LifeNet

Fr. Fidelis homily at Old St. Patrick's

Fr. Fidelis, who a few days after this did another Red Rose Rescue on Long Island.

Fr. Fidelis' Homily - Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral

 

July 2, 2022

 

 

When the Lord brought His chosen people out of slavery in Egypt, through the Red Sea, and when the Egyptian army was drowned and swallowed up in the waters the people realized they were free, they broke into song. They sang, “I will sing to the Lord for He has triumphed gloriously. Horse and his rider He has thrown into the sea.” It was a moment of great victory.

Brothers and sisters, we now are in a moment of great victory. It was 10 a.m. June 24, the Feast of the Sacred Heart, the Feast of St. John the Baptist that Roe v. Wade was finally overturned. And one of the first things I want us to do in this Mass today is to thank Almighty God for the graces of that decision because the cornerstone of the culture of death has been pulverized. That diabolical covenant of death which the Supreme Court made in 1973 has finally been repudiated. We always knew Roe v. Wade was an egregious mistake, that it relied on exceptionally weak reasoning, and that it had very damaging consequences. And now finally the Supreme Court has admitted it also.

When God brought His people out of slavery, the Jewish people still had many battles yet to fight before they finally entered the promised land. And so too for us here—especially in New York. We have many battles yet to fight, but we are going to fight them, and one is waiting for us outside the church as we can hear today. Because we know when it comes to abortion, this state is a stronghold of evil.

What is our next goal now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned? Well, for us here our next goal to which we must devote all of our energy is to ban abortion here in New York and guarantee legal protection for unborn children. In other words, we need to repeal the 2019 Reproductive Health Act. Remember that this act legalizes abortion on demand through nine months of pregnancy, declares abortion to be a fundamental right, and allows non-physicians to perform abortions.

The other day as I was driving, I heard on the radio an advertisement. It was the voice of Governor Kathy Hochul, and she said, “Here in New York abortion remains safe, legal and accessible.” This is false. Abortion is never safe. It always causes the destruction of an innocent human being, and it always gravely harms the psychological and spiritual health of the mother. Abortion is never legal. It is totally contrary to natural and divine law. Not only is it not a constitutional right, but no legislature can ever legally sanction willful murder. And as for accessibility, women in New York do not need access to abortion. What they need is access to loving encouragement and practical support in order to care for and bring to birth the children they have conceived.

Recently the bishops of New York have reaffirmed a pledge first made by John Cardinal O’Conner in the 1980s. They said, “Any woman regardless of the age, religious belief or affiliation, marital status or immigration status, any woman who is pregnant and in need can come to the Catholic Church, and we will give you the services and supports you need to carry your baby to term, regardless of your ability to pay. Furthermore, we will not abandon you and your baby after delivery, but rather we will see to it that you have the resources that you and your child both need and deserve. No one will be turned away from life-affirming care. If you have had an abortion that you regret whether recently or in the distant past, please come to us as well so that we may offer you services to help you to heal.

Now brothers and sisters, we here in this church must be a part of this urgent pastoral effort. Our confidence in all of this is not in ourselves but is in the Lord.

Again, going back to the story of the Jewish people, rescued from slavery, travelling through the desert and then came the time when the Lord wanted them to enter into Canaan and to receive their promised inheritance. Remember the pagans, the Canaanites were living in that land. As part of their religion, they practiced human sacrifice. God wanted to end that and bring His own people into that land. And so, Moses sent out a group of men to gather information about the land to prepare for their next step. They came back and there was a division of opinion. Many of the men in that group said, “No, we can’t conquer this land. Those people are too powerful, too strong. We’re just like grasshoppers before them.” But there was another voice that was raised. Joshua and Caleb contradicted those men and said, “No we certainly can take it.” They had the confidence that the Lord was with them, and that He would fulfill the promise He had made.

Brothers and sisters, our confidence today is in the grace of Jesus Christ. Our confidence is in the power of His Precious Blood and in the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

 

One last word concerning those who will be opposing us today. We can all hear their voices through the walls.

 

At the Last Supper Jesus said to His chosen Apostles, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it has hated you.” Jesus returned love for hatred. We must do the same. Why do they hate us? They hate us because they have believed the big lie. The lie that says abortion is necessary for the equality and the good of women in society. And they are angry because for many, they have been hurt perhaps even through an abortion. So, what do they need? They need our compassion, and they need our prayers. Because if it wasn’t for the grace of God touching our lives and our hearts don’t think for a minute that you couldn’t also be out there shouting at us in here. It’s only God’s goodness and mercy that has brought us together. And His goodness and mercy want to reach through us to them as well. So, I say that because we want to leave the church today in the right spiritual frame of mind.

In this Mass let us continue to pray that Almighty God would fill us with His Holy Spirit, strengthen us to be His witnesses today in the cause of life, and bring conversion and healing to all those who are still trapped in the culture of death. May Jesus Christ the King be praised now and forever.

 

LINK

Franciscan Friars of the Renewal

Renewal in Motion

Catholic Underground

Grassroots Films

Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious

Youth 2000 USA

Fearless Retreats

Frassati NYC

Good Counsel Homes

Lamp Catholic Ministries

 

 

NY's Bishop Peter Byrne: "The Dobbs Decision and Its Aftermath"

We love Bishop Byrne - who was an Associate Pastor in Sleepy Hollow, NY years ago. This is a column from Catholic New York, the most recent edition. The photo is from 2016 at a Sisters for Life event.

An exercise of raw judicial power” is the way Justice Byron White described “Roe v. Wade” in his dissent back in 1973. It was that, and so much more. Referring to the Declaration of Independence, G.K. Chesterton described the United States as “the only nation in the world that is founded on a creed.” In his famous 1963 speech at the Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King gave voice to his dream that “this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed.”

Roe v. Wade, by trumpeting a right to privacy that encompassed the right to take the life of tiny human beings, explicitly rejected the Declaration’s profession of belief, and moved this country to a practical embrace of atheism as a state religion.

A good many years ago, inspired by the example of the late Bishop Austin Vaughan, I had the privilege of participating in “Operation Rescue,” the program of non-violent civil disobedience that took place in front of abortion facilities. After an arrest in front of the clinic in Dobbs Ferry and a brief stay in the Westchester County jail, I returned to St. Teresa of Avila parish in Sleepy Hollow, in time to be present for the Tuesday night Spanish prayer group. During the prayers, one of the participants expressed gratitude for the activities of “Operation Rescue”—an effort, as she described it, “para defender los derechos de Dios”—to defend the rights of God.

It was a profound comment, and a perspective that I have not heard often enough during these past 50 years. The tendency to treat abortion as just one issue among many does not come to grips with Roe v. Wade’s unique challenge to the sovereignty of God. When God given rights are brazenly denied and idols like “raw judicial power” are set up, the type of slaughter that we have seen since Roe v. Wade becomes inevitable.

The great blessing of the Dobbs decision is that it sets aside the bogus “right” claimed by Roe, and thus places the country on an entirely different path. It is a limited triumph, of course, because the right to life of the unborn is not defended nationwide, but it is an important first step, in that many states have already enacted laws in order to protect the most defenseless among us.

Here in New York state, of course, we are faced with unique challenges. Our state government manifests a diabolical hostility to unborn lives, embodied by the “Reproductive Health Act” passed in 2019. In the face of governmental intransigence, a tremendous grass-roots effort will be required here, including education and all manner of support for women in crisis pregnancies. It is important to acknowledge, of course, the tremendous contributions of so many people over so many years that have led to the present movement. Maternity homes, crisis pregnancy centers, education efforts and public advocacy have all been part of the pushback against the evil decision that was Roe v. Wade, nationwide and here in the Archdiocese of New York. Fueling these efforts were the prayers and sacrifices of countless individuals

The late Cardinal O’Connor focused on the importance of prayer and fasting as the ultimate antidote to the satanic spirit that motivates the “culture of death.” New York State is a national disgrace because of the official embrace of that culture, but when sin abounds, grace does also. The Sisters of Life are the cardinal’s lasting legacy, and they serve as very special models for all pro-lifers, not because of anything they might do, but because of who they are. Their lives of prayer and fasting, and their benignity in the face of malice, are examples worthy of imitation.

In a memorable speech during his 1987 visit to the United States, Pope St. John Paul II called the belief in a God-given right to life and its defense as “the dignity of America, the reason she exists, the condition for her survival—yes the ultimate test of her greatness.” Trusting in God may we help our country pass that test, as we strive always to promote the “culture of life.”

 

Theresa Bonopartis: "The Vatican, Nancy Pelosi and Healing From Abortion"

Theresa our wonderful director of the post abortion ministry Lumina

Excerpts below the link, but you really should read the entire brief column.

I pray the day will come when we can all experience the joy of Nancy Pelosi’s conversion, and I pray that we stand faithful and courageous in the meantime.

I had an abortion when I was 17 years old. At the time, it was much like it will be now, before Roe v. Wade — legal in New York, but not across the country.

As much as the pro-abortion narrative would like everyone to believe that the choice of abortion is always freely made, I know that this is not true. Not only was I abandoned and coerced by my father, but in the Entering Canaan post abortion ministry I co-developed with the Sisters of Life, we’ve learned, over the past 26 years, that most women face some kind of pressure to end their pregnancies. This of course, does not make the abortion okay, but it speaks to the lies of the industry and the difficulties faced in the healing process.

The road to healing from an abortion can be excruciatingly painful. It's a battle for belief in the love and mercy of God after an abortion experience, which is the ultimate failure of love. The horror can be so deep, it can often take people decades to heal from its trauma.

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So it is that the antics of Nancy Pelosi at the Vatican deeply pierced my heart and the hearts of many others who truly have experienced the humility of the love of God in forgiving and healing us of our abortions. But not everyone is there. Millions of post-abortive mothers, fathers and even siblings are sitting in silent suffering, struggling to find their way back to the heart of God

The recent actions of Pelosi at the Vatican, and her receiving of the Eucharist despite the entreaties of her bishop, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, are a mockery of the Church and particularly stinging to those of us in the United States who just saw the reversal of Roe. This is a woman who holds grave responsibility for the death of millions of unborn children. Her total disrespect for the gift of life and the teachings of the Church she professes to love cheapens and distorts our most precious gifts of faith and the Holy Eucharist.

 

Chris Bell - Wall Street Journal op ed - Crisis Pregnancy Centers

This will be the first of several responses to the reversal of Roe which we will be posting. From the WSJ yesterday (July 6, 2022) so is very timely.

The link is here and may not be accessible without a Journal subscription Elizabeth Warren Smears Pro-Life Charities. We tell women the truth: Abortion isn’t their only option.

But Chris won't mind if we print the text! Please spread widely.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren last week called for the federal government to “crack down” on crisis pregnancy centers and maternity homes such as Good Counsel, the one I founded in New Jersey in 1985. In the 37 years I’ve been working with homeless women, pregnant mothers and babies, I’ve seen how the media smears the pro-life movement. They say we don’t care about women. They say we love children only before they’re born and, in Ms. Warren’s words, that we “mislead and deceive” women into having babies they don’t want. She may believe that, but it isn’t true.

At Good Counsel, like many similar organizations throughout the country, we take in any pregnant woman in need. Most come from broken or dysfunctional homes and have nowhere else to go. They are welcome to stay with us for a year or longer. During that time, we help them develop child-rearing skills. We also provide budgeting and vocational assistance, nutritional advice and tips for a healthy lifestyle. Many women choose to work or go back to school. Our staff babysits—free of charge—while new moms begin to build a résumé. We do everything we can to help connect women to resources and support.

It isn’t easy. We have a curfew and a policy against alcohol and drug use. But every line is drawn with compassion and mercy.

Want to talk about deception? Many of the women who come to us have been told—by doctors, high-school counselors and social-service organizations—that abortion is their only option. They are told that having a baby means they’ll never finish school and won’t have a career. None of this is true, but I hear it every day.

The hidden reality is that no woman in the U.S. today has to raise a child she conceives. There are safe-haven laws in every state and territory allowing a woman to offer a child anonymously for adoption.

At Good Counsel, we also help women living with the pain of abortion. I know of no one in the pro-life movement who would condemn a woman for having an abortion. Half the women coming to our facility for help have already had at least one abortion. We don’t throw stones. Many of our volunteers and counselors know the pain of abortion firsthand.

Want to talk about misleading? Nothing is more misleading than the claim that abortion is simply healthcare, that terminating a pregnancy is the key to a happy life free from unwanted burdens. My experience of talking with and helping more than 4,000 women at Good Counsel over almost four decades tells me that the pain of abortion can be devastating. Nobody should have to face it alone.

The Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson has brought renewed attention to the work done by maternity homes and crisis pregnancy centers. “Love them both” is not just a sign we carry at the March for Life every year. It’s the key to ensuring that frightened and abandoned pregnant women understand that they have options other than abortion.

Ms. Warren is welcome to visit Good Counsel anytime she wants. I think she will see that we don’t mislead or deceive anyone. We stick to the truth, delivered with compassion and mercy.

Mr. Bell is co-founder and president of Good Counsel Homes.