Part 1;     Getting Married      
             
 When someone gets married, they must love each other. If one person does not love the other person then it’s not a marriage. When a man or woman says their marriage vows, that means that they promise, until death, they will love and help each other through whatever trials and dangers they might come up against. Some marriages are not blessed by God, such as same sex marriage of course but that does not mean that God hates the people who married each other. They are not horrible sinners because of that either.

Part 2:      Having a baby

Some people think that abortion is okay, but do you think killing an innocent baby is good? Can I have a show of hands, anybody, that’s what I thought.
When a married couple has a baby they probably think to themselves,” I have to clean it and feed it and buy it clothes and sing it to sleep at night,” and all that other stuff parents think about when a baby is born. But don’t think about that stuff when you first see your son or daughters face and those chubby cheeks of theirs.
Think about that beautiful gift right in front of you, those sparkly eyes, those tiny little fingers, their small feet, their crinkly nose, their giggles and cries, that perfect light that God put in your darkness to lighten it up. That baby right in front of you is a joy to people who look upon it and see a star shining as bright as the sun. That baby is the best thing that could ever happen to you. That is a miracle. Will you let it live or die, the choice is yours.
​
MARIA PHILOMENA GENTILE
9/3/17

The spiritual battle is being kicked up every day, throughout the world, and on every frontier. 
In light of this Ted has requested that we unite in prayer daily at the Divine Mercy hour of 3pm. Before beginning the Chaplet of Divine Mercy please pray the "Mary August Queen of Heaven" prayer. The prayer can be found here: http://cryforlife.weebly.com/crying-for-life-in-our-communities/prayer-to-end-to-violence-in-the-mideast
Thank you and see you on the front lines!! +
Deb :)

By Deborah Johnson
You can read Cardinal Dolan's column in it's entirety here: 
Here's my latest column on Saint Patrick's Day Parade in 2015.

With all respect due to His Eminence from a small, member of the laity like myself who knows she is nothing compared to him: something still bothers me - I'm truly sorry.

From Cardinal Dolan's column
HERE:
"To the point: the committee’s decision allows a [gay] group to publicize its identity, not promote actions contrary to the values of the Church that are such an essential part of Irish culture." 

Should we really be referring to gay sex as an "identity"? Are we now defined by "sexual attraction"? If so, if it is a disordered one - as all outside the bonds of marriage are (and we know homosexuality is) - should we be advertising it with a banner?  Further: isn't naming the sin and holding a banner "promotion"?

Your Eminence, if you are reading this I humbly submit the words of our Blessed Lord to heterosexuals. Would not this teaching apply to homosexuals?
in Matthew 5:28:
But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Cardinal Dolan continued:


"So, while actions are immoral, identity is not! In fact, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us, people with same-sex attraction are God’s children, deserving dignity and respect, never to be treated with discrimination or injustice."

Amen to that. We should not - and I pray we do - not marginalize any person. I wrote about this last week here: "The Watering down of The Catholic Faith."  However and again, when did "gay" become an identity? I'm sorry Your Eminence - this point is a big one, and for what it's worth: I disagree. Referring to a disorder as an "identity" and allowing it to advertise under a banner does not, in fact appear to me to be loving, corrective elenchein.

May the Holy Spirit lead us all to His Truth, amen.

Tags:
#Catholic, #CardinalDolan, #StPatricksDayParade, #homosexuality

By Deborah Johnson

Jesus walked with and loved sinners - US. 

Jesus said love is always above all else. Did Jesus show love when he displayed righteous anger by overturning the tables in the temple? Answer: YES.

As a church we love and accept all. We do not marginalize or judge people. However, we do - and we are - called to judge sinful BEHAVIOUR. We instruct the ignorant and admonish one another - this is an act of mercy/charity - and I see that this is something the church at large is losing.

Pope Benedict XVI was an amazing catechist. 
From his 2012 Lenten Message:
"Concern for others entails desiring what is good for them from every point of view: physical, moral and spiritual. Contemporary culture seems to have lost the sense of good and evil, yet there is a real need to reaffirm that good does exist and will prevail, because God is “generous and acts generously” (Ps 119:68). The good is whatever gives, protects and promotes life, brotherhood and communion."

Note, concern for others entails what is good for them: physically, morally AND spiritually. This is not opinion - this is Truth: Catholic teaching based upon sacred scripture.

Pope Benedict continues to disect and explain what it means to care for one another spiritually:

“Being concerned for each other” also entails being concerned for their spiritual well-being. Here I would like to mention an aspect of the Christian life, which I believe has been quite forgotten: fraternal correction in view of eternal salvation.   Today, in general, we are very sensitive to the idea of charity and caring about the physical and material well-being of others, but almost completely silent about our spiritual responsibility towards our brothers and sisters."
"This was not the case in the early Church or in those communities that are truly mature in faith, those which are concerned not only for the physical health of their brothers and sisters, but also for their spiritual health and ultimate destiny. The Scriptures tell us: “Rebuke the wise and he will love you for it. Be open with the wise, he grows wiser still, teach the upright, he will gain yet more” (Prov 9:8ff). 

Pope Benedict continued to teach:

"Christ himself commands us to admonish a brother who is committing a sin (cf. Mt 18:15). The verb used to express fraternal correction - elenchein – is the same used to indicate the prophetic mission of Christians to speak out against a generation indulging in evil (cf. Eph 5:11). 
The Church’s tradition has included “admonishing sinners” among the spiritual works of mercy. It is important to recover this dimension of Christian charity. We must not remain silent before evil. I am thinking of all those Christians who, out of human regard or purely personal convenience, adapt to the prevailing mentality, rather than warning their brothers and sisters against ways of thinking and acting that are contrary to the truth and that do not follow the path of goodness." 

Pope Benedict gives us the tools! He even explains how to go about  "elenchein":
"Christian admonishment, for its part, is never motivated by a spirit of accusation or recrimination. It is always moved by love and mercy, and springs from genuine concern for the good of the other. As the Apostle Paul says: “If one of you is caught doing something wrong, those of you who are spiritual should set that person right in a spirit of gentleness; and watch yourselves that you are not put to the test in the same way” (Gal 6:1). In a world pervaded by individualism, it is essential to rediscover the importance of fraternal correction, so that together we may journey towards holiness. Scripture tells us that even “the upright falls seven times” (Prov 24:16); all of us are weak and imperfect (cf. 1 Jn 1:8). It is a great service, then, to help others and allow them to help us, so that we can be open to the whole truth about ourselves, improve our lives and walk more uprightly in the Lord’s ways. There will always be a need for a gaze which loves and admonishes, which knows and understands, which discerns and forgives (cf. Lk 22:61), as God has done and continues to do with each of us."

AS GOD HIMSELF DOES! 
And so I leave you with a question . . . I do so in the spirit of humility, Christian love and charity:
Is allowing a group to promote their wrong behaviour, to literally advertise it with a banner at a Catholic event; be it homosexuals, porn addicts, those who live together outside the bonds of marriage, adulterers, the list goes on and we are all in there somewhere . . . is this an act of charitable admonishment? Or is it  a nod of approval - even an endorsement to the sinful act - by which the "thumbs up" sends a misleading message to the flock by the thousands? 
Thank you for your time. May the Holy Spirit fill us all with His Truth, Amen.

Cry from your heart for the children!

Cry from your heart for the woman/girls CAGED and sold by ISIS terrorists!

Cry from your heart for all of the displaced Christians!

Cry from the heart for those who have had their homes, vehicles, and everything they own stolen by terrorists - because of their Faith. Please, pray without ceasing. 

By Deborah Johnson
www.wearethesaltblogspot.com

At the Request of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, please unite in prayer today. Our brothers and sisters in Iraq have been suffering great persecution at the hands of terrorist group ISIS. Most have paid with their lives, others have lost family members, friends and everything they own. Over a thousand have been kidnapped and forced into sexual slavery, including children. Even the Vatican has issued a statement calling for military intervention to stop the evil that is "ISIS."  

From the USCCB Website:

Click here for updates on the plight of Christians and Yezidis in Iraq: IraqiChristians

Recently someone commented on a Facebook post of mine about the great turnout our little pro life group has been enjoying at the Local Planned Parenthood. 

He had commented, “He had better things to do.”

I thought about what he said. I was originally shocked that a practicing Catholic could feel that way about the need to witness to the Love of God outside of a place that is in so desperate need of it.  Then I realized most Catholics probably feel this way because let’s be honest, there are an estimated  1.5 million Catholics on Long Island and only 15 -20 people gather outside this particular Planned Parenthood each week.  Now this sad state of affairs is not new but it is alarming. Why doesn't this holocaust of the least among us matter to the average Catholic in the pew? Why doesn't it matter to those Catholics who are a little above average? When did we get too busy to be there for those whom we were given the task of loving? When did the murder of innocent children and the destruction of the lives of the mothers and fathers take a back seat to the “better things” we have to do? 


When did we become so inhuman and indifferent?

So I got a little angry. Angry because after working in pro-life ministry for 14 years and being responsible for one abortion I know the pain that this “right” brings to all involved. I was angry because 99.9% of the girls who have abortions are getting them because they are scared and have no support system. They are alone, frightened and faced with a burden that might just terrify even the best of us. These girls have NO ONE. Moreover, even we, the ones who are commissioned to love them and provide for them, turn our backs on them because of the “better things” we have to do.

After my anger abated, there was a peace. I reminded myself of how often I had “better things” to do. These things were fun and provided me with hours of excitement, but these things  ultimately became a distraction. These things blinded me to the more important things in life. I was tithing the mint, dill and cumin but rejecting the weightier things of the law, justice, mercy and most of all Love. Thoroughly convinced of my failings and reminded that we are all on the journey and there but for the grace of God go all of us, I did what I should have done as soon as I read the above comment. I prayed.

“I have better things to do."

Yes. And so do I actually.

Most people have better things to do. I have ‘better’, things to do as well. I could sleep late and watch a movie with the kids. I could make a great pancake breakfast for the family. I could take then to the archery range and work on our shooting. I could take them to the park, the zoo, the library. Why not throw them in the pool…with their pajamas on? Hit the slip ‘n’ slide? Have a BBQ? Go to Friendly’s for breakfast? Play Ball? Yes, there are myriad things we could be doing on a beautiful summer Saturday morning so why in God’s green earth would I subject my family to standing outside an abortion mill to pray the rosary?  I am sure they aren’t having as much fun doing this as they would any of those other things? Is it worth the effort to stand there when it is obvious that our prayers really won’t help anyway? What if some person, who disagrees with our peaceful presence, decides to drive by waving the middle finger and cursing at us? Do I need to subject my family to that?

Yes, there are plenty of "things" we could be doing other than praying outside of Planned Parenthood but all those things, though they are fun, simply cannot measure up to teaching our children the most valuable lesson we can. 

My wife and I are parents. Catholic Christian parents. We believe with every fiber of our being that we are responsible before the eyes of God for the five little children he has entrusted to our safekeeping. You see, although God is pleased when I play with my kids or teach them valuable skills, I know in the end, he is expecting more from me than just teaching them to catch or play a game. He wants them to be saints. He wants them to be formed in the image of His Son and His Son, Jesus, gave us the way to do that. Our Lord made it clear that in the end, it will not be our skills with a pencil or a stock profile that will ultimately matter, but our love (Matt 25 31-46). In Particular our love towards our neighbor and I know of no better way to teach children how to love their neighbor then getting them in touch with a neighbor to love.  So while playing games or doing chores or just spending time with the kids is awesome, teaching them that there are more important 'things' to do than just doing 'things" is the most amazing gift I can impart to them.  

The way I see it is simple. The main thing in life is Heaven. Falling in love with Jesus and living in His love so as to be welcomed into the Eternal embrace of the Trinity is the main thing. There is nothing more important than that and I want my children to know that and believe it with all their hearts. 
So simply put, the main thing in life is to keep the main thing the main thing. 

By losing sight of the main thing, everything else falls apart. Life has a sacred dignity; it has a remarkable meaning to it. The meaning of life is to learn from Jesus that only by the giving of ourselves will we truly find out who we really are. Without the opportunity to be a gift to another, we lose the horizon of life as a gift. Once we lose that, the only person we choose to live for is ourselves. We may intentionally or unintentionally come to this point but however we arrive here, it is no less damaging to our hearts and souls. I was here for most of my life. I know the pain, the desolation that darkens the mind and heart in this place. I do not want that for my children or for anyone for that matter, so I do what any good father does: I teach them by example. 

My wife and I are teaching the children that their time and their prayers are valuable, they have meaning; their sacrifices have a purpose and an effect on the world they live in. We are teaching them that despite all the other “things” we could be doing, we are CHOOSING to do something better, together. We are choosing to love, to pray, to stand in witness to the fact that although these women are choosing to bring death into the world, we will bring life. To the darkness of Planned Parenthood, we bring light. It is a quiet, humble light’ a misunderstood often vilified light, but it is light nonetheless and it would not be shining there if not for us. By our peaceful presence outside this place, we bring hope to these beautiful women who carry the beautiful gift of a unique and unrepeatable human life within their tired, frightened bodies. They see us and see hope, they see the love that is denied them in every other relationship and maybe, by the grace of God, that silent love we show will be enough to change a heart and save a life. 

And what “better thing” is there in this whole world than saving a life? 

That’s the lesson we choose to teach our children That’s the choice we make to exemplify what is important in this world. That’s why we stand and pray outside of Planned Parenthood. 

So yes, we all have “better things” to do. 

But why not choose to do things better?

By Anthony Gentile

With the recent tragic suicide of entertainer Robin Williams, I found this on Busted Halo:

Mike Hayes Answers:

Question: I know its a touchy subject but I was always taught that people who committed suicide would go to hell. I read a article that said the churches got together and literally started saying this to keep people from killing themselves because their lives were poor, ect and thought they could just kill themselves and go to heaven to be in a better place. Does this make sense? So is this teaching untrue?

The Church’s teaching is ever evolving with new discoveries and her teaching on suicide is no different.

In today’s times, we know much more about mental illness than ever before. We now know that anyone who commits suicide is not in control over their own actions. For something to be sinful, by definition, it needs to be done willfully, meaning, we need to be free to make the choice to commit the act in the first place and we have to know that the act is sinful.

So therefore, if one is not in control over their own actions, they cannot be held responsible for what they have done, suicide included.

It’s also interesting to note that the Church has never definitively stated that anyone is in hell other than the fallen angels themselves. However, the Church also doesn’t deny the existence of that state of being either. Hell is a state of eternal separation from God, which means that a person has made a definitive judgement to separate themselves from God and to embrace sin instead of what God wishes.

So what happens with people who commit suicide?

We trust in God’s mercy and redemption. We don’t know definitively what happens when anyone dies. What we do know is that God’s mercy is offered to everyone. It is up to us to accept that mercy and forgiveness and to move toward greater unity with God in doing so.

For further reading on the matter please see the Catechism of the Catholic Church #2280-#2283

Credit for the article goes to Mike Hayes.
Mike Hayes is the senior editor for the "Googling God" section at BustedHalo.com.