Pro-life Reflection: SUNDAY, June 24, 2012

TELLING the TRUTH like JOHN the BAPTIST

John the Baptist preached the truth boldly, without sugar-coating it. In a Culture of Death, we must do the same. In “The Gospel of Life,” Pope John Paul II put it this way:

“The acceptance of abortion in the popular mind, in behavior and even in law itself, is a telling sign of an extremely dangerous crisis of the moral sense, which is becoming more and more incapable of distinguishing between good and evil, even when the fundamental right to life is at stake. Given such a grave situation, we need now more than ever to have the courage to look the truth in the eye and to call things by their proper name, without yielding to convenient compromises or to the temptation of self-deception. In this regard the reproach of the Prophet is extremely straightforward: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness" (Is 5:20). Especially in the case of abortion there is a widespread use of ambiguous terminology, such as "interruption of pregnancy", which tends to hide abortion's true nature and to attenuate its seriousness in public opinion. Perhaps this linguistic phenomenon is itself a symptom of an uneasiness of conscience. But no word has the power to change the reality of things: procured abortion is the deliberate and direct killing, by whatever means it is carried out, of a human being in the initial phase of his or her existence, extending from conception to birth” (EV n. 58).

~Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life 

TODAY'S READINGS:
Nativity of John the Baptist, Cycle B - June 24, 2012

Isaiah 49:1-6
Psalm 139:1-3, 13-15
Acts 13:22-26
Luke 1:57-66, 80

Oh my Lord! How true it is that whoever works for you is paid in troubles! And what a precious price to those who love you if we understand its value.

-- St. Teresa

Every Sunday, I post these pro-life materials, generously offered for distribution by Priests for Life. These posts coincide with the Church calendar and add a pro-life flavor to the day's readings. This is my Sunday effort to help us all think with a pro-life heart.

As is the practice over at Catholic Sistas, a blog to which I contribute, Sunday posts will be scheduled ahead of time in order to leave that day for Church and family.
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PS. Learn about Lady Ribbon’s Entry Into Our Lives… a ribbon that truly speaks to Catholic women with regard to breast cancer with a focus on pro-life awareness.

Pro-life Reflection: SUNDAY, June 17, 2012

PRO-LIFE WORDS from HOLLYWOOD

“Indeed the tragedy of abortion haunts women from all walks of life. Abortion advocates are spending millions to package their tired rhetoric and half-truths in cutting-edge advertising campaigns targeted to young women... The early feminists were pro-life. And really, abortion is a huge disservice to women, and it hasn't been presented that way." -- Emmy winning actress, Patricia Heaton, from Everybody Loves Raymond

~Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life

TODAY'S READINGS:

1 Sm 3:3b-10, 19
1 Cor 6:13c-15a, 17-20
Jn 1:35-42

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle B

Every Sunday, I post these pro-life materials, generously offered for distribution by Priests for Life. These posts coincide with the Church calendar and add a pro-life flavor to the day's readings. This is my Sunday effort to help us all think with a pro-life heart.

As is the practice over at Catholic Sistas, a blog to which I contribute, Sunday posts will be scheduled ahead of time in order to leave that day for Church and family.
.
PS. Learn about Lady Ribbon’s Entry Into Our Lives… a ribbon that truly speaks to Catholic women with regard to breast cancer with a focus on pro-life awareness.

Make your own Veil

In a blog I shared over at Catholic Sistas, entitled Lifting the Veil...onto my Head, I went into how my daughter and I discerned whether or not to begin veiling. Now I would like to share my method of making a veil of my own. I caught a sale at Hancock Fabrics and spent right around $10.00 for all of my materials. Even if you pay more than that, it is well worth the effort!

MATERIALS LIST:

1 yard lace fabric (will make 4 veils)

2 1/2 yards of matching lace (for each veil)

1 spool matching thread

Carefully cut away the lacy edges.

Fold lace fabric in half and then halve again. Cut.

Round the corners to achieve the desired effect.

Using a zig-zag stitch, sew the lace along the sides of the veil. You will need to tuck or fold the lace at the turns.

After I created my veil, I noticed that it seemed a bit stiff, so I soaked it in a small amount of baby shampoo/conditioner and water, rinsed and allowed it to air dry. The baby scent gave it an extra special something!

Since the materials made more than one veil, I dyed one of them by soaking it in strong coffee overnight. It turned out to be a nice old lace/ivory color. I washed it by hand to eliminate the coffee smell.

By this time, I was feeling a bit more creative and so made another veil by simply cutting around the lace flowers to created a cut-lace look. I applied Fray Not  to prevent raveling.

I certainly did not want our veiling to become a distraction by constant adjustment, so I sewed my granddaughter's veil onto a satin headband (using a slip stitch). This way, she can simply slip it on and it stays in place much better than trying to use clips or hair pins. She is quite active and replacing the veil/headband is something that even a two-year-old can do.

Since Mother's Day, we have all continued to veil and I am grateful that we were led to this devotion by the whispers on our hearts!

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The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi)

THE EUCHARIST and UNITY

Imagine a person who receives Communion, accepts the Host when the priest says, "The Body of Christ," says "Amen," and then breaks off a piece, hands it back, and says, "Except this piece, Father!" This is what the person who rejects other people may as well do. In receiving Christ, we are to receive the whole Christ, in all his members, our brothers and sisters, whether convenient or inconvenient, wanted or unwanted, born or unborn.

As St. John remarks, Christ was to die "to gather into one all the scattered children of God." Sin scatters. Christ unites. The word "diabolical" means "to split asunder." Christ came "to destroy the works of the devil" (1Jn.3:8). The Eucharist builds up the human family in Christ who says, "Come to me, feed on My Body, become My Body." Abortion, in a reverse dynamic, says, "Go away! We have no room for you, no time for you, no desire for you, no responsibility for you. Get out of our way!" Abortion attacks the unity of the human family by splitting asunder the most fundamental relationship between any two persons: mother and child. The Eucharist, as a Sacrament of Unity, reverses the dynamic of abortion.

~Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life

TODAY'S READINGS:
Corpus Christi, Cycle B - June 10, 2012
Ex 24:3-8
Heb 9:11-15
Mk 14:12-16, 22-26

Every Sunday, I post these pro-life materials, generously offered for distribution by Priests for Life. These posts coincide with the Church calendar and add a pro-life flavor to the day's readings. This is my Sunday effort to help us all think with a pro-life heart.

As is the practice over at Catholic Sistas, a blog to which I contribute, Sunday posts will be scheduled ahead of time in order to leave that day for Church and family.
.
PS. Learn about Lady Ribbon’s Entry Into Our Lives… a ribbon that truly speaks to Catholic women with regard to breast cancer with a focus on pro-life awareness.

Pro-life Reflection: SUNDAY, June 3, 2012

PRAISE THE HOLY TRINITY

Some truths, like the very existence of God, can be known by human reason alone. Other truths, like the fact that God is One in Three Persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – can only be known if God reveals them to us. We could never conclude on our own that God is a Trinity. Today’s Feast is not only an opportunity for thanking God for telling us more about himself. It is an occasion to take courage as we strive for deeper unity within the human family. God reveals himself to us in order to make us more like himself – not just as individuals, but as families, nations, and an international community. We grow in unity as we give ourselves away to one another, just as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit give themselves to each other completely. 
         ~Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life


Most Holy Trinity, Cycle B - June 3, 2012

TODAY'S READINGS: 

Dt 4:32-34, 39-40
Rom 8:14-17
Mt 28:16-20

Every Sunday, Every Sunday, I post these pro-life materials, generously offered for distribution by Priests for Life. These posts coincide with the Church calendar and add a pro-life flavor to the day's readings. This is my Sunday effort to help us all think with a pro-life heart.

As is the practice over at Catholic Sistas, a blog to which I contribute, Sunday posts will be scheduled ahead of time in order to leave that day for Church and family.
.
PS. Learn about Lady Ribbon’s Entry Into Our Lives… a ribbon that truly speaks to Catholic women with regard to breast cancer with a focus on pro-life awareness.