Modern "Feminism"

My dear friend Malori has authored a splendid article on The Negative Effects of Modern Feminism, and I was honored to be the editor. Do head over to her blog and check it out. Let us know what you think!

Pro-Life Victory

LifeSiteNews.com —

Young Counselor Threatened with Knife Learns that Baby Was Saved from Abortion

Three months after being threatened with a knife to her throat by a woman entering an abortion mill, 21-year-old pro-life counselor Leah Winandy has
learned that her attacker has decided not to abort her child – and credits Leah
and Leah’s mother for saving her from a life of regret.

Population

The video speaks for itself. I guess we need more Duggar families if we're going to balance this out! ;)

Champions for Life

In case there are any gentlemen around who are a little tired of apparel and hairstyles, here's something a little different! ;) I'm not usually a football person, but this is great...you ladies will enjoy it, too.

From newsbusters.org:

There has been a lot of controversy over the Super Bowl ad featuring Tim Tebow and his mother discussing how she chose life for her son.

The ad is a simple sincere look at a personal story. Yet the left and the "feminists" have gone nuts over it.

23 years ago, The American Life League, one of the largest Catholic Pro-Life organizations, produced a short featuring members of the Super Bowl winning New York Giants.

As you watch former superstars Phil Simms — the game's MVP and current sportscaster for CBS! — Mark Bavaro, Jim Burt, Chris Godfrey, George Martin, and Phil McConkey speak out against abortion, try to imagine what the reaction would be to this film if it was made today.

The roar from the left would be heard from outerspace...

Media Malpractice

This year's March for Life was bigger than ever. And, once again, the secular news media all but ignored it. Last night I heard a priest comment, "You want to know how to make 250,000 people disappear? Send them to Washington and hand them pro-life signs."

What's even more frustrating is that not only does the media belittle the huge, peaceful pro-life presence, but if they do mention us, they try to say that there are just as many pro-abortion individuals there, too. They like to label us "anti-abortion activists" and say things like, "most protestors are in their 60's or older", and "there are no young women around". Sorry, but anyone in D.C. on January 22 can tell you that YOUTH are the ones who fill the place. And young women? I was there, people. If anything, we are the majority!

Righteous indignation is needed here, folks. And plenty of our own self-publishing of the real, staggering facts, while expressing our vocal dissatisfaction with the seriously deficient average news media. Write your paper, TV station, whatever. Point out their obvious lack of skill and respectfully demand fair and balanced reporting in 2011.

From Catholic Fire: At the 2010 March for Life the media set new standards for journalistic fraud. In its lead photo, CNN showed five pro-abortion picketers, all that could be found, and ignored the 300,000 pro-life marchers. CNN's Rick Sanchez wondered out loud which group dominated. Newsweek claimed that most participants were in their 60's when, in fact, most were under 25. This video sets the record straight.

Weekend Recap...

Thursday: Lively bus ride to D.C. with prayers, songs, hair braiding...all the usual Claire stuff. :)

Friday: Went up 13 floors at the Old Post Office Building in D.C., Marched for Life with 200,000+, interviewed live by EWTN along with my sister, prayed and sang at the Supreme Court steps, enjoyed time with my sister Sarah and my dear friend Malori!

Saturday: Attended Students for Life Conference and had wonderful surprise reunions with friends, went to a packed-full Mass at the crypt church of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, rode the Metro train (first time!) and spread smiles to whomever I could, visited the Servants of the Lord Convent, had precious time with my sister back at Christendom College, and then went to the black-and-white "Oreo" Dance

Sunday: Awesome Christendom Liturgy, afternoon socializing/open house, evening debate society gathering, swing dance practice!

Monday: Sat in on Theology, Astronomy, and Philosophy (where discussion included differing natures of men and woman AND the four temperaments...totally my element), said goodbye to Sarah (love you, sis!), flew to Atlanta for my connecting flight to Chicago, then find out the lovely lady sitting next to me lives a few blocks away (Erika, thanks so much for the ride!)

...just a slightly full and blessed few days. My heart is overflowingly grateful.

What are we coming to?

I'm afraid that I'm coming down with something today, and was wondering why I should be getting sick. Well, a glance at some of the headlines in LifeSiteNews and Catholic News Agency showed that there's an awful lot to make reparation for right now...

Chicago Mayor Daley to Sign Abortion "Bubble Law" Ordinance
New ad backing same-sex ‘marriage’ in Maine misrepresents Catholicism
Obama Criticizes People with "Old Attitudes" in Keynote Speech at Homosexualist Dinner
President of USCCB Congratulates President Obama for Nobel Peace Prize
Homosexual Hate Crimes Law Poised to Become Law after Passing U.S. House
Notre Dame Pays Student Expenses to D.C. March for Homosexual 'Marriage'
Policeman Confiscates Rockford Pro-Lifer's Christ Image

There were a few positive ones, too, but the above type seemed sadly overpowering! Friends, we much pray and sacrifice for our slipping nation.

Music in Utero: The Smile of the Unborn

As both a pro-lifer and a musician, I find this article so beautiful. Here's a taste:

The footage was part of a recent PBS special, The Music Instinct:
Science & Song. The program was an exploration of, among other things,
music’s “biological, emotional and psychological impact on humans.”

Part of this “exploration” included how music affects babies. If we
are, as some scientists believe, “wired for music,” then babies are ideal test
subjects since their reactions are, by definition, instinctual.

Part of this research involved the effect of music on fetuses.
While we knew that mothers often sing to their unborn children, we weren’t sure
that the unborn child could hear them.

We are now. A segment of The Music Instinct featured Sheila C. Woodward of the University of Southern California, who has studied fetal responses to music. A camera and a microphone designed for underwater use were inserted into the uterus of a pregnant woman. And then Woodward sang.

The hydrophone picked up two sounds: the “whooshing” of the uterine
artery and the unmistakable sound of a woman singing a lullaby.

Then something extraordinary happened. Upon hearing the woman’s
voice, the unborn child smiled.

It was one of those moments that makes you catch your breath. The
full humanity of the fetus could not have been clearer if he had turned to the
camera and winked.

Apparently, fetal responses to music aren’t limited to smiling. They have been observed moving their hands in response to music, almost as if conducting. They have been soothed by Vivaldi and disturbed by loud tracks from Beethoven. They have even responded “rhythmically to rhythms tapped on [their] mother’s belly.”

Read the rest here. Thrilling...and powerful!

I Love the Duggars!

In an era that devalues the gift of life, I think the joyful Duggar family is a wonderful witness to the reality of this gift. Parents Jim Bob and Michelle are always so upbeat and positive, and I can never get over how stunning and youthful Michelle looks — just pregnant with number 19, she is more gorgeous and glowing than ever! It's both sad and interesting how many people are derogative about their openness to life. And I'm sure these critics are the very same who claim to stand for "tolerance" and "choice". Why should they be mad about a large, happy, Christian, homeschooling family that chooses life (and that lives debt-free in a home they built themselves)? These well-rounded children will each bring a valuable contribution to society. I also love how beautifully and femininely the ladies of the Duggar family dress — Michelle and all 8 daughters! This family stands for the kind of beautiful values that are all-too-rare today. Though the Duggars are not Catholic, I think it's great how Jim Bob quotes Mother Teresa in this recent video announcing baby #19:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

And there are some very sweet photos in this one. See what I mean about a lovely mama? (At 42, she hardly looks older than her daughter-in-law!)

May the Lord continue to bless this family, and may their courageous witness inspire many to embrace the gift of life.

Planned Parenthood Exposed

Wow. Lila Rose continues her amazing pro-life work! I am very impressed by the tone of the reporter in this news clip. She actually calls us "pro-lifers" (instead of "anti-abortion activists"), and does not sugar-coat the case. In fact, she sounds like she may be pro-life herself! And how encouraging that the attorney general of the state is cued in and working for justice. Let us be ever vigilant!

Update: A commenter kindly notified me that the reporter is Laura Ingraham, which explains her authentic indignation at this story! It's been awhile since I watched an interview of hers; no wonder she looked familiar but I couldn't quite place her. :)

Forces United

Wow, there is nothing like a big injustice to mobilize the faithful! The huge recent scandal of Obama being invited to speak at and receiving an honorary degree from Notre Dame has elicted an impressively emphatic and immediate response. In the span of just a few days, a number of websites have been created to voice opposition, including www.ndresponse.com. There is more than one online petition, most notably www.notredamescandal.com, whose petition has gathered more that 177,00 signatures in less than a week!

I very much agree that this invitation from a prestigious Catholic University is saddening, but I am also heartened by the unification and action we have seen as a result. Let's hope those 177,000 are on their knees petitioning heaven, too.

If you're not part of the throng yet, don't waste any time!

Of Movies, Actors, and Real Men

So, my family watched The Ten Commandments for the first time this Lent (I know, we've had so many people say they can't believe we hadn't seen it yet!). Both Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner were simply incredible. I've enjoyed Heston immensely when seeing him before, and it struck me how thoroughly he takes the individual character of each role. The Heston Moses never came across as a Moses/Ben Hur mix! He was entirely the character in all its uniqueness. In my mind, this is a mark of a truly excellent actor.

Those of you who've read my blog for a while probably know that I'm all about who actors and celebrities really are...not just who they are on screen. And the more I've learned about the real Heston, the more impressed I am. Not only does he portray many upright characters; he was one! He served in the air force, championed the civil rights movement, was a friend of Martin Luther King Jr., and spoke out against abortion. Most significantly, he was faithfully married for 64 years to his bride, Lydia, whom he wed at age 20! Amidst the countless Hollywood scandals and divorces, this speaks volumes. He stands alone amidst celebs married two, four, five, and seven times...

In fact, I learned that my oft-repeated quote "Political correctness is simply tyranny with manners," — which and for some reason I thought was from Chesterton — was actually from Charlton Heston! (By the way, his actual name was John Charles Carter).

Check out this wonderful LifeSiteNews article from his passing almost a year ago (and check out the links at the bottom of the story!):

Larger than Life Hollywood Icon and Pro-life Advocate Charlton Heston Dies at 84

And check out this wonderful video clip of Heston on abortion. Powerful! (Don't forget to pause the music at the right). This is the introduction he gave to a video made in 1987 to raise awareness of late-term abortions.

I Love LifeSiteNews!

Where else would we get such an affirming, beautiful story as this one?

Husband of Woman in Coma for 14 Years Visits Wife Three Times Daily, Won't Give Up
Will love his wife "until God has the last word"

SANTIAGO, February 18, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) -- In a story that stands in stark contrast to the Eluana Englaro and Terri Schiavo cases in Italy and the United States, a Chilean man has been visiting his comatose wife for 14 years, and says he won't give up on her.

Carlos Abarca has always visited his wife regularly, and now that he has retired from the national police force, he is able to come three times a day. He says that caring for her is his whole life.

"My affection will always be focused on her, I have never doubted it," he told the Chilean daily El Mercurio, which broke the story. "I don't seek for more from life than caring for her. There is nothing more to do."

The affection he has for his wife, says Abarca, is "stronger than ever. I want to protect her, care for her, make sure she is well, that she lacks nothing."

Abarca says he will continue to love his wife, "until God has the last word. In the end, if tomorrow she must go, our conscience will be clear."

Go here to see a touching photo and read the whole story.

The Voice of My Pro-Life Generation

Articulate, poised, researched, expressive...this 12-year-old speaker is simply compelling! Watch the video below, then be sure to visit this site to follow the amazing saga of her speech competition.

Actually, I don't want to sound boastful, but she reminds me a lot of me at that age. I started public speaking at eight, and had many similar mannerisms and expressions. I presented many pro-life speeches, too (though none that direct...she's got the bull by the horns!). Too bad YouTube wasn't around then so I could go back and watch myself. :)

So Amazingly Appropriate

Today's First Reading:
Heb 6:10-20

Brothers and sisters:
God is not unjust so as to overlook your work
and the love you have demonstrated for his name
by having served and continuing to serve the holy ones.
We earnestly desire each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness
for the fulfillment of hope until the end,
so that you may not become sluggish, but imitators of those who,
through faith and patience, are inheriting the promises.

When God made the promise to Abraham,
since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself,
and said, I will indeed bless you and multiply you.
And so, after patient waiting, Abraham obtained the promise.
Now, men swear by someone greater than themselves;
for them an oath serves as a guarantee
and puts an end to all argument.
So when God wanted to give the heirs of his promise
an even clearer demonstration of the immutability of his purpose,
he intervened with an oath,
so that by two immutable things,
in which it was impossible for God to lie,
we who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged
to hold fast to the hope that lies before us.
This we have as an anchor of the soul,
sure and firm, which reaches into the interior behind the veil,
where Jesus has entered on our behalf as forerunner,
becoming high priest foreveraccording to the order of Melchizedek.

~~~

I am continually blown away by the poignant relevance of the liturgical readings to current events. This one covers it all:

God is just
He does not overlook our efforts
He is the source of hope
We can't become sluggish
Faith and patience inherit His promises
Oaths are sacred
He is sure, firm...an anchor

There is more on which I could reflect, if I wasn't in the midst of packing to leave at 5am tomorrow for the March for Life! Please keep me in your prayers, and know I will do the same for you. When I return, I'm sure I'll have plenty to share!

The Gospel of Life

"The Gospel of life is at the heart of Jesus' message. Lovingly received day after day by the Church, it is to be preached with dauntless fidelity as 'good news' to the people of every age and culture.

At the dawn of salvation, it is the Birth of a Child which is proclaimed as joyful news: 'I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord' (Lk 2:10-11). The source of this 'great joy'" is the Birth of the Saviour; but Christmas also reveals the full meaning of every human birth, and the joy which accompanies the Birth of the Messiah is thus seen to be the foundation and fulfilment of joy at every child born into the world (cf. Jn 16:21)."

-Pope John Paul II
Evangelium Vitae

For Unto Us, a Child Is Born

A priest recently said to me: "Our Lord comes as a baby at Christmas so that we might find it easier to love him". One has but to watch the enchanting effect that a tiny baby has on everyone within reach to know how true this is. A few times recently when I've had the opportunity to hold a near-newborn while in a group of people, I've noticed anew how magnetic and powerful that tiny person is. Children approach and gaze wide-eyed, young girls and ladies caress and marvel, and even grown men step near to look and smile. A baby — in all his fragile, helpless beauty — has the power to reach even the most distant and hardened of hearts. Facades come down, and an indescribable tenderness overcomes us as we behold this tiny miracle of creation.

A Christmas message sent us from an area pregnancy care center held a quote (credited to this newsletter) which I found stirringly beautiful, summing wondrously this mysterious power of each new life...

"When God wants an important thing done in this world or a wrong righted, He goes about it in a very singular way. He doesn't release thunderbolts or stir up earthquakes. God simply has a tiny baby born, perhaps of a very humble home, perhaps of a very humble mother. And God puts the idea or purpose into the mother's heart. And she puts it in the baby's mind, and then...God waits.

The great events of this world are not battles and elections and earthquakes and thunderbolts. The great events are babies, for each child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged with humanity, but is still expecting goodwill to become incarnate in each human life."

Among the great events of babies, and the accompanying divine message of hope, the Birth which the whole world now celebrates shines as the greatest of all. In the supreme act of goodwill incarnated, the Father sends His own Son in the flesh: not as an imposing warrior in armor or a commanding king seated on a thone, but as a baby. As one of us. Regardless of the chaos, brokenness, or corruption that may be raging around the world, each Christmas reminds us that the Father is not finished with humanity. He reaches down, and places Eternal Light into a darkened world. Let heaven and nature sing!

"For unto us, a child is born;
unto us, a son is given.
And the government
shall be upon his shoulders,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

-Isaiah 9:6

Powerful

From AdventConspiracy.org:

The story of Christ's birth is a story of promise, hope, and a revolutionary love.

So, what happened? What was once a time to celebrate the birth of a savior has somehow turned into a season of stress, traffic jams, and shopping lists.

And when it's all over, many of us are left with presents to return, looming debt that will take months to pay off, and this empty feeling of missed purpose. Is this what we really want out of Christmas?

What if Christmas became a world-changing event again?

Today begins Advent. Enter the conspiracy!

HT: Homeschooling with Joy

"Hold on to the Word of Life"

Yesterday was a troubling day for America. Many of us weep that the pro-life victory for which we fought and prayed so hard was not reached. Instead, the U.S. swayed and fell for for a leader who may have promised a fix for the economy, but who refuses to fix the deepest injustice in our nation: over 1.2 million unborn Americans murdered each year through legalized abortion.

My dear friend Malori asked a powerful question on her blog last night:

President-Elect Obama, in your acceptance speech you said you stand up for
everyone in America: black and white, male and female, young and old, gay and
straight, disabled and non-disabled. What about the born and unborn?

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

Perhaps, after last night's election of a black President of the United States, some think Dr. King's dream has been realized. I beg to differ. Perhaps we've learned to stop judging by the color of skin — and I agree with countless others that this lesson is a necessary one — but we've missed the other important half of Dr. King's dream. When will we learn to judge by the content of character?

Despite the sadness, I am buoyed by the undespairing spirit, prayerful hopefulness, and unyielding determination I see — in the blogosphere and in person — on the part of so many of God's people. And today's first reading was by no means a coincidence...

"For God is the one who, for his good purpose,

works in you both to desire and to work.

Do everything without grumbling or questioning,

that you may be blameless and innocent,

children of God without blemish

in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation,

among whom you shine like lights in the world,

as you hold on to the word of life,

so that my boast for the day of Christ

may be that I did not run in vain or labor in vain."

—1 Philippians 2 (emphasis added)

My goddaughter profoundly pointed out that the Obama victory could be our Lord's way of keeping us on our knees, away from the danger of becoming complacent, and on the path of repentance and conversion. Thus may be brought about actual hope and change — not from President Obama, but from the merciful hand of the real Messiah.

And that, my friends, is change we can believe in.

Election Eve

The final hours are here. My family and I just returned from a holy hour of adoration (I confess that some of us drifted off at prayer; we're a bit exhausted from a massive pro-life voter guide distribution effort over the weekend). The mass media is trying their utmost to have us believe it's practically over already...have you noticed the headlines? They're already trying to crown Obama. But as Fr. Pavone so simply and eloquently reminded us: the only thing counted on election day is votes. Not one of the liberal media's polls determine our next president. Actual, real votes do.

And, of course, so does the prayer of a humbled people pleading earnestly to their God. Folks, if there was ever a time to pray, this is it. If you can fast, do so. If you can keep an all (or part) night vigil tonight, do it. If you can take off of work tomorrow to help get out the pro-life vote, do it.

A few election eve articles to help us keep things in perspective:

"I'll Say It Again, This Election Will Be Closer Than They Think"
by Father Jonathan Morris on the Fox Forum

Fr. Frank's perspective on polls, state initiatives and last minute duties
by Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life

What To Do Between Now and Election Night
from PoliticalResponsibility.org

Election Day Traps
from PoliticalResponsibility.org

Our Lady of Guadalupe,

Mother of America,

Patroness of the Unborn,

Queen of Justice,

pray for us!

Photo at left: Senator McCain during his July 2008 visit to the Shrine and Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, Mexico (which I was privileged to visit 9 years ago).