in Pennsylvania's First Congressional District
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania's_1st_congressional_district http://archphila.org/pastplan/MAPS/Arch.pdf
and the Central Garden State

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

As He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it" (Luke 19: 41))

4/2/17, Palm Sunday
http://www.seetheholyland.net/church-of-dominus-flevit/


http://www.seetheholyland.net/church-of-dominus-flevit/


Actions Needed

  • Click here to review the federal positions backed by our bishops.  On the right side of the home page is a link to send a combined email to the offices of Pa's congressional delegation, regarding those positions.
  • Click here to review state positions backed by the Pa Catholic Conference, the Pro-Life Coalition of Pennsylvania and/or the Pa Pro Life Federation.  On the right side of the home page is a link to send a combined email to Bucks County's representatives and senators in Harrisburg (While the Pa Catholic Conference is supporting SB 554, the  fact that Senator Daylin Leach is one of its prime sponsors suggests that there should be careful assessment of  whether this legislation and its implications are truly consistent with Catholic teaching.).

Medical Ethics and Our Need to be Authentic Witnesses to the Sanctity of Human Life

  • On the right side of the home page is a link to email USCCB President Cardinal DiNardo, USCCB Pro Life Chair Cardinal Dolan, USCCB Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth Chair Archbishop Chaput, and National Catholic Bioethics Center President John Haas, PhD, STL.

Marriage/Family/Sexuality

  • "[I] am pleased to confirm that [the Ninth World Meeting of Families]...will be held from 21 to 26 August 2018, on the theme 'The Gospel of the Family: joy for the world'....The love of God is His 'yes' to all creation and at the heart of this latter is man. It is God’s 'yes' to the union between man and woman, in openness and service to life in all its phases; it is God’s 'yes' and His commitment to a humanity that is often wounded, mistreated and dominated by a lack of love. The family, therefore, is the 'yes' of God as Love. Only starting from love can the family manifest, spread and regenerate God’s love in the world" (Pope Francis, 3/25/17) 
  • "The confessor does not do his own will and he does not teach his own doctrine. He is called to do always and only the will of God, in full communion with the Church, of which he is minister, that is, servant....the Confessional is place of evangelization and, therefore, of formation....To hear confessions is a pastoral priority. Please, let there not be those notices: 'Confessions are heard only on Mondays and Wednesdays from this hour to that hour.' You hear confessions every time they are requested. And if you are there [in the Confessional] praying, keep the Confessional open, which is God’s open heart" (Pope Francis, 3/17/17) 

Social Teaching/International Issues

  •  U.S. withdraws funding for U.N. Population Fund (Reuters, 4/3/17) AMEN, ALLELUIA!!!
  • "For the Alliance Against Trafficking in Persons to gather for a 17th Conference in Vienna is a welcome sign of the OSCE’s determination to eradicate what must be among the most shameful dynamics to scar the face of modern humanity.  Most believers of any faith and people of all persuasions are shocked, indeed scandalized, when they discover that trafficking occurs in every country and that it represents a most prosperous business on the planet. It is a form of slavery, a crime against humanity, a grave violation of human rights, an atrocious scourge, and it is all the more to be condemned when it takes place against children.  Therefore I very much welcome your deliberations about 'Trafficking in Children and the Best Interests of the Child'.  Let us indeed do everything we can to raise public awareness and better coordinate governmental, legal, enforcement and social efforts to rescue millions of children, as well as adults.  Just as urgently, let us do even more to prevent them from being trafficked and enslaved.  I earnestly pray for the successful and fruitful work of the Conference, I invoke upon all the participants, organizers and staff the Blessing of the Almighty, which I also ask you to convey to all those who are engaged in helping the victims of human trafficking and ending this terrible crime in the OSCE countries" (Pope Francis, 4/3/17)
  • "But others said, 'The Christ will not come from Galilee, will He? Does not Scripture say that the Christ will be of David's family and come from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?'" (4/1/17)
  • "I thank you for your presence here tonight, on the eve of the sixtieth anniversary of the signing of the Treaties instituting the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community....As Saint John Paul II affirmed: 'Today too, the soul of Europe remains united, because, in addition to its common origins, those same Christian and human values are still alive. Respect for the dignity of the human person, a profound sense of justice, freedom, industriousness, the spirit of initiative, love of family, respect for life, tolerance, the desire for cooperation and peace: all these are its distinctive marks'.[13]....Ours is a time of discernment, one that invites us to determine what is essential and to build on it. It is a time of challenge and opportunity" (Pope Francis, 3/24/17).
  • "This Conference intends to negotiate a Treaty inspired by ethical and moral arguments. It is an exercise in hope and it is my wish that it may also constitute a decisive step along the road towards a world without nuclear weapons. Although this is a significantly complex and long-term goal, it is not beyond our reach" (Pope Francis, 3/23/17).
  • "I also offer a special welcome to the participants in the 'Watershed' Conference on replenishing water values for a thirsty world', co-hosted by the Pontifical Council for Culture and the Argentinian Chapter of the Club of Rome. Today is World Water Day, instituted twenty-five years ago by the United Nations, while yesterday was the International Day of Forests. I am happy that this meeting is taking place, for it represents yet another stage in the joint commitment of various institutions to raising consciousness about the need to protect water as a treasure belonging to everyone, mindful too of its cultural and religious significance. I especially encourage your efforts in the area of education, through programmes directed to children and young people. Thank you for all that you do and may God bless you!" (Pope Francis, 3/22/17)
  • "2016 marks the 50th anniversary of the Cultural Revolution. At that time, Mao’s wife, Jiang Qing, made the statement 'We have sent religion to the history museum.' 50 years later, instead of reflecting on the devastating effects of that period, the current Communist regime adopted laws and policies that inverted progress and plunged mainland China into another era of despair.  As the government’s core religious policy shifted from the mutual adaptation of socialism and religion to religion adhering to Sinicization, its rhetoric changed from 'socialism' to 'Sinicization dominated by the CCP.'   Religious communities in China suffered the greatest impact from these alterations, especially Christians.  Although Christians endured various forms of harassment in 2016, the fundamental revisions to religious policy foreshadow more intense persecution. A harrowing winter has arrived; however, as the chilling seasons always yield to warmer climates, spring will someday spread across China. China Aid believes that God will protect and preserve Christians and churches because we believe that 'The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever' (Psalm 29:10)"(2016 Annual Report: Chinese Government Persecution of Churches and Christians in Mainland China (China Aid, 2/1/17)).

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