Quick Takes, and my second blog...

1) Yes, I've gone and done it. I can't turn the Bubble into an orphan advocacy blog as it has a whole different purpose, so I just started a new one, ha ha! Now, I have two blogs, with different foci. Yes, I just used the word "foci"! If you are following the children on Reece's Rainbow as closely as I am, you will want to join me over at:

Orphan Report

I think it looks sharp, if I do say so myself! Although I do use way too many exclamation points there, I have noticed. Hmmmm.

2) Speaking of orphans, there is one less orphan in the world today, as Malcolm has a family! After the wildly successful "Malcolm Monday" blogger blitz that brought in $7,000, a wonderful family was able to formally commit to making Malcolm their son!

You can follow the story of Malcolm's adoption, here:

One More Smith

The Smiths still have a long way to go to reach the final amount, but lots of us are trying to get creative, and we won't rest until Malcolm gets all the way home.

Meanwhile, here are the results of the giveaway drawing: I numbered each entry and then, with my honest husband as a witness, activated an online random number generator that picked our winner, A.H.! She is a non-blogger who made a donation to Malcolm's fund. Enjoy the book, A.H.!


3) Pretty darn sure you guys and the push for Malcolm and the orphans were a part of what Simcha Fisher refers to in this excellent piece:

What Else Do Pro-Lifers Do?

Check it out and see what I mean. Also, you will enjoy the way she schools the self-congratulatory pro-"choice" chap on facebook who, unlike us nasty pro-lifers, "cares about children after they are born." (Never heard that one before, ha ha.)

4) I am honored to count Nik Nikas and Dorinda Bordlee, pro-life attorneys at the Bioethics Defense Fund, as close family friends.

Dorinda and Nik at the Supreme Court this week.

I love these two madly (and I don't usually say that about attorneys). They are heroes in the culture war, and trust me, they have your back, doing work that would make you stand and cheer. This week they were right there at the Supreme Court as the Obamacare law was argued, and their National Review Online article gives you information you won't find anywhere else. Please, educate yourselves on the implications of this horrid law, and how "the dirty little secret of this unconstitutional scheme is that Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider, will be one of the biggest beneficiaries of your private insurance dollars":

What Rules Us

Pray that this monstrosity of a law, which is anti-Catholic (it's the basis for the HHS mandate) and anti-life, will go down in flames.

5) If anyone needs a good article clarifying why women cannot be priests, Fr. Dwight Longenecker has a great explanation here:

Why Women Cannot Be Priests

I love how he cuts to the chase:

Those who argue for women’s ordination usually do so using three forms of argumentation: 1. Utilitarianism 2. Sentimentalism  3. Civil Rights. 

The utilitarian argument goes like this: “Jane can do the job just as well–and better than a man. She has a degree in theology. She’s a great preacher. She is a sensitive pastor and a good servant of the Lord. Women have shown that they can do any job as well as a man. We need good priests. These women would be great priests." 

The sentimental argument goes like this, “Sally is such a nice person. She is so loving and funny and kind and good. How can you be so cruel and unkind not to let her be a priest! It is so unfair and so hurtful. Sally’s mother was a pillar of the church and she’s such a good Christian woman. How can you hurt her like this? Don’t you know what pain you’re causing?” 

The civil rights argument is simple: “Women and men are equal. You’re discriminating against women by denying them. By denying them ordination you’re treating them as second class citizens.”

These argument can be part of the greater discussion, but they don’t have much weight in the Catholic Church, because the Catholic Church works from a different premise to start with. We begin with theology and the truth of the theology governs all other decisions. Practical and sentimental and civil rights questions –while important in civil society – are very low in priority when making decisions within the Catholic Church.

Read it all, here.

6) Best news ever! My sister had her long-anticipated surgery on Wednesday, and she has no cancer. I think you can imagine the relief we feel, after the most bizarre and agonizing misdiagnosis of metastatic pancreatic cancer, which has an average survival rate of four months. I have a depth of compassion for anyone who hears those horrible words that I could not have had otherwise. And that's all I am going to say about that, because I am still processing. Please know how profoundly grateful she and I are for all of your prayers. The love and support has been overwhelming, and the grace of God palpable.


7) We are heading into Holy Week in a matter of days, guys! Oh, how the soul craves Holy Week. Growing up, I didn't really partake in any of the Holy Week liturgies, and now I soak them up like a sponge. Or, like a thirsty man in the desert grabbing hold of a clear, cool glass of water. Pure, clear, simple, life-saving. Does that make any sense? Anyway, I think you know what I mean. And if you don't, then you need to become Catholic and see. ;)

(Yes, I'm publishing on a Thursday, but it's Friday already where Jen, our host, resides!)



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