Turn Toward God

Jesuit University Embraces Heresy and Hypocrisy, Honors Known Apostate Priest

Bill Claydon — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 23:05:34 -0400

From Christian Newswire... FRONT ROYAL, Va., Oct. 23 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer, STL, president of Human Life International, issued the following statement in response to Georgetown University Law Center's announcement that they have established the Robert F. Drinan, S.J., Chair in Human Rights: "It is deeply disturbing that a university that claims to honor and perpetuate the Catholic faith would establish a human rights chair in the name of a heretical priest who has spent much of his lifetime advocating for the most heinous of human rights violations: abortion. Sadly, Georgetown University�a Jesuit institution�has a long history of mocking the Faith, including hosting pornographer and social degenerate Larry Flynt, and at one point removing crucifixes from the classroom in spite of student protests to keep them. "Referring to Fr. Drinan as a human rights hero is like calling Attila the Hun a diplomat. Given the school�s history, I wouldn�t be surprised if the college posthumously awarded Attila the lifetime achievement award for humanitarianism. "While the Law Center's announcement is an amazing study in misdirection and spin when describing Fr. Drinan�s checkered past, it clearly fails to address the fact that he was ordered by Pope John Paul II to relinquish his seat in the U.S. Congress because of the unrepentant aid and comfort he consistently gave to the purveyors of the culture of death. "At age 85, Fr. Drinan doesn�t need another hypocritical award. He needs to be in a monastery praying for the salvation of his soul. While he's at it, he should also pray for Georgetown's return to full communion with the Catholic Church. �If the University is confused as to why this award is hypocritical at best, they need only reflect upon the words of Pope John Paul II in Christifideles Laici where he directly addressed situations like this: 'The common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights�for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture�is false and illusory, if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition of all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum determination.' (n.38). "It is my sincere prayer that the leaders of Georgetown University will reflect upon these words and come to the obvious conclusion that they must rescind this award and fully embrace their Catholic heritage by defending the most vulnerable members of our society, the unborn."

Respect Life Mass

Bill Claydon — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 22:57:29 -0400

There will be a Respect Life Mass at 11:30AM on Friday, September 15, 2006 at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Martyrs in Auriesville, NY. The Mass will take place outdoors at the Sacred Heart Altar, weather permitting.

Remembering 9/11

Bill Claydon — Sun, 10 Sep 2006 23:50:36 -0400

Let us pray for the souls of those who lost their lives on 9/11.

Father Thomas Dubay at Shrine of Our Lady of the Martyrs on September 10th

Bill Claydon — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 13:40:25 -0400

Father Thomas Dubay, SM as seen on EWTN will be at the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs Sunday, September 10, 2006 12:30 PM Holy Mass in the Coliseum 3:00 PM Conference in the Kateri Chapel All are welcome *Bring own lunch and join us in the picnic area after Mass. Sponsored by: Our Lady of Guadalupe Community Secular Discalced Carmelites of Amsterdam

Pro-Life Day of Reparation: Sunday, August 6 at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Martyrs, Auriesville, NY

Bill Claydon — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 00:02:54 -0400

There will be a pro-life day of reparation at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Martyrs in Auriesville, NY, on August 6th. The Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary will be prayed as well as the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. A talk will be given by bioethicist Joseph Mauceri, M.D. Holy Mass will be celebrated by Fr. Thomas Euteneur, President of Human Life International. Fr. Euteneur will give a talk after lunch. There will be a question/answer session by Fr. Euteneur and Dr. Mauceri after Fr. Euteneur's talk. Please see the schedule for more details. Please join us for a very beautiful day.

350th Birthday Celebration of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha

Theresa Schweigert — Mon, 05 Jun 2006 21:43:39 -0400

In cooperation with the US Postal Service, the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs in Auriesville, NY and the National Kateri Shrine in Fonda, NY are offering special pictorial cancellations featured on a cachet envelope designed by noted artists Bob Renaud (Fonda) and Joe Izzillo (Auriesville). Postal officials will be at the Kateri Shrine in Fonda from 10AM to 4PM on Sunday, July 2nd and at the Martyrs Shrine in Auriesville from 10AM to 4PM on Sunday, July 9th to hand cancel your letters with this special souvenir postmark. Artist Bob Renaud from Carthage, NY will be at both shrines with his collection of original oil paintings of Blessed Kateri. To obtain these beautiful souvenir cancellations by mail, write to: National Kateri Shrine PO Box 627 Fonda, NY 12068-0627 or Bl. Kateri Tekakwitha League 136 Shrine Road Auriesville, NY 12016 Please include $2.00 donation for each specially cancelled pictorial envelope. Send your request early as supply will be limited. For further information, please contact: Theresa Schweigert at 518-355-5919 or Marie McClumpha at the Kateri League 518-853-3153 Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, Lily of the Mohawks and Patroness of Youth, pray for us. Please look at the poster in Microsoft Word format for beautiful samples of the envelopes.

Disgusting Celebration of Evil

Theresa — Thu, 18 May 2006 19:39:44 -0400

The Times Union, largest daily in the Albany, New York area, reported on three wine shops hosting special wine tastings of Da Vinci Chianti , "in conjunction with the premiere of the expected blockbuster movie, 'The Da Vinci Code' " in its "Life-Food" section on Wednesday, May 17, 2006. According to the newspaper report, three Capital District liquor stores will be pouring the 2003 vintage, along with Da Vinci Chianti Classico 2001 and Da Vinci Chianti Riserva 2000 on Saturday, May 20th. To join in on a "celebration" that mocks God and offends the religious beliefs millions of Christians and Jews throughout the world, sinks advertising to an abysmal level of intolerance and bigotry. Here is my letter to the editor of the Times Union in response to this act of greed and hatred: To the Editor: Some people would do anything to make a buck but the Capital District liquor chain that is having a wine-tasting (Times Union, May 17, 2006) to coincide with the opening of the nonsensical, critically panned movie The Da Vinci Code, clearly seeks to profit off the bigotry, paganism, and hatred toward women that this movie promotes. That the wine and spirits stores in Loudonville, Slingerlands, and Clifton Park would base a marketing ploy on a movie which serves as a vehicle to attack both Christian and Jewish beliefs is both mean-spirited and down-right evil.

Teacher Asks Students to Write About Murdering a Person

Bill Claydon — Mon, 15 May 2006 21:25:03 -0400

According to an article on CNN, a Missouri DRAFTING teacher asked his students to write an essay about who they want to kill and how they might commit the murder. First, a DRAFTING class has nothing to do with writing murder essays. But, a more important concern is that this is a man who is in charge of impressionable young people. He is an authority figure. He asked them to describe how they would end the life of a person of their choosing. Our society embraces the disgusting culture of death. We have violent movies, television, video games, etc. We have approximately 3,700 surgical abortions EVERY DAY. Doctors continue to try to end the lives of innocent disabled persons such as Terri Schiavo. Now a teacher has taken yet another opportunity to get young people thinking about death. This accomplishes nothing other than to desensitize people to killing. With our violent culture, what if someone acted out on their "writing prompt" (as the teacher called it)? The teacher has apologized and the principal has labeled it a "lapse in judgment." We are called to forgive the teacher and pray for him. But, one must wonder why this happened. Do we not have enough killing in this society? Why did this authority feel the need to get young people thinking about killing? Society's fascination with killing people simply must stop. Human beings are a masterpiece of God. He NEVER created them to be willfully killed by other people. Period.

"Life Up Your Hearts to the Lord," Saturday, May 6th

Bill Claydon — Mon, 01 May 2006 23:12:43 -0400

At the Church of the Holy Cross (12 Rosemont St. in Albany, NY), Fr. Glenn Sudano will host conferences during the day. There will also be Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with Fr. Sudano as celebrant. There will also be a video about the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. The day will begin at 9:15 AM. The closing Mass will start at 4 PM. For questions, call Peg at 518-483-5826 or Dolores at 518-489-2242. All are welcome!

Jesus is Risen

Bill Claydon — Sun, 16 Apr 2006 22:37:38 -0400

On the third day, Jesus rose from the dead. After this miraculous event, those in a state of grace no longer had to fear the grave. When God, the Giver of Life, calls those in a state of grace, it is a new beginning. (Of course, it must be noted that God calls us in His time. Death should never be initiated by humans. Sadly, it is initiated by humans far too often in acts of violence, suicide, euthanasia, abortion, etc.) Our Lord's Resurrection shows us that there is always hope. We must never despair God's grace or mercy. As we begin Easter Week, let us thank our Lord for His suffering, death and Resurrection. He did all of this for us so that we might have a chance (but not a guarantee) to enter Heaven.

Jesus Suffered and Died Because of Our Sins

Bill Claydon — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 23:30:13 -0400

On the first Good Friday, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ endured tremendous torture and pain out of love for sinful human creatures. He was humiliated, punched, chained, taunted, and scourged until His Body was bleeding all over. As if this was not enough, He was crowned with thorns, humiliated further, forced to carry a heavy cross on His way to Calvary while being taunted by soldiers and bystanders, and finally crucified. He was mocked by people, abandoned by most of His apostles and disciples, and even mocked by one of the men crucified along with them. This was a totally innocent Man completely without any sin. On the night He was betrayed, Jesus saw all the sins mankind would ever commit. He was going to suffer for these sins so that we would have the opportunity (but not the guarantee) of eternal life in Heaven. Because of His suffering, we have the ability to go to Confession and ask forgiveness for our sins. The gates of Heaven were closed prior to Jesus' death and resurrection. Anyone who died before that time, no matter how good they were, was not able to enter Heaven until Jesus died. Living in New Testament times, if we die in the State of Grace (having no unabsolved mortal sin on our souls), we will not spend eternity in hell. When we sin, we must remember that before His betrayal, Jesus saw our sin. He suffered greatly because of our sins. We must keep this in mind. We have free will. We have the CHOICE to avoid committing a sin. But when we do sin, we are crucifying our Lord. Historically, this happened long ago. But he endured this terrible pain because of each of the sins we have committed or will commit in the future. Nobody is guaranteed another day. We must take every opportunity we can to turn toward God. We must continue to do this each day for the rest of our lives.

One Year Ago Today, Pope John Paul II Died

Bill Claydon — Sun, 02 Apr 2006 23:51:04 -0400

One year ago today, Pope John Paul II died. Pope John Paul II was a staunch defender of life. He was a great inspiration for all of us, Catholic or not. He canonized many saints. He travelled throughout the world. He helped in to end the evil of Communism. The list goes on. Pope John Paul contributed to humanity in so many areas. One of his most important contributions related to respect for life. He coined the phrase "Culture of Life." He wrote Evangellium Vitae, the Gospel of Life. He spoke of the importance of respecting human life from conception to natural death. Although he is no longer among the living, his words can still educate us. During his final years, Pope John Paul II made an important statement on the value of human life until NATURAL death. Despite the horrors of Parkinson's Disease, he continued on in his duties. At a time when it has unfortunately become popular for humans to initiate death for those whom society deems "inconvenient" or in some way "no longer valuable," the late Pope showed us that he could continue to teach and inspire right to the end. Pope John Paul II will be missed. But he has left a great legacy for all of us.

One Year Ago, the Court Ordered Atrocity Ended

Bill Claydon — Fri, 31 Mar 2006 23:34:23 -0500

The title of this entry may be confusing. One who is not familiar with the very unnecessary tragedy of Terri Schiavo might think a human judge put a stay on an act of cruel and unusual punishment. The inhumane torture of Terri Schindler Schiavo was ordered by George Greer at the behest of George Felos and Michael Schiavo. A Judge did put a stay on it...but that Judge was God Himself. He is a Judge each of us will face one day. Terri Schindler Schiavo died one year ago today. There was a loving family who simply wanted to take care of Terri for the rest of her life. But Greer, Felos, and Schiavo would not hear of it. Because Michael and his family suddenly remembered alleged statements made by Terri (after he won a lot of money in a malpractice lawsuit related to Terri's collapse), Greer ruled that this could justify starving and dehydrating her to death. This is something that is not even done to convicted criminals. But Greer ordered an innocent person to go through this. One year ago this morning, Terri's siblings and Fr. Pavone of Priests for Life were with Terri at her bedside. This was the last they would see of her before her death. They were ordered out of the room so that the man who petitioned the secular court for Terri's torture and death could be with her during her final minutes of life. Her last moments of agony on this earth were spent with the man who caused this very unnecessary pain and suffering. Fr. Pavone provided an eyewitness account of what Terri looked like at the end. Despite claiming that Terri looked "beautiful," George Felos, the attorney who argued in favor of starving and dehydrating Terri with the intent of bringing about her death, prohibited cameras or tape recorders in the room. He said this was for "privacy reasons." Yet, Felos routinely discussed Terri's medical details with the media. It is truly sad that any human being could ask for or order this kind of barbaric treatment of another human being. It is just as horrifying that so many people supported this action. But, such things have been brought to us by the Culture of Death. For years, society has accepted abortion. It should be no surprise that society would accept brutal mistreatment of a born human being. If we look at the Gospel according to St. Matthew, Chapter 25, verse 45, we know that denying food and drink to the least of God's people is the same as denying these things to God Himself. Of course, there is more than just food and drink. Read Matthew 25. We must pray for those who did this to Terri. But we must also ask ourselves where we have denied these and other things to God. We must be mindful to avoid neglecting God's people in the future. Imagine a mother knowing that her child is dying of thirst. Almost any mother would do what she could to give her child a drink. Greer forbid Mary Schindler from doing just that. He further ordered the police to arrest anyone attempting to give a drink to this innocent woman. This is the kind of heartlessness we can expect when the Culture of Death has saturated and enveloped society. Terri was released from her painful and unnecessary torment on this earth one year ago today. During these last thirteen days, it is no doubt that her family and friends relived very painful memories. They watched their daughter/sister suffer at the hands of other human beings. We must always remember Terri Schindler Schiavo. We must remember that society's acceptance of this mistreatment has paved the way for many other innocent people to suffer in the same way.

The Parallel of the Crucifixion Continues

Theresa Schweigert — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 23:55:40 -0500

They brought him to the place of Golgotha (which is translated Place of the Skull). They gave him wine drugged with myrrh, but he did not take it. Then they crucified him and divided his garments by casting lots for them to see what each should take. Mark 15:22-24 We know in God's scheme of things, it was no coincidence that the torture of Terri Schiavo took place last year during the time leading up to Holy Week and that her death occurred within the Octave of Easter. It was Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer, President of Human Life International, who last year wrote a compelling parallel between Terri's death and the crucifixion of Christ. It shouldn't surprise us that this parallel continues as Michael Schiavo, the husband who promised before God to love and cherish Terri all the days of her life, stubbornly clings to his evil deeds. We know that the mockery of Jesus continued while our Lord hung upon the cross, and even afterwards as His dead body was slashed with a sword until blood and water ran out. To further insult Mary and Jesus' friends, the authorities even posted guards at Jesus' tomb. Michael Schiavo continues to mock Terri and her family by secretly cremating her body, inscribing two �death� dates on her tombstone, starting a "death with dignity" campaign, and now attacking her family with his book, Terri: The Truth. Arrogantly, Schiavo thinks he is on a roll and will very likely continue to seek ways to discredit Terri and her family and pour salt in the wounds of their grieving hearts. This all parallels the mockery of the soldiers who crucified Jesus and then continued the attack upon Him and His followers. The man who won Jesus' garment is like Schiavo winning money on his book, and winning approval from the death-trade advocates who lusted for .the starvation/dehydration death of Terri, his disabled wife. But we all know that the crucifixion story concludes with the Resurrection. O Death where is thy sting? God is raised in three days and death is conquered! Through our prayers and unwavering trust in God�s grace and mercy, we know there will be �centurions� in Terri's story who will come to realize that we have no right to decide who should live and who should die. They will know that it is incumbent upon a civilized people to lovingly reach out to the disabled with resources that ends their suffering, not ends their lives. There may come a time that Michael Schiavo will slip up; his arrogance will someday do him in. Right now he may think he's invincible. After all, even the Supreme Court beckoned to his wishes! But his over-confidence will lead him to say, not only something stupid like Terri is "praising" him or that his book was written to "settle the score" with the Schindlers, but it may come to pass that he will inadvertently admit something that will force her medical case to be honestly re-examined, or at the least that vital information was withheld. Yet despite Schiavo�s behavior, we must all look for the face of Jesus and get beyond these painful circumstances. We must take our cues from Jesus and trust the Father in all of this. We have to speak the Truth and defend Life, but try not to let our blood pressure boil over. God is the arbiter of justice and we can be confident that He will judge. And judge fairly! Judgment Day is a reality that everyone must face. Even Michael Schiavo. May he have the grace, and good sense, to repent. May God have mercy on us all!

One Year Ago Today, the Brutal Execution of Terri Schiavo Began

Bill Claydon — Sat, 18 Mar 2006 22:08:07 -0500

One year ago, the brutal and painful court-ordered death sentence of Terri Schindler ~~Schiavo~~ began. A man named George Greer ordered this execution, at the request of Michael Schiavo, the husband of Terri Schindler Schiavo. Greer further ordered all Florida police to cooperate in the efforts to brutally exterminate the innocent life of Terri Schindler Schiavo. Greer justified his death sentence for Terri Schiavo by saying "the law" calls for this. As June Maxam states in the North Country Gazette, it is a violation of Florida law to prevent an individual from receiving food and water. Nat Hentoff pointed out that Greer did not even allow Terri Schiavo her own lawyer. The law allows lawyers for convicted criminals on death row. Terri Schindler Schiavo never committed a crime. Rather, she was an easy target to popularize a whole new facet of the Culture of Death. Sadly, the majority of people shrugged their shoulders or outright supported this heinous act. Should we be surprised? Not really. Society has accepted the evil act of abortion for years. An innocent human baby is brutally murdered because he or she was an inconvenience. Terri Schindler Schiavo' court-ordered murder shows that born people are not safe from the ever-expanding appetite of the Culture of Death. It also shows that society has been brainwashed enough to simply not care. Terri Schindler Schiavo was not hooked up to a ventilator. She simply needed food and water to be provided via a tube. Babies (the ones who actually have NOT been aborted) need to be spoonfed. They are unable to eat on their own. There were numerous witnesses who said Terri Schindler Schiavo made efforts to communicate. Cameras and tape recorders were forbidden after a certain point. George Felos, who served as the lawyer arguing to have Terri killed, said this was for Terri's "privacy." Yet, he freely discussed her medical condition with the media. Felos claimed that during her court-ordered death process, she looked "beautiful." This account differs greatly from the eyewitness account given by Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life. In a society that ignores God's Holy Laws and instead makes a pagan god out of man-made secular law, nobody is safe. There are no guaranteed rights. Rights depend on the interpretation and viewpoints of whomever occupies the bench at the time. In situations where there are multiple judges presiding over a case (for example, the Supreme Court), there are often dissenting opinions. If the law was clear and the judges were infallible, there would be no need for dissenting opinions. In the case of Roe v. Wade, not every judge agreed that there is a "right" to kill innocent babies. We are placing life and death decisions at the hands of fallible human beings. Yet, we have one Infallible Judge Who has provided us with Ten Commandments. One of these Commandments states "Thou shalt not kill." It does not have an exception for "choice." If we would simply obey these common sense Commandments, people would not be going to court to beg judges to let them murder innocent people. Terri survived thirteen days of pure torture. She is now no longer in a world containing a majority of people who either passively or actively accepted/supported her court-ordered suffering. While Terri received media attention, remember that there are many others who are being murdered in this way. We must never forget Terri or anyone else who has been murdered in this manner.

Display the Ten Commandments

Bill Claydon — Mon, 20 Feb 2006 20:58:50 -0500

God's Laws are simple and common sense Laws. They are not a burden. As God's creatures, we are obliged to follow them. What could be wrong with a commandment to tell the truth (8th Commandment)? In this day and age where there is so much dishonesty, people tend to question whether someone is necessarily telling the truth. What about a commandment to avoid stealing? We have secular laws banning theft. What about a commandment against jealousy? Or a commandment about respecting all human life from conception to natural death? What's wrong with that? As the universe continues to exist solely by the grace of God, is it too much to ask that each of us avoids worshipping false gods and avoids using God's Holy Name in vain? Some groups have gone to court requesting that the Ten Commandments be removed from government property. Usually, these groups win. We have all heard the expression "Out of sight, out of mind." This is what happens when the Ten Commandments are removed. In order to remedy this problem of forgetting the Ten Commandments, Turn Toward God, Inc. encourages private web site owners to display the Ten Commandments on their homepages. Better yet, display them on every web page within your site. Don't let the Ten Commandments be forgotten. It is understandable that prominently displaying the Ten Commandments might take up valuable "real estate" on any given web page. However, God has made the ultimate sacrifice for us --- being crucified on a cross. The least we can do is promote His Holy Laws. If you absolutely cannot fit the full Ten Commandments on your web site, please consider linking to another site which displays the Ten Commandments. By the way, this is not a request for a link to the Turn Toward God web site. This is simply a request for you to link to any site which properly displays the Ten Commandments in a respectful manner. The intent is to promote God's Ten Commandments with this initiative, not this organization. Credit for this idea goes to Project Moses. Project Moses is a non-profit organization devoted to restoring respect for the God's Ten Commandments. It raises funds by selling smaller monuments and plaques of God's Ten Commandments. Turn Toward God is not affiliated with Project Moses. At the time of this writing, Project Moses is unaware of this link or the above statements. This is simply to give credit for the idea.

What Does it Mean to Turn Toward God?

Bill Claydon — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 21:54:07 -0500

Sadly, in this day and age, God is largely forgotten. God is, was, and always will be. He is unchanging. Yet we, His creatures, have changed. In the not-too-distant past, the common person frequently talked about Him (in a respectful manner). Sadly, these days God's name is most often used when being taken in vain. This is a tragedy. We must remember that God made each and every one of us. He loves all of us and at the end of our pilgrimmage here on earth, He wants us to spend eternity with Him. However, He has given us freedom of choice. Through our thoughts and actions, we choose to embrace Heaven or hell. Every thought and action has an eternal consequence. The consequence could be reward or punishment. But when God is generally ignored and often shut out of society, how many people even realize this? Everyone has the opportunity to turn toward God. With every thought, with every action, consider the fact that we are creations of God. We owe Him our every existence. It is by God's grace that the earth continues to spin. It is by God's grace that we have food to eat. Every positive aspect of our lives is by His grace. At a minimum, we need to keep His Commandments. God knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows every thought, every idea. He knows everything we do. This life is a preparation for the next. We are here to be tested. "Not my will but Thy will." We should show our love for Him by being open to His will for us. Years go by in a flash. We have limited time to demonstrate this to God. God the Son died for us on the cross. Before Jesus' death on the cross, the gates of Heaven were closed to all human souls no matter how saintly the individual lived. Jesus, God the Son, totally innocent, suffered and died in a brutal, painful manner for us. This act provided us the opportunity, if we die in a State of Grace (having confessed and been absolved of all mortal sins committed), to enter Heaven. Jesus is true God and true man. He was subject to the same temptations as us. He never sinned. His and our Blessed Mother Mary never sinned. Humans have willpower. They have the ability to avoid sin. We have two examples. God went the extra mile for us. He loves us THAT much. He did what was necessary to bridge the gulf created by the fall of our first parents. He gave us the greatest gift possible. In our limitations as human beings, we cannot possibly reciprocate for what He has done. But we need to do what we can.

Remembering the Millions Killed Thanks to Roe V Wade

Bill Claydon — Mon, 23 Jan 2006 00:50:29 -0500

We know that at least 46 million surgical abortions have occurred as a result of Roe V Wade on January 22, 1973. Millions more have likely been lost due to chemical abortions. At conception, a new life begins. God has a plan for each soul He sends to this world. It is for Him to decide when that soul will be returned to Him, not us. In this life, we will never know the plans He had for each of the millions of babies killed via abortion. There are as many possibilities as there have been babies murdered. Some might have worked for world peace. Others might have discovered the cures to diseases that devastate us today such as AIDS, various forms of cancer, etc. Pro-aborts disdainfully call pro-life people "pro-fetus." Indeed, it is an atrocity for an innocent and vulnerable human being to be ripped apart, tortured, or burned in a saline solution in an attempt to end his or her life. We hope the souls of these innocent victims are with God. However, the pro-life position is actually PRO-WOMAN. We want to save souls of both women and men. Willfully having an abortion has a negative impact on one's eternity. Period. Abortion is an affront to God and destroys innocent life that He created. Pro-lifers attempt to educate abortion mill customers and the general public on the enormity of the "choice" they are about to make. This is not an effort to "take away women's rights." It is an effort to save their souls. God gives all of free will to make choices: Through our actions, we are free to embrace Heaven or hell. On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court legalized the ability to kill children. Sadly, many people confuse morality with what is allowed or not allowed by the Supreme Court. (The Constitution states that Congress makes the laws, but that is another issue.) The Supreme Court also ruled in favor of slavery in the Dred Scott case. Those who feel killing babies is acceptable because a majority on the Supreme Court decided it was, logically must be in favor of slavery. Roe V Wade opened the door for a Culture of Death that does not merely take the lives of preborn babies. After decades of killing babies, society has begun to accept wiping out the disabled (Terri Schiavo and many others who did not get media attention) when they are judged to be "inconvenient." Cloning is talked about. We hear about producing hybrids of humans and various animals for the purpose of experimentation. Plain and simple, this is lack of respect for God and for His creation of human life. January 23rd is a day of fasting and prayer for the millions of innocent victims of Roe V Wade. We must also pray for anyone who agrees with, supports, or benefits from the Culture of Death in any way. May they repent and Turn Toward God. If their faith includes the Sacrament of Confession, may they truly be sorry and make a good Confession.

Researcher Wants Dangerous Embryonic Stem Cell Experiments to be Practiced on Dying People

Bill Claydon — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 22:37:09 -0500

According to LifeSite News, the creator of Dolly the cloned sheep has suggested using dying people for dangerous experiments involving embryonic stem cells. This is the slippery slope we're rapidly descending. Society has devalued human life so much that a researcher wants to make lab rats out of dying people. Human beings are NOT a commodity. Each human being has an infinite value as an individual. There are two major problems with this researcher's idea. First, embryonic stem cell research always kills an innocent human being. An embryo is a stage of human life just as an adult is a stage of human life. We cannot experiment on the embryo because someone has a hypothesis that such experimentation MIGHT one day help other people. Furthermore, IF such a procedure ever proved beneficial (to date, there have been NO benefits from embryonic stem cell research --- just hype from the Culture of Death), it would ALWAYS require the killing of an innocent human being. We cannot kill one human being to allegedly "help" another human being. Embryonic stem cell research is yet another fruit of abortion: devaluing human life. It attempts to justify killing the most innocent and most vulnerable in our society. Second, as to the unique subject of this ridiculous idea, this devalues born people. It implies that once someone is dying, they serve no purpose other than to be a "test bed" for scientists. Dying people should be surrounded by love and kindness. They should be made comfortable and be spiritually prepared as best as possible by fallen human beings for entrance into eternity. Hopefully by the time it comes, they will have made peace with God and be able to eventually enter eternal union with God. Their final days should not be spent as "lab monkeys" being subject to experiments which do nothing but employ researchers. Some people submit to experimental treatments with the intent of saving their own lives. The morality of these treatments depends on the case. But still, this is very different from experimentation which will definitely NOT save the life of the person on which the experiment is being conducted. The NAZIs conducted evil experiments on some of those who were sent to concentration camps. They "justified" this because they expected the prisoners of the concentration camps would be killed anyway. When a scientist can suggest that we use people for dangerous experiments "because they're going to die anyway," we must ask if society has advanced at all from the barbarism of the NAZIs? Society has not. All society has managed to do is put this barbarism in a pretty package of so-called "compassion." Society has also managed to brainwash most people into accepting this as "compassion." For most of the others, society has managed to simply distract them.

Christmas Season Continues

Bill Claydon — Mon, 02 Jan 2006 17:45:45 -0500

Although Christmas Day has ended and New Years Day has come and gone, the Christmas season continues. The season lasts until the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In the short time that remains of the Christmas Season, let us take the time to consider the incredible gift God gave us: His only begotten Son.

Have a Blessed Christmas

Bill Claydon — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 21:47:01 -0500

Advent is drawing to a close. Let us take some time during these last few days to think about the coming of our Lord. Stores are pushing "last minute gift ideas" yet cannot even recognize Christmas. The greatest possible gift has been given.....God's gift of His only begotten Son. Read the Gospel according to St. Luke, especially the first two chapters. Read the Gospel according to St. John, 1:1-28. Christmas is not about material things; God was born into abject poverty. Let us think about the real meaning of Christmas during these last few days. Of course, we don't need to only think about our Lord right before Christmas; we can and should think about Him every day of the year.

On the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Announcing ProLife TV - Video Blog Speaking Against Abortion and Other Evils

Bill Claydon — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 20:49:26 -0500

ProLife TV is being launched today, December 8, 2005. On December 8th, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Today, we honor the conception without sin of our Lord and Savior's Blessed Mother who is also our Mother. We often hear about women needing to take strong roles. While Mary is a creature of God like all of us, she was chosen by God to play an extremely important role in human history. She had the courage to give her fiat to God and obey His Will. She is an example for all of us. Oh Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. Immaculate Mary, your praises we sing. Pro-Life TV is intended to become a video blog (sometimes known as "vlogging" or "video podcasting"). The project will feature video clips about respecting life from conception to natural death with an emphasis on the religious aspects of this issue. However, this will not be just one or two individuals expressing their thoughts. Instead, the goal is to display video clips from many different people involved in peaceful and legal pro-life activities. Through ProLife TV, we hope to reach those who are on the fence or even those who might consider themselves pro-"choice." Often times, those who are not involved in the Culture of Life / Culture of Death debate think of pro-life people as "kooks." (Many who agree with legalized abortion believe pro-lifers are "kooks.") By presenting video clips of pro-life people speaking about the issues, fence-sitters have the chance to see and hear pro-life people. This will hopefully give fence-sitters the ability to learn what pro-lifers are really like. It is most important to communicate the message that there are objective morals and that we need to conform to God's Holy Will, not our own. He is our Creator and we owe God that much at the very minimum. But if fence-sitters dismiss us altogether, they will not listen to our message. ProLife TV requires a high-speed Internet connection. Unfortunately, the video clips cannot be viewed via dial-up connections. We hope you will visit the site. New video clips will continue to be added. Please continue to visit to see new clips. When a pregnancy occurs, it is God's Will that a new life is forming. God is the Author of Life. It is not for us to initiate the destruction of human life at any time, least of all with newly formed life in the womb. When faced with a difficult circumstance, we should look to the Blessed Virgin Mary's example. Pro-life people recognize that life begins at conception. The largest Culture of Life / Culture of Death debate surrounds abortion --- a legalized evil where a baby can be brutally killed in his or her mother's womb. What better day to launch a project encouraging respect for human life than the celebration of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God? May God bless you.

Reconciliation : Forgiveness With a Human Touch

Glenn Smith — Sun, 04 Dec 2005 16:09:12 -0500

The following first appeared in CREDO, June 14, 1999 " I don't need to go to a priest to confess my sins! " is a refrain heard all too many times. I used to feel this way myself. Over time, I have come to appreciate the fact that I do need to go to a priest. I now realize that Christ instituted this sacrament, because He understood that we have a deep need to unburden our sins to another human being. As Archbishop Jozef Tomko has said, " A person has an interior need to open his or her soul to another." In Reconciliation, this is one whom has been empowered to absolve people of their sins in the name of the Holy Trinity. This is divine forgiveness with a human touch. Jesus became human to extend the merciful touch of the Father to all people. There are numerous examples in the Gospels, where we see sinners being forgiven by Jesus. For me, the most poignant is the story of the penitent woman. My purpose in citing her story is to illustrate the power of forgiveness when it is mediated through a person. Of course, for this woman, that person happened to be the Son of God! The penitent woman appears in all four Gospels, and Scripture scholars debate her identity, but she was not Mary Magdalene, as is commonly believed. She was however, most probably a prostitute. My favorite version is found in Luke(7:36-50). St. Luke paints the picture for us with vivid colors. This " sinful woman in the city,"(vs. 37) learns that Jesus is dining in the house of Simon the Pharisee. Bringing expensive perfume with her, the woman is determined to anoint Jesus. Implicit in the story, is that he has already touched her life in some significant way. For as she humbly approaches him, she begins weeping so profusely, that her tears fall on his feet. Immediately, she begins to dry his feet with her hair. Have we ever felt such contrition for sin in our lives? If not, it is not because we are free of the sin that evokes such profound repentance, but because we are still unaware of the seriousness of our sin -how it blocks God's fatherly love and renders damage to ourselves and others. The penitent woman had found in Jesus, a quality of love and wisdom that stirred her soul. No doubt she had heard his teaching or witnessed his miracles, and she knew that he was an extraordinary man. In his bright light, the darkness of her sinfulness was black indeed. And yet, she knew that from him, she could receive the forgiveness that would set her free. When this prostitute went to the house of Simon, the self-righteous religious leader, she certainly knew that scorn would be heaped upon her. But she went anyway, carrying the precious perfume that had formerly served her in the practice of her "trade." She cared not what others might say or do to her, for she felt compelled to seek out Jesus in what would be an intimate encounter. In fact, drying the feet of Jesus with her hair was an act of intimacy that further served to anger Simon and the other Pharisees. Yet, Jesus applauds the action of the woman at the same time that he criticizes his host, who had not even extended the most basic courtesy to him. He tells Simon, that she who has loved much, is forgiven much. Then he looks at this humbled woman at his feet and tells her, " Your faith has saved you. Go in peace."(vs.50) This forgiveness of her sins was not some private matter, a kind of "abstract" and isolated absolution. No, she received the mercy of God in the context of her community. And as important, she received mercy through human touch, reassuring words and the mediated grace that flowed from the Savior himself. Jesus is no longer visibly present to us, but he is sacramentally present. In Reconciliation, like the penitent woman, we have the opportunity to experience absolution through touch, and through the spoken words of the priest who represents Jesus to us. To be sure, I have experienced the mercy of God outside of the sacrament. However, I can say unequivocally, that when absolved by a priest, I have far greater certitude of my soul's cleansing. I also experience the wondrous presence of the Lord Jesus. Like the pentinent woman, I begin the celebration humbled by my own sinfulness. I leave with a tangible sense of the tender mercy of our God and the freedom that He alone can give. Just this past week, I was visiting a woman in the hospital named Carol. She started talking about Reconciliation, by asking me why more people don't take advantage of the sacrament. I offered some possible reasons, but Carol just shook her head. She started to describe the wonderful feeling that she has when she has been given absolution. " I feel as clean inside as a new snowfall, " she said, " And the next time I receive the Eucharist, it is a much deeper experience of the presence of Jesus." The Pope assures us that Jubilee 2000 will be a "year of favor of the Lord." He also has exhorted us to ongoing conversion in order to be better disposed to receive the graces that God wants to pour out. I can think of no better way to be serious about conversion than a regular use of the sacrament of Reconciliation. May we come to Jesus for the touch that sets us free. Glenn Smith may be contacted at glennk54 at hotmail.com (replace "at" with @ and remove all spaces).

Remember What Christmas is About

Bill Claydon — Fri, 25 Nov 2005 02:17:10 -0500

Today is "Black Friday." Retailers, most of which refuse to say the name Christmas, are having huge sales to entice customers to shop in their stores. Some of the sales started at midnight. Rather than thinking about the idea of remembering the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the focus is on materialism. Christmas should be a rememberance of God's greatest gift to us. God the Father sent His Son to earth to eventually suffer a brutal Passion and die in order to give us the opportunity (but NOT the guarantee) to enter Heaven after death. Retailers depend on gift giving for Christmas. But they take it a step further. Beyond taking the focus away from Jesus by pushing materialism, they refuse to even recognize the name Christmas. Instead, the word "holiday" is used. Holiday is a CATEGORY. It is not the name of a specific day. The very word "holiday" comes from the term "Holy day." Holy days are special days reserved for religious celebrations or observances. The excuse typically given for removing all references to Christmas is the alleged need to be "inclusive." While this argument is offensive to Christians, it is also highly offensive to NON-Christians. Using this excuse automatically implies that NON-Christians are bigots. Are non-Christians really going to refuse to tolerate the mention of a religious celebration that does not take place in their own religion? Frankly, I simply don't believe that is the case. Failing to mention Christmas takes everyone's minds off Jesus (especially Christians). It becomes a secular celebration. When references to God are removed over and over again, people will think less and less of living according to God's Will. The Dictatorship of Moral Relativism mentioned by former Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) continues to take a foothold. Frankly, considering the roots of the word "holiday," I find it surprising that "holiday" is the word used in place of Christmas. Let us pray during this Advent season that people begin to remember the real reason for Christmas. It is not a celebration of materialism; it is a celebration of our Heavenly Father's greatest gift to mankind: His Son and our Savior.