In Context: It Happened Last Night!

And Paul Whelan is still in captivity.
Afghanistan is ruled by the Taliban.
And Americans have to choose between food, gas or Christmas presents for kids.
But 🤷🏻‍♀️ https://t.co/UMt2ZBhE45

— Christine Flowers (@flowerlady61) December 14, 2022

Are YOU Eligible For This Special Celebration?

Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. will be the main celebrant at the annual Wedding Anniversary Mass on Sunday, April 28th. The Mass is celebrated to pray for married couples in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

Saturday, April 28, 2018

5:15 p.m.

Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul
 18th Street & Benjamin Franklin Parkway
 Philadelphia, PA 19103

For the first time this year, the Mass will now welcome couples who are married 1-5 years in addition to the couples who have been married 25 years or more and 50 years or more. Friends and family are also welcome and encouraged to attend.

To register, please visit https://form.jotform.us/72323671861154

Note: For more information about the Wedding Anniversary Mass, please contact the Office for Life and Family at 215-587-0500, or visit www.phillycatholiclife.org.

Now, Enough Laughs For The Whole Week!

Mrs. Hughes offers up the unfortunate secrets to a long lasting marriage and discusses her dysfunctional relationships with her husband and son.

OMG! Every Single Day; Watch This, It's Fascinating!

A guy named Hugo Cornellier took a photo of himself every day from February 2008, when he was 12— to August, 2017 when he got married. This is the result. He said he stabilized all the photos by hand. Fascinating!

A Journey Of 'Joys And Struggles' . . .

Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. has encouraged the clergy and faithful throughout the five-county Archdiocese of Philadelphia to join in the observance of National Marriage Week (February 7-14) and World Marriage Day (February 11).

Sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), these initiatives celebrate the gift and blessing of marriage while affirming and supporting engaged and married couples.

National Marriage Week is in its ninth year and promotes marriage as a benefit to husbands and wives to the nation, as well as the best environment in which to raise children.

Archbishop Chaput, Chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, recently wrote to his brother bishops that “the committee is grateful for the ongoing efforts in dioceses and parishes across the nation to promote, strengthen and defend marriage, as well as accompany engaged and married couples in their joys and struggles. National Marriage Week is an opportunity to focus on building a culture of life and love that begins with supporting and promoting marriage and the family.”
A daily virtual marriage retreat for National Marriage Week is available on Facebook at www.facebook.com/foryourmarriage.

Note: For more information on the National Marriage Week and World Day of Marriage, please visit the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) website at http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/marriage-and-family/national-marriage-week.cfm.

Living Loudly: Time To 'Turn Up The Volume'?

Here is this week's column from Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Caput:

“I do not know any country where, in general, less independence of mind and genuine freedom of discussion reign than in America.”

-- Tocqueville, “Democracy in America”

 

Alexis de Tocqueville was the great French chronicler of the early United States. Nearly 200 years ago, he spotted a basic tension in our national character. It’s this: Americans place a big stress on individual rights. But we’re also big conformists. The dynamic of self-assertion and fear of being out of step with the herd is one of the key contradictions of American life. Nobody wants to be told what to do. But most of us urgently want to be inside the constantly shifting range of acceptable opinions.

A good example happened last week.

On Tuesday, August 29, a group of prominent evangelical scholars and pastors – including respected public voices like Russell Moore -- issued the “Nashville Statement.” It’s worth reading in the original, rather than reading about it. Nothing in the document is shocking or belligerent. On the contrary: In its preamble and 14 articles, the text simply reaffirms historic biblical beliefs about marriage, chastity and the nature of human sexuality. Critics might question its timing or structure or wording. Some evangelicals have done so. In a normal time, though, the Statement would be a non-story.

But we don’t live in a “normal” time. We live in the midst of a culture war. A methodical effort is now playing out in the mass media to recast biblical truths as a form of “hate,” to reshape public opinion away from those biblical truths, and to silence anyone who stays faithful to Christian teaching on matters of sexual behavior, sexual identity, family and marriage. The message is simple: Conform to the new herd dogmas or enjoy the consequences. Which explains the river of public contempt that was quickly poured out on the Nashville Statement.

Happily, three days after the Statement, Cardinal Robert Sarah approached some of the same issues from a Catholic perspective in the Wall Street Journal. Sarah stressed that “to love someone as Christ loves us means to love that person in the truth.” Sexuality is a gift from God with beauty and purpose. Within marriage, sexual intimacy is a source of unity, joy and new life. At the same time, Scripture is clear about the destructive nature of promiscuity in any form. The call to chastity applies to all persons, whatever their sexual inclinations.

Sarah especially noted that “In her teaching about homosexuality, the Church guides her followers by distinguishing their identities from their attractions and actions.” Persons deserve respect and understanding as children of God. But “same-sex relations [are] gravely sinful and harmful to the well-being of those who partake in them. People who identify as members of the LGBT community are owed this truth in charity, especially from clergy who speak on behalf of the Church . . . “

In other words, we need to speak the truth with love. Truth without love becomes a weapon. But no real love, no authentic mercy, can exist divorced from speaking the truth.

Having said all of the above, what’s the point of this column?

It’s this: God exists. His Creation has a natural order. Our sexuality is part of that life-giving order. Sooner or later, nature defeats ideology. It doesn’t matter how strong or widely shared or persuasive a bad system of ideas might seem to be. It will always lose. The trouble, as we learned in the last century, is that foolish and perverse thinking can take a long time to die. And it can ruin countless lives and poison whole societies in the process.

Sex intimately informs our idea of what and who we are as human beings. Sexual behavior and relationships are never purely private matters. They always have social implications and consequences. The dysfunctions in our nation’s current attitudes toward sex thus amount to a kind of mental virus, a flight from reason and common sense.

There’s plenty of evidence for what I’ve just said, and it’s worth examining. I’ll recommend two excellent places to start. In fact, both are “must-reads.”

The first resource is Ashley McGuire, a founding editor of altFem magazine (altfemmag.com), and one of the most gifted young writers, cultural critics and lecturers in the United States. She’s also a wife and mother, and she brings all these skills to bear in Sex Scandal: The Drive to Abolish Male and Female (Regnery), published earlier this year.

The title is impish, and McGuire writes with style, energy and sardonic irony. She starts from the premise that “Somehow, it has become a violation of the accepted code of conduct to suggest that men and women are different, and to act accordingly.” Then she proves it with a news tour of the cultural front lines -- documenting one vivid, factual example after another of our current delusions about sex and gender, and the human debris they leave in their wake.

The second resource is Mark Regnerus. Prof. Regnerus, a sociologist at the University of Texas, Austin, is well acquainted with today’s new sex orthodoxies, and the cost of questioning them. Sexual behavior is among his fields of study. Unhappily for him, his work has challenged the groupthink of many of his colleagues. As a result, he’s been the target of sustained, ugly (but unsuccessful) personal and professional attacks.

Regnerus’s latest book is Cheap Sex: The Transformation of Men, Marriage and Monogamy (Oxford University Press). It’s an important, well-written, deeply absorbing piece of scholarship on the modern mating market – vital reading for anyone who wants to understand the dynamics of current American sexual behaviors, with the hard social research Regnerus provides to back up his conclusions. Anyone in marriage and family ministry, or the adult formation of men and women, should have a working knowledge of this text.

I’ll end with a news item and a thought.

Here’s the news item. Prof. Amy Barrett is a distinguished (Catholic) law professor at the University of Notre Dame. She’s also a White House nominee to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. In confirmation hearings on Wednesday, September 6, Democratic Senators repeatedly raised thinly veiled questions about Barrett’s suitability to serve linked to her Catholic faith. But the day’s signature line came from Democrat Dianne Feinstein. The senator worried to Barrett that “dogma lives loudly in you” – this, from a person whose dogmatic decibel level on abortion “rights” could break windows.

Here’s the thought. A great many faithful Christians still do let their convictions “live loudly” in their hearts and actions. It’s called witness. What it takes is a little courage. So maybe they – and all the rest of us who seek to follow Jesus Christ -- should turn up the volume.

Note: The complete text of the “Nashville Statement” can be found at https://cbmw.org/nashville-statement/. Columns will be published each week on www.CatholicPhilly.com and can also be found at http://archphila.org/archbishop-chaput/statements/statements.php

What Do We REALLY Know About This Guy?

Here is a very special message from catholicvote.org:

What do we really know about Tim Kaine?

First, he claims to be a “devout” Catholic. He celebrates Pope Francis. And he often mentions his life-changing mission trip to Honduras in the 1980’s.

But Tim Kaine is also 100% pro-abortion -- according to Planned Parenthood. He has NEVER supported a pro-life law in the Senate, and now supports forcing taxpayers to pay for abortion -- especially for poor children. He opposes the Church’s teaching on marriage, and recently predicted the Church would change its teaching (hint: it can’t). Bishops across the country have rebuked him.

But Kaine is such a nice guy. He smiles a lot. And he cares about poor people, like those he helped in Honduras, right? Or is there more to the story?

According to the New York Times, Kaine’s time in Honduras profoundly shaped his political career. And there is more to the story.

So we did a little digging.
Based on extensive research and reporting, CV has created a detailed memo connecting Tim Kaine to some rather dangerous people and ideas. Questions remain as to Tim Kaine's relationship with many of these radicals, and how their extremism has shaped Kaine's political views today.

For example, did you know that Kaine travelled on foot for several hours to spend a ‘memorable’ evening with a radical Marxist ex-Jesuit who was calling for armed revolution? And that this priest was later killed while invading Honduras alongside Soviet-backed guerilla fighters?

And did you know Kaine has stayed in contact with, and recently met and praised, the protégé of this priest, who today is calling for the forced redistribution of all land in Latin America within the next 5 years?

I encourage you to read the full memo by clicking here.

In his campaign speeches and on social media, Kaine has called his time in Honduras “the turning point” of his life. I fully expect him to mention it again during the Vice Presidential debate. But central to his time in Honduras was his embrace of “Liberation Theology,” then an explicitly Marxist political ideology cloaked in Catholic teaching that was planted in South America for the purpose of stirring up the poor to violence against their government.

At the time, this was a theology radically at odds with the Church and condemned by the Vatican, Pope John Paul II, and political leaders in the United States. The Marxist elements of the theology are still condemned by the Church today, including Pope Francis.

Liberation Theology Used By Soviets to Manipulate Poor

During the Cold War, however, this new theology did have the support of the Soviet Union. Scholars of the period have written that Soviets and the Stasi in East Germany created Liberation Theology to undermine the Church and advance the Soviet cause against the United States.

The highest ranking defector from the Soviet Union, General Ion Pacepa, wrote that the Soviets believed Latin Americans could be made to embrace Communism “through the judicious manipulation of religion.”

In Honduras, the phony Marxist-tinged theology was planted to manipulate poor Catholics, instigate terrorism, and stir up a violent revolution in Honduras -- then the key ally of the United States opposing Communism in the region.

Why does this matter?

While Kaine is fond of mentioning his time in Honduras, few people ever ask what he learned there. Who did he meet, and what did they teach him? And most importantly, since Kaine has said his time in Honduras helped define his political philosophy -- what does he believe today?

It is no secret that a growing movement (think Bernie Sanders) believes that free enterprise, individual liberty, and the American system are fundamentally unjust -- and therefore the people must cede more power, more of our wages and control to an elite class who will ‘fix’ things.

We too acknowledge deep problems in our political and economic life. But socialist or Marxist policies are dangerous. And such ideas spell doom for the dignity of people -- and the Church.

Tim Kaine’s friends in Honduras advocated such ideas, even armed revolution. His close friends today advocate the forced redistribution of land by 2021. And even though it was condemned by Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis, they believe this is part of what it means to be a Catholic and care about justice.

Do you?

Click here to read the full memo.

Brian Birch

CatholicVote.org

P.S. We are fielding a deluge of media calls, doing radio interviews and getting the word out. If you want to help us tell the truth about Tim Kaine, I could use your help. Chip in here.

Yeah, She's Dumping Him, And Here's Why!

Will YOU Let Them Get Away With This? Huh?

Here is a special message from catholicvote.org: There is no tip toeing around this.  It’s time to be blunt.  Early Sunday morning, 49 of our fellow Americans were killed by a purportedly gay, radical Islamist, who pledged allegiance to ISIS. The killer scoped several locations for his heinous crime, including Disney World where tens of thousands of families visit every day. He ultimately committed his crime at a gay night club.    Shamefully, in the days since the massacre, partisan ideologues have used the mass-murder to demonize Christians, gun owners, and anyone who doesn’t fully embrace the radical LGBT agenda.  ...and it’s not just the ACLU.  Several of our own Bishops are engaging in this madness.  This is disgraceful. And wrong.  Every person killed in Orlando was made in the image and likeness of God. Human dignity does not stop at the doorstep of a gay night club. Each of the victims was loved by God beyond measure.  Not a single Catholic has celebrated this crime. Not one Catholic voice has called for violence against gay and lesbian people. But now, an increasing number of leaders are attempting to exploit the terrorist attack in Orlando to advance political agendas -- and they are even blaming us!  Don’t believe me? Consider just these few examples: Bishop Robert Lynch of St. Petersburg, Florida, wrote in a national editorial: “sadly it is religion, including our own, which targets, mostly verbally, and also often breeds contempt for gays, lesbians and transgender people. Attacks today on LGBT men and women often plant the seed of contempt, then hatred, which can ultimately lead to violence.” Link. A New York Times editorial today: “...lawmakers who have actively championed discriminatory laws and policies, and those who have quietly enabled them with votes, should force themselves to read the obituaries and look at the photos. The 49 people killed in Orlando were victims of a terrorist attack. But they also need to be remembered as casualties of a society where hate has deep roots.” Link. Chase Strangio, a lawyer for the ACLU's LGBT & AIDS Project: “The Christian Right has introduced 200 anti-LGBT bills in the last six months and people blaming Islam for this. No. You know what is gross - your thoughts and prayers and Islamophobia after you created this anti-queer climate.” Link. Virginia Congressman Don Beyer claimed if you oppose transgender bathrooms, you are part of the problem. “Hatred breeds hatred… we are not blameless.” he said. Link. Did you get that? You and I are partly to blame for Orlando.  Catholics who believe in the natural institution of marriage and the intrinsic beauty and complementarity of men and women, and who desire to protect women and children from predators in public restrooms helped fuel this terrorist attack? This is outrageous.  This is nothing more than the shameless exploitation of a terrible terrorist attack to fuel hatred of anyone that believes in the time-honored institution of marriage, and traditional sexual morality.  What happened in Orlando was an act of terrorism, fueled by a radical ideology and carried out by a mad man. To suggest that faithful Catholics helped encourage this attack is beyond disgraceful.  We will not stand for it. And neither should you.  I am asking every CV member to write or call Bishop Lynch in St. Petersburg today.  Ask him to clarify his comments, which suggest that Catholic teaching on marriage and sexuality somehow “breeds contempt for gays.” Ask him to consider issuing a public clarification.  CONTACT INFO: Bishop Robert Lynch Diocese of St. Petersburg P.O. Box 40200 St. Petersburg, FL 33743-0200 Phone: 727-344-1611 Fax: 727-345-2143 Email: communicate@dosp.org Please do not personally attack the Bishop. He remains a shepherd of the Church. However, we must defend our rights as Catholics to follow the teachings of our Church -- and respond together to the insinuation that doing so leads to violence.  We ask you to be charitable, but firm.  Someone has to stand up.  If not us, who?

Brian Burch President, Catholicvote.org

You Won't Believe This Daring Marriage Proposal!

This is so sweet! Check out this marriage proposal on stage at Paper Mill Playhouse during Pump Boys and Dinettes.

For tickets visit www.PaperMill.org

New Papal Document: What It REALLY Means

Here is a special message from Brian Burch, President of catholicvote.org.

“The joy of Love experienced by families is also the joy of the Church.”  This is how Pope Francis begins his post-synod Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia or “The Joy of Love.” The document is a beautiful and challenging meditation on the state of the family and marriage in the modern world.  The document was only released hours ago. To cut through the confusion already underway via some media sources, you should know that this document does not change the Church's traditional teaching on marriage and the family. Pope Francis is emphatic on God’s design for man and woman in marriage.  The document is unmistakably an affirmation of the truth of marriage, children, and the joy of the family as understood by the Church.  The document is also completely unambiguous about the unique status of marriage as the union of man and woman, and re-states there are “absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God’s plan for marriage and family” (Section 251).  The most talked about portions of the document relate to Chapter 8, and how the Church ought to approach the pastoral care of those in “irregular” situations, including the divorced and remarried (who have not received an annulment). The Holy Father issues a deep call to conversion to Catholics who ignore or seek to justify their own objective sin (Section 297) and invites all divorced and remarried Catholic to undertake a serious examination of conscience accompanied by a priest and guided by the truths proposed by the Church (Section 300).  He also calls for a greater inclusion and welcoming of those who are sincerely striving to be open to the Church’s teaching and to more perfectly follow those teachings. He emphasizes repeatedly that the Church must be a beacon of mercy, a hospital for sinners, and a source of real conversion.  He particularly calls for pastors to employ the “law of gradualness” proposed by Saint John Paul II in appropriate cases (Section 295), which does not imply that the law is gradual, but that individuals should be brought by gradual steps to more fully enter into the full life of the church, as for example, when a cohabiting couple seeks to marry in the Church (presuming they are free to do so).  Pope Francis speaks out frequently about his concern for the children of divorced or separated parents (Sections 245, 246) and for the need to support single-parent families (Section 252).  The vast majority of the document treats marriage as a joyful and beautiful gift.  Chapter 3 examines the teachings of Jesus on the family and God’s vision for marriage and family. Chapter 4 offers an exposition of St Paul’s teaching on marital love in 1 Corinthians. Chapter 5 discusses the blessings of children. Chapter 6 offers pastoral perspectives (including preparing engaged couples for marriage, accompanying the first years of married life, and when a spouse dies). Chapter 7 addresses the education of children and Chapter 9 concludes with the spirituality of marriage and the family.  Finally, there is one key takeaway worth mentioning. The Holy Father places a significant responsibility on pastors and priests. It is the priest who is tasked with helping those struggling to understand the truth of their circumstances, to help guide the proper formation of conscience, and often to help discern the appropriate path to communion with the Church.  This will be difficult in practice, and will require courageous and holy priests. We must pray for our priests everywhere!  We encourage you to set aside the time and read the entirety of the apostolic exhortation here: http://cvote.it/1RInoxL

Brian

P.S. As I prepared to send this message, George Weigel released an excellent summary of the document worth reading here: http://cvote.it/20dYUP2  As always, be sure to check back at CatholicVote.org where we will be posting articles we find helpful throughout the day.

Chaput: Synod Experience 'Strange And Hopeful'

Here is a special message from Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput:

In less than a week I'll be home in Philadelphia and hopefully - finally - back to the normal life of a great diocese. I use that word "great" deliberately. What makes Philadelphia unique is not its legacy, or industries, or universities, or cultural centers. All these things are important, but they're just words until we remember the people who give them life.

The Church in Philadelphia is "great" because of her people. She's blessed in her clergy, religious and lay faithful. Above all, she's blessed in her families, rich and poor, who sacrifice to support their parishes and do their best to live the Gospel week in and week out. And nothing captured the real character of Philadelphia more beautifully than the outpouring of enthusiasm and love from tens of thousands of families that greeted Pope Francis last month and made the World Meeting of Families such a memorable success.

As the 2015 Synod on the Family draws to a close here in Rome, bishops from around the world continue to praise those remarkable days in our city. One of those bishops is the bishop of Rome. On October 20, via the apostolic nuncio, I received a letter dated October 5 from Pope Francis himself - addressed to me, but meant for every Catholic and every other person of good will across the Philadelphia region:

I wish to express my great appreciation to you and the clergy, consecrated men and women, and lay faithful of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for your warm welcome. I am especially grateful for your brotherly hospitality, and for the zeal, piety and enthusiasm which you shared with me and which daily guide your episcopal ministry. I am sure that our days together will continue to deepen the bonds of communion which we enjoy.

I thank you also for your many efforts in preparing for my visit to the Archdiocese, especially for the World Meeting of Families. Your commitment to the family was evident in the organization of the Meeting, and I know how diligently you and your staff; along with so many volunteers and benefactors, have worked these past three years. I trust that these celebrations will bear a new harvest of grace for your local Church and will be a source of renewal for marriage and family life.

Assuring you of my fraternal prayers, I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing to you and to all those entrusted to your pastoral care as a pledge of peace and joy in the Lord Jesus.

From the Vatican, 5 October 2015
+Francis

These past three weeks in Rome have been strange and hopeful at the same time. Strange, because the synod reported in the media and the synod actually taking place at the Vatican are rarely the same creatures.

The issues of modern family life are complex. They have great importance for the future of the Church and the world. So the work of this synod matters. True to his style, Pope Francis has encouraged an open and frank spirit from the start. Differences among the synod fathers - including serious differences on serious matters - are part of the natural flow of discussion. Bishops at the synod need to deal with such matters candidly. Otherwise, nothing good can result. But "warring camps" simply don't exist. The mood among the synod fathers has been far friendlier than any commentators seem to imagine. There are no "revolutionaries" or "reactionaries" in the synod hall - only bishops sincerely trying to face sensitive issues and chart the right course for the Church in the light of the Gospel.

Which brings me to why this synod experience has also been hopeful. It's one thing to hear about the "catholic" nature of the Catholic faith. It's another, deeply reassuring thing to see it alive in the intelligence and dedication of bishops from around the world gathered as brothers in one place. The synod's lay auditors, including married couples, have offered invaluable counsel in our small group discussions. So have the fraternal (i.e., ecumenical) delegates.

The point is: Whatever develops in the short term from this synod, God remains with his Church. We should cultivate that peace in our hearts. We need to trust in God's Word, and we need to pray for and trust the Holy Father. Otherwise we defeat our own discipleship. Confusion - as I was famously misquoted, out of context, a year ago - is of the devil. We shouldn't be part of it.

It will be good to be back in Philadelphia. It will be good to be home. We have a lot of great work to do together.

Francis' Closing Homily: Small Gestures Define Faith

Hundreds of thousands of people attended the concluding Mass of the Eighth World Meeting of Families celebrated by Pope Francis in Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin Parkway yesterday at 4 p.m. local time (10 p.m. in Rome). During the event, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, announced that the next Meeting will be held in Dublin, Ireland in 2018. In his homily, Pope Francis commented on the two readings of the day's liturgy, which present the scandal of the people before the miracles and the unexpected prophecies. In the first reading, Joshua tells Moses that two members of the people are prophesying, speaking God’s word, without a mandate. In the Gospel, John tells Jesus that the disciples had stopped someone from casting out evil spirits in the name of Jesus. “Here is the surprise”, remarked the Pope. “Moses and Jesus both rebuke those closest to them for being so narrow! Would that all could be prophets of God’s word! Would that everyone could work miracles in the Lord’s name!” Jesus encountered “hostility from people who did not accept what He said and did. For them, His openness to the honest and sincere faith of many men and women who were not part of God’s chosen people seemed intolerable. The disciples, for their part, acted in good faith. But the temptation to be scandalised by the freedom of God, Who sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous alike, bypassing bureaucracy, officialdom and inner circles, threatens the authenticity of faith. Hence it must be vigorously rejected. Once we realise this, we can understand why Jesus’ words about causing 'scandal' are so harsh. For Jesus, the truly 'intolerable' scandal consists in everything that breaks down and destroys our trust in the working of the Spirit”. “Our Father will not be outdone in generosity and He continues to scatter seeds. He scatters the seeds of His presence in our world, for 'love consists in this, not that we have loved God but that He loved us' first. That love gives us a profound certainty: we are sought by God; He waits for us. It is this confidence which makes disciples encourage, support and nurture the good things happening all around them. God wants all His children to take part in the feast of the Gospel. Jesus says, 'Do not hold back anything that is good, instead help it to grow!' To raise doubts about the working of the Spirit, to give the impression that it cannot take place in those who are not 'part of our group', who are not 'like us', is a dangerous temptation. Not only does it block conversion to the faith; it is a perversion of faith”. “Faith opens a 'window' to the presence and working of the Spirit. It shows us that, like happiness, holiness is always tied to little gestures. 'Whoever gives you a cup of water in my name will not go unrewarded', says Jesus. These little gestures are those we learn at home, in the family; they get lost amid all the other things we do, yet they do make each day different. They are the quiet things done by mothers and grandmothers, by fathers and grandfathers, by children. They are little signs of tenderness, affection and compassion. Like the warm supper we look forward to at night, the early lunch awaiting someone who gets up early to go to work. Homely gestures. Like a blessing before we go to bed, or a hug after we return from a hard day’s work. Love is shown by little things, by attention to small daily signs which make us feel at home. Faith grows when it is lived and shaped by love. That is why our families, our homes, are true domestic churches. They are the right place for faith to become life, and life to become faith”. “Jesus tells us not to hold back these little miracles. Instead, He wants us to encourage them, to spread them. He asks us to go through life, our everyday life, encouraging all these little signs of love as signs of His own living and active presence in our world. So we might ask ourselves: How are we trying to live this way in our homes, in our societies? What kind of world do we want to leave to our children? We cannot answer these questions alone, by ourselves. It is the Spirit who challenges us to respond as part of the great human family. Our common house can no longer tolerate sterile divisions. The urgent challenge of protecting our home includes the effort to bring the entire human family together in the pursuit of a sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can change. May our children find in us models and incentives to communion! May our children find in us men and women capable of joining others in bringing to full flower all the good seeds which the Father has sown”. “We Christians, the Lord’s disciples, ask the families of the world to help us!” exclaimed Francis. “How many of us are here at this celebration. This is itself something prophetic, a kind of miracle in today’s world. Would that we could all be prophets. Would that all of us could be open to miracles of love for the sake of all the families of the world, and thus overcome the scandal of a narrow, petty love, closed in on itself, impatient of others”. “How beautiful it would be if everywhere, even beyond our borders, we could appreciate and encourage this prophecy and this miracle”, concluded the Holy Father. “May God grant to all of us, as the Lord’s disciples, the grace to be worthy of this purity of heart which is not scandalised by the Gospel”. Following the Eucharist, Pope Francis gave the Gospel of St. Luke to five families representing the five continents, from, respectively, Kinshasa (Africa), Havana (America), Hanoi (Asia), Syney (Australia) and Marseilles (Europe).

Pope Sees Church, State At Odds On Marriage

Shortly after his meeting with a group of victims, the Holy Father returned to the issue of sexual abuse at the beginning of his address to the three hundred bishops attending the World Meeting of Families, held in the great Chapel of the St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. “I am deeply pained by the stories, the sufferings and the pain of minors who were sexually abused by priests. I continue to be ashamed that persons charged with the tender care of those little ones abused them and caused them grave harm. I deeply regret this. God weeps. The crimes and sins of sexual abuse of minors may no longer be kept secret; I commit myself to ensuring that the Church makes every effort to protect minors and I promise that those responsible will be held to account. Survivors of abuse have become true heralds of hope and ministers of mercy; humbly we owe our gratitude to each of them and to their families for their great courage in shedding the light of Christ on the evil sexual abuse of minors. I say this because I have just met with a group of persons abused as children, who are helped and accompanied here in Philadelphia with particular care by Archbishop Chaput, and we felt that I should communicate this to you”. Moving on to the issue of the family, he pronounced a discourse, at times improvised, in which he focused on the characteristics of families in today's society and the mission of bishops, reiterating that as pastors they must not be afraid to stay in the midst of families, with all their problems and their capacities, as “ A Christianity which does little in practice, while incessantly explaining its teachings, is dangerously unbalanced”. The following are extensive extracts from the Pope's address: “For the Church, the family is not first and foremost a cause for concern, but rather the joyous confirmation of God’s blessing upon the masterpiece of creation. Every day, all over the world, the Church can rejoice in the Lord’s gift of so many families who, even amid difficult trials, remain faithful to their promises and keep the faith! I would say that the foremost pastoral challenge of our changing times is to move decisively towards recognising this gift. For all the obstacles we see before us, gratitude and appreciation should prevail over concerns and complaints. The family is the fundamental locus of the covenant between the Church and God’s creation. Without the family, not even the Church would exist. Nor could she be what she is called to be, namely 'a sign and instrument of communion with God and of the unity of the entire human race'. Needless to say, our understanding, shaped by the interplay of ecclesial faith and the conjugal experience of sacramental grace, must not lead us to disregard the unprecedented changes taking place in contemporary society, with their social, cultural – and now juridical – effects on family bonds. These changes affect all of us, believers and non-believers alike. Christians are not 'immune' to the changes of their times. This concrete world, with all its many problems and possibilities, is where we must live, believe and proclaim”. “Until recently, we lived in a social context where the similarities between the civil institution of marriage and the Christian sacrament were considerable and shared. The two were interrelated and mutually supportive. This is no longer the case. To describe our situation today, I would use two familiar images: our neighborhood stores and our large supermarkets. There was a time when one neighborhood store had everything one needed for personal and family life. The products may not have been cleverly displayed, or offered much choice, but there was a personal bond between the shopkeeper and his customers. … They trusted one another. They built up trust”. “Then a different kind of store grew up: the supermarket. Huge spaces with a great selection of merchandise. The world seems to have become one of these great supermarkets; our culture has become more and more competitive. Business is no longer conducted on the basis of trust; others can no longer be trusted. There are no longer close personal relationships. Today’s culture seems to encourage people not to bond with anything or anyone, not to trust. … Today consumerism determines what is important. Consuming relationships, consuming friendships, consuming religions, consuming, consuming... Whatever the cost or consequences. A consumption which does not favor bonding, a consumption which has little to do with human relationships. Social bonds are a mere 'means' for the satisfaction of 'my needs'. The important thing is no longer our neighbor, with his or her familiar face, story and personality”. “The result is a culture which discards everything that is no longer 'useful' or 'satisfying' for the tastes of the consumer. We have turned our society into a huge multicultural showcase tied only to the tastes of certain 'consumers', while so many others only 'eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table'. This causes great harm. I would say that at the root of so many contemporary situations is a kind of impoverishment born of a widespread and radical sense of loneliness. ... Loneliness with fear of commitment in a limitless effort to feel recognized”. “Should we blame our young people for having grown up in this kind of society? Should we condemn them for living in this kind of a world? Should they hear their pastors saying that 'it was all better back then'. … No, I do not think that this is the way. As shepherds following in the footsteps of the Good Shepherd, we are asked to seek out, to accompany, to lift up, to bind up the wounds of our time. To look at things realistically, with the eyes of one who feels called to action, to pastoral conversion. The world today demands this conversion on our part. 'It is vitally important for the Church today to go forth and preach the Gospel to all: to all places, on all occasions, without hesitation, reluctance or fear. ... The Gospel is not a product to be consumed; it has nothing to do with consumerist culture”. “We would be mistaken, however, to see this culture of the present world as mere indifference towards marriage and the family, as pure and simple selfishness. … We must not fall into this trap. Many young people, in the context of this culture of discouragement, have yielded to a form of unconscious acquiescence. They are paralyzed when they encounter the beautiful, noble and truly necessary challenges which faith sets before them. Many put off marriage while waiting for ideal conditions, when everything can be perfect. Meanwhile, life goes on, without really being lived to the full. In Congress, a few days ago, I said that we are living in a culture that drives and convinces young people not to form a family, some through lack of material means to do so, and others because they have the means but are comfortable as they are, but this is the temptation – not to form a family”. “As pastors, we bishops are called to collect our energies and to rebuild enthusiasm for making families correspond ever more fully to the blessing of God which they are! We need to invest our energies not so much in rehearsing the problems of the world around us and the merits of Christianity, but in extending a sincere invitation to young people to be brave and to opt for marriage and the family”. “A Christianity which 'does' little in practice, while incessantly 'explaining' its teachings, is dangerously unbalanced. I would even say that it is stuck in a vicious circle. A pastor must show that the 'Gospel of the family' is truly 'good news' in a world where self-concern seems to reign supreme! We are not speaking about some romantic dream: the perseverance which is called for in having a family and raising it transforms the world and human history. The world and history is transformed by families”. A pastor serenely yet passionately proclaims the word of God. He encourages believers to aim high. He will enable his brothers and sisters to hear and experience God’s promise, which can expand their experience of motherhood and fatherhood within the horizon of a new 'familiarity' with God. A pastor watches over the dreams, the lives and the growth of his flock. This 'watchfulness' is not the result of talking but of shepherding. Only one capable of standing 'in the midst of' the flock can be watchful, not someone who is afraid of questions, contact, accompaniment. … Naturally, experiencing the spirit of this joyful familiarity with God, and spreading its powerful evangelical fruitfulness, has to be the primary feature of our lifestyle as bishops: a lifestyle of prayer and preaching the Gospel. The bishop is charged to be a pastor, but to be a pastor first and foremost by his prayer and preaching, because everything else follows, if there is time”. “By our own humble Christian apprenticeship in the familial virtues of God’s people, we will become more and more like fathers and mothers ... and less like people who have simply learned to live without a family. Our ideal is not to live without love! A good pastor renounces the love of a family precisely in order to focus all his energies, and the grace of his particular vocation, on the evangelical blessing of the love of men and women who carry forward God’s plan of creation, beginning with those who are lost, abandoned, wounded, broken, downtrodden and deprived of their dignity. This total surrender to God’s agape is certainly not a vocation lacking in tenderness and affection. We need but look to Jesus to understand this”. “For faith, this is a most valuable sign. Our ministry needs to deepen the covenant between the Church and the family. Otherwise it becomes arid, and the human family will grow irremediably distant, by our own fault, from God’s joyful good news, and will go to the latest supermarket to buy whatever product suits them then and there”. “If we prove capable of the demanding task of reflecting God’s love, cultivating infinite patience and serenity as we strive to sow its seeds in the frequently crooked furrows in which we are called to plant, then even a Samaritan woman with five 'non-husbands' will discover that she is capable of giving witness. And for every rich young man who with sadness feels that he has to calmly keep considering the matter, an older publican will come down from the tree and give fourfold to the poor, to whom, before that moment, he had never even given a thought”. “My brothers, may God grant us this gift of a renewed closeness between the family and the Church. Families need it, the Church needs it, and we pastors need it”.

Popemania: Philly Ramps Up 'I'll Be There' Campaign

The World Meeting of Families – Philadelphia 2015 (WMOF), in collaboration with the City of Philadelphia, today kicked-off the distribution of the #OpenInPHL kits to local businesses as a part of its recently announced “I’ll Be There” awareness campaign.

The Francis Festival Street Team – led by Mayor Michael A. Nutter and Donna Crilley Farrell, Executive Director of the World Meeting of Families – Philadelphia 2015 – personally delivered #OpenInPHL kits to well-known Philadelphia establishments throughout the Francis Festival Grounds and beyond, including Wawa (17^th and Arch Streets), Pat’s King of Steaks, Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse and McGillin’s Olde Ale House.  

This tour across Philadelphia included cameo appearances from a quartet led by Bobby Mansure as well as local Philadelphia mascots, including La Salle University’s Explorer, St. Joseph University’s Hawk, the University of Pennsylvania’s Quaker and Wawa’s Wally Goose.

The #OpenInPHL kits include “I’ll Be There” signage, a Welcome Pope Francis window cling, branded buttons, and additional information about the Francis Festival. The kits are designed to help businesses plan for the event and to provide information they can use to encourage residents and customers to fully experience the Francis Festival and Papal Visit.  Additionally, the #OpenInPHL kits will be available for pick-up at locations across Philadelphia from Tuesday, September 1^st through Friday, September 4^th at:

30^th Street Station

30^th and Market Streets
Philadelphia, PA 19104

African-American Chamber of Commerce

1617 John F Kennedy Boulevard, Suite 889
Philadelphia, PA 19103

Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce & Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

The Lobby of the Bellevue

200 S. Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102

Independence Visitor Center

1 N. Independence Mall West
Philadelphia, PA 19106

Philadelphia International Airport

8000 Essington Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19153

Pennsylvania Convention Center

1101 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107 

Reading Terminal Market

51 N. 12th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107

Since the kick-off of the campaign on Wednesday, August 26, an additional pick-up location has been added:

Old City District
231 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106

“The World Meeting of Families – Philadelphia 2015 gives Philadelphia a unique opportunity to showcase our world-class city on a global stage,” said Donna Crilley Farrell, Executive Director of the World Meeting of Families – Philadelphia 2015. “Through the “I’ll Be There” campaign and the distribution of the #OpenInPHL kits, we are encouraging our local businesses to engage in these incredible events and truly show off our deeply-rooted Philadelphia culture. We strongly encourage all businesses within Philadelphia and beyond to take full advantage of the resourceful information within the #OpenInPHL kits, which can be picked up from various locations in the City of Philadelphia.”

Distribution of the #OpenInPHL kits kicked-off at Wawa, which boasts one of the highest foot traffic for convenience stores and sandwich shops in Center City.  Wawa stores in Philadelphia will not only remain open throughout the weekend of September 26-27, but the company will soon open a new flagship store at Broad and Walnut Streets, right in the heart of the Francis Festival Grounds.  

“At Wawa, we are proud to join our friends and neighbors in welcoming Pope Francis, the World Meeting of Families, and the many visitors from around the world to our hometown, on this historic occasion," said Dave Simonetti, Director of Store Operations for Wawa, Inc. “We exist to fulfill customers lives every day, and part of this purpose extends to our commitment to remain open and available to the public 24/7. We look forward to being there for everyone during this momentous occasion with all of our Philadelphia stores open, stocked, and ready to serve."

A further extension of the “I’ll Be There” campaign is FrancisFestival.com, which was launched today by the World Meeting of Families – Philadelphia 2015. There, consumers and businesses can learn more about the Francis Festival Grounds, including how to be part of the World Meeting of Families #OpenInPHL Sweepstakes, for the chance to win a grand prize trip for two to Rome, Italy.

Consumers can also learn more about the #PopeInPhilly #RomeContest, which encourages Festival participants to show where they were at the Francis Festival by “snapping it!” Leveraging Instagram and Twitter, the World Meeting of Families is encouraging participants of the Francis Festival to create a virtual passport of their participation by sharing photographs of their patronage at local businesses displaying the official poster or window cling. 

Qualifying posts that tag or mention a participating business and include #PopeInPhilly and #RomeContest will enter a Festival participant into a sweepstakes to win a family vacation to Rome, Italy, courtesy of the World Meeting of Families – Philadelphia 2015. Updates on the sweepstakes will be announced on September 21, 2015.

In addition to FrancisFestival.com, World Meeting of Families—Philadelphia 2015 also launched today a new transportation website, which will help those traveling to the Francis Festival.  From SEPTA to PATCO to commercial bus operations, this web page will help both residents and businesses to better understand the transportation options available to them and to encourage planning that best meets the varied scenarios that those wishing to access the Francis Festival may face.  

This new transportation information can be accessed at http://www.worldmeeting2015.org/plan-your-visit/travel-transportation/.

Co-sponsored by the Holy See’s Pontifical Council for the Family and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the World Meeting of Families is a triennial global event that seeks to strengthen the sacred bonds of family across the globe and highlight its intrinsic value to the good of society. This international gathering will welcome Pope Francis to the United States for the first time in his Papacy. Being held in the United States for the first time ever, the official theme for the 2015 World Meeting of Families is “Love is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive.”

For more information regarding the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, visit www.WorldMeeting2015.org.  

For more information regarding The Holy See’s Pontifical Council for the Family, which co-sponsors the World Meeting of Families, visit http://www.familiam.org/famiglia_eng/00002554_HOME_ENG.html. 

You can also engage the World Meeting of Families – Philadelphia on Facebook (World Meeting of Families 2015) (Encuentro Mundial de las Familias – Filadelfia 2015), Twitter (@WMF2015) (@WMF2015ES) and Instagram (WMF2015).

About World Meetings of Families

Beginning with 1994, The Year of the Family, the Pontifical Council for the Family has been responsible for organizing the World Meetings of Families in Rome (1994); Rio de Janeiro (1997); Rome (2000); Manila (2003); Valencia (2006); Mexico City (2009); Milan (2012); and now, Philadelphia (2015).  Since its inception by Saint John Paul II, the World Meeting of Families has sought to strengthen the sacred bonds of family across the globe.

Archbishop: Traditional Marriage Can't Be Replaced

This week's column by Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput is adapted from Archbishop Chaput's comments at the St. Charles Borromeo Seminary "Cardinal's Forum," Tuesday evening, Aug. 25.

The entire column folows:

Let me start with a story. A married couple who are friends of mine attended Mass this past weekend in a nearby diocese. The celebrant was a missionary priest visiting from Latin America. And the Second Reading was Ephesians 5:21-32: "Wives should be subordinate to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives even as Christ loved the Church and handed himself over for her, to sanctify her."

You can guess where this is going. Before the lector could speak, the priest publicly interrupted her and explained that this was an obsolete passage; it should be ignored by the modern listener; and "no one should be subordinate to anyone else."

Now, we can understand why a missionary might feel the need to do that. Male machismo in some Latin countries, and elsewhere, can be ugly and even violent. But the right response to that sin isn't editing the Word of God, but instead preaching it fully and teaching it properly. The passage from Ephesians is absolutely central to understanding the Christian family.

The nature of a healthy Christian family is shared leadership and mutual subordination -- but the buck has to stop somewhere, and in the Gospel, the ultimate responsibility for protecting and sustaining a family falls first on the man. And it's not a license for male power, but a call to self-sacrifice and obedience to the needs of wife and children. A Christian marriage involves equality of dignity for the spouses, but difference in roles. We are not autonomous selves. God made us -- beautifully -- to need each other.

This poses a problem. And the reason is simple: Our country is the child of a mixed marriage -- biblical religion and Enlightenment ideals. We're a liberal society in the tradition of European thinkers like John Locke. Liberal democracy assumes the sovereignty of the individual. In a liberal society, freedom is defined by the individual's maximum power to choose whatever he or she wants, and the individual's maximum liberty from any burden that gets in the way of those choices. History, tradition, Churches and families impose duties on the individual. They limit the person's freedom of action. So in a liberal culture, they can easily be cast as enemies of self-fulfillment and liberty.

But again, Americans are the product of a mixed marriage. For most of our history, biblical morality and a heavily Christian population restrained the impulse to extreme individualism. And this worked pretty well, as long as people believed and actually practiced their religious faith.

Christianity is essentially communitarian. It's about us as God's people first -- our shared well-being and our common good -- and it's about you and me as individuals second. As religious practice has dropped, two things have happened: The cult of the self has grown, and so has the power of the state. That sounds like a contradiction, but it's not. Competing individuals need to be protected from each other. As mediating institutions like Churches and families decline, the state expands to fill the gaps. And because individuals are isolated and weak against the power of the state, the real freedom of a society also declines.

Those words "mediating institutions" need an explanation. Mediating institutions are groups of individuals bound together by shared beliefs, purposes, experiences or history, or all of these things at the same time. And they mediate in two key ways. First, they stand as a source of strength -- a kind of shield and common voice -- between the individual and the state. Second, they "mediate" or communicate meaning within the group.

A family gives the individual a history and a future. It makes him part of larger story. It teaches him right and wrong, how to respect and cooperate with others, what to live for and what to die for. It binds people together with two very strong adhesives: blood and love. And it does all of this as an expression of humanity's inherent nature, preceding and independent of the state. Which is why certain kinds of states and social engineers so deeply resent the traditional family, usually in the name of "progress" or "equality."

When we talk about the Church as a mediating institution in society, we're really talking about the Church as a community (or gathering or ecclesia) of families, who themselves are domestic churches. The family is the seed of the Church.

In a mother and father, we have an echo of God's fertility and creative power. The male/female sexual difference in marriage is not incidental, and nothing can replace or duplicate it. Husband and wife become one in a way no other relationship can approximate. Their unity of flesh is essential and complementary. It confirms the "wholeness" of human experience and identity.

In mother, father and child, we find the sign of God's own nature -- a community of love; three in one; distinct persons within a unity. And it's in the domestic church that the baptized individual learns his place in the larger story of God's people, learns who God is, learns his responsibility to others, and matures into a disciple and missionary. Strong, prayerful families make a strong, zealous Church. Weak families do the opposite.

The catechesis for the 2015 World Meeting of Families -- Love Is Our Mission -- says all of this very well, and with a lot more depth than we can go into here. If you haven't read it yet, the text is really a treasure. It's a great way to prepare for the family congress and the visit of the Holy Father. ("Love Is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive," is available for purchase from Our Sunday Visitor.)

Finally, it's worth noting that exactly four months from today is Christmas. I mention that for two reasons. First, there's no finer model of Christian family life than the Gospel accounts of the Holy Family. And second, nowhere in Scripture do we find Mary, Joseph or Jesus worrying about security, transportation or logistics.

Somehow, Mary and Joseph managed to make their way to Bethlehem and have a baby in a stable. Somehow, they managed to find the adolescent Jesus in the Temple. And somehow, Jesus managed to preach the Gospel all over Judea despite robbers, brigands and demons -- and without downtown parking or even a SEPTA pass.

What's the lesson? Philadelphians have a reputation for durability. We earned it. We're nothing if not determined and resilient. If God could send his son to save us with his suffering and love, then surely we can bear a little inconvenience to greet the pastor who guides God's Church on earth. The World Meeting of Families is a gift - a pure gift. It's a moment of grace for all of us. And we need to be there, all of us, to share in it, and to let God renew the spirit of our city and our Church.

Pope Francis is coming; we're down to the final month and counting. Let's welcome him together in Center City.

Revealed: The Absurdity Of Our Current Situation!

Pope Taps Fr. Barron As LA Auxiliary Bishop

This morning, Pope Francis formally announced Father Robert Barron's appointment as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
 

Bishop-Elect Barron is the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries, host of the award-winning CATHOLICISM film series, and since 2012 has served as the Rector/President of the University of Saint Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary outside of Chicago, IL.
 

His website, WordOnFire.org, reaches millions of people each year. His regular YouTube videos have been viewed over 13 million times. Next to Pope Francis, he is the most-followed Catholic leader on social media.

Bishop-Elect Barron's statement is below:
 

It was with enormous surprise that I received word of my appointment as auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles, but it is with a humble and joyful heart that I accept it. The Church of Los Angeles - the most populous in the United States-is energetic, diverse, and creative. Over the years, I've visited many times, including multiple trips to the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress in Anaheim; most recently, I was in the Archdiocese for a lecture at Thomas Aquinas College. So though I can't claim to know it well, I have been able to taste and see some of its richness.
 

The late Francis Cardinal George - the spiritual grandfather of Word on Fire - was a mentor and friend to me. The mission closest to his heart was the evangelization of the culture, bringing Christ to the arenas of media, politics, law, education, the arts, etc. I can't think of a more exciting field for this sort of work than Los Angeles, which is certainly one of the great cultural centers of our time.
 

Many might be wondering what this means for the important work of Word on Fire. The short answer is that it will certainly continue! Through the ministrations of Fr. Steve Grunow and his extremely gifted staff, we will keep bringing you my regular articles, sermons, videos, and media resources.
 

We have so many new projects in the works, including our new film and study program on God and atheism, titled The Mystery of God, and our beautiful new documentary series CATHOLICISM: The Pivotal Players. Those projects will continue as planned with more to come in the future.
 

I am grateful to all of you who follow and support Word on Fire, using our content to form yourselves and share the Catholic Faith. I thank God each and every day for you.
 

It is a blessing for me to work with you to introduce people to Jesus Christ and invite them to share all the gifts he wants his people to enjoy.
 

Please pray for me as I begin this new adventure under the Lord's providence.

In the wake of the United States Supreme Court decision regarding same-sex marriage, a not inconsiderable number of Catholics feel beleaguered and more than a little afraid. So what do we do? Find more videos at http://WordOnFire.org.

About That Wedding Cake Imbroglio . . .

THIS Video Says It All . . . Watch it!

A very special message from CatholicVote.org:

If you are anything like me, I know what kind of weekend you just had.  "Jesus I Trust in You" never meant so much.  A well-known Catholic priest reported being spat upon after encountering the “pride parade” while walking home in New York. Even big corporations joined in the charade, though I suspect their favorite color in the rainbow is green -- as in profits.  The widespread euphoric celebration of the Supreme Court’s lawless decision has likewise spawned predictable calls for new attacks on people of faith, religious institutions, and the family.  So what now?  I can’t predict the future. Right now we are strategizing with allies. We need to be smart and inventive. I will promise you this: we are not giving up. No way.  But today I am reminded of the often-quoted words of Blessed Mother Teresa, who said: “God does not require that we be successful, only that we be faithful.”  What does that mean?  It means, in part, we should stop fretting about what we cannot control, and devote ourselves with renewed vigor to what we can. No Supreme Court decision can force you to deny your faith, to abandon your family, or to doubt the hope we have in Christ.  I understand politics, and I’ve looked at the opinion polls. Same sex marriage has surged in popularity, yet recent polls show continued widespread opposition to same-sex ‘marriage.’ A strong majority is opposed to attacks on religious freedom. This fight is far from over.  Even so, among the young, support for same-sex ‘marriage’ continues to grow. That’s why we produced our video highlighting six young people with the courage to stand up and defend the truth about marriage.  Since we launched the video, over 25,000 people have watched it every day!  We’re now running hundreds of thousands of ads on social media targeting millennials. And predictably, the vitriol has been brutal. LGBT activists are insulting and ridiculing the courageous young people that appear in our ad. Meanwhile these same hate-filled activists are shamefully rallying around the hashtag #LoveWins.  That’s why today I need your help to spread the word among the young. College kids and recent graduates find themselves caught between what they know to be right, and a culture that demands they worship the new god of sexual liberation.  >>>Chip in $7 to help us reach 56 young people  >>>Chip in $24 to help reach 192 young people  >>>Chip in $46 to help reach 368 young people  >>>Chip in $72 to help reach 576 young people  The future of the Church is with our young people. The Church knows they matter.  Remember: World Youth Day was started by a Polish boy who lost his mother, who studied for the priesthood in secret, and who saw his land besieged first by Nazis then by Communists.  His message to the world?  "Be Not Afraid."  Brian  P.S. If you want to mail a gift, you can do so to the following address: CatholicVote.org Education Fund, P.O. Box 2709 Chicago, IL 60690 P.P.S. Many of you have also asked if we would pass on a note of encouragement to those who appear in our ad. You can do so via email at info@CatholicVote.org or by sending a note to the address above.