As this newly minted Lent marches toward its first Sunday, I am refreshed from these few days of following my Rehab PROMISES. Although it has been more of a struggle than I would have thought, my Friday was faithful in adherence to these self imposed rules. I did begin to appreciate the quiet that comes from leaving all things electronic behind – or at least only using them for moral obligations.

One thing that I will not let rest, however, is my pursuit of justice for the unborn. In that vein, one of my friends sent an email to me that contained a link to the following video. You would have to live under a rock not to be familiar with what the Obama Administration, guided by Kathleen Sebelius, is trying to do to religious liberty under the guise of ‘healthcare’. His unholy tyranny is truly a frightening thing to behold and solidifies our belief that the devil is certainly at play on this earth.

Our reassurance comes from finding that there are true warriors for the Gospel out there in our churches, who will stand ready to fight! One such champion of our Mother Church is Father Sammie Maletta, who delivered a Homily at St. John the Evangelist Parish in St. John, Indiana. As the description on YouTube states, “(t)his Homily addressed how President Obama is threatening our Religious Freedom and declaring war with the Catholic Church.”

I, for one, feel totally invigorated when I hear such a homily from one of our priests. It makes me proud and also brings an urgency to share and encourage more of this type of strong conviction! Give a listen and see if you don’t feel the same…and then pass it on. Perhaps even to a priest, who might find this to be just the nudge to declare his passion as well!

God bless Fr. Maletta for standing strong!

“In the United States, religious liberty does not depend on the benevolence of who is regulating us. It is our ‘first freedom’ and respect for it must be broad and inclusive-not narrow and exclusive. Catholics and other people of faith and good will are not second class citizens. And it is not for the government to decide which of our ministries is ‘religious enough’ to warrant religious freedom protection.” -Cardinal Timothy Dolan

President Obama, LET US BE CATHOLICS!

On February 5, 2012 Father Sammie Maletta delivered a Homily at St. John the Evangelist Parish in St. John, Indiana. Please take a few moments to listen. No one sums it up quite like Father Maletta..

Go to http://bit.ly/zPdgpw to fight the HHS Mandate.

The HHS Mandate has been prominently in the news for the past week or so. That the current administration would violate the religious freedom of the Catholic Church, by forcing Catholic institutions to provide abortifacient birth control to all employees, has resulted in a unification of purpose not seen in recent times – if ever. The USCCB is pushing back – with one voice – as other clergy and Catholic leaders are seen in the national media. What will ultimately happen remains to be seen but many different avenues are being explored in a united effort to proclaim the respect for life that Mother Church sees as her mission.

Today I am sharing a wonderful, encouraging video produced by a growing video company, Lolek Productions, that is rich in its Catholicity. Thanks to Fr. Joshua McCarty and his vision, they are growing by leaps and bounds. Just this week, news of their new video – Fiat: A Catholic Response to the Healthcare Debate – about the beauty of the journey to NFP by a local family, has made it to his local newspaper. Since I could never presume to explain it better myself, I will simply share their description of the video and allow your heart to burst with pride in our beautiful Church and her mission for us all!

Birgit J

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Why should we care as “Catholics?”
It is a stance often seen as an obsolete stronghold in a world that moves much faster than an antiquated church, ruled under the heavy hand of a bunch of old men.

Why would the Church care about this?
It’s a plausible question, seeing as 98% of Catholic women have used some form of birth control.
The whole contraception controversy is shrouded in misunderstanding, yet the Church remains persistent in Her teaching about the life-giving purpose.

What is that teaching?
That every married couple have a dozen children? No, not at all. It is a much more endearing standard than that.
No matter if you are on the rocks financially or if you are trying to keep up with the Duggers, the teaching requires that a couple allow God to have the final say on the dimension of their family.

There are several ways to give God the power that is His-to be the Guide, Nurturer, Refuge and Creator of life. A couple invites God to their wedding to bless their commitment, and to hold them in love.
God is invited into their homes through daily prayer, love and sacrifice. God is invited into the bedroom when a couple gives of themselves totally, in the most vulnerable and beautiful way — body, heart and soul.

Trust is difficult, especially when speaking of something as life-changing as having children. With all the implications, just a few of which include financial and emotional, only a fool would run headlong into sex blindly. But that is not an accurate depiction of the teaching.
Through the design of a woman’s cycle, through her natural phases of fertility, through the natural attraction between a couple during a fertile time, through the firm and faithful decision of the couple to abstain from sex if they must, Natural Family Planning gives couples the ability to achieve or avoid pregnancy at a percentage of 99.5%. It is with that trust that a couple invites the Lord to put His seal on their life.

He is allowed His right as Creator and Designer. In their stunning trust, both husband and wife exude the beauty of Mary.

Fiat — “Let is be done unto me according to your word.”

Visit us on the web at http://lolekproductions.com

And on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lolek-Productions/154759447935572