Association Of Catholic Bloggers

I am so glad that I was born prior to the Roe vs. Wade decision that made the right to abortion the law of the land. You see, I was born with severe clubbed feet. At birth, the doctors and nurses offered my mother their condolences, as they all thought I would never walk. They perceived me to be a burden to my parents. Had I been born a generation later, the doctors would have seen my deformity  in utero , and the option to abort would have been available to my mother. I am living proof as to why we should protect the unborn! Why We Should Protect the Unborn Had my mother aborted me, then I would not have been able to: Grow to my full potential Fall in love with my husband of the past 40 years Earn three degrees (BS in Management, MBA in Finance and a MA in Pastoral Theology) Become an adjunct professor, shaping minds for the future Become an author of a children’s book that teaches children the value of patience Share my talents with others Bring souls to Christ vi...

A young child, who knows enough words to communicate, can describe their prenatal memories and their birth from their own unique perspective, not as an observer. Most of my nine children were able to verbalize their womb and birth experiences if my husband and I posed questions before they were three and a half or four years old because most children can no longer remember after that age. Although my claims about prenatal memories might strike many modern readers as fanciful stories exaggerated by a proud mother, the truth is even the ancient Hebrews understood that prenatal infants were capable of interacting, not only with people but with God Himself.  Jeremiah 1:5  tells us, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,/ before you were born I dedicated you.” The preverbal, prenatal Jeremiah sensed the voice of God and was capable of receiving a call and appointment to be a prophet.  Psalm 139  also describes a relationship between the Holy Spirit and an ...

photo of Cardinal O'Connor from EWTN.com In Colorado. three people died and nine were injured after a recent shooting near a Planned Parenthood facility. Did peaceful pro-life activists contribute to the violence? No - not now, and not a generation ago, when the murders of two abortion facility employees led to calls for a temporary end to public pro-life witness. A few days after those deaths, John Cardinal O'Connor of New York preached on the feast of the Epiphany about how to respond to the culture of death. He respected his brother bishops who called for a moratorium on pro-life demonstrations, but he made a forceful case for continuing them. "I would like to believe, however, that the current outcries against the pro-life movement are a reflection of frustration rather than a concerted effort to marginalize millions of non-violent, peaceful people whose only sin is their love for every human life, the life of every baby, the life of every mother. If there is a con...

They are dead and we rejoice in that shred of hope that at least they can commit no more atrocities against humanity.  However, part of me always wonders, what were their last thoughts?  Did they have children, a wife, siblings, friends?  Even in a radical, militarist society, their mothers must weep knowing they are gone.  Surely, even with a mission from Allah, they will be missed.  Even if they aren't, they were all infused with immortal souls at conception, they were blessed by the LORD and their lives were planned before eternity began.  Yes, they have turned against God.  Yes, they have sinned against their fellow man, taking innocent lives and creating fear in a cloud of evil and destruction.  But, do we not all sin?  Does it not grieve the Father when we speak harshly to our brother or child, when we react selfishly and refuse to focus on the other?  Are we any more deserving of mercy because our sins have not become internat...

Every day is a day to respect human life. Still, just as months are designated to bring attention to suicide prevention and human trafficking and child abuse prevention, October is  Respect Life month . Coincidentally, this month comprises the bulk of the Fall 2015  40 Days for Life  campaign.   I was invited to speak at the opening of the 40DFL campaign in my area. As a longtime poltiical activist and lobbyist, I wondered what I could offer to a strictly nonpolitical group. Then Pope Francis spoke in Cuba, and something he said helped me sharpen my focus: prayer, not politics. Read more at Leaven for the Loaf . 

 I have been trying to blog, but quite honestly, I have been reeling from the recent videos released about Planned Parenthood.  I've watched undercover videos of them before, but these are the most raw and troubling ever.  I had so much to say, yet no words to share it.  Last night, as I was getting my little guy to bed, this article came to me.  It is not a debate of the abortion issue but why we cannot let this drop, we cannot let it be forgotten, we cannot throw up our hands and accept perceived defeat. 1 There are many who say this is just more right wing extremist reactionary to nothing. Get over it and move on, it means nothing.  However, the most significant development for me, is that Congree convened to debate this issue and vote in late July.  That is prime time for summer recess.  They were not just hanging around working on more important issues and squeezed this incidental item in to appease the right wing.  In all likeli...

As long as the Supreme Court is basing a big ruling on equal protection, how about protecting something even more fundamental than marriage? Read more ...

I’ve been meaning to write this post since February 20th. How do I know? Because that’s the day I heard about 85 year old Oriella Cazzanello; a woman from Northern Italy, who travelled to a clinic in Basel, Switzerland, and paid €10,000 to kill herself.  I first heard this story on my way to work. I listen to Teresa Tomeo’s Catholic Connection Radio Show on Ave Maria Radio in the morning and she gives me the news. I find that it’s never just news, it’s always information that makes you think and shapes your day. Mrs. Cazzanello said she felt “weighed down by ageing and the inevitable loss of the looks of which she was proud”. This took place at an assisted suicide clinic. A clinic. Even the naming convention of this place is horrid. A clinic. Makes it sound clean and spa-like, doesn’t it? I imagine Mrs. Cazzanello tried to gain love and attention from others to overcome her feelings of loneliness by working on her outward appearance. Society says we are supposed to be per...

Part mommy memoir and part single woman's lament,  Accidentally on Purpose: The True Tale of a Happy Single Mother  is an intimate look at one woman's choice to keep the baby she conceived on a one-night stand. Written by journalist Mary Pols and published by HarperCollins, the book did so well that it spawned a one-season CBS series starring Jenna Elfman. What is the source of the book's appeal? At 39 years old, the author Mary faced the all-too-common question of why she stayed single while her friends and siblings made it to the altar. When Mary became unexpectedly pregnant, her reaction was to keep the baby, but not the father. The father, despite his washboard abs, lacked ambition and, as he quietly confided, had no "J-O-B." Scarred by his parents' divorce, he had little hope in his own future. Nonetheless, he badly wanted Mary to keep the baby and was willing to help her as much as he could. They ultimately stumbled their way to a co-parenting arran...

Reflecting the Human Longing for Beauty: Paraorchestra The  British Paraorchestra , which features world-class musicians with disabilities, just released this  youtube recording .   Let's help it go viral. I can't stop playing this piece. Perhaps this is how the Mystery sees us: Keep reading here...