Americanism and abortion (from my 2003 article).

Pope Leo XIII did not have abortion in mind when he condemned Americanism as a heresy and a threat to the Catholic Faith. It is ironic that if he were still alive, he would see one of the most gruesome aspects of "Americanism" that has been perpetrated upon this nation since 1973 when the United States Supreme Court said, from that point in time, that a woman had a right to kill her pre-born child - legally - through some of the most ingenious and heinous methods imaginable. This "right" to kill a pre-born child, the advocates say, is somehow guaranteed by the very same Constitution that forbids it!

In the preamble to the founding document, we read: "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

A more perfect Union?  How can there be a more perfect Union when we are allowed to kill off those who will make up the future Union?

Justice? What Justice is there in killing the pre-born for economic or social stigma or for any reason for that matter?

Domestic Tranquility? What has abortion wrought to the very parents who kill their offspring?

Provide for the common defense? With the killing of the pre-born, who will be left to protect an aging population from threat - real or imagined?

Promote the general Welfare? There will be no "welfare" to promote if no one is left…

And secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our POSTERITY? If we are allowed to kill those who make up the future - our posterity - there will be no one to enjoy the "blessings of liberty."

Let us now look at the Declaration of Independence and see what it says regarding government: "…But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security." Does anyone not think that the killing of 60-plus-million pre-born children since 1973, many more times than the holocaust of World War II, is an abuse and a diabolical mark of absolute despotism? Should not the law enforcement and military help the citizen to overthrow this killing machine and establish a new and a more benevolent, God-fearing form of government? Why is this not being done?

The oft-quoted section of the Declaration of Independence nullifies the actions of the Supreme Court of 1973, it reads: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among them are LIFE, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Notice that the first of the unalienable (inalienable) rights is LIFE. Without life, there can be no other rights! The right to life has been trampled upon by a Supreme Court that is out of control. This once august body established as a system to determine whether a law passed by the state legislatures or Congress meets the criteria of Constitutionality, has, since the 1930's, taken on a life of its own - not to interpret the law, but to MAKE them! Is it any wonder why it would create the "constitutional" guarantee: the "right to choose"?

 At the beginning of this discourse, I mentioned that Pope Leo XIII condemned Americanism as a heresy and a threat to the Catholic Faith. In his encyclical: Testem Benevolentiae Nostrae, promulgated on January 22, 1899, he specifically cautioned and called into question, the then prevailing attitude of the American bishops regarding their relationships with members of other "faiths" and their willingness not to promote what is true Catholic doctrine or to water-down that doctrine in an effort to "go along to get along" - my phraseology, not the Pope's.   It must be admitted that by all accounts – as history has so proven – the American Church prelates all but ignored Leo’s admonishments regarding Americanism.   The consequences of this disobedience have been titanic.   For if the bishops and archbishops from the nineteenth, to our present century had followed Pope Leo XIII’s – and then Pope Pius X’s – stern warnings and condemnations, and had lived up to their obligations of guiding the flock to Christ, regardless of the consequences, the heinous scourge of abortion would have never occurred.   Logically, numerous other maladies would not have gotten a foothold nor hold such prominence as they do today: e.g., immorality, rampant homosexuality, divorce, etc.

Now that we have selfishly considered ourselves in this matter, what of the pre-born?

What is their fate when they are killed?

 Are we not supposed to know, love, and serve God in this life in order to be happy with Him in the next?

 How can the children who are killed in the womb fulfill this basic tenet of our existence?

 The answer to these questions is grimly simple: they are forever denied the Face of their Creator.   “Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.”

Gene DeLalla 

If you need more evidence that innocent life is in grave danger in the U.K., then read this article.

The following article is from the website: Lifenews.com..

Please read and heed: this is from a nation that was once considered “Our Lady’s Dowry.”  For any non-Catholics out there reading this, this refers to the Blessed Virgin Mary (and of the Catholic Church) but has now become a cesspool of “assisted suicide” and outright murder without consent, of course.  Be wary if you have to enter a hospital, for whatever reason, whether here in the U.S., or, especially in the U.K.  God help us all.. Gene DeLalla.

 The British Supreme Court has ruled that doctors and families can revoke a patient’s life support and withhold food and water without his or her consent and without a court hearing.

The decision is particularly concerning — because it comes from a nation that is already pushing towards euthanasia. In the UK, with its government-run health care system, doctors and hospitals are routinely giving up on patients they believe are too far gone, even children such as Charlie Gard or Alfie Evans. In such instances they are pressuring families to allow life support to be revoked from patients they believe have no chance at life — even though other doctors and medical professionals disagree.

The ruling from the high court in Britain also comes after new reports that hundreds of patients are being euthanized in Belgium including three children. Leading pro-life organizations will likely see this ruling us another step towards euthanasia and pressuring patients to end their lives in assisted suicide.

The ruling essentially allows doctors and families to guess what a patient might want if no advance directive is in place — allowing patients to have their life support and food and fluids terminated and their lives taken even if that may not be the decision they would have wanted.

Here’s more:

End-of-life care can be withdrawn from patients in a permanent vegetative state without consulting a judge, the UK’s highest court ruled today. The Supreme Court upheld a decision that a man with an extensive brain injury, who can be identified only as Mr Y, should be allowed to die without his family going before a judge.

The ruling means that, in cases where families and doctors are in agreement, medical staff will be able to remove feeding tubes without applying to the Court of Protection.

The Supreme Court ruled on the case of a 52-year-old financial analyst, was from June 2017, was in a prolonged disorder of consciousness (PDOC) after suffering a cardiac arrest as a result of coronary artery disease.

Click here to sign up for pro-life news alerts from LifeNews.com

PDOC covers patients remaining in a coma, vegetative state and minimally conscious state after a brain injury.

Experts agreed it was highly improbable that Mr Y would re-emerge into consciousness and – even if he did – he would have profound cognitive and physical disability and always be dependent on others.

Mr Y had not drawn up any advance decision to refuse treatment but his family were firmly of the view that he would not want to be kept alive given the poor prognosis.

The anti-euthanasia group Care Not Killing has expressed “concern” and “disappointment” that the Supreme Court has removed an important safeguard from brain-damaged patients today.

The group informed LifeNews:

It complains that judges have ruled that doctors should be able to withdraw food and fluids without going to Court. The ruling will effect up to 24,000 patients with permanent vegetative state (PVS) and minimally conscious state (MCS), meaning they can now be effectively starved and dehydrated to death if the medical staff and relatives agree that this is in their ‘best interests’.

People with PVS (awake but not aware) and MCS (awake but only intermittently or partially aware) can breathe without ventilators, but need to have food and fluids by tube (clinically assisted nutrition and hydration or CANH).

These patients are not imminently dying and with good care can live for many years. Some may even regain awareness. But if CANH is withdrawn, then they will die from dehydration and starvation within two or three weeks.

Until last year all cases of PVS and MCS have had to go to the Court of Protection before CANH could be withdrawn.

Dr. Peter Saunders, Campaign Director of Care Not Killing, commented: “This is concerning and disappointing news, because it removes an important safeguard from those without a voice.

“The Court of Protection did not prevent clinically assisted nutrition and hydration or CANHbeing removed, indeed under the old rules, introduced after the Tony Bland case in 1993 there have been over 100 such cases, but it did ensure independent scrutiny of any application. It did this because it recognised the emotional and financial pressure that families and clinicians can fell under.”

Saunders continued: “In making these declarations Lady Black and the Supreme Court has dramatically moved the goalposts on end of life decision-making. Once we accept that death by dehydration is in some brain-damaged people’s ‘best interests’ we are on a very slippery slope indeed.

“There is a clear difference between turning off a ventilator on a brain-dead patient and removing CANH from a brain-damaged patient. PVS and MCS differ from conditions with a ‘downward trajectory’ because they are not progressive and do not in themselves lead inevitably to death.

“The Supreme Court has set a dangerous precedent. Taking these decisions away from the Court of Protection removes an important layer of legislative scrutiny and accountability and effectively weakens the law.

“It will make it more likely that severely brain-damaged patients will be starved or dehydrated to death in their supposed ‘best interests’ and that these decisions will be more influenced by those who have ideological or financial vested interests in this course of action.”

He concluded: “Given that it costs about £100,000 per year to care for a person with PVS or MCS the potential ‘saving’ for the NHS could be as much as £2.4 billion annually if most seek to go down this route. Given the huge and growing financial pressure the health service is under is this really an additional pressure, no matter how subtle we want to put medical staff and administrators under.

“Coupled with this are the real, demonstrable and significant uncertainties about diagnosis and prognosis in both PVS and MCS. These have increased rather than decreased in the last 20 years and this is why continued court oversight is necessary.”

Meanwhile. in Belgium, new data shows that the number of euthanasia deaths continues to increase, euthanasia deaths for conditions related to aging have skyrocketed and three children died by euthanasia.

In 2016 there were 2028 reported euthanasia deaths up from 2021 in 2015 and in 2017 there were 2309 reported euthanasia deaths, a 14% increase from the previous year. There were 954 reported Belgian euthanasia deaths in 2010 representing a 242% increase in 7 years.

Since 2010, Belgium has expanded euthanasia to include children, people with mental or behavioral conditions and people who are not dying but have chronic conditions. The data indicates that in 2016/17 there were, reportedly, 3 children who died by euthanasia, 77 people with mental or behavior conditions and 710 people with sight loss or incontinence or conditions related to disability or age.

Continuing massive sexual abuse scandal in the "Catholic" church.

Almost on a daily basis, there are more and more stories of priests, bishops and cardinals, along with some heads of religious orders or "charitable" organizations of various sorts, taking advantage of, or outright using the vulnerable to their fulfill their own weird and bizarre sexual fantasies.

Let me be clear, there are many wolves in sheep's clothing currently stalking the halls of the innocent searching for new victims.  These demonic pimps are finally being vetted and exposed (absolutely no pun intended here, as this is a terrible attack on the youth of the Church by these phony skunks wearing the Roman collar).

Keep in mind, that some years ago, there were Communists that recruited "men" to enter the Catholic seminaries to become priests.  Most of these "men" were (or still are?) in the priesthood, or, they might have moved up the ranks, so to speak, and are now bishops or cardinals (or popes, over the years?).  It is thought that many of these "men" were, or still are homosexuals, not "frustrated" celibates going about the important business of the salvation of souls -- the first and foremost mission of the Church.

One of the prime recruiters (there were at least several) was a woman named Bella Dodd.  She was a Communist, and, in fact, testified before Congress on the mandate given her by the then Soviet Union.  Before she died, she reconciled to the Church, thank God!

But the damage was done, and continues to this day with many seminaries turning away real, decent men because they would not bend to the homosexual culture running rampant throughout the world.

I would like to mention something that few ever hear from the mainstream media these days, and that is the FACT that the sexual abuse scandal, as bad as it is in the Catholic Church, is worse, much worse among the public school teachers, administrators and coaches.  You read that right.  Much worse in the public school system across this country.  Do the research and see for yourself.  In addition, it is quite prevalent among Protestant pastors and ministers, as well as Rabbis, again, do the research.

This does not excuse the corrupt, satanic goings on among the human element in the Catholic Church.

Every single one of these monsters must face some type of justice, Catholic or not, if not in this world, then absolutely in the next.  My advice to these creatures: make amends before you breath your last...

Please pray for the victims of these scallywags, and continue to pray for our country.

Gene DeLalla 

 

Humility, the foundation of holiness.

...And the publican standing afar off, would not so much as lift up his eyes towards heaven, but struck his breast, saying, O God, be merciful to me a sinner...

It is hard, sometimes very hard, to embrace humility, or, said another way, to give up pride and self exultation.

If only we, as a people, could humble ourselves, just think of the incredible possibilities!  A holy nation under the guidance and grace of God Almighty!

Can it happen?

But we must also face reality, and that reality suggests that, right now, we are nowhere near as a humble people, a humble nation.  So, this means we have a lot of work to do.  Can we, at least, meet the Creator half-way down the road, and start the enormous task ahead of us?

The blessings would be astronomical!  And this is not pie-in-the-sky; it's possible.  If I didn't think so, then why hope for anything, anything at all?  Just close up shop and crawl into a cave.  

Pray for humility, not only for ourselves, but also for our country as a whole..

Gene DeLalla

Our responsibilities as citizens; as parents.

Like it or not, we live in a contorted, emasculated world, where priorities have been turned upside-down.  These circumstances present more challenges and more needed solutions if we are to be good stewards of the freedoms that are still left to us and our families, especially, our children.  What kind of world will they face if nothing changes in the coming days, weeks, months and years.

We see anarchy and rebellion, supported and encouraged by those individuals hell-bent on changing, not only our country, but the world at large, in my opinion, for the worse.

The evisceration of our precious God-given rights, especially the right to life, is coming under constant attack by those who have lost the ability to discern right from wrong, good from evil.  This, I believe, is done out of malice, if not out of ignorance.

If they succeed in corrupting and influencing the younger generation, especially those children that have been entrusted to their parents as gifts from Above, the "bad guys" will win the war for their souls; their future.  This cannot happen; we cannot let it happen!

What is necessary is to re-focus our efforts to be good and decent citizens; to give good example to our neighbors, friends, extended family members, but most importantly, to our own families.  Remember: charity begins at home.  There is much truth in this.

The family unit is the bedrock and building block of society.  It also implies the preservation of traditional morals, and acceptable behavior of our offspring (read: discipline), without which, there is chaos, not only in the family unit, but also in society at large.

Fathers must be fathers!  Mothers must be mothers!

The roles of each are crucial to the success of the family.  This is a natural observation and conclusion of the roles of each party.

The father should be the head of the family, and the mother should be the heart of the family; the two being complimentary.  Children, being the "sponges" they are, will observe and "record" what they see and hear between mom and dad, the effects can be immense, and, hopefully, for the positive, not the negative!

I would be remiss in leaving out those who choose the single state in life.

They too, must be good citizens, and have much to offer according to their particular talents contributing to the stability and preservation of societal norms.

In conclusion, we are all directed to be perfect as the Father in heaven is perfect.  A lofty goal?  Yes, very lofty.  Is it attainable?  Maybe, maybe not, but at least we have to try our best.

Pray for direction, and pray for our country.

Gene DeLalla 

Ben Franklin was right: if you give up freedom for security, you deserve neither.

Let me ask you all a question: since "9/11," how many professional baseball games, football games, basketball games, hockey games, soccer games, not to mention college baseball games, basketball games, football games, soccer games have been played all across the country?

Go, on, take a guess...

I'll take a guess: 50,000?  100,000?   200,000?

And I haven't even included any high school games of various sorts.

Actually, your guess is as good as mine.

Next question: how many "9/11's" have there been since September, 11, 2001?

Okay, here's the answer: there haven't been any other "9/11's".

Why is that?

Do you even have an answer?

I'll give you my answer: there haven't been any other "9/11's" because "9/11" was planned from the beginning and carried out, not by a bunch a Arab loonies, but by the traitors within our own governmental structure.

There has been much written about this momentous event, but I'll just skim the surface here...

Realize, that anyone who dares to question the official government investigative report, or offers another explanation, they, or we, or I, are quickly labeled quacks, or conspiracy nuts.

The question begs: where is the real conspiracy?

A little background is in order here; first, I was in two branches of the military, the first, as an Air Force Security Policeman, originally stationed at a Strategic Air Command base, then a year in Vietnam.  The second, I was a Coast Guard search and rescue radioman (communications specialist).

While in SAC (the acronym for Strategic Air Command), NORAD (North American Air Defense Command -- jointly operated by American and Canadian personnel) was SAC's "eyes" and "ears."

Every missile or plane or satellite that was ever launched, was immediately tracked by NORAD; if a threat was determined to be real, then that entity notified SAC.  This is important because the commercial jet airliners -- if that's what they were -- that went off course and headed into the Twin Towers, was seen by, and reported up the chain of command by NORAD.

Fighter jets then were supposed to be scrambled to intercept the errant jets and take them down.  That was not done.  It is a fact, that some were directed out to sea -- because of some supposed military exercise -- while others were commanded to "stand down."  Translation: the civilian authorities ordered the military not to intercept the rogue jet airliners.

But it's not only New York that was targeted, the Pentagon was also targeted.  Keep in mind that the air space over New York, and especially that over or near the Pentagon and D.C., is highly restricted; nothing would be allowed to get that close to the iconic building housing the heart and soul of the American Defense Department.

But no fighter jets were dispatched to take out the plane (or missile?) that hit the Pentagon.  None.

I could go on and on here, but suffice to say that if the Towers were not evidence enough of planned demolition, then I bring your attention to Building 7; a 47-story-skyscraper that fell into it's own footprint -- at free-fall speed,

A perfectly planned demolition!  Perfect!

Also, take a look at a much less known or discussed Building 6, and try to figure out what happened to that structure!

The points being made here, is that just before "9//11," and just after, federal legislation was enacted to severely restrict or contract our freedoms all in the name of security, with fear of other "attacks" being the main weapon that the out of control oligarchy, concerned not with our safety or those precious freedoms, but the monies and power that is always behind such disastrous exploits.

So let me repeat: of all those sporting games that I mentioned at the beginning of my article, notice that not one "terror" attack was carried out on all those vulnerable fans, soaking up the sun and beer.

Not one...

Have we been lied to?

Ben Franklin was correct: if you give up freedom for security, you deserve neither.

Gene DeLalla

The culture of death; read and heed.

The following article is from Lifenews.com.

Elderly Woman Resisted Being Euthanized When She Saw the Needle, So Her Family Held Her Down

International  

SPUC   Jul 27, 2018   |   1:15PM    Amsterdam, Netherlands

Share this story

A Dutch doctor who was rebuked for killing an elderly dementia patient without consent and in a traumatic manner has been given a formal reprimand by the Dutch medical complaints board, and may now face criminal charges.

Worldwide horror

The case involved a woman in her seventies, who was placed in a care home after her dementia became so advanced that her husband could no longer cope with care at home. She was distressed and frightened, and after a few weeks, the doctor at the home determined that she was suffering unbearably. He concluded that she was not mentally competent, but that an earlier statement in her will that she wanted euthanasia “when I myself find it the right time”; justified killing her.

The story was greeted with horror around the world, as it emerged that the doctor drugged the victim’s coffee, and had her family hold her down as she tried to fight off the lethal injection. Despite the woman not being mentally competent to consent to being killed, a review panel cleared the doctor of all charges.

No consent given

Now, the Dutch medical complaints board has formally reprimanded the unnamed doctor -the first case in which a practitioner has been formally censured since the Netherlands made it legal for doctors to kill patients at their request in 2002.

The board said that the woman’s will was contradictory, and that although she said she wanted to die on some days, on others she did not. She had written an ‘advance directive’ asking to be killed if her dementia became too severe, but whenever the issue of asking to die was raised, she also added: “Not now, it’s not so bad yet”. The board found that the doctor should have discussed the fact that a sedative was put in her coffee – which did not happen – and only carried out euthanasia if she agreed.

Criminal charges

The chief public prosecutor at The Hague is investigating whether there are grounds for criminal charges to be laid against the doctor, with an announcement expected after the summer.

Even a euthanasia advocate who was involved in a historic case at the Supreme Court that helped set the legal conditions for the procedure in the Netherlands condemned the killing of the woman. ‘This case is appalling,’ said Dr Boudewijn Chabot, adding that the euthanasia of the Alzheimer’s patient “goes beyond the law as we understand it.”

Slippery slope

In March, the Dutch Public Prosecution Service announced that it has begun investigations into four cases of euthanasia, including one of a woman with Alzheimer’s who was killed without consent. The dangers of legalized euthanasia to the vulnerable have also been highlighted in Belgium. It emerged this week that three children, one only nine years old, have had their lives ended by doctors since the euthanasia of minors was legalized in 2016.

End of article...

My comment: this is outrageous and disgusting.  But is par for the course for the culture of death now so prevalent in this country and around the world.  Why would anyone be surprised to read such things, when babies are slaughtered in the womb at the rate of nearly 3,000 every single day in the U.S.?   Life has little value among some; it is a war against the gift of life, hence, it is a war against God Almighty.  There will be a heavy price to pay for those that kill the innocent, unless there is repentance.   May God have mercy on our country! 

Can't trust the lying media.

The title of my short article is an understatement.

Just imagine if former president Obama had lies told about him on a daily basis, not one lie, but many lies -- day in, and day out.  Do you think that folks hearing those lies will, eventually, begin to believe those lies?  Such tactics have been used since the Fall (that's the fall from the Garden)!

But keep in mind that if Obama was lied about, whoever, or whatever entity was telling those lies, would be called a racist, or a bigot.

Racist; bigot -- two words that have been used and abused to describe President Trump ever since he took office back in January, of 2017.

It seems the lies that have been floating around regarding President Trump, are plastered all over the "6 o'clock news," as well as the various rags that pass for newspapers and magazines these days. (I would be insulting my pet bird if I used those publications to line his cage to absorb his droppings!)

But why are the media attacking our president -- and he is our president!  Remember, he destroyed his opponent in an electoral landslide!  And the Hillary lovers just can't take it.  That is why their hate and malice continues, and will continue, so long as President Trump stays the course.  

He is an "outsider," and that is like pouring salt on the wound!

I love it!

He also acknowledges God Almighty, another reason the hard-left, liberals hate his guts.  Most are atheists anyway, and that includes such miscreants as self-described "devout Catholic" Nancy Pelosi; Biden, Kerry, the list of apostate "Catholics" is almost endless.  Most are for the killing of the pre-born, deceived by the demon, that it is a woman's "right," found somewhere in the Constitution.
 
Sick.

Well, here is some real, big news: God will not be mocked.  He will have His Justice!  And if anyone thinks that God's mercy is endless, boundless, never-ending, regardless of the grievous and grave sins of mankind, you are dead wrong.

I suggest we all pray for our country, and frequently at that.

Gene DeLalla

Is the United States a Christian nation?

Though I love my country, my fatherland, I have to say that the United States is not a Christian nation.

There was a time, however, that it was becoming a CATHOLIC territory long before it became an un-Christian nation.

Those brave missionaries, both Spanish and French, evangelized many of the native tribes long before the Protestants undid much of the work of converting those savages to the Catholic faith.

There was a miraculous exception BEFORE the Catholic missionaries reached certain native tribes of New Spain.  This miraculous exception was due to a woman, a saintly Catholic woman, Blessed Mary of Agreda, who, believe it or not, actually BI-LOCATED to what was to become, geographically, the southwestern part of the U.S.

By the way, bi-location means that someone was in two places at once.  Mary of Agreda remained in her convent, at Agreda, Spain, when, at the same time, this "Lady in Blue" catechized and baptized the Jumanos ("Indians") of the future New Mexico and Texas.

I am digressing here, so let me return to the original thesis of this short article...

First, the "We the people" beginning of the bedrock founding document of the United States of America, the Constitution, though noble to be sure, lacks the acknowledgment that it is God Almighty that grants the power and rights to His people, not the people granting themselves power and rights over those under their jurisdiction.

The Declaration of Independence, on the other hand, does acknowledge "...the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God..." and: "...that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights..."

Unfortunately, the system that the Constitution has institutionalized is basically majority rule; mob rule, to be blunt.

So, does that mean that if a majority decides that the killing of the pre-born is "okay," then that is the law of the land (settled law)?  As we have seen, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled just that way, so in the interim, since 1973, 60-plus million pre-born babies have been slaughtered under the guise of a woman's "right to chose."  

A Christian nation?  God bless America?

How and why could He bless America?

This is why we cannot, as a people, put our trust or hope in any one individual or political party so long as those representatives act as though their power comes from the people, and not from God Almighty.  Remember, Christ told Pilate that he would have no power over Him if that power did not come from ABOVE (meaning from His Father!).

A true Christian nation would not live by majority rule, but JUST and moral governance over its people, under Natural and Divine Law.

Pope Leo XIII complimented America because here, Catholics could worship freely, but at the same time he condemned what is called "Americanism."  Simply stated, Americanism refers to the weakening of the doctrines and dogmas of our holy Faith in order to get along with our non-Catholic brethren.  The problem with such a scenario, is that many of the hard truths of the Faith are watered down or outright hidden from those that are in need of evangelization and conversion.

I'm afraid that these days instead of being Catholic Americans, we have become American Catholics. There is a wide chasm between the two meanings, one that sacrifices truth for "peace".

Our job as faithful Catholics is to make waves, to convert those outside the Church.  This can be done within our own, individual talents or ministries as St. Paul indicates.  We at least have to try, doing anything less, and we fail to live up to the command to preach and baptize all nations...

Pray for our country.

Gene DeLalla  

The Cuomo Mob Organization.

Murder, Inc., can take on many forms, such as "planned parenthood," or, a family of ultra-liberal "Catholics" -- the worst kind!

I bring your attention to the Cuomo Mob Organization of New York State (and CNN).

Here we have the so-called "Catholic" former governor of New York State, Mario Cuomo, who went to his judgment before the Just Judge, back in 2015.  He had a lot to answer for; being "personally" opposed to abortion, but stating that the state had no right to ban -- the murder of the pre-born.  Does that sound familiar?  How many times have we heard "Catholic" politicians repeat that mantra?

His son, Andrew Cuomo, is now governor of New York.  Andrew, also a "Catholic," and divorced, is shacking up with his paramour, Sandra Lee, yet still receives Holy Communion from the hands of the his corrupt "bishop."  Sacrilege!

And then there is Christopher (Chris) Cuomo, a host of the fake news network, CNN. Also a "Catholic," can't seem to figure out just when a new life begins in the womb of her mother...

Again, the radical left, pro-death "Catholics" are entrenched in the culture of death, and for all practical purposes, have sold their souls for position, power and money in this world, hell-bent for hell in the next.

So be it.

But there is more.  It is called scandal.  In this case, to the young impressionable minds that look up to these mobsters for some type of direction in their lives, only to be deceived by the prince of this world, educating them in the ways of death, through the heinous act of abortion, as well as the choice of homosexuality, euthanasia, contraception, you name it, they learn it.

Our God is, indeed, merciful, but mercy is tempered with justice, and He will have His justice fulfilled.

Pray for these "Catholics," and pray for our country.

Gene DeLalla

A "personal relationship" with Christ...

Does anyone have Protestant friends?

I do.

When in conversation with your dear, non-Catholic friends, how many times have you heard them say they have a "personal relationship" with Christ?

I have, many times.

Pardon my ignorance, but I'm a little unsure where they get that from, or what that means.

I don't think it's in the Bible, so where do they get that notion from?

Is it made up?  Who knows?

It's a little like claiming to be a Christian; seems like that august handle is applied to an awful lot of folk these days.  Another topic of discussion, I'm sure, but maybe at a later date...

What I do know, is that our "separated brethren," who claim to read and know the Bible, it seems to me, have been very selective in what they read and understand.

Don't get me wrong, anyone who is "biblical" by nature is heading in the right direction, but he or she just hasn't reached their final destination, meaning the fullness of the truth of revealed religion (Scripture and Tradition -- that's tradition with a capital "T").

They seem to be trying to navigate those insidious roadblocks, or wrong turns on the narrow, dimly lit highway that leads to the heavenly Beatitude.

I, for one, don't want to see my Protestant friends -- those that I love -- miss that important turn that will get them back on the right road.

One aspect of that "right road," is the real personal relationship that, dare I say, only we Catholics have.

If that shocks any non-Catholic, it should.

But it is easy to understand, that is, if one is, in fact, open to the truth and willing to accept that truth.

What kind of "personal relationship" with Christ am I talking about?

The most intimate of all: the Holy Eucharist.

When we (Catholics) receive Holy Communion, we are receiving the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ!

Yes, a miracle!  It happens at every Catholic Mass!  I see "It" with my own eyes; I receive "It" on my tongue and into my body!  But only if I'm worthy to do so!

Is there factual information in the Bible to back up this incredible miracle that I just described?

Of course there is, otherwise I wouldn't have dared to mention such a momentous, earth-shattering event.

Before I provide such information, let us contemplate just what is happening here: the Creator of the universe, comes to us, and in us, so we can eventually reach Him, and be with Him forever.

Can our limited mental capacities really comprehend this?  Personally, it is difficult for me to understand, but it's true nonetheless!  

And now the proof: this is the "hard" part for those who may fight this revelation, but if one is sincere, then he or she will be open for, and, I hope, accept these facts.

I point to St. John, Chapter 6 -- all of it.  And, no, the eating of the flesh and drinking of the blood, is not a metaphor.  See what happens when the disciples "walked no more" ("because this saying is hard").

Then, we must also consider the great Apostle to the Gentiles, St. Paul, once a persecutor of the early Christians, who, himself partook of the Eucharist!  Read 1 Corinthians, Chapter 10; 16-17; 1 Corinthians, Chapter 11, 23-27.  Again, if the Eucharist is a metaphor, then what St. Paul says would make absolutely no sense at all.

I ask those non-Catholics to honestly dwell and reflect on this critical, soul-saving information.

No, I'm not attempting to say "see, I told you so," or win a debate, I just want to bring the relevant facts of an astounding miracle that every Catholic priest confects at every Mass.  Come and see for yourselves...

May God bless all of good will...

Gene DeLalla 

Is stare decisis "infallible"?

Is stare decisis infallible?

Of course not.

But if you look at the arguments against the possibility of overturning Roe v Wade, you would think that stare decisis is infallible, as far as precedents go.

The absolute hysteria over that same possibility is nothing short of deranged.

The question begs: why?

The answer is almost too simple: man has become his own god, and the true God that designed and made us, has been almost universally rejected as well as kicked out of the public sphere.

When that happens, evil quickly fills the void created by the absence of good.

In addition, Roe v Wade directly contradicts the Natural Law, therefore, stare decisis has no bearing, no authority, on that wicked, anti-life decision; it is not "settled law."

But in the secular-humanist world, any violation of stare decisis is a "sacrilege," not to be  tolerated, or even discussed in open forum.

This is the current world that we live in.

I always say, however, there is hope!   For if we don't have hope, the only alternative is despair, and that is not an option.

Pray for our country.  And, yes, pray for an overturning of Roe v Wade, keeping in mind that no court decision -- even if unanimous -- will end the scourge of abortion, only a true change of heart.

Again, pray...

Gene DeLalla

Life is so tenuous; fragile...

Life, is, indeed, so tenuous, so fragile.

This past week, there was a terrible, horrendous tragedy that struck tourists enjoying a boat ride in one of southwest Missouri's well-known amusement parks.

It seems that a "duck boat" with 29 passengers and crew got caught in a squall-line of thunderstorms that turned a tranquil lake into a raging, storm-tossed sea, causing the tiny boat to be swamped with  whitecap-waves.

Right before the eyes of those taking videos of the event, the SOBs (souls on-board -- as we used to refer to those on board a ship or boat when I was in the Coast Guard back in the mid- to late-70's) had their lives snuffed out within a very short minute or two.

Gone, were fifteen tourists and crew.  Sadly, included in this disaster were nine members of one family!

Let that sink in: nine members of one family, ranging in age from 76- to a 1-year-old!

When a soldier succumbs to an enemy's bullet, it is almost expected; the loss is "tolerated" as a consequence of the battle.  But to see such an unnecessary loss of life of innocent (non-combatants) is heartrending beyond comprehension.

As we have recently seen, when such unexplainable, incomprehensible events occur, there are candle-light vigils; memorial services and prayer gatherings held for the deceased, and rightly so.

However, I cannot recall to mind or hear of any candle-light vigils; memorial services or prayer gatherings held for the nearly 3,000 pre-born babies killed in this country every single day by Murder, Inc. (aka: "planned parenthood").

Please pray for those who died, as well as for their families.

And pray for an end to the tragedy of abortion...

Gene DeLalla

   

Natural Family Planning (NFP): friend or foe of Holy Matrimony?

The following is an article posted on www.lifesitenews.com: The Challenges of Natural Family Planning Lead to Virtue.

The article begins...

July 17, 2018 (Human Life International) – "Using the natural [family planning] methods requires and strengthens the harmony of the married couple, it helps and confirms the rediscovery of the marvelous gift of parenthood, it involves respect for nature and demands the responsibility of the individuals. According to many authoritative opinions, they also foster more completely that human ecology which is the harmony between the demands of nature and personal behavior." —St. Pope John Paul II, Address to Teachers of Natural Family Planning, Dec. 7, 1996

Pope Paul VI on the Benefits and Challenges of NFP

As numerous popes have made clear, couples who shun the temptation of contraception and follow the Church's teachings on what St. Pope John Paul II called "responsible procreation," open themselves up to a myriad of blessings. The most obvious is that couples who opt for natural family planning are far less likely to get divorced. Were this the one and only benefit, it would be sufficient reason to recommend the practice.

In Humanae Vitae, however, Pope Paul VI lists a host of other benefits. The use of periodic continence, he begins, has "the salutary effect of enabling husband and wife to develop to their personalities and to be enriched with spiritual blessings." This practice, he said, "brings to family life abundant fruits of tranquility and peace."

It also, he added, helps "in solving difficulties of other kinds. It fosters in husband and wife thoughtfulness and loving consideration for one another. It helps them to repel inordinate self-love, which is the opposite of charity. It arouses in them a consciousness of their responsibilities. And finally, it confers upon parents a deeper and more effective influence in the education of their children." 

Still, the pope also stressed the difficulties – "at times very great" – that couples face in striving to follow the Church's teaching. "For them, as indeed for every one of us," he added somewhat bleakly, "the gate is narrow, and the way is hard, that leads to life." Acknowledging that some couples may become "deeply distressed" by the difficulties they face, and the real risk of failure on the part of some couples, he urged them never to "lose heart," but to resort – "humble and persevering" – to the Sacrament of Penance.

A One-Sided Perspective

Unfortunately, in a well-intentioned, but misguided effort to lure couples away from contraception towards NFP, some teachers or preachers may occasionally paint an overly one-sided picture of NFP. In the very worst cases, this presentation can almost make NFP seem like a form of "Catholic contraception," suggesting to couples that they can attain perfect control over their fertility at the expense of only the mildest inconveniences to their sex life or other plans.

Some teachers, for instance, may continuously emphasize how a few days a month couples might have to abstain from sex to postpone (avoid) pregnancy. Others will repeatedly point to statistics showing how reliable NFP can be, compared to contraception. Others might suggest that couples who use NFP often have more and better sex than their contracepting peers. Or they may wax eloquent on the "honeymoon effect" that can follow a period of abstinence.

None of these claims are wrong in themselves. However, without balance or a deeper perspective they can create an unrealistic and superficial picture of the Church's teaching.

On a practical level, by creating overly rosy expectations, they set couples up for disappointment and failure. Not having been prepared for the inevitable difficulties of practicing NFP, such couples may feel tempted to give up after frustrating initial attempts, thinking they have been duped. Tragically, if their teachers have failed to transmit to such couples the rich spirituality of marriage and personal sanctity in which Pope Paul VI and other popes have always been careful to place this teaching, they will lack the tools they need to stay the course and reap its great benefits.

Why the Church Bias in Favor of Life

These couples may not, for instance, have been told about what we might call the Church's "bias for life": that is, the Church's life-affirming teaching that procreation is the primary good of marriage. Indeed, so central is this teaching to the Church's understanding of marriage, that She states that a couple that has the intention never to have children is incapable of contracting a valid sacramental marriage.

"Marriage and conjugal love are by their nature ordained toward the procreation and education of children," states the Second Vatican Council. "Children are really the supreme gift of marriage and contribute in the highest degree to their parents' welfare."

This stands in stark contrast to the contraceptive mentality of our age, in which a couple typically enters a sexual relationship with the tacit understanding that children are only something to be discussed at a later date. Children thus become a mere accessory to a marriage, to be added on once a couple has discerned at excruciating length if they are "ready."

Indeed, if couples only ever listened to worldly family planners, economists and other experts, they might think they never have a sufficiently stable relationship, enough money, a sufficiently promising clear career path, a big enough house, or access to good enough schools, to have a child.

Unfortunately, even many Catholic couples approach the altar having unintentionally absorbed this pessimistic, anti-child spirit of our age. Such as these may never have had the chance to learn what so many other Catholic couples have learned: that it is in trusting in God's providence and taking reasonable "risks" by generously welcoming new life that they have been blessed with the greatest joys of their married lives.

For that reason, if NFP instruction only emphasizes perfect planning or pregnancy prevention (postponement) without challenging couples by speaking of the value of a generous openness to life, it deprives Catholic couples of an important part of the Church's Good News about marriage.

Yes, NFP Can Be Difficult

Nevertheless, the Church is also clear that human beings also have a responsibility to exercise their reason while seeking the will of God in their lives, including in the area of procreation. If a couple prayerfully discerns that they have just reasons for postponing a child at this time, then (as numerous statements from popes have made clear) they may in good conscience have recourse to natural family planning.

It is true that some couples find practicing NFP relatively easy. Perhaps they have a knack for grasping the technical aspect of NFP, or the woman is blessed with regular, predictable cycles, or they have strong communication skills, etc. However, many other couples will not find things so easy. Such as these may experience NFP as a real cross.

They may, for instance, find the scientific principles of NFP confusing or difficult to apply to their circumstances. This can cause frustration and may lead to the need for long periods of abstinence. Or they may find that practicing NFP exposes a significant difference in libido between the spouses, so that one spouse feels that they are disproportionately shouldering the burden of abstinence. This can provoke feelings of emotional rejection and resentment, which may in turn lead to temptations to seek solace or sexual release in other, immoral ways (pornography, masturbation, etc.). On the other hand, the other spouse may feel unduly pressured to engage in sex, even when doing so might jeopardize the couple's mutual agreement to postpone pregnancy for the time being.

Another common problem is that the woman may begin to resent that the couple's sexual relations depends entirely on the patterns of her body. This can lead to a sense that NFP places undue pressure on her, or that she is at "fault" if her cycle is unpredictable or lengthy and requires difficult periods of abstinence. Furthermore, she may resent that it is typically when her sexual desire is at its height – the days leading up to ovulation – that the couple must abstain. The man, for his part, may feel uncertain to what extent or how he should be involved in the process of charting, etc., and can feel alienated or "out of the loop." If the couple does not already have strong communication skills, they may find that practicing NFP exacerbates this problem, leading to painful miscommunications.

Finally, even when practiced perfectly (and it often isn't), there is always the "risk" of an unplanned pregnancy when using NFP. If a couple was legitimately using NFP for just reasons, this will inevitably bring with it some degree of stress. Ironically, the hardest time to practice NFP is also in the woman's post-partum phase, when her cycles are most unpredictable. Some couples will thus find that in addition to the challenges of a new baby, they must navigate the stress of long, uncertain periods of abstinence.

And these are only some of the challenges facing couples using NFP.

Such Difficulties As Some Experience Don't Negate NFP

The first, and most important thing to note about these difficulties is that they are not a "bug" of NFP: they are a feature.

In reading the Church's documents on periodic abstinence, you will nowhere find the popes promising couples an easy path. They do not promise lives planned with pinpoint accuracy to minimize suffering or uncertainty, or marriages characterized by an unlimited supply of pleasurable sex. On the contrary, they continuously emphasize that NFP requires the practice of self-denial. Furthermore, they insist, any benefits that NFP brings the couple are precisely because it requires self-denial.

As St. Pope John Paul II says in Evangelium Vitae, whether couples are currently open to life or seeking to postpone pregnancy, "The moral law obliges them in every case to control the impulse of instinct and passion, and to respect the biological laws inscribed in their person." It is, says Pope Paul VI in Humanae Vitae, when the couple acquires "complete mastery over themselves and their emotions" that "the expression of love, essential to married life" will "conform to right order." Then the couple will experience the "thoughtfulness," "peace," "tranquility," and other benefits that Pope Paul VI promises.

Contrast this to the case of contraception. Whereas contraception promises couples endless pleasure and the security of the perfectly planned life with little or no sacrifice, instead it so often leads only to heartache, alienation and suffering. After all, if contraception were the panacea its advocates promise it to be, then why do so many contracepting couples feel sexually unfilled or emotionally alienated? Why do so many contracepting couples get divorced? Why does so much contracepted sex end in the abortion clinic?

Practicing NFP, on the other hand, can serve as a crucible, exposing the weaknesses of the couple as a couple, or as individuals: bad communication habits, emotional immaturity, a lack of self-control in areas of sexuality, a slavery to the spirit of the world, a weak prayer life or lack of trust in God, etc.

At these times, Catholic couples committed to faithfulness to the Church will find that they are instinctively driven to deeper prayer and to sacrifice. Complacency is no longer an option. The difficulties of NFP have exposed the ways that they urgently need to develop their personalities and their relationship. The couple has no option but to learn to communicate better. They must learn to pray together. They must deepen their concept of love, and learn other, non-sexual ways to express intimacy. They must learn to sacrifice immediate gratification for the sake of the long-term welfare of the other spouse and their family. They must begin to fast more in order to bring their passions under control. And thus, will they prove St. Paul right that "in weakness I am made strong."

As Pope Paul VI exhorted couples struggling with this teaching: "let them implore the help of God with unremitting prayer and, most of all, let them draw grace and charity from that unfailing fount which is the Eucharist." And to priests, the pope exhorted: "Teach married couples the necessary way of prayer and prepare them to approach more often with great faith the Sacraments of the Eucharist and of Penance."

The reason that couples that practice NFP so rarely get divorced is not, I believe, because NFP removes any difficulties in their marriages. Rather, it is because: a) They already have a deep commitment to transcendent ideals about marriage, including an understanding of love as other-oriented and rooted in self-sacrifice, and b) The primary mechanism of NFP – self-denial – forces the couple to forthrightly address their weaknesses as a couple and as individuals, opens their hearts to a supernatural perspective, and drives them to a greater dependence on God's grace.

Peace in this life is not found in indiscriminately following our passions. It is found in gaining mastery over our passions, and directing them towards a transcendent ideal, in accord with God's law. The "complete mastery" over ourselves and our emotions that Pope Paul VI exhorts in Humanae Vitae is the work of a lifetime. Our efforts will be punctuated by failures and times of frustration. But in the end, the rewards are worth it: a growth in virtue, and a deepening of our relationship with our spouse and with God.

End of article..

My comments...

First, the primary objective -- the reason -- for marriage (as the Church teaches) is the procreation, nurturing, and education of children. 

Secondly, and sadly, it is my opinion that one can easily slide into the abyss of the "contraception mentality" as pointed out in this article.

Thirdly, note that the popes mentioned in this article are all "post-conciliar", that is, of the Second Vatican Council and beyond.  

I do have a bias -- in favor of -- pre-conciliar popes. 

The following short article is from www.catholicism.org; it is well-worth the read.  (Posted by Bro. Andre Marie.)

I copy here an entry from the Catholicism.org News Portal because it brings up the moral issue of NFP, but first, a few more general thoughts on the subject:

NFP, or Natural Family Planning, is a more scientific version of what used to be called the “Rhythm Method.” Under Pope Pius XI, the church tolerated the use of this kind of “planning” by married couples, but under very strict circumstances that involved grave dangers to health or serious poverty. There is today a very dangerous movement that virtually sacramentalizes NFP. The votaries of this movement make it a virtual obligation on all couples to learn NFP and practice it to some degree. This is an objectionable abuse of the tolerance previously allowed by the papal magisterium. Married couples that have serious problems of health or poverty ought to consult a priest formed in the traditional theology on this point. Under his direction, they may, in good conscience, temporarily utilize the infertile periods as provided for in the program of NFP.

Now for the news story:

On Friday, Pope Benedict send a message to the President of the John Paul II Pontifical Institute for the study of Marriage and the Family. The message was occasioned by an International Congress marking 40 years of Pope Paul VI’s encyclical Humanae Vitae. Both Vatican Radio and AFP have coverage of this story.

The tendentious journalism of the AFP report may not be trustworthy, but it contains this notable paragraph:

The 81-year-old pope’s message Friday to a seminar on the encyclical also reaffirmed that the rhythm method is an acceptable form of contraception for couples in “dire circumstances” who need to space their children.

If the Holy Father really restricted the use of infertile periods (he almost certainly would not have said “rhythm method”) to “dire circumstances,” then he is distancing himself from the increasingly liberal interpretations of the Church’s traditional tolerance of this practice. The “tolerance” was limited to highly restricted circumstances, and the practice of the method for putting off contraception was always seen to be temporary.

Father Chad Ripperger’s sermon on NFP (MP3) is one of the most intelligent things I’ve yet heard on this much-discussed subject. This is highly recommended for married couples.

End of article.

This is available from Catholicism.org...