Which does God care about?

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Not Available on Obamacare

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Be Fruitful

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"Birth Control 

the words are not very proper 

because those who believe in it 

actually believe neither in birth or control” 

Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen
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. . . and they served those who served

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No such thing as an ex-Catholic

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Many of the trendy and pretentious can be heard to say they are "ex-Catholics" or "Recovering Catholic", knowing that regardless how bigoted or uniformed their statements are that they are rarely called out for their ignorance.

and can we completely blame them?

A man seeking a wife may pass the love of his life while walking through town, but will not pass her again once he has been formally introduced and had time to get to know her.

The pseudo ex-Catholics are like the man out for a stroll who keeps passing the beloved instead of getting introduced. They too have never actually met their bride, and mainly because they are looking for what the media, or Hollywood, or Protestantism has told them their bride should look like. Not knowing truth, they eagerly accept the pretty lie.

Is it really the fault of these unimformed, or does the burden of truth lie with, and in, we the faithful?

The Church, whether the religious or the laity, has to learn to teach better, to instruct fully the young and the old about what we believe, why we believe it, and why it matters. We also need to respect, but challenge, priests who take a wishy washy attitude to catechesis, and we really need to, in love, chastise priests who commit error (whether willfully or in ignorance). We must share with our brothers and sisters the truth if we see them acting or saying error.

If we don't aggressively teach the truth about Holy Mother Church, than that non-denominational mega-church down the street will be happy to teach the lies about her.
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Medjugorje is a fake . . .or worse?

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Other than Father Larry Richards, I don't know of any Catholics that I respect, that have fallen under the Medjugorje spell (and he was already devoted to Mary prior to his visits there). Actually, most of the Catholic writers and religious that I admire tend to be cautious at least, if not downright worried about this unapproved event. I have only personally known one person who reported to having a conversion there, but as I got to know the person I saw little of Jesus or Mary in her, and no real desire to be holy . . . a mere outer shell conversion, with no change in the heart or soul. For her and others, following this fantasy is more hobby than lifestyle.

If you do a search for Medjugorje you are apt to find websites with links to other fallacious pseudo Catholic writers or visionaries, as well as a lot of new age silliness.

Thankfully it looks like we may soon get an official pronouncement to accompany the recent letter by apostolic nuncio Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano asking the US Bishops to "warn" the faithful that one of the so-called visionaries now living in (and off of) the U.S. is giving talks where he is to witness apparitions (and make a few bucks as well).

Here is an article by Jimmy Akin on the subject :
14 things to know and share about the new letter on Medjugorje

We have Christ everyday in the Eucharist

We pray with our Lady every time we do a Rosary

We are filled with God's love every time we are thankful or sacrifice for another

Do we need to chase unapproved apparitions too?
(especially when we do that rather than the list above)
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Going Up, please

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“A feverish brow 

that never throbs in unison with 
a Head crowned with thorns,

or an aching hand 

never borne in patience 
with a Hand on the Cross,

is sheer waste.

The world is worse for that pain 

when it might have been so much the better.

All the sick-beds in the world 

are either on the right side of the Cross

or on the left; 

their position is determined by whether,

like the thief on the left, 

they ask to be taken down,

or, like the thief on the right, 

they ask to be taken up.”

Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen 

(Justice and Charity 1938)

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