The video above shows the incredible amounts of litter on the National Mall after the Barack Obama inauguration. Now contrast that with the cleanliness on the Mall after the Glenn Beck Restoring Honor Rally (below)
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Videos: Litter on the National Mall after Obama inauguration versus Cleanliness after Glenn Beck rally
The video above shows the incredible amounts of litter on the National Mall after the Barack Obama inauguration. Now contrast that with the cleanliness on the Mall after the Glenn Beck Restoring Honor Rally (below)
Ireland: Ivan Yates chairs TV3 Debate on Economy on August 30, 2010
Last nights debate chaired by former FG Minister for Agriculture Ivan Yates featured a no holds barred discussion on the economy. It was by far the best debate on the issue so far this year. The panellists were: Dr. Constantin Gurdgiev, Paul Sommerville, Cliff Taylor, and Oliver Gilvarry. The overall discussion focused on the banking crisis, exchequer borrowing and on the economy in general. There was a crispness, clarity and an absence of obfuscation. Government policy on the banks was forensically analysed and no prisoners were taken. According to Constantin Gurdgiev the final Anglo bill could reach €38 billion. There was an excellent discussion on AIB and on the bank guarantee scheme. The panel members outlined the full reality of the financial crisis tonight. If the government fails to bring in an appropriate budget to tackle the crisis we may not be able to borrow in 2011. In addition the stimulus packages of various international governments are running out. So international growth will slow down also.
In short a savage budget is a sine qua non just to keep the country afloat. The government has no choice. It MUST find more than the €3 billion previously announced. It MUST take the hard decisions. Any weakening in resolution will have catastrophic consequences. In short the motto for the government should be "We may as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb".
Government Ministers must avoid solo runs. Solo runs from the Greens portray an image of political instability. The markets are watching. The Greens need to forget about climate change. Ireland's contribution to this is miniscule in any case. Increasing energy costs will only increase unemployment. It is time for the Greens to adopt the motto "Save Ireland first". It is pointless killing Ireland's economy whilst making meaningless gestures to save the planet.
Paul Sommerville tonight stated that the Greens including Dan Boyle had strongly supported the government policy on Anglo for the last two years. Now that they sense that government policy on Anglo is in difficulties they are beginning to distance themselves so as to say "I told you so in the next election".
The reality is that the Greens are now tied into government banking policy whether they like it or not. They will not fool the voters.
The government parties can now hang together or hang separately.
In short a savage budget is a sine qua non just to keep the country afloat. The government has no choice. It MUST find more than the €3 billion previously announced. It MUST take the hard decisions. Any weakening in resolution will have catastrophic consequences. In short the motto for the government should be "We may as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb".
Government Ministers must avoid solo runs. Solo runs from the Greens portray an image of political instability. The markets are watching. The Greens need to forget about climate change. Ireland's contribution to this is miniscule in any case. Increasing energy costs will only increase unemployment. It is time for the Greens to adopt the motto "Save Ireland first". It is pointless killing Ireland's economy whilst making meaningless gestures to save the planet.
Paul Sommerville tonight stated that the Greens including Dan Boyle had strongly supported the government policy on Anglo for the last two years. Now that they sense that government policy on Anglo is in difficulties they are beginning to distance themselves so as to say "I told you so in the next election".
The reality is that the Greens are now tied into government banking policy whether they like it or not. They will not fool the voters.
The government parties can now hang together or hang separately.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Eighteen Year Old Pauline's Medjugorje Conversion Story
Before I came to Medjugorje, I had really hit rock bottom. My parents are atheist. When I was 9 they divorced. After that I let myself be taken in by all the evils in society.
At 13 I started doing drugs. My broken family slowly reduced me to a state of fear and withdrawal. I was going forward without feeling, without seeing, without living, like a zombie. Empty.
I threw myself into the 'pleasures of the flesh', and I fell apart. I took refuge in my work. Last summer I attempted to commit suicide. Waking up in hospital I realised that life was just horrible. I had no way out, no future.
I had a Catholic friend, Alice. Her life had changed after coming back from Medjugorje, and every time she talked to me about Mary, I could feel light coming into me.
At the end of July she called me: "Pauline, I'm going to Medjugorje and I've booked three seats - one is for you. Come."
It was a shock to me, because I felt Alice's words were a calling. I immediately said 'yes'. However, I had a summer job as an extra on a film set, and I couldn't quit. Also I had no money for the trip.
So I asked my dad, without much hope, because he had told me in the past that he was done helping me. Miracle of miracles, he immediately said 'yes' for half the amount.
My mom gave me the other half. Then the studio informed me there was to be a 10-day break in filming, just at the right time.
I arrived in Medjugorje on the last day of the Youth Festival. I went to evening adoration, then we climbed Cross Mountain for the Mass at dawn.
As I climbed I tried to experience this time with God, but I couldn't concentrate in prayer. I felt only emptiness. When I got to the top I paced back and forth. I felt tormented inside.
Finally I left the Mass and went down the mountain alone. It was like I had heavy armour around my heart. It made me suffocate, and it was blocking out God.
I was not baptised and, at that moment, I understood the importance of baptism. A boy from my region told me, "Pauline, you have to go to confession!" But the idea of telling all my sins to a priest stressed me out completely.
I was thinking, "How am I going to say this? And that? It's too horrible, I can't do it." But I did it anyway. It was my first confession, and I did not know you had to be baptised to receive the sacrament.
Right from the beginning the priest seemed to see very clearly the immense wound that was inside me, and he told me the solution: take Mary as my mother and become again like a little baby in her womb.
What mattered to him most was not my sins but rather having me welcome the heart of the God who was waiting for me and who was suffering with me.
During confession and the blessing that followed, the emptiness that had been inside me disappeared and I cried for joy. I was laughing! It was like all the evil that had built up inside me since the beginning was coming out of me. I could feel all the filth leaving me.
After that, joy kept coming into my heart more and more every day; at last I could pray with the heart.
Now I got up every morning to say my prayers. I experienced the feeling of being filled for the first time. I could feel God healing me. I know the road will be long and tough. "Be strong and hold on!" - those words keep coming back to me.
Now it is impossible for me to consider life without the Holy Trinity. The truth is there. It is so good to be happy.
o Pauline, 18, is now preparing for baptism.
[This story is taken from the book, The Hidden Child of Medjugorje, by Sister Emmanuel.](Via Alive )
At 13 I started doing drugs. My broken family slowly reduced me to a state of fear and withdrawal. I was going forward without feeling, without seeing, without living, like a zombie. Empty.
I threw myself into the 'pleasures of the flesh', and I fell apart. I took refuge in my work. Last summer I attempted to commit suicide. Waking up in hospital I realised that life was just horrible. I had no way out, no future.
I had a Catholic friend, Alice. Her life had changed after coming back from Medjugorje, and every time she talked to me about Mary, I could feel light coming into me.
At the end of July she called me: "Pauline, I'm going to Medjugorje and I've booked three seats - one is for you. Come."
It was a shock to me, because I felt Alice's words were a calling. I immediately said 'yes'. However, I had a summer job as an extra on a film set, and I couldn't quit. Also I had no money for the trip.
So I asked my dad, without much hope, because he had told me in the past that he was done helping me. Miracle of miracles, he immediately said 'yes' for half the amount.
My mom gave me the other half. Then the studio informed me there was to be a 10-day break in filming, just at the right time.
I arrived in Medjugorje on the last day of the Youth Festival. I went to evening adoration, then we climbed Cross Mountain for the Mass at dawn.
As I climbed I tried to experience this time with God, but I couldn't concentrate in prayer. I felt only emptiness. When I got to the top I paced back and forth. I felt tormented inside.
Finally I left the Mass and went down the mountain alone. It was like I had heavy armour around my heart. It made me suffocate, and it was blocking out God.
I was not baptised and, at that moment, I understood the importance of baptism. A boy from my region told me, "Pauline, you have to go to confession!" But the idea of telling all my sins to a priest stressed me out completely.
I was thinking, "How am I going to say this? And that? It's too horrible, I can't do it." But I did it anyway. It was my first confession, and I did not know you had to be baptised to receive the sacrament.
Right from the beginning the priest seemed to see very clearly the immense wound that was inside me, and he told me the solution: take Mary as my mother and become again like a little baby in her womb.
What mattered to him most was not my sins but rather having me welcome the heart of the God who was waiting for me and who was suffering with me.
During confession and the blessing that followed, the emptiness that had been inside me disappeared and I cried for joy. I was laughing! It was like all the evil that had built up inside me since the beginning was coming out of me. I could feel all the filth leaving me.
After that, joy kept coming into my heart more and more every day; at last I could pray with the heart.
Now I got up every morning to say my prayers. I experienced the feeling of being filled for the first time. I could feel God healing me. I know the road will be long and tough. "Be strong and hold on!" - those words keep coming back to me.
Now it is impossible for me to consider life without the Holy Trinity. The truth is there. It is so good to be happy.
o Pauline, 18, is now preparing for baptism.
[This story is taken from the book, The Hidden Child of Medjugorje, by Sister Emmanuel.](Via Alive )
Saturday, August 28, 2010
The Roman Catholic Church not Protestantism was founded by Jesus Christ
Recently I was challenged on my Catholic beliefs by a born again Christian-formerly a Roman Catholic. This man provided quotes in abundance from the bible in an effort to try and persuade me that he had made the correct decision. What is becoming increasingly obvious is the fact that many born again Christians are engaged in a concerted campaign to undermine the Catholic Church. Much of what they preach is utter nonsense and seriously in error.
Here is my first reply which I forwarded to him:
Hi,
"I love the Roman Catholic Church very much. Afterall it is the Church founded by Christ. When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some [say that thou art] John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 16:13-19).
The Roman Catholic Church has an unbroken line from Peter all the way down to today. The Roman Catholic Church was the only Church founded by Jesus.
All other Churches are man made. All the Protestant Churches are man made. There are approximately 33,000 Protestant denominations. They all believe different things. They all cant be correct. No two Protestants that I speak to believe in the same thing. Each Protestant sect interprets the bible differently.
If you read Surprised by the Truth 2 ( Author=Patrick Madrid) 15 men and women give the biblical and historical reasons for becoming Catholic. They were almost all Protestants. In Surprised by the Truth 3 (Patrick Madrid) 10 more Converts to Catholicism explain the biblical and historical reasons for becoming Catholic. The closer these former Protestants looked at Catholicism the more they found that Christs truth is taught in its fullness only in the Catholic Church.
Make sure to read these two books. They will fully answer all your questions about Catholicism
The Protestant position on confessing sins is completely wrong. If you read carefully http://www.bringyou.to/apologetics/a135.htm you will see why.
The Protestant position on the Eucharist is completely wrong. At the consecration in the Holy Mass the host is changed in its entirety into Our Lords Body and Blood.
For proof of this read about the The Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano at
http://www.trosch.org/inx/lanciano.html Make sure to read about it.
This took place in the 8th century. A monk had doubts about the Consecration.
One morning, while he was having a strong attack of doubt, he began the Consecration of the Mass for the people of the town. He used the same size host which is used in the Latin Rite masses today. What he beheld as he consecrated the bread and wine caused his hands to shake, indeed his whole body. He stood for a long time with his back to the people, and then slowly turned around to them.
He said: "0 fortunate witnesses to whom the Blessed God, to confound my disbelief, has wished to reveal Himself in this Most Blessed Sacrament and to render Himself visible to our eves. Come, brethren, and marvel at our God so close to us. Behold the Flesh and Blood of our most beloved Christ."
The host had turned into Flesh. The wine had turned into Blood.
The people, having witnessed the miracle for themselves, began to wail, asking for forgiveness, crying for mercy. Others began beating their breasts, confessing their sins, declaring themselves unworthy to witness such a miracle. Still others went down on their knees in respect, and thanksgiving for the gift the Lord had bestowed on them. All spread the story throughout the town and surrounding villages.
The miracle is ONGOING. The Host-turned-Flesh, and the Wine-turned-Blood, without the use of any form of preservative, is STILL present in the reliquary. In 1574 testing was done on the Flesh and Blood and an unexplainable phenomenon was discovered. The five pellets of coagulated Blood are different sizes and shapes. But any combination weighs the same as the total. In other words, 1 weighs the same as 2, 2 weigh the same as 3, and 3 weigh the same as 5.
Read the full article. It will prove that the Catholic Church is correct on the Eucharist.
Read Eucharistic Miracle Sienna Italy 1730 at http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/siena.html
There are other examples just google them. Read here for more examples:
http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/a3.html
Your Protestant friends will have no answer to these miracles which prove that the host in its entirety is changed into Our Lords Body and Blood at the Consecration.
Now look for other evidence. Look at the Blessed Virgin appearing to Catholic children at Lourdes, Fatima, Medjugorje. Read about the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima. Even hardened atheists were converted. Read about Our Lady of Beauraing (1932-33) . Read about Marian apparitions at Banneux. Read about Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Laus,Our Lady of La Salette, Our Lady of Knock. Protestant sects have never had any affirmation from God that they are correct. They show little respect for Mary Mother of God.
Our Lady made promises to those who pray the Rosary. Our Lady revealed to St. Dominic and Blessed Alan de la Roche additional benefits for those who devoutly pray the Rosary. See http://www.ourladyswarriors.org/prayer/15promise.htm
Now read here how the Rosary saved a British soldiers life in Afghanistan. Read it here in my blog: http://johnbarrysblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/rosary-saves-british-soldiers-life-in.html
In relation to Confession note how when Padre Pio and the Curé of Ars could
tell people who went to confess to them WHAT SINS they had held back .
Please be in no doubt that the overwhelming body of evidence is with the Roman Catholic Church. Please read up on what I have posted here. You will see it is the truth.
All Protestant Churches and sects are man made. Only the Roman Catholic Church was set up by Jesus. Remember Jesus appointed Peter as the first Pope.
Dont mind what born again Christians say about the Catholic Church. They are incorrect.
Please do not leave the Church founded by Jesus. The Catholic Church founded by Jesus Christ has the full body of truth. "
Quickly he returned with another raft of quotes: This was my second reply to him:
Hi,
"Please read carefully my original reply. Check on everything I have said in that reply. You will see that the Catholic Church is the one true Church founded by Christ. There are approximately 33,000 different Protestant sects. Each one of them was founded by man. The Roman Catholic Church is the only Church founded by Jesus Christ.
If you read Surprised by the Truth 2 and Surprised by the Truth 3 by Patrick Madrid you will see clearly why the Protestant religions are wrong.. In these books you have people who were originally Protestant explaining why they became Catholics. They explain how Protestantism is in error. If you look at the Protestant position on the Eucharist it does not add up. The Roman Catholic position that at the consecration the host becomes Our Lords Body and Blood in its entirety is the correct belief. Our Lord has even provided Miracles on the Eucharist to prove this,
Read about the Eucharistic Miracles of Lanciano and Siena.The Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano at
http://www.trosch.org/inx/lanciano.html Make sure to read about it.
Read Eucharistic Miracle Sienna Italy 1730 at http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/siena.html. There is a full list of them here at http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/engl_mir.htm. Take particular note of the Eucharistic Miracles. Protestants cannot answer these. They are God's answer to mans doubts. Just remember the protestant position on the Eucharist is wrong. God has even provided the proof with these miracles.
The Protestant position on Confession is completely in error. If you read here you will see why:
http://www.bringyou.to/apologetics/a135.htm
Just look at all the apparitions of Our Lady to Catholics. Read about Fatima, Lourdes, Medjugorje (just three of many). What about the Miracle of Fatima when the sun came spinning towards the earth. 70,000 people witnessed the miracle. Heather Parsons was an Irish Protestant from Dublin. She is now a huge supporter of Medjugorje and is a staunch Catholic. She has written books on Medjugorje.
God has not given any signs to any Protestant Church or sect that it is the true religion.
View the video Colleen Williards Miracle Testimony. It concerns Medjugorje. View it here : http://en.gloria.tv/?media=39412.
Make sure to view it. Show it to your Protestant friends.
Read the book Medjugorje Whats Happening? by James Mulligan. On page 29 you will read the following: "Only two months or so before the 24th June 1981, something else strange happened.Vicka Ivankovic's younger brother found on the family's farm tractor trailer two sets of Rosary beads. On one set of Rosary beads was a quite beautifully carved crucifix in ivory depicting all 14 Stations of the Stations of the Cross. Franjo youngest of Vickas four sisters and three brothers relates that at six o'clock one morning in April 1981 he was getting ready to go out with their little tractor and trailer to collect some wood. As I was putting all the tools we needed in the trailer I spotted two sets of Rosary beads. I picked up the Rosary Beads and brought them to my mother and grandmother. As I gave them the beads I made a joke saying this must be the Gospa saying you must pray more.We checked with all the neighbours but nobody claimed the beads. Some weeks after the apparitions began Zlata my mother asked Vicka to ask the Gospa (Virgin Mary) about the Rosary beads. Vicka asked and the Gospa said that the Rosaries were a special gift from her to our family"
Padre Pio and the Curé of Ars could tell people who went to confess to them WHAT SINS they had held back
Protestants cannot explain any of the above. I have debated with them.
Catholics become born again once they go to Confession and confess their sins to a priest.
Each and every week a new protestant sect springs up. Now 33,000 Protestant sects- each believing different things- cannot be the true church.
Do you seriously believe that each new born again group is the one true Church founded by Christ? Born again groups interpret Scripture in different ways. Born again groups are founded by man as are all Protestant groups. Jesus appointed St Peter as the first pope. There is an unbroken line of popes from Peter to Pope Benedict. The Catholic Church is the one true Church. I have provided you with a huge body of evidence to prove this. Please read it with an open mind. You will, see all the evidence points towards the Catholic Church as the one true Church. Dont mind what born again groups say about Catholicism. It is they who are in error. The Catholic Church has the full body of truth. It is in existence for over 2,000 years. It is Gods Church. It was set up by Jesus Christ. it has stood the test of time. How long are born again groups in existence?
Please meet a Catholic priest and discuss this with him. Pray the Rosary daily. I love the Catholic Church. It is the only Church founded by Christ,
Just remember the British soldier saved by the Rosary in Afghanistan. The man was standing on a landmine. http://johnbarrysblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/rosary-saves-british-soldiers-life-in.html
Just read this:
http://johnbarrysblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/us-pilot-scott-ogradys-marian.html
It concerns US Pilot Scott O'Grady's Marian Apparition when shotdown over Bosnia in 1995 .
Please come back to the true faith. Come back to the Catholic Church which was founded by Jesus Christ."
In short this born again Christian has failed to answer convincingly the arguments that I have made. In essence he has been brainwashed by born again groups. The Catholic Church needs to wake up to the threat posed by these groups.
Here is my first reply which I forwarded to him:
Hi,
"I love the Roman Catholic Church very much. Afterall it is the Church founded by Christ. When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some [say that thou art] John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 16:13-19).
The Roman Catholic Church has an unbroken line from Peter all the way down to today. The Roman Catholic Church was the only Church founded by Jesus.
All other Churches are man made. All the Protestant Churches are man made. There are approximately 33,000 Protestant denominations. They all believe different things. They all cant be correct. No two Protestants that I speak to believe in the same thing. Each Protestant sect interprets the bible differently.
If you read Surprised by the Truth 2 ( Author=Patrick Madrid) 15 men and women give the biblical and historical reasons for becoming Catholic. They were almost all Protestants. In Surprised by the Truth 3 (Patrick Madrid) 10 more Converts to Catholicism explain the biblical and historical reasons for becoming Catholic. The closer these former Protestants looked at Catholicism the more they found that Christs truth is taught in its fullness only in the Catholic Church.
Make sure to read these two books. They will fully answer all your questions about Catholicism
The Protestant position on confessing sins is completely wrong. If you read carefully http://www.bringyou.to/apologetics/a135.htm you will see why.
The Protestant position on the Eucharist is completely wrong. At the consecration in the Holy Mass the host is changed in its entirety into Our Lords Body and Blood.
For proof of this read about the The Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano at
http://www.trosch.org/inx/lanciano.html Make sure to read about it.
This took place in the 8th century. A monk had doubts about the Consecration.
One morning, while he was having a strong attack of doubt, he began the Consecration of the Mass for the people of the town. He used the same size host which is used in the Latin Rite masses today. What he beheld as he consecrated the bread and wine caused his hands to shake, indeed his whole body. He stood for a long time with his back to the people, and then slowly turned around to them.
He said: "0 fortunate witnesses to whom the Blessed God, to confound my disbelief, has wished to reveal Himself in this Most Blessed Sacrament and to render Himself visible to our eves. Come, brethren, and marvel at our God so close to us. Behold the Flesh and Blood of our most beloved Christ."
The host had turned into Flesh. The wine had turned into Blood.
The people, having witnessed the miracle for themselves, began to wail, asking for forgiveness, crying for mercy. Others began beating their breasts, confessing their sins, declaring themselves unworthy to witness such a miracle. Still others went down on their knees in respect, and thanksgiving for the gift the Lord had bestowed on them. All spread the story throughout the town and surrounding villages.
The miracle is ONGOING. The Host-turned-Flesh, and the Wine-turned-Blood, without the use of any form of preservative, is STILL present in the reliquary. In 1574 testing was done on the Flesh and Blood and an unexplainable phenomenon was discovered. The five pellets of coagulated Blood are different sizes and shapes. But any combination weighs the same as the total. In other words, 1 weighs the same as 2, 2 weigh the same as 3, and 3 weigh the same as 5.
Read the full article. It will prove that the Catholic Church is correct on the Eucharist.
Read Eucharistic Miracle Sienna Italy 1730 at http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/siena.html
There are other examples just google them. Read here for more examples:
http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/a3.html
Your Protestant friends will have no answer to these miracles which prove that the host in its entirety is changed into Our Lords Body and Blood at the Consecration.
Now look for other evidence. Look at the Blessed Virgin appearing to Catholic children at Lourdes, Fatima, Medjugorje. Read about the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima. Even hardened atheists were converted. Read about Our Lady of Beauraing (1932-33) . Read about Marian apparitions at Banneux. Read about Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Laus,Our Lady of La Salette, Our Lady of Knock. Protestant sects have never had any affirmation from God that they are correct. They show little respect for Mary Mother of God.
Our Lady made promises to those who pray the Rosary. Our Lady revealed to St. Dominic and Blessed Alan de la Roche additional benefits for those who devoutly pray the Rosary. See http://www.ourladyswarriors.org/prayer/15promise.htm
Now read here how the Rosary saved a British soldiers life in Afghanistan. Read it here in my blog: http://johnbarrysblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/rosary-saves-british-soldiers-life-in.html
In relation to Confession note how when Padre Pio and the Curé of Ars could
tell people who went to confess to them WHAT SINS they had held back .
Please be in no doubt that the overwhelming body of evidence is with the Roman Catholic Church. Please read up on what I have posted here. You will see it is the truth.
All Protestant Churches and sects are man made. Only the Roman Catholic Church was set up by Jesus. Remember Jesus appointed Peter as the first Pope.
Dont mind what born again Christians say about the Catholic Church. They are incorrect.
Please do not leave the Church founded by Jesus. The Catholic Church founded by Jesus Christ has the full body of truth. "
Quickly he returned with another raft of quotes: This was my second reply to him:
Hi,
"Please read carefully my original reply. Check on everything I have said in that reply. You will see that the Catholic Church is the one true Church founded by Christ. There are approximately 33,000 different Protestant sects. Each one of them was founded by man. The Roman Catholic Church is the only Church founded by Jesus Christ.
If you read Surprised by the Truth 2 and Surprised by the Truth 3 by Patrick Madrid you will see clearly why the Protestant religions are wrong.. In these books you have people who were originally Protestant explaining why they became Catholics. They explain how Protestantism is in error. If you look at the Protestant position on the Eucharist it does not add up. The Roman Catholic position that at the consecration the host becomes Our Lords Body and Blood in its entirety is the correct belief. Our Lord has even provided Miracles on the Eucharist to prove this,
Read about the Eucharistic Miracles of Lanciano and Siena.The Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano at
http://www.trosch.org/inx/lanciano.html Make sure to read about it.
Read Eucharistic Miracle Sienna Italy 1730 at http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/siena.html. There is a full list of them here at http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/engl_mir.htm. Take particular note of the Eucharistic Miracles. Protestants cannot answer these. They are God's answer to mans doubts. Just remember the protestant position on the Eucharist is wrong. God has even provided the proof with these miracles.
The Protestant position on Confession is completely in error. If you read here you will see why:
http://www.bringyou.to/apologetics/a135.htm
Just look at all the apparitions of Our Lady to Catholics. Read about Fatima, Lourdes, Medjugorje (just three of many). What about the Miracle of Fatima when the sun came spinning towards the earth. 70,000 people witnessed the miracle. Heather Parsons was an Irish Protestant from Dublin. She is now a huge supporter of Medjugorje and is a staunch Catholic. She has written books on Medjugorje.
God has not given any signs to any Protestant Church or sect that it is the true religion.
View the video Colleen Williards Miracle Testimony. It concerns Medjugorje. View it here : http://en.gloria.tv/?media=39412.
Make sure to view it. Show it to your Protestant friends.
Read the book Medjugorje Whats Happening? by James Mulligan. On page 29 you will read the following: "Only two months or so before the 24th June 1981, something else strange happened.Vicka Ivankovic's younger brother found on the family's farm tractor trailer two sets of Rosary beads. On one set of Rosary beads was a quite beautifully carved crucifix in ivory depicting all 14 Stations of the Stations of the Cross. Franjo youngest of Vickas four sisters and three brothers relates that at six o'clock one morning in April 1981 he was getting ready to go out with their little tractor and trailer to collect some wood. As I was putting all the tools we needed in the trailer I spotted two sets of Rosary beads. I picked up the Rosary Beads and brought them to my mother and grandmother. As I gave them the beads I made a joke saying this must be the Gospa saying you must pray more.We checked with all the neighbours but nobody claimed the beads. Some weeks after the apparitions began Zlata my mother asked Vicka to ask the Gospa (Virgin Mary) about the Rosary beads. Vicka asked and the Gospa said that the Rosaries were a special gift from her to our family"
Padre Pio and the Curé of Ars could tell people who went to confess to them WHAT SINS they had held back
Protestants cannot explain any of the above. I have debated with them.
Catholics become born again once they go to Confession and confess their sins to a priest.
Each and every week a new protestant sect springs up. Now 33,000 Protestant sects- each believing different things- cannot be the true church.
Do you seriously believe that each new born again group is the one true Church founded by Christ? Born again groups interpret Scripture in different ways. Born again groups are founded by man as are all Protestant groups. Jesus appointed St Peter as the first pope. There is an unbroken line of popes from Peter to Pope Benedict. The Catholic Church is the one true Church. I have provided you with a huge body of evidence to prove this. Please read it with an open mind. You will, see all the evidence points towards the Catholic Church as the one true Church. Dont mind what born again groups say about Catholicism. It is they who are in error. The Catholic Church has the full body of truth. It is in existence for over 2,000 years. It is Gods Church. It was set up by Jesus Christ. it has stood the test of time. How long are born again groups in existence?
Please meet a Catholic priest and discuss this with him. Pray the Rosary daily. I love the Catholic Church. It is the only Church founded by Christ,
Just remember the British soldier saved by the Rosary in Afghanistan. The man was standing on a landmine. http://johnbarrysblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/rosary-saves-british-soldiers-life-in.html
Just read this:
http://johnbarrysblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/us-pilot-scott-ogradys-marian.html
It concerns US Pilot Scott O'Grady's Marian Apparition when shotdown over Bosnia in 1995 .
Please come back to the true faith. Come back to the Catholic Church which was founded by Jesus Christ."
In short this born again Christian has failed to answer convincingly the arguments that I have made. In essence he has been brainwashed by born again groups. The Catholic Church needs to wake up to the threat posed by these groups.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Song: La Madonna Nera (The Black Madonna)
Via nunspeak which has an English translation of the song.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
In Medjugorje New Miracle- Boy dies and comes back to life (August 2010)
Kravice Waterfall near Medjugorje
A boy named Daniel, along with his mother, father, and a good male friend, traveled to Medjugorje for its Youth Festival, which occurred July 31st through August 6th, 2010.
During one of the days of their pilgrimage, toward the end of the festival week, they decided to travel to the beautiful Kravice Waterfall, located ten kilometers outside of Medjugorje, near the town of Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
They were hardly alone on their pilgrimage. Over 50,000 youth and more than 500 priests came from around the world to attend the popular festival. During a large midday gathering, one of the Franciscan priests in Medjugorje made a brief announcement, asking everyone to pray for a young man named Daniel. Then there was silence. Nothing more was said. The priest didn’t share any details. No one knew at the time why they were praying for him.
What people didn’t know was that Daniel had been swimming in the waters of the Kravice Waterfall, and had just drowned. He had been under water for a full seven minutes, when his friend noticed he was gone. Panicked, the friend dove under water, found Daniel, pulled him up, and dragged his lifeless body to shore. Panick-stricken, Daniel’s father, a medic, tried to resuscitate him, but to no avail.
They picked up Daniel’s heavy, limp body, and drove him to the town of Mostar, which had the nearest hospital, an hour away. But Daniel was corpse-like. His lungs were full of water, and any human being, who hasn’t received oxygen for twenty minutes or more, will inevitably suffer serious brain damage.
At the hospital, the medical staff pumped the water from his lungs and tried everything they could do to save him. Yet their efforts were hopeless. After a short time, the hospital declared him officially dead. Daniel’s parents and friend collapsed inside, overcome with grief and shock.
The following morning, Daniel started to move. He said to his mom, “I don’t really recognize you, but would you pray to Jesus with me?” Then later that day, his memory returned in full, and he asked if he could get a bigger bed, because he couldn’t stretch out his legs.
Untold joy and thanksgiving burst forth from Daniel’s hospital bed and traveled throughout Medjugorje. And to note the blessings which can come from charity, Daniel’s father had paid for the pilgrimage of the boy who rescued his son from the water.
In Medjugorje, miracles abound, and this is one is perhaps the greatest yet. Through the intercession of Mary of Medjugorje and the prayers of faithful pilgrims, Jesus raised someone from the dead, just as he did when he walked the earth 2000 years ago.
This true story was heard first-hand and told by Nancy Latta, (translator for Fr. Jozo and founder of Our Lady of the Sacred Retreat House in Medjugorje), to Jordan Lindsey, a Medjugorje pilgrim and seminarian, present during this Youth Festival.(Source: Medjugorje Miracles website of Christine Watkins author of New Medjugorje book Full of Grace: Miraculous Stories of Healing and Conversion through Mary's Intercession. Wayne Weible calls it "direct, honest, heart-rending, and miraculous)
A boy named Daniel, along with his mother, father, and a good male friend, traveled to Medjugorje for its Youth Festival, which occurred July 31st through August 6th, 2010.During one of the days of their pilgrimage, toward the end of the festival week, they decided to travel to the beautiful Kravice Waterfall, located ten kilometers outside of Medjugorje, near the town of Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
They were hardly alone on their pilgrimage. Over 50,000 youth and more than 500 priests came from around the world to attend the popular festival. During a large midday gathering, one of the Franciscan priests in Medjugorje made a brief announcement, asking everyone to pray for a young man named Daniel. Then there was silence. Nothing more was said. The priest didn’t share any details. No one knew at the time why they were praying for him.
What people didn’t know was that Daniel had been swimming in the waters of the Kravice Waterfall, and had just drowned. He had been under water for a full seven minutes, when his friend noticed he was gone. Panicked, the friend dove under water, found Daniel, pulled him up, and dragged his lifeless body to shore. Panick-stricken, Daniel’s father, a medic, tried to resuscitate him, but to no avail.
They picked up Daniel’s heavy, limp body, and drove him to the town of Mostar, which had the nearest hospital, an hour away. But Daniel was corpse-like. His lungs were full of water, and any human being, who hasn’t received oxygen for twenty minutes or more, will inevitably suffer serious brain damage.
At the hospital, the medical staff pumped the water from his lungs and tried everything they could do to save him. Yet their efforts were hopeless. After a short time, the hospital declared him officially dead. Daniel’s parents and friend collapsed inside, overcome with grief and shock.
The following morning, Daniel started to move. He said to his mom, “I don’t really recognize you, but would you pray to Jesus with me?” Then later that day, his memory returned in full, and he asked if he could get a bigger bed, because he couldn’t stretch out his legs.
Untold joy and thanksgiving burst forth from Daniel’s hospital bed and traveled throughout Medjugorje. And to note the blessings which can come from charity, Daniel’s father had paid for the pilgrimage of the boy who rescued his son from the water.
In Medjugorje, miracles abound, and this is one is perhaps the greatest yet. Through the intercession of Mary of Medjugorje and the prayers of faithful pilgrims, Jesus raised someone from the dead, just as he did when he walked the earth 2000 years ago.
This true story was heard first-hand and told by Nancy Latta, (translator for Fr. Jozo and founder of Our Lady of the Sacred Retreat House in Medjugorje), to Jordan Lindsey, a Medjugorje pilgrim and seminarian, present during this Youth Festival.(Source: Medjugorje Miracles website of Christine Watkins author of New Medjugorje book Full of Grace: Miraculous Stories of Healing and Conversion through Mary's Intercession. Wayne Weible calls it "direct, honest, heart-rending, and miraculous)
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Video: Miracle Cure of Medjugorje
Prayer To Our Lady of Medjugorje
Dear Mary my Mother Queen of PeaceWho I know is appearing to the children at Medjugorje
Please ask Your Son to heal me
In any way I need to be healed.
Our Deepest Fear written by Marianne Williamson
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” (The above speech by Nelson Mandela was orignally written by Marianne Williamson who is the author of other similar material.”)
Saturday, August 21, 2010
US:Democrat Barney Frank in U-turn on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
In an interview with Larry Kudlow for Big Government Democrat Barney Frank has done a complete U-turn in relation to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The smell of the November Congressional elections is in the air. Now I wonder how real is this conversion. Here is an excerpt from the article:
Read remainder of article at Big Government
For years, Frank was a staunch supporter of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the giant government housing agencies that played such an enormous role in the financial meltdown that thrust the economy into the Great Recession. But in a recent CNBC interview, Frank told me that he was ready to say goodbye to Fannie and Freddie.
“I hope by next year we’ll have abolished Fannie and Freddie,” he said. Remarkable. And he went on to say that “it was a great mistake to push lower-income people into housing they couldn’t afford and couldn’t really handle once they had it.” He then added, “I had been too sanguine about Fannie and Freddie.”
When I asked Frank about a long-term phase-out plan that would shrink Fannie and Freddie portfolios and mortgage-purchase limits, and merge the agencies into the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) for a separate low-income program that would get government out of middle-income housing subsidies, he replied: “Larry, that, I think, is exactly what we should be doing.”
Frank also said that any federal housing guarantees should be transparently priced and put on budget. But he added that the private sector must be encouraged to re-enter housing finance just as the government gradually withdraws from it.
Some would say Frank’s mea culpa is politically motivated in advance of an election where bailout nation and big government are public enemies number one and two. Of course, poll after poll shows that the $150 billion Fan-Fred bailout, which the Congressional Budget Office estimates could rise to $400 billion, is detested by voters and taxpayers everywhere.....
Friday, August 20, 2010
Ireland: Why do girls outscore boys in the Leaving Cert?
This is a question that has baffled educationalists for years. In Leaving Cert 2010 the only subjects where boys scored more honours ABC grades on higher-level papers were Latin, applied maths, engineering, religious education, economics and Japanese. Quite frankly there is no one reason to explain the failure of boys to match the girls in the educational stakes. It is more likely to be a combination of the following reasons:
- In co-educational schools boys generally tend to lose out to girls. It is quite common for boys to seek to impress the girls by acting in a disruptive manner. The consequences of this are noticeable even in Mathematics. Traditionally boys fared better in Mathematics. Unfortunately this is no longer the case.
- Boys are generally less mature than girls. This is biological and is unlikely to change.
- Generally boys are more interested in sport. A far higher percentage of boys participate actively in sport. This involves school sports competitions but also local club competitions. This often necessitates after school training sessions. In addition club training at night is quite common. Club competitions may take place over weekends or at night. Consequently a high percentage of male students free time is eaten up. Girls in general spend much less time on sporting activities.
- Sport on television is also a major impediment to progress for young males. Sky Sports, RTE, Setanta provide a breathtaking array of live sporting activities such as Soccer on weekday nights. Many male students are drawn to these and neglect exercises and study on such nights.
- Girls tend to have a better work ethic and tend to be more conformist.
- Girls are generally more interested in attending college.
- In poorer working class areas many boys feel alienated. The education system is seen as part of the hated establishment.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Ireland: Medjugorje Visionary Ivanka to visit Carlow Cathedral on 17 October, 2010
Ivanka, one of the six Medjugorje visionaries, comes to Carlow on Sunday 17 October during a tour of just four venues in Ireland. The event starts at 6pm with Rosary and is followed by Mass.(See The Nationalist)
Other venues will include Dublin on Monday 18th; Monaghan on Tuesday 19th; and Newbridge on Wednesday 20th.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Pro-Abortion Catholics United Sends Disruptive Protesters To Pro-Life Protest
Catholics United is NOT A Catholic group. It is a pro Obama front group, funded by leftist billionaire and atheist George Soros. It was set up during the election to help Obama win the Catholic vote. Its main aim was to muddy the waters on Obamas pro-abortion record.
Now the pro-abortion group has turned its attention to the The Votes Have Consequences Express Pro-Life Tour.
Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List Pro-Life Group has issued the following statement on the activities of this group:
Now the pro-abortion group has turned its attention to the The Votes Have Consequences Express Pro-Life Tour.
Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List Pro-Life Group has issued the following statement on the activities of this group:
Catholics United, a group funded by George Soros, a self-avowed atheist and longtime financier of Planned Parenthood, NOW, and NARAL, sent disruptive protesters to our Votes Have Consequences stop in Erie, Pennsylvania where local pro-life activists called out Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper for selling out Pennsylvania values by providing a key vote for the passage of Obama’s health care bill.
The protesters – led by James Salt, political director of Catholics United and close associate of Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius (an avid pro-abortion activist and cheerleader of late-term abortionist George Tiller) – followed the bus as it made additional stops in Meadville, Grove City, and Butler.
It is important to note that during the health care debate, Catholics United actively opposed efforts to add Hyde amendment language to the bill to ensure taxpayer dollars wouldn’t be used to pay for abortions in health care legislation. From the start to the end of the debate, Catholics United worked to undermine the efforts of honest lawmakers working to protect the unborn, their mothers, and the conscience of American taxpayers.
So it comes as no surprise that Catholics United is now doing everything they can to undermine our efforts to educate pro-life voters as the mid-term elections draw near.
Catholics United protesters claimed the SBA List is lying about funding for abortion in health care because of an executive order issued by President Obama.
The problem with their argument is that the executive order doesn’t hold any legal weight, isn’t worth the paper it’s written on, and does not even attempt to address all the funding problems in the bill.
The executive order reiterates the accounting gimmick under which federal subsidies will be used to pay for insurance plans that cover elective abortion that Rep. Bart Stupak – the leader of the Democrats who sold out – objected to in a December press release: “… the segregation of funds to pay for abortion is another departure from current policy prohibiting federal subsidy of abortion coverage.”
For proof that the executive order did not ban federal funding of abortion in the health care bill, look no further than Pennsylvania, site of our rallies and Catholic United's protests.
Just over a month ago, on July 13th, HHS approved $160 million in federal taxpayer funding for Pennsylvania to establish a new high-risk insurance pool program that would cover any legal abortion in the state.
Only after the National Right to Life Committee and other pro-life groups and lawmakers very publicly protested the funds did HHS decide to ensure the taxpayer subsidized plan wouldn't include elective abortion.
But in assurances to pro-abortion groups, White House Office of Health Reform Director Nancy-Ann DeParle wrote in a blog post, “is not a precedent for other programs or policies given the unique, temporary nature of the program and the population it serves.”
So, it wasn't the executive order that made the difference, only a very public outcry only because pro-life groups were paying attention.
Thus, decisions made on whether abortions will be covered in taxpayer-subsidized health care will be decided on a case-by-case basis by President Obama’s appointees to HHS, not his executive order. And even if the executive order had any weight, it could easily be reversed by future presidents.
Instead of an executive order, Dahlkemper and other once pro-life Democrats could have held their ground and demand the insertion of statutory Hyde language permanently banning the health care bill from funding abortion. Of course, Catholics United opposed Hyde language, saying it went “too far.”
Stupak and Dahlkemper folded their cards, caved to party bosses, and now they are learning the consequences of their actions. Stupak has already retired, and our Votes Have Consequences project – with your continued support – is ensuring that every voter that cares about the protection of the unborn in Kathy Dahlkemper’s district knows she sold them out. And they’ll remember in November.
Video of Pakistan Flood Horror-August 17, 2010 (Millions Without Help)
This video speaks for itself. According to the UN many of the 20 million people affected by floods in Pakistan have yet to receive any aid. The relief operation is underfunded and much of the country's infrastructure has been destroyed.
Yesterday the UN appealed again for money, saying it was desperately short, having raised $160m (£100m) of the $460m required to cover just the first 90 days of the disaster.
"We cannot spend pledges. We cannot buy purification tablets, we cannot support Pakistan with pledges," Daniel Toole, the South Asia regional director for the UN's children fund, Unicef, said on Tuesday.
"I urge the international community to urgently change pledges into cheques."
The UN has warned that up to 3.5 million children could be in danger of contracting deadly diseases carried through contaminated water and insects.
"We have a country which has endemic watery diarrhoea, endemic cholera, endemic upper respiratory infections and we have the conditions for much much expanded problems," Toole said.
The World Bank is to make $900m available. The international community has pledged $353m to the floods cause. Sadly however much of that money has yet to arrive. The US is donating $76m, followed by the UK, which has promised £31.3m. Saudi Arabia has delivered $44m, whilst Turkey is to give $11m. Nick Clegg has called the international response "pitiful". Frequently pledges of international aid fail to materialise.
Irish aid agency Concern issued a worldwide appeal to raise €5 million to help victims of the flooding.
“The Irish public and the Government have always rallied to help victims of natural disasters and we are asking for the public’s urgent help for Pakistan,” said Concern’s regional director Bríd Kennedy. “This is a terrible catastrophe affecting some of the most vulnerable people in the world who are living in dire poverty.”
Trócaire, which has run aid projects in Pakistan for more than 20 years, has also launched an appeal for donations.
Junior Minister for overseas aid, Peter Power, said the €750,000 (£614,209) provided to Pakistan so far was only an “initial amount”. He promised that more aid would be committed.
“It's an unfolding disaster; it's happening in slow motion. It's not like the Haiti earthquake where 250,000 people died in a minute or the tsunami, where people were gone in a few minutes,” he said.
Please donate. Thousands of lives depend on our response. People can donate to Concern or Trocaire or other agencies online. It is also important to lobby Government Ministers worldwide. The International response is just not good enough.
American 18-29 Year Olds Pro Life Majority-Gallup Poll
The latest Gallup poll has found that 47% of Americans supported a “pro-life” view while 45% supported a “pro-abortion” view. 8% replied that they did not know. This was also the exact same spread for 18-29 year-old respondents.
The pro-aborts are gradually losing ground for a number of reasons:
- The Catholic Church and Evangelical churches have mounted highly effective campaigns against abortion. Demonstrations outside abortion clinics are sapping the will of the pro-aborts
- Scientific advances have exposed the barbarity of abortion.
- The internet has become a powerful tool in the armoury of the Pro-Life groups. Youtube videos such as the 4D Ultrasound Sonogram, Baby in Womb video have demolished arguments for abortion.
In addition the increasing number of pro-life websites has further buttressed the pro-life position. - There is now a multiplicity of pro life groups in the US. Groups such as the SBA List (Susan B Anthony List), Human Life International, Priests for Life, Live Action, Students for Life amongst others have become hugely influential in the battle to roll back the abortion tide. Members of Live Action have caught Planned Parenthood workers on tape giving fabricated medical information
- There have now been six coordinated 40 Days for Life campaigns since 2007.These efforts have mobilized people of faith and conscience in 307 cities across all 50 of the United States. More than 350,000 have joined together in an historic display of unity to pray and fast for an end to abortion. More than 11,500 church congregations have participated in the 40 Days for Life campaigns.
- Pro-Life groups are highly active at university level.
- Most professions have active pro-life wings.
Thus there has been a huge groundswell of opinion against abortion at ground level. The strongly pro-abortion Democratic Party and much of the media confront these grassroots groups. Pro-abortion groups have poured huge sums of money into the Democratic Party. The tide is slowly turning in favour of the pro-life position. This is particularly noticeable amongst the 18-29 year olds. Live Action and Students for Life amongst others have been highly effective in promoting the pro- life message in the universities and colleges.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Superb Article: Thoughts on Medjugorje After my Pilgrimage by Dan O'Connor
Many thanks to Dan O'Connor for permission to produce the following superb article which appears in his blog. It is the finest article that I have ever read on Medjugorje.
First I must touch on why I went there; it was not my plan. I vaguely intended on getting there eventually, but only at least after Rome, the Holy Land, and Ireland. God made this trip happen. First I was inspired by one of the most orthodox, holy, zealous, on fire priests I have ever met to look more into it a few Sundays ago. The next day I simply typed in “Medjugorje Pilgrimage” into Google, not expecting anything. Lo and behold the first result directed me to a pilgirmage leaving in a few days that perfectly filled the amount of time I had left until my new job started. Still certain nothing would happen (since these things are organized months in advance) I filled out an inquiry form online which surprisingly got me a response within minutes. He assumed I was looking to book next year’s pilgrimage, and when I informed him otherwise he told me that though this was the last possible minute, I would get there if Jesus and Mary wanted me there. Soon after he responded saying that it was a miracle, but there was one spot left on all the flights and one room left in the house. My time there corresponded with the “Youth Festival,” by far the most crowded time of the year at Medjugorje (I heard my tour guide there speaking about how impossible it was that there was a spot for me). Astonished I started looking for my passport; unable to find it anywhere for hours I finally prayed “God, if you want me on this trip, enlighten my mind as to the location of my passport. If you do not want me to go, do not let me find it in time.” It was in the very next spot I looked. You can see that for me to forego this trip would have been an abandonment of God’s will.
For most of the time I knew about Medjugorje I have been strongly opposed to it. When I first heard about it I was perusing a schismatic ultra-traditionalist “Catholic” website (bad idea) and they simply lied and falsely quoted Mary at Medjugorje as saying “all religions are equal.” She never said or implied that, but I never bothered to look into it further. For what she actually said, scroll down on this page: http://www.medjugorje.org/faq.htm#no20. After that, my dislike for Medjugorje was maintained by my distaste for what I deemed “boring” messages. This was a huge issue for me up to very recently, when it suddenly hit me. Sure, compared to much of the Bible and other sources, these messages can sometimes be comparatively bland. But I was not considering the audience. These messages are anything but boring to the typical lukewarm/lapsed Catholic or new ager/secular humanist they are intended to convert. For me, it is nothing new to hear “You do not know that you cannot be happy without my Son” from Mary. But that is Earth-shattering to a lapsed Catholic or new ager who seeks happiness everywhere but Christ.
Having gotten past that, I saw that there are basically three descriptions possible of Medjugorje: as being from Heaven, from hell, or fraud.
I will tell you why it is not from hell. Satan gains nothing from what goes on there; daily he is beaten mercilessly by what happens at Medjugorje. Let me give you a glimpse into this by sharing some of the things I saw: 40,000 people gathered in such reverent prayerful silence before the Holy Eucharist that an unknowing passerby could have stumbled upon them. Homilies condemning great evils like homosexuality, abortion, and promiscuity. A priest announcing to the congregation of 40 thousand prior to communion “Holy Communion is received on the tongue!” Adoration meditations urging people to reject any new age methods they may have undertaken; reiki, yoga, transcendental meditation, palm reading, etc. A sense of penance I have seen nowhere else in the world; kneeling is expected everywhere but pads and pillows are nowhere to be seen (only marble floors, rocks, dirt, gravel, pavement, and grass), people of all ages and physical conditions scaling jagged rocky slopes (often barefoot) to pray by a crucifix and a statue of Mary, and prayer gatherings despite the late night hours or glaring midday sun. Massive lines for confessions with the dozens of priests gathered at any given time to hear them. Signs next to the Holy Water fonts banning immodest dress and pointing out Mary’s condemnation of abortion and divorce in her apparitions. The sight and sound of rosaries being prayed in more languages than I could name wherever I stumbled upon a group of people; in the paths, on the hills and mountains, in the churches and chapels. And we all know about the flood of miraculous conversions proceeding from Medjugorje.
Many will still argue that though producing good things, and not Satanic, it is at least fraudulent. Please consider what would be required to maintain this fraud. Six Catholic children (one only 10 years old) had to agree to or be convinced to fabricate an enormous lie and maintain this lie perfectly, without any denial, for thirty years. Expert psychological training far surpassing anything CIA agents go through being undertaken on these children prior to 1981 to prepare them for 30 years of boldly proclaiming a lie with no hint of dishonesty showing through. Expertly crafted messages memorized before each apparition so that despite a constant flow of them for 30 years, nothing has merited the Church’s condemnation which any error could have done over these decades (yet no apparitions are ever approved until they cease). Acting capabilities not seen among Hollywood’s greatest to fake the apparitions and deceptive skills surpassing Houdini’s to confound all the scientific tests performed on them. A degree of deceptive courage truly worthy of the history books to allow them to come to talk after talk, interview after interview and tell of what they have neither seen nor heard; an impossible cunning to create perfect consistency founded upon a lie (remember what Lincoln said; “no man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar”). The duping of hordes of holy men and women who simply cannot be so easily duped (especially Venerable Pope John Paul II and Blessed Teresa of Calcutta). Pulling all that off would make “Mission Impossible” look like a walk in the park.
But my conclusion is not reached merely through process of elimination. There is plenty of direct evidence that the apparitions are from Heaven. Miracles abound at Medjugorje. I myself, though I would not preach this with 100% certainty, saw the miracle of the sun on two occasions. Several weeks before, when Medjugorje was as far from my mind as could be, I remember driving and pausing at a strange sight I had never before seen: two solitary patches of rainbow on either side of the sun. The patches were very clear yet there had been no rain and there was very little cloud cover. I wondered what was going on, and even pondered if it could be something miraculous. But shortly afterwards I forgot about it until I was at Medjugorje. I was speaking with a very knowledgeable and holy woman who told me that many who see the miracle of the sun will sometimes afterwards, back home, see a sign in the sky of two patches of rainbow appearing without cause on both sides of the sun; precisely what I saw. Mary provided me the gift of switching around the usual order of these events! Now I could not say to myself, as I otherwise would have, “perhaps I only saw it because I was looking for it.” I also saw a large glow in the clouds late one night, while I was sitting and praying on apparition hill. It was going in circles and my first reaction was “a searchlight,” since I sometimes see that here in the states. Rethinking that, I realized there was absolutely no beam leading up to this glow, nor source of light on the ground, and the radius of the circular path it was following was far too small for a searchlight to be causing it; the mechanics would be impossible. It also clearly had nothing to do with any man made flying object. I believe also that the order and peace maintained there was itself miraculous; the events I attended drew tens of thousands of youth, yet I almost never saw a police officer. In all the hours I spent at these varied events; from huge masses and seemingly unending processions to thousands climbing rocky slopes at the same time, I saw only two police cars on one occasion and two police officers on another occasion. I only mention these things because I myself witnessed them; they are tiny compared to the numerous other miraculous proofs of Medjugorje
Years before the apparitions started, the town of Medjugorje found itself in need of a new parish church. St. James was then built; for “some” reason far bigger than the town needed, and dedicated to this great patron saint of pilgrims (50 million pilgrims have visited Medjugorje). The statue of the resurrected Jesus next to this parish church is constantly secreting liquid from its right knee. The statue is made of thick copper, perhaps with some concrete in the middle, and is seated on a marble surface. I see no possibility of capillary action and no source of water to even make this occur in the first place. Countless thousands have seen the miracle of the sun. It goes on and on.
I admit I am not without my concerns. Three main ones come to mind, but none of them shake my belief in these apparitions.
-First, I have seen fluffy conversions. I do not think these are anywhere near the bulk of conversions that come from Medjugorje, but I am speaking of the type of conversion that rejects fear of the Lord as a good thing and neglects hatred of evil, the conversion that places little concern on modest dress, and the conversion that forgoes sacramentals (I am of the firm conviction that no serious Catholic should waste neck space with vain trinkets that serve no eternal purpose, considering the enormous promises given to us if we wear the scapular, the miraculous medal, St. Benedict’s medal, and many others.) This is easy to answer; first, many holy people could easily look at the extent of my own conversion with disgust. Second, I wonder what these people would be like without Medjugorje!
-Second, hand waving and clapping during mass disturbs me greatly. Anything that takes the attention off the Holy Sacrifice and turns it upon ourselves is detrimental. Pope Benedict, as Cardinal Ratzinger, called that tendency “utterly fruitless.” I am guessing this was due more to the ongoing Youth Festival than Medjugorje in general; and if I am to abandon Medjugorje based on this then I must to be consistent also abandon the Vatican for having that at World Youth Day masses, which I of course will not do. But consistency also demands that I take this same attitude to the sign of peace occurring in the middle of Holy Mass, which I do.
-Third, I was bothered that I heard no announcement cautioning non-Catholics and those not in a state of grace not to receive Communion. This is an essential duty for any large mass that will likely draw more than the usual crowd. It was always done at EWTN, but I have almost never seen it done elsewhere, so I cannot single out Medjugorje.
I did buy into other erroneous arguments and red herrings in my anti-Medjugorje days. I now frown upon what seems to be the intellectual dishonesty I had to exert to believe them.
1. “The local Bishop opposes it”- Perhaps Mary intends to teach us an important lesson here; that the Holy See supersedes our local Bishops. It is an important lesson to learn. Not realizing that lesson, many Catholics are fooled into thinking contraception is OK, women will soon be priests, homosexual acts are not sinful, etc. The Vatican has specifically taken the matter out of his (Bishop Ratko’s) hands, so those demanding that others submit to his opinion on the matter are committing the very act they are attempting to condemn: refusing to submit to valid Church authority.
Worth noting is that this Bishop does not believe in any apparitions (not Fatima, not Lourdes, not any). Also important to note is that despite the nasty and unfounded criticisms constantly hurled at Medjugorje and the many who have made themselves enemies of this place; the pilgrims in attendance, priests running the parish, and most importantly the seers themselves seem to be of constant peace, docility, and perseverance in their unbreakable focus on the message itself (instead of succumbing to the temptation to become distracted by constant self defense): Rosary, Eucharist, Confession, Fasting, Scripture.
2. “None of the visionaries are nuns or priests, and they live in nice houses”- Of the many people I have included in this email, none of them are nuns and only a couple are priests. ”But I am not claiming to have seen Mary,” One may respond. What does that change? We claim knowledge of Truth; a Truth so glorious and immense that the slightest hint of it should be enough to propel a soul into a life of complete self sacrifice without the slightest hesitation. We receive the Holy Eucharist; a privilege that makes a Marian apparition sound like playing cards. Let we who are not cloistered nuns or monks dare not criticize the Medjugorje seers for doing as we ourselves do.
I should also point out that I walked by a couple of their houses each day I was in town. There is nothing extraordinary about them.
All that being said, I know I have been wrong before. I am very grateful that there is currently a Vatican commission underway, and whatever its ruling is I will submit myself entirely to it. I know also there are many things both on the pro and the con side that I have not touched on, but I wanted this as specific to my own experience as possible. In conclusion, it seems to me that it would be quite difficult to maintain consistency while disbelieving in Medjugorje but believing in Fatima, Lourdes, La Salette, etc.. The degree of obstinate skepticism that need be applied to Medjugorje for its denial would seem to far exceed that required to deny any of the currently approved apparitions.
So pray your rosary daily, go to Holy Mass daily, go to confession at least monthly, Fast on Wednesdays and Fridays, and read Scripture daily!
In Christ, Through Mary,
Visit Dan O’Connor
Also, there is a YouTube video compilation of a few shots I took over there: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FnixBtc0_8
Goodness, Truth, and Beauty Thoughts on Medjugorje After my Pilgrimage
Many of you are aware I recently returned from a trip to Medjugorje. I know that among good, orthodox, devout Catholics there are varying opinions on this place, so I want to let you in on my own thinking. Whatever you decide, let us not allow any division to occur from this; we have too much in common with each other; things that we share with so few in today’s world!First I must touch on why I went there; it was not my plan. I vaguely intended on getting there eventually, but only at least after Rome, the Holy Land, and Ireland. God made this trip happen. First I was inspired by one of the most orthodox, holy, zealous, on fire priests I have ever met to look more into it a few Sundays ago. The next day I simply typed in “Medjugorje Pilgrimage” into Google, not expecting anything. Lo and behold the first result directed me to a pilgirmage leaving in a few days that perfectly filled the amount of time I had left until my new job started. Still certain nothing would happen (since these things are organized months in advance) I filled out an inquiry form online which surprisingly got me a response within minutes. He assumed I was looking to book next year’s pilgrimage, and when I informed him otherwise he told me that though this was the last possible minute, I would get there if Jesus and Mary wanted me there. Soon after he responded saying that it was a miracle, but there was one spot left on all the flights and one room left in the house. My time there corresponded with the “Youth Festival,” by far the most crowded time of the year at Medjugorje (I heard my tour guide there speaking about how impossible it was that there was a spot for me). Astonished I started looking for my passport; unable to find it anywhere for hours I finally prayed “God, if you want me on this trip, enlighten my mind as to the location of my passport. If you do not want me to go, do not let me find it in time.” It was in the very next spot I looked. You can see that for me to forego this trip would have been an abandonment of God’s will.
For most of the time I knew about Medjugorje I have been strongly opposed to it. When I first heard about it I was perusing a schismatic ultra-traditionalist “Catholic” website (bad idea) and they simply lied and falsely quoted Mary at Medjugorje as saying “all religions are equal.” She never said or implied that, but I never bothered to look into it further. For what she actually said, scroll down on this page: http://www.medjugorje.org/faq.htm#no20. After that, my dislike for Medjugorje was maintained by my distaste for what I deemed “boring” messages. This was a huge issue for me up to very recently, when it suddenly hit me. Sure, compared to much of the Bible and other sources, these messages can sometimes be comparatively bland. But I was not considering the audience. These messages are anything but boring to the typical lukewarm/lapsed Catholic or new ager/secular humanist they are intended to convert. For me, it is nothing new to hear “You do not know that you cannot be happy without my Son” from Mary. But that is Earth-shattering to a lapsed Catholic or new ager who seeks happiness everywhere but Christ.
Having gotten past that, I saw that there are basically three descriptions possible of Medjugorje: as being from Heaven, from hell, or fraud.
I will tell you why it is not from hell. Satan gains nothing from what goes on there; daily he is beaten mercilessly by what happens at Medjugorje. Let me give you a glimpse into this by sharing some of the things I saw: 40,000 people gathered in such reverent prayerful silence before the Holy Eucharist that an unknowing passerby could have stumbled upon them. Homilies condemning great evils like homosexuality, abortion, and promiscuity. A priest announcing to the congregation of 40 thousand prior to communion “Holy Communion is received on the tongue!” Adoration meditations urging people to reject any new age methods they may have undertaken; reiki, yoga, transcendental meditation, palm reading, etc. A sense of penance I have seen nowhere else in the world; kneeling is expected everywhere but pads and pillows are nowhere to be seen (only marble floors, rocks, dirt, gravel, pavement, and grass), people of all ages and physical conditions scaling jagged rocky slopes (often barefoot) to pray by a crucifix and a statue of Mary, and prayer gatherings despite the late night hours or glaring midday sun. Massive lines for confessions with the dozens of priests gathered at any given time to hear them. Signs next to the Holy Water fonts banning immodest dress and pointing out Mary’s condemnation of abortion and divorce in her apparitions. The sight and sound of rosaries being prayed in more languages than I could name wherever I stumbled upon a group of people; in the paths, on the hills and mountains, in the churches and chapels. And we all know about the flood of miraculous conversions proceeding from Medjugorje.
Many will still argue that though producing good things, and not Satanic, it is at least fraudulent. Please consider what would be required to maintain this fraud. Six Catholic children (one only 10 years old) had to agree to or be convinced to fabricate an enormous lie and maintain this lie perfectly, without any denial, for thirty years. Expert psychological training far surpassing anything CIA agents go through being undertaken on these children prior to 1981 to prepare them for 30 years of boldly proclaiming a lie with no hint of dishonesty showing through. Expertly crafted messages memorized before each apparition so that despite a constant flow of them for 30 years, nothing has merited the Church’s condemnation which any error could have done over these decades (yet no apparitions are ever approved until they cease). Acting capabilities not seen among Hollywood’s greatest to fake the apparitions and deceptive skills surpassing Houdini’s to confound all the scientific tests performed on them. A degree of deceptive courage truly worthy of the history books to allow them to come to talk after talk, interview after interview and tell of what they have neither seen nor heard; an impossible cunning to create perfect consistency founded upon a lie (remember what Lincoln said; “no man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar”). The duping of hordes of holy men and women who simply cannot be so easily duped (especially Venerable Pope John Paul II and Blessed Teresa of Calcutta). Pulling all that off would make “Mission Impossible” look like a walk in the park.
But my conclusion is not reached merely through process of elimination. There is plenty of direct evidence that the apparitions are from Heaven. Miracles abound at Medjugorje. I myself, though I would not preach this with 100% certainty, saw the miracle of the sun on two occasions. Several weeks before, when Medjugorje was as far from my mind as could be, I remember driving and pausing at a strange sight I had never before seen: two solitary patches of rainbow on either side of the sun. The patches were very clear yet there had been no rain and there was very little cloud cover. I wondered what was going on, and even pondered if it could be something miraculous. But shortly afterwards I forgot about it until I was at Medjugorje. I was speaking with a very knowledgeable and holy woman who told me that many who see the miracle of the sun will sometimes afterwards, back home, see a sign in the sky of two patches of rainbow appearing without cause on both sides of the sun; precisely what I saw. Mary provided me the gift of switching around the usual order of these events! Now I could not say to myself, as I otherwise would have, “perhaps I only saw it because I was looking for it.” I also saw a large glow in the clouds late one night, while I was sitting and praying on apparition hill. It was going in circles and my first reaction was “a searchlight,” since I sometimes see that here in the states. Rethinking that, I realized there was absolutely no beam leading up to this glow, nor source of light on the ground, and the radius of the circular path it was following was far too small for a searchlight to be causing it; the mechanics would be impossible. It also clearly had nothing to do with any man made flying object. I believe also that the order and peace maintained there was itself miraculous; the events I attended drew tens of thousands of youth, yet I almost never saw a police officer. In all the hours I spent at these varied events; from huge masses and seemingly unending processions to thousands climbing rocky slopes at the same time, I saw only two police cars on one occasion and two police officers on another occasion. I only mention these things because I myself witnessed them; they are tiny compared to the numerous other miraculous proofs of Medjugorje
Years before the apparitions started, the town of Medjugorje found itself in need of a new parish church. St. James was then built; for “some” reason far bigger than the town needed, and dedicated to this great patron saint of pilgrims (50 million pilgrims have visited Medjugorje). The statue of the resurrected Jesus next to this parish church is constantly secreting liquid from its right knee. The statue is made of thick copper, perhaps with some concrete in the middle, and is seated on a marble surface. I see no possibility of capillary action and no source of water to even make this occur in the first place. Countless thousands have seen the miracle of the sun. It goes on and on.
I admit I am not without my concerns. Three main ones come to mind, but none of them shake my belief in these apparitions.
-First, I have seen fluffy conversions. I do not think these are anywhere near the bulk of conversions that come from Medjugorje, but I am speaking of the type of conversion that rejects fear of the Lord as a good thing and neglects hatred of evil, the conversion that places little concern on modest dress, and the conversion that forgoes sacramentals (I am of the firm conviction that no serious Catholic should waste neck space with vain trinkets that serve no eternal purpose, considering the enormous promises given to us if we wear the scapular, the miraculous medal, St. Benedict’s medal, and many others.) This is easy to answer; first, many holy people could easily look at the extent of my own conversion with disgust. Second, I wonder what these people would be like without Medjugorje!
-Second, hand waving and clapping during mass disturbs me greatly. Anything that takes the attention off the Holy Sacrifice and turns it upon ourselves is detrimental. Pope Benedict, as Cardinal Ratzinger, called that tendency “utterly fruitless.” I am guessing this was due more to the ongoing Youth Festival than Medjugorje in general; and if I am to abandon Medjugorje based on this then I must to be consistent also abandon the Vatican for having that at World Youth Day masses, which I of course will not do. But consistency also demands that I take this same attitude to the sign of peace occurring in the middle of Holy Mass, which I do.
-Third, I was bothered that I heard no announcement cautioning non-Catholics and those not in a state of grace not to receive Communion. This is an essential duty for any large mass that will likely draw more than the usual crowd. It was always done at EWTN, but I have almost never seen it done elsewhere, so I cannot single out Medjugorje.
I did buy into other erroneous arguments and red herrings in my anti-Medjugorje days. I now frown upon what seems to be the intellectual dishonesty I had to exert to believe them.
1. “The local Bishop opposes it”- Perhaps Mary intends to teach us an important lesson here; that the Holy See supersedes our local Bishops. It is an important lesson to learn. Not realizing that lesson, many Catholics are fooled into thinking contraception is OK, women will soon be priests, homosexual acts are not sinful, etc. The Vatican has specifically taken the matter out of his (Bishop Ratko’s) hands, so those demanding that others submit to his opinion on the matter are committing the very act they are attempting to condemn: refusing to submit to valid Church authority.
Worth noting is that this Bishop does not believe in any apparitions (not Fatima, not Lourdes, not any). Also important to note is that despite the nasty and unfounded criticisms constantly hurled at Medjugorje and the many who have made themselves enemies of this place; the pilgrims in attendance, priests running the parish, and most importantly the seers themselves seem to be of constant peace, docility, and perseverance in their unbreakable focus on the message itself (instead of succumbing to the temptation to become distracted by constant self defense): Rosary, Eucharist, Confession, Fasting, Scripture.
2. “None of the visionaries are nuns or priests, and they live in nice houses”- Of the many people I have included in this email, none of them are nuns and only a couple are priests. ”But I am not claiming to have seen Mary,” One may respond. What does that change? We claim knowledge of Truth; a Truth so glorious and immense that the slightest hint of it should be enough to propel a soul into a life of complete self sacrifice without the slightest hesitation. We receive the Holy Eucharist; a privilege that makes a Marian apparition sound like playing cards. Let we who are not cloistered nuns or monks dare not criticize the Medjugorje seers for doing as we ourselves do.
I should also point out that I walked by a couple of their houses each day I was in town. There is nothing extraordinary about them.
All that being said, I know I have been wrong before. I am very grateful that there is currently a Vatican commission underway, and whatever its ruling is I will submit myself entirely to it. I know also there are many things both on the pro and the con side that I have not touched on, but I wanted this as specific to my own experience as possible. In conclusion, it seems to me that it would be quite difficult to maintain consistency while disbelieving in Medjugorje but believing in Fatima, Lourdes, La Salette, etc.. The degree of obstinate skepticism that need be applied to Medjugorje for its denial would seem to far exceed that required to deny any of the currently approved apparitions.
So pray your rosary daily, go to Holy Mass daily, go to confession at least monthly, Fast on Wednesdays and Fridays, and read Scripture daily!
In Christ, Through Mary,
Visit Dan O’Connor
Also, there is a YouTube video compilation of a few shots I took over there: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FnixBtc0_8
Thursday, August 12, 2010
US: SBA List- Votes Have Consequences Pro Life Tour (August 2010) Targets Democrats who sold out on Abortion
Seven months ago SBA List (Susan B Anthony List) members stood outside district offices across the Midwest with messages of thanks and encouragement, imploring Reps. Brad Ellsworth, Kathy Dahlkemper, Steve Driehaus, Joe Donnelly, Baron Hill and Marcy Kaptur to hold firm to their pro-life principles and honor the will of their constituents.
Those Representatives, along with Congressmen Bart Stupak and Alan Mollohan, had all the bargaining power in their hands—the power to ensure lifesaving language be included in the health care bill. But, as we all know, they chose to compromise their principles and pass a bill without sufficient language protecting the unborn and American conscience.
That was their choice and now, through the expansion of “health care,” untold numbers of unborn babies will lose their lives before they’ve even taken their first breath.
The SBA List (Susan B Anthony List) is traveling through Indiana, Pennsylvania and Ohio, on its Votes Have Consequences bus tour. It is mobilizing pro-life voters across these districts. The only way to stop the Obama-Pelosi legislative agenda, repeal their deadly laws and cancel the gusher of tax dollars they’re channeling to abortionists, is to make sure that authentic pro-life leaders are elected in November. Reps. Brad Ellsworth and Joe Donnelly, once pro-life Democrats who sold out the values of their Indiana constituents by supporting the biggest expansion of abortion since Roe, are quickly learning that Votes Have Consequences as the SBA bus roars through towns across their districts, big and small.
Remainder of Tour Schedule
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Terre Haute, IN
Vincennes, IN
Evansville, IN
Jasper, IN
Friday, August 13, 2010
New Albany, IN
Seymour, IN
Columbus, IN
Franklin, IN
Indianapolis, IN
Saturday, August 14, 2010
State Fair in Indianapolis, IN
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Toledo, OH
Monday, August 16, 2010
Erie, PA
Meadville, PA
Grove City, PA
Butler, PA
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
US: Harry Reid and the Nevada Economic Crash
The US Senate race in Nevada between Sharron Angle (Republican) and Harry Reid (Democrat) is developing into a cliff-hanger with polls showing both neck and neck. This is hardly surprising as Reid's economic record is one of abject failure.
Harry Reid the Senate Democratic Party leader, played a major role in pushing through the $787 billion Stimulus Bill. With the passage of the Stimulus Bill, Harry Reid’s Office boasted that it would create 34,000 jobs in Nevada and cut taxes for the middle- class (Source: Senator Harry Reid Press Release). Unemployment in Nevada was 10.1% when The Stimulus Bill passed in February 2009. Now it stands at 14.2%. The infamous Stimulus Bill designed to pull the US out of recession is a catalogue of waste replete with harebrained schemes:
A New Report highlights the massive amounts of waste in Harry Reid’s Stimulus Bill:
A Few Examples Of The Waste Highlighted In The Report Include:
- $71,623 To Study How Monkeys Are Affected By Cocaine.
- $1 Million On A Grant To Study Ants In The Indian Ocean Islands And East Africa.
- $300,000 To Study Yoga And Hot Flashes.
- The U.S. Forest Service Is Spending More Than $554,000 To Replace Windows At A Visitors Center For Mt. St. Helens That Has Been Closed.
- The University Of North Carolina At Charlotte Received More Than $750,000 To Help Develop A Computerized Choreography Program That Its Creators Believe Could Lead To A Youtube-Like ‘Dance Tube’ Online Application.
- “The National Science Foundation Shelled Out Nearly $60,000 In Stimulus Dollars To Study People’s Perceptions Of Federal Stimulus Spending.”
- The Town Of Boynton, Oklahoma Was Awarded Nearly $90,000 To Replace A Quarter-Mile Stretch Of Sidewalk That Was Replaced Only Five Years Ago.
The Housing Market Has Collapsed In Las Vegas Under Reid’s Leadership.
- Home Prices Have Declined 51% In Las Vegas.
- Median Las Vegas Home Prices Fell From $310,000 In February 2007 To $142,000 In April 2010.
- Foreclosure Filings Climbed In 75% Of The Nation's Metro Areas During The First Half Of 2010, According To A Report Issued Thursday. . . . Las Vegas Had One Filing For Every 15 Households In The Metro Area.
- Las Vegas Has The Highest Foreclosure Rate In The Nation.
In addition Harry Reid supported taxpayer funded abortion in the Obama Healthcare bill. His opponent Sharron Angle is a fiscal conservative and strongly pro-life. She is a former educator, state legislator and small businesswoman. Reid has spent ELEVEN MILLION DOLLARS in an effort to paint Sharron Angle as an extremist.
In reality it is Reid who is the extremist. His economic policy is that of a left- wing extremist. His record will attest to that.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
US: Will Hillary Clinton Replace Joe Biden as VP?
Newsmax carries an interesting article on this topic. Joe Biden is a walking gaffe machine. It is not for nothing Biden is known as "gaffe a day Joe". Amazingly the liberal media -which continuously savages Sarah Palin- largely ignores Biden's faux pas. Here are some of his best- known gaffes:
Newsmax reports the following:
- Telling wheelchair bound Missouri Senator Chuck Graham to stand up at a rally. "Chuck, stand up, let the people see you," said Biden at the rally.
- Called Obama "Barack America." While introducing Barack Obama at a rally in August of 2008, Biden said, "This election year, the choice is clear. One man stands ready to go for change we so desperately need. A man I proudly call my friend. A man who will be the next President of the United States -- Barack America..."
- Biden said "In Delaware, the largest portion of the population is Indian-Americans." "You cannot go to a 7-11 or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent.... I'm not joking
- Biden made a very serious gaffe when talking about the swine flu on NBC's Today show. Biden said, "I would tell members of my family - and I have - I wouldn't go anywhere in confined places now. It's not just going to Mexico, if you're in a confined aircraft and one person sneezes it goes all the way through the aircraft. That's me. I would not be at this point, if they had another way of transportation, suggesting they ride the subway. If you're out in the middle of a field and someone sneezes, that's one thing. If you're in a closed aircraft or a closed container, a closed car, a closed classroom, it's a different thing." Biden's spokeswoman had to issue a clarification indicating that Biden did not wish to unduly upset anybody.
- During a White House St. Patrick's Day celebration, he briefly mourned the death of the Taoiseach's (Irish Prime Minister's) mother, even though she was very much alive.
- As he introduced President Obama during the health care bill's signing ceremony, he turned to the President and muttered the following barely-off microphone comment: "This is a big f______ deal."
- At a rally in Nashua, N.H:
Joe Biden, suggested that Obama's former rival Senator Hillary Clinton might have been a better choice for the Vice President than him:" "Hillary Clinton is as qualified or more qualified than I am to be Vice President of the United States of America. Let's get that straight. She's a truly close personal friend. She is qualified to be President of the United States of America. She's easily qualified to be Vice President of the United States of America. Quite frankly, it might have been a better pick than me. But she's first rate."
Newsmax reports the following:
Rumors are rife that Vice President Joe Biden could be the Democrats’ sacrificial lamb for Obama’s sinking poll numbers and that Hillary Clinton could be his replacement.Read the FULL story HERE
Former Virginia Gov. Doug Wilder added to speculation about Biden’s future last week when he wrote in Politico that the vice president’s gaffe-prone tenure had been marked with “too many YouTube moments.”
Wilder's suggestion echoed a scenario that Newsweek Senior Editor Jonathan Alter outlined in May during an exclusive interview with Newsmax.TV. Asked whether Clinton might challenge Obama in 2012, Alter responded: “I think it would be more likely that she and Biden would trade places — maybe she becomes vice president if Obama is re-elected, to tee her up for 2016.".....
Monday, August 9, 2010
Australia: The Influence of Medjugorje On An Innocent Man Charged with conspiracy to murder
Eternity carries a story titled -Jesus found me in jail for a murder- which once more shows the influence of Our Lady of Medjugorje
Dennis Basic was in his late twenties when he was charged in 2007 with conspiracy to murder. He was granted bail in November 2008 and was acquitted of all charges in August 2009.............
“My wife was about to have our second child when I was charged. I was in prison in a different state, cut off from everyone.Read the full story Here
“I was in the library talking to someone about their drug case—we were comparing notes! On my way out I noticed a book about Medjugorje, a place near Croatia where Mary has appeared to local believers since 1981, urging people to return to God. I remembered this from my childhood; it all came flooding back.
“It was overwhelming: my hurt and pain and anger. I couldn’t stop reading that book. I had to take a shower so I could be on my own to cry.
“I didn’t know how to get to Jesus but, through this book, Mary pointed the way. I started reading the Bible. I prayed. I thought about the cross and everything Jesus did for me. It took time to digest what had happened, with the help of the chaplain in my block. I was gripped by Jesus and the way he had taken over my life.
“I started my own prayer group of six inmates.....
Video: Presentation of Groups at International Youth Festival Medjugorje 2010
International groups being welcomed to the International Youth Festival at Medjugorje 2010.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Videos: Apparition to Mirjana at Medjugorje August 2, 2010
Lead Up To Apparition
Apparition
Aftermath of Apparition
Message to Mirjana - August 2, 2010
On the 2nd of each month, Our Lady appears to the visionary Mirjana Soldo and gives her a message for the unbelievers of the world, or, as she calls them, "those who do not know the love of God."
On August 2nd, 2010, Our Lady gave the following message:
"Dear children! Today I call you, together with me, to begin to build the Kingdom of Heaven in your hearts; that you may forget that what is personal and – led by the example of my Son – think of what is of God. What does He desire of you? Do not permit Satan to open the paths of earthly happiness, the paths without my Son. My children, they are false and last a short while. My Son exists. I offer you eternal happiness and peace and unity with my Son, with God; I offer you the Kingdom of God. Thank you."
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Abortion: Nancy Pelosi declines to say when Jesus got the right to life
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), has long professed herself to be a Catholic. Sadly however she has jettisoned Church teaching on abortion. Pelosi has long raved and ranted about women's rights. Sadly she has no concern for the right to life of the unborn. She played a leading role in the campaign to push through the Obama healthcare bill which provides for taxpayer funded abortion.
Nancy Pelosi should consider the following:
CNS reports:
Nancy Pelosi should consider the following:
Those Catholics who publicly announce their denial that abortion is always gravely immoral, or who publicly promote abortion, or who publicly argue in favour of legalized abortion, also commit a mortal sin and also incur a sentence of automatic excommunication.Earlier this year she stated that she had a duty to pursue policies “in keeping with the values” of Jesus Christ, the “Word made Flesh.” Last week, when questioned-at a press briefing- on this statement Pelosi dived for cover and declined to say when Jesus got the right to life.
This sentence of excommunication applies to Catholics who are politicians, as well as to those Catholics who are political commentators, or public speakers, or who write or otherwise publicly communicate their erroneous view that abortion can be morally-acceptable or that abortion should be legal. This sentence of excommunication also certainly applies to those Catholics who claim to be theologians or Biblical scholars, but who believe or teach that abortion is not always gravely immoral.(Abortion and Excommunication)
CNS reports:
“Whenever it was,” said Pelosi, “we bow our heads when we talk about it in church, and that’s where I’d like to talk about that.”
Later, when asked in writing through her press secretary whether the speaker believed Jesus had a right to life from the moment of conception, the press secretary responded: “The speaker answered the question. Thanks.”
Norway: Timelapse Northern Lights And Startrails from Bergen and Levanger
One clip is taken in Bergen, Norway, the remaining clips are taken in Levanger, Norway.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Rosary Saves British Soldier's Life in Afghanistan
The following is an extract of a story carried in the Daily Mail
A soldier who stood on a landmine and was shot in the chest in Afghanistan is convinced a rosary saved his life in exactly the same way as his great-grandfather towards the end of the Second World War.Read more Here:
Glenn Hockton, 19, who is now home from a seven-month tour of duty with the Coldstream Guards in Helmand Province, was on patrol when his rosary suddenly fell from his neck.
His mother Sheri Jones said today: 'He felt like he had a slap on the back. He bent down to pick up his rosary to see if it was broken. As he bent down he realised he was on a landmine.'
Lucky charm: Glenn Hockton wearing the rosary which helped save his life in Afghanistan
Glenn had to stand there for 45 terrifying minutes while his colleagues successfully managed to get to him.
Mrs Jones, from Tye Green, Essex, said she was physically sick when her son rang to tell her of his ordeal.His great-grandfather Joseph 'Sunny' Truman also credited a rosary with saving his life in a World War II blast that killed six members of his platoon.
He was with the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers and after being captured towards the end of the war, he and other prisoners were forced to march away from the advancing Allied armies.
Mrs Jones, 41, recalled: 'He was walking across a field with half a dozen of his platoon. He bent down to pick something up and was the only one to survive a sudden bomb blast. He had picked up a rosary.'
Before Glenn was deployed to Afghanistan, she said he asked for a rosary to take with him.....
Monday, August 2, 2010
US: Gingrich Names Likely GOP Candidates for 2012 Presidency-Analysis
Former Speaker of the US House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999 Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) stated on Friday last that he expects former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) to seek the GOP presidential nomination for the 2012."I think she's already a very strong personality and has the potential to be a very strong candidate," he said.
Sarah Palin has built up huge followings on Facebook and Twitter and has been actively supporting various GOP candidates. She has endorsed Nikki Haley for governor of South Carolina. She has also endorsed Carly Fiorina as Senate candidate for California. She has huge support amongst the GOP base.
Gingrich himself has been rather coy about his own possible presidential ambitions. When challenged on the issue he said. "Callista and I, along with our family, will make that decision in February or March." "For the moment, I'm totally focused on trying to help Republicans win the biggest possible election this fall."
In 1995, Time magazine selected him as the Person of the Year for his role in leading the Republican Revolution in the House, ending 40 years of Democratic Party majority control. Gingrich played a major role in the development of the Contract with America which propelled the GOP to victory in 1994. The Contract with America was introduced six weeks before the 1994 Congressional election. Gingrich is a recent convert to Catholicism. Both he and his wife Callista are Executive producers of the film on the life of Pope John Paul II called "Nine Days that Changed the World,"
Gingrich mentioned other likely candidates as former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Palin, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Sen. John Thune (S.D.), and Rep. Ron Paul (Texas).
Interestingly he omitted the name of the hugely successful Governor of Louisiana, Bobby Jindal. As of now Jindal has given no indication of an intention to run. Nevertheless he has the right credentials. He is pro-life, favours low taxes and is a strong opponent of big government-all issues dear to the hearts of the majority of American voters. Jindal is an Indian American and is a convert to Catholicism.
General David Petraeus could be a dark horse.He is highly decorated and a graduate of West Point. He masterminded the hugely successful surge in Iraq. In March 2010, Petraeus visited the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College to speak about Iraq and Afghanistan. This school hosts presidential debates.
Mike Huckabee served as the highly successful 44th Governor of Arkansas. He performed strongly in the GOP primaries in the southern states in 2008. In addition he now has a strong media presence. He currently hosts the Fox News Channel talk show Huckabee. He is the author of several best selling books. He is also an ABC Radio political commentator. Mike Huckabee has huge support amongst the base-especially amongst pro-life Christians. He is very strong in the Southern states. He is a strong believer in the Fair Tax. He cannot be ruled out.
Romney and Pawlenty — have already begun to organize teams to prepare for a bid to challenge President Obama.
Romney has the financial muscle to mount a formidable campaign for the leadership. He is quite an accomplished performer on television and has invaluable business experience. However he is distrusted by many conservatives. In addition his health reforms in Massachusetts failed.
Sarah Palin has built up huge followings on Facebook and Twitter and has been actively supporting various GOP candidates. She has endorsed Nikki Haley for governor of South Carolina. She has also endorsed Carly Fiorina as Senate candidate for California. She has huge support amongst the GOP base.
Gingrich himself has been rather coy about his own possible presidential ambitions. When challenged on the issue he said. "Callista and I, along with our family, will make that decision in February or March." "For the moment, I'm totally focused on trying to help Republicans win the biggest possible election this fall."
In 1995, Time magazine selected him as the Person of the Year for his role in leading the Republican Revolution in the House, ending 40 years of Democratic Party majority control. Gingrich played a major role in the development of the Contract with America which propelled the GOP to victory in 1994. The Contract with America was introduced six weeks before the 1994 Congressional election. Gingrich is a recent convert to Catholicism. Both he and his wife Callista are Executive producers of the film on the life of Pope John Paul II called "Nine Days that Changed the World,"
Gingrich mentioned other likely candidates as former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Palin, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Sen. John Thune (S.D.), and Rep. Ron Paul (Texas).
Interestingly he omitted the name of the hugely successful Governor of Louisiana, Bobby Jindal. As of now Jindal has given no indication of an intention to run. Nevertheless he has the right credentials. He is pro-life, favours low taxes and is a strong opponent of big government-all issues dear to the hearts of the majority of American voters. Jindal is an Indian American and is a convert to Catholicism.
General David Petraeus could be a dark horse.He is highly decorated and a graduate of West Point. He masterminded the hugely successful surge in Iraq. In March 2010, Petraeus visited the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College to speak about Iraq and Afghanistan. This school hosts presidential debates.
Mike Huckabee served as the highly successful 44th Governor of Arkansas. He performed strongly in the GOP primaries in the southern states in 2008. In addition he now has a strong media presence. He currently hosts the Fox News Channel talk show Huckabee. He is the author of several best selling books. He is also an ABC Radio political commentator. Mike Huckabee has huge support amongst the base-especially amongst pro-life Christians. He is very strong in the Southern states. He is a strong believer in the Fair Tax. He cannot be ruled out.
Romney and Pawlenty — have already begun to organize teams to prepare for a bid to challenge President Obama.
Romney has the financial muscle to mount a formidable campaign for the leadership. He is quite an accomplished performer on television and has invaluable business experience. However he is distrusted by many conservatives. In addition his health reforms in Massachusetts failed.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
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