The astounding facts of Planned Parenthood spending

Planned Parenthood reported 127 million dollars in revenue profits over their expenses last year... Cecile Richards, the CEO of Planned Parenthood, admitted her annual salary was over a half million dollars.  Congressional investigators discovered that Planned Parenthood diverted 22 million dollars into their lobbying arm, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund and that their annual budget is over 3 billion bucks!  

So it's a puzzlement why our government is contributing 1/2 a billion dollars of our tax money, to this extremely profitable company!

One of the Republicans said he counted 151 times, that Cecile Richards and her team visited the White House in the past six years...Ms Richards called the producer of the underground videos a coward for not attending those meetings but the Congressman said that the producer of the videos was not invited... These several videos exposed how Planned Parenthood is increasing their profits by selling fetal body parts to medical research 

Some folks have questions about defunding Planned Parenthood and Margery Dannenfelter answered a few of these......

Question: Will women who cannot afford health care suffer if Planned Parenthood is defunded?

Dannenfelter answered, "For every Planned Parenthood clinic, there are 20 federally qualified community health centers, so if Planned Parenthood loses its tax money, that tax money will go those centers where women will get more comprehensive health care...the change that will be made is that the federal government will be no longer involved in the abortion business which is at the heart of the Planned Parenthood business model"

Question, will the federally funded community health centers be overwhelmed if this happens?

Dannenfelter answered, "no, because if this change occurs, every health center that receives this money will only have to see 2 women per week extra....that's not a heavy lift and those two women per week will be far more conveniently and far more comprehensively cared for because they will not be going to Planned Parenthood anymore..."

Question, why is the federal government funding this wealthy organization (Planned Parenthood) that gets millions from wealthy donors?

Dannenfelter answered "Well, this is the big question! Planned Parenthood runs a surplus every year... they don't need our money...they are the largest abortion provider in the nation...and our tax dollars fund that big abortion business while they run a surplus... they simply don't need the cash..."

She added that Planned Parenthood's pre-natal care, is 1 to 2 percent while their abortion care is 98% of what they do...

Fr Steve Imbarrato of Priests for life, was a party to two abortions, twins of a girl he got pregnant.before he was in the seminary. (abortion creates many victims besides the unborn child.) Now, he is involved in protesting abortion ...doing sidewalk counseling and also,  prayers of exorcism outside Planned Parenthood clinics. The Pastor of Sacred Heart parish in Albuquerque, NM,  he was a late life vocation and has a business background.... he tells us, "Protest abortion!"


In the 20 minutes of the "Defending life" program on EWTN, there were over 900 abortions, worldwide...

Pope inspires more Mass attendance

Today, the church was filled and I figured it must be Pope Francis, who has charmed everyone. (above pictured celebrating Mass)

Then, just before the Mass had ended, one of the guys from St Vincent dePaul's got up and asked for donations - everyone knows St Vincent's helps a lot of people (even Time magazine admitted that the Catholic church feeds 3/4 of the hungry).  And yet, people started getting up and leaving.

After the Mass exodus (pun intended), what was left in church, was the usual group we see at Sunday Mass.

Like Pope Benedict said, there will be a smaller but more ardent group who continue to be Catholic.

Touchy-feel-y is nice but that's not what Christianity is all about - it's sacrificing for others (which the Pope has emphasized in a few of his homilies) and eventually or not so eventually, embracing the Cross in our own lives.  Like Jesus says "Unless you pick up your cross and follow Me, you are not worthy of Me".

Too bad, God couldn't design an easier way but then, He came to be one of us - which must have been horrendous - think what it would be like to be a cockroach and still retain our human brains - well we are much closer to cockroaches than God is to us, but and I guess this all, will make sense when we get to Heaven.  And whatever He would plan for me, I'd love Him anyway because what's not to love about God?

What's wrong with Assisted Suicide?

There are assisted suicide "bills" pending in several states. Oregon has had this law in effect for several years now and a while ago, a young lady who found out she had brain cancer, made headlines by going to Oregon so she could have a doctor prescribe her a lethal dose of medication.  And we all watched as a judge allowed the estranged husband (who was living with his girlfriend) carry out his wishes of putting his wife, Terry Schiavo, who was sentient but severely brain damaged, out of her "misery" by starving her to death.  It took her several days to die and the judge ignored that her family wanted to take her home and care for her.  (A Jewish neurologist who had studied the case, wrote me that her death was shameful - she could swallow liquids and could have been fed jello etc even if they removed the feeding tube.  What I didn't know at the time was that Fr Pavone who had witnessed this death, said, they stationed several police officers around Terry's bed to prevent anyone from relieving her pain of starving to death by wetting her lips or even feeding her some jello!).  Shame on Americans for letting this happen.

For being a society who wants to avoid death at all costs, we seem to be rather anxious to cause the death of others considered a "burden" or too expensive or ?  For example Planned Parenthood has terminated the lives of 7 million unborn babies and since abortion was legalized in the USA (also a decision from "the bench" rather than the legislature), 53 million unborn babies have lost their lives to abortion.

Part of the problem with "assisted suicide" is wrong thinking - the prevalent idea is that in a suicide, the person takes a large dose of pills, goes to sleep and never wakes up.

WRONG!  When the person starts to go into respiratory failure, he/she DOES wake up but is unable to cry for help and suffers for a while.  The so called death penalty where they give a lethal injection is also not instantaneous - the victim takes a couple of hours to die, and is in pain throughout the process.

I watched a lady die - I actually gave her Viaticum ("food for the journey" or last Communion). She writhed in agony.  I think most of us die painfully just as it was painful to enter this earth (why a new born baby screams after birth).

Also not only was I the victim of a loved one committing suicide (our Mother took her own life) but also have witnessed the effects of a suicide on loved ones.  It took me two years of counseling to get over my mother's suicide.  And young people suffer even worse - a young friend of ours whose mother took her own life - she was perhaps 5 or 6 when that happened, still suffers depression and more, even today as a teenager.

That is, if you don't care about yourself, at least realize that if you choose that way to death, it will really hurt those around you (not withstanding what God might have to say about it all when you stand before the Throne of the Lamb).

St John Paul II showed the world many things (and wrote one of the best encyclicals on the evils of abortion) but most important, he showed us how to die with dignity - he, ill and totally disabled with Parkinson's disease, waited on God to take him.  Let's pray that all will follow his inspiring example and choose life!

A Prayer to Receive the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

A prayer to Receive the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom - that I may not be attached to the perishable things of this world, but aspire only after the things that are eternal.

The Spirit of Understanding - to enlighten my mind with the light of Your Divine Truth.

The Spirit of Counsel - that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining Heaven.

The Spirit of Fortitude - that I may bear my cross with You and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation.

The Spirit of Knowledge - that I may know God and know myself, and grow perfect in the science of the saints.

The Spirit of Piety - that I may find the service of God, sweet and amiable.

The Spirit of Fear of the Lord - that I may be filled with a loving reverence toward God and may avoid anything that may displease Him.

(from Mary's Call, Salisbury, MO)

Great movie on TV!

This Saturday, they are showing one of my favorite movies... on EWTN... if you do not get the station, you can watch it live at http://www.ewtn.com

The Way To Life

07/25 at 4:00 PM ET

God calls men to follow Him in mysterious ways. The story of a young man who travels the road of Saint James and his zeal to learn about religious life.

the young man meets a priest who changes his life!

I have watched this movie many times and always catch it again when it comes around - it's just a beautiful story of a young man and how God calls him.   I would really recommend it!

 

What the Supreme Court decision does and does not do

 

G and I in 1966 on our wedding day!

I see a lot of excitement on both sides of the fence in the aftermath of the Supreme Court decision which stated that laws restricting marriage to male and female were unconstitutional but there appears to be a lot of confusion as to what the decision means, practically speaking. For example, the Supreme Court decision does not allow folks to marry their dogs (sorry about that, dog lovers!)

One of the problems is that many folks drop out of High School in the third year and even if they do finish High School, they may not have been required to take a course in "Government".  And even if they did take such a course, it likely, was not the intense course we, in our High School, had back in the 1960's - G and I had the best teacher we ever had for government and both of us really learned a lot.  Our teacher also suggested a lot of supplementary reading and I, unlike many, I suppose, did do the supplementary reading - for example the book, "ADVISE AND CONSENT" and the like.

So considering all of this, here is my explanation.  The Supreme Court decision renders any federal laws restricting marriage to male and female, unconstitutional - except I found out that the specifics who can marry what, are not found on the federal level (in the 14th Amendment) but rather in the state laws.

The first couple who wishes to do a s/s marriage on the state level, will have to take the state to court to question the law against the recent Supreme Court decision.  The couple will win, of course, but this takes time and money and provides business for attorneys.  It's not a "slam dunk".  Couples following that first couple, who are s/s will then, be able to marry in that particular state.

This is only on the civil level.  Catholic priests, for example, will NOT be forced to give the Sacrament of Marriage (which is separate from civil marriage) to s/s couples - there are many rules about the Sacrament of marriage in the Catholic church - for example, priests may also not marry divorced folks unless they have had their first marriage(s) annulled and so forth.  This will not change because we do have, guaranteed, by the constitution, "freedom of religion".

I hope people in reading this blog, will relax a bit - I know in doing the research, I felt a lot better about the situation.

Pope Francis - much loved by the poor and lowly and hated by the media

Pope Francis reaching out to people

It seems that the Media hates Papa Francis - they are doing the "Sarah Palin" thing with him, ranting and raving and taking his speeches out of context etc. I would hope that Catholics would educate themselves so they can defend - sadly many believe the media more than they do the Gospel.

The following quote was taken from the article a friend on a "social networking site" provided.... The author of this article in a newspaper called "the federalist" wrote:  "The encyclical tells us much about the man who delivers it. Straightaway, it certifies the depth and span of this pope’s megalomania. A breathtaking strut into absolutism, it is addressed not simply to Catholics but, like the “Communist Manifesto,” to the whole world. "

Megalomania.... the humble character who until he was Pope, rode the city bus to work... really? "Communist Manifesto"? Notice the "author" of this article discounts Pope Francis' strong statements about how what is ruining the ecology is the widespread immorality and millions of humans aborted. That's the real bottom line - they hate his strong stand on abortion. Good going, Papa Francis... you are walking in the Footsteps of our Blessed Savior with your unpopularity with the media - afterall, we follow a man who was crucified for similar views...  I just hope people are smart enough to realize what the media is doing or trying to do - and therein lies my worry, because I know several Catholics who believe the media like it's gospel and question the Gospel like it's the media...

My wise husband's comment about this all,  was "You can imagine what CNN would have done to Jesus!" ;)  (He also, added that CNN would have had Jesus on the cross quicker than those who crucified Him did!)

Sue

Blessed Bartolo Longo

Blessed Bartolo Longo, (1841-1926) is very inspiring!  

He was a tertiary Dominican. Born on Feb 11, 1841 of wealthy parents, he was raised in a devout Catholic home and practiced his Faith until he attended the University of Naples. There, studying for a law degree, he fell in with others practicing the occult and attended many seances and the like. He became so confused, he left the Faith and was "ordained" as a "priest of Satan".  This after a long period of preparation, fasting and mortification.  When he was "ordained", he heard thunder strike.... but despite his bad experiences, he continued to talk others into leaving the Faith.  Finally, he heard a voice which told him "Return to the Church" and he went to confession and returned to the Lord.  His good friend, Vicente Pepes who helped him to return to the church, placed Bartoto in the care of a holy Dominican Friar, Alberto Radente, who helped Bartolo with the final stages of withdrawing from the occult sect.  This Friar also introduced him to a group of pious people who cared for the poor, the sick and the needy.  A member of this group was a widow, Countess Mariana de Fusco who owned a large tract of land near the ancient city of Pompeii which had been destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in the year, 79 AD and remained buried in ash for almost 2000 years.  Blessed Bartolo began helping the poor farmers who worked the fields around there.  Realizing his former error and how he had led people away from God's Truth in the church, Longo despaired and became extremely depressed and he almost committed suicide but then he was consoled by the reminder of the Friar Alberto saying that anyone who perpetuated the Devotion of the Holy Rosary will be saved so he began perpetuating devotion to Our Lady of the Rosary and this devotion, distributing Rosaries and teaching people how to pray the Rosary. He also founded a home for orphans.  He and the countess eventually got married but lived in celibacy because both had taken vows of celibacy previously.  

From his fasting and illness, Bartolo suffered with poor health and digestive problems for the rest of his life. He died in 1926 at the age of 85... and was Beatified by St John Paul II.  Blessed Bartolo was not only an attorney and talented writer but also a talented musician who played the flute!

Here are some videos about Blessed Bartolo Longo:

http://youtu.be/kLi9V9oO6ew

http://youtu.be/vAemzQDLVxo