Oh, man, I'm always so stinking late with my Quick Takes!!
1) I have read countless articles on gay "marriage", and this is perhaps the best I've ever encountered:
Just read it all. To the end. And pass it around.
(Thanks, Fr. Ed!)
2) As someone who has just had her (healthy) family's insurance premiums raised by several thousand dollars per year (thanks, Obama), I really appreciated these articles:
An excerpt:
When Obama pitched the Affordable Care Act in 2009, there were roughly 30 million uninsured. The Congressional Budget Office projects that in 10 years there will be . . . roughly 30 million uninsured under ObamaCare. According to Gallup, more people are uninsured today than when Obama took office. Indeed, most of ObamaCare’s alleged 7 million “enrollees” are people who lost their insurance because of ObamaCare.
As I've said before, leftism is that thing where you get to feel good inside about accomplishing nothing, and usually making things worse.
Or as Peggy Noonan puts it:
3) Sometimes a meme really just sums things up, no?
Amen!
And of course, the Holy Father gives us the clear solution to everything:
4) When people ask what I love about being Catholic, here's my answer:
There’s no existential angst in being a Catholic. I know who I am. I know why suffering occurs in this world. I know where I’m going. I know Who made me and I can put it in a context that is coherent and cohesive, so there isn’t any turmoil interiorly. Even with the turmoil outside, I know I live in a cohesive, beautiful tapestry of truth. It makes sense, so life makes sense to me.
Catholics who accept and live the Faith in its entirety will understand just what I mean.
5) Many of you have read the terrible story of the murder of 24-year-old newlywed Nathan Trapuzzano, who leaves behind his grieving wife, Jennifer, and their unborn baby girl, Cecilia. Several of my readers know the young couple.
Looking beyond the senseless violence that killed this devout young man, I have been so incredibly moved by the beauty of his life and by the love and faith of those around him.
Read the funeral homily...
...and remember that this is what it all comes down to: Sanctity and a life well lived.
And on a more personal note, days ago our friend Ken lost his beloved wife Maria, the mother of their three children, just four weeks after she was diagnosed with cancer. So quickly can our loved ones be taken from this life, but we take solace in our Faith and knowing that God can be trusted to keep His promises. Please take a moment to pray for Ken and his children and for the repose of the soul of Maria.
For Nathan Trapuzzano and for Maria and for any loved ones you have recently lost:
Eternal rest, grant unto them O Lord
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
6) The view from my kitchen window:
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| With dozens of buds that haven't even opened yet. Thank you, Mary! |
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| Click my photo for more info! |
Devan has HIV and some eye trouble, and is a darling little boy. From someone who recently saw him at his orphanage:
He is so loyal and all boy in a good way. When we were visiting our son, he was upset that he (my son) didn’t get to be a part of the celebration that was going on. So he asked my son if he wanted one of the back pack things that they were letting the children play with. This treasure went and asked another kid if he could please let my son have a turn. He then took it off the child’s back and put it on my son. He really is such a gem.Could he be your son?
Have a blessed Sunday, and thanks to Jen for hosting!
I woke up today with a sore throat, tired and grumpy, 3 long days ahead of me of being a "single mom" (Dennis is out of town for a work conference) and the stress of moving always looming over my head. But I read a blog today about a mother who is watching her little boy die from a brain tumor and it just puts it all in perspective; just like these tragedies that you have mentioned puts my "sufferings" into perspective. I am not suffering at all; I have my children, we are all healthy, we are having problems with moving but we have a roof over our head and my husband may be gone but he's coming back. If you should have the time, read this wonderful article that Ben's mother wrote on suffering; her son is dying but she still lives with faith. It is both inspiring and humbling: http://bensauer.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-reality-of-pain.html
ReplyDeleteI was going to comment on Obamacare, but both the link from Becky regarding little Ben and the link to the homily for Nathan Trapuzzano's funeral put things into perspective. Ben is a local little boy but I had not read his mother's latest post yet. She seems to understand Leila's words perfectly: "I know who I am. I know why suffering occurs in this world. I know where I am going." That is a faith that can sustain us through the worst losses, even while we live through the pain. I don't know how anyone could go through life without it.
ReplyDeleteBecky, thank you for sharing that update on little Ben. So utterly, totally heartbreaking and so hopeful at the same time. And he is an identical twin… I weep for his brother! And although your suffering is also very real (and you have a right to call it suffering!), it is good when we see the perspective. And when we realize that God is still in control, and will bring a greater good out of all of this, for those who love Him.
ReplyDeleteSharon, amen. It's what I say constantly: How do people do this without faith? I cannot imagine.
An local Indianapolis article on Nathan's funeral…
ReplyDeletehttp://www.indystar.com/story/news/2014/04/05/forgiveness-theme-murder-victims-funeral/7349077/
Thanks for this, Leila. Do you know what country this sweet RR boy is in?
ReplyDeletePretty sure he's in the country that start with U. I can give you more info if you want :)
DeleteWR, I don't know, I'm sorry! The folks at RR can tell you….
ReplyDeleteI too have been so moved reading about Nathan's life and his commitment to his faith. I know it's cliche but his life absolutely makes me want to be a better Catholic- seeing true holiness always does that doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteInfertile Minnesota, that's exactly it!
ReplyDeleteFather Dwight Longenecker wrote about some statements made by the Archbishop of Canterbury, they are quite alarming. The AB stated that hundreds of Christians have been massacred in Africa by Muslims who claimed that the Christians would force homosexuality upon them. The AB warned that if the Anglican Church agrees to same-sex marriages, it will cause further massacres in countries where many Muslims live. The point is that what we do here in the west affects people in countries that we don't even think about. A heavy burden upon our consciences. The AB was brave to make his statements.
ReplyDeleteThat Funeral Mass homily for Nathan is so inspiring! Man, I can't believe his widow will go through her first childbirth without her husband. God bless her!
ReplyDeleteYour quote about being Catholic is spot on. I would love to share it. it's so true. Good article on gay marriage. I always said, once we change God's design of one man/one woman...we are on the slippery slope. Awful to think, but soon society will sanction one man/three women, or two women/three men. Then it will be adults/children, then people/animals. We are so blind to not see why God's design is worth preserving.
ReplyDelete@ Julie
ReplyDeleteAre you blaming homosexuals for the massacres? Not the Muslims?
@Johanne That seems like an unnecessarily harsh reading of Julie's comment. Of course the perpetrators of violence are to blame, but that doesn't mean that we should just do whatever we want because it's someone else's fault how they respond. I think she highlights an important aspect some people may be missing - in conditions where relations are already hostile, making these kinds of changes will not help. It's not the only reason (by itself, it is not a particularly good one), but it's probably a good idea for everyone to remember that their own little world is not the only one out there.
ReplyDeleteJohanne, the Muslims are responsible for their behavior, and if it weren't for gay marriage they would use another excuse to kill Christians. It is just sadly ironic that they are able to use the actions of a nation that is considered Christian in its founding as an excuse for the murders. The US has placed a ridiculous level of importance on gay marriage in its dealings with African nations. You can bet that the US government considers the pushing of the issue of gay marriage as far more important than protesting the thousands of lives lost by Christians in African and Middle Eastern countries.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the two statements above. Especially Sharon's last two sentences.
ReplyDeleteWow people should not read this, you are a women and in the bible men should not be taught by women. Oh and are your clothes made of? It is an abomination to God to wear two kinds of fabric. Now explain how you can just over look these and gay marriage is a problem? You are nothing but a hypocrite and remember judge not least ye be judge.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi inleatherman! I'm JoAnna, one of the blog admins. Actually, the reason we choose to moderate comments on posts over two weeks old is in order to prevent spam, as a common tactic for spam robots is to comment on blog posts that are months or years old. As you can see, I have no published your comments since I determined they were not spam. :)
ReplyDelete*now published
DeleteHowever, inleatherman, regarding your first comment -- you're engaging in several fallacies.
ReplyDeleteFirst, regarding women teaching in the Bible, you're engaging in a strawman fallacy. For authentic Church teaching regarding women, please see here.
Secondly, regarding your comments about clothing, that would be the "God Hates Shrimp" fallacy. You can read more about that here.
Hope this helps!