Making an appearance for our mother

For years, she's been visiting us.  This May 17th, let's make an appearance for her in Notre Dame .

Link to listing of apparitions & visitations:

http://campus.udayton.edu/mary//resources/aprtable.html  

Zeitoun (Egypt)

Akita (Japan)

NIH - provides free treatment and medicines for certain cases

My daughter has this severe skin irritation that eludes conventional treatments.  Her doctor suggested that we take her to NIH to be a subject of their study.  We applied and got accepted in the program.  Now, NIH provides free treatment and medicines in exchange for the data that they get from my daughter's case.  Confidentiality is assured and we can back out anytime.

Origins of the Fighting Irish

I've always wondered about the "Fighting Irish". What's with the fighting? For a Catholic people, it seems contradictory. Folks at http://catholic-dads.blogspot.com/ had this to say.

Thomas More says, "I think it has more to do with the Irish Brigades that fought on the side of the Union during the Civil War."

RobK states,   "The most generally accepted explanation is that the press coined the nickname as a characterization of Notre Dame athletic teams, their never-say-die fighting spirit and the Irish qualities of grit, determination and tenacity. The term likely began as an abusive expression tauntingly directed toward the athletes from the small, private, Catholic institution. Notre Dame alumnus Francis Wallace popularized it in his New York Daily News columns in the 1920s."

But my favorite explanation is from the late Archibishop Fulton Sheen.   It's been said that during the war between Lucifer's legions and God's faithful angels, a third group of angels stayed on the sidelines - taking neither side. At the end, these neutral angels were also banished from heaven until judgment day. Though they were not condemned in hell, they were sent to Ireland. Ever since, they have inspired the people there to fight the good fight.

Is abortion the most important issue? [annotated commentary]

I found this article at Vox-nova http://vox-nova.com/2009/04/22/is-abortion-the-most-important-issue/

Is abortion the most important issue?

[The answer below is no. It is not torture either. See below for the surprise ending.]

Though abortion is objectively the most widespread and murderous social evil in America (and those who fight against it - whether at abortion clinics or in politics - are to be honored), this does not make all other issues somehow less important. Even John Paul the Great, a man on a crusade against death, proclaimed that “the one issue which most challenges our human and Christian consciences is the poverty of countless millions of men and women.” [so is it the one or just one of many?]

This is JPII saying this, not Vox Nova, not Nate Wildermuth, but the man, our man, John Paul. (Might I add that it’s a great name for a baby?) [Only for a son.]

It’s time we saw all these “issues” as one great problem: sin. [It is both then because they’re interwoven. ] Abortion and poverty and violence are all interwoven into one terrible system of sin. [Getting to the root – radical approach]
This sin can only be confronted through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not through clever programs, not through vicious blogs [most likely not], not through dense books [alone], not through televised homilies [by themselves],

[ Recall when a professor once remarked about St. John Vianney, "This fellow is a complete ass. What can he possibly accomplish?" Father Vianney replied, "If Samson armed only with the jawbone of an ass, could kill one thousand Philistines, imagine what God can do with the complete ass!"]

but through a personal encounter with the King and the Kingdom.
[whose personal encounter - the pro-lifer, the pro-abortionist or both? Both, only Jesus can move the pro-abortion folks. For the pro-lifers to bring Jesus, they must first have Jesus – can’t give what you don’t have. Nemo dat quod non habet.]

But what does that really mean? [Good question. It means we’re involved in a spiritual combat as Arch. Chaput mentioned before. What does it not mean? It does not mean that we have to stop other efforts e.g. legislation, counseling, rescue and education to stop abortion.]

It means, perhaps, finding a holy hour instead of an internet hour. [perhaps both]

How far along are you? See your child not a blob.

She is God's creature and your child.  She is a living person, not a blob.

She was given life.  Do not take it away from her.

CLICK PIC TO ENLARGE.

Safe, Legal & Rare (GRAPHIC)

The Secretary of State stated that the administration intends to keep abortion

safe, legal and rare.  Didn't she mean well done?

Safe and Legal? (GRAPHIC)

The Secretary of State stated that the administration intends to keep abortion 

safe and legal.