Sunday Snippets: Catholic Carnival

What did you post about this week? Stop by the weekly Catholic Carnival and share what you've been blogging. Be sure to visit RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing and check out some posts from other bloggers participating in Sunday Snippets this week.  You're invited to share a blog post or two from last week. Here are my contributions for this week:

Of Food, Family & Faith
Catholic Hospitals Pressured To Perform Abortions
Psychology of the Devil
Our Cherished Right, Our Solemn Duty

Of Food, Family & Faith

This post was originally written for my Food Blog, Cucina Nanette. I feel that the spirituality in it should be shared on my Catholic Blog. I hope you enjoy the post as well as the recipe. N

http://cucinananette.blogspot.com/   The post is entitled Of Food, Family & Faith. I share my feelings on being the Aunt of 4 Law Enforcement Agents and how it affects my life and those in my family. I touch on my experience as a New Yorker during the 9/11 tragedy. And how prayer and food fit together to give comfort to body and soul. My Food Blog is mainly about friends and family. God is an important factor and He is mentioned whenever I can include Him and or when/where it is appropriate. Other food posts, I think my Catholic/Christian friends may enjoy are:  Meatloaf  Made In America, A Plate of Homemade Memories, Made By Nonna's Hands, Indian Cuisine: A Feast For the Senses, Lent: Simple Meals of Self-Denial, & A Pie Fit For "The" King.
So, sit back with a cup of coffee and enjoy the memories I write about. There's a "print-friendly" button at the end of each recipe/story. My motto for my food blog is, Remember To Make Memories At The Table.  Enjoy and God Bless!

Catholic Hospitals Pressured To Perform Abortions!

ACLU Pressures Catholic Hospitals To Do Abortions

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has sent a letter to the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services claiming that Catholic hospitals nationwide are refusing to do supposedly life-saving abortions, saying “emergency reproductive health care” includes abortions.

Catholic norms allow physicians to treat a life-threatening condition even if it indirectly causes an abortion, but does not permit direct abortion.

The Beckett Fund for Religious Liberty said in a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services that ACLU is misinterpreting the Emergency Medical Treatment Act, a law which initially was designed to protect the conscience rights of health care workers, and that ACLU’s claim overturns 25 years of case law. “The ACLU has no business radically re-defining the meaning of ‘emergency health care,’” the legal group asserted.

The Beckett Fund letter stated they would sue if HHS tried to force religiously-affiliated hospitals to do abortions against the conscientious objections of their doctors and nurses. The letter stressed that ever since the Roe v Wade. decision legalized unlimited abortions, the conscience of medical professionals has been protected.

“Forcing religious hospitals to perform abortions not only undermines this nation’s integral commitment to conscience rights, it violates the numerous federal laws that recognize and protect those rights,” the Beckett Fund letter stated.

The Beckett Fund also pointed out that “forcing Catholic or other religiously-affiliated hospitals to perform abortions will only result in nationwide closures, thereby reducing access to health care for everyone.” Moreover, this “would constitute a large step backwards for religious freedom and would turn this nation’s foundational commitment to conscience rights on its head,” the group added.

Beckett Fund President Kevin Hasson offered to represent pro-bono any religious hospital threatened because of their conscientious objection to abortion.

Tom Brejcha, president of the Thomas More Society, called on Catholics to provide “an enlightened, invigorated and sustained response” to the ACLU challenge.

Find this article and other Pro-Life News at: National Right To Life Committee (Choose Life Newspaper)

The Psychology of the Devil

Catholic Writers Explain How Satan Thinks

Using Sacred Scripture and other sources, certain aspects of the psychology of Satan and his wicked Angels can be understood.
Although the devils have differences among themselves, they are alike in their desire to do evil and in their fallen nature. That is why, whatever is said about Satan, their chief, also applies to all devils.

'Lucifer' by Gustave Dore for Milton's 'Paradise Lost'

A perverted will
The devils are pure spirits, since they are Angels. They do not have the weaknesses of men. From this, we understand why their revolt against God is permanent, immutable, eternal. Their will became perverted and fixed in evil after they abandoned the Highest Good as their objective. As a consequence, the devils do not wish anything but evil in all their voluntary acts and, even when they appear to do good (as, for example, when they restore someone's health, give riches, or teach something), it is only as a means to cause more evil, leading the person to final perdition, which is their ultimate wish for all men.
Since God created them good, their nature continues good in itself. However, their will became perverted. Instead of striving for the end for which they were created – the service and the glory of God – they do exactly the contrary. They do everything to impede God's glory. Since they cannot reach Him directly, they act upon God's creatures, within the limits He allows.

Murderer and liar – cunning, false, deceiver
The Divine Redeemer summed up the diabolic psychology thus: "He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies" (Jo 8, 44).
The devil is a murderer and the father of lies, the liar par excellence, who hates truth, because truth leads to God: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life" (Jo 14, 5). Satan hates the Creator. When he rejected God, he renounced to truth and life forever. And it is by the lie that he spread death, spiritual death.
About Our Lord's statement that the devil is a murderer and a liar, Saint Augustine says: "We ask how come the devil became a murderer from the beginning and we reply that he killed the first man, not slaying him with a sword, or causing any other harm to his body, but he persuaded him to sin and thus, cast him out of the happiness of the earthly paradise".
And Father Maldonado, an erudite Jesuit exegete from the XVI Century, says on this same phrase – ‘For he is a liar and the father of lies' (Jo 8, 44): "Most authors believe this refers to Satan's words to Eve: ‘You shall be as God, knowing good and evil' (Gen. 3, 5); for he evidently lied with these words; that is, he added the lie to the act of (spiritual) murder, committing two crimes, at the same time… and we call the devil father of lies because he is the author and the inventor of the lie, in such a way that we can say that he gave birth to it".
When he tempts man, trying to take him away from God, he lies presenting a false image of reality, hiding his true feelings and enmeshing his victim in error, sophisms and deceit.
He is a cunning, false, deceiver.
"Satan is distinguished by his guile – writes Monsignor Cristiani. Guile is a deceitful scheme. The being that acts with guile has bad intentions. If he speaks, it is not to say the truth, but to deceive, to lead to falsehood. Satan is treacherous, false. One cannot trust him. He lacks equity, loyalty, frankness. He is erroneous, voluntarily obscure and dissimulative."

This article can be found on
America Needs Fatima (From Angels and Demons, by Luis Solimeo)

---

Our Cherished Right, Our Solemn Duty

Election Day is less than one week away...Please vote on Tuesday, 2 November 2010!

 

article by the : Catholic Bishops of New York State

We Catholics are called to look at politics as we are called to look at everything – through the lens of our faith. While we are free to join any political party that we choose or none at all, we must be cautious when we vote not to be guided solely by party loyalty or by self interest. Rather, we should be guided in evaluating the important issues facing our state and nation by the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the teachings of His Church.

Our national and state elected officials have profound influence on countless matters of great importance, such as the right to life, issues of war and peace, the education of children and how we treat the poor and vulnerable. We must look at all of these issues as we form our consciences in preparation for Election Day.

Unfortunately, it is the rare candidate who will agree with the Church on every issue. But as the U.S. Bishops’ most recent document Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship (www.faithfulcitizenship.org) makes clear, not every issue is of equal moral gravity. The inalienable right to life of every innocent human person outweighs other concerns where Catholics may use prudential judgment, such as how best to meet the needs of the poor or to increase access to health care for all.

The Right to Life is the right through which all others flow. To the extent candidates reject this fundamental right by supporting an objective evil, such as legal abortion, euthanasia or embryonic stem cell research, Catholics should consider them less acceptable for public office. As Faithful Citizenship teaches, “Those who knowingly, willingly, and directly support public policies or legislation that undermine fundamental moral principles cooperate with evil.”

These are complex times, so our task is not light. It is often difficult to get a good grasp on the positions of

incumbent congressional representatives and state legislators, not to mention their challengers. News accounts of positions are hard to come by, and voting records on important issues are often lacking. So the task of doing due diligence can be truly challenging. Yet our state is facing many critical issues which are of vital concern to faithful Catholics. Thus it is absolutely necessary for good citizens to take a careful look at every candidate and to vote accordingly for the better candidates. You can find all of the candidates for elected office at the New York State Catholic Conference Web site (www.nyscatholic.org).

Many of the most compelling moral issues of the day play out at the state level. Commonsense restrictions on abortion, whether or not to employ the death penalty, issues related to same-sex “marriage” and civil unions, parental rights in education, programs to serve the poor, access to health insurance – all of these debates occur in the halls of our state Capitol in Albany.

We set forth below potential questions for candidates on a variety of critical issues, and we urge you to learn where all the candidates for every office stand with each critical issue. This list is by no means exhaustive, but our hope is that it serves as a valuable tool in forming your consciences as you make your decisions in the voting booth as Catholic faithful citizens.

While we as the Bishops of New York State cannot and do not endorse candidates for office, we encourage you to properly form your conscience by reflecting on the moral and social teachings of our Church and we

strongly urge you to vote on Election Day. For when you vote, you are exercising your cherished right and your solemn duty as Americans and as Catholics.  Election Day....Tuesday, 2 November 2010

Sunday Snippets: Catholic Carnival

What did you post about this week? Stop by the weekly Catholic Carnival and share what you've been blogging. Be sure to visit RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing and check out some posts from other bloggers participating in Sunday Snippets this week.  You're invited to share a blog post or two from last week. Here are my contributions for this week:

St Luke: Feast Day October 18th
Chilean Miners: What Was On Their T-Shirts

Chilean Miners: What Was On Their T-Shirts?

Chilean Miners Give Honor & Glory To God!

Perhaps there is a chance for this world to be saved!!

GOD BLESS THEM!!!

St Luke: Feast Day October 18th

SAINT LUKE, THE APOSTLE & EVANGELIST Patron of Physicians and Surgeons

Luke, the writer of the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, has been identified with St. Paul's "Luke, the beloved physician" (Colossians 4:14). Scholars have argued that Luke might have been born a slave. It was not uncommon for families to educate slaves in medicine so that they would have a resident family physician. After St. Paul's conversion, Luke accompanied him, healing many of their comrades and writing a large portion of Acts as they journeyed together. Some traditions hold that Luke became a direct disciple of Jesus before His Ascension, while others hold that he became a believer only afterward.

It is believed that Luke was born a Greek and a Gentile. In Colossians 10-14 speaks of those friends who are with him. He first mentions all those "of the circumcision" -- in other words, Jews -- and he does not include Luke in this group. Luke's gospel shows special sensitivity to evangelizing Gentiles. It is only in his gospel that we hear the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus praising the faith of Gentiles (Lk.4:25-27), and the story of the one grateful leper who is a Samaritan (Lk.17:11-19)

  

Luke's inspiration and information for his Gospel and Acts came from his close association with Paul and his companions as he explains in his introduction to the Gospel: "Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus" (Luke 1:1-3).

Luke's unique perspective on Jesus can be seen in the six miracles and eighteen parables not found in the other gospels. Luke's is the gospel of the poor and of social justice. He is the one who tells the story of Lazarus and the Rich Man.

Luke also has a special connection with the women in Jesus' life, especially Mary. It is only in Luke's gospel that we hear the story of the Annunciation with the words “Hail Mary full of grace…”, The Visitation with the Magnificat, the Presentation and the Finding of Jesus in the Temple.

Forgiveness and God's mercy to sinners is also of first importance to Luke. Only in Luke do we hear the story of the Prodigal Son or the woman who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears.. Throughout Luke's gospel, Jesus takes the side of the sinner who wants to return to God's mercy. Reading Luke's gospel gives a good idea of his character as one who loved the poor, who wanted the door to God's kingdom opened to all, who respected women, and who saw hope in God's mercy for everyone.

It is known that he remained a bachelor all of his life, devoting himself to the utmost degree to the cause of Christ. When advancing years curbed his campaigning, he withdrew to write his memorable accounts and died in Thebes at the age of eighty-four. He is often shown with an ox or a calf because these are the symbols of sacrifice -- the sacrifice Jesus made for all the world.

This post was adapted from: St. Luke

Sunday Snippets: Catholic Carnival

What did you post about this week? Stop by the weekly Catholic Carnival and share what you've been blogging. Be sure to visit RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing and check out some posts from other bloggers participating in Sunday Snippets this week.  You're invited to share a blog post or two from last week. Here are my contributions for this week:

Miracle Of The Blessed Mother & Her Rosary
Keep This In Mind When You Vote
Opposing Abortions On Military Bases

A Miracle of Our Blessed Mother & Her Rosary

In October, Catholics give special attention to a special devotion, the Rosary. During this month we observe the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7th.

This was written by Fr. Floyd Rotunno, Pastor of The Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Mahwah, NJ.

"Is She Here?" Even now as I re-tell this story, I get chills. It happened 27 years ago. Though I've repeated this to others over the years, I've never actually put it into writing until now. I received a phone call from a friend that her husband was in the hospital and asked me to come and see him. It didn't sound urgent, but some voice inside me told me to stop what I was doing and leave immediately. When I arrived at his room, I met his wife and son in the hallway, with tears in their eyes. She accompanied me into his room, and I realized how critical he was. I knew he was away from the Sacraments for a very long time, so I anointed him and gave him the final absolution of Penance. When he saw me he reached for my hand. It took every ounce of energy on his part to whisper, "Is she here?" I assured him that his wife was right there in the room with us. He said, "No, no...is she here?" I asked, "Who?" He said, "Her" and then continued, "pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death. " It was said with his last breath of life.

I didn't understand at the time the significance of those words, other than they were the last part of the "Hail Mary". It wasn't until the Wake Service that I understood the sacredness of that moment at the hospital. You see, I met his parents for the first time. They lived in Florida. They were not close to his present wife and child, since this was his third marriage. After the appropriate prayers were said, his father pulled me aside to tell me that this man was their only child. When he was a little boy, they would recite the rosary together every night at home during the months of October and May. When their son's life started to unravel, and he turned his back on his family and his Faith, they began to say the rosary daily for him, and specifically for one special favor from our Blessed Mother, namely, that he would not die without a priest at his bedside. His dad said to me, "Father, you just didn't happen to be there by chance. You were there because Our Blessed Mother heard our daily prayer for our son. My wife and I were devastated when our only child walked away from his Faith. We promised our Blessed Mother that we would recite the rosary daily and asked for this miracle. She used you to be there in the place of her Son to give him the last rites of the Church."

Have you said the Rosary today?

Keep This In Mind When You Vote! 2010 & 2012

"NO ONE HAS GREATER LOVE THAN THIS, TO LAY DOWN ONE'S LIFE FOR ONE'S FRIENDS."  JOHN 15:13 Amen. 

It's a good day when the clergy begin to resume their proper role in shepherding believers.

Dr. David Barton - on Obama

Dr.David Barton is more of a historian than a Biblical speaker, but very famous for his knowledge of historical facts as well as Biblical truths.

Respect the Office?   Yes.

Respect the Man in the Office?   No, I am sorry to say.

I have noted that many elected officials, both Democrats and Republicans, called upon America to unite behind Obama. Well, I want to make it clear to all who will listen that I AM NOT uniting behind Obama!

I will respect the Office which he holds, and I will acknowledge his abilities as an orator and wordsmith and pray for him, BUT that is it. I have begun today to see what I can do to make sure that he is a one-term President!

Why am I doing this?

It is because:

- I do not share Obama's vision or value system for America ;

- I do not share his Abortion beliefs;

- I do not share his radical Marxist's concept of re-distributing wealth;

- I do not share his stated views on raising taxes on those who make $150,000.

  (the ceiling has been changed three times since August);

- I do not share his view that America is arrogant;

- I do not share his view that America is not a Christian nation;

- I do not share his view that the military should be reduced by 25%;

- I do not share his view of amnesty and giving more to illegals than our American citizens who need help;

- I do not share his views on homosexuality and his definition of marriage;

- I do not share his views that Radical Islam is our friend and Israel is our enemy who should give up any land;

- I do not share his spiritual beliefs (at least the ones he has made public);

- I do not share his beliefs on how to re-work the health care system in America ;

- I do not share his Strategic views of the Middle East ; and

- I certainly do not share his plan to sit down with terrorist regimes such as Iran .

Bottom line: my America is vastly different from Obama's, and I have a higher obligation to my Country and my GOD to do what is right!

For eight (8) years, the Liberals in our Society, led by numerous entertainers who would have no platform and no real credibility but for their celebrity status, have attacked President Bush, his family, and his spiritual beliefs!

They have not moved toward the center in their beliefs and their philosophies, and they never came together nor compromised their personal beliefs for the betterment of our Country!

They have portrayed my America as a land where everything is tolerated except being intolerant!

They have been a vocal and irreverent minority for years!

They have mocked and attacked the very core values so important to the founding and growth of our Country!

They have made every effort to remove the name of GOD or Jesus Christ from our Society!

They have challenged capital punishment, the right to bear firearms, and the most basic principles of our criminal code!  

They have attacked one of the most fundamental of all Freedoms, the right of free speech!

Unite behind Obama?   Never!

I am sure many of you who read this think that I am going overboard, but I refuse to retreat one more inch in favor of those whom I believe are the embodiment of Evil!

PRESIDENT BUSH may have made mistakes during his Presidency, and I am not sure how history will judge him.  However, I believe that he weighed his decisions in light of the long established Judeo-Christian principles of our Founding Fathers! 

Majority rules in America , and I will honor the concept; however, I will fight with all of my power to be a voice in opposition to Obama and his "goals for America ."

I am going to be a thorn in the side of those who, if left unchecked, will destroy our Country!  Any more compromise is more defeat!

I pray that the results of this election will wake up many who have sat on the sidelines and allowed the Socialist-Marxist anti-GOD crowd to slowly change so much of what has been good in America !

IN GOD WE TRUST!

Opposing Abortions On Military Bases

Military Doctors Sign Letter Opposing Abortions On Military Bases

This article and other Pro-Life News can be found at: National Right To Life Committee (Choose Life Newspaper) 

A letter to the U.S. Senate protesting an amendment requiring U.S. military hospitals to provide abortions was signed by more than 200 military doctors. The letter was organized by the Christian Medical Association (CMA).

Pro-abortion Senator Roland Burris (D/Illinois) sponsored the amendment which would break the current long-standing policy of not allowing abortions at military medical facilities.

The letter urged senators to vote no on the National Defense Authorization Act unless the Burris amendment is removed.

The senior vice-president of CMA, Gene Rudd, M.D. emphasized that, “If enacted, requiring military physicians to perform abortions threatens military readiness. Morale will suffer among those already serving. Morale is a key component of military effectiveness.”

“Furthermore,” Dr. Rudd pointed out, “just as we have seen a marked decrease in young doctors entering OB/GYN training for fear of being forced to do abortion, this requirement will discourage young doctors from joining the military.”

The Senate Armed Services Committee approved the amendment 15-12, with all 11 Republicans plus Democratic Senator Ben Nelson voting against it. Senator Roger Wicker (R/MS), who fought against the amendment in committee, is planning to sponsor an amendment of the Senate floor to strike the language.

Sunday Snippets: Catholic Carnival

What did you post about this week? Stop by the weekly Catholic Carnival and share what you've been blogging. Be sure to visit RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing and check out some posts from other bloggers participating in Sunday Snippets this week.  You're invited to share a blog post or two from last week. Here are my contributions for this week:

Cross In Our Bodies
Pray For The Synod For Christians Of The Middle East
Terrible Blasphemy
An Undivided Heart: Marriage & The Priesthood

The Cross In Our Bodies

This post is adapted from a sermon by Louie Giglio. It was sent in email form from a medical doctor who verified that all the facts about Laminins are correct. 

In his sermon, Louie Giglio, was talking about how inconceivably BIG our God is...How He spoke the universe into being... Etc.  He spoke of how this
universe-creating God ALSO knitted our human bodies together with amazing detail and wonder. The God, Who created all this, also has the power to hold it all together when things seem to be falling apart...how our loving Creator is also our sustainer.

Giglio spoke about laminins...this is absolutely amazing!!

Here is how Wikipedia describes them: 'Laminins are a family of proteins that are an integral part of the structural scaffolding of basement membranes in almost every animal tissue' You see.... Laminins are what hold us together... LITERALLY. They are cell adhesion molecules. They are what holds one cell of our bodies to the next cell. Without them, we would literally fall apart. This is what the structure of laminin LOOK LIKE..
AND THIS IS NOT a 'Christian portrayal' of it....
If you look up laminin in any scientific/medical piece of literature, this is what you will see

Now tell me that our God is not the coolest!!!  Amazing.  The glue that holds us together.... ALL of us..... Is in the shape of the cross.  Immediately Colossians 1:17 comes to mind.
 "He is before all things, and in him All things HOLD TOGETHER."
Thousands of years before the world knew anything about laminin, St.Paul penned those words. And now we see that from a very LITERAL standpoint, we are held together...One cell to another.... By the cross.

You would never in a quadrillion years convince me that it is anything other than the mark of a Creator Who knew EXACTLY what laminin 'glue' would look like!!

Terrible Blasphemy: Send Your Protest Now!

Unspeakable blasphemy is scheduled to run through November 28, 2010.  The Loveland Museum in Loveland, Colorado where an art display shows a man performing oral sex on Jesus! I cannot imagine a more offensive and blasphemous insult to Our Lord Jesus Christ. And this one is funded by tax payer money! It really makes you wonder how much longer God will put up with this.

This has got to stop!!! Defend God, Now! Send this to everyone you know... get the word out that we won't take this any more!
send your instant e-protest against this disgusting blasphemy

OR
Please send an email to  isons@ci.loveland.co.us 
Susan Ison
Director, Cultural Services
(970) 962-2411
Please be polite yet firm when contacting them:

Loveland Museum
503 N. Lincoln Ave.
Loveland, CO 80537
Phone (970) 962-2410

This information comes from America Needs Fatima
www.ANF.org

Pray For Synod For Christians Of The Middle East

Bethlehem (Wikipedia)

Pope Benedict XVI will head a Synod of clergy, religious and laity at the Vatican from October 10-24, 2010. This Special Assembly will focus on the Christians of the Middle East. The Synod of Bishops will meet and pray, discuss and debate the Christians who live and lived in the land sanctified by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For centuries, there has not been a gathering of this magnitude. The Christian presence in the Middle East is crushed; yet, we seldom hear or read about the plight of the Christian character of the Holy Land. As we pray during Mass “…and the good of all His church”, I ask you in a special way to pray for the success of this Synod. The ramifications of a strong vibrant Christian community in the Middle East, impact directly our safety here in the West.

request for prayers sent by: Rami M. Qumsieh, B.Eng, a concerned Catholic Palestinian from Bethlehem

Bishop Shomali stressed that Christians who live in the Middle East are rooted in a culture and language, and live with other peoples with whom they share a language, a history and many traditions.

"Christians should not feel that they are foreigners," he declared. "They are called to be witnesses of Christ in those countries where they live. To flee their countries of origin means to escape reality."          excerpt from: holylanddirect.com

Bethlehem 1889
(Wikipedia)

Bethlehem 1880
(Wikipedia)

Visit the above website to learn about the apostolate which maintains a website with current and valuable information about the Holy Land, provides speakers at Sunday Mass to raise awareness, supports the only active Catholic TV station in the Holy Land, provides updates to parishes about the Holy Land, & promotes Pilgrimages & provides employment to local Christians.

An Undivided Heart: Marriage & The Priesthood

A One dollar bill and a Twenty dollar bill met one day. "Hey, I haven't seen you in a long time," said the Dollar bill. "Where have you been?"
"Lots of places," replied the Twenty dollar bill. "Vegas, the race track, baseball games, concerts, places like that. And you?"
The One Dollar bill answered, " To church."

The joke brings a question to light,  "Who would support the families of married priests?"  &  this post asks, "Should priests marry?"
I can give you historical reasons, reasons that our church forefathers prayed about, discerned and decided was fitting for our great faith on why priests should not marry, but I'd rather give logical, practical and modern reasons, ones we can relate to.

I worked for the Episcopal Church. It was a wonderful experience. Episcopal priests marry, yet in some cases, it takes years to fill a post. Secularism and materialism are the main reason priests and pastors of all denominations are scarce. Being a pastor's family is like living in a fish bowl. The kids are held to a different standard than other kids, similar to children of law officers and judges. Gone are the days when the pastor's wife heads the strawberry festival, teas and quilting committees. They're college educated, career-minded women shaped in a generation where "me" comes first. I know one wife who called her pastor husband a half hour before the All Saints Evening (All Hallows Eve) service and complained that it was his turn to take the kids Trick or Treating because, "I did it last year and that's not fair!" Secretaries are privy to many things...and this was one conversation I wish I hadn't heard. Do you think the good pastor was distracted from his spiritual duties? Oh, BTW...that same wife tried to commit suicide, the pressure was so great.

So there's usually 2-3 priests living in one Rectory. Hmmm, 2-3 wives and without birth control about many kids would there be? All in one house...just picture that! Or the Church can just buy a home for each family, yeah that's the ticket. Let's throw in the mix.... cars/car insurance and the cost, education and the cost, ordinary living expenses like clothing, medical, food, vacations and teens can & do get into trouble and what that may cost...this is just the tip of the iceberg. Then there's the spousal and family problems...and the possibility of a divorce. How should that be dealt with?

Oh yeah...priests can get jobs to pay part of these expenses. "Excuse me Mr. Boss, but Mrs. So & So is dying...can I have an hour off to anoint her?" or "Ms Boss Lady, I have to do pastoral service at the hospital on Tuesdays, can I have those mornings off and please don't schedule me after 4 on Tuesdays & Thursdays that's when I help with our Religious Education program." Then there's Confirmation and Communion practices, Diocesan meetings, Passion Week & Christmas services and programs, Weddings (now also held on Thursdays & Fridays at 3 PM) oh, and Funerals...lets ask everyone to die when it's convenient. Don't get me started...

Sex...ohhhhh that, It's not normal for a man to be deprived of sex...priests have to get married. A guy once said to me, "If I don't have sex by day 3 I go screwy in the head" Huh? Where does the workings of the Holy Spirit fit in? So a man can't give up sex for the sake of God...God can't give a man the graces needed to be celibate? Come on people, what a tiny box we fit our Great God in when we try to use that reasoning. A lifetime of self-control...a lifetime of satisfaction serving the Supreme Being. Why that can't be! Could all those books, all those TV chat shows and sex therapists be wrong? And dear St. Joseph knowing the the Blessed Mother was the precious vessel that held the Christ within her...he couldn't possibly refrain from sex...after day 3 he would have gone screwy!
St. Paul, who was unmarried, wrote in Holy Scriptures on remaining single and being married.  In 1 Cor 7:20, he wrote "Everyone should remain in the state in which he was called." Considering it is God the Holy Spirit Who calls a man into the priesthood, He would also endow this man with the graces needed to remain celibate. *Theologically, the Church desires to imitate the life of Jesus with regard to chastity and the sacrifice of married life for the "sake of the Kingdom" (Luke 18:28–30, Matthew 19:27–30; Mark:10:20–21), and to follow the example of Jesus Christ in being "married" to the Church, viewed by Catholicism and many Christian traditions as the "Bride of Christ". (*from Wikipedia)

An aside: Isn't it odd that we rarely hear this argument about nuns? Does that mean women don't need marriage to feel fulfilled...complete? Do women have more self-control, less of an urge to have sex? Not according to statistics where virgins are few and far between, where droves of women have casual sex and a shocking number of married women cheat on their husbands. At a town-hall type meeting of a group of women ages 18-25, the gals agreed that sex with a man and or another woman was no big deal..according to them..sex was, well, just sex, and variety is the spice of life. No one mentioned companionship, relationship, commitment or love...no it was sex. My question, "How long before a nun denied sex goes screwy?" And contrary to popular belief....there are secular, single women who don't engage in sex because of their moral beliefs....nuns aren't the only ones blessed with grace & God-given self control. 

Now, this is not all about money and sex. When I have a bad day at home, my mind isn't on my work, and it's not on the "things of God". Though it should be, it's not. I'm terribly distracted. I can only imagine what it would be like for a married priest having problems with the kids, problems with his wife or in-laws. What about having an ill wife, an ill child? Can he serve his parishioners in the manner that God has set for him? Can he tend his flock properly? He is called to have "an undivided heart". Paul says in  1 Cor 7: 32-33 "The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife" Married, just getting centered and in a prayerful state to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass would be difficult....ring, ring, it's his wife on the cell-phone. Son Dennis just broke up with Millie for the 4th time, he needs manly advice before he takes to drinking. Don't get me started...  What do you mean you have to say the Liturgy of the Hours and the Rosary...now? Don't you know Sara has soccer practice at 4 and I'm getting a pedicure, you have to take her! And so it goes...distracted? Do ya think?  And no, Protestant pastors don't have the same commitments....most churches have one, maybe two, services on Sunday, not 8-10 Masses on a weekend. They don't have 800 kids in their Religious Education classes...the ones I dealt with had a Sunday school program with 2 adult parishioners teaching the class....no First Holy Communion program or First Penance programs to oversee. Our priests are unique and special. No one seems to have a problem with a closing pitcher in baseball playing only one inning and not being asked to be more than a Closer. Why do we ask priests to concentrate on anything other than being a priest? Isn't it good enough that they are shepherds of lost sheep, prayer-centered clergy, counselors of the dismayed, doctors of injured souls, warriors for God?
In his 1973 book, The Priesthood, Karl Rahner discusses his interpretation of the awesome mission of the priest.
"In a sense, he (a priest) is always on duty," said Karl Rahner. "In the light of this sociological aspect of his life, the priest must clearly understand that he belongs body and soul, with all that he is, to this church, to her task, to her mission, her work, her destiny, and he can never disassociate himself from these things." (Rahner, page 101.)  
Should Priests Marry? They already are...they are married to Christ and His Church. It's a monogamous and life-long love affair.