Faithful Citizenship in Pa's 1st Congressional District and the Central Garden State: “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (The Baptism of the Lord, 1/12/20).

Sunday, January 5, 2020

(2017 photo by blogger at the site of Jesus' Baptism)

https://maps.app.goo.gl/YCHxbRgUQtyvSbHv6

(from 2016;
https://www.custodia.org/en/news/jordan-river-rebirth-water-and-spirit)

"always strive to promote the dignity and life of each person, and reject any compromise in the direction of euthanasia, assisted suicide or suppression of life, even in the case of terminal illness....life is sacred and belongs to God; hence it is inviolable and no one can claim the right to dispose of it freely (cf. Donum Vitae, 5; Evangelium Vitae, 29-53). Life must be welcomed, protected, respected and served from its beginning to its end: both human reason and faith in God, the author of life, require this. In some cases, conscientious objection becomes a necessary decision if you are to be consistent with your 'yes' to life and to the human person. Your professionalism, sustained by Christian charity, will be the best service you can offer for the safeguarding of the truest human right, the right to life. When you can no longer provide a cure, you will still be able to provide care and healing, through gestures and procedures that give comfort and relief to the sick....On this XXVIII World Day of the Sick [i.e., February 11], I think of our many brothers and sisters throughout the world who have no access to medical care because they live in poverty. For this reason, I urge healthcare institutions and government leaders throughout the world not to neglect social justice out of a preoccupation for financial concerns" (Pope Francis, 1/3/20)

International Violence Against Women Bill Would Fund Overseas Abortion Groups (C-Fam, 1/2/20)

Extraordinary public display of Turin Shroud [link added] in 2020 (Vatican News, 12/31/19)

Abortion Was the Leading Cause of Death Worldwide in 2019, Killing 42 Million People (LifeNews.com, 12/31/19) (Even within this article, LifeNews underestimates U.S. abortions since Roe v Wade at 61 million; Pharmacists for Life International puts it at 308 million!)

A sample of what can be said from pulpits and bulletins, when we unflinchingly hold to the truths the Church proclaims about the sanctity of human life and of marriage/family (12/29/19)

"For those who marry in a Catholic ceremony, both spouses are obligated to cooperate in the maintenance of one common marital home unless a legitimate (fault-based) reason for separation exists. Only in the case of an emergency (due to grave danger) is a spouse competent to temporarily separate of his or her own volition. Canon law emphasizes that none other than the bishop is competent to decide whether a spouse can file in the civil forum for divorce, civil separation, or civil annulment. The bishop may, by special mandate, delegate the exercise of this executive power to a particular diocesan staff member....We can strengthen marriage by keeping families away from the no-fault divorce courts as often as possible and by working toward outcomes that are in accord with canon law and divine law — which is the system under which Catholics exchange marriage promises in the first place" (Homiletic and Pastoral Review, 12/28/19)

"Recently I started an accountability group for a small number of men struggling with the scourge of pornography. These are good Catholic men attempting to live virtuous lives and to be faithful to their wives but who find themselves enslaved to habitual sins....A study by the Barna Group shows that 64 percent of Christian men and 15 percent of Christian women admitted to viewing pornography at least once a month, compared to 65 percent of men and 30 percent of women who identified as non-Christian and said they watched porn at the same rate. As with divorce, these viewing rates for Christians mirror the culture as a whole.....But we should be different, a people set apart (1 Peter 2:9 )" (Catholic Stand, 12/28/19).

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

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

Support H. Con. Res. 79, that assisted suicide is a “deadly, discriminatory and non-compassionate practice” (USCCB)

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

(Pa Catholic Conference Legislative Review and Voter Voice)

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

Support the "Buyer Beware Act" (SB 60) to fight human trafficking (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)