Catholic Fire

What's really in Obama's health care reform bill? Almost no one knows, and here's why: It's 1,017 pages long and written in an alien form of bureaucratic English that can barely be decoded by earthlings. And yet, astonishingly, a U.S. Army translator has been found who speaks "Washington Doublespeak" and he was kind enough to decode the bill and post his plain-language findings over at FreeRepublic.com ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f... ). Snip From CMS at FreeRepublic.com: • Page 16: States that if you have insurance at the time of the bill becoming law and change, you will be required to take a similar plan. If that is not available, you will be required to take the government option! • Page 22: Mandates audits of all employers that self-insure! • Page 29: Admission: your health care will be rationed! • Page 30: A government committee will decide what treatments and benefits you get (and, unlike an insurer, there will be no appeals process) • Page 4...

St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, was born in 1491 in the Basque Country of Northern Spain to parents of distinguished families in that area. He was the youngest of 13 children and was called was called Iñigo. At the age of 15, he served as a page in the court of a local nobleman and later embraced a military career and became a valiant soldier. Wounded in battle by a cannonball, which broke one leg and injured the other, he was taken prisoner by the French, who set his leg and eventually allowed him to go home to Loyola. He spent his time recuperating at the home of his brother. Confined to his sick bed , he was given pious books to read, which he grudgingly accepted. To his surprise, he enjoyed them and began to dream of becoming a "knight for Christ", pursuing the ideals of St. Francis and St. Dominic. He eventually promised to devote his life to being a knight for St. Peter if he recovered, which he did after nine months of convalescence. Igna...

Just when you thought that the high advisers to President Obama couldn’t get any more radical. Obama's new science and technical czar, John Holdren, believes a fetus is not a human being even after birth. He also at one time believed a tree had the right to sue a human being. As I reported previously , this is also the czar who supports forced abortions and compulsory sterilization. Where on earth does he find these sickos? And why isn't the MSM reporting on this? Media Ignores Extreme Views of Obama Science Czar | NewsBusters.org Second Hand Smoke at First Things

Washington, D.C. - Today, FRC Action, the legislative lobbying arm of Family Research Council, announced that Bill O'Reilly, host of Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor," will address FRC's fourth annual Values Voter Summit that will take place September 18-20 in Washington, D.C. O'Reilly is the author of eight best-selling books including Culture Warrior, Those Who Trespass and his most recent A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity: A Memoir. For being a voice of virtue in a culture of death, FRC Action will honor him with the first ever Media Courage Award . In the face of intense pressure, Bill O'Reilly has stood for truth during a tumultuous time in the pro-life debate. Despite a firestorm of unfair allegations, he has defended his position against late-term abortions and brought new light to a gruesome procedure. He has used a national platform to promote the dignity of life - no matter what the personal or professional risk. O'Reilly will join an alrea...

This video report by National Center for Policy Analysis President & CEO and Kellye Wright Fellow John C. Goodman in a Fox News story on the uninsured in America confirms what I thought about it. Most of the uninsured are illegal immigrants, those who have been laid off (as a result of the current economic crisis), and those who don't bother to get it because they feel they don't need it or don't bother to sign up for it (when they can get it for free!). Health insurance can be expensive for those on a fixed income -- I know this from my own experiences. My family has been without health insurance for long periods of time at different times in our lives when my husband was without work due to job cuts or layoffs in the manufacturing field, but we survived and God provided for us. Today, Cobra is now less expensive than it used to be and there are now more affordable health insurance programs available tailor-made to each family's needs. Continuing to provide bett...

Fr. Joe Koterski explains how we sometimes suffer despite the fact that God is all loving. Presented by the Diocese of Charlotte, NC, USA.

Today is the optional memorial of St. Peter of Chrysologus , "the man of golden speech", who earned the title of Doctor of the Church for his eloquent sermons. Born at Imola, Italy in 406, St. Peter was baptized, educated, and ordained a deacon by Cornelius, Bishop of Imola. Made Archbishop of Ravenna by miraculous intervention of St. Peter in 433, he rooted out all remaining traces of paganism, as well as a number of abuses among the Christians. In his sermons he strongly urged frequent Communion. He is supposed to have given us the saying: "He who wants to laugh with the devil cannot rejoice with Christ." He practiced many corporal and spiritual works of mercy, and ruled his flock with diligence and care. He died about the year 450 in his native city of Imola. My Favorite Quotes from St. Peter Chrysologus "He is The Bread sown in the virgin, leavened in the Flesh, molded in His Passion, baked in the furnace of the Sepulchre, placed in the Churches, and...

Fr. Joe Koterski describes the teaching of the Catholic Church as it relates to end of life suffering.

"Even though you possess plenty, you are still indigent. You abound in temporal possessions, but you need things eternal. You listen to the needs of a human beggar, yet yourself are a beggar of God. What you do with those who beg from you is what God will do with His beggar. You are filled and you are empty. Fill your empty neighbor with your fullness, so that your emptiness may be filled from God's fullness." ~ St. Augustine

Three of the top lay Catholic organizations have divorced themselves from Catholic teaching by supporting the Obama health-care plan, which would foster a culture of mandatory abortion coverage, contraceptive services, and permissive sex education, euthanasia and eugenics. Catholic Charities USA, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and the Catholic Health Association are joining together to push the current version of the plan through Congress. "There is no social justice in rationing charity," said Judie Brown, president of American Life League. "Millions of taxpayers will be forced to subsidize abortion, contraception, euthanasia and bureaucratic denial of health care to the poorest of the poor." The Society of St. Vincent de Paul and Catholic Charities USA sent out an action alert asking members to contact their legislators immediately: We must maintain momentum for health care reform efforts with calls and emails supporting health care reform immediately. ... ...

Congressman Jeff Fortenberry delivers a short, but powerful speech on the House Floor on putting the "health" back in health care.

A propaganda video against Personhood initiatives is making the pro-abortion rounds, and American Life League is right there to point out the omissions, inconsistencies, and outright lies being pushed by abortion advocates.

Mary and Martha lived with their brother Lazarus at Bethany, a village not far from Jerusalem. They are mentioned in several episodes in the Gospels. On one occasion, when Jesus and His disciples were their guests (Luke 10:38-42), Mary sat at Jesus' feet and listened to Him while her sister Martha busied herself with preparing food and waiting on the guests, and when Martha complained, Jesus said that Mary had chosen the better part. When Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, had died, Jesus came to Bethany. Martha, upon being told that He was approaching, went out to meet Him, while Mary sat still in the house until He sent for her. It was to Martha that Jesus said: "I am the Resurrection and the Life." (John 11:1-44) Again, about a week before the crucifixion, as Jesus reclined at table, Mary poured a flask of expensive perfume over Jesus' feet. Mary was criticized for wasting what might have been sold to raise money for the poor, and again Jesus spoke on her beh...

Today the Susan B. Anthony List announce d that pro-life activists nationwide have sent over 100,000 letters to Congress urging the exclusion of abortion from any national health care reform effort. "As we approach the August recess, already tens of thousands of pro-life Americans have contacted Congress urging them to keep abortion out of health care," said Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser. "Americans are urging Members of Congress to preserve the real common ground, our long-standing tradition of limiting taxpayer funds for abortion. This is exactly the type of policy the President has sought to achieve, one that stands the test of time, has popular support and appeals to members on both sides of the aisle. Yet both the House and Senate versions of health care reform legislation seek to undo this commonsense policy. Without language to explicitly exclude an abortion mandate, the legislation will result in Americans footing the bill for abortio...

Should Michael J. Fox be put to death? Celebrities and death. Now there's a potent cocktail. Several parts fame, a few jiggers of Hollywood and a splash each for sports, business and journalism. Did I mention politics and government bureaucracy? Sorry. Without that essential element the mixture has no wallop. And a wallop this concoction surely will have, particularly if you believe actor Michael J. Fox has overstayed his welcome on the planet. Read the rest at The American Spectator.

The Senate Judiciary Committee just approved the Sotomayor nomination to the Supreme Court on a 13-6 vote. Floor vote will be next week.

"It felt like a horror film unfolding. I felt violated and betrayed. I couldn't believe that this could happen." These are the words of a Catholic nurse who was forced to choose between her religious convictions and her job when her employer ordered her to assist in a late-term abortion against her will. Catherina Cenzon-DeCarlo, 35, reports that she has had gruesome nightmares and hasn't been able to sleep since the May 24 incident. Read the entire story here. This is outrageous! It is a clear-cut violation of her conscience rights. During her job interview, she told the administrator that she would not perform abortions. I hope and pray that she wins her lawsuit. Also, if Congress passes the current Healthcare System Reform Package , the scenario in this article will be the norm for all healthcare workers, including doctors. We must act to defeat this horrific bill. Here are some simple things you can do: 1. Pray 2. E-mail and write lett...

Today's saint is St. Samson, a Welsh bishop and confessor, who is considered to be one of the greatest missionaries to come from the Bristish Isles. He was born in Wales aound the year 485. At the age of seven, his parents dedicated him to the service of God in gratitude for his birth after a long period of childlessness. He became a disciple of St. Illtyd at the monastery of Lianwit in Glamorgan and then lived as a monk (and later abbot) of a community on Caldey Island (Ynys Byr). He was joined there by his uncle, Umbrafel, and his father, Amon. After a trip to Ireland, Samson became a hermit with Amon whom he cured of a mortal illness. During a trip to Cornwall, he was consecrated a bishop and appointed an abbot. He then departed England and went to Brittany where he spent the rest of his life as a missionary, even though he had long searched for solitude. Samson founded monasteries, including one at Dol and another at Pental, in Normandy. He was one of the foremost evangelizers...

"We must bring the truth of God back into the world, make Him known. Evangelization consists precisely in the distant God becoming close, in God no longer being far off but near, in this 'known-unknown' finally making Himself known and revealing His face. ... He shows us His face, He enters our world. There is no longer any need to use other powers because He is the true power, the Almighty". ~ Pope Benedict XVI H/T: Ignatius Insight Scoop.

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Our Lady of Fatima "There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot solve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary." ~ Sister Lucia , the last survivor at Fatima

Prayer For the Safety of Soldiers Almighty and eternal God, those who take refuge in you will be glad and forever will shout for joy. Protect these soldiers as they discharge their duties. Protect them with the shield of your strength and keep them safe from all evil and harm. May the power of your love enable them to return home in safety, that with all who love them, they may ever praise you for your loving care. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Prayers for our Military Men & Women -- from the Franciscans

~ Via Steve Silvia.

St. Pantaleon was born in Nicomedia, near the Black Sea in Asia. He was the son of a rich pagan, Eustorgius of Nicomedia, and a Christian mother, Saint Eubula, who instructed him in the faith, but died while he was still a child. Pantaleon studied medicine with such great success that he was appointed as one of the court physicians to the Emperor Galerius Maximianus. The bad influence of the pagan court caused him to fall away from his Faith. A holy and zealous priest named Hermolaos helped him realize the error of his sinful ways by pointing out the example of his virtuous mother. Pantaleon returned to the Faith once more and imitated Our Lord's charity by distributing his goods among the poor and caring for the poor and the sick without charge. When the Emperor Diocletian began his persecution, Pantaleon was accused of being a Christian. He was given the choice of denying his faith or being put to death, but no torture could force Pantaleon to deny his Faith. Pantaleon, openl...

Anne (Hebrew, Hannah, grace; also spelled Ann, Anne, Anna) is the traditional name of the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Joachim (whose name means Yahweh prepares), was the father of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Both were the grandparents of Jesus. Tradition has it they first lived in Galilee and later settled in Jerusalem where the Blessed Virgin Mary was born and raised. Joachim and Anne were a rich and pious couple who had been married for a long time, but found themselves childless. The couple prayed fervently for a child and promised to dedicate their first born to the service of God. An angel appeared to Anne and told her, "The Lord has looked upon thy tears; thou shalt conceive and give birth and the fruit of thy womb shall be blessed by all the world". Joachim also received the same message from the angel. Anne gave birth to a daughter whom she called Miriam (Mary), who was conceived without sin. As a child, Mary was taken to the temple and her parents suffered ...

CNS: During Alpine prayer service, pope says real power is love, mercy

Did you know that "science czar" John Holdren -- another one of Obama's great picks - supports forced abortions and compulsory sterilization? Read on. Via WND : The president has more "czars" running around than Mother Russia. It's mondo bizarro. Kind of fitting, though; must be a communist thing. Still, as the debate over Obama's multi-trillion dollar pet experiment in socialized health care reaches terminal velocity, one of his newest czars underscores – in permanent marker – the true depth of BHO's deep-seated radicalism. His choice of Harvard professor and self-styled "neo-Malthusian" John Holdren as "science czar" provides the latest and perhaps most troubling example of just how bad America really muffed it last November. It could give us a sneak-peak into the not-so-distant future should this Obamacare-health-scare become reality. In the name of population control, Holdren has advocated both forced abortion and compulsory...

Today is the feast of St. James the Greater. St. James, known as the Greater, in order to distinguish him from the other Apostle St. James, our Lord's cousin, was St. John's brother, and, like him, a fisherman. He was one of the witnesses of the Transfiguration and one of those who slept through most of the Agony in the Garden. He was the first of the apostles to be martyred, being beheaded by King Herod Agrippa I to please the Jewish opponents of Christianity. He was buried in Jerusalem, and nothing more is known about him until the ninth century. At this time we learn of a tradition that the relics of St James were brought to Spain some time after his martyrdom, (perhaps early, perhaps as late as 830), and his shrine at Compostela in Galicia grew in importance until it became the greatest pilgrimage center in western Europe. In every country there are churches of St James and known, well-trodden pilgrim routes. In Paris, the Tour St Jacques marks the start of the route and th...

Saint Sharbel was born in 1828 in the small mountain village of Beqa-Kafra, Lebanon. His peasant family lived a strong faith, were attentive to the Divine Liturgy, and had a great devotion to the Mother of God. At the age of twenty-three, he left his family to enter the Lebanese-Maronite Monastery called Notre-Dame de Mayfouk. Following studies and perpetual profession at St. Cyprian de Kfifane Monastery, he was ordained in 1859. For the next seven years, Sharbel lived in the mountainous community of Anaya. He then spent the next twenty-three years of his life in complete solitude at Sts. Peter and Paul Hermitage near Anaya. He died there on Christmas Eve, 1898. Sharbel had a reputation for his austerity, penances, obedience, and chastity. At times, Sharbel was gifted with levitations during prayer, and he had great devotion to the Most Blessed Sacrament. He celebrated Mass close to noon so as to devote the morning to preparation, and the rest of the day to thanksgiving. In all things...

Dr. Alveda King, Pastoral Associate of Priests for Life and niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., will join with other African American leaders Monday at 10:00 AM in front of the Cannon House Office Building to demand that abortion and Planned Parenthood be excluded from any health care reform legislation. "Our message is clear – abortion is neither health care nor a benefit. It's genocide," said Dr. King. "Give us procreative reproductive rights. Repair our communities with life affirming programs. My fellow civil rights workers and I will be on Capitol Hill to say that if President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, or anyone else truly wants to reduce the number of abortions, they will not coerce Americans to pay for them and they will not subsidize Planned Parenthood, the billion-dollar business that has killed more black children than the KKK." ~ Via Christian Newswire.

Marriage is like a beautiful gilded bird cage. All the Little birds on the outside want to get in, while all the Little birds on the inside want to get out! This saying, by an author unknown to me, summarizes accurately the state of marriage today. Marriage is still an attractive and useful institution, and millions of couples each year begin the journey. At the same time, however, at least half of those who enter the “gilded bird cage” find themselves wanting to get out, their marriage ending in separation and divorce. Check out the rest of this wonderful article at CNA: Matrimony: Is it Still Holy? by Bishop Thomas J. Tobin .

From my inbox today -- Senator Sam Brownback's response to Obama's health care reform plan: We need to get more Americans covered with health insurance. But any proposed “solution” to the problem of the uninsured that has the effect of getting people laid off from their jobs is not the way to do it. As unemployment reaches a 26-year high and our economy continues to shed 500,000 jobs a month , it would not seem to be the best time to enact new mandates on business likely to accelerate the rate of job loss. This is precisely what President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats are proposing with the “pay or play” mandates in health-care legislation making its way through Congress. Read the rest here.

From The Wall Street Journal : Polls are turning against President Barack Obama’s health-care plan. The political calendar is, too. On Monday, the Washington Post/ABC poll reported that 49% of Americans approve of his handling of health care while 44% disapprove. What many people missed is that those who strongly disapprove of the president’s approach on health care now outnumber those who strongly approve by 33% to 25%. That presages further decline. Already, 49% of independents disapprove of the president’s approach, up from 30% in April, a staggering shift in 11 weeks. Mr. Obama is also slipping on the economy. Those who strongly disapprove now outnumber those who strongly approve of his handling of the economy (35% to 29%), of deficits (38% to 19%), and of unemployment (31% to 26%). On Tuesday, Gallup showed Mr. Obama’s personal approval was 55%, down from more than 60% a few weeks ago and lower than the 56% George W. Bush had at this point in his fir...

St. Bridget of Sweden, Widow, Third Order Franciscan (1303 – 1373 ) Bridget was born in Finista in Sweden. From childhood, the Lord granted her special graces, visions and an extraordinary understanding of divine mysteries. At age seven, she had a vision of the crucified Jesus in all the suffering and sorrow of his Passion, which enkindled within her a deep devotion for our Savior. The daughter of a provincial governor and judge, at age 13, Bridget married Ulf Gudmarsson, a prince, who was then eighteen; they lived happily together for twenty-eight years and had eight children, among them St. Catherine of Sweden . Bridget convinced her husband, by her own example, to live a life of piety and to strive for holiness. At age 32, Bridget became the lady in waiting to Queen Blanche of Namur and King Magnus II of Sweden. She was known for her charitable acts, especially caring for the sick, but the royalty appeared more content to admire her piety rather than to follow her example. After her...

Gov. Sarah Palin has signed a joint resolution declaring Alaska's sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution – and now 36 other states have introduced similar resolutions as part of a growing resistance to the federal government . Just weeks before she plans to step down from her position as Alaska governor, Palin signed House Joint Resolution 27 sponsored by state Rep. Mike Kelly on July 10, according to a Tenth Amendment Center report. The resolution "claims sovereignty for the state under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States over all powers not otherwise enumerated and granted to the federal government by the Constitution of the United States." Alaska's House passed HJR 27 by a vote of 37-0, and the Senate passed it by a vote of 40-0 . Go here to read the rest. Sarah is one smart lady! With Obama in office, I'm surprised more states aren't following her lead. While seven states – Tennessee, Idaho, North Dakota, South...

On “Fox News Sunday” this past weekend, budget director Peter Orszag said he is “not prepared to rule ... out” taxpayer financing for abortions. This video accurately and concisely summarizes what Obama's disastrous health care reform legislation is trying to do -- force US citizens to pay for all abortions that will be financed by both public funds and private insurance. From the Philadelphia Bulletin: The nation’s largest provider of abortions laid siege to Capitol Hill Thursday lobbying lawmakers to include “women’s health” issues in the massive Obama health care plan. The health care push came on the same day Planned Parenthood, along with other foster care/adoption organizations, launched a new effort Thursday to reduce teen pregnancy among foster care youth. Read the entire article. Here's what Pro-lifers are doing to fight back: The largest pro-life webcast in history will take place tomorrow (7/23 @ 9 pm) to mobilize on fighting mandate of taxpayer funded abortion – ...

Bishop William Murphy “Genuine health care reform that protects the life and dignity of all is a moral imperative and a vital national obligation.” Bishop of Rockville Centre, New York William F. Murphy, comments in a July 17 letter to Congress on behalf of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). ~ More information from the CNA article.

The feast of St. Mary Magdalene is considered one of the most mystical of feasts, and it is said that of all the songs of the saints, that of Mary Magdalene is the sweetest and strongest because her love was so great. That love was praised by Jesus Himself who said that because much was forgiven her, she loved much. Where she is buried, no one knows. Legend has her dying in Provence, France, in a cavern where she spent her last days, and her body resting in the chapel of St. Maximin in the Maritime Alps. Another has her buried in Ephesus where she went with St. John after the Resurrection. This latter view is more likely, and St. Willibald, the English pilgrim to the Holy Land in the eighth century, was shown her tomb there. She was the first witness to the resurrection of Jesus, His most devoted and loving follower. She had stood with Mary at the foot of the Cross on that brutal Good Friday afternoon and had been by the side of Mary during these difficult hours. On Easter morning, she...