I said the last entry was the last entry before Christmas.Ok,I’m going back on my word.An exception.One final entry.

I watch the Five at 5:00 every day. They’re all terrific.I usually agree with Mr Gutfeld and get a kick out of his commentary. Humor works. I am discouraged that he,like other Americans that are younger, are more apt to accept same sex marriage. Unfortunately I think some Catholics don’t understand why the Church teaches that people of the same gender can’t BE married. Either they don’t understand or don’t care.BTW.Even when you don’t understand Church teaching as Catholics ,we accept then TRY to understand.

In fact I would encourage Catholics to look more deeply into their faith.There is a treasure of writings out there to delve into that would keep a lot of us busy for a very long time.If you do the homework and still don’t understand,then accept and PRAY.

What i want to do here is explain the Church’s teaching and why it matters.

 

A ‘no you cannot’  on certain behaviors is not meant to say the Church is nasty and just doesn’t want people to have any fun.Actually the Church is not the Church of no.it’s the Church of YES. We’ll get to that. In fact I’m not even going to START with Church teaching and scripture.

Let’s start with an open conversation about the beginning of man. Let’s suppose the human race had started with 2 males. We could go with either gender.Let’s suppose the human race had started with 2 females.

Where would we be?

Now we will look at scripture. What did Jesus say about marriage?

Matthew 19

* When Jesus* finished these words,* he left Galilee and went to the district of Judea across the Jordan.2Great crowds followed him, and he cured them there.3a Some Pharisees approached him, and tested him,* saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?”4* b He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’5c and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?6So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate.”7* d They said to him, “Then why did Moses command that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss [her]?”8He said to them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.9e I say to you,* whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery.”10[His] disciples said to him, “If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”11He answered, “Not all can accept [this] word,* but only those to whom that is granted.12Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage* for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”1

Jesus is speaking about the book of Genesis,about the beginning,about marriage.

The intimate relationship between male and female in marriage was a gift from God. Male and female were made in the image and likeness of God and created for each other,expressed in the verse,God saw that it was not good for man to be alone.The woman is given to man and he is exuberant,

“the man said: “This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; This one shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of ‘her man’ this one has been taken.”

24⁶ That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body.25The man and his wife were both naked, yet they felt no shame.

You see,God created male and female for the sexual union in marriage.It’s not a sin.It’s a gift.

Guilt and shame and knowing they are naked doesn’t enter the picture until after the fall,when they lose their innocence.They become suspicious of each other,questioning the motives of the other. Once they break the relationship they had with God by failing to trust him then they also fail to trust each other. The union before the fall is the gift of self. Jesus is saying in Matthew that is the way it should be and can be.

Marriage has long been defined as between one man/one woman. In 2012-2013  under much pressure from same sex advocates it was decided that the DEFINITION of marriage ought to be changed. Once you change the definition or marriage it has no meaning at all.

It’s not that same sex ‘marriage’ is  going to affect my marriage personally.Of course it’s not.I’ve said it before-that’s a red herring. Divorce doesn’t affect my marriage personally.It is how it affects marriage as a whole in society.The consequences are enormous. #LoveisLove is trite.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states,

2361 “Sexuality, by means of which man and woman give themselves to one another through the acts which are proper and exclusive to spouses, is not something simply biological, but concerns the innermost being of the human person as such. It is realized in a truly human way only if it is an integral part of the love by which a man and woman commit themselves totally to one another until death” (Familiaris Consortio 11).

 

Further:

2363 “The spouses’ union achieves the twofold end of marriage: the good of the spouses themselves and the transmission of life. These two meanings or values of marriage cannot be separated without altering the couple’s spiritual life and compromising the goods of marriage and the future of the family. The conjugal love of man and woman thus stands under the twofold obligation of fidelity and fecundity.”

As  faithful Catholics we say YES to the commitment of marriage,life,respect for the dignity of the human person  and self- giving.We’re not meant to use each other and take the sexual union down to the level of what’s in it for me.We’re not meant to make our marriage partner an object;we’re not meant to make anyone an object and rob them of their dignity.Same sex unions are part of the culture of death.

I will be blunt;if a judge rules that 2 men or 2 women can mimic marriage-which is all it is-i do not have to recognize it as marriage. If two of these people would consider a rental from me.I would say NO just as i would say NO to a unmarried female/male couple who wanted to live together. If the same sex people came to me and requested a wedding cake.Again,I would say no because the state can recognize them as married but i don’t have to. You can’t call it discrimination because it has NOTHING to base itself on.I can claim in  response that I am being discriminated against by being forced to abandon my religions beliefs and violate my own conscience. It’s not the same as race discrimination. People of the same gender can choose not  to engage in sodomy and mutual masturbation.They can  control their own sexual behavior. A person’s race is based on biology. I would also say that people of the same gender should not be permitted to adopt children. Children should not be exposed to it because there are many factors that go into the formation of a child that have to do with gender identity. Gender identity and other social roles are dependent on having a mother and father;or in some circumstances having a mother or father.
You cannot even define if the partner  IS  a mother or father.If two people of the same gender choose to engage in the behavior that is up to them.If a person with same sex disorder is Catholic, the Church offers support for  celibacy and non sexual friendships. If they’re not Catholic,like any behavior,they are free to choose to engage  in the behavior.I would encourage them to stop but the choice is theirs.What I do not have to accept is a REDEFINITION of marriage which is no marriage at all.You redefine it,then it has no meaning. We have the right NOT to recognize what we don’t consider marriage in the first place. No court of law can impose it.
QUESTION;Do we now change the definition of consummation? Since 2 people of the same gender cannot consummate the supposed marriage do we now have to redefine what this means?

MEMORARE

Remember, most pure spouse of Mary, ever Virgin, my loving protector, Saint Joseph, that no one ever had recourse to your protection or asked for your aid without obtaining relief. Confiding, therefore, in your goodness, I come before you and humbly implore you. Despise not my petitions, foster-father of the Redeemer, but graciously receive them. Amen.

 

 

A federal judge said Monday he will allow gay marriage in Utah to continue, denying a request from the state to halt same-sex weddings until the appeals process plays out.

U.S. District Judge Robert J. Shelby\’s decision came three days after he overturned the state\’s ban on same-sex marriage, ruling it is unconstitutional. Utah lawyers are expected to ask a higher court to put the process on hold.

The county clerk in Salt Lake City immediately began issuing licenses after Shelby\’s ruling Friday, and hundreds more gay couples were lined up Monday to get married.

The ruling has drawn attention given Utah\’s long-standing opposition to gay marriage and its position as headquarters for the Mormon church.

Lawyers for the state waged a legal battle on several fronts as they sought to stop the same-sex weddings.

On Sunday, a federal appeals court rejected the state\’s emergency request to stay the ruling, saying it couldn\’t rule on a stay since Shelby had not yet acted on the motion before him. The court quickly rejected a second request from Utah on Monday.

Following Shelby\’s surprising ruling Friday afternoon, gay and lesbian couples rushed to a county clerk\’s office in Salt Lake City to get marriage licenses. More than 100 couples wed as others cheered them on in what became an impromptu celebration at an office building about 3 miles from the headquarters of the Mormon church.

About 25 couples lined up outside the clerk\’s office in Davis County on Monday morning. The first couple showed up around 6 a.m. and married immediately after receiving their license.

For now, a state considered one of the most conservative in the nation has joined the likes of California and New York to become the 18th state where same-sex couples can legally wed. Legal experts have said that even if a judge put a halt to the weddings, the licenses that already have been issued likely will still be valid.

Many Utah residents belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Mormons dominate the state\’s legal and political circles.

The Mormon church was one of the leading forces behind California\’s short-lived ban on same-sex marriage, Proposition 8, which voters approved in 2008. The church said Friday it stands by its support for \”traditional marriage,\” and it hopes a higher court validates its belief that marriage is between a man and woman.

In Shelby\’s 53-page ruling, he said the constitutional amendment that Utah voters approved in 2004 violates gay and lesbian couples\’ rights to due process and equal protection under the 14th Amendment. Shelby said the state failed to show that allowing same-sex marriages would affect opposite-sex marriages in any way.

The decision drew a swift and angry reaction from Republican Gov. Gary Herbert, who said he was disappointed in an \”activist federal judge attempting to override the will of the people of Utah.\” The state quickly took steps to appeal the ruling and halt the process, setting up Monday\’s hearing before Shelby.

The ruling has thrust Shelby into the national spotlight. He has been on the bench for less than two years, appointed by President Barack Obama after GOP Sen. Orrin Hatch recommended him in November 2011.

Shelby served in the Utah Army National Guard from 1988 to 1996 and was a combat engineer in Operation Desert Storm. He graduated from the University of Virginia law school in 1998 and clerked for the U.S. District Judge J. Thomas Greene in Utah, then spent about 12 years in private practice before he became a judge.

via Judge denies request to halt same-sex marriages in Utah | Fox News.

I’ll post up  the links  later but for now i wanted ppl to be aware of the court ruling.It came in my email so the links are not going to show here but the text from Fr Frank Pavone will.Pls read and share.

 

On Thursday December 19 U.S. District Court Judge Emmet G. Sullivan took a sledge hammer to the Constitution and ruled that the government has the authority to force you and every other American to violate your conscience and act in ways that go directly against your religious beliefs.

In other words, he said your First Amendment right to freedom of religion is subject to the government’s approval.

He did so when he ruled against Priests for Life in our lawsuit against the HHS abortion mandate of ObamaCare.

This is a sad day for all Americans.

But the fight has only just begun.

Which is why I’m counting on you to CLICK HERE, make a contribution to Priests for Life’s Legal Fund, and take a stand for religious liberty!

Your help is critically needed because, even as you read this, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia is considering our emergency appeal for an injunction that would protect us from the ObamaCare abortion mandate.

Immediately after Judge Sullivan handed down his ruling, our attorneys began writing our appeal and worked through the night this past Thursday so that they could file our appeal with the court on Friday.  They did so around 4:00 Friday afternoon.  They did this because Priests for Life’s health insurance policy is up for renewal on January 1 and we need the court to uphold and protect our right to freedom of religion and freedom of conscience.

Our case is only the second one to be decided on the merits of the so-called “accommodation” that has been offered to groups like ours, which are religious but are not Churches. And it will be the first of its kind to go to the Appellate level.

Here is the notice Robert Muise, Co-Founder of The American Freedom Law Center and Senior Counsel in the Priests for Life lawsuit, sent me when the court notified him of Judge Sullivan’s ruling:

Father Pavone,
Bad news.  The judge just ruled against us.  Attached is the order and the opinion. We just filed our notice of appeal.  I called and spoke with the emergency motion’s clerk at the Appellate Court.  I will be filing our emergency motion for an injunction pending appeal (and having it hand delivered) by 4 pm (at the latest) tomorrow (hopefully sooner—David and I will be working through the night).  They know we need a decision by December 31.  The appeal is docketed . . . .  Fight continues . . . .

In the short-term, we’re asking the Appeals Court to issue an injunction that will keep Priests for Life protected from the mandate (as we are right now) until our appeal to the same court can be heard and decided.

In the long-term, our attorneys will ask the Appeals Court to overturn Judge Sullivan’s ruling.  I remain confident of victory because it was just this past November that this same court overruled another ruling by the same judge on the HHS mandate of ObamaCare.  That case was Gilardi v. U.S. Dep’t of Health and Human Services.

Of course there’s no guarantee we’ll win at the Appellate level.  But as you can see, we have some history on our side.

Plus, Judge Sullivan’s decision is a complete contradiction to the one Judge Brian Cogan issued just a few days ago in New York for organizations situated similarly to us and using the exact same arguments.  Judge Cogan recognized that these religious groups were being forced to cooperate with evil.

Incredibly, operating in some mythical world, Judge Sullivan said we’re not being forced to cooperate with evil. In other words, he’s allowing the government to decide what is and is not an evil act according to our Faith.

His decision is wrong and we are confident of victory in our appeal.

Meanwhile, injunction or not, as I’ve told you in prior communications:

We will absolutely NOT obey, cooperate with, or tolerate in any way ObamaCare’s unjust abortion mandate.

As Scripture says, we will obey God rather than men.

As for our appeal itself, we’re going to need your financial help big time because, while our funds are extremely limited, the government has the entire U.S. treasury to pull from.

And no matter how the Appeals Court rules, one way or another, our lawsuit seems headed to the Supreme Court.  So this is going to be a long, drawn out court battle.

In the meantime, we’ve got to raise a lot of money before the end of the year in order to keep our lawsuit moving through the Appeals process … and on to the Supreme Court.  So please …

CLICK HERE and make as large a contribution to our Priests for Life Legal Fund as you can.

Nothing less than freedom of religion is at stake.

And time is quickly running out on us if we are to preserve what our Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, rightly called our “most cherished of American freedoms,” namely, freedom of religion.

What the Obama administration is trying to do through the HHS mandate – an attempt now sanctioned by Judge Sullivan – is give the federal government the power to determine what is and what isn’t an action that violates our conscience.

That’s not how our Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution.

In fact, what the President wants to do flies in the face of the freedoms our Constitution guarantees all Americans.

When it comes to practicing our religion, Priests for Life dictates to the government what our beliefs are and how we are required to act.  Not the other way around.

Please help us make that point in court!

CLICK HERE and make as large a contribution as you can to our Legal Fund so that,
working together, we will preserve every Americans right to freedom of religion and freedom of speech.

Thank you for doing this.  I’ll keep you posted on developments in our appeal as they occur.

In the meantime, keep our lawsuit, our attorneys, and the Court of Appeals judges who will hear our case in your prayers.  God bless.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

     1/3 cup butter

    4 1/2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

    1/4 cup milk

    1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

    In a bowl beat butter or margarine until fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups of the confectioners’ sugar, beating well.
    Slowly beat in the milk and vanilla. Slowly beat in remaining sugar. Beat in additional milk, if needed, to make of spreading consistency. Tint with food color, if desired.

We’re going to take a few days off.Also known as rolling out of here for a few days. Let you enjoy a blessed Christmas,as we enjoy ours.It’s definitely going to be a white one here after the rain washed every fleck of snow away for awhile.

I’ll post up the frosting recipe today, as promised ,but get the pictures over Christmas.

Plenty of good news stories to read that came off the feed. By the time we get back maybe Duck Dynasty will have moved to a new network.I would definitely tell A & E to take a hike.

To be honest i have never watched Duck Dynasty,but i do know that freedom of speech and religion is under attack.For that reason alone I will stand up for Phil.

However,it’s time to focus on Christmas and family and what this holy day means to us and what we can do to bring the message of Christmas to ppl in the coming year.I didn’t reflect on Christmas during Advent here. I probably should have and consider it a short coming. We may spend some time considering what it means through the year more than we did during. In a few weeks I will also have my glasses and it’s going to be much easier to both read and ‘blog’ then.

It doesn’t help the bouts of vertigo that go with mennerie’s when you have vision problems on top of it.It won’t stop the vertigo but it may help it from going over the top some.

 I do hope ALL of you have a blessed Christmas and are able to attend Midnight Mass or at least Mass. I will also be praying for those who have not had good news this year. While most of us are enjoying Christmas with family and friends many people have health issues, a loss or a tragedy strikes them right over the season. It makes it really difficult. More reason for us to be thankful and spend time in prayer for them.

We don’t all get good news and sometimes when we think our life is tough and our cross hard to bear-I will admit to being a big baby myself-there is always someone with a heavier cross and a more dire situation than we can imagine. May they experience the love of God and the strength He will give them;either directly or through the ppl in their lives.

PLS have a safe holiday. It’s about our Savior-not about office parties where alcohol is consumed.Let’s not take someone’s family member away from them;a mother,father,child,this Christmas by drinking.At the least not drinking excessively-if you must drink to excess have a sober,non drinking designated driver on stand by.

I will include a special prayer for those who have lost  a family member and remember them more over the holidays like Christmas.I miss my mom and dad very much and it is during times like this we have many memories and wish they were here. Time is so short. We never realize it until it has already flown by.

With that wish all of you the best and definitely hope by the time i get back it will be with a pair of specs.It really is getting difficult to do this without em.