Abortion increases, but so does homeschooling January 11, 2011
Posted by Tantumblogo in Abortion, awesomeness, Dallas Diocese, General Catholic, sadness, Society.comments closed
Two kind of countervaling trends were noted in the press today. Abortion rose in 2008 after nearly 2 decades of decline. I wonder if the fact that we elected the most pro-abort president in US history had anything to do with that? The economy is being blamed, and the usual “”remedy” being proferred by pro-aborts: more contraception! What they will never accept is that a majority of those who seek abortion were using some kind of contraception. They will also not accept how the contraceptive mentality feeds into demand for abortion. One interesting note is that states with more restrictive abortion laws saw the number of abortions drop, while other states noted large increases (notably, Louisiana).
On the other hand, homeshooling continues to grow. Onenewsnow explains that more Americans are homeschooling their children than ever, or at least since the modern public school system was imported from Prussia in the late 19th century. It is now estimated that 2 million American children are homeschooled, which is a trend that I pray continues. I know that not everyone can do it, but for those that can, there are numerous benefits, especially in terms of educating your child according to their needs and tailored more towards specific subjects, if desired, as well as the huge social issues, which homeschooling can greatly ameliorate. For those worried about negative influeces coming from leftist teachers or lesson plans, and the general influence in being exposed to today’s sexting, casual sex pornified culture, homeschooling can be a very effective way to insure the kinds of values that are inculcated into your children. As for the “socialization” issue, it has not been a problem for our kids in the slightest, nor for any other homeschool kids I know. There are numerous ways to “socialize” children outside of the various schools.
So, bad news/good news. Such is the way it shall be during this earthly existence, until we arrive at our heavenly home.
I love my ‘secret correspondent’ January 11, 2011
Posted by Tantumblogo in asshatery, Basics, Dallas Diocese, General Catholic, North Deanery.comments closed
I have a ‘secret correspondent’ who sends me all kinds of goodies, especially reminders about Adoration at the Carmelite Chapel. I did not know today is the birthday of Francis Xavier Seelos!
January 11, 2011
Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos’ Birthday
Don’t be shy….ask him for a gift!!
Plus, alot of the usual ‘Catholic blog wars’ stuff is boring me lately, so reposting someone else’s effort is just too darned attractive!
The heart of Heaven is to be with God January 11, 2011
Posted by Tantumblogo in awesomeness, Basics, Dallas Diocese, General Catholic, North Deanery, Society.comments closed
Msgr. Charles Pope hits a very important subject – Heaven, and our view of what it will be. We live in very strange times – so many people assume just about everyone gets to Heaven, but very few actually do very much to get there. After all, God would not be a God of Love if he actually damned people to Hell, would He? The thing is, God doesn’t damn people to Hell, people damn themselves. And when presented with the august majesty, the perfection, the incredibly brilliant glory of our Lord, it is thought by many Church fathers and theologians that those who have led selfish, sinful lives, will not be able to withstand the infinite Good that is God, and they will seek an escape, any escape, from His Presence. Heaven is not about being reunited with family, or enjoying perfect comfort and leisure at every instant, or being presented with an infinitely bountiful and delicious buffet, it’s about worshiping and praising God for all eternity. That is what the angels do. That is why the Saints are Saints – they so directed their earthly lives towards God that they were perfectly comfortable (and they had an insatiable desire) to be with God and sing his praises for ever. Msgr. Pope:
I have lamented with you before on this blog that few speak much of heaven today but focus more on earthly creature comforts as the goal and measure of their happiness. Further, even when heaven is discussed, the description contains everything but the “one thing necessary.” Often when describing heaven one will hear of happiness that that never ends, mansions, gold streets, “purly” gates, and being able to “play all the golf I want.” Others will describe being reunited with loved ones or of being free of suffering. All this is fine and largely true. But what is striking, is the omission of any mention of God. God after all is the “one thing necessary” to make heaven be heaven.
Martha, Martha: This expression, “the one thing necessary” comes from Luke 10:42 where Jesus gently rebukes Martha for missing the main point of life: which is union with God. Martha busies herself with many things, even things that will serve the Lord, but in the end she misses the Lord! To put it in the terms of a modern euphemism: “Fail!”…………
The heart of Heaven is to be with God. Scripture says, Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these other things will be added unto you. (Matt 6:33)
The heart of Hell is to lack God, to lack the one thing necessary. God is the sine qua non, the absolute requirement for every other joy or pleasure to make any sense or be operative. The heart of Hell is to have rejected God permanently, and to discover that the absolute and final rejection of Him is to experience the withdrawal of every other pleasure. Only in God will my soul be at rest! (Ps 62:5)
In life, don’t miss the one thing necessary, which is not a thing at all, but is God himself. The Father, in the prodigal son parable came out and begged his second son to enter the feast and celebrate with him. The Heavenly Father does the same now….What is your answer?
Getting to Heaven is not a topic frequently addressed by many priests. It should be, for it is the one thing truly necessary in life.
2011 Dallas March for Life January 11, 2011
Posted by Tantumblogo in Abortion, awesomeness, Basics, Dallas Diocese, General Catholic, North Deanery, Society.comments closed
The 2011 Dallas March for Life will be held on Saturday, Jan. 22 at the Cathedral in Downtown Dallas. At 7:30 am, busses will depart the Cathedral for the Routh Street mill on Central Expressway (about 400 yds south of Knox-Henderson, on the south bound side access road) for an hour of prayers for the mothers and babies who suffer from this noxious, barbaric practice. A bilingual memorial Mass will be celebrated at 10 am, with overflow seating in the “Grand Salon” and in a tent outside. Bishop Farrell would like 10,000 at this Mass, and I say, let’s exceed his expectations. I’m thinking our family will probably go down to Routh St on our own and then proceed to the Cathedral. The actual “March for Life” begins at 12 noon in front of the Cathedral. This is an ecumenical march, so I will have to keep my radical anti-protestant diatribes in check. Dang it.
All the details can be found at the Catholic Pro-Life Committee website. I pray many of you will attend!
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