10/7/18: "This one at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh"

Support Confirmation of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh
(Knights of Columbus)

• FW: LIFE CHAIN 2018 Mercer County Oct 7 1:00-3:00 PM @ 2279 Route 33 Hamilton

• Made for Love (MUR e-news) October 2018

• Free to Serve (USCCB, October 2018)

• De facto approval of abortion by Catholic hospitals and parishes? (9/26/18)

On the right side of the home page are links to email Pennsylvania's and New Jersey's delegations in D.C. on federal issues (See 9/30/18 update with "report card."), Bucks County's delegation in Harrisburg on Pa state issues (See 9/30/18 update with "report card."), and Central NJ's delegation in Trenton on NJ state issues (See 9/30/18 update.).

"we can imagine the people falling silent as the Pharisees pushed through the crowds to Jesus.
All heads must have turned and waited with suspense as they baited the trap: 'Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?'....

"God’s primary plan for marriage was to be an image of His own love, and it was, therefore, to be both permanent and exclusive....

"His critics could not help but be silenced when He quoted from Genesis: 'This is why a man must leave father and mother and the two become one flesh.'

"Even the disciples, wise enough to wait, questioned Jesus further when they were alone. This was a hard teaching and one not well-lived at the time. But the Lord only put further emphasis on his point: Divorce and remarriage is equal to adultery. Period. Perhaps the disciples could not see past their own brokenness and weakness to see Who was speaking to them and what He had done for marriage. It was Jesus Himself who had made marriage into a sacrament, Who had forever bound Himself up in the marriage covenant, and Who, by grace, had made this permanent, selfless kind of love possible.

"Jesus came not only to re-establish the original intention of God for marriage, but to restore marriage....

"this Gospel seems to end with a change in subject. Or does it? Jesus asks that the children be allowed to come to Him, and thus, He places before us not only the fruit of marriage, 'olive plants around the table,' but the weakest ones that the bond of marriage is designed to protect.

"May we be transformed — restored — by the grace of Jesus and allow Him to elevate our capacity to love beyond our own weakness and into a reflection of His own" (Claire Dwyer, National Catholic Register).

9/30/18 Pa update with "report card"

SB 3, the Dismemberment Abortion Ban, passed the Pa Senate and House but needed a strong majority in the House to overcome the anticipated veto by our pro abortion extremist governor. Bucks County's Davis, Farry, Galloway, and Warren shamefully voted AGAINST the Dismemberment Abortion Ban (McIlhinney shamefully opposed it in the Senate.).

Pa Catholic Conference

Current Alerts:

• Support Unborn Children with Down Syndrome [HB 2050]
• Amend POLST Bill: Protect Vulnerable Patients from Being Denied Necessary Medical Treatment
• Reauthorize CHIP (Federal)
  [with Pa House Bill 1933!  As per the Pa Family.org, "I ask for your support of HB 1933, and end the taxpayer-funding of 'sex change' surgery on children through the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and on adults through Medicaid. This life-altering surgery harms children and adults alike."]

Some Additional Information:

• Senate Bill 613/House Bill 1410 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 because the proposals do not adequately provide for conscience protection.....Urge lawmakers to oppose any bill that does not adequately protect our constitutional right of religious liberty" (https://www.pacatholic.org/legislative-review/).  
  
• "Senate Bill 300 [/HB 1542?] would prioritize the limited federal and state public funding women’s health services and family planning first to the most efficient and comprehensive health care providers. Health care providers such as federally qualified health centers that provide many different services like diabetes and heart disease screening, even flu shots, would have priority. Other providers that are more focused on family planning such as Planned Parenthood would be lower on the list for funding" (https://www.pacatholic.org/legislative-review/)

Pa Family.org Citizen Action Center  

• Pass the Down Syndrome Protection Act - House Bill 2050​
• "tell your elected officials No on SB 613 and HB 1410 / HB 2341"

Pa Pro Life Federation

• Update--taking away our right to vote for judges [i.e., OPPOSE Pa House Bill 111]

Report card (Bucks County in Harrisburg, 9 30 18)  

Reportcard (Bucks County in Harrisburg, 9 30 18)  

9/30/18 NJ Update

New Jersey Catholic Conference

• Contact your legislators to oppose assisted suicide
• Ask Congress to pass the Dream Act of 2017 [federal]

New Jersey Right to Life

• Please Tell your 2 State Assembly Members and State Senator to Vote No on Physician Assisted Suicide Bill, A1504/S1072!

New Jersey Family Policy Council

9/30/18 Federal Update (with "report card" on Pa and NJ delegations)

Heartbeat Protection Act (HR 490)

• Contact Speaker Ryan, Judiciary Chairman Goodlatte, and your own members of Congress

Life at Conception Act

USCCB's Action Center

• Don't Make Us Pay for Purchase of Aborted Fetal Organs
• Support the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act
• First Amendment Defense Act - Support Now!

USCCB's and CRS' Catholics Confront Global Poverty / Action Center 

[We can ensure safety for impoverished people and refugees, as well as their host communities.  As our noble efforts at assistance must not be hijacked, this blogger believes that our communications MUST specifically state that contraceptives/abortifacients MUST be excluded from "assistance."]  

Pa Catholic Conference's Current Alerts

(one federal)

• Reauthorize CHIP 

NJ Catholic Conference

(one federal)

• Ask Congress to pass the Dream Act of 2017

Human Life Action Action Alerts

• Dr. Bernard Nathanson: "Figures were totally false."
• Don't Make Us Pay for Purchase of Aborted Fetal Organs
  
• Filling the Vacancy on Court - Stand Up for Fairness and Life
• Express Disappointment to Congress About Its Failure to Enact the Conscience Protection Act
• Assisted Suicide is Not Healthcare

Report card for the Pa and NJ delegations, as of 9/30/18 (AM)

Reportcard (Pa and NJ delegations to DC), 9 30 18  

"it's about abortion, plain and simple...."

"On Friday, President Donald Trump averted a government shutdown by signing an appropriations package that included funding for Planned Parenthood despite pro-life leaders' protests....

"The bill passed the Senate earlier this month after politicians rejected Sen. Rand Paul's (R-Ky.) amendment to remove Planned Parenthood funding.

“'Many voters think Republicans are really opposed to government-funded abortions. But the dirty little secret is that Republican leadership is blocking my amendment to defund Planned Parenthood," he [Sen Rand Paul] said, according to CNSNews.com.

"The amendment failed with a 45-48 vote after Paul's speech" (Sam Dorman, IJR.com, 9/28/18).

• In the Senate, Kudos to Toomey who opposed this spending bill, while Booker, Casey, and Menendez supported it.

• In the House only pro life champions Mike Kelly, Keith Rothfus, and Scott Perry bravely voted against this bill that keeps money flowing to Planned Parenthood.  No one from New Jersey [NOT even Chris Smith!] stood against Planned Parenthood.

As per Father James Martin, SJ, and others, "even if the credibility of the allegation has not been established beyond a reasonable doubt and even if further investigation is warranted to determine its validity or clear Judge Kavanaugh’s name, we recognize that this nomination is no longer in the best interests of the country" (America Magazine, 9/28/18).  Sorry Father Martin, but that is very, very naïve.  The next nominee would also be subject to baseless attack, because... 

• "It’s about abortion, plain and simple....
  
  "Democrats vowed to do whatever it took to stop President Trump’s nominee to replace Kennedy, even before Trump named a successor....
  
  "In July, Senator Dianne Feinstein learned of Ford’s story. Had Feinstein really been worried that the president had named a sexual predator to the Supreme Court, she should have explained to Ford the need to share the allegation with her colleagues confidentially. Having done that, Feinstein should have convinced a bipartisan group of senators to ask the president to withdraw the nomination and select someone else. This approach would have been respectful of both Ford’s privacy and Judge Kavanaugh’s reputation. But she deliberately chose not to do that" (Jennifer Braceras, Boston Globe, 9/27/18)

Support Confirmation of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh (Knights of Columbus)

"The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul; the decree of the Lord is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple." (9/30/18, 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time)

(signed homily)

• Made for Love (MUR e-news) October 2018

• Free to Serve (USCCB, October 2018)

• Update--taking away our right to vote for judges [i.e., OPPOSE Pa House Bill 111] (Pa Pro Life)

• HR 490, the Heartbeat Bill - Contact Speaker Ryan and Judiciary Chair Goodlatte, in addition to your own members of Congress

On the right side of the home page are links to email Pennsylvania's and New Jersey's delegations in D.C. on federal issues (See update.), Bucks County's delegation in Harrisburg on Pa state issues (See update.), and Central NJ's delegation in Trenton on NJ state issues (See update.).

• FW: LIFE CHAIN 2018 Mercer County Oct 7 1:00-3:00 PM @ 2279 Route 33 Hamilton
  

• De facto approval of abortion by Catholic hospitals and parishes?

Free to Serve (USCCB, October 2018)

Non datur libertas sine veritate. Vol. IV, No. 9 Dear brothers and sisters,   May the peace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, be with you!   In recent weeks, I have enjoyed frank and edifying conversations with Catholics who love the Church, who are deeply engaged in mission, and who care about the freedom of the Church to serve. Right now, we bishops are being called to act decisively on behalf of survivors of sexual abuse and to ensure that any future abuse is confronted swiftly and justly.  During this time of crisis, I am encouraged by those of you who continue to love and serve the Lord with all your heart. You help me to grow in my own relationship with Christ. Please pray for me, and I will continue to pray for you.   Thank you for the work you do to promote religious freedom!   With prayerful best wishes, I am                                                                 Sincerely yours in the Lord,                                                               Most Reverend Joseph Kurtz                                                               Archbishop of Louisville                                                               Chair, Committee for Religious Liberty (CNS Photo/Bob Roller) Archbishop Kurtz Speaks to Thomas More Society of America The chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee for Religious Liberty told a Washington audience Sept. 12 he is concerned about a "steady movement" in the U.S. away from religious institutions and an erosion in the view that religious liberty must be valued. Read more. Watch the Video! Louisville Archbishop: Religious Liberty Allows Faith in the Public Square Archbishop Kurtz spoke with Crux during the Encuentro - a major summit of Hispanic Catholics that took place in Texas last week - on a range of issues, including the connection between immigration and religious liberty, the sexual abuse crisis, and his friendly advice to the current leadership of the USCCB as they attempt to weather the current storms facing the U.S. Church. Read more. New Website Offers Resources on Freedom for Faith Based Adoption and Foster Care Services Hundreds of adoption agencies and foster care providers across the country are founded on Christian beliefs and operate according to those beliefs. But a current effort is underway to target these faith-based providers and force them to abandon their beliefs or shut them down.  Check out KeepKidsFirst.com! U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Administrative Committee Statement on Sex Abuse Scandals; Committee Releases Actions to be Taken Within Its Authority (CNS Photo/Bob Roller) The USCCB Administrative Committee issued a statement  in response to the recent sex abuse scandals. In the statement, the bishops say they pledge to "heal and protect with every bit of the strength God provides us." Read more. God's Servant First Blog: Restoring the Church's Credibility By Aaron Matthew Weldon Whether you work for the Church, in government, or are simply a Catholic citizen living out the vocation to "renew and constantly perfect the temporal order," you know that bearing witness to our Catholic faith in public life is exceedingly difficult when the institutional Church has lost so much of her credibility. Read more. Follow us on Twitter! For up-to-date religious freedom news, follow @USCCBFreedom today! www.usccb.org/freedom

Made for Love (MUR e-news) October 2018

October 2018 Continuing the U.S. Bishops' work of promoting and defending marriage. Visit our Website Unprecedented Times The Church is going through a time of intense challenge these days. Here is the latest press release from the USCCB, from September 19, outlining a four-part response. U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Administrative Committee Statement on Sex Abuse Scandals; Committee Releases Actions to be Taken Within Its Authority The four parts are: 1. Establishing a third-party reporting system for accusations of sexual abuse or misconduct by a bishop, with complaints forwarded to the appropriate authorities. 2. Asking the USCCB Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance to develop proposals for policies addressing restrictions on bishops who were removed or resigned for sexual misconduct. 3. Starting to develop a Code of Conduct for bishops regarding the sexual abuse or misconduct, or cover-up of same. 4. Supporting a full investigation into the situation surrounding Archbishop McCarrick. Made for Love Podcast In September, "Made for Love" featured an episode about families of persons with Down Syndrome, and included Archbishop Kurtz, J.D. and Kate Flynn, Zoe Romanowsky, and Randall Wright, the producer of the documentary Summer in the Forest. The next September episode was called "Lots of Kinds of Love" and featured two diocesan family life directors, professor Adrian Walker from Catholic University, and Anna Carter of the Eden Invitation. Anna Carter started Eden Invitation for Millennials who, like her, experience same-sex attraction and want to know how to become holy, living full lives according to Church teaching. Anna says, "So often when we talk about same-sex attraction, 'LGBT' issues in the Church, we are apologetic about it... so people know what this excludes... but what does it actually include? It's one thing to know what you're not supposed to do; what choices are there? What ways AM I being called to give my gift?" Hear more! If you listen through iTunes (USCCB Clips), it would help a lot if you would leave a review! And we are on Soundcloud and podbean 50th Anniversary of Humanae Vitae We continue to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Encyclical Humanae Vitae (On Human Life) in 2018 The USCCB has published a 50th Anniversary edition of the encyclical by soon-to-be-Saint Pope Paul VI. And the Natural Family Planning Office has a website dedicated to the anniversary and the various celebrations and conferences surrounding it. Click here for a two-part podcast on the anniversary as well. In addition, bishops in the U.S. are preaching on the anniversary and/or sharing little snippets about them at our #HV50 YouTube page. Videos on the MUR Website The MUR website has a bunch of videos that can help you think about current problems. There are the main videos that MUR produced, but there are also videos from bishops or others about relevant topics. Check it out! Legal/Academic Updates California A mixed bag as the Golden State wrapped up its legislative session – On August 31, Assemblyman Evan Low withdrew his bill that would have banned “conversion therapy” for adults seeking help for their same-sex attraction. The bill had been passed at other stages but the author wanted more time to understand faith communities’ concerns that it was overbroad. On September 14th, however, Governor Brown signed a law declaring that “transgender” foster children have a right to foster parents and medical care that promote their perceived gender, potentially placing Christian foster parents’ service at risk. Michigan On September 14th, a federal court rejected the state’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit against its cooperating (not exclusively) with faith-based adoption agencies who decline to work with same-sex couples. The case, Dumont v. Lyon, puts Michigan’s version of the “Inclusion Act,” protecting faith-based adoption and foster care agencies, at risk – and demonstrates the importance of protecting these child welfare providers.   American Academy of Pediatrics The American Academy of Pediatrics released a statement on September 17th, encouraging hormone and surgical procedures to affirm “transgender” children’s perceived genders.