Ready to evacuate

On April 13, the first reading at the Mass was from Acts 4:32-37. This is a familiar passage where we read how the growing community of Christians would sell their "lands and houses" and bring the proceeds to the Apostles. Money was distributed to each person in accordance with their needs.

"Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. There was a Levite, a native of Cyprus, Joseph, to whom the apostles gave the name Barnabas (which means ‘son of encouragement’). He sold a field that belonged to him, then brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet."

Such a system strikes us as strange today, given that the Catholic Church is not asking anyone to sell their possessions and give them all to the Church (unless you become a consecrated religious and take a vow of poverty). But this behavior was also strange by the standards of the new Church. Indeed, as we read the New Testament and hear about the spreading of the Gospel throughout Israel and the Mediterranean, we notice that this pattern of putting all possessions in common was not reproduced anywhere else. It only happened in Jerusalem.

Ready to eject

A number of scholars have put forth explanations, but I recently heard a very down to earth and pragmatic angle that makes a lot of sense. Prior to his Passion, Jesus warned the disciples that Jerusalem would eventually be destroyed. When that happened, the disciples were to drop everything and flee the city.

By selling all their "lands and houses" they had no attachments to the land and were therefore well prepared to evacuate the city in a moment's notice. That's part of the reason why this behavior was only observed in Jerusalem and nowhere else in the new Church. And indeed we know that Jerusalem was destroyed at around 70 A.D.

Now nobody is claiming that this is the only reason we observed this behaviour in Jerusalem.  For sure, the putting in common of possessions was also representative of the spiritual communion of the members of the new Church and of their preoccupation for the needs of the poor. 

Yet, God knows how attached we can be to material goods.  In order to preserve the new Church from destruction, His wisdom saw fit to ensure that the early Christians were "footloose".  He's such a great strategist. 

Are we ready to give up our possessions if need be?  It might come sooner than we think if the uprising of the Left against the Church continues at this pace.

.

Putting abortion advocates in a box

Very clever article in the National Post.  I'd like to see what any pro-choice reader has to say in response.

.

Happy Easter!

What's that you say?  I'm a week late?

Not at all!  In the Catholic Church, Easter lasts for eight days.  It's called the Octave of Easter.  It runs from Easter Sunday until the next Sunday.  And every day during the Octave is celebrated as if it were still Easter Day.

Easter is such a big deal that Catholics want to celebrate it for eight days.  And every one of those days is a solemnity, which is the highest type of feast in the Catholic Church.  Talk about a party time!

If you pay attention, you'll notice that during every Mass of the Octave, the preface to the Eucharistic Prayer says "We praise you with greater joy than ever on this Easter day, when Christ became our paschal sacrifice."

So while stores are busy placing all their Easter chocolate on sale, because they've put Easter behind them, Catholics are still celebrating Easter and taking advantage of all those discounted chocolates :-)

  

Enjoy the remainder of Easter Day!  

Christ is risen!  Truly he is risen, as he said he would!

 


.

Bishop Lahey accused of sexually abusing boy

Up to now, we had only heard of Bishop Lahey being charged with possession and importing child pornography.  But now, a man has come forward claiming that Bishop Lahey sexually assaulted him many times in the early 1980s when he was between 9 and 13 years old.  Read the story here.

I personally think that there is a link between child porn and pedophilia.  I've read stories about convicted pedophiles who admit that child porn was a driver of their addiction.  

Keep in mind that none of these accusations against Bishop Lahey have been proven in court.  Of course, the accusations could be false, a clever scheme of an opportunist seeking to cash-in on the current scandals.  But these days, I'm not inclined to put blind faith in any clergyman. 


.

Wonderful action by the Bishop of Green Bay

Here!  Here!  Thank you Bishop David Ricken for suspending your diocese's collection to the CCHD, which is funneling money to groups that support abortion and same-sex marriage!

We could use more of this from our Canadian bishops.  So far, only three Canadian bishops have decided to withhold Lenten donations from Development and Peace, according to this useful website.  There are more than 60 dioceses in the Latin rite in Canada.

Retraction and apology on Caritas Haiti

It has just come to my attention that Caritas Haiti published a "clarification" on their activities.  You can read the document in French here.

The author of the "clarification" is the Director General of Caritas Haiti.  He explains that the language on their website does not imply any support for abortion or contraception.  On the contrary, they affirm their adherence to Church teaching on these matters.  

I deeply regret the error on my part and apologize to Caritas Haiti, Development and Peace, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and to my readers.  I had contacted Caritas Haiti to seek clarification before publishing my story, but they never replied.  In the past, I've been ignored by other groups that subsequently proved to be financially supporting pro-abortion activities.  As a result, the silence of Caritas Haiti was not reassuring.  Nevertheless, I'm deeply sorry about my error.

I'm still surprised that they used language typically employed only by pro-abortion groups.  I'm fluent in French, having actually been raised mostly in French, so I fully understand the subtleties of the French language.  I hope that Caritas Haiti will be refining the wording on their website to avoid erroneous interpretations about their ministry. 

Their clarification was released one week after the Holy See visited my blog (side note:  the Holy See came back a second time on February 18).  The two ambiguous sentences that Caritas Haiti felt the need to clarify in the document above were specifically the sentences I quoted in my blog post.  It wouldn't surprise me that the Holy See contacted Caritas Haiti to request that they publicly clarify their stance.  This is a testament to the growing influence of blogs.  With influence also comes great responsibility.  We need to be careful about what we write.

Once again, I apologize for this error.  Yet, this does not call into question the Development and Peace scandal and the involvement of Canada's bishops.  Many D&P partners openly advocate abortion and contraception directly on their websites or in their offices.  There can be no misinterpretation in those cases.  One error on my part doesn't erase the mountain of evidence collected over the past year by various sources.

.

Back from vacation

I've just returned from a delicious vacation in a warm and sunny place.  It did me good to escape from our winter for a while.


.

Danger: you will have no right to take your kids out of pro-gay indoctrination classes

Please read this very disturbing story.  The pro-homosexual dictatorship is moving into Ontario schools and you won't have the power to withdraw your kids from those indoctrination classes.

King McGuinty has decreed that he knows what's best for your children and he will teach them whatever he pleases, even against your will.

Ironically, in this misguided quest for "inclusiveness", Christian values are being excluded. Isn't that how it always plays out?

.

Confessions of a gay man

When you hear Christians lamenting about the horror of the homosexual lifestyle, some people quickly pull out the "bigotry" and "discimination" cards.

This article offers a different take.  It was written a few years ago by an actively gay man who is ashamed of the lifestyle he has led.  This is not a conversion story, but it does offer insights into what the homosexual lifestyle is really like, straight from the horse's mouth.

It confirms everything that Christians have been saying for years.

.

Lahey child porn case to resume April 9

When this case finally goes to trial, I hope we can learn more about what accomplices Archbishop Lahey may have had within the Church to keep his little secret under the radar. We should also find out more about revelations that Archbishop Penney of St. John's was warned about Lahey 20 years ago.

These are sad times for the Church in Canada.  But the truth must be known.

.

Money plays such an important role in abortion

Tragically, there are so many incentives in our society today that push for abortion.  Whether it be pressures from family, a boyfriend or even financial constraints, everything seems rigged to encourage more abortions.

It turns out that even insurance companies in the U.S. prefer a woman to have an abortion rather than carry her baby to term because it's cheaper for them.  Doesn't that sound really cheap?  

The reality in Canada is no different.  The cost to your provincial Medicare program is much smaller for abortions than for babies carried to term.  As governments struggle to avoid deficits, it's little wonder that they don't want the status quo of abortion legislation to be changed.

Of course, there are longer term problems associated with abortion, not the least of which is the aging of the population that threatens the very existence of the Western world as we know it.  If we don't produce enough babies, the West will gradually wither away.  But politicians don't think long term.

So the next time you hear a pro-abort ranting about a "woman's right to choose", keep in mind that her "right" is being significantly influenced by the money driving the health care system.

.

Toronto Archdiocese Renews Funding Restrictions on Development and Peace

Finally some good news on the D&P scandal, again from Archbishop Thomas Collins of Toronto.  Last year, when the D&P scandal broke, he was the first to announce that no money from his Archdiocese would be sent to a D&P partner unless the partner was approved by the local bishop in the country where the operation was to take place.

He has just now reiterated this position.  Read the coverage here. 

This type of leadership is exactly what the Canadian Church needs.  Here's a man who is rising up to receive the grace of courage being offered by God to His bishops.  He refuses to be complicit in D&P's devious ruse and he's not afraid to announce it publicly, thus avoiding scandal among his flock.  He will not be bullied by his brother bishops.  He is clearly showing the Catholics of Toronto and of the whole country that he will not tolerate funding being send to anti-Church groups.

May God bless you, Archbishop Collins.  Your Grace, we are at your disposal should you ever need us to help bring change to D&P.  Just say the word and we'll come running.  

May this good bishop inspire the other timid bishops in this country to rise up to the full measure of Christ.

.

Do we really need the CCCB?

Everything said in this video about the lack of authority of the USCCB applies to the CCCB.  So why bother with a national bishops conference?  We certainly need bishops, but do we need national conferences that pretend to be their own magisterium that can oppose Rome? 


.

Corruption at USCCB worse than anyone thought

Right up there with the CCCB.

Toyota woes pushing people to pray in the morning?

Last Thursday, the story broke that the Prius was also being investigated for possible brake problems.  This came after 2 weeks of Toyota reeling from a gigantic recall on many models due to faulty gas pedals.

I took a quick peek on Google Trends to see if many people were searching about Toyotas.  Google Trends provides statistics on which search terms are most popular.  Sure enough, the search Prius Brakes was the most popular search that day.  But interestingly, the search term in 2nd place was Prayer Breakfast.  Could it be that people driving Toyotas are saying extra breakfast prayers to avoid accidents before they head out?  :-)

.

IPCC "scientific" reports based on input from groups like Greenpeace

The UN's International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has been the main vehicle to spread the so-called "scientific" evidence in favour of the climate change ideology.  Yet, the more we poke around, the less scientific the IPCC turns out to be.  

Claims that thousands of scientists contribute to the report are hugely overblown and misleading.  And now we learn that interest groups are sometimes cited as the only evidence for some of the damage that climate change is supposed to wreak on our planet.  Case in point:

Considered the climate Bible by governments around the world, the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report is meant to be a scientific analysis of the most authoritative research.

Instead, it references literature generated by Greenpeace - an organization known more for headline-grabbing publicity stunts than sober-minded analysis. (Eight IPCC-cited Greenpeace publications are listed at the bottom of this post.) (Source)

The article that I quote goes on to cite many examples where the IPCC relies on interest groups like the World Wildlife Federation, Friends of the Earth or the David Suzuki Foundation for some of their "scientific" evidence.  This is a dangerous route.  (By the way, don't be deceived by the David Suzuki Foundation's charismatic leader.  The group is extremely politicized and ideologically driven.)

You should browse the blog quoted above, authored by Donna Laframboise of Toronto.  She does a good job of exposing the holes in the credibility of the climate-change-theorists.  You won't find this valuable info in the main stream media.

.

Hasbro and Toys R Us selling Ouija board for kids

This is very alarming.  LifeSiteNews.com reports that Hasbro has produced a Ouija board for kids that is being sold at Toys R Us stores.

Ouija boards, like all forms of occult, expose the soul to demons.  This is no laughing matter.  This is dead serious and it must be stopped.  Please join the boycott of Hasbro.

Watch the video below to learn how a Ouija board can destroy someone's life.


.

Why Jesus? Why Christianity? Part 1: His sincerity

A lot of people are searching for answers and purpose amid a world that is confused, harsh and unforgiving.  Over the centuries, so many people have come to Jesus for consolation and meaning.  Have you ever wondered why?  Perhaps you're also searching for answers because your life is unfulfilled?  This is the first in a series of articles on why Jesus is so special and what joys he can bring to your life.

Jesus was so sincere and authentic

Ignatieff supports D&P-style of pro-abortion international aid

Michael Ignatieff, the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, has stepped up his attacks against Prime Minister Stephen Harper on the most bizarre of fronts:  he insists that Harper's initiative to help maternal and child health in developing countries must include abortion services and contraception. 

Ignatieff's position doesn't surprise me one bit, since he's always been pro-abort and pro-homosexuality.  That's what the Liberal Party is all about.  What is interesting is that this model of development is identical to the model espoused by Development and Peace and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.  As the evidence has shown, D&P and the CCCB are supporting more than 40 groups in developing countries that promote abortion and contraception.  

So D&P and our bishops are of the same mind as Ignatieff:  any time you

Apparently, even cold weather is a sign of global warming

The folks pushing the climate change ideology have gone from desperate to outright ridiculous.  After the incalculable damage done to their credibility by ClimateGate, now we have this claim:  "Report:  Harsh winter a sign of climate change" (see picture).

This report cited in the article comes from that great bastion of scientific analysis called the National Wildlife Federation (cue the sarcastic laughter). 

If you've been following the climate change debate, you've realized by now that any weather development is "evidence" of global warming.

If it's hot, you obviously blame it on global warming.
If it's cold and snowy, it's also global warming.
If it's wet or dry, blame global warming.
Heck, I've even seen some people try to blame the tsunami and earthquakes on global warming.

We all know people who cling irrationally to unprovable theories and who interpret any new evidence as a confirmation of their view.  It's called paranoia.  It's also called conspiracy theory.  You can't reason with such folks.  If you try, they cut you out of their "peer reviewed" journals and they fudge their numbers to try and prove you wrong.

I'm not surprised that radicalized environmental groups pursue this road, but it annoys me when the main stream media swallows the bait, hook, line and sinker.  The article featured in this picture is from MS-NBC.  The report was also featured in the Washington Post.  Goes to show that you really can't trust the main stream media anymore.

.

Bribing the Taliban to stop: has it really come to this?

News flash from Roubini Global Economics:

New Afghan Plan: Financial Incentives to Give up Arms?

• At the London Conference on Afghanistan co-hosted by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, it was decided that a fund would be set up to provide employment and housing to Taliban fighters that give up the fight. Conference participants are expected to pledge about US$500 million for the fund.

We're gonna bribe them so they stop fighting?

Um, er... I'm not sure what to say.  It would be great if it works.  But I think this proposal reflects a serious misunderstanding of who the Taliban fighters are.  Part of their zeal in this battle is their utter disdain for the West and its materialist/capitalist ways.  The notion that cash will make them lay down their weapons seems absurd.  It will only serve to reinforce their notion that Westerners worship money and are willing to abandon any cause to acquire more money.  It's like trying to make amends with your vegetarian wife by inviting her to dinner at Al's Steakhouse. 

Besides, don't you think that anybody that accepts this offer will be considered a traitor in the eyes of the Taliban?  How long do you think traitors will survive?  I think the odds are pretty good that they would be killed and subsequently blown up (just to be doubly sure).

This plan is unfortunately doomed to fail.  The Taliban will probably spit on the letter of offer.

.

That grudge is killing you

Grudges are a strange thing.  It goes by many names:  bitterness, vendetta, rancour, resentment.  But it all boils down to the same thing.

We don't always seek them intentionally.  Sometimes they just "happen", sort of a defense mechanism after someone has hurt us badly.

What most people don't realize, however, is that the grudge you are holding is damaging you, not the person that hurt you.  The anger and resentment eats away at you and doesn't let you have peace or move on.

Letting go of that resentment is not a sign of weakness.  It doesn't expose

You have the power

The First Reading from today's Mass is from 2 Tim 1:1-8.  Here's a poignant passage:

For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.  Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God.

Don't underestimate the magnitude of what God can accomplish through you.  

Always remember the infinite power of the One who "has your back" and who will carry you through every trial and challenge.  The God who made the billions of galaxies can certainly grant you success in your undertakings for His Church.

The power of the Holy Spirit has been given to you.  It's there for the taking.  Will you claim it?  If you were given a cheque worth one billion dollars, would you cash it?  Or would you stick it in a drawer?

Rise up and claim what is yours!  Do something bold.  Get creative.  Take a risk.  Try something new.  God is with you.  Do not be afraid.  Do not be bashful in what you ask of God.  If you ask for little, you will get little.  

Stop complaining about the problems you see and start fixing them in whatever way you can.  

Make something happen.

.

Calgary church loses charitable status for its "non-partisan political activities"

A Calgary church has lost its charitable status in part because it spends too much of its time advocating on social issues such as abortion and marriage.

In October, the Kings Glory Fellowship Association, a non-denominational Protestant group, was told by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) that for several reasons, including a lack of clarity on how it spends it money, they could no longer issue charitable receipts.

But the letter highlighted that the group spent more than 10% of its time on “non-partisan political activities and therefore strayed into activities “outside its stated purpose.” (Source)

God bless those folks for their dedication to proclaiming the Truth.  It's also nice to hear that Bishop Fred Henry came to the defense of this church. You

A second D&P partner supports new abortion policy in Brazil

A few days ago, I reported that one of Development and Peace's (D&P) partners in Brazil had publicly endorsed the government's proposed policy that would make abortion a human right and would greatly advance the homosexualist agenda. They also publicly rebuked the Brazilian Catholic Church for requesting amendments to this policy.  Read about it here.

I've now learned that a second D&P partner in Brazil called Movimento de Mulheres Camponesas (MMC) has also publicly and unconditionally endorsed this policy.  Their article entitled "Who's afraid of human rights?" supports the complete and integral implementation of the policy, which has been widely criticized by the Catholic Church in Brazil.  The article also makes a veiled rebuke of the Catholic Church by criticizing "conservative sectors" of society that have made "unfounded criticisms" of the policy.  You can read MMC's article in Portuguese here.

So we now have two partners of Development and Peace that are supporting a pro-abortion and pro-homosexual policy while publicly rebuking the Brazilian Catholic Church.

This is crunch time for the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB).  As we are now witnessing, the D&P scandal is not some abstract or theoretical debate.  D&P's partners are contributing to the imminent legalization of abortion in Brazil.  We are witnessing this process live, right before our eyes.  This will have real and bloody consequences for Brazilians and their unborn babies very, very soon.

Are there any bishops in Canada that give a damn?  How can they sleep at night knowing that they will have been complicit in legalizing abortion in the world's largest Catholic country?  Is there any bishop left who will rise up and defend the unborn?

Your Graces, I'm sure you have many excuses for your inaction.  

Maybe you think that you did your part when you wrote some pastoral letter or gave a homily on abortion a few years ago.  Unfortunately, that's not even close to being enough.  It's relatively easy to write a beautiful letter and post it on your diocesan website where nobody will read it. 

Or perhaps you think that one man acting alone cannot make a difference when the majority of bishops are supportive of Development and Peace. 

Or maybe you think that it wouldn't look good to break ranks with your brother bishops, as if the image of unity projected by the CCCB supersedes the Truth of the Gospel.  Do you think that it's more important to exhibit a common front than to prevent the slaughter of thousands of innocent babes?  Do you think your distorted notion of episcopal solidarity excuses you from fulfilling the obligations of your sacred office?

I'm sure you have no shortage of rationalizations to justify your inaction.  But they all boil down to cowardice or ignorance of what God is really expecting from you.  How can you possibly claim to be pro-life when with one hand you're writing a letter against abortion but with the other hand you writing cheques to advance abortion in the Global South?

I understand that it's not easy to fight against the establishment.  It's much easier to keep quiet on watch the hockey game on Saturday night.  But don't forget that you were given a special grace from the Holy Spirit when you were elevated to the rank of bishop.  You've been endowed with the same gift of the Spirit that was granted to the Apostles.  You are capable of breaking the code of silence being imposed by corrupt bishops.  God has given you all the graces you need.  It's up to you to muster enough testosterone to take a stand. 


If you fulfill your duty, you will find that God will support you and give you strength and consolation.  You'll also find that many Catholics will rally behind you.  We will love you for your courageous stand.  We will support you in whatever means you request -- publicly or privately, through prayer or through works, financially or otherwise -- in order to bring change to D&P.  We will be humble and loving servants at your disposal, eager to lend a hand.  You won't be alone.

So what will it be?  On the day of your death, what will you say to Almighty God while He is surrounded by the souls of the aborted babies who never had a chance to live because of D&P?



************************************

I invite all readers to join me in a prayer for bishops:

Heavenly Father,
In these difficult times when the spirit of the age threatens Christian values, grant to all bishops holiness of life
and wisdom to proclaim the Gospel with faithfulness, boldness and charity, so that humanity may grow closer to You.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

.