If Cardinal O’Malley Founded a Church…

A story has it that when Napoleon Bonaparte was at the height of his glory, a courtier proposed that he founded a church. The Emperor of the French is said to have answered, with a lot of common sense: “After Jesus Christ, in order to found a Church you need to carry a cross and die crucified on it, otherwise no one will take you seriously.”

True or not, this anecdote came to mind when I read an interview by Sean Cardinal O'Malley on CBS’s “60 Minutes” on November 16. [1]

In one of his answers to interviewer Norah O'Donnell, he said that, were he to found a church, it would admit the ordination of women priests.

Leaving aside for now the Cardinal’s surprising statement, it is of interest to note how nicely the liberal media treat churchmen friendly to it while continuing to attack the Church’s traditional doctrine and especially Her morals, thus taking full advantage of everything that can destroy the Church’s image in public opinion.

Indeed, according to today's liberal standards the Archbishop of Boston could not have been introduced in a more prestigious way:

“[A] shy Franciscan friar,” “[s]oft-spoken and unassuming”, “dressed in the brown habit of his Capuchin Franciscan order and not in a Cardinal's red robes,” “more inclined to conversation than condemnation,” “open, non-judgmental, given to simple living,” “a modest man,” “reluctant to put himself forward,” “humble, a true Franciscan,” “would rather be addressed as ‘Cardinal Seán,’ than ‘your Eminence.’” “[He sold] the palatial archbishop's residence and the 28 sprawling acres it sat on,” and “moved into the modest cathedral rectory.”

After lavishing such praise on the Cardinal, the CBS reporter – an alumna of Georgetown University – showed she is far from being a traditional Catholic.

As far as she is concerned, the Church is an old institution that has to be remade:

“At the heart of Pope Francis' revolution in the Catholic Church,” she says, “is a shy Franciscan friar, the pope's closest American advisor, Cardinal Sean O'Malley.” He is the one that “help[s] Francis remake an ancient institution.”

In what sense does the Church need to be “remade?”

Among other things, along the egalitarian line of the Voice of the Faithful movement (which had its moment in the sun in Boston years ago), she is indignant at the Church’s refusal to ordain women priests.

Referring to women, she says, “they can't preach,” “[t]hey can't administer the sacraments.” “[S]ome women feel like they're second-class Catholics,” and asks, “does the exclusion of women seem at all immoral?”

Non-ordination of women is supposedly unjust because it is not egalitarian:

“The sense of equality,” she says, “the sense of sort of the fairness of it” should allow the ordination of women.

And she adds:

“You wouldn't exclude someone based on race. But yet you do exclude people based on gender.”

It was facing this feminist onslaught that the Cardinal joshingly spoke about founding a church which, unlike the one founded by Jesus Christ, would ordain women priests.

First he sought to defend Church tradition by explaining that “the priesthood reflects the incarnation of Christ, who in his humanity is a man.” But facing the insistence of his interviewer, he formulated this sentence which is causing much scandal:

“[I]f I were founding a church, you know, I'd love to have women priests. But Christ founded it and what he has given us is something different.”

Though uttered jokingly, his statement is being interpreted by the
media and by liberal Catholics in the sense that he personally disagrees with the way Our Lord instituted the priesthood in the Church.

Imprudence in this matter is to be lamented, above all when one bears in mind the infallible statements contained in the Apostolic Letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis of May 22, 1994:

“Although the teaching that priestly ordination is to be reserved to men alone has been preserved by the constant and universal Tradition of the Church and firmly taught by the Magisterium in its more recent documents, at the present time in some places it is nonetheless considered still open to debate, or the Church's judgment
that women are not to be admitted to ordination is considered to have a merely disciplinary force.

“Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church's divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32) I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful.”[2]

Norah O'Donnell believes the opposite as she comments on the words of the Archbishop of Boston:

“But God is not afraid of change, as Pope Francis has told his bishops. And Cardinal O'Malley is thrilled with his old friend,” she says.

Yet, despite the liberal media and complacent ecclesiastics, the Church cannot change Her doctrine or the way She was instituted by Her Founder, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

If Cardinal O’Malley Founded a Church…

Stop the Madness of Un-Thanksgiving

Written by John Horvat

As we gear up for the Thanksgiving holidays, many are preparing to engage in a strange new ritual that is crowding out the traditional turkey and pumpkin pie. The ritual, of course, is the extension of Black Friday shopping into Thanksgiving Day. It is a practice so shocking that we might as well create a new holiday—un-Thanksgiving—since nothing could be more contrary to the intention of the real holiday than its present evolution.

This year, media will again report on frenzied shoppers mobbing retail stores in search of super bargains. People will camp out in front of giant box stores for hours on end to get the jump on their fellow bargain hunters. Indeed, there is the extreme case of some fanatical California shoppers camping out at Best Buy a full twenty-two days ahead of the un-Thanksgiving stampede.

To read the whole story, click below.


Stop the madness of Un-Thanksgiving

Can Chimps Have Human Rights?

  Written by William Gossett

  The New York Court of Appeals recently reviewed a mind-boggling case: a petition for the status of “legal person” for a chimpanzee. Steven Wise, president of the Nonhuman Rights Project, is trying to gain human protections, including freedom from captivity, for a chimp named Tommy in upstate New York.

The animal rights activist bases his argument on the similarities between primates and humans. Wise states, “As a matter of both liberty and equality, Tommy should be seen as a person.” Steven Wise goes further by claiming his captivity is “a morally wrong thing to do.”

Last December, a judge from Montgomery County threw out Wise’s writ of habeas corpus for the 20-year-old chimp. In addition, three other cases filed for chimps in New York were discarded.

Showing sympathy, Justice Joseph Sise said Wise made a very strong argument, but could only agree insofar as habeas corpus applied to chimps. The judge added, “Good luck with your venture. As an animal lover, I appreciate your work.”

Unwilling to take no for an answer, Steven Wise took the case to the state Appellate Division on October 8.  
Why is Steven Wise pushing for human rights for an animal? He states himself: equality.

In ultimate analysis, cases like this join in a universal process, which has as a goal, the destruction of all inequality. After the distinctions between man and animals are gone, there will logically be a push for equality of man and nature. If nothing differentiates man from the rest of creation, what would stop him from declaring himself equal to God?

Can Chimps Have Human Rights?

Why Some Parents Homeschool - Video

Watch this video and see what some parents insist upon homeschooling!

Six Reasons Why Christian Civilization Always Favored Progress -

Written by John Horvat II

There is the common myth repeated over and over again that Christianity suppresses science and progress. One would think that those who call Christianity “anti-science” would at least use some kind of scientific method to prove their accusations. However, the proofs are sadly and incredibly lacking.

In contradiction to this myth, historians Stanley Jaki and A.C. Crombie affirm that “the rise of modern science, like that of political freedom and economic progress, has been coterminous with Christian-European thought, and for like causes.”

They claim that the biblical worldview contains all the essential elements for science and culture in general to flourish. Thus, at least six good reasons can be cited to support this claim:

1. Christians believed in a harmonious objective order intelligible to man which allowed for what Rodney Stark called “the triumph of reason.”

2. Christians believed in the biblical view that men’s role was to dominate nature and not be subject to it. This allowed them to search for ways to harness nature and make life easier.

3. There was a rejection of pantheistic magic that allowed the Faith to look for the reasons behind things.

4. The Catholic religion rejected the pagan idea of submission before the deities in nature that lived lives of vice and intrigue often at the expense of man’s progress.

5. The Church condemned superstition which hindered progress by adhering to irrational beliefs and practices.

6. Christians had a clear and rational understanding of reality which they developed into a philosophy that oriented their lives. This was opposed to the hazy, Gnostic understanding of reality that gave rise to fantasy and false mysticism that enslaved ancient and primitive peoples.

For these and other reasons, modern science only developed in Christian Europe and nowhere else. The groundwork was clearly laid.

Why a Conservative Victory is not Enough

Written by John Horvat II

The latest elections proved beyond a doubt that America is a conservative nation. 

Despite everything, conservative ideas still resonate strongly with many Americans and definitely have a future. But a simple victory is not enough. This is because the present victory does not explain everything. While conservatives just won in 2014, they lost in 2012, and 2008. The nation is polarized and we experience the see-saw cycle of elections that violently oscillates between the two major parties.

The problem is that America is a conservative nation but not necessarily a traditional one. We like to “conserve” and rightly enjoy our comfortable and prosperous way of life. We desire to “conserve” frozen and immobile a vision of America where all agree to get along while each freely pursues his own happiness. The left and right both present their own version of this America. Thus the see-saw battles of the last decades represent a “conservative” phenomenon regardless of who wins. 

The country might be likened to a boat. When liberals bring everyone over to their side of the vessel in an election, it starts to list dangerously to the left. This prompts the ship’s passengers to pull to the right in the next election to stabilize and keep the ship balanced and comfortable.

As long as the ship was in calm seas and shifts small, such an arrangement appears to have worked well. Prior to the seventies, the two political parties, although different, played by the rules of not rocking the boat too much. They managed to maintain the balance that allowed for smooth navigation and good times aboard.

However, beginning in the sixties, America started to navigate in troubled water. The consensus to play by the rules was broken. We lost our moral compass and the ship was left dangerously adrift toward chaos. Violent shifts on the left destabilized our American order which led to strong and very essential reactions on the right. Polarization has set in as each side reacted to the other  with greater intensity. Every election becomes a must-win proposition; each one more important than the last. 
  

Thus, see-saw battles take place. When conservatives call for sacrifices, less deficits or moral restraints to remedy liberal excesses and license, electorates often pull back and embrace the liberal cause anew. 

On the surface, this seems to have happened in the 2014 elections as Obamacare and other issues represented a violent lurch to the left and the public reacted with a massive shift to the right to restabalize the country and return to normality.

However, this was not a normal election. Neither port nor starboard captured the imagination of the electorate. The electorate was sullen, stupefied, and absent. There was a profound and fundamental discontent in all sectors against all parties. Voters questioned not just the angle of the deck but the rudderless course that the nation is following as we head into a storm. 

One could sense fears in the electorate that go beyond ship deck politics. On the horizon are the storms of ISIS, Ebola and economic collapse. There is moral decay in the family, community and Church that is the cause of much affliction. Above all, there is the unsettling sense that the comfortable normalcy that we have tried so hard to “conserve” over the decades has been hollowed out – and there is nothing to replace it. 

And that is why a conservative victory now is not enough. Conservatives need to address the important issue of where we need to go—the course of the ship. We do not need the safety of value-neutral employment schemes or financial stimuli that are already being promised by opportunists capitalizing on the elections. We cannot continue sidestepping important moral issues that are essential to the survival of the nation. We must free ourselves of the illusion that victory consists of avoiding anything controversial. 

Now is the time to reflect and debate ideas as to the course we must choose. If we take this time to articulate those principles, ideas, and moral values around which we might rally, we will position ourselves to weather the storms and return to order.

If however conservatives fail to plot a course, they will condemn themselves to yet more see-saw battles where
the electorate will award the prize to the party that gives them the most advantages—whether it be tax breaks, entitlement benefits or any other modern “bread and circus” programs.

We need to have the daring to transcend the “unheroic” standards of our comfortable materialism. Americans want
direction not ambiguity. The future belongs to those with the courage to brave unpopularity, take calculated risks and reject political correctness. They must be willing to admit there is a moral right and wrong. Above all, they must not be afraid to get on their knees and ask God’s help and blessings upon America.

Spero columnist John Horvat II is a scholar, researcher, educator, international speaker, and author of the book Return to Order. He lives in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania where he is vice president for the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property.

Why a conservative victory is not enough

Amazing Support for True Marriage (Viedo)

Conversion on Death Row

In 1943, twenty-year-old Claude Newman was awaiting execution in a Mississippi prison for shooting Sid Cook, his beloved grandmother’s abusive second husband. One day, Claude noticed a medal hanging around the neck of a fellow prisoner, and asked the young man what it was. The latter responded by casting the medal to the ground with a curse and said, “take it.”  Unbeknownst to him, the curious pendant was a Miraculous Medal. Even though he knew nothing about it or who it represented, Claude picked up the trinket and hung it around his neck. He had no idea how that simple action would change his life.

Visions
During the night, Claude was awakened by a glowing vision, which he later described as “the most beautiful woman that God ever created.” The vision calmed the frightened man and said, “If you would like me to be your mother, and you my child, send for a priest of the Catholic Church.”

Order your free Miraculous Medal and Novena

And she disappeared. “A ghost, a ghost!” screamed Claude, clamoring for a priest. The next morning, Fr. Robert O’Leary (who later recorded the story) was summoned.  After listening to the extraordinary account and speaking with him, the priest discovered Claude to be a very simple, illiterate soul who knew very little about religion.

The priest proceeded to teach the young man about Catholicism, and soon the catechism lessons grew to include four other inmates who were deeply impressed by Claude’s vision.  Several weeks later, Father introduced the Sacrament of Confession, and Claude volunteered, 
"Oh, I know about that! The Lady told me that when we go to confession we are kneeling down not before a priest, but before the Cross of Her Son. And that when we are truly sorry for our sins, and we confess our sins, the Blood He shed flows down over us and washes us free from all sins."  The others were stunned at this new revelation. Seeing their surprise, Claude apologized, “Oh, don’t be angry, don’t be angry, I didn’t mean to blurt it out!”

Revelation
Assuring him that he was far from angry, Fr. O’Leary asked Claude if he had seen the lady again. Taking the priest aside, the young man said, "she told me that if you doubted me or showed hesitancy, I was to remind you that lying in a ditch in Holland in 1940, you made a vow to her which She's still waiting for you to keep.”  This revelation fully convinced him of Claude’s claims. During the war, Fr. O’Leary had promised to erect a church in honor of the Immaculate Conception if he survived. He fulfilled the promise in 1947, and the church still stands in Clarksdale, Mississippi. As Father and Claude returned to the class on Confession, Claude told his friends, “You should not be afraid of Confession. You’re really telling God your sins, not the priest. You know, the Lady said that Confession is something like a telephone. We talk through the priest to God, and God talks back to us through the priest.”

Immaculate Conception Church Clarksdale, MS

Finally, the catechumens were received into the Church. In the baptismal records of St. Mary’s parish in Vicksburg, MS, Claude’s baptism is registered on January 16, 1944, four days before his scheduled execution. As the day neared, the Sheriff asked Claude if he had a last request.
“Well, all my friends are all shook up. The jailer is all shook up. But you don’t understand. I’m not going to die; only this body is. I’m going to be with her. So, then, I would like to have a party.”  
The Sheriff was shocked, but consented, and even allowed Claude’s fellow inmates to attend.  

Execution
On the morning of execution, Claude was full of joy. As he mentally prepared himself with Fr. O’Leary, the Sheriff rushed in shouting that the Governor had granted a two-week reprieve. To his amazement, the young man broke down in sobs, inconsolable. 

“But you don’t understand! If you ever saw her face, and looked into her eyes, you wouldn't want to live another day! ...What have I done wrong these past weeks that God would refuse me my going home? …Why, Father?  Why must I still remain here for two weeks?”  

Suddenly, Fr. O’Leary had an inspiration. James Hughs, a fellow prisoner on death row, harbored a particular hate for Claude and all things religious despite having been raised a Catholic. Fr. O’Leary suggested that Claude offer his disappointment for Hughs’ conversion, and the final two weeks of the young man’s life were spent praying for the salvation of his fellow inmate.

Order your free Miraculous Medal and Novena

Claude was finally executed on February 4, 1944. Fr. O’Leary testified: “ I've never seen anyone go to his death as joyfully and as happily. Even the official witnesses and the newspaper reporters were amazed. They said they couldn't understand how anyone could sit in the electric chair beaming with happiness."

Claude Newman Virgin Mary the Teacher Icon - Artist: Br. Claude Lane, OSB

To heaven, but not alone
When the time came for James Hughs to be executed, he violently refused all spiritual assistance, cursing and blaspheming even while seated on the electric chair. Suddenly, looking intently towards a corner of the room, a look of surprise came over his face, quickly followed by one of sheer horror, he shouted, “Get me a priest!”  Fr. O’Leary approached and heard the man’s full confession, and ask him to explained his change of mind. The condemned man had seen Claude Newman and the Blessed Virgin standing behind him, her hands on his shoulders. Per Claude’s request, Our Lady showed James a glimpse of Hell, and filled with horror, he immediately demanded a priest.

Once again, the simple wearing of the Miraculous Medal called down our mother’s gaze, and saved not only one, but many souls in that Mississippi Prison.

The Smartphone: A Double-Edged Sword

Written by Evan Olwell
 
Technology, the work-saving redeemer of previous centuries, seems to be backfiring. As workers become more dependent on the modern equivalent of the steam engine, the smartphone, one should presumably find more time for recreation, rest and family interaction. After all, machines were meant to make work easier and free up time. Nevertheless, a tool can be as harmful as it is helpful.

The rise of the smartphone might be traced to a few old maxims that state, “time is money,” and “money makes the world go round.” For many employers, profits are seen as all important. Of course, to keep up with competition, the latest and greatest of machines are needed. Many workers find it helpful, if not essential, to have smartphones to keep up in their work.

A recent study in Germany examined 57,000 people and found that more than half of those who had smartphones worked longer hours. The study, done by the Society for Labour, Industrial and Organizational Psychological Research in Oldenburg, published in the online journal, Chronobiology International, found that those who worked longer hours were affected by myriad health complications. Among the medical problems were insomnia, cephalalgia, fatigue, anxiety, stomach and even cardiovascular problems.

The Lady Who Snubbed the Rosary

The Lady Who Snubbed the Rosary

In his book, The Secret of the Rosary, St. Louis de Montfort writes of a pious but self-willed lady who lived in Rome. She was so devout that she put many a religious to shame.

One day, hearing of the holiness of St. Dominic, great apostle of the Rosary, she decided to make her confession to him. For penance the saint told her to say a Rosary and advised her to make it’s
recitation her daily practice.

“But, Father, “ she protested, “I already say so many prayers and practice so many exercises…I walk the Stations of Rome every day, I wear sack-cloth and a hair-shirt, I scourge myself several times a week, and often fast…”

St. Dominic insistently advised that she adopt the recitation of the Rosary, but she would not hear it. Moreover, she left the confessional horrified at the methods of this new spiritual director who wanted to impose on her a devotion for which she had no taste.

One day, when she was saying her prayers, she was shown a vision. In this vision she saw her soul appear before the Supreme Judge. She also saw St. Michael holding the scale of her life. On one side he placed all her prayers and penances, and on the other all her sins and imperfections.

Down went the scale on the side of sins and imperfections, outweighing all her good works.

Wide eyed, the good lady cried out for mercy, and turned to Our Lady imploring her help. Our Lady then gently set down on the tray of her good works the only Rosary she had ever said, which was the one St. Dominic had imposed on her as a penance.

This one Rosary was so heavy that it outweighed all her sins as well as good works.

Our Lady then reproved her for having refused to follow the counsel of her son Dominic and for refusing to adopt the practice of the daily recitation of the Rosary.

When the lady came to, she rushed to St. Dominic and casting herself down at his feet, told him what had happened. She begged forgiveness for her unbelief, and promised to say the Rosary faithfully every day. By this means she grew in holiness, and finally attained the glory of eternal life.

Thus says St. Louis de Montfort, “You who are people of prayer, learn from this the power, the value and the importance of this devotion of the holy Rosary when it is said with meditation on the mysteries.”

The ISIS Problem: Wrong Beliefs Expressed Savagely

The late Sen. Eugene McCarthy once said that only two kinds of religion are permitted in America: strong beliefs vaguely expressed or vague beliefs strongly expressed. In a similar way, it could be said that the same formula applies to political beliefs.

Keeping everything vague is the basis of a general consensus which supposedly allows everyone to get along. It appeals to a broad sector of American society that wants to neatly sidestep sticky theological and political issues, and pragmatically get around to the business of the pursuit of happiness and the prosperity of the nation. Such an attitude facilitates a willingness to work with anyone who will make a deal.

With such a mindset, it is no surprise that many Americans are experiencing difficulty understanding the ISIS threat. Having so long followed a “get-along” policy, they find it inconceivable that someone would deliberately break all the rules and not seek to get along. Indeed, such Americans are prepared to be very flexible by considering all sorts of bizarre alternatives as long as they are vaguely expressed, but they are mystified when strong beliefs are strongly expressed.

As a result, most people do not have an explanation for ISIS. They simply attribute the problem to “extremism” that results in irrational behavior. Extremism happens when confused young people undergo a mysterious process of radicalization that turns them into terrorists. The solution offered is to eradicate extremism (using extreme means if necessary) and support any form of moderate alternatives (even to the point of using immoderate means).

There are two problems in dealing with the extremist threat in this manner.

The first is that it fails to delve deeply into the reasons why extremists believe in what they do. It does not consider what is believed but rather how it is believed. The issue is the intensity of belief, not its radical message.

The danger in holding such a position is that its advocates tend to assume that any belief strongly held is irrational and must be eradicated. Thus, for example, they will attach the extremist ISIS label to Christians and any others who believe in something strongly. In so doing, it makes any proportional reaction very difficult since it is hard to fight if one believes in nothing.

The second problem is that advocates of this position go to the extreme of assuming that the only way to fight strong beliefs expressed strongly is to hold vague beliefs expressed vaguely. Thus, they will do anything to return to the blessed ambiguity in which they find safety. They will, for example, insist that the Islamic State is not really Islamic or hold that more inter-religious dialogue is needed. In any conflict, they will frantically look for “moderates” to support with the wishful thinking that they will prevail over the radicals and the whole thing will go away.

But alas, in this new world of extremists who behead journalists, the rules have changed. The politics of vagueness is a losing strategy that leads to concession, naiveté and defeat. There is no getting along with those who do not wish to get along no matter how hard one tries to wish it away.

Extremism exists because today’s postmodern world fails to provide meaning to life. Young people desire something to live for, and thus look for strong ideals expressed strongly. Extreme Islam provides them with not only strong ideals but wrong ideals to fill the void. Its tech-savvy militants express these ideals not strongly but savagely by breaking the civilized rules that still govern the world and using the very technology of progress to broadcast their barbarism across the hated West.

What is missing are right beliefs expressed strongly that are worth fighting for. And the West has those right ideas that now more than ever need to be expressed rationally, strongly and apologetically. These ideas include the rule of law, a strong moral code based on natural law, representative government, Christian charity and a passion for justice—all the fruits of Christian civilization.

But the West has lost the will to fight for these ideas, which are the very foundation of the present order. And that is the greater threat. Much more dangerous than the paltry army of ISIS terrorists is the West’s fear of affirming Christian principles strongly.

As published in TheBlaze.

Catholic College to Host Pro-Abortion Speaker (protest here)

Written by John Ritchie While dedicated pro-lifers work to save babies, St. Norbert College will be doing something oddly different: Welcoming a radical pro-abortion promoter to campus. St. Norbert College -- a Catholic institution in Wisconsin -- has invited avowed abortion activist, Gloria Steinem, to speak next semester. It’s so wrong and scandalous. Especially at a Catholic campus. But I still think that you and I have enough time to make a real difference if we peacefully protest today and call the college to cancel Gloria Steinem's talk. So sign your urgent protest NOW In fact, similar TFP Student Action petitions were really successful in getting other Catholic colleges to cancel pro-abortion speakers on campus. So let’s do it again. Because Gloria Steinem is like Margaret Sanger. Or even worse. She boasted about her own abortion, saying: "it felt positive." On another occasion, she said: “There is no organization in this country or the world that is more important than Planned Parenthood.” (NJ.com, Sept. 17, 2011) And she also said this: "Approximately one in three women in this country needs an abortion at some time in her life. It should be a part of reproductive rights." (The Washington Post - Nov. 19, 2013) So, I'd like to ask you: How on earth can a woman like Gloria Steinem with such a public pro-abortion record be invited to give a lecture at a Catholic institute, which ought to be a cornerstone in the defense of innocent life? Every pro-lifer should sign this peaceful protest today -- here The unborn depend on you and your voice. Thank you for defending innocent life.

Written

Beijing Wants Its Own “Liberation Theology”

Beijing Wants Its Own “Liberation Theology”

SS 48 – John Horvat of Return to Order - Solomon Success

See link below for a special interview about Return to Order.

SS 48 – John Horvat of Return to Order - Solomon Success

What Seemed Impossible was Possible: Astounding 12,629 Rosary Rallies (video)

 Yes, with God all things are possible.  The sheer number of rosary rallies held this year across America is unprecedented in history: 12,629.  That means in all fifty states, in over 12,000 highly visible locations from coast to coast, groups of faithful gathered to pray the holy rosary in the public square and celebrate the 97th anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima. (To become a rosary rally captain in 2015, please click here.)

This video captures scenes of the rosary rally held in New York City where TFP Student Action volunteers carried a statue of Our Lady of Fatima in ceremonial habit. The protective case shielded the statue from the light rain.


 For the full story and a video, see the link below


What seemed impossible was possible: Astounding 12,629 Rosary Rallies (video)

Doing Business Differently: A Free Market Fable -

Written by John Horvat II
A review of Nothing is Free: The Price Only Business Leaders Can Pay to Protect Free Markets by Dave Geenens (Atchison, Kans.: Inhance Press, 2013).

* * *

Modern economics tends to reduce what happens in business to numbers and formulas. The human element is taken out, and all is left dry and lifeless. It is not without reason that economics is often called the “dismal science.”

That is why it is refreshing to read an economic book that injects the human side of things into business. Dr. Dave Geenens has done this masterfully with his book, Nothing is Free: The Price Only Business Leaders Can Pay to Protect Free Markets.

The principles he espouses are not just presented in textbook fashion. Rather, they are interwoven into a fictional story of an entrepreneur that finds herself in a dilemma over whether to put profits over principle, earnings over workers. Set in the small college town of Atchison, Kansas, where Dr. Geenens actually lives and teaches, the other protagonist in the story is a Benedictine monk from the nearby abbey. The narrative of this “free market fable” centers on the dialogue between the two main characters about work ethics and the unlikely topic of the role of God in business.

While the characters and plot of this short work are captivating, the ideas presented are much more important. Dr. Geenens makes the right connections and inserts Church teaching into the marketplace.

Thus, he concludes that money is not the bottom line in real business, but rather the human relationships that make business possible. Wealth generation is important but it only comes from proper values creation. Business may resent government intervention, but such intrusions can only be avoided by the practice of the cardinal virtues. Real business leaders are not those who increase earnings by any means, but rather those that build talent and encourage cooperation inside the enterprise.

The lessons in his narrative highlight the wrong course found in so many modern economic models. In their zeal for maximum efficiency and production, many businessmen have cut themselves off from the natural restraining influence of human institutions, especially those of morals, family, community or religion. They have severed their link with Christian tradition, and have lost the anchors of the cardinal virtues that should be the foundation for any true economy.

The result is a society where money rules. People attach undue importance to quantity over quality, utility over beauty, and matter over spirit. Free of traditional restraints, those under this rule favor the frenetic intemperance of frantic dealings, speculation, and exaggerated risks which have sent the nation’s economy into crisis and ruin.

Something needs to be done to introduce attractive new models that run contrary to many of the business practices that now prevail. The terms of the debate need to be changed. Indeed, ever since economic thought broke free from its original moorings in moral philosophy and ethics, there have been those who have sought to keep considerations like those of Prof. Geenens out of this debate. The time has come for such reflections to return. Nothing is Free is a good start.

To buy the book, click here.


Doing Business Differently: A Free Market Fable -

Four Reasons Why Private Property Is Needed -

Four Reasons Why Private Property Is Needed -

A Rosary Story to Warm Your Heart

 It happened on a freezing night in Ohio.  See, the family only had enough coal to last them until dawn.   

 

     Little Mary, huddled with her parents and eight siblings, wondered if the coal truck would come in the morning.  But there was no guarantee. 

 

     So the family decided to say a Rosary and ask for heavenly help.  

 

     As they finished, they heard the rumble of the coal truck outside and Mary’s Dad ran out to help unload.  When he came back in, he commented to his wife and said, “funny, I never saw that delivery man before.”  

 

     But the family was now safe and warm.  So nobody really stopped to think about the delivery man.

 

     But things changed the next morning when another coal delivery truck arrived. 

 

     This time it was Mary’s Mom who went out to tell the driver that they had a delivery the night before.  

 

     The driver, her cousin, chuckled, and said, “I’m the only coal man in the area…If you got a load last night, St. Joseph must have brought it!” 

 

     Mary’s family never did discover who the delivery man was, nor did they ever get a bill.  But they did learn one thing:

 

     The Rosary is powerful!   And today more than ever. 

Protest Satanic Coloring Books in Public Schools

Listen to this shocking news:

 

The school board in Orange County, Florida 

Has approved a Satanist’s Coloring Book

For children!.

     

Instead of opposing the Satanists, the Public School Board Of Education CAVED in to the Satanists and, without a legal battle, has:

• Given permission for the Satanic Temple to distribute literature to their school children
• And this includes a children’s Satanist “coloring book.” 

Click here and send your instant E-PROTEST message NOW

 

We must not turn away and surrender our school children to the Satanists.  Just listen to this:

 

Page 1 of the coloring book has two almost identical pictures of a teacher and children in a classroom. A Satanist little girl is called Annabel. The caption reads: 

 

“Annabel is spreading knowledge and helping to dispel fear and ignorance by demonstrating her Satanic ritual for her class…”

 

Page 3 of the coloring book shows a picture of a cozy study with fireplace and book shelves. Annabel is sitting in a chair with a smile on her face reading a book with a pentagram on its cover.

 

 A large family picture hanging over the fireplace shows her Satanist mother with two large horns protruding from her head, and the bald-headed father Satanist sitting in an equally horned chair with an Anton LaVey Satanic ‘goat’tee, and Annabel is  holding what seems to be a chalice or wine glass.

 

 The caption reads: “Color Annabel’s study filled with Satanic literature and philosophy.”

 

Page 8 of the coloring book has a “secret code” for the children to de-code, with the caption:

 

“Annabel sent Damian a note in class, but it’s SECRET! Help Damian break the secret code to find out what Annabel wants to say to him.” 

 

The answer is even more shocking: Audi Preces Meas: [Hear my prayer:] Satana Blessed Be.
 

Click here and send your instant E-PROTEST message NOW

 

But here is even more that the Satanists say. (With the permission of the Orange County School Board!)

 

Page 5 of the coloring book says:

 

“Whopper is big and sometimes scary because he has trouble saying what’s on his mind. Help Damian and Annabel use their patience and open-mindedness to decipher what he wants to say.”

 

And on and on and on.  Is this educating the children, or introducing them to the Satanists?  Exposing them to paganism? 

 

Will you send the following protest, and express your indignation that a Satanist coloring book has been approved by the Orange County schools:    

 

To: William Sublette; Chairman, OCPS Board

Kathleen Gordon; Vice-Chair, OCPS Board

 

Your Petition Message will state:

It is with incredible dismay and disappointment that I have read press reports announcing that your school board is allowing or plans to allow, without any legal resistance whatsoever, the Satanic Temple to distribute its “literature” to the school children in Orange County Public Schools.

 

Shame! To setting such an evil precedent you should be heroically opposed!

 

Satan is the vile and eternal enemy of humanity’s welfare, both temporal and spiritual; and has no place in a civilized society, much less in its schools exerting an insidious corruption of society in its germ.

 

All educators are charged, in loco parentis, to protect their students.

 

I urge you, with all my heart, to at least try to save the children from this horror!

 

All you have to do to send this protest is just:

 

Click here and send your instant E-PROTEST message NOW

 

School children are too young and too innocent to be exposed to the evils of Satanism.  I urge you to help us protest this.

 

It’s a terrible precedent. It must be stopped! Before it spreads!

 

Click here and send your instant E-PROTEST message NOW

 

Your protest is urgently needed.

 

And may Our Lady reward you and protect our nation’s school children from the wiles, deceits, wickedness, and snares of the Devil and his Satanist fellow travelers. Thank you!

Why Did God Establish Inequalities in Society? -

Medieval men saw the inequalities that exist in nature as a cause of unity not division in society. Their realistic approach was far from the individualist mentality of the modern world that holds that each individual is a self-made and autonomous being in competition with others.

Typical of the medieval conception is this explanation by a theologian Ralph of Acton:

“When God could have made all men strong, wise, and rich, he was unwilling to do so. He wished instead that these men should be strong, those weak; these wise, those foolish; these rich and these poor. For if all were strong, wise and wealthy, one would not be in need of the other.”

The Dominican Giordano of Pisa, preaching in Florence in 1304, suggested that even the rich need the poor since by their generosity, the rich “might earn eternal life through them” (Diana Wood, Medieval Economic Thought, Cambridge University Press, 2002, p. 43).

Why Did God Establish Inequalities in Society? -

NoPhone, No Problem -

NoPhone, No Problem -

VIDEO: Public Prayer Rally Against the Black Mass in Oklahoma

No Homosexual Group Belongs in the St. Patrick's Day Parade

No Homosexual Group Belongs in the St. Patrick's Day Parade

The Oklahoma Black Mass “Begone, Satan: The Lord thy God Shalt Thou Adore, and Him Only Shalt Thou Serve”

The Oklahoma Black Mass “Begone, Satan: The Lord thy God Shalt Thou Adore, and Him Only Shalt Thou Serve”

Justpeace Movement Recommends Nonviolent Resistance to ISIS!

Suicidal peaceniks: they still exist!

While President Obama dithers about whether to “destroy” ISIS or “manage” them, the Christian left is urging him to engage the butchers in nonviolent, “community-level peace and reconciliation processes.”

The Catholic, Washington-based Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns recently posted a letter addressed to President Obama and other White House officials at the end of August. Signed by 53 national religious groups (including Maryknoll), academics, and ministers, the letter urged the White House to avoid warfare in Iraq by resorting to “a broader set of smart, effective nonviolent practices to engage hostile conflicts.”

The strategies are part of “a fresh way to view and analyze conflicts” offered by an emerging ecumenical paradigm called “justpeace” (a cutesy combination of justice and peace). This approach was initiated by the Faith Forum for Middle East Policy, a “network of Christian denominations and organizations working for a just peace in the Middle East.”

The signers expressed their “deep concern” not so much over “the dire plight of Iraqi civilians” being slaughtered by ISIS as “the recent escalation of U.S. military action” in response. “U.S. military action is not the answer,” they claim, sounding a pacifist note common among left-leaning Christians. “We believe that the way to address the crisis is through long-term investments in supporting inclusive governance and diplomacy, nonviolent resistance, sustainable development, and community-level peace and reconciliation processes”...

To read the article see the link below:

‘Justpeace’ movement urges nonviolent resistance to ISIS

Is this the Big One? Central Bankers from the World Over Warn of Impending ‘Perfect Storm’ |

Is this the Big One? Central Bankers from the World Over Warn of Impending ‘Perfect Storm’ |

Text Stop: A Contradiction in Terms?|

Written by John Horvat II 

Crossing the border into New York on the highway, I came upon a curious road sign. Everyone has seen signs for rest stops along the way to give drivers some respite and prevent accidents. This sign, however, announced something different: a text stop.

Yes, a text stop. Not just one but many along the way. The idea is that motorists will pull over to the side of the road and take care of those urgent text messages that must be immediately answered.

In this way, the highway department evidently hopes to avoid the accidents of drivers who drive and text at the same time. As if to provide further incentive, another road sign not far behind warned motorists that three text violations will lead to immediate suspension of one’s driver’s license. One can almost imagine the smile on the bureaucrat’s face who, with this simple text stop system, believed that he solved the texting-while-driving problem.

But that is not what has happened. The text stop does not go to the root of the problem. Going down the highway, I noticed not only the signs but also the fact that the text stops were not full of relieved texters and tweeters taking full advantage of the state’s generosity. In fact, the stops were eerily empty.

And it makes sense. The nature of the text is not to stop but to instantly answer anywhere at anytime. In what I call the “frenetic intemperance” of our times, the text is a preferred medium to communicate without emotions or complications. The fear of being disconnected with the digital world is so great that even the task of responsible driving can be interrupted. The text stop is a sad contradiction in terms.

One particularly tragic text stop was one that gave the driver the option of texting and enjoying a scenic view—in that order. The driver could choose between the virtual or real worlds. Alas, this stop was also empty as the hurried pace of life allows for neither a prolonged appreciation of beauty nor a pensive response to a terse e-message.

The text stop effect is not only found on the highway but also in our daily lives. Our rushed schedules are like hurried highways taking us to do the tasks of the day with little time to stop. But all the while we send off texts while conversing, eating and working.

We don’t need text stops in our lives. We need to simply stop. We need to reassess our lives and pay attention to those things linked to family, community and Faith that really matter and make life worth living.


Text Stop: A Contradiction in Terms? |

Venezuelan Socialist Rewrites the Our Father

A member of Venezuela's Socialist Party has rolled out a variation of the "Lord's Prayer" to implore beloved late leader Hugo Chavez for protection from the evils of capitalism.

"Our Chavez who art in heaven, the earth, the sea and we delegates," red-shirted delegate Maria Estrella Uribe recited on Monday at the PSUV party Congress.

"Hallowed be your name, may your legacy come to us so we can spread it to people here and elsewhere. Give us your light to guide us every day," she said in front of an image of Chavez.

"Lead us not into the temptation of capitalism, deliver us from the evil of the oligarchy, like the crime of contraband, because ours is the homeland, the peace and life forever and ever. Amen. Viva Chavez!" she exclaimed to applause.

Though Chavez died of cancer in March 2013, he remains omnipresent in Venezuela. His photo is plastered all over capital Caracas, state TV frequently airs excerpts of his famously lengthy speeches and supporters sometimes don earrings or pendants with an artistic black-and-white rendition of his eyes.

Putin's Push in Arctic Ocean

Phyllis Schlafly sees Russian aggression in latest claim over disputed Wrangel Island

While the world’s attention was distracted by his incursions into eastern Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin quietly made another provocative move that could lead to a direct confrontation with the United States. The Russian Navy sent a ship to remote Wrangel Island, planted a Russian naval flag on Aug. 20, and announced plans to build a naval base there for Russia’s Pacific Fleet.

Wrangel Island is a frozen, nearly uninhabited island in the Arctic Ocean, about 90 miles north of Siberia and 300 miles northwest of Point Hope, Alaska. It’s about the size of our two smallest states, Delaware and Rhode Island, combined.

Wrangel Island has little economic value in itself, but it is hugely important because it is the closest land to a vast swath of the Arctic Ocean, which is estimated to hold 25 percent of the world’s recoverable oil and gas. According to a European reporter, Putin has said he wants to expand Russia’s presence in the Arctic, both militarily and economically.

It’s not the first time Russia has planted a flag to claim territory in the Arctic, hoping to extend its control over that resource-rich region. In August 2007, a Russian submarine planted a Russian flag on the ocean floor at the North Pole.

Protest Blasphemous Documentary Now!

  Written by Robert Ritchie

 

On October 14 – just a few weeks from now -- Breaking Glass Pictures will begin distributing in America a documentary film that promotes the terrible blasphemous play Corpus Christi.

Listen -- this film tells about what happened when the blasphemous play was traveling around the country during the 6-year span 2005 – 2011 – when we were protesting against it.

And it portrays protestors like you and I as hate-filled bigots.

While at the same time it tries to prove that the blasphemous play itself is all about “love and compassion.”

We can’t just sit down and shut up about that!  We must peacefully protest…

…because, remember, in its original version, the play shows in graphic detail:

• “Our Lord” passionately kissing “Apostles”
• “Our Lord” viciously striking a female actress
• “Our Lord performing a marriage between two homosexual men

So – will you allow me to send the following Protest Petition to Breaking Glass Pictures, in your name?

Here is the Protest:

Attention: Rich Wolff, CEO, Co-President; and Richard Ross, Co-President, Breaking Glass Pictures

I strongly protest against your distribution of the documentary which promotes the blasphemous play Corpus Christi in which a Christ-like figure reportedly has sexual relations with his apostles,

The Person of Jesus Christ is Sacred and untouchable. To portray Him as a homosexual, or even to insinuate it, is an unspeakable blasphemy which I reject with all my soul.

I ask you to immediately cancel the planned release and distribution of this documentary and to offer a public apology to Our Lord Jesus Christ and to all God fearing Americans.

That’s it, and I repeat:  we cannot just sit down and shut up.  And we cannot let the precious name of our Lord be dragged down into homosexual sin. 

That’s why I’m asking you to
Click Right Here.
 

Over 72,000 Protesting the Black Mass in Oklahoma!

News Release

Oklahoma City, OK, Aug. 27, 2014 -- Offending Christians nationwide, the Oklahoma City Civic Center is hosting a public "Black Mass" on September 21.

Opposition is mounting from coast to coast.  More than 70,000 online petitions have been collected urging the Civic Center to cancel the sacrilegious and obscene "Black Mass" which attacks God and desecrates the true Catholic Mass.

Readers are invited to sign the petition here.
"If the event involved stomping on the Koran, I bet the Civic Center would be calling for tolerance," said TFP Student Action Director, John Ritchie. 

"But since the Black Mass calls for stomping on the Holy Eucharist, the Civic Center claims the event is 'educational' and deserves a public platform, which happens to be funded with Christian tax-dollars.  Shame on the Civic Center.  They're misusing the 1st Amendment as a billy club to beat God-loving Americans over the head.  It needs to stop."

Last week, Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City filed a lawsuit demanding that satanist Adam Daniels return the Consecrated Host he illicitly obtained for the "Black Mass" to its rightful owner, the Catholic Church.  The lawsuit was successful and the Host was returned to Archbishop Coakley.
"That was a victory," Ritchie said.  "But we must not rest until the whole sacrilege is canceled.  Civil leaders in Oklahoma should be encouraged to do the right thing, serve the common good, and cancel the 'Black Mass' altogether."

Students at Harvard University, Yale, Brown, Cornell, Columbia, Stanford, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and many other institutions of higher learning joined the petition sponsored by TFP Student Action against the "Black Mass" in Oklahoma.

"The public outcry is only growing," Ritchie continued.  "The petition will probably hit 100,000 in a few weeks."

"Thousands of college students are really upset about this type of in-your-face satanism. They want America to remain one nation under God. And they want the "Black Mass" to be canceled right away." 

Access the TFP petition here.

My “Return to Order” Dinner

My “Return to Order” Dinner |

Return to Order Is Getting Around

Written by John Horvat

A good friend of mine reported on a meeting of local conservatives that she attended in St. Louis, Mo.

She reports:

“At the end, I held up a copy of Return to Order, and told about the book. Several folks were interested, and asked questions at the forum. I gave the president of the group a copy to read and suggested they invite you to speak.


“Another lady, whom I had given the book to yesterday, brought her copy to the meeting and suggested I hold up the book and tell about it  (I was just going to talk quietly to the president after the meeting). That I did, and then a man whom I didn’t know, stood up and said, “I am also a fan of this book!” I was shocked!”

Thanks to the efforts of so many people, the ideas found in Return to Order are getting around.


Return to Order Is Getting Around |

The Crusader knights and the Egyptian princess

In 1134, three Knights of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, who had been held by the Muslims in Egypt, escaped with the help of a Muslim princess named Ismeria. Legend says that Princess Ismeria came to the knights at the request of her brother to convert them to Mohammedanism and proceeded to speak to them about the virtues of her religion.

 When she was finished, the knights asked that would it not be fair for her to hear the virtues of Christianity. She agreed and, when they were finished, much impressed, asked if she might see an image of this Lady of whom they spoke.


One of the knights, the Lord of Eppes, asked her to bring him a block of softwood and tools from which he might carve a statue of Our Lady. The knights agreed that work would begin early the next morning when there was sufficient light, but shortly after midnight they were awakened. There in the corner of their cell was a beautifully carved statuette of Our Lady. The knights were prostrate before the statue when Ismeria found them the next morning. She too threw herself down invoking Our Lady. It was at that point that legend says the knights said, "Behold Our Lady of Joy! That shall henceforth be her name."

After escaping from prison, they traveled hard all day. Exhausted, they fell asleep, while still in Egypt. When they awoke the next morning they found that they had been miraculously transported to France near the home of the second knight, the Lord of Marchais. The knights built a church in honor of the Mother of God on the spot where they awoke. The church and the statue of Our Lady of Joy quickly became a popular pilgrimage site.

Robo-cook: Android Restaurant in China

It's more teatime than Terminator -- a restaurant in China is electrifying customers by using more than a dozen robots to cook and deliver food.

Mechanical staff greet customers, deliver dishes to tables and even stir-fry meat and vegetables at the eatery in Kunshan, which opened last week.

"My daughter asked me to invent a robot because she doesn't like doing housework," the restaurant's founder Song Yugang told AFP.

Two robots are stationed by the door to cheerfully greet customers, while four short but humanoid machines carry trays of food to the tables.

In the kitchen, two large blue robots with glowing red eyes specialise in frying, while another is dedicated to making dumplings.

http://news.yahoo.com/robo-cook-android-restaurant-boots-china-062418815.html

Twin Brothers Become Priests After Their Mother Rejects Abortion

Twin Brothers Become Priests After Their Mother Rejects Abortion

Top Secret Drum Corps -- A Lesson on Perfection

Planned Black Mass in Oklahoma Has Consecrated Host: Have you protested yet?

 

The head of the Oklahoma City satanic church that is planning a black mass in a public venue next month says the Eucharistic Host he plans to use in the ritual was mailed to him by a friend.

" I'm sick of hearing about this 'Consecrated Host,'" Adam Daniels, of the organization, the Dakhma of Angra Mainyu,  wrote in an emailed response to questions from Aleteia. "As my understudy has told other Catholic Inquisitors, the Eucharist was mailed to us by [a] friend. That is all I'm going to say about how it was attained [sic]. My question is, why is a piece of bread that some man said some words over so sacred?"

Daniels, who uses the title Dastur—the term for Zoroastrian high priest—said in a subsequent email today that "As far as I know, the host mailed to me is consecrated."

SIGN THE PETITION HERE

He confirmed that the black mass that is generating controversy in Oklahoma City and beyond, will go forward as planned on Sept. 21. 

"The abridged Black Mass (from the Satanic Rituals by [Anton] LaVey) will take place," he said. "Then The Choke [a local band] will perform. After that, Matthew Garman will have a Satanic (Ahrimanic) Exorcism done [which purports to remove the Holy Spirit from him]. Kelsey [Daniels] and I will be presiding over this rite. Before each ritual I will lecture on the purpose and point of each ritual as it pertains to the Ahrimanic [Satanic] Faith."

 

North Carolina restaurant surprises customers who give prayer of thanks with 15% discount - Washington Times

A North Carolina restaurant is offering a 15 percent discount to customers who publicly give thanks for their meal with prayer.


Mary’s Gourmet Diner in Winston-Salem has been offering the discount for four years, but a recent Facebook post showing a receipt with the discount has gone viral, drawing special attention to the restaurant, Fox News reported Friday.

One customer told the news agency that she visited the restaurant during a business trip. Jordan Smith said she and her colleagues, “prayed over our meal and the waitress came over at the end of the meal and said,” Just so you know, we gave you a 15 percent discount for praying.”

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/aug/2/north-carolina-restaurant-surprises-customers-who-/#ixzz39M83GpQY

North Carolina restaurant surprises customers who give prayer of thanks with 15% discount - Washington Times

The Difference Between a Job and Work |

It is interesting to note the different perceptions of how people perceive what they do for a living. Finance professor Bernard Lietaer makes the distinction by noting the original meanings of the words ‘job’ and ‘work.’ He writes:

The word ‘Job’ is recent; it dates from the Industrial Revolution. It was  initially defined as a ‘pile of things to be done’; or even more precisely ‘something done for hire with a view of monetary profit.’

‘Work’, in contrast, is a very old word. Its first appearance in English dates from the Aelfric Homilies (11th century): ‘That work was begun under God’s will.’ It still has
that connotation when referring to a ‘work of Love’, a ‘work of Art’, a ‘work of Mercy’. (quoted from The Future of Money: A New Way to Create Wealth, Work, and a Wiser World, Century, London, 2001, p. 126)


The Difference Between a Job and Work |