Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Please Pray...

...for people who think this sort of thing is okay.
(h/t Blazing Cat Fur)

Sunday, October 26, 2008

That's Heaven To Me

Sam Cooke & The Soul Stirrers, 1957


The things that I see as I walk along the street,
That's Heaven to me:

A little flower that blooms in May
A lovely sunset at the end of a day
Someone helping a stranger along the way
That's Heaven to me

The feeling I have when I hear a touching prayer
It makes me know the Lord is somewhere near
Even the birds flying around in the air
That's Heaven to me

It doesn't have to be a miracle
In order for me to see,
I know the goodness of my Saviour
Is everywhere to me

Even the children playing in the street
Saying a friendly hello to everyone that they meet
Even the leaves growing out, growing out, growing out
growing out on the tree
That's Heaven to me

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Rainy Autumn Day


This was the view from our balcony this morning. It's a wet, grey indoors-y kind of day, but still pretty...

I have a slight headache, but I think it will soon pass.

This week I came across a book called "The Glories of St. Joseph" compiled by the Monks of St. Joseph Abbey. It was given to me a couple of years ago, and I'd never gotten around to reading it. I think now would be a good time to start. Will let you know how it is.

Friday, October 24, 2008

Election Exhaustion

I have spent sooooo much time following the U.S. elections, I feel quite exhausted by it all - and I'm not even American! Meanwhile, the Canadian elections have come and gone with relatively little incident, other than the Conservative party gaining 19 seats in Parliament but remaining a minority government.

Here in Canada there are no legal restrictions on abortion, and same-sex "marriage" has been legalized nationwide since 2005. We also have socialized medicine which, at its best, means you don't have to freak out about the costs of basic medical care - and I am grateful for that. At its worst, it sometimes means you might be near death before they get around to diagnosing and treating your fatal illness...

We also have a real fight on our hands when it comes to free speech because of "Human Rights Commissions". They were originally set up in the 60s and 70s to investigate claims of discrimination in employment and housing. They're now being used to seek revenge against anyone who hurts someone's feelings with the words they use, especially if the speaker of the "hurtful" words holds conservative values.

In following the U.S. election campaigns, it concerns me to see that the U.S. appears to be on the verge of becoming more like Canada, with a presidential candidate who supports unrestricted access to abortion, who would allow individual states to choose to legalize same-sex "marriage", and who apparently leans towards socialism (some might say that's an understatement).

Regardless of the U.S. election results in November, I pray that conservatives, especially social conservatives will re-group and strive to be more united and focused. We can't waffle on the core conservative values that give us our identity, and we have to continually strive to improve how we convey our ideas and beliefs, using all of today's tools to our advantage.

**************

Recently I've been telling myself that winning hearts and changing minds is more important than winning elections and changing laws - then a friend pointed out to me that winning elections and changing laws also SAVES LIVES. She's right, of course. I suppose with God's grace, we should strive to do both. Whatever the results, we can find peace and strength in Christ who encourages us to keep fighting the good fight...

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Video from Gloria.TV

Update: Some thoughts below...


Senator Obama says he does not support infanticide and that his votes against previous versions of the Born Alive Infant Protection Act (BAIPA) were based on
a) his objection to language in the bill that he believed would have overturned Roe v. Wade, and
b) laws already in place in Illinois that would protect such an infant.

Senator Obama also says that the final version of the bill (HB 984) that was passed in Illinois after he'd left, is a version he would have also supported because the bill now included sufficient protections for physicians and pregnant women.

Jill Stanek presents links to Senator Obama's votes on BAIPA here. She also has a list of the reasons he has given for opposing BAIPA.

Whether or not you want to characterize Senator Obama as "supporting infanticide", there's no question that he's a strong supporter of Roe v. Wade.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Gayle Williams, R.I.P.

Gayle Williams, a 34 year-old British aid-worker helping disabled people in Afghanistan, was gunned down yesterday by two men acting on behalf of the Taliban...



May Gayle's soul rest in peace, and may her killers come to know the Way, the Truth and the Life...

Monday, October 20, 2008

Have I mentioned...


...that autumn is my favourite season in Toronto?

On Saturday afternoon, I went for a walk through High Park with a friend. The leaves are so beautiful right now, and the weather is perfect for walking. There's a slight nip in the air, which means you can wear your favourite comfortable sweater. We also stopped at Grenadier Cafe and warmed ourselves up with some hot coffee and a yummy mochacinno (for yours truly).

We've finally invested in a new camera, and I'm now in the habit of taking it almost everywhere with me so I can seize the moment whenever I see something picture-worthy. Autumn provides LOTS of those moments!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

In Defense of James T. Harris

James T. Harris is a man who has the courage to think outside the box. He holds conservative views and he speaks his mind, even when it's unpopular - and boy, has it been unpopular! Mr. Harris has been called all kinds of names (which I will not repeat here) all for the "crime" of being a black person who holds conservative views, who doesn't support Barack Obama, and who has said so publicly.

I applaud Mr. Harris's courage. He reminds me of those twenty percent of Catholic voters who resisted the temptation to vote for John F. Kennedy in 1960. As much as Catholics wanted one of their own in the White House, especially after years and years of living through anti-Catholic bigotry, some Catholics had reservations about Kennedy's strict separationist interpretation of the First Amendment (the effects of which we can still observe today) and accordingly they didn't vote for him.

Regarding the upcoming election, I can appreciate the historical significance of America getting it's first black President, and I can imagine how much this would mean to black Americans whose ancestors have suffered through slavery and who continue to experience forms of unjust discrimination today. But some blacks have reservations about Barack Obama because they don't agree with some of Senator Obama's moral and political views. And these issues are even more important to them than having "one of their own" in the role of President. And accordingly, they are not planning to vote for Obama, much like the twenty percent of Catholic voters in 1960 who didn't vote for Kennedy.

I admire the courage of anyone out there, whatever their race or gender, who publicly stands up for true conservative values, especially in today's political climate. Mr. Harris definitely has courage...

Melissa Ohden, Abortion Survivor

(h/t: The Practicing Catholic)

A YouTube video from Feminists For Life:

Because it bears repeating...

I posted this excerpt about a month ago, but I think it’s worth putting up again:

"Not all moral issues have the same moral weight as abortion and euthanasia. …While the Church exhorts civil authorities to seek peace, not war, and to exercise discretion and mercy in imposing punishment on criminals, it may still be permissible to take up arms to repel an aggressor or to have recourse to capital punishment. There may be a legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about waging war and applying the death penalty, but not however with regard to abortion and euthanasia."
(Letter from Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, to Cardinal McCarrick, July 2004)

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Some Welcome Levity!

Tonight the two presidential candidates were invited to speak at the Alfred E. Smith dinner in New York City - and both of them had some funny things to say:

McCain - Part 1


McCain - Part 2


Obama - Part 1


Obama - Part 2

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

That was better...

Ok - the third presidential debate was better than the last one. McCain came on stronger and feistier than he did the last time and he got in some good points. I was happy McCain was given the opportunity to state his pro-life beliefs. I wish he'd pressed Obama further about his (Obama's) votes against the "Born Alive Infant Protection Act" (see FactCheck.org) and I also wish McCain had raised the topic of the "Freedom of Choice Act" (FOCA), which Obama has promised to sign as the first act of his presidency.

Professor Robert George tell us that "In essence, FOCA would abolish virtually every existing state and federal limitation on abortion, including parental consent and notification laws for minors, state and federal funding restrictions on abortion, and conscience protections for pro-life citizens working in the health-care industry-protections against being forced to participate in the practice of abortion or else lose their jobs."

Read Robert George's full article here.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

In his own words...



"Culture wars are just so nineties," says Obama. In other words, fighting for the lives of unborn babies is passé. Alfonzo doesn't see it that way:

Decision Day

Today is the 40th Canadian General Election and I've cast my vote...

In solidarity with those who value free speech (h/t Kathy Shaidle), I'm posting these words spoken by John Diefenbaker at the House of Commons debate on July 1, 1960:

"I am a Canadian,
a free Canadian,
free to speak without fear,
free to worship God in my own way,
free to stand for what I think right,
free to oppose what I believe wrong,
free to choose those who shall govern my country.
This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold
for myself and for all mankind."

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Thank You, Fr. Thomas Berg!

Economy Matters, Life Matters -Does the economy trump abortion this year? (National Review Online)

"An economic crisis like the present means that millions of Americans will experience negative, discomforting and, in many cases, dire consequences. But no expert I know of is suggesting the crisis will reach bread-line proportions. And even it if did, the suffering of such consequences comes nowhere close to the moral gravity of human beings directly targeting and destroying the lives of 50 million unborn babies as has been the case under America’s abortion-on-demand regime."

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Boring!

There's my two cents worth on tonight's presidential debate.

Yes, it was important to talk about the economy again - but the topics of war, energy, foreign policy, and health care were all covered in the last presidential debate. Do the moderators know or care that there are other issues too - like abortion, like "gay marriage", like immigration, etc.?

How can we possibly have had two presidential debates and one vice-presidential debate, and not once have had the topic of abortion raised??

I also wish that McCain had aggressively stated that much of the current economic difficulty has come about because of banks being pressured by the politically correct crowd to put affirmative-action ahead of credit-worthiness.

I'm not giving up hope for Senator McCain in November, so I'll keep praying.

I'm also setting my sights on a Palin-Jindal ticket for 2012! :)

Classy!

Watch Sarah handle a heckler at a Florida rally yesterday (relevant clip is 39 seconds in):


h/t: Michelle Malkin

Monday, October 6, 2008

A Courageous Woman!

Shelly Mandell, a lifelong democrat who also happens to be the President of the Los Angeles chapter of NOW (the National Organization for Women), publicly announced that she personally supports Sarah Palin, even while disagreeing with Sarah on some issues. Ms Mandell made it clear that she was speaking for herself, and not on behalf of NOW:

Give This Guy More Press!!

Alfonzo tells it like it is:
(he's a little flirty at the beginning, but then he gets right into it)


h/t: The Anchoress

As we enter the final month...

...here's some inspiration from the movie "Hoosiers":

Holy Foolishness

An earnest reflection by Deborah Gyapong.

"We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are honourable, but we without honour." (1 Corinthians 4:10)

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Recharging the Batteries

I'm in the seventh and final week of a Life in the Spirit seminar. I did one of these over twelve years ago at Franciscan University, and I've been long overdue for a "recharging of the batteries"!

Here's one of the scripture verses from this week's seminar readings:

"You must lay aside your former way of life and old self which deteriorates through illusion and desire, and acquire a fresh spiritual way of thinking. You must put on that new self created in God's image, whose justice and holiness are born of truth." (Ephesians 4:22-23)

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Sarah Shines!

I bet half the U.S. (and some Canadians, like myself) were praying for her today! Sarah Palin, uncensored, unedited, unscripted is a delight! I also enjoyed Michelle Malkin's live-blogging while watching the debate.

I suppose I should start paying more attention to our upcoming Canadian elections now...