Saints Joachim and Ann never had to worry about their descendants getting to Heaven!

What Would Joachim and Ann Do?

As their one child was our Blessed Mother and their one grandchild was Jesus Himself, Saints Joachim and Ann never had to worry about their descendants getting to Heaven!  Not so for the rest of us!  We need their intercession, because we have extremely good reasons to be concerned about the salvation of ourselves and our families!  And weekly Mass attendance is only half the story! 

As per a 2013 Quinnipiac University poll of self-identified Catholics in the United States: 

• Only 32% of weekly Mass attendees think that abortion should never be allowed.
• Only 40% of weekly Mass attendees were opposed to same sex "marriage" (http://www.quinnipiac.edu/images/polling/us/us10042013_er9hjp.pdf).

  As per a 2014 Univision Study of self-identified Catholics in the United States:

• Only 21% think that abortion should never be allowed.
• Only 15% agree with the prohibition of contraceptives.
• Only 40% agree that marriage can only be between a man and a woman.
• Only 59% believe the Church should NOT perform "marriages" between people of the same sex. (http://christianityinview.com/faithsurvey/download/ENG_catholic-survey.pdf)

The Conclusion of NFP Awareness Week

Today's Feast of Saints Joachim and Anne was supposed to conclude  recognition of the USCCB's Natural Family Planning Awareness Week.  Yet, last Sunday's inauguration of NFP Week 2014 saw 0 (zero) reported NFP-related homilies in the Greater Philly/Trenton areas.  Why such disrespect the Sacrament of Marriage?  Why such disrespect for the physical and spiritual well being of young people.  In addition to contraceptives, abortfacients, and abortion, the Culture of Death is offering young people a new generation of slick IVF-related lies and temptations.

We can also see a correlation between preaching received and how people vote:Of those representing people of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate, NOT ONE CATHOLIC is co-sponsoring marriage protection initiatives supported by the USCCB.

The recent thoughts of one young writer seem quite pertinent:

"Our priests didn’t preach and our teachers didn’t teach because contraception was the unmentionable sin-that-wasn’t. Why risk alienating parishioners (and donors) by condemning The Pill and other sundry methods?....So our congregations sat comfortably in their pews, undisturbed by truth. Let’s own this fact: Silence paved the way for Catholics’ ‘progressive’ march from yesterday’s contraception to today’s same-sex marriage...If silence paved the way for Catholics’ ‘progressive’ march from yesterday’s contraception to today’s same-sex marriage, then it’s not hard to see the remedy. Catholics, be not afraid to teach, preach, and live the truth—especially the truth about sex and contraception" ( http://catholicstand.com/breaking-silence-catholics-contraception-and-same-sex-marriage/).