Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Planned Parenthood has been in the news a lot lately. I thought it might be a good idea to look at some of the roots of this
very influential organization. Planned Parenthood was established by Margaret Sanger who held some very controversial
views. Here is just one example: “The most merciful thing that a family does to one of its infant members is to kill it.” - Margaret
Sanger (editor). (The Woman Rebel, Volume I, Number 1. Reprinted in Woman and the New Race. New York: Brentanos
Publishers, 1922.)
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Our Lord has given us the greatest gift of Himself in the Mass. Of course He wants for us to receive Him in Holy Communion at every Mass. That needs to be the desire of our heart. That being said, the bishops have said that you and I are not the judges of those who come forward for Communion. For example, a couple may not be in a valid marriage, but they may have made a special pledge to live as brother and sister. That would be between them and their pastor and must be granted by the bishop. If one does have a concern about whether someone else should refrain from Holy Communion, the first thing to do is to pray. Maybe you are not the right one to approach that other person. Maybe God will send someone else on account of your prayer. And maybe he will open a door for you to gently guide the other person. It would be a great act of love.
READ MOREDear Brothers and Sisters,
Part of our problem - at least in the United States - is that many have lost the sense of connection between Holy Communion and the rest of their life. Here are some things that can exclude a person from Communion. For example, a couple living together in a union that is not recognized by the Church should not come forward to receive Holy Communion. If you have missed Sunday Mass without a sufficient reason, you should not receive Communion until you have gone to confession. The 1983 Code of Canon Law says this: "A person who is conscious of a grave sin is not to . . . receive the Body of the Lord without prior sacramental confession unless a grave reason is present and there is no opportunity of confessing; in this case the person is to be mindful of the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition, including the intention of confessing as soon as possible" (CIC 916).
READ MOREDear Brothers and Sisters,
Since the time of Christ, Christians and, specifically, Catholics have been under attack. You may have heard about the child being barred from performing a Christian song at a school for a talent show. Other examples of these attacks on Christian freedom include public spaces that have forbidden prayer. This past year the government has told pastors what they can and cannot say from the pulpit. Students are arrested for publicly expressing their views on abortion. Now government seeks to redefine marriage apart from God’s plan for marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Who knows, I may be arrested for writing this column since it could be seen by some people as “hate speech”?!?! These are just a few examples of how Catholics are under attack by those who wish to silence us!
As we observe Independence Day celebrations every year, we hear the word freedom being bantered around a lot. But the problem is, in our country today, our understanding of what freedom is and what it is supposed to be used for is dramatically disordered. That is, we see freedom primarily, often only, as “freedom from.” Ask many Americans today and they will most likely tell you that freedom means freedom from something or someone. Men and women have come to the United States for over 230 years to escape from tyranny and oppression—all good things.
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