1) Time magazine joins the Associated Press and FactCheck in confirming that Obamacare does indeed use federal dollars to fund abortions. Exactly the opposite of what was promised by Obama, and exactly what pro-lifers have been saying all along. Would it be impolite to say that Obama and his folks outright lied?
2) Speaking of Obamacare and its consequences, here's one ya gotta see to believe:
No, it's not a joke. Oregon is all set to implement. Do you even have to ask yourself which socio-political ideology brought this into effect?
3) For Christians who say that Jesus was silent on the heterosexual nature of marriage, here are some points to consider.
4) A beautiful parable of Jesus that has been popping into my head this week:
The Parable of the Lost Sheep (Luke 15:1-7)
The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to him, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So to them he addressed this parable.
“What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’
I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance."
5) I don't usually click on songs posted on facebook, but this time the story behind it compelled me.
A holy and beautiful young woman, Angela Faddis (age 32), is in her last earthly hours as I type this. Countless people have been praying for her for a year and a half, since she was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer on Easter Sunday 2011. She and her beloved husband, Chris, have two small children, and the grace of the Lord has carried them through this painful but sacred journey.
Yesterday, Chris posted the following words on the family's support page, along with the hauntingly beautiful song. I had never before heard of the scene at Ostia between St. Augustine and his long-suffering, loving mother, St. Monica, but now I will never forget it. This song takes on extra significance, as Augustine is the name of Chris and Angela's little son:
This song was shared with me today. It is a beautiful song called Morning at Ostia -- "which is inspired by the well-known story of St. Augustine and St. Monica -- in particular, the moment they shared in Ostia (shortly before Monica died) when they had a fleeting and glorious sense of touching something heavenly…. [V]ery much at the heart of the song is the experience of awaiting the majesty of the world to come."
Miriam, who wrote the song, did not know our son's name was Augustine or that I was particularly asking the intercession of St. Monica and Augustine this week for our Gus.
I can definitely see this conversation between mother and son.
What a beautiful consolation for the Faddis family. Praise God for the saints, and for our Lord's tender mercy.
6) I had a discussion on this blog with March Hare, an atheist who believes that human abortion is acceptable until viability.
March Hare objected to my statement(s) that an embryo, by nature, belongs in the womb, and that a womb is where an embryo is supposed to be. He called that concept a fallacy, which, um, sort of floored me. When I pressed him to tell me where an embryo naturally belongs, he said: "As to where the embryo belongs - it doesn't belong anywhere. There is no 'belong'. It happens to grow better in a woman's receptive womb, but you are introducing a value judgement here from nowhere."
This meme reminds me of that exchange:
7) I just wrote a post over on my Orphan Report about sweet Brent. He has been waiting for years and years for a family, and his advocates have raised over $15,000 towards the cost of his adoption! So, don't let money hold you back from this little love muffin:
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| A smile worth a million bucks! Click my photo for more info! |
And in this video, Brent's pure joy will keep you smiling for a long time! Remarkably, this is joy from a child who has already been transferred from the baby house to an institution. What a spirit he has!
Please read my entire post about Brent and pass it along (share on facebook, on twitter, by email, by smoke signals, whatever).
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And then there is dear Brett. Brett is one of the saddest cases I've seen on Reece's Rainbow. He was abandoned by his mother and found in the field where she gave birth to him. We know very little about him to this day, and he seems all but forgotten. This picture is three years old, and there are no other children from his orphanage posted on RR. No one has been able to see him, to my knowledge, and no further information will be given until there is a serious inquiry. Brett's is a relatively low cost region from which to adopt. If you would like to go on a rescue mission that no one else will go on, this is the child to save….
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| I have never known a mother's love. Please click on my picture for more information. |
Finally, a reminder that the auction for Andrew (which has been a HUGE success so far!) runs until 11:59pm Saturday. There are 153 items up for bid, many of which were not there at the beginning of the week, so go and see if you've missed anything! There are several items going for less than retail right now, and you Catholics (or anyone!) should especially look at Melanie's custom rosaries, made of polished stone/porcelain beads/Swarovski Pearl. Your choice from her shop! Absolutely gorgeous, and here are just two samples:
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Personalized Rosary in Lavender Swarovski Pearl |
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US Navy Rosary (or other military) |
Go here to bid on the rosary of your choice.
We've seen recent pictures of Andrew, the beneficiary of the auction, and he is sickly thin. Five years old and about 20 pounds. He needs to come home very quickly and get proper medical attention (in addition to cataract surgery to try and salvage some sight). God bless you for helping to make that happen!
And thanks to Jen, for hosting Quick Takes!
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