The first reading for
the Second Sunday of
Advent will speak of when “the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down
with the kid; the calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little
child to guide them.” That image is
beautifully depicted in the many versions of Edward Hicks’ The Peaceable Kingdom. An 1826 version hangs in the National
Gallery of Art. Edward Hicks was a
native of what is now called Langhorne!
In the Responsorial,
we will repeatedly declare that "Justice shall flourish in his
time, and fullness of peace for ever," and
we will read the beautiful words of Romans: "May the God of endurance and
encouragement grant you to think in harmony with one another, in keeping with
Christ Jesus, that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The Gospel reminds
us of our absolute call to conversion and to doing the will of God! As per John the Baptist “Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruit as evidence of your
repentance….I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is
coming after me is mightier than I….He will clear his threshing floor and
gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable
fire.”
WASHINGTON
Please consider copying/pasting the
following into a message to
Senator Casey, Senator Toomey, and Congressman Fitzpatrick (https://www.votervoice.net/NCHLA/Campaigns/30688/Respond):
- People of good will need their senators to oppose ardently pro abortion judicial nominess. It is deeply troubling that Senator Casey was among those who voted on November 21, "to take away the ability...to use filibusters against judicial nominees, including those pro-life groups oppose" (www.lifenews.com/2013/11/21/senate-democrats-break-rules-to-take-away-filibuster-on-judges-from-republicans/).
It is deeply troubling that Senators Casey and Toomey
voted for S 815, which the US Conference of Catholic Bishops says "could
be used to punish as discrimination what the Catholic Church
teaches." We need Representative Fitzpatrick to OPPOSE the house version,
HR 1755.
In the interest of basic human dignity - particularly the
welfare of children - please CO-SPONSOR/ SUPPORT HR 3279 (the Abortion
Insurance Full Disclosure Act), HR732/S32/S369 (the Child Interstate
Abortion Notification Act), HJRes51 (an amendment to the Constitution of
the United States relating to marriage), HR940/S1204 (the Health Care
Conscience Rights Act), HR3133 (the Marriage and Religious Freedom Act),
HR7/S946 (the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act), HR1797/S1670/S 886 (the Pain Capable Unborn Child
Protection Act), and HR301/S653 (To provide for the establishment of the
Special Envoy to Promote Religious Freedom of Religious Minorities in the Near
East and South Central Asia).
Please work to de-fund Planned Parenthood and to achieve
what the USCCB has called a "just and fair Farm Bill" and
"compassionate immigration reform."
Abortion Insurance
Full Disclosure Act of 2013 - Support HR 3279
As per Cardinal
O'Malley's 11/1/13 letter to the U.S. House of Representatives, "I am
writing to ask your support for Rep.Chris Smith's Abortion Insurance Full
Disclosure Act' (H.R.
3279)." Why is our “pro life” congressman Mike Fitzpatrick NOT
one of the 118 co-sponsors of H.R.
3279 ?
Child Interstate
Abortion Notification Act - Support HR 732 / S 32 / S 369
As the USCCB previously
explained, "a mother in Pennsylvania, where parental involvement is
required, testified before Congress that her daughter was taken without her
knowledge to New Jersey for a secret abortion by the parents of her daughter's
boyfriend. After contacting state police, she learned that nothing could be
done to protect her parental rights.... 'We urge Congress to pass this law to
help protect vulnerable girls from this kind of exploitation'" (USCCB, 4/27/05).
Though the Child Interstate
Abortion Notification Act has yet to become law, the 2/15/13 edition of Pa Pro Life On Line News
dramatically highlighted the continued need: "Abortion facilities are
luring vulnerable teens across state lines for abortions. Many states
including Pennsylvania have laws that protect pregnant teens by making sure
their parents are involved in the decision. However, there are states on
our borders that do not have such protections in place. A look through
yellow pages in phone books and online reveals that out of state abortion centers
are targeting teens with ads that say they can get an abortions without telling
their parents."
On Planned Parenthood's web site,
you can enter a zip code to find the closest of their so-called "health
centers." If you enter "18977" (Washington's Crossing),
"19030" (Fairless Hills), "19067" (Morrisville,
Woodbourne, Woodside, and Yardley), their facilities on East State
Street in Trenton (Unit
1 and Unit
2) will appear among the top three. Of those three, Planned
Parenthood readily acknowledges providing "Abortion
Services" at Unit
2. On a page devoted to Parental
Consent and Notification Laws, Planned Parenthood also indicates that
"A judge can excuse you from" parental permission in Pennsylvania and
that New Jersey has "no parental involvement requirement" (On
Saturday mornings at 9:45 a.m., a Rosary and a Chaplet of Divine Mercy are
prayed near Clinton and East State Streets in Trenton. On Thursday
mornings from 8:30 to 9:30, the Rosary is prayed.).
Thank God for the reintroduction of
the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act! "Federal
lawmakers praised the reintroduction of a bill requiring parental notification
to transport minors across state borders for an abortion....Earlier versions of
the legislation passed the House of Representatives in previous years but
failed in the Senate due to filibuster efforts opposing it" (National
Catholic Register, 2/18/13).
Kudos to Mike Fitzpatrick for being
among the 112 co-sponsors of HR
732. NEITHER of our “pro life” senators – NEITHER Bob Casey NOR Pat
Toomey - are among the 6 co-sponsors of S.32.
However, kudos to Pat Toomey for being one of the 28 co-sponsors of S.369.
De-Fund Planned
Parenthood
In a 4/13/11 letter to the U.S. House of
Representatives, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, then chairman of the USCCB's
Committee on Pro-Life Activities, called for de-funding Planned Parenthood:
"The current and future budget debate will involve hard choices and much
shared sacrifice.... Whether to fund the largest abortion network in the
country is not one of those hard choices.” As per the American Life
League's 2013 Study on Planned Parenthood Federation of America, "Tax
funding PPFA is too often debated as an 'either-or' proposition, as if
healthcare for underserved women and the poor depended on the decision ....With
other choices available, neither the American taxpayer nor healthcare in
general benefits by funding an organization dedicated (by choice) to
abortion." As they each identify themselves as “pro life,” Fitzpatrick,
Casey, and Toomey need to work to de-fund Planned Parenthood.
Employment
Non-Discrimination Act of 2013 (ENDA) - Oppose HR 1755 / S 815
As S 815 has already
passed the Senate (with votes from BOTH Casey and Toomey), it is all the more
vital to tell Mike Fitzpatrick to oppose HR 1755. While Casey was a co-sponsor of S 815, the Pennsylvania
Family Council notes that "It is deeply disappointing and troubling
that U.S. Senator Pat Toomey broke his promise to Pennsylvania voters that he
would oppose the 'Employment Non-Discrimination Act' (ENDA) should it come
before the Senate." The Pa Family Council set up a web site to
facilitate contacts to Toomey (https://www.votervoice.net/PAFI/Campaigns/33809/Respond).
As per the USCCB's
10/31/13 letter to the U.S. Senate, "the USCCB continues to promote
the dignity of both work and marriage and to oppose unjust discrimination on
any grounds, including those related to homosexual inclination or sexual
identity. But we cannot support a bill, like ENDA, that does not justly advance
the dignity of all workers and authentic non-discrimination, but instead:
- Lacks a BFOQ exemption. ENDA does not include an exemption for a 'bona fide occupational qualification' (BFOQ)....
- Lacks a status/conduct distinction. ENDA’s vague definition of 'sexual orientation' would encompass sexual conduct outside of marriage, thus legally affirming and specially protecting that conduct.
- Supports marriage redefinition....
- Rejects the biological basis of gender. ENDA’s definition of 'gender identity' lends force of law to a tendency to view 'gender' as nothing more than a social construct or psychosocial reality, which a person may choose at variance from his or her biological sex. This provision also fails to account for the privacy interests of others....
- Threatens religious liberty. ENDA could be used to punish as discrimination what many religions – including the Catholic religion – teach, particularly moral teaching about same-sex sexual conduct. Moreover, the bill’s religious freedom protection, which is derived from Title VII, covers only a subset of religious employers, and as a result of recent litigation, is uncertain in scope. Recent experience also shows that even exempted employers may face government retaliation for relying on such exemptions."
Farm Bill
As per an 11/1/13 letter to the U.S. Senate's Farm Bill Conference Committee from Bishop Stephen E. Blaire (Chairman of the USCCB's Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development), Bishop Richard E. Pates (Chairman of the USCCB's Committee on International Justice and Peace), and others: "As you work to finalize the 2013 Farm Bill, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, joined by Catholic Relief Services, Catholic Charities USA, the National Catholic Rural Life Conference, and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, urge you to negotiate a bill that reflects a commitment to the common good....A just and fair Farm Bill will put poor and hungry people first, serve small and medium-sized family farms, promote sustainable stewardship of the land, and help vulnerable farmers and rural communities at home and abroad."
Federal Marriage Amendment - Support HJ Res 51
As per an 11/1/13 letter to the U.S. Senate's Farm Bill Conference Committee from Bishop Stephen E. Blaire (Chairman of the USCCB's Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development), Bishop Richard E. Pates (Chairman of the USCCB's Committee on International Justice and Peace), and others: "As you work to finalize the 2013 Farm Bill, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, joined by Catholic Relief Services, Catholic Charities USA, the National Catholic Rural Life Conference, and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, urge you to negotiate a bill that reflects a commitment to the common good....A just and fair Farm Bill will put poor and hungry people first, serve small and medium-sized family farms, promote sustainable stewardship of the land, and help vulnerable farmers and rural communities at home and abroad."
Federal Marriage Amendment - Support HJ Res 51
On 6/28/13, Representative Tim
Huelskamp introduced H.J. RES. 51,
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to
marriage. As per the Administrative
Committee of the USCCB, "We offer general support for a Federal
Marriage Amendment to the U.S. Constitution as we continue to work to protect
marriage in state legislatures, the courts, the Congress and other appropriate
forums" (Reaffirmed
on 3/14/06). Mike Fitzpatrick has not joined the 57 co-sponsors of H.J. RES. 51
(including Representative Chris Smith). The National Organization for Marriage
has a special web site to send messages on HJ Res 51: http://capwiz.com/nationformarriage/home/.
Health Care Conscience
Rights Act - Support HR 940 / S 1204
As
per the USCCB, "All House and Senate members should be urged to
support and co-sponsor the Health Care Conscience Rights Act, so our First
Freedom can regain its proper place as a fundamental right protected in our
health care system." Kudos go to Mike Fitzpatrick for being among
the 189 co-sponsors of HR
940. However, NEITHER of our “pro
life” senators – NEITHER Casey NOR Toomey - are among the 15 co-sponsors of S
1204. The Pennsylvania Catholic Conference has a special site (www.votervoice.net/PACC/campaigns/30694/respond),
to contact Fitzpatrick, Casey, and Toomey, as well as the president and the
vice president, in support of HR
940 / S
1204.
Immigration Reform
The USCCB has a web site to
facilitate this message to Senators Casey and Toomey and Representative
Fitzpatrick (http://www.capwiz.com/justiceforimmigrants/issues/alert/?alertid=62312721&type=CO):
"I agree with the U.S. Catholic
bishops that now is the time to pass just and compassionate immigration reform.
I ask that in the 113th Congress you support immigration reform that
- Provides a path to citizenship for
undocumented persons in the country;
- Preserves family unity as a
corner-stone of our national immigration system;
- Provides legal paths for
low-skilled immigrant workers to come and work in the United States;
- Restores due process protections
to our immigration enforcement policies;
- Addresses the root causes (push
factors) of migration, such as persecution and economic disparity.
I look forward to monitoring your
public position on this vital issue to our nation. Our nation can no longer
wait."
Marriage and Religious
Freedom Act - Support HR 3133
The USCCB supports H.R. 3133, the
Marriage and Religious Freedom Act, but Mike Fitzpatrick has NOT joined 91
of his colleagues (including Representative Chris Smith) as a co-sponsor of HR 3133.
The National Organization for Marriage has a special web site to send messages
on HR 3133: http://capwiz.com/nationformarriage/home/.
No Taxpayer Funding
for Abortion Act - Support HR 7 / S 946
In his 11/1/13
letter to the U.S. House of Representatives, Cardinal O'Malley notes the
USCCB's support for HR
7 (introduced by Representative Chris Smith). Why is our “pro life”
congressman Mike Fitzpatrick NOT one of the 138 co-sponsors of HR
7? NEITHER of our “pro life”
senators – NEITHER Bob Casey NOR Pat Toomey - are among the 23 co-sponsors of
senate version S
946. While Casey is the sponsor of S
142 (without any co-sponsors), it strikes this blogger as inferior to S
946.
Pain Capable Unborn
Child Protection Act - Support HR 1797/ S 1670 / S 886
As per a 6/14/03
letter to the U.S. House of Representatives from Cardinal O'Malley, "I
urge you to support the common-sense reform offered by H.R. 1797." Kudos to Mike Fitzpatrick for his
favorable vote on 6/18/13. Kudos to Pat Toomey for being among the 40
co-sponsors of S. 1670
and the 34 co-sponsors of S.
886. Our “pro life” senator Bob Casey is NOT a co-sponsor of S. 1670
and is NOT a co-sponsor of S.
886.
To provide for the
establishment of the Special Envoy to Promote Religious Freedom of Religious
Minorities in the Near East and South Central Asia - Support HR 301 / S 653
As per Bishop
Pates' 5/20/13 letter to Senators Roy Blunt and Carl Levin, "As Chair
of the Committee on International Justice and Peace of the United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops, I commend your tireless efforts to advance
religious freedom as evidenced by your sponsorship of S. 653, a bill to
establish a Special Envoy to Promote Religious Freedom of Religious Minorities
in the Near East and South Central Asia." NEITHER Casey NOR Toomey are
among the 19 co-sponsors of S.653.
How can this be? Have you gentlemen lost appreciation for religious freedom?
HARRISBURG
- Click here, to email Rep. Clymer, Rep. Davis, Rep. DiGirolomo, Rep. Farry, Rep. Galloway, Rep. O'Neill, Rep. Petri, Rep. Quinn, Rep. Santarsiero, Rep. Watson, Sen. Greenleaf, Sen. McIlhinney, Sen. Mensch, and Sen. Tomlinson, asking them to Co-Sponsor / Support Admitting Privileges legislation and Support Pa's DOMA, as well as to Oppose HB 300 / SB 300 and Oppose SB 872.
- After an incredibly brief hiatus, abortionist Steven Brigham has been allowed to re-open a facility, where abortions supposedly will not be provided. Click here, to email Governor Corbett, asking that Brigham's "Integrity Family Health" (IFH) in Northeast Philly be permanently and totally closed.
Support Admitting
Privileges legislation
As per the Pa Pro Life Coalition,
"The Republican and Democrat leaders of the Pa. House Pro-Life Caucus
...are preparing to re-introduce 'Admitting Privileges' legislation....The lead
sponsors of this legislation are seeking to gather additional co-sponsors
before introducing it....[It] has the same language as H.B. 1314 in the
2011-2012 term....Please urge your State House members to co-sponsor Admitting
Privileges legislation in the 2013-2014 term." Bucks County's own Paul
Clymer is already on board as a co-sponsor.
Support Marriage / Family and HB 1349 - Oppose HB1647/SB719
"A Marriage Protection
Amendment to the Pennsylvania State Constitution may be the only way to preserve
the definition of marriage as the union between one man and one woman"
(Pennsylvania Catholic
Conference):
- Support HB 1349: On 5/8/13, Bucks County's own Paul Clymer joined Daryl Metcalfe and 25 others, in introducing HB 1349, which seeks to strengthen Pennsylvania's Constitution, by adding this: "Marriage is the legal union of only one man and one woman as husband and wife and no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized."
- Oppose HB1647/SB719: In a 7/12/13 memo, Representative Mark Cohen announced that he was "introducing a bill to repeal the Pennsylvania Defense of Marriage Act and to recognize all same sex marriages made in other states and other countries" [HB 1647]. HB 1647 and its companion SB 719 would negate the fundamental right of children to both a mom and a dad!
The Pennsylvania Catholic Conference
has a web site, to facilitate a message to Governor Corbett, in support of
marriage and Pennsylvania's DOMA (https://www.votervoice.net/PACC/Campaigns/32995/Respond).
Oppose HB300/SB300
"Simply put, this legislation
is intolerant and prejudiced against people of faith" (Pennsylvania
Catholic Conference). The Pa Catholic Conference has a special web
site to ask your representative and senator to oppose HB300/SB300: https://www.votervoice.net/PACC/Campaigns/33451/Respond.
Oppose SB 872,
"Prohibiting mental health professionals from engaging in sexual orientation
change efforts with an individual under 18 years of age" - Pa's Version of
NJ's S2278
As reported in Jewish
World Review (11/18/13), "A couple who wants to send their 15-year-old
son to counseling to curb his attraction to other males is suing New Jersey
over the state's ban on so-called gay conversion therapies for minors. In
August, Gov. Chris Christie signed into law a bill in that outlaws the
therapies....the family alleges that the law violates their freedom of speech
and free exercise of religion, as well as the parents' fundamental
rights"
In contrast to philosophies behind SB 872 and S 2278, eminent Catholic psychiatrist Dr. Rick Fitzgibbons of Montgomery County maintains that "Youth have the right to be provided informed consent about the serious medical and psychiatric illnesses, and risks, of the homosexual lifestyle. Pediatricians, mental health professionals, physicians, nurses and school counselors have a clear legal responsibility to do so, and parents, family members, educators, and clergy a grave moral responsibility" (Same-Sex Attractions in Youth and Their Right to Informed Consent, 5/21/12).
DOYLESTOWN
- Please email Bucks County Register of Wills Don Petrille and the Bucks County Commissioners (and the Courier Times), thanking Mr. Petrille for doing his job (i.e., defending traditional marriage) and upholding the law!
"Ground zero for the debate
surrounding the state's ban on same-sex marriages may be Norristown....But the
issue is also bubbling in Doylestown because of its register of wills' spirited
defense of traditional marriage....Register of Wills Donald Petrille came under
fire for a brief he included in the groundbreaking court case filed by the
American Civil Liberties Union. That case seeks to overturn the marriage
law, and the 41-year-old Petrille - who is also a lawyer at McNamara, Bolla
& Panzer - was included as a defendant because he declined to issue a
marriage license to a same-sex couple in July....Petrille argues that marriage
is rooted in the 'biological fact that opposite-sex couples reproduce,' and
that the government should not 'deprive a child of access to the comfort of
their creators.' To distance themselves from those arguments, the county
commissioners - two Republicans and one Democrat - issued a joint statement two
week ago saying that they had 'no input whatsoever' on the brief. Diane
Marseglia, the Democrat, issued an additional statement asking that the brief
be withdrawn. She sent an e-mail to a group of officials, including Petrille,
calling the brief 'reprehensible'....The unrest upsets people such as Kathleen
Appell, 70, from Warminster. She said the commissioners were not publicly
backing Petrille as vigorously as they should. 'If you can't defend your
own elected officials,' she said at Wednesday's meeting, 'then why bother
having them?'" (Philadelphia
Inquirer, 11/25/13)
On 11/19/13, the Courier Times advocated abandoning efforts to seriously support Register of Wills Donald Petrille: "we support Bucks County Commissioner Diane Marseglia’s suggestion the county should refuse to mount a serious and costly defense against a federal lawsuit targeting Bucks County Register of Wills Don Petrille....the county commissioners should seriously consider Marseglia’s suggestion to unlace the boxing gloves. The commissioners have to approve paying those bills, and so they are within their rights to instruct county attorneys to stand down" (In an email to this blogger, Marseglia indicated that all of the commissioners share her position.).
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