For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. ---Ephesians 6:12


"The age of casual Catholicism is over; the age of heroic Catholicism has begun. We can no longer be Catholics by accident, but instead must be Catholics by CONVICTION." ---Fr. Terrence Henry TOR, Franciscan University of Steubenville

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Air Maria's Time Lapse Video Of March For Life




AirMaria and The Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate produced this time-lapsed video of this year's March For Life just to give you an idea of the number of people who participated in it.  In my post below, containing my own photos, I speculated the number of marchers to be "more than 250,000, while LifeSiteNews estimated that number to be over 400,000.  It's difficult to figure just how many there were from the video above, but as you can see...it was an awful lot.  And the media mostly ignored them.

Hat tip:  Bryan Kemper of Stand True

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Keeping The Pro-Life Energy Alive All Year Long



A message from Lila Rose about keeping the pro-life energy alive year-long, not simply on the anniversary of Roe v Wade. There is much work to do, if the headlines from Philadelphia and other places are any indication.

From Live Action Films via Donald Douglas @ American Power.

Monday, January 24, 2011

2011 March For Life in Washington DC

There was great excitement in Washington DC today as over 250,000 people converged on the National Mall for a pro-life rally and the 38th annual March For Life.  The atmosphere is super-charged every year as young and old alike show their support for overturning the infamous Roe v. Wade court case which legalized abortion-on-demand.


They came from all over the country and from distant lands overseas:  from as far as Alaska, Texas, Maine, Florida, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, and Vietnam.  There were mostly Catholics it seemed, but also Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Baptists, as well as some Jewish Rabbis on hand.  And this is not merely a white man's battle.  All races have a dog in this fight.  And all were in good spirits as they celebrated life, and seemed filled with the Grace of God when explaining our pro-life position to the almost 10 so-called pro-choicers that showed up.  Yes, whereas last year they numbered almost 60, this year they barely broke double digits.

Unfortunately the Main Stream Media is likely to almost completely ignore this march, or they might claim there were an equal number of pro-choice participants to the pro-life ones, because they have their agenda and are determined to promote it, even to the detriment of their credibility on the world stage.  Pravda will get it right before our media does, and that's by choice!

The rest of the 105 pictures are up on Flickr and available now. And do click on them to make them larger.  They are 8 megapixels and will show much detail.  Enjoy!

Other blogs with photos from the March will be updated as I find them:

Mommy Life 

Thy Will Be Done...

NBC Washington 

National Catholic Register 

And the Walk Out West...

Great photos from Jen @ Conversion Diary

Sr. Lisa @ Nunspeak

EWTN coverage via Lisa Graas

_______and now back to The March For Life...









It took some doing, but we found the so-called pro-choicers floundering in the crowd near the Supreme Court Building, their last refuge.

Orthodox Jewish people don't like to spell out the Almighty.  Click on this to enlarge and read his sign.

And this one should give you at least an idea of the size of the pro-life crowd.  It went on forever...

Friday, January 21, 2011

"CHOICE" Is A Euphemism, And It's All They Have Left In Their Arsenal

Back in the pre-Civil-War days of the mid 19th Century, whenever northerners would travel past the Mason-Dixon Line to visit friends and/or relatives at their plantations, the subject of slavery was strictly taboo in polite conversation.  Euphemisms would be used referring to slaves as "servants," "helpers," or simply..."boy."  The culture shock of this on the northerners must have been very difficult to keep to themselves, especially when they noticed how many of the slaves bore a stark, physical resemblance to the master of the house.  It was largely because of this "politeness" or political correctness that made slavery so easy to defend in the South.  It can be argued, IMHO, that had the truth in its appropriately ugly language been commonly used with slave owners to their faces, the shame of it all might have caused slavery to end sooner, and with much less bloodshed.  The South might have given it up voluntarily.

Today the nature of socially accepted barbarity rings familiar, as if we as a human race really haven't come that far from pre-Civil-War days.  Our society allows those who seek to keep the anathema of abortion "safe and legal" to refer to it as "CHOICE," rather than what it really is, MURDER of a child in the womb.  And as we all well know, the word "abortion," which is an accepted term by both sides of the issue is rarely used by those who defend the practice.

Today NARAL is having a pro-abortion blog bomb called "Blog for Choice Day," which "boils the blood" of Jill Stanek and MANY OTHERS, including me.  So Jill, a champion of the unborn, has quickly and successfully implemented ASK THEM WHAT THEY MEAN BY CHOICE blog day, on which I am participating with this post.  The pro-abortionists must be corrected in their deceitful choice of words.  Make them say what the so-called CHOICE is all about.  Thank you, Jill.  You do the Lord's work!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Stand Up For 50 Million Aborted Babies On Monday In DC




The video above shows the Westminster Cathedral Choir singing Lully, Lulla, Thou Little Tiny Child, which was written in the middle ages about the killing of the male babies in Bethlehem (Herod's attempt to slay the infant Jesus).  Although the Feast Of The Holy Innocents was on December 28th, I thought it appropriate to draw attention to it at this time as a reminder of the March For Life in Washington DC on January 24th, (Monday).  The March occurs every year to commemorate the anniversary of Roe v Wade, which was one of the worst examples of judicial legislating since Dred Scott v Sandford.  And you shouldn't need an imagination to see the parallels and symbolism between Herod's rampage against babies and the more than 50 million innocent children killed in their mother's wombs since Roe v Wade.

The Main Stream Media mostly ignores the march, in spite of the huge turnout, claiming off-hand that "there is some kind of march going on with an equal number of pro-choice and pro-life participants."  The truth of the numbers is that over 250,000 pro-lifers show up to march to the Supreme Court building where 30 to 50 pro-choicers await them.  Since no one except Fox News cares to accurately report the events, I for one, plan to show up with my camera and document as much as possible and post the evidence on this blog Monday night like I did last year.  If you can make it to DC to join us, by all means do so.  You'll meet a lot of interesting people and have quite a time.

Here are the lyrics to the above video:

Lully, lulla, thou little tiny child,
By, by, lully lullay,
Thou tiny little child,
By, by, lully lullay.

O sisters too,
How may we do
For to preserve this day
This poor youngling,
For whom we do sing,
By, by, lully lullay?

Herod, the king,
In his raging,
Charged he hath this day
His men of might,
In his own sight,
All young children to slay.

That woe is me,
Poor child for thee!
And ever morn and day,
For thy parting
Neither say nor sing
By, by, lully lullay!

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Review Of New Divine Mercy iPhone App

Snagged this pic from the Marian Bros website.
As of New Year's Day there is a new iPhone app on the market which can be purchased FREE of charge at the App Store, but so far only for those using iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.  It is the OFFICIAL Divine Mercy app from the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception, and it is a winner.

There are all kinds of apps sold by iTunes with clever names that try to get at least 99 cents or up to $4.99 out of you, but this one has neither a price tag or a clever name, eg., iConfess, iPray, etc...  Simply called Divine Mercy app, it has several colorful features, all of which are in very good working order --no bugs yet-- and all user-friendly. 

Without getting into the history of Saint Faustina (you can do that on the Marian Father's website to which I linked in the first paragraph, or get the app and read all about her), I'd like to draw your attention to the many features, all clearly displayed and easy to access.  At the bottom of each page are four tabs:  The Message, The Devotion, Mercy Plus, and Settings.  In each page of the first three tabs are six icons, while the Settings page allows you to turn on the Audio Chaplet and choose among the three most famous Divine Mercy images:  the Hyla (I don't prefer this one.  Jesus looks a bit too effete), the Skemp (not thrilled about this one either.  Jesus looks like he just climbed off his motorcycle), and the original Vilnius image (My preference which looks most like the painting commissioned by Saint Faustina, herself, and most closely matches the image of the Shroud of Turin).

The Message icons include an introduction of Divine Mercy, the timeline, the Mercy Popes (there were only two) excerpts from the Diary of St. Faustina, and a Resources icon where you can buy stuff.  All are packed with information.

The Devotion icons include the Chaplet with rosary beads lit up to help you keep your place (you have to manually scroll down my moving your finger in a downward motion on the screen.  There are no instructions to do this.  At the end you need to go back in reverse to force a prompt asking you if you wish to start over, again no instructions for this.  Thank me later.  There is an image icon so you can gaze upon Jesus and meditate on His Mercy.  Other icons here include 3 O'Clock Hour, Way of the Cross, Feast of Mercy, and Novena & Other Prayers, all of which have sub-headings full of very helpful information.

The final tab (before the Settings tab) is Mercy Plus with icons linking to The Marians, Marian Helpers, Apostolates, The Shrine, current Articles, and of course, a Catalog where you can buy stuff.

Perhaps the links to places where you can purchase stuff makes up for the fact that this is free, but in any case I would grab this FREE app before someone gets wise and starts charging for it.  Basically you get an awful lot for nothing.  And these days that's mighty attractive.