"Come and see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?" (3rd Sunday of Lent)

St Joseph (March 19)

St Patrick (March 17)
New docudrama
aims to tell the true story of Saint Patrick
(Catholic World Report, 3/3/20)

 

  "On this Third Sunday of Lent the liturgy this year proposes one of the most beautiful and profound texts of the Bible: the dialogue between Jesus and the Samaritan woman (cf. John 4:5-42)....Jesus spoke of a 'living water' able to quench thirst completely and become 'a spring of water welling up to eternal life' in her; furthermore, He showed her that He knew about her personal life; He revealed that the hour had come to worship the one true God in spirit and in truth; and in the end He confided to her -- something incredibly rare -- that He was the Messiah....The thirst of Christ is an entranceway into the mystery of God, who made Himself thirsty to refresh us, as He made himself poor to enrich us (cf. 2 Corinthians 8:9). Yes, God thirsts for our faith and our love. Like a good and merciful father He desires for us all possible good and this good is God Himself. For her part the Samaritan woman represents the existential unhappiness of those who have not found what they are looking for: She had 'five husbands' and is now living with a man; her coming and going to the well represents a repetitive and resigned life.  But everything changes for her that day, on account of her conversation with the Lord Jesus, who shakes her up so much that she leaves the water jar and runs to tell the people of the village: 'Come and see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ' (John 4:28-29)?" (Benedict XVI, 2/24/08)

• Urge your senators to censure Sen. Chuck Schumer over threats to SCOTUS  (AFA, 3/10/20)

• "Senator Ben Sasse called Monday for the Attorney General to investigate the website Pornhub. The senator said the site had promoted videos showing the sexual assault and rape of a victim of human trafficking.... As of Tuesday morning, more than 425,000 people have signed an online petition at change.org calling for PornHub to be shut down. The petition also calls for its executives to be held accountable for alleged complicity in human trafficking.... Pornhub has touted 39 billion internet searches in 2019, nearly seven million video uploads, and more than 80,000 visits per minute, according to Sasse’s letter.... [In December,] Reps. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.), Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), and Brian Babin (R-Tex.) wrote Attorney General William Barr, asking him to resurrect the Obscenity Prosecution Task Force in the DOJ’s Criminal Justice Division. .. . Fifteen state legislatures have already declared pornography to be a 'public health crisis,' and President Donald Trump signed the Children’s Internet Safety Presidential Pledge while a candidate for the presidency in 2016, commiting himself to enforce obscenity and anti-child pornography laws as president" (CNA, 3/10/20). 

• "There is a cure for coronaphobia. It involves facing reality with all objectivity. People must neither overreact nor minimize the dangers. They must face the virus, calmly and with commonsense, utilizing the standard means by which strong flu cases are combatted.  Coronaphobia can only be overcome by those who dare to think beyond the pleasures of life.... Above all, tragedy leads people to trust in God and His Providence. The limitations of a purely secular society are made patent when tragedies of this sort strike. Humanity is left to its own devices and finds them woefully insufficient. Throughout history, when faced with tribulation, the faithful have had recourse to God and have found solace and aid. That is why the Church has always played such a great role during times of calamity. Instead of prohibiting Church services, authorities should encourage the Church to hold more. This trust is the only sure cure for the devastating coronaphobia that ravages the world" (John Horvat II, 3/9/20) 

• "As a new parent, you are confronted with the choice: either become the type of person who can raise a newborn to be a saint, or do not. Eternity is at stake" (Crisis Magazine, 3/9/20).

• Fertility Rates are Dropping Dangerously Worldwide (MARRI, 3/8/20) 

• Justices likely have decided the future of abortion; now we must wait (Our Sunday Visitor, 3/5/20) 

• 3 Critical Calls -SC Heartbeat on Brink of Passage (Faith2Action, 3/5/20)  

• March for Martyrs aims to raise awareness of persecuted Christians (Catholic World Report, 3/5/20)

• Regular Church Attenders Marry More and Divorce Less Than Their Less Devout Peers (Institute for Family Studies, 3/4/20) 

• "While America’s educated elite overwhelmingly reject a renewed marriage-centered ethos in public, they embrace a marriage-centered ethos for themselves and their children in private, thereby affording their families a significant cultural advantage when it comes to forging a strong and stable family life" (W. Bradford Wilcox, Institute for Family Studies, 2/26/20 )

PETITION:Puberty is Not a Disease! Ban transgender drugs and surgeries for minors.

Free Christian Pastor John Cao

International Concerns

• Protect Nigeria's Christians from Persecution.

National Concerns 

• STRIKE DOWN the "Abortion on Demand Act" [aka, the deceptively named “Women’s Health Protection Act of 2019”] (Susan B Anthony List) 

• URGE Pres. Trump: Enforce EXISTING Obscenity Laws (America Needs Fatima)

• Support the Heartbeat Bill, HR 3985 (cf, LifeSite)

• Give feedback to Senate on Born-Alive Survivors' Protection and Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act votes (Human Life Action)

• Support the Life at Conception Act

• Support the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act (cf, USCCB)

• Support S. 2590/HR 4934 The Dignity for Aborted Children Act (Human Life Action)

• Oppose the Misnamed Equality Act (Human Life Action)

• Opppose the Misnamed International Violence Against Women Act (cf, C-Fam)

• Oppose the Misnamed Do No Harm Act (cf, American Life League)

• Oppose HJ Res 79, as it is "intended to insert language into the U.S. Constitution that could invalidate any limits whatsoever on abortion, including late abortions, and require government funding of abortion"  (cf, NRLC) 
• "Reach out to your Senators and ask them to oppose the ERA[HJ Res 79]" (Family Policy Alliance 2/15/20 email). 

• Oppose the Misleadingly Named Medicare for All Act (cf., Politico)

• Urge the President and Congress to Maintain the Refugee Resettlement Program (Pa Catholic Conference) 

• Support S. 874, the Dream Act of 2019 (USCCB Justice for Immigrants) 

• Support S. 2394/HR2529, the New START Nuclear Weapons Treaty (USCCB) 

• NO to "the Shaheen amendment...[in] the Senate’s State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs (SFOPS) appropriations bill" (Human Life Action).

The Commonwealth of Pa

(Pa Catholic Conference Legislative Review and Voter Voice)

• Act Now: Wolf's Budget Sends Taxdollars to Planned Parenthood (Pa Family Council)

• Support the Telemedicine Bill (SB 857) as passed by the Pa House (Pa Catholic Conf)

• Support the Perinatal Hospice Care Act (Pa Catholic Conference)

• Support the "Buyer Beware Act" (SB 60) to fight human trafficking (Pa Catholic Conference)

• Support the Fetal Remains Bill, HB 1890 (Pa Catholic Conference) 

• Support the "Heartbeat" Bill (Pa Catholic Conference) 

• Support the Down Syndrome Protection Act (Pa Catholic Conference)

• Please ask the governor, Pa Senate and Pa Assembly for a religious exemption for adoptions (Pa Catholic Conference) (See also the Pa Family Council link.)

• Call for Funding Increase for Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) (Pa Catholic Conference)  
• Please ask Governor Wolf to SIGN House Bill 800 on the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) (Pa Catholic Conference)

• Support school choice in the Harrisburg School district (Pa Catholic Conference), and ask for co-sponsorship of Speaker Turzai's bill (Pa Catholic Conference) 

• Oppose SB 614, SB 224, and HB 1404 (Pa Family Institute).

Pennsylvania March for Life [Harrisburg, 5/18/20] 

Pa ProLife Federation petition

The Garden State

• Support the NJ Pain Capable Unborn child Protection Act, A 1686/ S537 (http://protectviablebabies.com/take-action/)

• "Legislation (S2173/A3818) to remove a religious exemption and mandate immunizations for children....this legislation undermines parental rights and should be vigorously opposed" (NJRTL email, 1/10/20).