Catholics Called to Witness

Benedict’s Message: Go to Jesus - Thursday, February 28, 2013

BY KATHRYN JEAN LOPEZ, NCRegister.com

People aren’t hearing us. People aren’t seeing us.

That’s why it’s nothing short of urgent that as Catholics we hear the message, not only of the Holy Father’s bold, historic and jolting move to renounce the papacy, but also, from a communications point of view, the message of his entire papacy.

The message: Catholics, be who you claim to be — live lives of prayer and faith.

Pope Benedict has witnessed to us how to do this, by opening a window into his own friendship with Christ, with all the world’s eyes looking in.

Every visible thing this man has said and done as pope has pointed us to Jesus, seeking to build up the body of Christ to a radically new level of engagement.

Knowing what we know now, it’s easy to go back and read everything he has written and spoken — during the final months of his papacy, especially — as marching orders.… Read the rest

White House Has ‘Trampled on Religious Freedom,’ Charge U.S. Lawmakers - Friday, February 22, 2013

Eleven legislators file a brief with 10th Circuit in HHS mandate case, as the U.S. bishops press ahead with legal and legislative efforts to defend conscience rights for all.

BY JOAN FRAWLEY DESMOND, NCRegister

WASHINGTON — Eleven legislators have filed an amicus brief stating that the federal contraception mandate violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), signed into law in 1993 by President Bill Clinton.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, a leading sponsor of RFRA, was among the group of lawmakers who filed the brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, which will rule on a legal challenge to the Health and Human Services’ mandate brought by Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., a Christian-owned retail chain.

“As one of the lead sponsors of RFRA, it’s deeply troubling to see this White House trample on the religious freedom the law seeks to protect,” Hatch said in a statement marking the politicians’ decision to file the brief.

… Read the rest

Bill Notifying Parents on Interstate Abortion Re-Introduced to Congress - Monday, February 18, 2013

The pro-life legislation would help states enforce their parental-involvement laws.

BY ADELAIDE DARLING/EWTN NEWS (NCRegister)

WASHINGTON — Federal lawmakers praised the reintroduction of a bill requiring parental notification to transport minors across state borders for an abortion.

“Congress must take action to prevent underage abortions by giving states the federal backing necessary to enforce their parental-involvement laws,” said Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., sponsor of the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act.

“These laws allow teenagers to receive the advice and guidance of a loved one before undergoing a procedure for which they may not be medically or emotionally prepared.”

Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., who is sponsoring the corresponding bill in the House of Representatives, said she is pleased by the support that the bill has gained and added that the legislation is part of “our duty to protect minors from exploitation from the abortion industry.”

“This bill is the right step in protecting parental rights and ensuring that young girls have a safer, healthier and brighter future,” she said.… Read the rest

The HHS Mandate and Beyond - Saturday, February 16, 2013

By Adriana Gonzalez

On February 1^st, 2013, the Department of Health and Human Services announced a revision to the HHS mandate. Since that announcement, legal scholars (more) and church leaders, including the USCCB, have decried the new “accommodation.” The HHS mandate, which requires employers to provide health insurance that covers contraception, sterilization, and abortion-inducing drugs, includes a narrow religious exemption. Before the February 1^st announcement, any institution that fulfills the following criteria was exempt from the mandate:

Has the inculcation of religious values as its purpose;
Primarily employs persons who share its religious tenets;
Primarily serves persons who share its religious tenets; and
Is a non-profit organization

The February 1^st revision applies to the administration’s definition of “religious institution.” Rather than using the four requirements above, the HHS will now define religious institution according to the IRS code. At face value it would seem that the exemption is now broader and more inclusive.… Read the rest

Pope’s last addresses call on Catholics to stay strong on marriage, abortion, eugenics, euthanasia - Thursday, February 14, 2013

BY HILARY WHITE, ROME CORRESPONDENT

ROME, (LifeSiteNews.com) – It was an emotional day at the Vatican as Pope Benedict XVI, in two of his last public addresses, called again on Christians to continue to defend the lives of innocent unborn and vulnerable people and to uphold the sanctity of natural marriage. In this morning’s regular Wednesday general audience he warned that Christians will face great pressure to give up their commitments.

“Even those who come from a Christian family … must renew daily their decision to be Christian, to give God the first place in the face of the temptations continuously suggested by a secularized culture, in the face of the criticism of many of their contemporaries.”

But this must not deter them from proclaiming the truth: “The temptation to set one’s faith aside is always present and conversion becomes a response to God that must be confirmed at various times throughout our lives,” he said.… Read the rest

Put Out Into Deep Waters and Let Down Your Nets For a Catch - Saturday, February 9, 2013

by Father Michael Eivers

We could easily call tomorrow “cast your nets Sunday” or evangelism Sunday. I say that because of the Sunday gospel which I invite you to read and study: Luke 5: 1-11. This was an event that happened as Jesus was preparing to start his ministry. I imagine Jesus teaching this vast crowd on the shore of the lake as he sat in Peter’s boat. Peter and his crew had been out fishing all night with no success. Then, as Jesus finished teaching, I imagine him, with a smile on his face, telling Peter: “Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Imagine the amazement of the crowd as they watched Peter obey and start to drag in the enormous catch of fish, so great that the net was in danger of tearing. Imagine too, the reaction of Peter and his companions. How we would love to know exactly what happened! … Read the rest

Celebrate National Marriage Week - Friday, February 8, 2013

Join us in celebrating National Marriage Week (Feb. 7-14)! For Your Marriage, an initiative of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, offers a seven day virtual retreat focused on marriage, a Facebook contest, and ideas for building up your own marriage.

Retreat Day 2: Marriage Is the Unique Union of a Man and a Woman

“In the beginning, says Sacred Scripture, God created man and woman in his image, ‘male and female He created them’ (Gn. 1:27). In His wisdom, God planned that man and woman would be made for each other. God willed that man and woman would hold something different and distinct in their sex that when brought together in union, would uniquely complement each other.” Read more.… Read the rest

No Deal! Bishops to Administration: You Can’t Force Lay Catholics to Act Against Faith - Thursday, February 7, 2013

By Terence P. Jeffrey

(CNSNews.com) – Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued a statement on Thursday signaling to the Obama Administration that the bishops will not make a separate deal to exempt Catholic institutions from an Obamacare mandate that requires health-care plans to cover sterilizations, contraceptives and abortion-inducing drugs that leaves lay Catholic business owners and individual employees still subject to the mandate.

“In obedience to our Judeo-Christian heritage, we have consistently taught our people to live their lives during the week to reflect the same beliefs that they proclaim on the Sabbath,” said Cardinal Dolan. “We cannot now abandon them to be forced to violate their morally well-informed consciences.”

The cardinal said the bishops will also continue to support the many lawsuits against the regulation–including those brought by private busineses–that are moving forward in federal courts around the country.… Read the rest

Why We March II - Wednesday, January 30, 2013

BY CONNIE MARSHNER

Hundreds of thousands braved the weather for Friday’s March for Life, commemorating the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Some observers will no doubt dismiss the enthusiastic young marchers as products of privileged, religious homes and educations, who don’t know anything about the problems real women face, and whose parents have brainwashed them into going on the March. But the reality is quite different. Pro-life activists are not by any means all cut from the same cloth.

… Read the rest

“I was in second or third grade and remember seeing … my mother’s blood, hearing the desperate cries, and grabbing the phone to call 911.” Melissa Pereira’s violently abusive father would lock her in the closet for hours. He often told her she should have been aborted, but she didn’t know what that meant until high school. She would go to sleep wondering if she’d ever wake up in the morning.

Cardinal Burke Heartened by U.S. Pro-Life Marches - Monday, January 28, 2013

The American cardinal, who serves as head of the Vatican’s highest court, praises the marches as a witness ‘to the respect for the inviolable dignity of every human life.’

BY ESTEFANIA AGUIRRE/CNA/EWTN (NCRegister.com)

ROME — Cardinal Raymond Burke says that the pro-life marches taking place across America this week “are a most important witness to the respect for the inviolable dignity of every human life.”

“It is heartening to note the increased participation in the pro-life marches,” the head of the Vatican’s highest tribunal, the Apostolic Signatura, told CNA Jan. 23.

“Surely, the witness of the pro-life marches gives occasion for all citizens in the nation to consider their fundamental duty as citizens to promote the respect for human life and to foster human life in our society.”

From coast to coast, pro-life marches and rallies in America marked the week of Jan. 22 as the 40th anniversary of Roe v.… Read the rest