lightly. It's time to get to work — and hard.
If you can only do one thing, it should be to tell every woman you
meet that McCain and Palin are the most anti-choice, anti-women pair
imaginable. Don't stop at just telling your friends. You can bet that
I'll be telling strangers in the checkout line at the grocery store,
the women I see at the gym, parents at my kids' schools.
Women trust other women to tell them the straight truth — and the
straight truth is that McCain and Palin would take us back to a time
when women had absolutely no right to decide whether or not to have a
child ... zero. It's been widely reported that Palin is against
abortion even in the cases of rape and incest!
And, yes, money helps us too — very much. That's how this all works.
Your donations help the Planned Parenthood Action Fund reach voters
person to person — conversations with one million women that tell the
truth about John McCain and Sarah Palin. Bear with us over the next
two months. We're going to be asking for your help, your contributions
and your time a lot. Thank you in advance for doing what you can, when
you can.
Times like these, it's hard not to hear my mother's voice in my head.
I can tell you that my mother, the former governor of Texas and a
remarkable feminist leader of her time, would have been downright
outraged right now. What would have offended her most about McCain's
decision to put Sarah Palin on the ticket is how utterly calculated,
how awfully pandering it is to women. It is the worst kind of
politics. Mom would have said, "Women voting for this ticket is just
like chickens voting for Colonel Sanders."
We have the opportunity in Barack Obama and Joe Biden to elect a team
that have always stood strong with us for women's health — end of
story. I'm so excited coming back from Denver — but with this decision
by John McCain, I recognize that everything for us is at stake.
Thank you, as always, for standing up with the Planned Parenthood
Action Fund and the women Planned Parenthood health centers serve. We
are quite a force, aren't we?
Cecile Richards, President
Planned Parenthood Action Fund