Hope

Pope Benedict XVI's second encyclical letter is titled "Spe Salvi" or "Saved in Hope". It is a beautiful and profound piece. I had purchased a copy sometime ago, but never read it fully. I picked it up today because of a reference to it in an article I was reading.

It begins...

“SPE SALVI facti sumus”—in hope we were saved, says Saint Paul to the Romans, and likewise to us (Rom 8:24).

"In hope we are saved" is the topic of the rest of this wonderful gift from the Pope to the Church and the world. His writing is very profound and at times even mystical. It can be challenging to decipher his thoughts, but the rewards in following him along a journey through the historical teachings of the Church, and the philosophical elements that are embodied in those teachings are well worth the cost of wrestling with the myriad of facts and ideas that he presents.

After reading one of the Pope's many writings on Christianity, the writings of his Protestant contemporaries seem so trivial and pedestrian in comparison. Pope Benedict is like a deep well of knowledge of the Christian faith. Or even I dare say, like a vast and deep reservoir of knowledge of Church history and teachings. And that is combined with a profound analysis and the divine inspiration coming from the Holy Spirit which is so essential to understanding the true meaning of Scripture and the writings of the Saints.

From his German cultural background he has inherited a deep love and understanding of various schools of philosophy. This can be a benefit for understanding Christian teaching, but it can also be a handicap because divine revelation teaches us so much more than philosophy which is after all just the product of human thought.

In one section, the Holy Father asks the question "Eternal life -- what is it?" And then attempts to give an answer. He begins with "the classical form of the dialogue with which the rite of Baptism expressed the reception of an infant into the community of believers"...

“What do you ask of the Church?” Answer: “Faith”. “And what does faith give you?” “Eternal life”.

"Faith" is what the parents of the child ask of the Church. What more could any Christian parent ask for than that their child be given the grace of "faith"? "Faith" is that essential element of Christianity which is so elusive for those who have not received this gift of the Holy Spirit. How does one convert from the pathetic form of life of the unbeliever to the joyful state of one who truly believes in God and his Love and Mercy?

From faith flows "eternal life". But Pope Benedict wants us to realize that we need to be fully aware of the true meaning of the words "eternal life". He warns us that this is a concept which we can never fully understand while we are attached to our earthly bodies. He suggests that what we really mean by "eternal life" is a longing for true happiness, but that the form of this happiness is a mystery. And we call that mystery "eternal life" just in order to give it a name so that we can speak about it...

This unknown “thing” is the true “hope” which drives us.... The term “eternal life” is intended to give a name to this known “unknown”. Inevitably it is an inadequate term that creates confusion. “Eternal”, in fact, suggests to us the idea of something interminable, and this frightens us; “life” makes us think of the life that we know and love and do not want to lose, even though very often it brings more toil than satisfaction...

Ultimately, the Pope is teaching us here something about the nature of Heaven. A little earlier in this encyclical he says that modern man has a problem with "eternal life", because it seems to confront him with a choice. Should he sacrifice the pleasures of his present life in exchange for an "eternal life" in the hereafter?

But then the question arises: do we really want this—to live eternally? Perhaps many people reject the faith today simply because they do not find the prospect of eternal life attractive. What they desire is not eternal life at all, but this present life, for which faith in eternal life seems something of an impediment.

The solution of the modern world to this dilemma is to reject God completely. Life becomes a pursuit of worldly pleasures. But then life loses its meaning and purpose. A human being is reduced to a collection of atoms and molecules and the dignity of man is lost. We try to fill this vacuum with gadgets and toys and vacations and thrill seeking, but at the end of the day it is all empty and meaningless.

Pope Benedict in the conclusion of this section of the encyclical letter attempts to give us a taste of what "eternal life" would really be like. He asks us to...

... imagine ourselves outside the temporality that imprisons us and in some way to sense that eternity is ... something more like the supreme moment of satisfaction, in which totality embraces us and we embrace totality .... It would be like plunging into the ocean of infinite love, a moment in which time ... no longer exists. We can only attempt to grasp the idea that such a moment is life in the full sense, a plunging ever anew into the vastness of being, in which we are simply overwhelmed with joy.

Following this mystical vision of Heaven, the Pope quotes from Jesus at the Last Supper ...

"I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you" (John 16:22).

Clearly, Pope Benedict believes that Jesus is speaking here not just of his appearance after the Resurrection to the Apostles, but also to his welcoming them into the "eternal life" of Heaven.

And this is the ultimate source of "hope" for Christians. It is this promise from God of "eternal life". This then is the purpose and goal of a Christian life which is rooted in faith in God's infinite love and mercy. In the words of Pope Benedict...

God is the foundation of hope: not any god, but the God who has a human face and who has loved us to the end, each one of us and humanity in its entirety. His Kingdom is not an imaginary hereafter, situated in a future that will never arrive; his Kingdom is present wherever he is loved and wherever his love reaches us. His love alone gives us the possibility of soberly persevering day by day, without ceasing to be spurred on by hope, in a world which by its very nature is imperfect. His love is at the same time our guarantee of the existence of what we only vaguely sense and which nevertheless, in our deepest self, we await: a life that is “truly” life.

Regina Coeli -- Queen of Heaven

And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
 – Revelation 12:1

The Regina Coeli is sung or recited in place of the Angelus during the Easter season, from Holy Saturday through Pentecost Sunday.



Regina coeli, laetare, alleluia.
Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia.
Resurrexit, sicut dixit, alleluia.
Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia.

Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia.
For He whom you did merit to bear, alleluia.
Has risen, as He said, alleluia.
Pray for us to God, alleluia.

Happy Mother's Day María!

"All generations will call me blessed."
 – Luke 1:48

Mother Mary -- Queen of Heaven

Happy Mother's Day greetings to all mothers and all future mothers! And a very special Mother's Day greeting to the Theotokos, Mother of God, the blessed Virgin Mary! Remember that May is traditionally the month of Mary and give special devotion to Our Lady during this month.

On a more somber note, we can dedicate the month of May to pray for the Church in China. Catholics and other Christians suffer under constant persecution by the communist government of China. May is a special month for Chinese Catholics. The Church in China is consecrated to the Virgin Mary under her title "Help of Christians". The feast day of Our Lady, Help of Christians, is celebrated May 24. The Sheshan Basilica is a favorite pilgrimage site for Chinese Catholics at this time of year.

In 2008 Pope Benedict XVI dedicated the following prayer to the Catholic Church in China and declared May 24 to be an annual world day of prayer for the Church in China. The reaction of the Chinese authorities in 2008 was to ban pilgrimages to the Sheshan Basilica.

Virgin Most Holy, Mother of the Incarnate Word and our Mother,
venerated in the Shrine of Sheshan under the title "Help of Christians",
the entire Church in China looks to you with devout affection.
We come before you today to implore your protection.
Look upon the People of God and, with a mother’s care, guide them
along the paths of truth and love, so that they may always be
a leaven of harmonious coexistence among all citizens.

When you obediently said "yes" in the house of Nazareth,
you allowed God’s eternal Son to take flesh in your virginal womb
and thus to begin in history the work of our redemption.
You willingly and generously cooperated in that work,
allowing the sword of pain to pierce your soul,
until the supreme hour of the Cross, when you kept watch on Calvary,
standing beside your Son, who died that we might live.

From that moment, you became, in a new way,
the Mother of all those who receive your Son Jesus in faith
and choose to follow in his footsteps by taking up his Cross.
Mother of hope, in the darkness of Holy Saturday you journeyed
with unfailing trust towards the dawn of Easter.
Grant that your children may discern at all times,
even those that are darkest, the signs of God’s loving presence.

Our Lady of Sheshan, sustain all those in China,
who, amid their daily trials, continue to believe, to hope, to love.
May they never be afraid to speak of Jesus to the world,
and of the world to Jesus.
In the statue overlooking the Shrine you lift your Son on high,
offering him to the world with open arms in a gesture of love.
Help Catholics always to be credible witnesses to this love,
ever clinging to the rock of Peter on which the Church is built.
Mother of China and all Asia, pray for us, now and for ever. Amen!

Our Lady of Sheshan

Our Lady of China

Can I Live?

Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?" Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."
 – John 6:67-68

I'm not one to fawn over popular artists. I view their work with great suspicion because I realize that if they consistently speak the truth as revealed by Christ that they will not be popular for long. They will be quickly cut off by their corporate benefactors. No longer will they be promoted on talk shows and through the press. No longer will they be granted appearances on top rated TV shows like American Idol and Dancing With the Stars. They will be treated like pariahs by the corporate media and they will be erased from the cultural memory just as surely as Stalin's Soviet bureaucracy rubbed out the images of those former communist heroes that were reclassified as enemies of the state.

And yet despite all that, once in a while a brief glimpse of the truth does manage to appear in the corporate media. Such was the case in 2005 when Nick Cannon released the song "Can I live?" which describes his own mother's decision not to abort her child in 1979. Nick was born October 8, 1980.

(Notice that the dates of the video account and Nick's birthdate do not line up since October is the 10th month of the year. In real life Nick's mother, Beth Gardner, was about 21 years old when she gave birth to him. His father was James Cannon, a televangelist. I don't know for sure, but I assume that they were married at the time.)

That song was part of an album titled "Stages" which was never released.

In 2005, Cannon formed his own record label, Can I Ball Records, with plans to release his second studio album, entitled Stages, later that year. The album's first single, "Can I Live?", a pro-life song, was released in July 2005 followed by the second single "Dime Piece" in March 2006. But it was never released because of Nick Cannon's acting career.

Nick is best known these days as the husband of Mariah Carey. They were married on April 30, 2008. On April 30, 2011, the couple's third wedding anniversary, Mariah gave birth to twins – a boy and a girl. There is some controversy as to whether Carey became pregnant naturally or through in vitro fertilization. My guess is that it was an artificially produced pregnancy. The fact that the children are fraternal twins points towards that, along with Carey's age of 41 at the time of pregnancy.

Being pro-Life is more than just being against abortion. In vitro fertilization kills many embryos in the process of producing a viable pregnancy. And to be fully in keeping with the Catholic Church's teachings on the dignity of human life requires forgoing sex outside of marriage; and even within marriage requires a rejection of artificial contraception. It is a hard teaching; it is a counter-cultural teaching. Jesus never promised us an easy road when we choose to follow Him.




Can I Live?
by Nick Cannon

I'm talking, mom, I know the situation is personal
But it's something that has to be told
As I was making this beat
You was all I could think about
You heard my voice

Just think, just think...
What if you could just, just blink yourself away?
Just, just wait, just pause for a second
Let me plead my case

It's the late seventies, you seventeen
And having me, that will ruin everything
It's a lot of angels waiting on their wings
You see me in your sleep, so you can't kill your dreams

Three hundred dollars, that's the price of living?
Mommy, I don't like this clinic
Hopefully you'll make the right decision
And don't go though with the knife decision

But it's hard to make the right move when you in high school
Now you gotta work all day and take night school
Hopping on the bus and the rain is pouring
What you want, morning sickness or the sickness of mourning?
Can I live?

I'll always be a part of you
Trust your soul, know it's always true
If I could talk I'd say to you
Can I live?
Can I live?

I'll always be a part of you
Trust your soul, know it's always true
If I could talk I'd say to you
Can I live?
Can I live?

I'm a child of the King, ain't no need to go fear me
And I see the flowing tears, so I know that you hear me
When I move in your womb that's me being scary
'Cuz who knows what my future holds?

The truth be told you ain't told a soul
You ain't even showing, I'm just two months old
Through your clothes try to hide me, deny me
Went up three sizes

Your pride got you lying, saying ain't nothing but a migraine
It ain't surprising you not trying to be in WIC food lines
Your friends look at you funny, but look at you mommy
That's a life inside, take a look at your tummy

What is becoming, Ma? I'm Oprah bound
You can tell he's a star from the ultrasound
Our spirits connected, doors open now,
Nothing but love and respect, thanks for holding it down
She let me live

I'll always be a part of you
Trust your soul, know it's always true
If I could talk I'd say to you
Can I live?
Can I live?

I'll always be a part of you
Trust your soul, know it's always true
If I could talk I'd say to you
Can I live?
Can I live?

It's uplifting for real, y'all
I ain't passing no judgement
Ain't making no decisions
I'm just telling y'all my story

I love life, I love my mother for giving me life
We all need to appreciate life
And a strong woman who had to make a sacrifice

Thanks for listening...
Thanks for listening...
Momma, thanks for listening

The Divine Mercy Project

(click to enlarge)

This is so cool!!!

The Divine Mercy Project

• A ten foot tall icon of the Divine Mercy, next to an empty wooden cross, in the public square of Daley Plaza (Washington & Dearborn St.), in Chicago, IL for nine days beginning on Good Friday to Divine Mercy Sunday.
• 24 hrs/ 9 day round the clock prayer vigil to
• 1) “bring souls to the fountain of My mercy,”
• 2) to intercede by asking the Heavenly Father to “have mercy on us and one the whole world,” and
• 3) to ask Jesus at the 3 o’clock hour for the conversion of Chicago, America and the Whole World as He said, “In this hour you can obtain everything for yourself and for others for the asking; it was the hour of grace for the whole world – mercy triumphed over justice.” (Diary, 1572)
• To promote personal deeds of mercy because Jesus said, “Be merciful even as your Father is merciful” (Lk 6:36) and “I demand from you deeds of mercy which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must no shrink from this or try to excuse yourself from it. . . Even the strongest faith is of no avail without works .. . If a soul does not exercise mercy in some way, it will not obtain My mercy on the day of judgement.” (Diary, 742, 1317)

For more information go to:
http://thedivinemercyproject.org/

Also see this article Catholic News Agency article:
"Divine Mercy image in Chicago's Daly Plaza reaching thousands"

Bonus video:
I couldn't find a video of the Chicago pro-Life "Flash Mob" at the Divine Mercy Project as described in the CNA article, so here is another "Flash Mob" video instead.



Related posts:

• Divine Mercy Devotion
• Divine Mercy and the Papacy
• Beatification of Pope John Paul II
• Sister Brandee

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UPDATE:

I found a video of the Chicago pro-Life "Flash Mob" at the Divine Mercy Project with a giant Rosary made from balloons.

Mary Magdalene and the Resurrection

"Rabboni!"
 – Mary Magdalene

"Noli me tangere." "Do not touch me."

After Lazarus died and Jesus came to visit, first Martha came out to meet him. And she told him that if He had been there then their brother would not have died. Jesus then questioned her. And Martha responded correctly.

Then Mary came out to meet Jesus and repeats the same words that Martha had said earlier, but Jesus does not question her. Why?

I believe it is because Mary already had the Holy Spirit within her. Her faith was complete and she was led by the Spirit. And Jesus could see this so that he had no need to test her faith.

Martha in some ways though is perhaps the more heroic figure. She struggles with her faith. She sincerely wants to believe, but there is a film covering her eyes. She has not completely given up her attachments to the world. She tries to overcome this with reason, but reason can only take a soul so close to God's love. Reason too must be abandoned in the end. Then the scales will fall from the eyes, and the heart will be healed of its calluses.

Mary stands before the face of God and recognizes Him for who He is. She accepts what she is seeing with her soul and does not let reason stand in her way. Reason says that there was nothing Jesus could have done to keep Lazarus from dying. It casts a shadow of doubt over faith.

Reason is faulty. It can lead us to certain truths, but not to the eternal Truth.

When Mary speaks it is not she who is speaking, but the Spirit within her. Doubt has no place in her heart. When Mary walks her feet are guided by the same Spirit of Truth.

On Easter Sunday, Mary is guided by the Spirit to the tomb of Jesus. She cannot begin to understand what she sees there. Even her amazing faith is not ready to accept the reality which she encounters.

Her faith is so strong however, that she does not give up looking for the body of Jesus. When she first sees Him she is overcome with emotion and imagines Him to be the gardner. Her faith never falters though because she demands to see Him.

Finally, Jesus speaks her name: "Mary". And in a rush of supreme emotion and spiritual ecstasy, she recognizes Him.

She falls at His feet and says "Rabboni!"

Even Jesus had not expected this extreme devotion and He warns her not to touch Him because He has not yet risen to the Father. ("Noli me tangere." "Do not touch me.")

Mary goes running to the Apostles to tell them what she has seen. There is not even an inkling of doubt in her soul. And they begin to believe also.

Christ has risen!

Mary has been touched by the Fire of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She has been burned. She has offered herself as a holocaust – a burnt offering.

Her soul is on Fire within. She may very well be the first Holy Saint of the New Covenant of God.

Saint Mary Magdalene,
sister of Martha and Lazarus,
companion of the Virgin Mary at the foot of the Cross,
Ora pro nobis.
Pray for us.

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Where was Jesus when Peter and the beloved disciple first came running to the tomb? Could it be that he was always standing there, but they did not have the eyes of faith to see Him?

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(I imagine "Rabboni" to be a diminutive form of Rabbi – "Master" or "Teacher". As if to say "dear Master" or "beloved Teacher.")

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Related Posts:

• Contemplations on Holy Mother Mary
• God among us

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John 20:1-22

Now on the first day of the week Mary Mag'dalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.

So she ran, and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him."

Peter then came out with the other disciple, and they went toward the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first; and stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.

Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; he saw the linen cloths lying, and the napkin, which had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself.

Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not know the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.

Then the disciples went back to their homes.

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet.

They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him."

Saying this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away."

Jesus said to her, "Mary."

She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rab-bo'ni!" (which means Teacher).

Jesus said to her, "Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God."

Mary Mag'dalene went and said to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."

When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.

Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you."

And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit."

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John 11:18-33

Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother.

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary sat in the house.

Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you."

Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."

Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?"

She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world."

When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying quietly, "The Teacher is here and is calling for you." And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him.

Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there.

Then Mary, when she came where Jesus was and saw him, fell at his feet, saying to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.

X-Rated Planned Parenthood

"He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters."
 -- Luke 11:23

This is a description of the Title X program that we heard so much about during the Planned Parenthood defunding debate. This description is straight from the website of the U.S. government's Health and Human Services Dept.

The Title X Family Planning program ["Population Research and Voluntary Family Planning Programs" (Public Law 91-572)], was enacted in 1970 as Title X of the Public Health Service Act. Title X is the only federal grant program dedicated solely to providing individuals with comprehensive family planning and related preventive health services. The Title X program is designed to provide access to contraceptive services, supplies and information to all who want and need them. By law, priority is given to persons from low-income families.

Notice the words "Population Research" in the official name of the program. This is nothing but population control. And this program is aimed at "low-income" families. And when they say "family planning", you can be sure that what they really mean is contraception, abortion and sterilization.

Planned Parenthood's objective is also a population control. It has nothing to do with helping women -- low-income or otherwise. It is all about keeping low-income women from having "too many children". Here is the real purpose of PP as documented in their 2008 tax filing.

VOLUNTARY FERTILITY REGULATION, INCLUDING CONTRACEPTION, ABORTION, STERILIZATION, AND INFERTILITY SERVICES .... ACHIEVING, THROUGH INFORMED INDIVIDUAL CHOICE, A U.S. POPULATION OF STABLE SIZE

In China they have a one-child policy. In the U.S. we have Planned Parenthood and Title X. The goals are the same -- population control. Planned Parenthood tries to pretend that it is pro-women, but it is not. It is anti-women and anti-children.

PP is X-rated because it pushes sex and violence on women. It pushes sex in the form of contraception and encouraging young women to be sexually active right from the moment of puberty. It pushes violence in the form of abortion -- right up to the moment of birth. How is this any different from killing a new born baby? Is it justified just because the child is still in the womb?

Once we realize that the main purpose of PP is population control, then the pretense of being pro-women  is exposed as a lie. This is what Lila Rose's group Live Action has worked so hard to expose. Many have questioned her group's methods, but how else can one go about exposing this organization that hides behind a pro-woman public relations campaign?



Planned Parenthood is the first domino in a chain. Once their lies are exposed and the first domino falls then the next domino falls, which is the radical feminists. How can they claim to be pro-women when they are so devoted to the cause of Planned Parenthood? And once the lies of the radical feminists are exposed then the next domino falls, which is the liberal leftwing of the Democratic Party. Of course they know that PP is a population control organization, but they continue to preach the lies of radical feminism.

We just went through a very interesting moment in history in which the funding of Planned Parenthood by the U.S. government was challenged due to public pressure. On the one side were the pro radical feminist Democrats who supported PP. On the other side were pro life Republicans who opposed using public funds granted through Title X to support abortion providers like Planned Parenthood.

But let's not be totally naive. Was this really a "showdown" over the budget? Was there any real legitimate threat from the Republican leadership that they would shutdown the government over this issue? Or was this an elaborate staged theatrical dramatic production for the benefit of pro Life citizens? In other words, was this just a case of political kabuki?

And if the Republican leadership never had any intention on going through on their threats, then what is the end effect? It could actually help Planned Parenthood in their fundraising by picturing themselves as helpless victims.

And yet, I do feel that a historic battle was fought this past week on the issue of abortion. PP has been exposed and the pro life movement has got a taste of what a major victory could look like.

This battle is not just an earthly battle, but it is a spiritual battle as well. The very fact that such a battle took place is a sign from Heaven. The politicians may not know it yet, but the heavenly forces are realigning. For now the wind has shifted and is blowing from behind those of us on the side of life. And yet, it will still take a monumental effort to resist the counter-attack from the abortion forces.

Abortion IS the litmus issue. It IS the one issue on which we can say, "if you are not with Christ, then you are against Christ." The cross, the symbol of Christ, is the sign which we follow into battle. This is the new Christian crusade which will unite all of Christendom. Those who call themselves Christians, but do not enter into this battle are not true followers of Christ.

Please call your representatives in Congress and let them know that this battle is not over by a long shot.

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UPDATE: American Life League, the largest Catholic pro-life organization in the United States, has called on the Church to excommunicate 62 Catholic Congressmen who voted against the defunding of Planned Parenthood.



Here are the names of the US Catholic Congresspersons who support Planned Parenthood -- the largest abortion provider in the United States.

Jason Altmire, PA; Joe Baca, CA; Xavier Becerra, CA; Timothy H. Bishop, NY; Robert Brady, PA; Michael E. Capuano, MA; Dennis A. Cardoza, CA; John Carney, DE; Hansen Clarke, MI; William Lacy Clay, MO; Gerald E. Connolly, VA; Jim Costa, CA; Joe Courtney, CT; Mark Critz, PA; Joseph Crowley, NY; Henry Cuellar, TX; Peter DeFazio, OR; Rosa L. DeLauro, CT; John D. Dingell, MI; Richael F. Doyle, PA; Anna Eshoo, CA; Charlie Gonzalez, TX; Raul M. Grijalva, AZ; Richard Hanna, NY; Brian Higgins, NY; Maurice D. Hinchey, NY; Tim Holden, PA; Marcy Kaptur, OH; Dale E. Kildee, MI; Dennis J. Kucinich, OH; James R. Langevin, RI; John B. Larson, CT; Ben Ray Lujan, NM; Stephen F. Lynch, MA; Ed Markey, MA; Carolyn McCarthy, NY; James P. McGovern, MA; Jerry McNerney, CA; Michael H. Michaud, MA; George Miller, CA; James P. Moran, VA; Grace F. Napolitano, CA; Richard E. Neal, MA; Bill Owens, NY; Frank Pallone, NJ; Bill Pascrell, NJ; Ed Pastor, AZ; Nancy Pelosi, CA; Mike Quigley, IL; Charles B. Rangel, NY; Lucille Roybal-Allard, CA; Tim Ryan, OH; Linda T. Sanchez, CA; Loretta Sanchez, CA; Jose E. Serrano, NY; Albio Sires, NJ; Jackie Speier, CA; Mike Thompson, CA; Paul Tonko, NY; Nydia M. Velazquez, NY; Peter J. Visclosky, IN; Peter Welch, VT