An Edifying Reflection on Abortion and The Rosary's Sorrowful Mysteries

Catholic author Peggy Bowes is devoted to the Rosary and all its Mysteries. At her blog, Don't Know Much About the Rosary?, and in her book, The Rosary Workout, she illustrates how the Mysteries of the Rosary apply to our every day lives.

Sadly, abortion is a fact of our nation's daily life. Peggy has posted an excellent article at Catholic Lane.

Just what do the Sorrowful Mysteries have to do with abortion? How does Christ respond? Click here to read The Sorrowful Mysteries at Planned Parenthood.

God bless!

What Was I Supposed To Be?

This little video doesn't need comment. It's so eloquent and complete, put to Ray Boltz's song. Unborn babies who are aborted ask Our Lord in Heaven, "What was I suppose to be?" Thanks to my FB friend, Birgit, for sharing this with me.

God bless.

Lila Rose and The Mona Lisa Project: A Must-See for Every Catholic

The is a must-see for every Catholic.

Lila Rose, an elegant and determined young woman (and a homeschool graduate) has dedicated her life to fighting abortion. Her speech is elegant and direct. Especially poignant is her story of the unborn cousins.

Here's also the story of the Mona Lisa Project and how this little grassroots group is fighting the Goliath Planned Parenthood with truth and love for the unborn.

The undercover video Lila mentions follows. (If you don't see it below, please click here.)

God bless.

The Mona Lisa Project Reveals the True Ways of Planned Parenthood

Here is the undercover video of the Mona Lisa Project. Young Lila Rose poses as a 13-year-old with a 31-year-old boyfriend. The indifference of the Planned Parenthood counselors will shock you, especially if you are a parent.

God bless.

"No Arms, No Legs, No Worries!" The Culture of Life Right Before Your Eyes.

This is a must see for your entire family!

This amazing video left me speechless, not easy to do. To learn more about Nick and to hear more about his message of the culture of life, visit his blog Attitude is Altitude. To purchase his DVD, which includes a second disk for youth, click here.

Even the Angels Have Not Been Blessed with This Grace

A few days ago, my sister-in-law sent me an email to remind me of the importance of motherhood. It's so moving that I wanted to share it with you. It comes from a bishop known to her brother, who is a priest who celebrates Mass in the extraordinary form. A mother may not build cathedrals, but she is certainly building the most important temples on earth--the tiny perfection of her baby's body. As Bishop Galeone shares with us: Even the angels have not been blessed with this grace.

I hope you enjoy this...

The Gift of Mothers
By Bishop Victor Galeone

As we approach another Mother’s Day, I want to invite you to come back with me to Mother’s Day 1970.

I had just sat down to have a light supper with my widowed mother before returning to the rectory.  My mother was grieving because in less than a month she would be losing her “bambino.”  You see, my archbishop had given me permission to serve as a missionary in Peru for five years, and I would be leaving within a month. 

The fact that I was 35 years old and a priest for ten years was trumped by my imminent departure for the Peruvian Andes, where I might meet with an untimely end--or so my mother imagined.

While having our soup, mother continued her complaining to the point that I blurted out an unkind remark. She started to cry. 

“Mom, I’m sorry. I don’t know what possessed me.  Please forgive me.”

“Oh, I’m not crying about that.”

“Well, why are you crying?” I asked.

She continued: “I’m going to tell you something that I’ve told no one except your father.  It was during the Depression years.  The social worker came by to see how things were going.  I told her that everything was fine except that I had missed two of my periods in a row."

The social worker responded, “ Oh that’s very bad news, Signora Rita! I’ll come back on Thursday afternoon and take you to see this doctor, and he will make your period come."

“I told her that I could never do that…that I would rather die first."

“What! You won’t cooperate! Where’s your husband?" the social worker demanded to know.

"He’s out looking for work."

"Over two years without a steady job, and you won’t cooperate!  Three young mouths to feed already and you won’t cooperate!  When your husband returns, talk this over with him.  If you don’t cooperate, we just might take those two cards away from you.  I’ll see you on Thursday!”

Two comments: Being the fourth child in the lineup, I was that “period.” And the two cards referred to by the social worker were the one that entitled the family to receive a large bag of dried beans every two weeks, and the other was for an occasional delivery of coal during the winter. 

My mother continued:  “Two hours later, your father came home all frostbitten.  As I helped him off with his coat, I told him that the social worker had stopped by.

“What did she want?"

"I told her that I was expecting. She became very upset.  She said that she’d be back on Thursday to take me to this doctor, who would make my period come.  If I refuse to go, they might take our benefit cards away."

“Your father stood there for the longest while without saying a word.  Finally, he spoke: ‘Very well, let them! Let them have their cards back!  The Lord will provide.’ ”

At that point, my mother got to her feet and knelt down beside me.  “Mom,” I insisted, “would you please stop this!”

“No, Let me finish! ...O Jesus, forgive me!  I didn’t want him then because of all our problems.  And now I’m afraid of losing him?  Forgive me, Jesus, please forgive me!  You take him for your poor people in Peru.  Thank you, Jesus! Thank you!”

On two occasions of my life, I stayed awake all night long. One was a case of food poisoning in Peru.  The other was Mother’s Day 1970.  I tried to fall asleep, but to no avail.  For the first time in my life–on learning how close I had come to not seeing the light of day–I fully realized what a precious gift life is.

Throughout the night, scenes from my boyhood intermingled with images of the heroine I had for a mother: “Hey, Victor, your Mom sure talks funny.  I could hardly understand her.”  Gee, I wonder why my Mom can’t talk nice English like all the other mothers can.  “No, I could never do that!  I would rather die first!”  And she only went as far as the third grade in a backward school in Southern Italy.  “Is that your grandmother?”  No, that’s my Mom.  Her hair turned snow white when she was 30.  She had me when she was 35.  “At two months, all the major organs are formed and functioning.  All that is required for birth is time and nourishment.” – “No, I could never do that!  I would rather die first.”

I would like to close with the inspiring words that Cardinal József Mindzenty penned many years ago about motherhood:

“A Christian mother cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral.  She need not.  She has built something more magnificent than any cathedral – a dwelling for an immortal soul, the tiny perfection of her baby’s body.  The angels have not been blessed with such a grace…God joins forces with mothers in performing this act of creation.  What on God’s good earth is more glorious than this – to be a mother?”

A Prayer for Our Nation Today

If your heart is heavy today when you think of the state of our beautiful nation, take your worries to

our Loving Savior.

Lord, protect us from all anxieties.

Romans 12:21

Do not be conquered by evil but conquer evil with good.

Prayer for 

National Morality

Father, I know that the spirit of the world creeps into the body of Christ almost unawares sometimes, and before we know it, we can easily be led astray and caught up in worldly actions (at times so subtly we don’t even recognize what has happened to us).

So in the name of Jesus, I pray that You would raise up a voice in our nation that would rally the body of Christ and cause us to become the standard bearers to such a degree that we would profoundly affect the morality of our nation.

Scripture readings:

Proverbs 26:2

Luke 3:4-6

Romans 12:21

Isaiah 49:22

prayer and suggested scripture from

Prayer for Our Nation: Scriptural Prayers to Revive Our Country (Harrison House)

http://www.prayerforournation.com/