Your President - The Ingrate!

H/T to Yahoo Sports

Obama takes a run at Notre Dame football

(AP)—Having put up with hecklers at Notre Dame, President Barack Obama got in a shot of his own at the school whose renowned football team has gone its longest stretch without a national championship.

After giving the commencement speech at Notre Dame, Obama spoke at an Indianapolis fundraiser Sunday night for the Democratic National Committee. He began his remarks by joking that he told The Rev. John Jenkins, the university president, that the controversy surrounding his campus appearance “paled in comparison to what to do about the football team.”

The Fighting Irish had records of 3-9 and 7-6 the past two seasons—the most losses at the school in a two-year period—and haven’t won a national championship since 1988.

“That’s an issue we may not resolve within my four years,” Obama said.

“Eight,” shouted someone from the audience.

“All right, well, maybe in eight we might get it done,” Obama said.

Obama’s appearance at Notre Dame capped weeks of protests by some Roman Catholics upset that he was invited to speak at commencement despite his support of abortion rights and embryonic stem-cell research.

The remarks were first reported Tuesday by The Journal Gazette of Fort Wayne.

Obama At Notre Dame

Obama Legitimizes Killing of Unborn Babies in Speech at Notre Dame's Graduation

Monday, May 18, 2009
By Terence P. Jeffrey, Editor-in-Chief
CNSNews.com



(CNSNews.com) - After receiving an honorary doctorate in law at the University of Notre Dame’s graduation ceremony yesterday, President Barack Obama delivered a speech to the school's graduating seniors that sought to legitimize his position in favor of the legal killing of unborn children.

Obama told the graduates of the nation’s most well-known Catholic university that abortion “has both moral and spiritual dimensions”--although he did not explain why he had made this conclusion—and made it quite clear that, even so, he has no intention of moving from his position that it ought to be legal for a pregnant mother to have a doctor kill her unborn child for literally any reason at any stage of pregnancy.

The president also did not take back his declaration made in 2007 to Planned Parenthood that he would sign the Freedom of Choice Act, a bill that would eliminate all the state and federal limitations on abortion that have been achieved by the pro-life movement in the 26 years since the Supreme Court legalized abortion on demand in its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.

Nor did Obama rescind his vow to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act that currently protects states that do not recognize same-sex marriages from being compelled by the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the Constitution to recognize same-sex marriages contracted in other states.

Nor did he reverse his executive order allowing federal tax dollars to be used for research that kills human embryos in order to extract their stem cells.

Nor did he reverse his order to allow U.S. foreign aid dollars to be used to perform and promote abortion in foreign countries.

But he did lecture the Notre Dame graduates that the “two camps are irreconcilable” on the question of whether unborn life ought to be protected in law or left vulnerable to abortion, making it clear that he falls on the pro-abortion side of this unbridgeable divide.

Much of his speech exalted the idea that for pro-lifers to work together with people who favor the legal killing of unborn children is a more civilized and noble cause than the cause of protecting innocent life itself.

“The gay activist and the evangelical pastor may both deplore the ravages of HIV/AIDS, but find themselves unable to bridge the cultural divide that might unite their efforts,” Obama said. “Those who speak out against stem cell research may be rooted in an admirable conviction about the sacredness of life, but so are the parents of a child with juvenile diabetes who are convinced that their son's or daughter's hardships can be relieved.”

“The question then,” said Obama, “is how do we work through these conflicts? Is it possible for us to join hands in common effort? As citizens of a vibrant and varied democracy, how do we engage in vigorous debate? How does each of us remain firm in our principles, and fight for what we consider right, without, as [Notre Dame President] Father John [Jenkins] said, demonizing those with just as strongly held convictions on the other side? And of course, nowhere do these questions come up more powerfully than on the issue of abortion.”

“That's when we begin to say, ‘Maybe we won't agree on abortion, but we can still agree that this heart-wrenching decision for any woman is not made casually, it has both moral and spiritual dimensions,” said Obama.

“So let us work together to reduce the number of women seeking abortions, let's reduce unintended pregnancies,” said Obama. “Let's make adoption more available. Let's provide care and support for women who do carry their children to term. Let's honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion, and draft a sensible conscience clause, and make sure that all of our health care policies are grounded not only in sound science, but also in clear ethics, as well as respect for the equality of women. Those are things we can do.”

“Now, understand, Class of 2009, I do not suggest that the debate surrounding abortion can or should go away. Because no matter how much we may want to fudge it--indeed, while we know that the views of most Americans on the subject are complex and even contradictory--the fact is that at some level, the views of the two camps are irreconcilable,” said Obama. “Each side will continue to make its case to the public with passion and conviction. But surely we can do so without reducing those with differing views to caricature. Open hearts. Open minds. Fair-minded words. It's a way of life that has always been the Notre Dame tradition.”

Other related posts from CNSNews.com:

• Cardinal George: ‘Notre Dame Didn't Understand What It Means to Be Catholic’ When They Invited Obama
• Two More Catholic Bishops Speak Out against Notre Dame Honoring Pro-Abortion Obama
• Phoenix Bishop Blasts Notre Dame’s President for ‘Public Act of Disobedience to the Bishops of the United States’
• Catholic Notre Dame Will Award Pro-Abortion Obama an Honorary Law Degree
• At Notre Dame, Pro-Abortion Obama Wears Prayer Symbolizing Dedication of all Notre Dame's Activities to Virgin Mary
• Top Vatican Official: Notre Dame’s Honoring ‘Anti-Life and Anti-Family’ Obama ‘Is a Source of the Gravest Scandal’
• Obamamania Infects Notre Dame
• After Notre Dame Speech, Obama Attends Two Fundraisers

Notre Dame Seniors Say NO to Obama's Invitation

ND Response  

ND Response has received official permission to hold a prayerful and constructive demonstration on the South Quad of the University of Notre Dame between 11am and 4pm on the day of Commencement. The students of this coalition would like to extend an invitation to all those interested in joining us on campus on May 17th as we respectfully give witness to Notre Dame's Catholic identity and pro-life principles.

In defense of the unborn, we wish to express our deepest opposition to Reverend John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.’s invitation of President Barack Obama to be the University of Notre Dame’s principal commencement speaker and the recipient of an honorary degree. Our objection is not a matter of political partisanship, but of President Obama’s hostility to the Catholic Church’s teachings on the sanctity of human life at its earliest stages. Further, the University’s decision runs counter to the policy of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops against honoring pro-choice politicians. We cannot sit by idly while the University honors someone who believes that an entire class of human beings is undeserving of the most basic of all legal rights, the right to live.

Additionally, Fr. Jenkins has put some of his students into a position of moral dilemma as to whether they should attend their own graduation. Many pro-life seniors, along with their families, now feel personally conflicted about participating in the commencement. The lack of concern for these devoted sons and daughters of Notre Dame, who love this University and the Catholic principles on which it was built, is shameful.

"The business of justice is everybody's business."



Please visit ND Response.com for additional deatils.

Snooper's Take on the Connecticut Debacle

Coup D'etat On Catholicism

Tuesday, March 10, 2009 at 10:12PM

Separation of Church and State does not exist in the United States Constitution. No one can find it in the United States Constitution. People have tried. The run away Judiciary has tried to find it. The communist-based ACLU has tried to find it. No one has found it yet but that doesn't stop people from saying it's there. Then again, various hallucinogenic narcotics will let you see anything. Having alcoholic withdrawals will also enable an already warped imagination to run amok as well.

Click here to read the rest of Snoopers post at The Snooper Report.

We All Should Be Outraged!!!

Outrage from Catholics causes bill to be shelved

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

After outrage from area Catholics against a proposed state law that would strip bishops and parish pastors of their financial authority, a state Senate bill was withdrawn from consideration Tuesday. The bill came in the wake of financial scandals involving Catholic priests in Greenwich and Darien. Under the proposed legislation, a board of elected laypersons would be set up to handle parish finances while bishops and priests would oversee “matters pertaining exclusively to religious tenets and practices.” Now the bill will not be heard this session and a scheduled public hearing of the full Legislature has been canceled. Bishop William E. Lori, head of the Bridgeport diocese, spoke out this week against the bill and there was outcry from throughout the Catholic community in the state. In an official statement regarding the proposed bill, the diocese said the bill “...is a thinly-veiled attempt to silence the Catholic Church on the important issues of the day, such as same-sex marriage.” The diocese also referred to the bill as “irrational, unlawful and bigoted.” In response to e-mailed questions, Bishop Lori said that although this current legislation is aimed at the Roman Catholic Church, other denominations should fear the same. “Every denomination should fear the wide-ranging implications of this proposed bill. While it is directed unfairly at the Roman Catholic Church, all churches could face a loss of religious liberty which is guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution,” he wrote. “It is blatantly unconstitutional and a violation of the First Amendment,” he added. “The guarantee of religious freedom in the U.S. Constitution applies not only to the private beliefs of individuals but also protects the autonomy of organized churches — all churches.” Recent scandals have given the diocese a bit of a financial black eye. Two financial reviews at St. Michael the Archangel Parish found that former pastor Michael Moynihan stole $400,000 from the church to keep for himself and to make payments to his personal credit cards. Last February, Mr. Moynihan, who was at St. Michael’s from 1992 until 2006, was defrocked after it was discovered he was in a relationship with another man. The same year the diocese’s financial review uncovered Mr. Moynihan’s two unauthorized accounts, Darien priest Michael Jude Fay pleaded guilty to stealing more than $1 million from his parish. Monsignor Frank Wissel, pastor of St. Mary Parish on Greenwich Avenue told the Post Tuesday he was happy to see the bill dead for at least this legislative session, citing the outpouring against it not only from Catholics around the state but also from people of other religions who fear they might be next. “These kinds of attacks against us are nothing new,” Msgr. Wissel said. “The Catholic Church has been criticized for many things over the years and these kinds of attacks are because of our stances on issues like abortion and same-sex marriage. There’s no question in my mind.” Msgr. Wissel said he isn’t ignoring scandals involving Mr. Moynihan and Mr. Fay, calling them “embarrassing,” but pointed out their behavior wasn’t indicative of Catholics as a whole. “The church is attacked because we have a certain set of ethics,” Msgr. Wissel said. “We’re not perfect but certainly the failings that have been shown can be attributed to the human condition. This is not a problem that exists across the board.” In Hartford Originally it was thought the bill was being written by state Sen. Andrew McDonald (D-27) and state Rep. Mike Lawlor (D-99), co-chairmen of the General Assembly’s Judiciary Committee. But on Monday, they released a statement that they were not advocating for the bill and were simply introducing it as part of a request for a hearing from constituents. “It has been incorrectly characterized that this legislation originated from the two of us as an attack on the church and freedom of religion. That is not the truth, and the facts do not support such a claim,” the statement said. Mr. McDonald told Hersam Acorn Newspapers Tuesday he had not written the bill. “A number of parishioners from lower Fairfield County asked the judiciary committee to consider this proposal, including Greenwich attorney Tom Gallagher and Fairfield University professor Paul Lakeland, who has been writing on this subject for several years now,” Mr. McDonald said. Mr. McDonald said parishioners who suggested the bill are “victims of embezzlement” who are seeking to have “a greater say in the administrative and financial functions of the church.” This isn’t the first time Mr. Gallagher has asked for a hearing to consider this. Former state Rep. Claudia “Dolly” Powers told the Post Tuesday she recalled working on “much narrower” legislation last year at the behest of Mr. Gallagher, one of her constituents in the 151st District. Ms. Powers said she doesn’t remember specific language used, except that it was “literally one line” and that it was never raised by the Legislature. Ms. Powers said she filled out what it is known as a proposed bill form with the one line and it was submitted to the Legislative Commissioner’s Office. She said she can’t recall which committee the form was then sent to, but said it died there and was never brought up again. “I remember being told about this and thinking, ‘Wow, let’s see if we can narrow it a little bit,’” Ms. Powers said, recalling that she wanted to check with attorneys to make sure any legislation did not violate laws separating church from state. When asked about the new proposed legislation, Ms. Powers, who is no longer in office, said she didn’t want to comment. Mr. Gallagher could not be reached for comment. Despite the bill being taken out of consideration, state Senate and House Republicans are going forward with their own hearing on it, scheduled for noon tomorrow in room 2C of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. Sign-up for the hearing begins at 9:30. Also, a rally against the bill, organized by the Catholic Church, was scheduled for outside the Capitol on Wednesday; as of press time, it was still being held. In another statement released Tuesday, Mr. McDonald and Mr. Lawlor said they don’t want to consider any changes to the laws governing Roman Catholic corporations until it is clear whether the state’s existing laws are constitutional. They said the Legislature’s public hearing was canceled at the request of those advocating for the bill. They said they plan to check with Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, a Greenwich resident, for his opinion on the constitutionality of the existing law, which sets different rules for five named religions separately.

Catholic group denounces Obama's pick of Biden for V.P.

I get One News Now's daily update, and Miss Beth pointed this out in an email as well. If you don't already subscribe, I would highly recommend doing so.

CP

Catholic group denounces Obama's pick of Biden for V.P.

Fred Jackson- OneNewsNow - 8/23/2008 6:40:00 AM

The Roman Catholic group, Fidelis, says Barack Obama's selection of pro-abortion Catholic Joe Biden to be his V.P. running mate "is a slap in the face to Catholic voters" and poses a major challenge for American Catholics.

In a press release sent out overnight, Fidelis president, Brian Burch, declared that Barack Obama has "re-opened a wound among American Catholics" by picking a pro-abortion Catholic politician like Joe Biden.

According to Burch, the American Catholic bishops have made it clear that Catholic political leaders must defend the dignity of every human person, including the unborn.

" Sadly, Joe Biden's tenure in the United States Senate has been marked by steadfast support for legal abortion" he added.

During the recent Democratic primary campaign Biden said: I am a long-standing supporter of Roe v Wade and a woman's right to choose."

Burch notes that in 2004, John Kerry's support of abortion sparked a nationwide controversey over whether Catholics who support legal abortion can receive communion.

Burch says "now, everywhere Biden campaigns, we'll have this question of whether a pro-abortion Catholic can receive Communion."

"Senator Biden is an unrepentant supporter of abortion in direct opposition to the church he claims as his own. Selecting a pro-abortion Catholic is a slap in the face to Catholic voters," said Burch.

According to Burch, "The American bishops have instructed Catholic voters to consider many issues, but have characterized the defense of human life as foundational and have explained that the issue has a special claim on the conscience of the Catholic voter. This means that a political candidate like Biden, because of his strong support for abortion rights, forfeits any claim for support despite his views on other issues like health care and the economy."

There Can Be No Resurrection Without a Crucifixion

Thanks to Sonlit Knight at ANewtOne for this important message.

"Eloi, Eloi Lama Sabachtani" Those are the words my Lord cried out in anguish, from the Cross. "My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?"

The words reverberated through time and space, for they were words cried out to God, from God. This is not contradiction, this is paradox. For in this solemn and sacred mystery is the very meaning of life.

The passion and death of Our Lord is the defining and central theme to all of the fallen age of man. So much so His words ring out in the Prophetic words of the Psalmist. It's Psalm 22- the one just before the one everybody knows.

Here is part of it....

My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me,
from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but thou dost not answer;
and by night, but find no rest.

Yet thou art holy, enthroned on the
praises of Israel. In thee our fathers trusted; they trusted, and thou didst
deliver them. To thee they cried, and were saved; in thee they trusted, and were
not disappointed. But I am a worm, and no man; scorned by men, and despised by
the people.

All who see me mock at me, they make mouths at me, they wag
their heads;

"He committed his cause to the LORD; let him deliver
him, let him rescue him, for he delights in him!" Yet thou art he who took me
from the womb; thou didst keep me safe upon my mother's breasts.

Upon thee was I cast from my birth, and since my mother bore me thou hast
been my God. Be not far from me, for trouble is near and there is none to help.

The Sorrowful Mysteries are 5 particular events drawn from the narrative of Christ's Passion, that make up part of a Catholic devotional known as the Rosary. In praying the Rosary's Sorrowful Mysteries, Catholics attempt to meditate on and delve into the depth of these sacred and sorrowful events and what they mean to believers.

I believe that many pious Christians have not truly contemplated the deeper purpose of Christ's suffering and death and as a consequence come to a distorted interpretation of life, suffering, death and salvation.

Many good and decent people believe that Christ died to give you salvation, like someone might give you a candy bar. He did not. Salvation is indeed a free gift; you cannot earn or merit. However, it is not a singular act but a process with which you must cooperate. Again, this is not contradiction, this is paradox. If you doubt that a profession of faith alone is insufficient for salvation you need only read the admonishing words of James (Chapter 2), wherein he says:

What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not
works? Can his faith save him? [15] If a brother or
sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, [16]
and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving
them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? [17] So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

[18] But some one will say, "You have faith and
I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will
show you my faith. [19] You believe that God is one;
you do well. Even the demons believe -- and shudder.

[20] Do you want to be shown, you shallow man,
that faith apart from works is barren?

[21] Was not Abraham our father justified by
works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? [22] You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works, [23] and the
scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned
to him as righteousness"; and he was called the friend of God. [24] You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.

This is very difficult to grasp but I admonish you to persist. For in the unraveling of this mystery is the very secret of the meaning of salvation and life. It is a very tough nut to crack, this apparent contradiction between salvation by faith and salvation by works. For as clearly as James appears to come down on one side, Paul appears to come down on the other...

Ephesians 2

[5] even when we were dead through our
trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been
saved), [6] and raised us up with Him, and made us
sit with
Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, [7] that
in the coming ages He might show the
immeasurable riches of His grace in
kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. [8] For by grace
you have been saved through
faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the
gift of God -- [9] not because of works, lest any man
should boast.

Once again, paradox is at work. For though it was Moses' staff that turned the Nile red with blood, it was not Moses who did it. Though it was Trumpets of Joshua's band that brought down the walls of Jericho, it is not Joshua who did it. Though the Virgin Mary brought forth the I Am Himself, it was not by Mary's doing that this miracle was brought forth.

So what of these sorrowful mysteries I mentioned? In them is found the answer. For if salvation is of faith through works, how can anyone be saved? When the disciples asked this very question.....

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible,but with God all
things are possible." Matthew 19:26

Jesus excels at making the impossible possible.....even putting salvation within the reach of sinful men. For a human being cannot achieve salvation by human acts, only by Divine acts. How can a human being accomplish Divine acts??? He can only do so because He who was both human and Divine, sanctified the human act and made it Divine.

Jesus was not baptised because He needed to be. He was baptised to take a human act- being immersed in water- and attaching a Divine action to it. Now, through Baptism, we can receive sanctifying Grace. Before, you would only get wet.

Jesus did not pray the Our Father merely because it sounded good. By simply voicing it, it became the Word of God. All throughout the New Testament, we see evidence of purely human actions that now have Divine value.

Here are but a few....

Matthew 10:42 And if anyone gives even a cup of
cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the
truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."

Luke 24:50 When He had led them out to the
vicinity of Bethany, He lifted up his hands and blessed them.

Acts 8:17 Then Peter and John placed their hands
on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 26-29
26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread,
gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to His disciples, saying, "Take and eat;
this is My body." 27 Then He took the cup, gave
thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is My blood of the [b] covenant, which is poured
out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell
you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when
I drink it anew with you in My Father's kingdom."

Time after time, what appear to be simple human acts performed by human beings have a supernatural component fused to them because these acts were sanctified and made holy by the God-Man.

The Bible tells us that He was like us in all things except sin. Why? Have you ever thought about this? Did God, the Omniscient One, need to experience life as a human being to understand it? Hardly.

Then why? Why did Jesus need to come to us, be baptised, work, learn, teach, pray, fast, minister, empathize, experience fear and rejection and grief and suffer and die a horrible death? Did He do all these things so that we would not have to?

Not so! The Bible definately does not teach that. In fact, it teaches the opposite!

For, while Jesus was baptised, learned, taught, prayed, fasted, ministered, empathized, experienced fear and rejection and grief and suffered and died, He admonished each and every one of us that we would-to greater or lessor degree- experience each of these things.

This is where the so-called "prosperity gospel" preachers get it so wrong. "Follow Jesus" they say, "and you will know only joy and peace".

Jesus promised something very different. Jesus promised that the price of following Him was a Cross that you would have to carry. Jesus promised that you would be hated and reviled by mankind and that you would have to live a life that shunned the pleasures of this world. In short, Jesus promised that suffering would come to those who believed and that only those who endured to the end would be saved.

Well....that doesn't sound like much fun! It certainly is difficult to reconcile with the idea of a God who came to earth to suffer and die, as a free gift of salvation. It almost sounds like a contradiction. It almost sounds like God is going back on His word. It almost sounds like God is cruel. Why would God desire the very followers He Redeemed at an incalculable price and who accepted Him, suffer needlessly at the hands of the very ones who rejected Him?

To understand, you must re-orient your thinking and understanding of who Jesus was and what He did for you. He did not suffer so that you would not have to suffer. For if He did some very special people to me were seriously short changed. Jesus again did not suffer for the purpose of eliminating suffering from your life.

Jesus suffered to sanctify suffering itself and make it holy so that even that which the devil intends for evil can be used for good. Once again, the sheer depth of God is explored within the mystery of paradox. For it is right and just and logical that we would attempt to avoid suffering, yet suffering, if it must come, is not in vain. For even that which hurts us, can help us.

Is it God's will that we suffer? hardly. It's the devil's will. The passion of Christ and the five sacred mysteries that explore it teach us the very thing Satan uses to destroy you can be used by God to save you.

This is the answer, to that age-old question of why God sometimes allows (passive) horrible things to happen to people. This is the question that I have wrestled with every bit as much as you. For I have seen unimaginable evil in my life on both the public and private level and cried out those words......

My God, My God! Why have you forsaken me!?"

The same words. Listen to me. The same words King David cried out. The same words the Savior cried out. For God in His unfathomable mercy experienced the perception of His own rejection and the sorrow of isolation even as He saw all and knew all.

The inexpressible mystery of paradox.

Jesus did not forsake you, little one, though it seems so painfully clear that He did. Where was He in your suffering? Right in the middle of it.

When you pleaded with God to protect you from the thing you were so fearful of, He was on His knees in the Garden of Gethsemane sweating blood and pleading that the cup be taken from Him.

While you were being taunted and ridiculed and made to feel small, insignificant and worthless, He was before the tribunal of Pilate being spit upon, kicked, mocked and crowned with thorns.

While you suffered horrible pain unjustly, He was there, being scourged and crucified.

As you have gone through life carrying a burden, He was carrying His cross.

Many believers don't want to talk of these things, preferring to concentrate only on the Resurrection.

Many of my Christian friends point out (and rightly so) the suffering and death is completely powerless without the Resurrection. Point conceded.

Do not forget, however, what magnifies the Light and power of the Resurrection is the sheer darkness from which it rose. The disciples had placed all their faith in a Savior only to watch him arrested for crimes He wasn't capable of committing, subjected to a gruesome, horrific torture and murder and laid in a tomb.

Everything they believed was destroyed, everything they hoped for was obliterated...or so they thought.

The power of the Resurrection is even the most horrible darkness can be followed by the Light of the Son. This life will eventually bring misery and death to each of us. For every possession you have will be lost and every relationship you have will be brought to an end. No level of power or money can buy you another second when the Angel of Death comes to call upon you.

This is just reality. Do not despair. Do not give up. For those who have accumulated great fortune in this world, age and death are only that much more painful a separation.

Do not assume the suffering that has been visited upon you means God doesn't love you.Remember, you cannot have a Resurrection without the Crucifixion. Does this mean that you must be crucified? Heavens no!

It means that you must take up your cross (Matthew 10:38) and unite your sufferings with His (Colossians 1:24). How do you do so? Very simply-by saying and embracing those 4 difficult and powerful words: Thy will be done.

And remembering the sorrow of Friday is fleeting; the Joy of Sunday is everlasting.

Happy Easter!

The Twelve Days of Christmas

I recently was introduced to a prayer website called Positive Christianity and I got the following in my Daily Inspiration from them. I didn't check the history of what is told, but the list of symbols is worth the entire reading. I hope this blesses you, like it did me! - Cyber Pastor

The Twelve Days of Christmas

The 12 days of Christmas begins today.

You're all familiar with the Christmas song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" I think. To most it's a delightful nonsense rhyme set to music.But it had a quite serious purpose when it was written.

It is a good deal more than just a repetitious melody with pretty phrases and a list of strange gifts.

Catholics in England during the period 1558 to 1829, when Parliament finally emancipated Catholics in England, were prohibited from ANY practice of their faith by law - private OR public. It was a crime to BE a Catholic.

"The Twelve Days of Christmas" was written in England as one of the"catechism songs" to help young Catholics learn the tenets of their faith- a memory aid, when to be caught with anything in *writing* indicating adherence to the Catholic faith could not only get you imprisoned, it could get you hanged, or shortened by a head - or hanged, drawn and quartered, a rather peculiar and ghastly punishment.

The songs gifts are hidden meanings to the teachings of the faith. The"true love" mentioned in the song doesn't refer to an earthly suitor, it refers to God. The "me" who receives the presents refers to every baptized person. The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge which feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings, much in memory of the expression of Christ's sadness over the fate of Jerusalem:"Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered thee under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but thou wouldst not have it so..."

The other symbols mean the following:

2. Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments

3. French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues

4. Calling Birds = The Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists

5. Golden Rings = The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the"Pentateuch", which gives the belief of fall from grace.

6. Geese A-laying = The six days of creation

7. Swans A-swimming = The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments

8. Maids A-milking = The eight beatitudes

9. Ladies Dancing = The nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit

10. Lords A-leaping = The Ten Commandments

11. Pipers Piping = The eleven faithful apostles

12. Drummers Drumming = The twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed

No matter what our religion is, let us take time, each of the 12 days of Christmas, to give thanks to God for the greatness of our faith and our freedom for ability to each believe in our own way.

Religion must not divide and separate. We must learn from history about the mistakes humans have made in the name of religion through fear in the past. Religion MUST bring differing ideas, and differing people together as one, for it is the only answer to peace in our homes, workplaces,cities, and the world. Separation leads only to fear. To truly celebrate Christmas we follow Jesus Christ by being all-inclusive, loving, and accepting, to people everywhere.