Spe Salvi in Real Life

Different From My Usual Posts

2009-11-11T19:01:00.002-06:00

But I feel like my Tea Party readers would enjoy this video:

Swine Flu

2009-11-09T16:00:00.000-06:00

Sorry about not being to put up many posts recently. I was suffering from swine flu all last week and I have been playing catch-up with all my classes this week. Thank goodness for understanding professors!

There is not much going on around Franciscan these days. Mostly, everyone is winding down from Fall Break and bracing themselves for the end of the semester. So far there hasn't been any major Pro-Life events this week, but I am sure that will change soon. The Students for Life club here is not silent for long.

One thing has changed on campus and has garnered the attention of our campus newspaper. There is a branch of Feminists for Life that is starting a club on campus. I haven't gone to any meetings nor have I gotten any emails from them, but I am looking forward to seeing what this club is all about. Since the Students for Life club is so big here, I hardly have any influence there. So I am thinking about joining this smaller pro-life club in order to take on some more leadership-y roles. I will let everyone know how that goes!

Other than that, I am just about complete my monster of a theology paper. I know, I know, I shouldn't be complaining about theology classes at Franciscan. I am just saying that this paper is a lot of hard work (and hard research!). Ironically, my paper is about innocent suffering. Maybe I will post bits of it later.

1256447689848

2009-10-28T16:31:00.001-05:00

Does anyone know...?

2009-10-28T16:30:00.001-05:00

...who the patron saint of flying is? I know I have heard of a saint who could apparently fly. Might have been Lawrence, but I probably just made that up.

Anyway, Fall Break has officially started here at Franciscan University. I will be flying to visit my favorite Jesuits back at Spring Hill College before making my way back home to New Orleans. Hopefully everything will go well.

Patron of flight, whoever you are, intercede for me!

Pro-Life Pumpkins

2009-10-26T15:09:00.001-05:00

from @MatthewWarner - (follow him on Twitter)

Give out more than just candy this Halloween, give out the message of life!

Send pictures of your pro-life pumpkin here.

The Mismeasure of Women

2009-10-25T21:11:00.000-05:00

I don't know how I got onto the New York Time's website. One minute I was playing on Farmville and the next I was reading editorials. I must be my mother's daughter.

I came across this op-ed, published a few days ago and written by Joanne Lipman. "The Mismeasure of Women" attempts to explain how women have made so many gains in the past 30 years and how now, more than ever, women are facing a stalling of their progress.

Now, I am the last woman to define herself as a "feminist" and I cringe when I hear the word. No worries, this editorial does not make any claims like abortion has liberated women - it's not even mentioned. (I was surprised!) The piece merely states the reasons why women aren't making the advances they used to. However, I feel like Joanne Lipman left out some finer points about it.

I think the status of women could be improved if the view of femininity can be improved.
Women in the workplace are so often viewed by two extremes.

1) The progressive modern woman: Other women in the workplace see them as co-workers, colleagues, and sometimes bosses. They are looked at in respect and sometimes fear.

2) Ungodly evil woman: Ultra-conservative men and women see working women as women who are trying to be "like men." They are denying their submissive nature and femininity.

I disagree with both. Women in the workplace are just women that work. Not all women are called to have a job in the home. Just face it guys, some women are smarter than you and deserve your job because of that. Hire on merit, not on sex.

Women in the home are viewed by one of two extremes:

1) Oppressed, ignorant women: The more liberal and progressive women's rights groups see stay-at-home moms are being under the oppressive control of evil husbands.

2) Good, God-fearing women: Other stay-at-home moms (homeschoolers, ultra-conservative or religious) see their fellow unemployed women as fully embodying their womanly duties - educating children, cleaning the house, and letting their men be the big breadwinners.

I disagree with both. Stay-at-home moms are merely responding to a particular call. Some women make great teachers for their home-schooled children, but not all women are cut out for it. Everyone has different skills and intellects. Progressive feminists need to understand that staying at home is not oppressive, but it is a choice that women now have.

If only people could come to understand that femininity is not defined by what the woman DOES, but is at the heart of who the woman IS. All women are born feminine and no matter where they work, they bring that workplace something a man never can - something distinctly female. Maybe if the world could acknowledge the work that all women do - regardless if its in the home or in an office - women will finally have an equal place among men. For if women are viewed as who we are and not by what we do, we will no longer be restricted.

Not Evil, Just Wrong

2009-10-18T21:19:00.000-05:00

Tonight at Franciscan University the new anti-global warming hysteria documentary, "Not Evil, Just Wrong" made its world premiere. I have no idea if "world premiere" refers to just this campus or to America or the world in general, that's just what the poster said.

I dragged my new Yankee friend to go watch it with me and I enjoyed every minute of it. Here' the breakdown:

The documentary dealt specifically with Al Gore and his misleading climate data, it worked to uncover all of the exaggerations that are putting human lives at risk. Now, I just finished the documentary about 20 minutes ago, and I have not done hardcore research into the filmmakers or their subjects. In fact, I can't name anyone in or involved in the movie, I didn't take note. However, here are some of the highlights of the film: (I will try to be as accurate as possible, so basically I will NOT be Al Gore)

1. Al Gore's worship of Rachel Carson and her work in "Silent Spring" is largely based off unscientific assumptions about DDT and its affects on the environment. DDT kills malaria infected mosquitoes and it DOES NOT cause breast cancer - something environmentalists argue a lot. The banning of DDT is disproportionately affecting poor, developing countries like Uganda because of the increase of malaria instances. DDT is harmful to birds, so its important to determine which is more important - bird lives or human lives.

2. The hottest year on record was 1934 (before SUVs, before the population boom, before airplanes, etc...), not 2006 like Al Gore says. NASA made the mistake and is very quietly correcting their data. VERY QUIETLY.

3. The "hockey stick" graph used to show the "dramatic increase" in temperature and carbon dioxide is flawed. The hockey stick graph is not statistically accurate and any set of data can be made to look like one. It has been discredited.

4. The ICPP's report on climate change determined that sea levels will rise about 20 feet within a few millennia, not a few years like Al Gore claims.

5. The ICPP includes only meteorologists and climatologists on their panel, but do not include geologists, biologists, and astrophysicists. All of these other fields of science are concluding that climate change is a natural process brought about by the earth itself, but they have been shunned from the ICPP. The view on climate change by scientists is anything but "settled."

Now, the film makes excellent cases for each of my points above and many more flaws about Al Gore's environmentalism are addressed. These are just a few that I managed to remember. I recommend the film for anyone interested in learning the truth about climate change. However, I also recommend everyone watch "An Inconvenient Truth" as well, for no other reason than to understand what "Not Evil, Just Wrong" is addressing. The problems make more sense when you have actually seen Al Gore's argument.

The film, while not labeling itself as being pro-life, definitely comes across as being pro-human. It does address the issue about overpopulation. It addresses exactly who we should get rid of first if the earth really is so overpopulated. Obviously, they keep this question rhetoric, and address it to people and politicians like Al Gore who believe the earth needs a reduction of humans. We all know Mr. Gore will not be first in line to sacrifice his own life for the sake of the planet. Most likely this will be the poor, the minorities, and those in still developing countries.

While I do believe the environment is important and that we should be stewards of the earth, I also believe that I and the rest of humanity are part of the environment. I do not believe we are a cancer that is infecting and killing the environment. Humanity is not the problem here. I want to protect our environment, but not at the expense of human life. I will gladly sacrifice the peaceful sound of birds outside my window if it means saving over 300 children a day from dying of malaria.

To find out more about the documentary, visit their website and find out how to host a screening of your own!

Thanks to FUS College Republicans for the viewing and the free snacks!

Huh?

2009-10-13T14:00:00.001-05:00

Can a Biblical scholar explain this one to me?

I love Daniel Craig

2009-10-08T15:52:00.001-05:00

...because I'm a good Catholic.

Pictured:

What Jesus wants for us

Rosary

2009-10-07T20:06:00.001-05:00

starting the procession

Trial run of mobile blogging

2009-10-07T19:49:00.003-05:00

This post will be a test for my new mobile blogging app on my G1. I am on my way to the Marian Rosary Procession on campus, so I will also be testing pictures.

The Interwebz is back! And it's a Feast Day...

2009-09-29T10:47:00.000-05:00

Since last Friday, I have been without internet in my dorm room. If you're a college student, you will understand how devastating that kind of problem is. If you're not, you will probably think I have an addiction. I don't. I just take FarmVille very seriously.

My guardian angels must have been looking out for me because the internet has decided to come back to Marian Hall!

And of course, today is the feast of the Archangels - St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St. Raphael.

As you may or may not know, the Archangel is only one of the nine choirs of angels, the others including:

Seraphim
Cherubim
Thrones
Dominions
Virtues
Powers
Principalities
and Regular Angels

Each play their own role in the Kingdom of God, but the Archangels have the distinction of being the leading angels when it comes to revealing God's plan in salvation history.

They also announce critical events - like the Apocalypse and whatnot.

15 Abortions

2009-09-23T21:32:00.000-05:00

If you talk to any pro-choice person, at some point in the conversation you will here this line:

"It's a very difficult choice. No woman WANTS to get an abortion. No woman LIKES abortion."

Unfortunately, if you look at the case of Irene Vilar, the above statement is absolutely false.

In one of the most tragic news stories that I stumbled upon today (thanks, again, to YouTube), this woman I named above has suffered through 15 - yes 15 - separate abortions. Although statistics show that once a woman does have one abortion she is more likely to have another one (I think that number is about 45%), it is still hard to believe that a woman could actually go through that torturous ordeal more than once. Why did she do it? According to her autobiography:

She "needed another self-injury to get high."

Yes, because of this woman's disturbing childhood (a suicidal mother and two heroin addicted brothers) and abusive relationship, she was forced into this manic abortion state. Her husband was very stern when it came to having children by stating repeatedly that children ruined his sexual desire. Self-centered much? Of course she was forced to take birth control pills but as she became more and more addicted to abortion, she intentionally started skipping months. All of this occurred in the past 16 years, meaning this woman had abortions scheduled annually. Yikes.

I believe that instead of judging her or praising her (depending on what side of the abortion debate you stand), we should all just pray for her. It seems like she is far beyond any human intervention on the matter and given the troubling history of mental and social problems in her family, she may be unreachable for a very long time. It certainly is a shame that no one had reached out to help her sooner.

I have not read her book and I am not going to. Why? It's not because I am intolerant. It's not because I am judging her. I would love to get to know more of her story. However, this statement on her official website is why I cannot:

" 'Impossible Motherhood' is committed to eliminating the stigma of abortion by creating new ways to talk about abortion honestly and publicly."

All I can say is, may God help her and her family. I am going to the Tomb of the Unborn here at Franciscan tomorrow to pray for the 15 children that have lost their lives.

Mutant Robots from Outer space!!

2009-09-22T13:33:00.001-05:00

... well ok, not from outer space.

In a recent interview, Dr. Ray Kurzweil dropped the news that he believes humans will become immortal in 20 years. How is this possible, you might ask?

We will become robots. DUH.

Or to put it in Dr. Kurzweil's term, "cyborgs."

I found the article about this prediction here at Telegraph.co.uk. I assume it's going to spark some interesting debates about bioethics and end of life issues. Not to mention the problem science is having playing God.

Here are some key sentences from the article:

"I and many other scientists now believe that in around 20 years we will have the means to reprogramme our bodies' stone-age software so we can halt, then reverse, ageing. Then nanotechnology will let us live for ever."

"Virtual sex will become commonplace."

"So we can look forward to a world where humans become cyborgs, with artificial limbs and organs."

Dr. Kurzweil is talking about immortality based around technological advancements that would replace and "improve" on the human body. Effectively this is saying,

"Dear God,

Anything you can do, we can do better. We can do better anything better than you.

In your face,

Humanity"

It doesn't sound like a very nice statement, does it? I think the whole venture into "improving the human body" will lead to incredibly dangerous ramifications.

Come on, Dr. Kurweil, haven't you read any Michael Crichton?

American Universities

2009-09-22T10:48:00.000-05:00

Being a student of higher learning, after my catechetics class, I went on YouTube. Although YouTube has a lot of really sketchy and ill-produced videos, there are some gems that can be found.

Today I discovered Steven Crowder. In a recent video, he went on campus to UC Berkeley (you know, the one with all the hippies) and uncovered what has happened to education in the hands of liberal professors.

The video highlights the failings of misinformation, revisionist history, and propaganda - all favorites of socialist, communist, and totalitarian governments. Oh, and also a big favorite among the liberal professors that make up 35% of all university professors.

Watch the video and see why its so crucial that American children learn REAL American history, before they get to the stage of mindlessly following anyone who calls themselves an "intellectual."

The Daily Show Gets it Right?

2009-09-16T16:33:00.004-05:00

Since my mother is leading the New Orleans Tea Party, I hear about ACORN from time to time. to time. to time....

It gets mentioned a lot.

BUT FOR GOOD REASON.

So it's not news that they are a very corrupt organization that uses all our tax money for evil. Just about anyone involved in politics has seen at least one clip from Fox News unravelling all that. Most notably, a few weeks ago, the story broke about ACORN helping a man jump start his underage prostitution ring.

Wait, sorry, sorry, his "performance art" ring. My bad.

What may be news to a lot of Tea Party members, Fox News watchers, and Catholics is Jon Stewart's (the host of the Daily Show on Comedy Central) reaction. I was actually pleased.

Watch the September 15 show here.

In this show, Jon Stewart does nothing to defend ACORN (which I would have expected), but instead does what he does best - makes fun of them. AND he proves that Fox News is the only news network out there reliably showing what ACORN is doing to our community.

A+ to Jon Stewart.

Not a Good Start to the Weekend

2009-09-11T14:53:00.000-05:00

News blurb from Culture War:

A recognized pro-life activist was shot and killed outside of a Michigan high school.

His soul, his family and the soul and family of the murderer are in my prayers - they should be in yours too.

Week in Review

2009-09-04T15:25:00.004-05:00

Since the school year is still in its beginning stage, a lot of clubs and organizations on campus have been hosting preliminary and educational meetings to welcome new students (and newly interested students) into their ranks. Of the many, I decided to attend two: Students for Life and College Republicans.

I think it might be the same club.

Ok, so there are some differences but central to each is the culture of life movement. I haven't been on campus very long, but I feel as if these two clubs probably work together a lot (along with Democrats for Life).

So really, the hard part is trying to choose which club I want to be the most active in. As one of four or five active members of the Students for Life club back in Mobile, I feel a special calling to be a leader here as well. The only problem? The ENTIRE CAMPUS is in Students for Life here. How would a transfer sophomore, not belonging to any households, really get any recognition at all? I could join core team, but some of their commitments conflict with my class schedule. So it looks like participation in Students for Life will be limited to prayers outside the abortion clinic in Pittsburgh.

At least it's a little more than what I accomplished in Mobile - although our few members were certainly strong enough to hold that club together and keep it as a recognized voice in Mobile (if not only with the 40 Days for Life people...)

So maybe College Republicans?

They do a lot of pro-life work - usually in conjunction with Students for Life - and they have cake on Ronald Reagan's birthday!

Also, I want to make sure I will go with them to protest the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh! My mother would be proud.

Is there a Tea Party in Ohio?

A Little Laughter

2009-09-01T14:41:00.002-05:00

Sunday...

2009-08-30T11:17:00.002-05:00

It happens to all of us.

{postsecret}

Our Lady of Prompt Succor

2009-08-29T17:49:00.005-05:00

Hasten to Help Us!

Today marks the 4th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's landfall and subsequent destruction New Orleans.

The city is in considerately better shape now, although many places still bare the scar of the storm. However, with time, they have moved from painful reminders to bittersweet memories of a strange and turbulent time in the Crescent City. But even after all of these years, its impossible to forget the images, smells, and feelings from that day. It's still possible to hear the deafening quiet I came back to a few weeks after the storm - when many people were still away in Houston or Atlanta. It's still possible to recall that awful scent from the very depths of Satan's lair that is the refrigerator left alone without power for a month. (Don't open it, I beg you!) And it's still possible to visualize the National Guardsmen and HUVs rolling down the streets of Mid-City.

New Orleans as it was and as it is will always remain a unique place. Even to this day, as I am stowed away in middle-of-nowhere, Ohio, people still come to talk to me about the storm and what its like to live in the most interesting city on Earth.

Oh and GO SAINTS!

Ministry Fair

2009-08-25T14:03:00.004-05:00

Last night the Franciscan University of Steubenville hosted their annual ministry fair. The fair consisted of multiple departments of ministry including chapel, evangelization, outreach, and mission trips.

I arrived about 20 minutes early and already the JC Williams Campus Center was packed with students and presentations. I was immediately attracted to the mission trip set up in the Atrium. What really caught my eye was the advertisement for the mission trip to New Orleans, my sweet hometown. We were listed right along with Belize and Jamaica. Nice. Of course I signed up. The trip goes down to New Orleans during Spring Break, so even if I do not go with Franciscan, I am going to be in the area anyway. Maybe I'll just stop by.

I was the first one to sign up for more information about that trip, but hopefully a lot more people were interested. Although the area has seen vast improvement since 2005, there are many neighborhoods and people still looking for a little extra assistance. It never hurts. After witnessing the insurance fiasco at my summer job at the law firm, I can still see the need present.

Apart from the mission trips, the chapel ministries tables were swamped. It was near impossible to get anywhere close to the Eucharistic Minister sign up with fighting a few people off. (Or distracting them with free root beer floats.) Of course, with its popularity comes a series of hoops to weed a few people out - including a mini-reflection paper and such. If I ever get around to filling that out, I can start trying to participate in the very active and popular chapel ministry program here at Steubenville.

Although I haven't seen any of the previous ministry fairs, I would comment that it seemed to be quite a success. By 7:45 it was hard to move throughout the campus center - each floor was packed! I like to like it was because of the eagerness of holy people looking to serve the Lord, but it could have been because of the free root beer floats too.

Back in the Saddle Again

2009-08-22T10:51:00.003-05:00

Ok, so I decided to take a summer break from blogging. Even though you would think that summer allowed more time to do unpractical and unimportant things, my summer did not. I finished working at the law firm about two weeks before the vacation would end so that I would have time to see the friends that I had missed all last year and during the summer. I also needed to take some time to start packing so I could go to....

Franciscan University of Steubenville!

I have finally made it into the wilds of Ohio! Although technically I moved in on Thursday, I did not figure out how to work the internet until late last night. This required numerous treks (really, treks, there are so many hills!) back and forth from my room to the campus center and to the RAs office. But alas, I have found the internet and can start blogging again!

Classes haven't started up yet, but that will change come Tuesday. Right now, I am stuck going through yet another Orientation. Orientations - they have their goods and their bads. Some parts seem repetitive and unnecessary, but other aspects I have found are quite helpful. Franciscan has organized small groups within the dorm buildings to meet nightly and go over the day. I am happy to say that these small groups are a great improvement over the most awkward small group of all time I had to endure at SHC. Who's idea was it to put my gay ex-boyfriend in the same group as me? Who? Not cool, Jesuits.

I am living in Marian Hall this year, which is the oldest and hottest dorm on campus. Seriously, there is no air conditioner or coke products in the vending machine. Ohio, what is going on?

The room is small, but sweet. The place is full of possibilities for feminine bonding. Although some of the rules seem a bit strict for me (no boys except during open hours, but only with the door open!) but at the same time, I understand where they are going with them. (Feminine community, once again). That should be interesting - and challenging for when my boyfriend comes to visit me from Mobile in October. Will he even be allowed to do the actual visiting part? I guess that will just take careful planning.

I shall post pictures of my dorm room shortly, to give everyone a feel for what Marian Hall is like. At first I was a little disappointed, but I think the mold is growing on me.

(Just kidding - there is no mold...just moths.)

You Know it is Hurricane Season When...

2009-06-27T17:01:00.003-05:00

...daddy drags out the MREs.

pictured: survival

Thus, there is the Prayer for Renewal which was recently passed out by the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

God our Father, Creator of all life,

and new life in Christ Jesus,

we stand before you, strengthened by faith,

with gratitude for the many blessings

you have bestowed upon our Archdiocese.

Embraced by love

in the person of your Son, Jesus Christ,

we offer deep appreciation for all that nurtures and strengthens us

in our individual and parish journeys of faith.

Give us an openness

that will enable us to undertake

the mission and ministry that you want for us

in your Church.

Through the intercession of Mary, our Mother,

send forth your Holy Spirit

to heal hearts that are broken.

Give us the courage to become all

that you have called us to be.

Make us a vibrant and evangelizing Church,

grounded in the Eucharist

and in service to one another.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

Our Lady of Prompt Succor

St. Louis King of France

St. Martin de Porres

St. Vincent de Paul

St. Katherine Drexel

St. Juan Diego

Vietnamese Martyrs

Blessed Frances Xavier Seelos

Pray for us.

woot woot.

Little Happiness at Work

2009-06-27T12:04:00.005-05:00

The past two weeks at the law firm have been very stressful. Considering the social justice aspect of the class action law suit I am working on, I have been feeling extra spiritual pressure to help our 80,000 clients. 3, 082 of them could not be located to be sent incredibly important affidavits or they returned the affidavit incorrectly (making them useless).

My boss put me in charge of getting those affidavits back to those 3,082 people that have been mistreated by insurance companies during Hurricane Katrina. Keep in mind, these people are elderly, poor, uneducated, disabled, or illiterate too. It was a big responsibility.

Alas, it has been accomplished! With a little extra grace and patience, all 3,082 have been located and have had affidavits mailed to them.

And my brother and I stuffed and processed every single one of them.

WHEW!

Now that that phase of the class action is over, I can relax and start enjoying my job and summer. (Hopefully this will include more blog posts)

During my Dorito break last Friday, I wandered into the kitchen and opened a bag of the cheesy treat - which, by the way, comes in spicy flavors now. Sitting at the floral-topped table, I glanced over the the stove,

where many meals are cooked by the sole female attorney in the office, and saw this:

Isn't that a nice reminder?

And later on in the day, while opening the mail I came across this stamp:

So the week ended well at the firm and hopefully we will be receiving those 3,082 affidavits back in the mail in the upcoming weeks.

Maybe they will have nice stamps.

I am a disgusting consumer...

2009-06-15T18:00:00.002-05:00

..of the T-Mobile G1 phone.

I just got the new phone over the weekend and I am absolutely freaking out over having the internet (*gasp*) on my phone. (I can be on facebook while carefully concealing my phone under my work desk!!)

With the hundreds and hundreds of applications, I can play solitaire and scan barcodes to find cheaper versions of what I am buying...

...and I can be on facebook!

But there is one tiny thing that bugs me about the G1:

The lack of Jesus-y applications I can play with!!

Searching the market for applications, I found 0 hits with key words like:

"catholic"

"pope"

"vatican"

"USCCB" (ok, that one isn't that shocking...)

And I only found 9 hits with the key word: "Jesus" - 5 out of the 9 were Mormon Jesus things. The only Bibles I could find were from the Latter Day Saints and the King James Version.

It is very sad to see such a nifty phone so Jesus-unfriendly. I did find one cool application called "Pray," but the disclaimer clearly states as you install the app "these prayers are not sent anywhere." Excuse me? Then, exactly, what is the point now? *sigh* It could at least read, "these prayers are not sent to any electronic or mobile device, but are instead hurled upward into the heavenly realm to God or your saint of choice - for intercession purposes only."

Yes, that would be much better.

At least I can download pictures of Jesus from the internet to set as my background...

...and upload them to facebook, too!

Franciscan University of Steubenville

2009-06-08T12:33:00.006-05:00

After spending a year in muggy Mobile, surrounded by Jesuits, beaches, and way to many people with alcohol problems, I am finally transferring to breezy Steubenville, Ohio.

This past week (June 4-6) I spent traveling and meeting my new university face-to-face.

And I am happy to report that I think we will get along splendidly.

The trip up was less than amazing, however. I was scheduled to arrive on the campus of Franciscan University by 4:30 PM but did not see my new home until after 9:30. Why the five hour delay? Oh, that's because I flew with an airline with less than helpful workers. However, on the first plane to D.C. (to catch a connection to Pittsburgh), I did get the opportunity to meet the First Lady of Louisiana.

She is very pretty.

And polite when dealing with weird people that won't stop talking to her on her airplane.

Bill Jefferson was there too.

I can now die happy that I have achieved the most New Orleans moment in the world.

Anyway, my thoughts on the campus:

1. It has a lot of hills. It puts Spring HILL College to shame in that department.

2. My dorm room looks very small. :[

3. The Campus Center and Cafeteria are large and awesome.

4. I miss the Gothic chapel at SHC and will try my best to go to Mass at a very modern church.

5. The walking Stations of the Cross was very nice.

6. My fellow students were very welcoming, more so than I have experienced at my previous college.

7. Ohio does not have good seafood.

8. I will have to walk uphill in the snow to go to class. Yikes.

9. I am happy that I learned that rain-boots are not sufficient for snow.

10. I am going to have very interesting classes (Geology!)

My future home: Marian Hall

These 40 Hour Work Days...

2009-06-02T17:31:00.005-05:00

...are really getting to me.

I have been deprived of internet for weeks! And therefore, my poor blog is suffering from neglect - one thing I was really hoping to avoid when I started working.

Well, I promised to blog about the New Orleans Tea Party Memorial Day Picnic. It went very well, even though every time I set my pro-life booth out it started raining. Once I would pack it up in a frenzy and dash under the pavilion, the heavens would clear and the sun would come out. And that's how it went about 4 different times.

But, even though I was secluded in the corner of a pavilion far-off from the actual festivities like an after-thought, I still had a good number of visitors. I talked to a few war veterans (including a woman from the Iraq War), an Indian couple who spoke very little English, and I met a family that recently adopted a crack baby. The child was about tow years old and her mother had recently been incarcerated. Luckily, the child's recently pro-life grandmother and aunt took her in. Her name is "Journey," which was very fitting for the poor child. I had included a basket of 10 week old fetuses on my table and she immediately recognized them as "babies!!" Of course, she had to have one. It was adorable.

Her family also let me use there tent for shelter the third time I was rained out on.

Ben and I with some new Patriot friends

My mother is creating a video highlighting the days events, especially the salute to veterans that we did. (I got to read the prayer! Hopefully, there are no pictures as my eyes were wide with terror of the impending storm coming, seeing as my table -which as at least 500 ft away from where I was standing - was completely uncovered. It loves to rain when my booth is out in the open. )

I will post that video when I can.

Which may be a month from now, the way things are going at work.

GAH...

2009-05-26T22:23:00.001-05:00

But I don't like universal health care, USCCB.

*sigh*

I Promise

2009-05-26T17:16:00.003-05:00

I will blog about the New Orleans Tea Party Memorial Day Picnic as soon as I can. This whole 8:00 - 5:00 job thing needs to be integrated in my college-schedule-oriented mind.

I hate time management!

Um...

2009-05-23T18:27:00.000-05:00

DUH.

It's the Weekend!

2009-05-22T08:17:00.002-05:00

Never have I appreciated weekends more...

Check out this hilarious blog. It's enjoyment.

On Abortion and Racism

2009-05-20T21:05:00.003-05:00

My mother likes Tea Parties (yes, with capitals). She considers herself a Patriot launching the next American Revolution - and she is doing it with the help of the New Orleans Tea Party. I am sure you have heard of the Tea Party people before, so I won't go into details about Glenn Beck, 912 Project, the Constitution, or any of that stuff.

So this Memorial Day, my mother's Tea Party is organizing a patriotic picnic, complete was a tribute to the Vets at 2:00. Guess who gets their own little booth at the picnic? And guess what it's going to be about?

I am running the booth about Abortion, covering topics ranging from racism to 14th Amendment. I just finished putting together my pamphlet (of which I hope to have 300 copies of by Sunday) about Planned Parenthood's connections with racism.

You can view the document here, but I do think you need an Adobe account. I am working on uploading the file into Blogger, but I am really not a computer savvy person.

I should be finished with the Constitutional pamphlets by tomorrow and will also provide links for those.

Wish me luck, this is a lot of work (hence the lack of blog posts recently).

I Really Don't Like Barack Obama

2009-05-18T17:55:00.003-05:00

There is really nothing more to this post.

He just really gets on my nerves.

Pictured: The President and I (but with more love)

Update: This also annoys me.

On Patience

2009-05-14T21:11:00.006-05:00

Pieter Brueghel the Elder: The Seven Virtues - Patience

There is no greater example of "do what I say, not what I do" than the relationship between patience and myself.

Let's just say we get along as well as I get along with my ex-boyfriend (which is not at all).

Recently, I have been straining myself to the very edge to keep from losing my patience at a new job I started at a law firm. Without going into too many details, my job consists of fielding phone calls for a class action lawsuit. When I first accepted the job, I was thinking to myself, "dude, I get to be Erin Brockovich - sans premarital sex and early 90s apparel."

I soon learned why she was such a hero in the world of lawyers: class action lawsuits suck, not because its long and potentially worthless, but because when you deal with a lot of people in a lawsuit, a lot of them turn out to be difficult.

And by difficult I mean unable to understand the following on their own:

_____________________ (Print Name Here)

Oh, and it only gets better when some people yell at you - you, the person trying to win them $5,000 or more - because you can't tell them when they moved to Dallas (information that has nothing to do with the lawsuit at hand). Those were my favorite phone calls.

Can you understand why the virtue of patience has become so relevant to my life now? It's more than just waiting in a very long line in the grocery store when the snowball stand closes at 6:00 and it's already 5:56. No, no. Patience has a lot to do with compassion - at least when it comes to practicing patience with people. In fact, I think patience is just compassion's pseudonym. Without being able to feel for another's situation or problem, it would be impossible to practice patience with them. Without empathy or compassion, in fact without charity, patience would be completely lost. Charity (love) is inherently tied with this virtue - which shouldn't be a shock to anyone that learned about Catholic theology through the phrase "God is Love" (aka all of my fellow post V-II peeps out there).

And it takes a lot of grace to use those important virtues when answering phone calls for a law firm, let me just tell you that.

I'm not one to push for the canonization for any lawyer, but that Erin Brockovich - she was a saint.

Who Is That Guy?

2009-05-14T12:34:00.004-05:00

I couldn't tell it was supposed to be Jesus, could you?

Oh and yeah, it's real.

A Photographic Collection of Pope Benedict's Trip to the Holy Land (so far)

2009-05-12T13:46:00.025-05:00

Because he is zee Pope!

Je veux un mantilla, s'il vous plait

2009-05-10T23:08:00.003-05:00

L'orthodoxie! La beaute!

The Conspiracy Channel

2009-05-10T21:03:00.007-05:00

I have a love/hate relationship with the History Channel.

Today, it was about 1hr 56min. of hate and 4 mins. of love because that's how it long it took them to say something nice about the Catholic Church in their special on Angels & Demons.

The hypothesis (if I may call it that) of the 2hr special states, "the Catholic Church and the scientific world are at war." Already I am less than a happy camper. My immediate reaction was,

"Where are they getting this? Has anyone from the History Channel actually studied history, specifically the story of Saint Thomas Aquinas and the Medieval Synthesis? Anyone? Come on!!"

It being the History Channel, I was sure the answer was no -

- at least for the first hour and fifty-six minutes of the program.

Finally, a Catholic priest was given the chance to correct a few points and reference the work of one of my favorite saints, Saint Thomas Aquinas. The "Dumb Ox," as he was lovingly called by his classmates, articulated what came to be known as the Medieval Synthesis. Specifically, he stated that both faith and reason came as gifts from God and could not be contradictory. In fact, human reason is a form of revelation that comes from God. If one could not reconcile a principle of faith and a valid, logical conclusion, then one is simply not looking hard enough or one has not looked at the right question or angle.

It is this concept that has become so utterly lost on modern society and a source of great pain for my former history professor, Father Borbridge S.J. Frankly, it's becoming one of my major pet peeves in addition to ridiculous juxtaposition:

That is a monstrance. That is the Hadron Collider.

Yeah...they went there.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T14:11:00.005-05:00

Honoring our Mother in Heaven

Since the beginning of the month of May, I have been going to the May Crownings of the various churches I attend - one in Alabama and one in Louisiana.

On May 3rd, to celebrate the close of CCD, the children from all the grades came together to honor Mary at my parish in Alabama.

St. Ignatius Parish

Mobile, Alabama

Unfortunately, it being CCD, few children showed up for the final class time and the ones that did forgot about the May Crowning. Some did come with their families and brought flowers from their gardens, which was very nice. I was disappointed that they didn't play my favorite Mary song, Bring Flowers of the Rarest, and opted for some weird "modern and charismatic" song. Ick. I never liked guitars.

Coming home from college and moving back into my New Orleans home, I was really glad that my home parish saved the Crowning for Mother's Day - which I thought was very appropriate. The cantor had laryngitis and so, once again, I was without my favorite hymn. *sigh*

But the altar was very nice.

St. Anthony Mission/St. Joseph Parish
Gretna, Louisiana

I think I enjoy the inside Crownings more, especially because they occurred within the context of a Mass.

Archbishop Burke is a Beast

2009-05-08T17:22:00.002-05:00

Even FoxNews noticed it.

Oh, and the 57% a Catholics that support Barack Obama's work so far are making the rest of us look bad. That needs to be stopped.

A Small Apology

2009-05-07T17:22:00.003-05:00

Things have been coming to a close at SHC. Studying and packing and unpacking and organizing and reorganizing have eaten my days. I have a few events that I would like to write about, including:

Rock for Life

My Brother's Confirmation

Things I Learned my First Year at a Jesuit College

Speaking at a Constitution Rally

Setting up a Nice Shrine in my Bedroom

and possibly other things that I know I took pictures of and will post...

May Magnificat

2009-05-01T11:38:00.007-05:00

May is Mary's Month, the school I teach at will be having May Crowning this Sunday, May 3rd. Here is a poem by a Jesuit who likes alliteration.

May Magnificat

by Gerard Manley Hopkins

MAY is Mary’s month, and I

Muse at that and wonder why:

Her feasts follow reason,

Dated due to season—

Candlemas, Lady Day;

But the Lady Month, May,

Why fasten that upon her,

With a feasting in her honour?

Is it only its being brighter

Than the most are must delight her?

Is it opportunest

And flowers finds soonest?

Ask of her, the mighty mother:

Her reply puts this other

Question: What is Spring?—

Growth in every thing—

Flesh and fleece, fur and feather,

Grass and greenworld all together;

Star-eyed strawberry-breasted

Throstle above her nested

Cluster of bugle blue eggs thin

Forms and warms the life within;

And bird and blossom swell

In sod or sheath or shell.

All things rising, all things sizing

Mary sees, sympathising

With that world of good,

Nature’s motherhood.

Their magnifying of each its kind

With delight calls to mind

How she did in her stored

Magnify the Lord.

Well but there was more than this:

Spring’s universal bliss

Much, had much to say

To offering Mary May.

When drop-of-blood-and-foam-dapple

Bloom lights the orchard-apple

And thicket and thorp are merry

With silver-surfèd cherry

And azuring-over greybell makes

Wood banks and brakes wash wet like lakes

And magic cuckoocall

Caps, clears, and clinches all—

This ecstasy all through mothering earth

Tells Mary her mirth till Christ’s birth

To remember and exultation

In God who was her salvation.

Why Jesus Had So Many Women Followers

2009-04-29T18:55:00.004-05:00

The Shroud of Turin is scheduled to be on public display between April and May of 2010, according to the Catholic News Service.

It reminds me of the day in my junior year religion class when we discussed the Shroud of Turin. Thinking it was a pretty big deal already, when my religion teacher showed me the image of the inverted 3D Christ taken from the Shroud, I pretty much lost my mind.

Jesus was kind of a hunk

Hopefully, I will be able to see the actual Shroud. I really really want to do that.

Even Richard Brautigan Gets It...

2009-04-28T15:41:00.001-05:00

The Pill Versus the Springhill Mine Disaster

When you take your pill
it’s like a mine disaster.
I think of all the people
lost inside of you.

OMG Does This Really Exist!?!?

2009-04-27T21:02:00.005-05:00

"The Truth" by Painter Michael D'Antuono

which will be unveiled on President Obama's 100th Day in Office at NYC's Union Square.

The Liberals are done with being subtle.

UPDATE: Apparently someone knocked some sense into this guy

Why I Need to Stop Reading the News

2009-04-27T20:06:00.003-05:00

Scary Things in Red

Nice Things in Blue

There is too much red :/

SAINTS on Sunday

2009-04-27T00:18:00.005-05:00

The Five New Saints hanging on the Basilica

Today, Pope Benedict XVI canonized five new saints!

Rev. Arcangelo Tadini

Nuno Alvares Pereira

Bernardo Tolomei

Gertrude Comensoli

Caterina Volpicelli

It's the Weekend!

2009-04-24T12:14:00.001-05:00

A Catholic boy and a Jewish boy were talking and the Catholic boy said, "My priest knows more than your rabbi." The Jewish boy said, "Of course he does, you tell him everything."

Adoption After Abortion

2009-04-23T23:07:00.001-05:00

This man is a nice man.

A Troubling Sign of the Times

2009-04-23T16:15:00.005-05:00

If the Chinese Death Bus scared you, then this will scare you even more.

Ever heard of Home Euthanisia Test Kits?

If not, I won't blame you because they were just introduced last May.

If you have, you must have read about it in one of America's leading news magazines, TIME, and you must have been deeply disturbed.

TIME magazine is promoting (promoting!) these home kits that test the deadliness of a specific overdose you would like to inflict upon yourself. And of course, this isn't just being sold to the crippled elderly who have been tormented by horrendous diseases for decades (the people euthanasia sympathists like to point to when trying to convince the masses of their agenda), but these kits are being targetted to troubled youth and the depressed.

Having suffered from depression for about a year now, I have to say that these kits outright offend me. The last thing a depressed teenager needs to here is how disposable their lives are and how easy it is to dispose of it! Are the days of suicide prevention really gone? How can anyone advocate that youth suicide is a positive, a right that should be protected by the government and encouraged through commercially availible death kits? Did Kurt Cobain's death mean nothing to these people?

The only words I have left about this whole euthanasia business (it really is becoming a business) are as follows:

terrifying
scary
disgusting
horrendous
degrading
mean
weird
disrespectful
horrible
sketchy
demoralizing
crazy
sadistic
...
...
...

ooo Bible

2009-04-22T23:54:00.001-05:00

Visualizing the Bible

The Gospel of the Poor

2009-04-22T17:54:00.005-05:00

Today my college put on an event known as COOL Day - Celebration of Our Learning Day. Instead of taking it as a beach day, like so many others did when classes were cancelled, I decided to attend one of the presentations. There was only one theology one offered, so naturally that's the one I went to.

It was given by a senior theology/philosophy major and centered on the message of Luke's Gospel, particularly Luke 15.

It was only a few weeks ago that I gave a lecture to my 5th graders about the three parables in Luke 15, so I was really interested in what a senior at my college had to say. I took lots of notes.

Seriously.

I basically re-outlined his presentation for him.

After introducing us to the author, a Gentile Christian preaching mostly to the wealthy, the student introduced his thesis on Luke's Gospel. To paraphrase, God is the Seeker and Savior of the lost and marginalized.

Ah, can you tell I go to a Jesuit school?

But I loved it, of course.

This presentation led to me to a key structure present in each parable which led to a higher theological truth when looking at the big picture. Consider the first parable, the parable of the Lost Sheep. The structure follows as such:

1. Jesus insulting the Scribes and Pharisees. (compares them to lowly shepherds)

2. Jesus saving one sheep out of ninety-nine.

3. Point: God seeks the one others find insignificant.

The same structure is present in the parable of the Lost Coin, only this time the one that is lost becomes intensified.

1. Jesus insulting the Scribes and Pharisees. (compares God to a woman)

2. God saving the one lost coin out of ten.

3. Point: God seeks the one others find insignificant and that one is the most important to God.

Finally, this all comes together in the well-known parable of the Prodigal Son.

1. Jesus insulting the Scribes and Pharisees. (A Jewish son disrespects his father like that??)

2. God forgiving BOTH sons that were lost.

3. Point: Our relationship with God is not that of Master and Servant, but that of Father and Child.

From all these parables, the speaker concluded, God is telling us that he does have preferential treatment for the lost and the lowly - namely the sinners, tax collectors, lepers, and the poor. He specifically states that God is overjoyed when one sinner comes back to Him, such as he is not when ninety-nine righteous men do. This is not to say that God does not love the rich and the powerful, but that God reserves special treatment for those without earthly wealth and power.

I thought it was a wonderful presentation - and it wasn't too far away from what I had taught my 5th graders!

I Didn't Feel Like Waiting for Friday

2009-04-21T20:34:00.002-05:00

...and I'm sick and wanted a pick-me-up.

A Joke (on a Tuesday!?!):

A Franciscan, a Benedictine, and a Dominican were discussing which Order God loved best. The debate was becoming very, very heated. They each had extremely valid points in their favor, and they decided that there was only one way that they could ever get a definitive answer. They would write a letter to God, and let Him decide which Order was the one He preferred above all others in the world.

A few days after they sent their letter they received a reply on beautiful vellum stationary. It was written in the most majestic script any of them had ever beheld and this is what it read:

My Dear Children,

You are all cherished members of my household, and I love each and every one of you equally. Please stop your petty bickering and get back to the good work that you should be
doing.

Your All Forgiving Father

God SJ

I stole this from The Ironic Catholic

I have a sore throat

2009-04-21T17:02:00.007-05:00

I should have made St. Blaise my Saint of the week. :[

I only just bought his medal last week, for goodness sakes.

I'm going to have to have some words with him about his intercession power.

While he is working on that, I'm going to keep taking the magic pills my doctor gave me that act like little St. Blaises every 4-6 hours.

Thank goodness my college is "Celebrating Our Learning" tomorrow by canceling classes. Unfortunately, we are all celebrating our learning by sitting through 80 forums about global warming.

Don't worry, though, they didn't forget to include ONE presentation concerning Theology. Of course it's all about socialism in the Gospel of Luke, but what else can we expect from an American Catholic college these days?

Saint on Sunday

2009-04-19T23:20:00.002-05:00

Saint Mark the Evangelist

Today I Am Obsessed With...

2009-04-18T14:28:00.002-05:00

... http://www.catholiceducation.org/

As a teacher of the Catechism, I love any extraordinary information that helps me under the CCC more fully. This website is a shining example of that.

I really enjoyed reading their article, 12 Claims Every Catholic Should be Able to Answer, mostly because I am in (a Jesuit) college and these claims come up in one form or another every single day. Especially because of the election earlier this year, it was very common for me to run into pro-choice "Catholics" and even some pro-life Catholics who were compelled to vote for Obama because of his false promises of "abortion reduction." I cannot count how many times I was the lone Catholic defending the teachings of the Church, not because I was the only one that believed in them, but because I was the only one able to explain them.

I would love for more Catholics to understand their faith and be able to defend it. Maybe if there were more of us, less Catholics would fall into sin and heresy because of the "culture of moral relativity" we live in.

It's the Weekend!

2009-04-17T09:43:00.010-05:00

{Catholic Cartoon Blog}

A nice little cartoon about the horrific Georgetown scandal.

Also - a little bit of pro-life hope for the weekend from Oklahoma and Indiana. Hopefully, more bills like this will pass before Obama completely destroys it.

UPDATE:

Georgetown students are just as angry as we are.

“President Obama didn't want any symbols to appear in the photo that might suggest that there's any higher authority than him.”

Happy Birthday Papa!

2009-04-16T15:18:00.004-05:00

I hope the Holy Father has a blessed and wonderful 82nd birthday.

The candle that will not be blown out.

Personhood Part IV

2009-04-16T00:12:00.001-05:00

There are certain genetic compositions that make a human being part of one species and not another. However, just as in the personhood problem, one characteristic of genetics is not sufficient to thoroughly define a human. Take for example the following statement, “a human is someone with forty-six chromosomes.” At first thought, this does not seem to be a problem. However, one has to consider those classified as human beings that do not possess a full set of 46 chromosomes or those who possess mutated sets. These humans would be those suffering from Down syndrome, trisomy 18, and Patau syndrome to name a few. Certainly those suffering from such disease are still considered to be of the same species as the rest of us. Also, certain physical characteristics cannot be the lone judge of what makes a human. Members of our species differ in skin color, hair color, eye color, height, weight, number of fingers, number of toes, etc. There are many attributes that all combine to form a member of the species we know as humans. As none of the previously mentioned genetic and physical characteristics solely determine membership of the human family, they also do not solely determine membership of personhood. Also, as shown with the regression problem, free will and reason do not solely determine membership. It is the combination of all of these aspects that make a human a person.
Harry Frankfurt delivers a well thought out argument if one agrees with all of his premises, particularly the first. However, most of his premises leave much room for doubt. His argument can easily fall into the trap of hard determinism if one considers the problem of infinite regression of our volitions and desires. Therefore, if we take his sole characteristics of free will and reason to be the only components of personhood, we too can fall into the trap of believing in its non-existence. What makes a person may not only be species-specific, but it is also not entirely volition-specific. Personhood is any combination of the two, uniquely and intricately woven into the make-up of every human.
It may seem silly to any non-philosophers as to why we debate this particular issue. Many cannot see exactly why it matters and how it impacts society in any way. To those people who consider the study of such philosophical issues unimportant, I point to historical examples when clear logical thinking could have saved millions of real, human lives. There is the example of slavery in America when our own government decided that a whole race of people were only 3/5ths a person because of a certain physical characteristic, their skin color. There is the example of the Holocaust in Nazi Germany when, once again, an entire race of people were classified as non-persons (and therefore disposable) because of their genetic make-up. It is essential to the world today to understand the true definition of personhood because of such dangerous applications possible in the real world. Therefore, I will conclude that personhood should be applied to all humans regardless of race, sex, age, stage of development, level of dependency, or socio-economic status. “A person is a person, no matter how small” (Horton Hears a Who!).

Works Cited

BonJour, Laurence, and Ann Baker. "Personal Identity and Free Will." Philosophical Problems. Pearson Education Inc., 2008. 275-83.

Horton Hears a Who! Dir. Jimmy Hayward, Steve Martino. Blue Sky Studios, 2008.

"Person." Def. 1. Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2009.

Personhood Part III

2009-04-15T15:58:00.001-05:00

The Personhood Question continues...

The essential problem with his argument is the series of infinite regression that it implies (BonJour 283). In order to understand this explanation, one needs to know how Frankfurt defines second-order desires and second-order volitions. A second-order desire is defined as the wanting to have or not to have certain desires or motives. A second-order volition would be when a man “wants a certain desire to be his will” (BonJour 277). Frankfurt is saying that for a man to truly have free will and therefore be considered a person, he would have to have control over these second-order desires and volitions. If one accepts the existence of such orders of desires, one would begin to question exactly how many of them exist. Are there third-order desires that lead to second-order desires? Are there fourth-order desires? And so on. If all these higher numbered desires are determining all lower number desires, when does the man have free will at all? Now, it is easy to see how this infinite regression can serve a problem to the concept of free will. In a sense, the regression problem supports determinism – a view that all of a man’s desires have already been determined for him. If we therefore assume that no man has free will and free will is the only determinate as to what makes a person, then there are no people. The question of what makes a person then becomes moot. If Frankfurt would want to argue that there is at least one person in the world, then he would have to disagree with his own argument because of the problem of regression. Luckily, he includes later in his argument the condition of rationality in the definition of personhood. However, Frankfurt states that “the structure of a person’s will presupposes, accordingly, that he is a rational being” (BonJour 278). This hardly reconciles the problem previously discussed. The following argument structure follows this statement when taking the problem of regression into account:

If a man is a rational being, then the man has free will.
No one has free will.
Therefore, No one is a rational being.

Using modus tollens, it follows that no one would have reason and no one would have free will. This would therefore conclude that no one is a person.
Thankfully, this problem can be easily rectified by including other characteristics to the definition of “person.” Frankfurt has already rejected the idea that “person” should be used in a species-specific manner. However, if one could combine certain species-specific characteristics, free will, and rationality, then it is possible to create a good definition of “person” that does not fall prey to the regression problem. Thus, I will reject what is implied in Frankfurt’s thesis and in the first premise of the first argument discussed. Mentioning one characteristic is not enough to fully satisfy a definition. A clear example of this would be the multiple explanations dictionaries give for most words within its tome. One could not completely understand what "hat" means if one was only exposed to one characteristic of a hat. The same can be said for more complex definitions, such as "person."

Personhood Part II

2009-04-14T15:33:00.007-05:00

Part II of the Philosophical question - what does it mean to be a person?

Harry Frankfurt wrote about the characteristics of personhood in his article “Freedom of Will and the Concept of a Person.” The majority of his article focuses on what the term “free will” accurately means and discusses which situations constitute an expression of true freedom of will. However, his article delves into this question by first asking for the characteristics that define a person. He rejects the notion that “person” is the singular of “people” because he believes “the criteria for being a person do not serve primarily to distinguish the members of our own species from the members of other species” (BonJour 275). In this particular section of his argument, his thesis statement would be that the definition of person “[is] designed to capture those attributes which are the subject of our most humane concern and the source of what we regard as most important and most problematical in our lives” (BonJour 275). To Frankfurt, the single most important aspects would be true freedom of will and rationality. At first glance, Frankfurt’s position seems uncontroversial, thought out, and sound. One needs to start breaking down what his premises are really saying to discover his conclusion and determine that his argument is not as strong as previously thought. The
following is a simplified version of his argument:

1. Our concept of ourselves as persons is not to be understood as a concept of attributes that are species-specific.
2. Essential to persons are characteristics that are uniquely human.
3. One characteristic that is uniquely human is the structure of a person’s will, particularly second-order desires.
4. Therefore, it is having second-order volitions that is essential to being a person.

As noted before, at first this seems like a highly uncontroversial stance. It is only when certain premises are called into question that the argument starts breaking down.

Personhood Part I

2009-04-13T23:12:00.002-05:00

This semester I was enrolled in a course called "Philosophy and Human Nature." Sounds pretty interesting, doesn't it? It would be so much more interesting if the course was taught by a Catholic prospective, but, alas, I am at a Jesuit university and it is not so. After most of the semester hearing about all the philosophical problems being solved and worked out in the secular sense, I started to get a little unnerved. It was just plain annoying. So, when my class had a philosophy paper assigned to us, I could not resist. The point of the paper was to take an article read in class, criticize it, and give our own opinion on the problem at hand.

I chose personhood because of it's direct connection with pro-life issues.

I have yet to receive a grade on this paper, but as soon as I do I will comment about it here.

Until then, I have decided to place the paper on this blog in segments over the next week. Enjoy Part I.

Horton says, "A person is a person, no matter how small" (Horton Hears a Who!). From this famous elephant's statement the question arises as to what a person exactly is. To understand what a person is, one needs not to look any further than a good definition. One can be found in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary that defines “person” as a “human, individual” (“Person” def. 1). However, there are some philosophers, such as Harry Frankfurt, who would not completely agree to this definition. With a good definition, it is important to recognize the characteristics of an item to understand what the word actually means. For example, one could not accurately define a hat unless one gave an essential characteristic of a hat - be it its shape, structure, or placement on the body. Therefore, it is necessary to determine what characteristics are in place for a person to be a person. "Person" should not be defined by only one characteristic, rather, its definition should involve a vast assortment of qualities that are brought together uniquely for each individual.

The End of the Best Week Ever

2009-04-12T22:58:00.004-05:00

This Holy Week is the Best Week Ever. EVER.

First of all, I'm on Spring Break. So I could actually take the time to relax and take in all the wonderful Jesus-y things going on.

Some of these things include the wonderful and sometimes crazy specials about Jesus, His Passion, the Bible, and other Catholic things featured on the Discovery Channel and the History Channel (which I also like to call the Conspiracy Channel).

I watched three hours about the stages of Jesus' life on DC that really liked to use the words "hope" and "change" a lot. It was way too Obama-esque for me as they tended to show Jesus as a community organizer that was a politically charged genius ready to change that pesky conservative church. Not a fan of that at all.

Then of course the Conspiracy Channel had a bunch of programs about Free Masons, Templar Knights, and Banned Books of the Bible. Those are the types of programs my angry atheist aunt loves to watch and then question me endlessly about. Silly Gnostics.

But I also got to watch The Ten Commandments - the best movie ever made - and all was right and good again.

Secondly, I convinced my family and boyfriend to go down to Grand Isle with me on Holy Thursday to spend a day by the beach. (That's the picture of us by some really rough surf - it was very windy out there.) Unfortunately, I had to miss one of my favorite Masses that afternoon - a fact I didn't realize until it was too late. Then again, feet aren't really my thing anyway.

Thirdly, I had a lot of fun making my boyfriend's Easter present. I got the idea while sitting in Church before Mass on Palm Sunday reading the newspaper of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, the Clarion Herald. They have a feature called "Holy Smokes" that has a bunch of fun recipes that are relevant to the Church Season. Last week, they had a recipe for Peanut Butter Chocolate Covered Eggs. My boyfriend had given up chocolate for Lent and I knew that he loved Reese's Cups more than me, so I decided to cook some up for him. They actually turned out pretty great, which is surprising because I am usually horrible in the kitchen.

Fourthly, my family was able to attend the Easter Vigil Mass. I think its my favorite Mass of the whole week and it's something that I haven't always been able to enjoy. For the past ten years, I've been an altar server and was usually scheduled for the Christmas/Easter Catholic Mass on Easter Sunday morning (you know the one where all the Catholics come out of the woodwork, not to be seen again until Christmas Mass). I don't like that Mass. I know I'm being judgmental, but I can't help but cringe when all those part-time Catholics go up for Holy Communion. Mortal sin people!! Did CCD teach you nothing?? GAH! It's just hard to watch.

Anyways, this year I was able to attend the Mass that I really love. My church didn't go through all seven readings, but we made it through four of them and an epistle! All in the dark with only the Paschal Candle lit. Awesome. It didn't even feel like two hours long.

Basically, I think this Holy Week gets two thumbs up.

Saint on Sunday

2009-04-05T15:37:00.003-05:00

Pope St. Sixtus I

He was my senior year religion teacher's alter-ego, making him one of the coolest popes ever.

It's the Weekend!

2009-04-03T14:33:00.005-05:00

Have a happy weekend!!

{LOLSaints}

Oh yeah..

...and Patrick Madrid is funny.

He posted this wonderful joke on his blog today:

An old Catholic priest lay dying in the hospital. For years he had
faithfully served the people of the nation's capital, Washington, D.C.He
motioned for his nurse to come near."Yes, Father?" said the nurse."I would
really like to see Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi before I die," whispered the
priest."I'll see what I can do, Father," replied the nurse.The nurse sent the
request to them and waited for a response. Soon the word arrived. Harry and
Nancy would be delighted to visit the priest. As they went to the hospital,
Harry commented to Nancy "I don't know why the old priest wants to see us, but
it will certainly help our images." Nancy couldn't help but agree.When they
arrived at the priest's room, the priest took Nancy 's hand in his right hand
and Harry's hand in his left. There was silence and a look of serenity on the
old priest's face.Finally Nancy spoke. "Father, of all the people you could have
chosen, why did you choose us to be with you as you near the end?"The old priest
slowly replied "I have always tried to pattern my life after our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ." His voice trailed off . . .After a pause, he continued . . . "The
Lord died between two lying thieves, and I would like to do the same." {source}

I thought I went to a Catholic school?

2009-04-02T15:00:00.005-05:00

What is the deal with Catholic universities today?

My Jesuit college in Mobile, AL has a nice student newspaper. Even though they tend to devote more pages to sports than current events, it's still a great improvement over what my high school called a newspaper. At least, I thought it was.

Today, after I had finished a history quiz by writing an essay on Pope Gregory VII and King Henry IV and the struggle of the Church verses the State in Medieval Europe, I stumbled across the latest issue of our newspaper.

I turned right to the editorial page, because opinions are my favorite.

To my shock and disgust, there was an opinion written about euthanasia - and no, trust me, it did not at all fit with the Catholic Church's teaching on the subject. It was a very pro-euthanasia article. Not only was that, in itself, highly offensive to me, but I also had to sit there and read about how Terri Schiavo was a perfect case for euthanasia gone right.

WHAT?

First of all, it is all too clear that the writer did not do her research when it came to poor Terri. Although this opinionated writer claimed Terri was an extreme case who needed extreme measures to be kept alive -that is very much not the case. Terri Schiavo was not euthanized by the removal of a complicated machine that was keeping her heart, lungs, or brain functioning. No. She was killed by starvation. She was denied BASIC medical treatment - the support of food and water in a hospital. Food and water? Are those really "extreme measures" to keep someone alive? Really?

That is most definitely NOT the perfect story in support of euthanasia. It is, however, the perfect case to show how far-reaching a pro-euthanasia society can go. Although Terri expressed no want of death and her family was overwhelmingly supportive of her future care, the culture of death ultimately won. A woman was killed. She was not "put down for mercy's sake." The impact of her death is most notable on her family's website. They continue to fight for the rights of the ill and dependent and should be commended for their courage and true compassion. I have no doubt that they would be completely offended by the comments of that article.

Secondly, the article said absolutely nothing about the other side of the debate. In particular, it did not mention any of the Church's teachings on the subject - even though it was in a Jesuit school newspaper. Shouldn't all good articles at least acknowledge that there is an opposing side?

How far gone are our Catholic universities? Free speech in the newspaper in one thing, but at least have some sort of balance of opinions. If not that, at least acknowledge the existence of the USCCB.

Are the Catholic universities dying? Are their mission statements really so worthless to the student body that an anti-Church article can be so freely published without any counter?

At least we aren't Notre Dame.

But I Don't Want to Join a Youth Brigade...

2009-04-01T20:27:00.001-05:00

Obama is up to some crazy stuff.

I am not a fan of Obama making me choose between my religion and education. That hardly seems Constitutional.

Whoa...

2009-03-29T20:13:00.004-05:00

Whoa, it's been a long time since I've written anything. Whoops.

Things have been really crazy down here in Mobile. First of all, 40 Days for Life is coming to a close, but with lots of activities. This past Thursday, some students that I harassed from Spring Hill College helped to keep vigil outside of the Planned Parenthood in Mobile. It's directly across the street from a Chuck E Cheese. Horrific irony or ingenious marketing, I don't know. It's a strange location. Nonetheless, there we were from 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM (students rotating shifts, of course).

That's us holding our signs :]

(Ferdi the Fetus is tucked safely in my pocket)

Also with 40 Days for Life, the Mobile chapter is holding a Candlelight Vigil on April 5th. There was much walking around the neighborhood, begging people to come. It was exhausting.

In addition to all those activities, I am in the midst of writing a million papers before Spring Break. I know, it's a weird topic to blog about, but I promise it is relevant to the pro-life movement! I am currently in the middle of a paper for my philosophy paper about what makes a person a person. A few weeks ago in the class we had to read this bizarre-o guy who claimed that free will makes a person. Sounds ok, right? Until he argued that very few people actually possess any free will. Yikes. That didn't sit well with me. So, now I am battling my rather liberal professor (who is much more informed than me in the likes of philosophy) on personhood. Yay. Prayers will be needed!

Rock for Life is also coming up - April 18th at SHC! I'm desperately begging for food to be donated to the event. It's a tough job and its keeping me away from my lovely computer.

It's the Weekend!

2009-03-20T14:50:00.002-05:00

{ReverendFun}

Huh?

2009-03-19T16:47:00.000-05:00

AFRICAN WIFE-BEATERS URGED TO PRACTICE SAFE-SOX

I don't even know...

St. Joseph - Patron of Fathers

2009-03-19T10:46:00.003-05:00

Last summer was not a good summer for me. Suffering from a long, hard breakup, I was in desperate need for help. That's when a friend invited me on a retreat down in the bayous of South Louisiana - waaay down in those bayous. I love retreats, they have always made me feel better. For some reason, however, I wasn't feeling this particular retreat. I wasn't that excited to go down into the swamps in the middle of a hot, Louisiana June - a time filled with love bugs and dense humidity.

Thank goodness I sucked it up.

It wasn't my usual retreat. I'm not much for guitars and speaking in tongues and all that jazz. I'm much more inclined to spend my time quietly in front of the Blessed Sacrament. I love retreats that let me do that for at least three hours one day - especially with music from Taize.

But, even with all the people fainting and speaking in tongues and acting...well somewhat Protestant - something very Catholic happened. I decided to refrain from the dancing and waving involved in that praise and worship section and spent my time kneeling on the hard, cyprus wooden floors of that little cabin in the bayou.

That's when I talked with St. Joseph.

We had a nice conversation. I asked for his intercession - help me find a nice boy, please, no rush, just a nice boy for once, but take your time, don't give me just anyone, intercede for me, help me be more like your wife...

I was told to go out and buy a St. Joseph statue and carry it around with me. This would serve as my reminder of St. Joseph's promised intercession.

He helps me be more like Mary, so that I, too, can find my St. Joseph.

He's the single-ladies best friend, and a coupled-ladies constant watcher. As the Patron Saint of Fathers, St. Joseph is not only looking out for the men in our lives that would become fathers - no, he is also looking out for all the women looking to find the right one for their family.

Happy Feast of St. Joseph!

Busy, Busy, Busy

2009-03-18T22:17:00.002-05:00

The blog posts here have been a tad lack-luster for the past few days, I apologize. I've been running around Mobile trying to organize my college's participation in the 40 Days for Life. It turns out to be much more work than I would expect it to be at a Jesuit institution. Ah well.

While I've been running around South Alabama, the Holy Father has been jet setting around Africa. And sparking quite the political controversy as well. Well, at least he has PBS in a huff.

Making the correct statement that condoms are not the solution to HIV/AIDS, our Pope is being crucified by the US and UK media - unsurprisingly.

One article reads

"What the pope says is an ideal for the Catholic church. But he needs to look at the realities on the ground."

Silly. Silly. Silly.

The Catholic Church IS "the ground." It points towards truth, something desperately needed by those suffering with AIDS. How can someone promoting truth be told to lie in order to placate the masses and by consequence, lead to their destruction? How?

Well being a PBS lefty is a good start.

Calling Anyone in Mobile, AL!

2009-03-17T16:24:00.004-05:00

If you are in Mobile, AL and are interested in joining me in the 40 Days for Life Campaign...I will love you forever.

A Knight and I went to the Halfway Rally last night, mostly to see what was going on and how we could help. Unfortunately I was unaware Mobile was participating in 40 Days for Life, so I haven't had the chance to go out to the Planned Parenthood yet.

But I did drive by. It looked like pure evil.

Seeing as the median age for this celebration last night was about 45-40, it's no surprise that they were all delighted by the arrival of the Knight and myself. As soon as the meeting was over, we were both ambushed with pro-life books, signs, business cards, and the like. It was overwhelming and somewhere along the way I agreed to find 24 volunteers for one day outside the Planned Parenthood in Mobile.

I am interested mostly in any students from Spring Hill College - where I said I would be looking for the participants. But I am also open to anyone that wants to help from USA or University of Mobile. Really. Anyone. I need 24 of you!!

I have not set a date yet, but I will pick one shortly after discussing this with the Students for Life President at SHC. I will post that shortly.

UPDATE - I am looking to go to Planned Parenthood on Thursday, March 26.

Saint on Sunday

2009-03-15T15:47:00.004-05:00

Saint Joseph of Arimathea

Feast: March 17

Poor St. Joseph's feast is often overshadowed by the festivities of St. Patrick's feast.

But I think he's a pretty nice guy and deserves some celebrating as well. I mean, he knew Jesus - that's pretty awesome.

Today I Am Obsessed With...

2009-03-12T16:15:00.004-05:00

... pray-as-you-go.org

Daily Prayer is often suggested to all those looking to deepen their faith and their relationship with God, especially during Lent.

I recently attended a Knights of Columbus meeting (in hopes of starting up a Ladies Auxiliary) and this website was given to the Knights as something interesting to do for Lent. I decided to check it out and I also think its a great idea for a good habit. It's great to listen to on your iPod, especially on the long journey to the cafeteria - which at Spring Hill College has been moved to the farthest reaches of the campus - or on any morning walk to class or breakfast (or Daily Mass!). It's about ten minutes and it's FREE.

I'm also obsessed with all the links at the bottom of the home page, especially to Taize - one of my FAVORITES IN THE WORLD.

If you have never experienced a Taize prayer service, find one as quickly as you can. I have been present for two - one lasted three hours, the other was cut short at only one - but the time really does fly by. The music is truly beautiful.

It's something we should all become obsessed with.

Illinois' "FOCA" passes Senate

2009-03-12T15:46:00.002-05:00

URGENT: HB 2345, known as the "Illinois FOCA," has passed the Illinois Senate with a 5-2 vote, LifeSiteNews reports.

Not only is this bill removing all common sense restrictions on abortion, if passed by the House, but it also will mandate "explicit sex education." No longer will this program be abstinence friendly, instead it will focus on removing all "bias" in the sex ed curriculum. What does this mean? Homosexuality, contraception, and masturbation will be taught - with no sugar coatings.

Oh the Irony

2009-03-11T22:12:00.004-05:00

Senate Bill 1098 in Connecticut seeks to strip the bishops and priest of the Catholic Church in the state their right to "govern" its affairs. It seeks to create a trustee board of lay people that would manage the Catholic Church.

Say what?

There are a number of problems I have with this bill:

1) It is unimaginably anti-Catholic. It does not seek to regulate any other Christian or non-Christian church. It's only about the Catholics. This makes sense considering that Connecticut has quite a substantial amount of Catholics (practicing and non).

2) It is obviously part of a larger liberal agenda. This bill is being introduced precisely because of the Catholic Church's stance on major liberal issues - abortion, gay marriage, embryonic stem cell research, etc. If the liberal government of Connecticut can infiltrate the Church - their number one enemy on social issues - they can win the culture war.

3) If this succeeds in Connecticut, it can succeed elsewhere. It is very possible that if Connecticut falls, New York, Vermont, and California will not be far behind.

4) It is a clear violation of the First Amendment, which specifically states that no Church will be run by the State. Although this Amendment has often been interpreted in reverse - that is, that the Church should have no say in State affairs - that is absolutely not what it is saying. The Church can and MUST have a say in Church affairs. The Founding Fathers were Christians that envisioned a Christian nation, far from the persecution of Europe. The First Amendment says that the State will have no say in the Church - and that is exactly what this bill is trying to do.

Which is why Connecticut's name as the "Constitution State" is really ironic at this juncture.

Knights of Columbus coverage

It Really Never Stops

2009-03-10T18:19:00.003-05:00

The will of the people obviously means nothing to the Californians devoted to deleting the word "marriage" from all state laws.

Yeah, you read that right.

There is now a petition circulating around California with the aim to replace "marriage" with "domestic partnership." Sounds a little sketchy doesn't it? Well, that's because it is. It would, in effect, repeal the Prop 8 decision made last November that has all the liberals in a tizzy. It would allow for the "union" (whatever meaning that has to the anti-marriage crowd) of any two people - man and woman or man and man. Both partnerships would be "equal."

They are trying to "kill marriage." (To borrow a phrase from Fox News)

And what does that mean for the Church? Basically, that God's unions are no longer important to the state. Marriage would be dead, the word would be meaningless. The sacramental and holy value associated with the word would be lost to the future generations who would only ever learn about "domestic partnerships" and never about Matrimony. What would that do for the declining numbers of Church goers? At what rate would non-believers exist in the country then? And is homosexuality really something a 4 year old NEEDS to learn about, alongside Arabic Numerals and the English Alphabet?

America's Losing

2009-03-10T16:49:00.007-05:00

In a recent survey of Americans, something not so wonderful was discovered. Within one generation, the amount of Americans that consider themselves Christian has dropped 11 percent with now 15 percent of Americans are claiming no religion at all!

The caption below the picture at Damian Thompson's article on the study says it all:

"Many Americans worship themselves."

Even the British can see it.

Americans (as a generalization) have become so self-obsessed that the dignity and security of the country is now in peril. Take, for example, the large percentage of people that stated the "economy" was their number one issue this past election. Now, obviously there must be some who considered it a top issue because of their compassion for the poor right? Maybe. But most likely the majority of those voting by the economy are doing so because of their own 401Ks. I'll give it to them - money is important. But it shouldn't be anyone's number one concern - especially considering all the social ramifications this election had (health care, abortion, embryonic stem cell research, education, immigration, etc...). Could Americans have voted more selfishly?

With a growing number of non-religious (outnumbering, as Thompson points out, every religious group besides Catholics and Baptists - although both are losing members) what does the future of religion in America look like?

Probably a lot like the picture on the left. {source}

It reminds me of that Casting Crowns song:

"America, what will we miss while we are sleeping? Will Jesus come again and leave us slumbering where we lay? America, will we go down in history as a nation with no room for its King?"

Hat tip to AmP for his blog of this story.

Want to Stay on Top of Things?

2009-03-09T23:54:00.003-05:00

Thanks to a few clicks and links from Twitter, I found this nifty government tracking website:

http://www.govtrack.us/

Not only does it tell you where a certain bill you want to track is (introduced, in committee, floor vote, etc...) but it also lets you keep track of bills that fall within a certain subject area.

Ahem....(abortion)....and let's you narrow it down to specifics (abortion clinics, counseling, etc...)

It's AWESOME if you like to stalk the government like I do.

To see what's going on with Abortion, come here.

Sad Day

2009-03-09T22:50:00.003-05:00

It's a sad day for anyone looking to protect life and find cures.

Obama has legalized embryonic stem cell research. These cells are known for producing nothing but trouble and tumors while destroying newly formed human beings.

For more:

Cardinal Ragali's response

May lead to more abortions

Read about the different types of stem cell research

Saint on Sunday

2009-03-08T18:31:00.002-05:00

St. Macarius of Jerusalem

Going Meatless for Lent?

2009-03-06T20:39:00.003-06:00

As many a good Catholic knows, meat is a non-option for Friday nights. However fun those Parish Fish Fries are...sometimes fried fish isn't the healthiest choice to make. Also, if you're like me, you can get bored easily.

Then there are those of us who decided to go completely meatless for Lent - a sacrifice more for those in the Midwestern region than for me down on the Gulf Coast. Nevertheless, it can still be a challenge. What makes things even more challenging is the fact that college cafeterias have only a limited selection of food, so you have to get creative. So I decided to do a little research and find some college budget friendly, vegetarian options.

1) Applebee's - they have chains all around the country and provide some options for us meatless Lent-ers. You can try their Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo Pasta - I've eaten it before and it was pretty good for seafood outside of New Orleans.

2) Atlanta Bread Company. This past Wednesday, after a busy day of classes, my boyfriend surprised me with their Veggie Sandwich delivered to my dorm room. I was a little skeptical at first, but the Nine Grain Bread they use is truly delicious. I would definitely recommend it. Also, their Potato Soup is wonderful with French Bread.

3) Denny's. Everyone loves a good breakfast and Denny's is one of my favorites. Next time you stop by check out their V eggie-Cheese Omelette, Pancakes, French Toast, or Belgian Waffle.

4) Any Mexican Restaurant. They will usually have Cheese Quesadillas, Bean Burritos, and Vegetarian Taco Salad and they are always very delicious and cheap.

5) Any Chinese Restaurant (especially the buffets). Low-prices and all you can eat Shrimp Fried Rice, Shrimp in Lobster Sauce, Vegetarian Eggrolls, and Fortune Cookies!

These are just a few that I find are close to college campuses and offer good alternatives to the fish fry.

But what about on campus? Sometimes we don't have access to a car or we don't have time between meetings and classes to make it off campus. Here's a list of what I can usually scavenge from those slim pickings:

For Breakfast:

1. Biscuits

2. Pancakes, Waffles

3. Cheese Omelette

4. Fruit and Granola (I keep dried fruit and granola in my dorm room for mornings I can't make it to the cafeteria)

5. Cereal, Oatmeal

For Lunch:

1. Caesar Wraps (Pita Wrap, Lettuce, Cheese, and Dressing)

2. Chowder (Corn or Potato)

3. Vegetable Soup

4. Baked Potato (with Cheese and Sour Cream)

5. Cheese Pizza (sometimes our cafeteria has Alfredo Pizza)

For Dinner:

1. Pasta (White Sauce or Red Sauce w/o Meat)

2. Macaroni and Cheese, Mashed Potatoes, and Mixed Vegetables

3. Grilled Tilapia, Broccoli, and Scalloped Potatoes

4. Shrimp Po-Boy and Fries

5. Red Beans and Rice (without Sausage)

Newt is Coming!

2009-03-06T13:17:00.003-06:00

I have always been a big fan of our former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich. Recently he has given me even more reason to love him.

Newt is one of the thousands of people that will be entering the Catholic Church this Easter! His conversion has gone widely unpublicized, except for a few speculations made by Catholic bloggers - most notably AmP.

This story has filled me with so much hope for the Republican Party! Not only is the new face of the RebP, Bobby Jindal, a convert to our Church, but now we can all rejoice in seeing one of the oldest and most trusted members of the Party joining in at the Communion table as well!

During this Lenten season, let's all remember to pray for out RCIA brothers and sisters. Catholic Converts are always some of the most faithful.

It's Almost the Weekend

2009-03-06T09:52:00.002-06:00

{catholiccartoonblog}

Today I Am Obsessed With...

2009-03-05T15:59:00.005-06:00

...CatholicMom.com

In case anyone was wondering, no, I do not have any children. (unless you count Ferdinand the Fetal Development Figure, lovingly referred to as Ferdi the Fetus)

{12 weeks}

But I do have 15 Angels that I teach every Sunday that I often refer to as "my kids."

I stumbled upon this website while I was looking for games and worksheets for the substitute I need to get this weekend. Paw-Paw is turning 83, so I need to be back in New Orleans. Sadly, I am missing week one's lesson on the Mass and the Eucharist - my favorite topic! I used to teach 2nd graders over in Louisiana and the course focused mainly on Penance and Holy Eucharist because my kids were at that age to recieve those Sacraments for the first time. After teaching it for five years, I have really grown to love the Eucharist and understand it more deeply. (2nd graders always had a lot of questions, I did A LOT of reading and research to prepare for those lessons!)

Anyways, I found that it not only had great worksheets, games, and lesson plans, but also had a lot of great women blogging on the site. I read through a lot of their posts and I have to say one of my favorites is Sherry Antonetti, mostly for all of her writings about the pro-life life. I know, it's quite shocking that I was immediately drawn the the pro-life Apologist! Hah.

I would definitely recommend this site for any homeschoolers or CCD teachers.

What Choice?

2009-03-03T22:09:00.004-06:00

Obama is continuing on his rampage against life with this new bit of news (although not so new as it was easily predicted by about everyone in the pro-life community).

Not shockingly, Obama is looking to remove Bush-era laws that would protect doctors who refuse to do abortions because of religious or moral reasons. Obama says they have NO. CHOICE.

The most interesting statement released concerning this is:

"This policy of potentially allowing providers to refuse to provide contraception or family planning runs counter to the [Obama] administration's goal of reducing abortions and unwanted pregnancies," the official said. {source}

Basically, refusing to do abortions leads to more abortions, at least according to this logic.

SAY WHAT?

Wouldn't doctors who opt out of infanticide REDUCE the number of abortions by reducing the number of physicians willing to perform the operation? Obviously, that basic truth would not flow with Obama's bogus plan to "reduce the number of abortions." After all, this lie is how he won a lot of (uninformed) Catholics.

My hope for today.....is non-existent. What to do now?

Hope in Montana

2009-03-02T20:50:00.002-06:00

A while back I reported on the passage of the Personhood Amendment in North Dakota...

...and now I have equally pleasing news to report out of Montana.

The Personhood Amendment, which states, "All persons are born free and have certain inalienable rights," and clarifies that "person means a human being at all stages of human development of life, including the state of fertilization or conception, regardless of age, health, level of functioning, or condition of dependency" has been passed in a 26-24 vote in the State Senate, according to LifeSiteNews.

There is still hope in the pro-life cause, despite the recent HHS nomination of Gov. Sebelius by President Obama.

One day all people will be recognized as people - even if we have to fight one state at a time. That's how the early feminists received their right to vote, so it works. So we should keep pressing on until every American is considered an American, every human considered a human, and every person considered a person.

Remember - no compromises!!

On Heaven and Hell

2009-03-02T20:28:00.005-06:00

In my pursuit of procrastinating on my philosophy readings, I checked my Twitter, clicked some links from New Advent, and found this interesting article:

What Will Heaven Be Like?

These two questions in particular struck me:

9. What happens in hell?
Nothing.
10. What happens in Heaven?
Everything.

It reminded me of the conversations I used to have with a high school friend of mine. She's not a Catholic, not a Christian; on good days she is agnostic and on bad, atheist. She's one of my best friends and I love her dearly, but her views of heaven and hell are a little out of sync with reality. I think this article's answer to those two questions lies at the heart of her misunderstanding. I guess its because she views hell as a large gathering of all those "less-than-holies" - the people that couldn't get into Heaven or Purgatory. Of course, this would include a long list of non-believing bands that she likes (that I like...). Therefore, she believes that in Hell she will be surrounded by the music she loves - except for Anathallo, because they are Christian and I will get to listen to them in Heaven.

Let's look at Kreeft's answers one more time now.

NOTHING happens in Hell. God is nowhere in Hell and neither is anything He touches. Seeing that God is Love, I think it is a safe assertion that Love will not be in Hell either.

Unfortunately for my good friend, this means there will be no music.

But she does have a point about Anathallo being in Heaven, where EVERYTHING is going to be going down (in the good sense of that phrase, of course).

My hope for today is that the masses of people out there stop imagining this party-filled Hell. Hell is Hell. That inherently means that it will suck. (And also means that you can't listen to Bjork there, either..or maybe you will have to listen to Bjork for eternity.)

Saint on Sunday

2009-03-01T22:24:00.002-06:00

St. Basil - defender of the Holy Spirit.

A Step in the Wrong Direction

2009-03-01T22:19:00.002-06:00

Dr. Tom Preston said it best:

"It will be a cultural shift."

Indeed it will be, but definitely not in the right direction.

A new "death with dignity" (what comes up with these names??) law is going to take effect this upcoming week in Washington state. Read the article here.

Patients will be able to request lethal prescriptions from their doctors in this horrifying contradiction of the Oath.

Although they are claiming they "aren't forcing anyone to do anything" it is only a matter of time before doctors will be required to fill all of the requests - no matter how they stand.

My Catholic, Homeschooling, Pregnant-With-Number-Seven, Cousin is Very Smart

2009-02-28T12:01:00.004-06:00

Recently I have been trying to find some class project that I can do during the season of Lent with my 5th Graders - something that will get their minds toward service, sacrifice, and stewardship.

I came up with a few ideas:

- Crisis Pregnancy Center Supply Drive

- Easter Crosses

- Prayer Pals

But I was reading Amy's blog and saw what a great idea she had for her kids during Lent:

- Sacrifice Eggs

You can read about the idea here.

I think it's a great class project, particularly because of the time crunch I am in currently trying to fit in the rest of the Sacraments before CCD ends! It's something we can do at the beginning of each class that would not take up too much time, but allows for loads of discussion when we open our eggs after Easter!

Long Break, Lots of News

2009-02-27T15:04:00.003-06:00

Being gone for Mardi Gras since last Friday has left me a lot of news worth blogging about:

1) 40 Days for Life is underway!

2) As is the magnificent season of Lent! I found some pretty cool articles about the season, including tips and ideas for fasting and almsgiving.

- this is a really nifty list of 25 things to do to help celebrate Lent, recommended by Fr. Marvin Kitten S.J. via Facebook

- EWTN features this helpful Lenten calendar, including reflections and questions for each day.

- On his blog, Mark Shea posted this excellent essay about Mary and the Rosary during Lent.

For Lent this year, I have decided to abstain from meat everyday of the week, not just on Fridays. I am also doing a daily rosary or a prayer reflection each morning and night. As a religion teacher, I always try to stress to my students the importance of fasting and almsgiving and how it means more than just "giving something up" for Lent. I always felt that doing somethin

g to help the community would be more fulfilling for the youngsters. This year, I plan to have my class participate in a baby supply drive for the local Crisis Pregnancy Center.

3) LifeSiteNews.com posted this article responding to the growing epidemic of sex-selection eugenics and abortion. I found it particularly interesting. The amount of suffering women go through because of abortion never ceases to amaze me. How can neo-feminists support such activities?

4) I came across, in my opinion, the greatest website ever created last night. I thought it was the perfect way to start off the weekend!

{LOLSaints}

"Upon My Dead Child"

2009-02-19T16:10:00.001-06:00

I found this poem when reading this article from the American Life League about the History of Abortion. I thought I would share it.

"Upon My Dead Child"

Jean Micheleau

O Thou, whose eyes were closed in Death's pale night,
Ere fate revealed thee to my aching sight.
Embryo, imperfect as my tortured thought;
Sad outcast of existence and of naught;
Thou, who to guilty love first owest thy frame,
Whom guilty honour killed to hide its shame;
Dire offspring!

Formed by love's too pleasing power!
Honour's dire victim in luckless hour!
Soften the pangs that still revenge thy doom;
Nor from the dark abyss of nature's womb,
When back I cast thee, let revolving time
Call up past scenes to aggravate my crime.

Two adverse tyrants ruled thy wayward fate,
Thyself a helpless victim in their hate;
Love, in spite of honour's dictates,
gave thee breath;
Honour, in spite of love, pronounced thy death.

Prayer for the Jesuits!

2009-02-19T15:09:00.002-06:00

Oregon Jesuits are filing for bankruptcy.

Remember to pray for these Jesuits - the first religious order to file for bankruptcy.

(Also remember that tithing is part of being Catholic...)

Pelosi, Pope, Personhood

2009-02-19T14:53:00.002-06:00

I've been sick all week and haven't really had the chance to blog until now - and boy, did I miss a great week!

1) Nancy Pelosi gets to meet the Pope?!?

My first issue with this is the fact that I don't get to meet the Pope and Pelosi does. The Pope tried to convince Pelosi that the Church teaches killing babies is wrong...but it seems the message fell on deaf ears. Pelosi is convinced that she knows more about Catholic doctrine than the Pope, apparently. At least she's heard about the evil of abortion from the Pope himself. Maybe it will sink in later?

Does Pelosi even count as a Catholic anymore??

2) Apparently, she does.

The Archbishop of her home parish in San Francisco as been trying to meet with Pelosi for quite some time. One of the reasons her Pope visit was so initially irksome concerned her statements about being too busy to meet with her own bishop. Of course, even if I were too busy to meet with Alfie over in New Orleans - I would cancel EVERYTHING to meet His Holyness. No doubt about that.

Of course, those reports are all wrong. Pelosi has in fact met with her Archbishop...and the meeting has been spectacularly analyzed over at American Papist.

3) My favorite thing in the world is happening over in North Dakota.

Babies are people too! And finally a state in the union is recognizing this (obvious) fact in law. At least, their House of Representatives is - the Senate votes on the matter in a few weeks. 15 other states are in the process of pursuing similar legislation.

My hope for this week is the passage of this law in North Dakota and in other states. It is essential to the pro-life cause. It will change the abortion debate forever. Please remember to pray for those voting and for those whose lives depend on those votes.

That Katrina Bishop

2009-02-16T17:22:00.002-06:00

Gerhard Wagner is asking the Pope to withdraw his nomination for Bishop, reports from the Catholic News Service say.

Although I've never met the guy, I was never a huge fan of his nomination because I don't particularly like him. It's probably because I'm from New Orleans and he believes my city deserved the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina because of our "spiritual pollution." Silly, silly man. If God had wanted to punish us for our sins, he would have swamped the source - the tourists on Bourbon Street, not my uncle in suburbia.

I am not a fan of his initial nomination, so I am perfectly ok with his request to withdraw. I'm probably just still bitter.

A Very Smart Little Girl

2009-02-16T17:15:00.002-06:00

She articulates the pro-life cause in a surprisingly eloquent way for a 7th grader. Being familiar with the cause, no facts she stated were that surprising to me and most of it I have heard before. With that being said, I think this little girl expresses the dire nature of this genocide very well. I think she really needs to be commended for the bravery she shows by speaking out on a highly controversial and upsetting topic. Awareness is the first step!

{LifeSiteNews}

The Red Envelope Project

2009-02-15T23:31:00.004-06:00

I stumbled upon this neat little project on Facebook the other day. I think it is a phenomenal idea that has the potential to truly affect our President - that is if only enough people can get involved.

The idea is to send empty red envelopes to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. with the following message written on the back:

This envelope represents one child who died in abortion. It is empty because that life was unable to offer anything to the world. Responsibility begins with conception.

I think that if enough of these are sent, MAYBE our President will hear the will of the people to stop the slaughter of the innocents. Maybe...

You can read more about it here.