Category: Faith

Fortnight for Freedom: Day 2 – Keep Watch

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Day 2 of the Fortnight for Freedom, and what are we doing? We’re keeping watch! We’re waiting right now to see what the ruling will be on Obamacare. In the next week or so, we should hear whether or not it has been ruled unconstitutional (or whether they rule PART of it unconstitutional). As soon as the decision is publicized, I will have it in a post!

Today, I found this website where you can sign up to be part of a virtual vigil for religious freedom. Below is a picture of the 2,601 people who have signed up already. Will you?

Almighty God, Father of all nations,
For freedom you have set us free in Christ Jesus (Gal 5:1).
We praise and bless you for the gift of religious liberty,
the foundation of human rights, justice, and the common good.
Grant to our leaders the wisdom to protect and promote our liberties;
By your grace may we have the courage to defend them, for ourselves and for all those who live in this blessed land.
We ask this through the intercession of Mary Immaculate, our patroness,
and in the name of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
with whom you live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Fortnight for Freedom: Day 1 – Bring It

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Today is the first day of the Fortnight for Freedom, and this is my message to Obama and anyone who thinks they can take away American citizen’s religious freedom:

During this fortnight, I will have a post out everyday. One of the points of this campaign is to educate yourself, speak out, and be an advocate for religious freedom. I’m going to help you do that by sharing what I know about the mandate, and sharing the research I do on it. To begin with, here are links to some great resources to use during this fortnight.

Litany for Religious Freedom

Daily Reflections 

Prayer for Religious Freedom

O God Our Creator,
from your provident hand we have received
our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
You have called us as your people and given us
the right and the duty to worship you, the only true God,
and your Son, Jesus Christ.
Through the power and working of your Holy Spirit,
you call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world,
bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel
to every corner of society.
We ask you to bless us
in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty.
Give us the strength of mind and heart
to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened;
give us courage in making our voices heard
on behalf of the rights of your Church
and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith.
Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father,
a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughters
gathered in your Church
in this decisive hour in the history of our nation,
so that, with every trial withstood
and every danger overcome—
for the sake of our children, our grandchildren,
and all who come after us—
this great land will always be “one nation, under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen

Thanks, Nancy Pelosi!

~ Laura ~ 2 Comments

Former Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi has run into all sorts of problems with faithful Catholics because…well, she just doesn’t seem to BE a practicing Catholic. If you claim to be Catholic [as Nancy does], you should kinda practice what the Church teaches. It seems like common sense to me, but common sense is not so common anymore.

Nancy recently clarified things a bit in regards to her Catholic identity. Watch this video to see what I mean.

“I do my religion on Sunday in church” …cue epic fail music.

Now, you might think she was crazy for saying that (and many other things, to be addressed in a later post), but I think it makes perfect sense. If she truly believes religion is something we confine to Sundays, then no wonder why her actions during the week do not reflect Catholic values!

As a person of faith, I know that I am so little compared to God. I realize that I know so little, and can never stop learning about and deepening my faith. If I limited my religion to Sundays, I would fall so behind the six other days of the week, I’d never be able to catch up! This is a major pitfall of many modern Catholics, and where many people like Nancy have become befuddled. You see, religion is not just going to church on Sundays. Religion is a way of life. Whether you are Catholic, Mormon, Baptist, you name it, your religion defines the way you live (and not just on Sundays).

You can’t just say “Hey, yeah, I’m Catholic, but I think the bishops are crazy and birth control totally rocks!!” Um, that doesn’t work. Why? Because being Catholic doesn’t mix with those things. You can’t say you’re Catholic and then not live a Catholic life. Um, HELLO?  Why call yourself Catholic if you do not care to follow the teachings of Catholicism? It’s rather perplexing to me that so many people who identify as “Catholic” really don’t know or follow what the Church teaches. I’m glad Nancy cleared her name up, so now we know that she’s only Catholic on Sundays…or so she says 😉

 Don’t fall into the same trap, folks. Don’t confine the beauty of God to Sundays!!! God deserves to be glorified in each and every moment of YOUR life. Be unashamed in your faith, and let God’s grace from church on Sunday overflow into your Monday, Tuesday and beyond! Never stop learning about your faith, and striving to become a better person. As Theodore Roosevelt said:

“Far better is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much, nor suffer much, for they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.”

Why I’m Dumping Starbucks

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The first time I tried a coffee drink was at Starbucks. It rocked. I’ve loved the smell of coffee for a long time, and discovered that coffee actually tastes wonderful (with a few things added in) that lovey day when I tried that drink with a paragraph-long name….

Why, then have I decided to dump Starbucks?

Because in January this year Kalen Holmes, vice president, Partner Resources employee of Starbucks released a memo saying:

“Starbucks is proud to join other leading Northwest employers in support of Washington State legislation recognizing marriage equality for same-sex couples. This important legislation is…core to who we are and what we value as a company. We are proud of our Pride Alliance Partner Network group, which is one of the largest Employer Resource Groups for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) employees in the U.S., helping to raise awareness about issues in the communities where we live and work.”

“We are deeply dedicated to embracing diversity and treating one another with respect and
dignity, and remain committed to providing an inclusive, supportive and safe work
environment for all of our partners.”

I’ve dumped Starbucks because of this statement supporting gay marriage.

While I don’t take issue with Starbucks supporting diversity and including people from every walk of life, I do have a problem with a company which says gay marriage is “core to who we are and what we value as a company.”

It would make sense for a place like Starbucks to not take sides on controversial issues. I know that doesn’t sound like me (I am so annoyed when people are apathetic and don’t stand up) but I do believe some types of organizations should remain neutral on particularly controversial issues. I mean really, does buying coffee have to be controversial?

It’s hard to buy anything nowadays without finding out it has some connection to Planned Parenthood or some gay marriage cause. If Starbucks had really thought this through, they would have realized that is has cost them much more than what they’ve gained by announcing their support of gay marriage. Think about it. Not many people would refuse to buy coffee because Starbucks didn’t support gay marriage. But now, thousands of people have decided to “Dump Starbucks” because of this.

I stand with my Catholic faith, and everyone who stands for traditional family values when I stand against Starbuck’s decision. I value the family unit as the foundation on what our society was built, and I will not support any attack on that pillar of strength. I will not knowingly support any company which supports the breakdown of the family either, and Starbucks has unfortunately been added to that list.

I’ve signed the pledge, and have dumped Starbucks. Will you?

Petition Against the Georgetown Scandal

~ Laura ~ 1 Comment

A few days ago, Jesuit Catholic Georgetown University announced that they plan to host pro-choice HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius at a graduation ceremony later this month. The story has been spreading across the pro-life and Catholic news headlines for a good reason: You can’t be Catholic and pro-choice. You can’t be Catholic and endorse pro-abortion anything. Period.

So what’s going to happen? Either Georgetown is going to have to remove the invitation to Sebelius, or they’re going to have to remove their Catholic identity. Simple as ABC.

In the last three days, more than 12,500 people have signed The Cardinal Newman Society’s petition opposing Georgetown’s decision. Will you sign the petition? It takes less than a minute, and this could make a real difference. Go here to sign the petition, and please share this story so we can get as many people as possible to sign this!