Liberal Tyrants

A new law is being proposed in the Philippines Liberals which would not only legalize contraception but it would also jail anyone who speaks out against contraception. I wonder how these totalitarian tyrants would like it if a law was proposed to jail those who dissented from the anti-contraception stance? Of course conservatives would never do that because we believe in freedom, liberty, and that people have the right to freedom of speech, including dissenting points of views whereas liberals believe in tyranny, and having control and power over our lives. We must keep on fighting for freedom, both political and religious freedom.

My Thoughts on "12th and Delaware"

I recently viewed the documentary "12th and Delaware" and I recommend that every pro-lifer watch this film. It is extremely interesting.  While on and off throughout the film some things are skewed to favor the pro-choice stance IMO the documentary for the most part is pretty fair to the pro-life side.  I would give the film a 60/40 ratio for skewed favorability toward the pro-choice position.  The documentary explores the happenings inside both a woman's clinic and a crisis pregnancy center in Ft. Pierce, FL which are literally across the street from one another.  The movie does give the impression that abortionists and those who are pro-choice are victims of violence and/or threats more so than those who work in the pro-life movement.  Plus, the film makers seem to want to give the impression that deception occurs within the pro-life movement while it doesn't occur within the pro-abortion movement, which is an utterly false notion.  You will see that on the woman's clinic's sign it doesn't even have that they perform abortions while the documentary focuses more on the fact that the crisis pregnancy center doesn't have a sign noting that they don't perform abortions.  The film especially focuses on the fact that a number of people get confused and mistake the crisis pregnancy center for the abortion clinic because they look so much alike.  While this may be considered deceptive to a degree I would call it a great strategy since it has given the center many opportunities to save a life due to mistaken identity of the buildings. Plus, where is the best place to change someone's mind and stop an abortion from taking place?  Outside an abortion mill or as close as you can possibly get to the clinic.  This film reveals the pro-aborts way of thinking.  Its pretty backwards thinking when you think pro-lifers are more dangerous than abortionists or those working in the abortion mill.  What is more violent then killing another human being?  It really is quite sickening.

The first you tube video below gives a review of "12th and Delaware".  You can tell on which side of the abortion issue the interviewer and the two film producers are on.  In the second video Ann Lotierzo, who runs the pregnancy center featured in the documentary, reveals how the film producers deceived her regarding the filming of the documentary.   In the third you tube video Ann and Father tell of the dangers of being a pro-lifer and how the movie avoided relaying that reality.

Review of "12th and Delaware" abortion documentary


Ann Lotierzo talks about the deceit of "12th & Delaware"




Fr. Euteneuer and Ann discuss the movie "12th and Delaware" and danger on the corner

Joe Mantegna: The Bargain with God which Took a Twist

Joe Mantegna is an actor on Criminal Minds, which is one of my favorite TV shows.  Until coming across this article I didn't know that he is Catholic.  Twenty-one years ago his wife, Arlene, was pregnant with their first child.  She became concerned when she couldn't feel the baby moving as much so she called the doctor.  She went in to see the doctor, then a half-hour later Joe got a call to rush to the hospital because the baby was in distress and needed to be delivered immediately or she would die.  The rest of the story continues below. 

"On the radio program "Personally Speaking" with Monsignor Jim Lisante, Joe recalled, "I went to the chapel. There was nobody else in there. I knelt and—I haven't been the most devout Catholic in my life, I'll be the first to admit, but we all tap into that which we know. And that is my spiritual connection to God, that's the channel it runs through—Catholicism. But I went in there and said, 'Look, I know I'm not on the A Team. I'm not one of the starters; I've been on the bench for a while. But please, if there's something that can be done for this child to live, I'm prepared to do whatever I must do.'"

"Born three months premature and weighing only 1 pound, 13 ounces, Mia was successfully delivered. Though she spent several months in intensive care, her health improved and she eventually went home. Joe and Arlene thought they had dodged every bullet but, at age three, it became obvious that something was wrong with Mia's development. It was then that they received the diagnosis; Mia was autistic.

"Recalling that period, Joe says, "I think everybody goes through shock and anger—it's human nature to go through that, but the trick is you have to move past it because you're not doing anybody any good by staying in a state of anger. There's nothing productive about that. So rather than yell at the wind, you try to use the wind you have to fill a sail . . . [my] prayer was granted, but there were obviously some stipulations that came with it. And you know what—it's okay. I look around me and I look at the world and at the suffering that goes on, and I think, 'Why not me?' If this is that thing that we as a family have to deal with, we'll do it. I still feel blessed that we're able to deal with it as best as we can. So I think back on that moment of prayer and I'm convinced that it worked."

"Mia is now twenty-two years old, lives with her parents, and is "fairly high functioning." While the autism has brought challenges, it's also brought blessings. Joe says, "My daughter has this purity about her. [Kids with special needs may be] lacking in terms of the things we wish they had—communication, speech, all the behavior that we call normal. The other things they are lacking is—my daughter doesn't understand hate, she doesn't understand jealousy. These abstract kinds of emotions aren't on her radar. So she's pure in spirit. She gets frustrated about things, but she never has a moment of vindictiveness or anger or hatred because it's just not part of her psyche. The magical things about life still exist in her and always will." " 

As you can see Joe's life has had twist and turns but God has also brought blessings to his life.  He may not have had the strongest faith before dealing with the ordeal during his wife's pregnancy but  God at a time of his choosing opened a door for him to grow stronger in his faith.  Just as God did that for Joe he also opens a door for the rest of us at a time of his choosing so that we may either return to our faith or so that we may grow stronger in our faith.  


H/T Patheos 

Realism vs Idealism

In a recent post I raised the question Is It Ever Morally Licit to Lie? with regard to the Lila Rose: Live Action debate occurring across the Catholic blogosphere.  The debate has continued on.  I recently came across an article by Dr. Peter Kreeft which takes up the same question.  He pins the realist point of view versus the idealist point of view.

Here is his article:

When I talk about abortion, I often surprise most of my audience, even some prolifers, by saying that not only is abortion always evil but that it is not a “complex issue,” that deep down we all know that it is evil; that Mother Teresa is very clearly right when she says “If abortion isn’t wrong, nothing is wrong.”

I want to say a similar thing about Live Action: not only (1) that its actions were right but (2) that they were very clearly right.

An immediate objection arises to my second point. If it was very clearly right, why do some sincere and intelligent pro-lifers insist that it was wrong?

This is not surprising, for many sincere and intelligent people disagree with the even more obvious truth that abortion is always wrong. Not all pro-choicers are insincere or stupid. Some are both sincere and intelligent, like the pro-lifers who disagreed with Live Action.

The controversy about Live Action probably is rooted in a controversy about method in ethics, specifically about which should have priority, (1) clear definitions of general moral principles and valid logical reasoning from them (“casuistry”) or (2) moral experience, instinctive moral judgments about concrete situations by our innate moral common sense. I think it is (2) and I think these critics think it is (1). I think they are so (rightly) afraid of moral relativism that they have (wrongly) fallen into moral legalism.

I teach Logic, I have written a Logic textbook, and I value logic very highly. On some other occasion I may take the time to argue logically against the serious arguments of the pro-life critics of Live Action, and about the proper definition of “lying.” But in this short piece I want to appeal to something that I think is prior in importance, in clarity, and in time, namely our immediate, intuitive moral experience. For that is what I find missing in their arguments.

The question of method in moral reasoning has a long and heavy history. Beginning with Ockham (Nominalism), exacerbated by Descartes (Rationalism), and even more by Kant (his ‘Copernican revolution in philosophy’), our concept of ‘reason’ has been increasingly separated from experience and narrowed to something more and more resembling what computers do. The Aristotelian and Thomistic (and, more generally, pre-modern) meaning of ‘reason’ is broader. It had to be, to justify the definition of man as ‘the rational animal.’ It included the immediate, intuitive understanding (‘the first act of the mind’ in Aristotelian-Scholastic logic) and intuitive judgment (‘the second act of the mind’) as well as inductive or deductive reasoning (‘the third act of the mind’).

CONTINUED

Started New Job... Been Sick... Here are Some Voltaire Quotes I Found Interesting

This I heard on Criminal Minds so I'm not sure if its an exact quote from Voltaire or not: 


"The man visited by ecstasies and visions, who takes dreams for realities is an enthusiast; the man who supports his madness with murder is a fanatic." 




I am in full agreement with the following statement:


"I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it."




Is this true? 


"It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong."

Pope John Paul II "Abba Pater"

Is it Ever Morally Licit to Lie?

Is it ever morally licit to lie?  As Christians we are taught that it is never okay to lie but is that really true?  We know that in the scriptures Jesus tells us that telling a lie is a sin but does he ever let us know that telling a lie is morally acceptable or even considered good in God's eyes?  For instance if a person is a part of a sting operation, such as the type that Lila Rose has been participating in, is it morally permissible to lie in order to catch a criminal?  Is it morally permissible for a person to lie in order to save a person's life, like those who lied to Nazis during World World II?  Do you think lying in these types of circumstances will harm your soul?  Or do you think that God would look upon you with favor since you saved or at least were trying to save an individual's life?  Even though lying may be acceptable in these circumstances do you think that taking part in confession would be in order?  Here are a couple Bible passages which show individuals lying for good reason:

Exodus 1: 15-20

¹⁵ The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, ¹⁶ “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” ¹⁷ The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. ¹⁸ Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”

 ¹⁹ The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.”

 ²⁰ So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. ²¹ And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.

Joshua 2:2-14

 ² The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” ³ So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land.”

 ⁴ But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. ⁵ At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, they left. I don’t know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them.” ⁶ (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.) ⁷ So the men set out in pursuit of the spies on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut.

⁸ Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof ⁹ and said to them, “I know that the LORD has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. ¹⁰ We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. ¹¹ When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

 ¹² “Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign ¹³ that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them—and that you will save us from death.”

 ¹⁴ “Our lives for your lives!” the men assured her. “If you don’t tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully when the LORD gives us the land.”

Since in one passage God was kind to the midwives, people multiplied and the other passage shows how Rahab believes in God and is delivered when Jericho is attacked one might conclude that it is morally licit to lie in some circumstances, albeit not the norm. 

Dr. Miravalle Speaking on Our Lady of Lourdes

Clashing Voices Weigh in on Theology of the Body Controversy

I came across this post on Desiderium by Kevin Symonds which claims that Rome has given an answer to Christopher West's approach in teaching the Theology of the Body (TOB).   Since Christopher West's interview on Nightline in May of 2009 there has been much controversy and questions regarding his approach of teaching John Paul II's TOB due to remarks he made during that interview.  But, the problem with Kevin's claim that Vatican document Persona Humana "answers" and then later clarified "provides an answer" to Christopher West is that this was written in 1975 and geared to those who believe in the moral permissibility of homosexuality, premarital sex, masturbation et al and this obviously doesn't apply to Christopher West.

Kevin states:  "It is my suspicion that the effect of Christopher West's take on John Paul II's TOTB has led to irreverence in the minds of our generation of young adult Catholics."

I am not quite sure how Kevin Symonds can make this assertion when Christopher West is trying to appeal, open the door to, and is teaching individuals who are engaging in sexually illicit behavior what is morally licit sexual behavior, which is derived from TOB and past Church teaching.  Alice Von Hildebrand and Christopher West are both great philosophical/theological leaders but her criticisms of Christopher West's exegesis of TOB are unjustified.  Alice Von Hildebrand uses more of a soft-spoken manner to get her point across while Christopher West expressions are livelier and I would say that neither type of presentation is wrong.  In fact, it seems like Hildebrand and West are appealing to different audiences.  While Christopher West is opening the door to individuals who might change their immoral behavior Alice Von Hildebrand seems to be expounding on that with people who are grounded in their faith.

Kevin makes a good point that concupiscence is not easily overcome but only with prayerful sacrifice and taking up your cross daily.  That is a point that West himself acknowledges in his own blog about his earlier presentations.

"It is abundantly clear from both Catholic teaching and human experience that, so long as we are on earth, we will always have to battle with concupiscence - that disordering of our passions caused by original sin (see Catechism of the Catholic Church 405, 978, 1264, 1426). In some of my earliest lectures and tapes, I confess that I did not emphasize this important point clearly enough. The battle with concupiscence is fierce. Even the holiest saints can still recognize the pull of concupiscence within them. Yet, as John Paul II insisted, we "cannot stop at casting the 'heart' into a state of continual and irreversible suspicion due to the manifestations of the concupiscence of the flesh... Redemption is a truth, a reality, in the name of which man must feel himself called, and 'called with effectiveness'" (TOB 46:4). ...

..."I humbly invite all those who question what I teach about liberation from concupiscence to take a closer look at the teaching of John Paul II on the matter (see especially TOB 43:6, 45:3, 46:4, 46:6, 47:5, 48:1, 48:4, 49:4, 49:6, 58:7, 86:6-7, 101:3-5, 107:1-3, 128:3, 129:5). 

Going by the above statement it is evident that Christopher West agrees with Kevin that it is best for people to actually read Pope John Paul II's in order to get to know the Theology of the Body.

West continues:

"It is a point of utmost importance. Indeed, in a very real way, debates about what we are capable of in the battle with concupiscence take us to the crux of the Gospel itself. "This is what is at stake," John Paul II maintained, "the reality of Christ's redemption. Christ has redeemed us! This means he has given us the possibility of realizing the entire truth of our being; he has set our freedom free from the domination of concupiscence"  (Veritatis Splendor 103).

"The teaching of John Paul II is clear: liberation from concupiscence - or, more precisely, from the domination of concupiscence (John Paul II used both expressions) - is not only a possibility, it is a necessity if we are to live our lives "in the truth" and experience the divine plan for human love (see TOB 43:6, 47:5). Indeed, Christian sexual ethos "is always linked... with the liberation of the heart from concupiscence" (TOB 43:6). And this liberation is just as essential for consecrated celibates and single people as it is for married couples (see TOB 77:4).

"It is precisely this liberation that allows us to discover what John Paul II called "mature purity." In mature purity "man enjoys the fruits of victory over concupiscence" (TOB 58:7). This victory is gradual and certainly remains fragile here on earth, but it is nonetheless real. For those graced with its fruits, a whole new world opens up - another way of seeing, thinking, living, talking, loving, praying. But to those who cannot imagine freedom from concupiscence, such a way of seeing, living, talking, loving, and praying not only seems unusual - but improper, imprudent, dangerous, or even perverse."

It is unclear whether Kevin Symonds is merely going by what critics have said about West and his work or if he has actually sufficiently taken trouble to critically examine those sources himself. Kevin refers to himself as "being the geek who actually checks references..."  He recounted checking only one reference but he didn't even quote THAT one.  The remainder of his attacks on West lack a direct engagement with him and his work, focusing instead on what he has heard from others and the off-the-cuff defenses of West they use in conversation.  From reading Kevin Symonds' writings which are critical of West's work (presentation of TOB) what IS clear is that he fits the description West gives of one who cannot even imagine such freedom from concupiscence, and thus sees West's work as " improper, imprudent, dangerous, or even perverse."  Symonds uses the label "scandalous".  In all fairness, he does say that some freedom of the domination of concupiscence is possible for those who undergo ascesis, but the impression that he gives is that this is only possible for those who live a monastic life.  For ordinary lay people, particularly married people or young singles, he doesn't seem to hold out much hope that Christ's redemption can free them from bondage to lust, so even talking about such matters is immature at best (he judges West as immature from one presentation, though he does not offer any support for this assessment), and usually spiritually dangerous. Kevin seems to have a limited view of who has the capacity to overcome the dominance of concupiscence.

Another thing which is also clear from Kevin Symonds' unqualified endorsement of Alice Von Hildebrand's work - he is certain that her way of presenting the Catholic Church's teaching about sexuality, derived from her husband's work, is the only right way to teach this topic.  Whether she would agree with him on this score I do not pretend to know, but there is no question about that with regard to Christopher West.  He knows that he is not "the definitive voice on the subject" and is glad of others who teach it and of their different approaches.

The Secret Deal

Michael Voris is spot on! How many of you have heard your priest preach on abortion, sin, or contraception recently?  Or if you do its a quick mention maybe once or twice a year.  Instead the norm is to hear the message to love one another week after week.  This is the reason for the decline in attendance, monetary contributions, and thus causes Church and school closings.  This is extremely monotonous and people become bored out of their minds.  Their minds are not being stimulated so the people are looking in other places to fulfill this stimulation. Parishioners are thirsty to be challenged in their faith.  We need to send a message by refusing to hand over money to those parishes who are not fulfilling their obligation to teach the Faith properly.

Boy Breaches Security To Meet Pope

The Boy is going to remember this moment forever.

VIDEO: Boy breaches security to meet Pope : MyFoxORLANDO.com

Bishop David Zubik Loses a Super Bowl Bet

Bishop David L. Ricken of Green Bay and Bishop David A. Zubik of Pittsburgh made a Super Bowl bet.  Ah man, my Steelers lost.  This bites!  But, its not all their fault considering....  The Obama curse has not been broken.  Obama gave them his "blessing" and like everything else that Obama has "blessed" the Steelers ended up losing as well.  The bishops bet on making personal donations to the Catholic Charities in the city of the winning team.  Now, my bishop, Bishop Zubik has to unload some dough to the Catholic Charities of Green Bay. 

The Grace Card Trailer

This movie looks very inspirational and has a positive message. I'm adding this to my list of movies I want to see.



This movie looks very inspirational and has a positive message.  I'm adding this to my list of movies to see.

This movie looks very inspirational and has a positive message.  I'm adding this to my list of movies to see.

This movie looks very inspirational and has a positive message.  I'm adding this to my list of movies to see.This movie looks very inspirational and has a positive message.  I'm adding this to my list of movies to see

Catholic Culture Clash Links 2-4-11 -- Pro-Life Style

In light of all the undercover videos revealing that Planned Parenthood has both covered up and assisted sex traffickers Mike Pence will be introducing legislation to revoke taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood.  This is great news!  I hope that Congress is able to cut taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood.  How dare people force their moral depravity on others who know that abortion is murder and is morally illicit.

On Sanctity of Life weekend there were 4000 crosses that parishioners had placed outside Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Rancho Cucamonga in remembrance of the unborn babies who die each day from abortions.  

It has been uncovered and confirmed from the CDC that the Obama administration, the least transparent administration in history, 'is deliberately playing “hide the ball” on nationwide abortion statistics'.  For the first time in 40 years the CDC's annual  “Abortion Surveillance Report” wasn't published and there are no plans to release the data in the future thanks to the Obama administration.  After the revelation of numerous damaging disclosures of unconscionable practices the Obama administration may not want to disclose certain information. The most pro-abortion president in history may want to hide the truth about abortion.  As ordered by the Obama administration, now only the Federal government will be reporting on the abortion statistics.  

St. Blaise & The Litany of the Fourteen Holy Helpers

Today is St. Blaise's feast day. St. Blaise was a Bishop in Armenia, physician, and a martyr.  He is the patron against troubles of the throat. He is also one of the Fourteen Martyrs.


From News Advent: At the time of the persecution under Licinius he was taken prisoner at the command of the governor, Agricolaus. The hunters of the governor found him in the wilderness in a cave to which he had retired and while in prison he performed a wonderful cure of a boy who had a fishbone in his throat and who was in danger of choking to death. After suffering various forms of torture St. Blasius was beheaded; theActs relate also the martyrdom of seven women.




Here is the Litany of the Fourteen Holy Helpers: 

LORD, have mercy on us. 

Christ, have mercy on us. 

Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. 

Christ, graciously hear us. 

God the Father of Heaven, 

Have mercy on us. 

God the Son, Redeemer of the world, 

Have mercy on us. 

God the Holy Ghost, 

Have mercy on us. 

Holy Trinity, one God, 

Have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, Queen of Martyrs, 

pray for us. 

St. Joseph, helper in all needs, etc. 

Fourteen Holy Helpers, 

St. George, valiant Martyr of Christ, 

St. Blaise, zealous bishop and benefactor of the poor, 

St. Erasmus, mighty protector of the oppressed, 

St. Pantaleon, miraculous exemplar of charity, 

St. Vitus, special protector of chastity, 

St. Christophorus, mighty intercessor in dangers, 

St. Dionysius, shining mirror of faith and confidence, 

St. Cyriacus, terror of Hell, 

St. Achatius, helpful advocate in death, 

St. Eustachius, exemplar of patience in adversity, 

St. Giles, despiser of the world, 

St. Margaret, valiant champion of the Faith, 

St. Catherine, victorious defender of the Faith and of purity, 

St. Barbara, mighty patroness of the dying,

All ye Holy Helpers, etc. 

All ye Saints of God, 

In temptations against faith, 

In adversity and trials, 

In anxiety and want, 

In every combat, 

In every temptation, 

In sickness, 

In all needs, 

In fear and terror , 

In dangers of salvation, 

In dangers of honor, 

In dangers of reputation, 

In dangers of property, 

In dangers by fire and water , 

Be merciful, spare us, O Lord! 

Be merciful, graciously hear us, O Lord!

From all sin, 

deliver us, O Lord. 

From Thy wrath, etc. 

From the scourge of earthquake, 

From plague, famine, and war, 

From lightning and storms, 

From a sudden and unprovided death, 

From eternal damnation,

Through the mystery of Thy holy incarnation, etc. 

 Through Thy birth and Thy life, 

Through Thy Cross and Passion, 

Through Thy death and burial, 

Through the merits of Thy blessed Mother Mary, 

Through the merits of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, 

On the Day of Judgment, deliver us, O Lord!

We sinners, beseech Thee hear us. 

That Thou spare us, 

We beseech Thee, hear us. 

That Thou wilt pardon us, etc. 

That Thou wilt convert us to true penance, 

That Thou wilt give and preserve the fruits of the earth, 

That Thou wilt protect and propagate Thy holy Church, 

That Thou wilt preserve peace and concord among the nations, 

That Thou wilt give eternal rest to the souls of the departed, 

That Thou wilt come to our aid through the intercession of the Holy Helpers, 

That through the intercession of St. George Thou wilt preserve us in the Faith, 

That through the intercession of St. Blaise Thou wilt confirm us in hope, 

That through the intercession of St. Erasmus Thou wilt enkindle in us Thy holy love, 

That through the intercession of St. Pantaleon Thou wilt give us charity for our neighbor, 

That through the intercession of St. Vitus Thou wilt teach us the value of our soul, 

That through the intercession of St. Christophorus Thou wilt preserve us from sin, 

That through the intercession of St. Dionysius Thou wilt give us tranquillity of conscience, 

That through the intercession of St. Cyriacus Thou wilt grant us resignation to Thy holy will, That through the intercession of St. Eustachius Thou wilt give us patience in adversity, 

That through the intercession of St. Achatius Thou wilt grant us a happy death, 

That through the intercession of St. Giles Thou wilt grant us a merciful judgment, 

That through the intercession of St. Margaret Thou wilt preserve us from Hell, 

That through the intercession of St. Catherine Thou wilt shorten our Purgatory, 

That through the intercession of St. Barbara Thou wilt receive us in Heaven, 

That through the intercession of all the Holy Helpers Thou wilt grant our prayers,

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, 

spare us, O Lord. 

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, 

graciously hear us, O Lord. 

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, 

have mercy on us, O Lord.

FR. TOM EUTENEUER's Contrite Response Which Sets the Record Straight

From LifeSiteNews: 

It is with great sadness, but also with a certain measure of relief, that I can now respond to the many inquiries about my departure as president of Human Life International (HLI) at the end of August 2010. It has been painful for me to remain silent in light of the ongoing speculation, particularly when much of it assigned blame to those who were, in fact, blameless.  I am thankful to be able to set the record straight so that speculation can stop and blame can be placed right where it belongs - with me.

The circumstances that led to my departure from HLI were related exclusively to my own decisions and conduct within the ministry of exorcism that I carried out independently from my responsibilities at HLI. The vast majority of my decisions and conduct, both personally and in this ministry, were morally sound and consistent with all standards of pastoral care of persons.  Moreover, they were all motivated exclusively by my desire to give priestly assistance to people in great spiritual distress. I must acknowledge, however, that one particularly complex situation clouded my judgment and led me to imprudent decisions with harmful consequences, the worst of which was violating the boundaries of chastity with an adult female who was under my spiritual care.

I take full responsibility for my own poor judgment, my weakness and my sinful conduct that resulted from it. I offer no excuse for my professional or moral failures, nor do I shift the blame to anyone else. I state without reserve that I am deeply sorry for my actions.  I have personally apologized, where possible, to anyone I have harmed.  I am saddened beyond words for my fall, not only because of the harm done to my priesthood and my family, but also because of the harm done to all others who are affected, to the faith of those who placed so much trust in me and our Church, and to the pro-life movement so populated with heroic, faithful people. I must face and make amends for the disappointment I have caused.  I have, of course, asked for God’s forgiveness and I have confidence in his boundless mercy.  I am now grateful to be able to publicly ask for all of yours as well.

As to my departure from HLI, Church officials are completely without blame, having dealt in a timely and appropriate manner with a crisis that was not of their making.  I offer this statement as a matter of justice to vindicate Church officials who have been unjustly criticized by those writing and speaking in ignorance of the facts.

While I would much prefer to allow this public act of contrition to stand alone, I regret having to address the malicious falsehoods that were published this past week on various internet sites. I can only say that I am shocked to the depths of my being at the malicious efforts by supposedly faithful Catholics to destroy a priest who has served the Church faithfully for 22 years. The campaigners have made intolerable attempts to contact my family, to defame innocent co-workers and even to solicit and to persuade others with whom I have prayed that they are victims despite their unequivocal statements to the contrary.  Some have even claimed falsely and maliciously that there is a possessed person living in my family’s home. No one should have to endure such malevolence or such treatment of innocent family members.  Despite the rhetoric of justice and truth-seeking, the sinful campaign has not made one single positive contribution to the resolution of this difficult situation that has already been handled appropriately by Church authorities for nearly six months.

While I would otherwise willingly suffer calumnies in silence to atone for my sins, and knowing how pointless it is to respond to every crackpot with a website, I cannot remain silent when such falsehoods threaten to damage the Church, the priesthood, and other innocent persons and organizations that are or have been linked to me.  I therefore affirm and will never deviate from my affirmation that the following are true:

• My violations of chastity were limited to one person only, an adult woman;
• The violations of chastity happened due to human weakness but did not involve the sexual act;
• The accusation that I “targeted” vulnerable women or otherwise sought them out for spiritual direction is utterly false and a serious defamation of my character and ministry;
• With rare exceptions, my exorcism/prayer ministry was always conducted with prayer helpers (third parties) present; situations where prayer or pastoral care occurred without helpers present were exceptional situations where I believed it was necessary for me to act quickly in order to help the afflicted person; while not proper protocol, these departures from the norm were never done with a motive to be alone with vulnerable women;
• I repudiate any allegations of financial impropriety in conducting my prayer/exorcism ministry; I never, under any circumstances, solicited money for the ministry other than travel-related reimbursements, nor did I use HLI donor funds to carry out this work; any gifts offered to me were unsolicited and only accepted so as not to offend the giver and in most cases immediately given to those more needy than myself;
• I have no knowledge of any persons who received any financial settlement in this matter, nor have I asked for that to be given.

I pray that my two decades of faithful priestly ministry and my efforts in the defense of life will be seen in the light of the good fruits they have produced and not denigrated because of my moments of weakness in a most challenging ministry. I also wish to state that I have never entertained even the slightest thought of leaving the holy priesthood or the Roman Catholic Church as a result of my failings. Currently I am under obedience to my bishop who has allowed me to make this statement and in whose hands I leave all questions of continuing priestly ministry. I conclude with an expression of deepest gratitude for the prayers of the many generous supporters of my priesthood and of the prolife movement.

While he violated his vow of chastity and I don't approve of Fr. Euteneuer's actions this sinful act seems minor compared to the incidents where priests sexually abused children.  Plus, he is sorrowful for his actions.  Most of the priests who were guilty of the latter did not show any remorse for their heinous crimes. If only when it came to the bishops responding to the priest sexual abuse crisis they would have responded in a similar fashion.  I believe the fact that Fr. Euteneuer was an exorcist should be taken into account since there is a possibility that the devil could have attacked him or he could have become vulnerable because of his ministry.  My thoughts and prayers are with Fr. Euteneuer and with all those involved. 

Egypt, the Obama Administration & the Muslim Brotherhood

Egypt is in complete chaos!  While Mubarak isn't a good choice for a leader I certainly don't want a worse one to crop up amidst all the turmoil.  Does the Obama administration want the Muslim Brotherhood, which is a terrorist organization, to take control of Egypt?  Since there is evidence that the Obama administration held a secret meeting with the Muslim Brotherhood to plan the post-Mubarak government it seems like the administration does want them to take at least partial control of Egypt, if not total control.  How is this good for the United States and the rest of the world?  This is beginning to look a lot like 1979 in Iran, repeating history.  This would be terrible news for the world if this is true.  Tammy Bruce thinks that Obama wants the Muslim Brotherhood in charge.  Wouldn't this be devastating for the world's oil supply if the Muslim Brotherhood were in charge of Egypt? Now, the chaotic situation has gotten even worse since their is now clash of the Egyptians - pro-Mubarak protesters vs. anti-government protesters are going head to head with each other, throwing rocks at one another.  This tumultuous situation calls for much prayer for God's intervention to protect the people.