A reader has made us aware that Fr Caton will be saying a mass Saturday morning at 10 AM in honor of Our Lady of Lourdes at Nativity BVM Church in Brockport. Prayers will be offered for the sick of the parish, since it is World Day of the Sick, but the intention of the Mass will be, in the spirit of what the bishops are requesting, to pray for a reversal of this controversial health care decision.
Tags: Orthodoxy at Work
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I believe in the power of prayer but believe that God wants us to make a concerted effort to change things on the possible level. We can do the possible. However God will step in when the impossible is both needed and when He is invited to do so through our prayers.
PS: if God has steps in, get out of the way because, as Betty Davis said, “Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night.
It is good to keep reminding us all of the power of prayer and that no matter what we do there is no substitute for prayer!
Yesterday I spoke with some friends about the looming crisis related to Obamacare, i.e. the Sebelius mandate that Catholic institutions will be forced to cover all employees for contraception, abortofacients and sterilization insurance. It has raised the ire of many in the hierarchy and
in the pew.
Afterward I thought that yes, it is bad, outrageous, awful persecution. It is not about our individual views on the Church’s clear teaching; rather, it is about infringement and suppression of the freedom of religion. We all need to keep that in mind. If it can happen with abortofacients today, it can happen with attending Mass tomorrow. And it can happen with wearing Crucifixes or Stars of David in public places the next day.
But let’s not lose sight that the cup is also half full, at least. Where and when else would Catholics have such a clear opportunity to proclaim their beliefs, and to support the Bill of Rights at the same time? We now have a world stage called “NEWS” that would have cost more than many years of SuperBowl commercials to afford. Praise God, and the way He works!
This very point of discussion and protest, and of civil disobedience if necessary, may well reach to the ends of the world, just as Christ called for the Gospel to be preached. And think how neatly this ties into Pope Benedict’s call for a year of faith, of evangelization. (Let no one ever doubt the Holy Spirit’s constant accompaniement of our Church. These are not coincidences!)
We need to take advantage of this situation. It may never come again. We have a major evangelization opportunity in our path; let’s not kick it aside because it is in the way, or because we are angry, hurt, upset or afraid, but rather pick it up and run with it, all the way Home.
What in the world is Obama thinking? and in an election year! Perhaps he has been blinded for just such a moment as this!
I only hope that the bishops and priests will begin to preach about contraception. If not, it will be a sad state of affairs. If most Catholics ignore Catholic teaching because they have never been taught, how can the bishops ever think they will get grass roots support for this.
O’Bama and his cronies know this and will use this to drive a wedge between the laity and the clergy.
Keep praying, Father Scott, because this “compromise” announced today is merely a shell game, and liberal Catholics are too dumb to recognize this President’s crass duplicity.
There is one good effect from all this, however: for the first time in decades there is actually a discussion, in the public square and in the Church, about the morality of contraception (even though the issue is really religious liberty). I am hopeful that the more conservative protestants will come to see that contraception and abortion are two peas in the same pod, and may come to see the wisdom of Catholic teaching.
Praise God – He can always bring good out of the most dire and evil situations.
“O’Bama and his cronies know this and will use this to drive a wedge between the laity and the clergy”.
There is already a wedge there. It is clericalism, where the clergy think they have all the answers and should receive deferencial treatment. Actually quite a few of them don’t even know the questions!!