"The message of Christ is not easy to accept, because it places demands, requiring a conversion of heart. Nevertheless, it is a truth which sets us free"

"The message of Christ is not easy to accept, because it places demands, requiring a conversion of heart.  Nevertheless, it is a truth which sets us free" (Cardinal Péter Erdő at the opening of the Synod).

• Let us pray that the Synod will beautifully present God's plan for marriage and family, so that all will recognize the Creator's Indescribable love for us.  As magnificently explained by Blessed Pope Paul VI and Saint Pope John Paul II, "Human beings are meant to love and be loved. Contraception, in fact, is incompatible with loving and being loved. By the use of contraceptives, not only is the procreative meaning of the conjugal act rejected, but the act’s meaning as a truly 'unitive,' genuine act of love is also radically compromised (cf. HV 12). In his catechesis on human love ('Theology of the Body'), John Paul II laid out a scripturally based defense of the teaching of Humanae Vitae, one founded on the spousal meaning of the body. The sexual act is one of self-giving that completes one’s self and another and is intrinsically ordered to marital love’s proper fruitfulness....The failure of theologians and even bishops and priests to give a robust endorsement to the teaching of Humanae Vitae has led to decades of weak allegiance to Church teaching, not only in sexual matters but across the board" (An Appeal: Recalling the Teaching of Humanae Vitae (and Veritatis Splendor), First Things, 9/10/15).

• As per the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, "The First Amendment Defense Act (H.R. 2802, S. 1598) would bar the federal government from discriminating against individuals and organizations based upon their religious beliefs or moral convictions that marriage is the union of one man and one woman or that sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage. The Act provides broad protections against adverse federal actions directed toward individuals and organizations that act on such beliefs."  Representative Fitzpatrick is NOT among the 148 co-sponsors of HR2802; NEITHER Senator Casey NOR Senator Toomey are among the 37 co-sponsors of S1598.  The USCCB has an "alert" for contacts to Fitzpatrick, Casey, and Toomey, re: the First Amendment Defense Act: http://cqrcengage.com/catholicbishops/app/make-a-call?0&engagementId=113753

• The Pennsylvania Catholic Conference explains that Pennsylvania "House Bill 1510/Senate Bill 974 would add 'gender identity or expression' and 'sexual orientation' to Pennsylvania's non-discrimination law. Changing the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (PHRA) will jeopardize many churches and their charitable outreach if they continue to adhere to their religious beliefs.  In other states, this law has closed Catholic adoption agencies and violated religious liberty....HB 1510/SB 974 exposes even more Pennsylvanians to discrimination based solely on their religious beliefs. Simply put, this legislation is intolerant and prejudiced against people of faith. "  From Bucks County, Representatives Steve Santarsiero (D), Tina Davis (D) John Galloway (D), Scott Petri (R), Marguerite Quinn (R), and Kathy Watson (R) are among the 84 co-sponsors of HB 1510.  Senator Chuck McIlhinney (R) is among the 26 co-sponsors of SB 974.  As per the Pennsylvania Family Council, "Stand for true tolerance: oppose Senate Bill 974 and House Bill 1510."

• "Rampant sexual abuse of children has long been a problem in Afghanistan, particularly among armed commanders who dominate much of the rural landscape and can bully the population. The practice is called bacha bazi, literally 'boy play,' and American soldiers and Marines have been instructed not to intervene — in some cases, not even when their Afghan allies have abused boys on military bases, according to interviews and court records....The policy of instructing soldiers to ignore child sexual abuse by their Afghan allies is coming under new scrutiny, particularly as it emerges that service members like Captain Quinn have faced discipline, even career ruin, for disobeying it....the Army relieved Captain Quinn of his command and pulled him from Afghanistan....the Army is also trying to forcibly retire Sgt. First Class Charles Martland....'The Army contends that Martland and others should have looked the other way (a contention that I believe is nonsense),' Representative Duncan Hunter, a California Republican who hopes to save Sergeant Martland’s career, wrote...to the Pentagon’s inspector general" (NY Times, U.S. Soldiers Told to Ignore Sexual Abuse of Boys by Afghan Allies, 9/21/15).  The Family Research Council has an online petition for the Senate and House Armed Services Committees:

"I, the undersigned, urge you to pressure the Pentagon to clear Sgt. Charles Martland's record on the matter concerning his intervention to protect a young Afghan boy from sexual abuse. I also ask that you investigate the policy concerning the ability of U.S. military personnel to protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation."

•  As per The Atlantic Monthly, “The United States now accounts for less than 5 percent of the world’s inhabitants—and about 25 percent of its incarcerated inhabitants....In 2010, a third of all black male high-school dropouts between the ages of 20 and 39 were imprisoned, compared with only 13 percent of their white peers....The suite of drug laws adopted in the 1980s and ’90s did little to reduce crime, but a lot to normalize prison in black communities....Surveys have concluded that blacks and whites use drugs at roughly the same rates....the chasm in incarceration rates is deeply tied to the socioeconomic chasm between black and white America.”  "It is painful when we see prison systems which are not concerned to care for wounds, to soothe pain, to offer new possibilities. It is painful when we see people who think that only others need to be cleansed, purified, and do not recognize that their weariness, pain and wounds are also the weariness, pain and wounds of society....All of us have something we need to be cleansed of, or purified from. May the knowledge of that fact inspire us to live in solidarity, to support one another and seek the best for others" (Pope Francis, 9/26/15).

Planned Parenthood Is Still Getting Your Hard Earned Dollars!

• Email Representative Fitzpatrick, Senator Casey, and Senator Toomey, asking for all federal funding of Planned Parenthood to stop.   
• Email all of Bucks County's representatives and senators in Harrisburg, asking for all state funding of Planned Parenthood to stop.

To aid us in loving one another in our modern world, the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference offers "alerts" and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) offers "Alerts Central."  The USCCB notes that "Action alerts for pro-life issues can also be found through our partner organization, the "National Committee for the Human Life Amendment" (NCHLA), and that "Action alerts for issues related to immigration reform can be found through the USCCB-led Catholic coalition, "Justice for Immigrants."