Hattip to Jeff Miller at The Curt Jester. In purely human terms this is a waste of time. Obama is a hard core pro-abort. The idea that he will change his mind and open his heart to the unborn is ridiculous, almost as ridiculous as the idea that a movement begun 2000 years ago by a group of peasants in a backwater of the Roman Empire could now command the allegiance of a third of humanity. Hmmm, I’d better start praying!
Praying for a Miracle
Donald R. McClarey
Cradle Catholic. Active in the pro-life movement since 1973. Father of three, one in Heaven, and happily married for 41 years. Small town lawyer and amateur historian. Former president of the board of directors of the local crisis pregnancy center for a decade.
Odds are horrendous that he’ll change. Good. Always a solid point to start. Also consider his off-hand admission that Fairness Doctrine is not one of his highest priorities. So calm down fans of Rush, Sean, Laura, the loon Savage- they’re not going away. Even with lib talk host- and former teacher at Philly’s Father Judge High School, run by the good Oblates of St. Francis de Sales- Bill Press, complaining about the lack thereof. Memo to Mr. Press- your ratings are awful. Your station in D.C. is switching to biz talk because the numbers were below actual measurement. Which means there are probably as many people reading this scribbling as hearing you praise our Apostle of Hope and Change. And that ain’t saying much. A roundabout way of saying that our Apostle is learning to pick his battles. Or used up so much political capital early in the game for the Porkapalooza Bill that his ATM spit out a paper that said Ha Ha You’re Busted. May be considered at a later date. Until that unfortunate day, get that prayer action going.
Gerard E,
Also consider his off-hand admission that Fairness Doctrine is not one of his highest priorities. So calm down fans of Rush, Sean, Laura, the loon Savage- they’re not going away.
If we calm down it will most certainly happen. Either by congressional action or the head of the FCC. It may not be an outright fairness doctrine, but it could be crafted in a way that would have similar effect, a poison pill for talk radio. This needs to be in the public’s mind, just like FOCA.
I saw this a few weeks back. It was certainly effective and well-conceived (pardon the pun) which is precisely why it causes the Left to gnash its fangs and, hopefully, experience an apocalyptic case of acid reflux. Without any undue manipulation, with mere application of the most basic facts and realities, the ad demonstrates the utter folly of one of the Left’s favorite “reasoning-away” tactics concerning the right to life. Anything can happen, in terms of a person changing a horrible mindset, and praying for Obama’s change in this matter is not without merit. Catholics, however, need to mobilize themselves with greater political unity and zeal than ever before, as this nation is led deeper into ostensible Perdition by President Moonbeams and Fairy-Dust, and his personal hedge-witch, Nancy “Theologian and Doctor of the Church” Pelosi. That’s right, folks–she’s the current “happening” and legitimate Fresh, Fresh Face of Modern Catholicism, in the eyes of the mass media! How’s that feel? If recent sit-downs with the Pope and Niederauer can’t get this daft besom to follow the teachings of her own Church, don’t get too excited about the possibility of a sudden Obama epiphany. Mobilize now. Pray later (or during).
No less than Fr. Groeschel exhorted the faithful to pray for the conversion of President Obama at the March for Life.
It’s no laughing matter. If you don’t believe in intercessory prayer, you should revisit your Bible.
Still waiting for one of you ‘blog savvy’ folk to open up a ‘rogue’s gallery’ of anti-catholic ‘catholics’ in positions of power. That way, every time Biden or Sebeliius et al are chastised publicly, the lay person google search brings up the ‘dirty deeds’ site.
Any takers?
[No less than Fr. Groeschel exhorted the faithful to pray for the conversion of President Obama at the March for Life.
It’s no laughing matter. If you don’t believe in intercessory prayer, you should revisit your Bible.]
How dreary and jejune to imply that someone who advocates action doesn’t believe in the power of intercessory prayer. I never said anything to the contradict the importance of prayer. It’s everyday Catholics who do not combine action with prayer that hinder the Church. If privately asking God to magically change minds is all it takes, then don’t you think God would have done that already, without needing to be cajoled into action? Christ had much to say about that; have a gander.
Prayer (intercessory and otherwise) is more for our edification and agreement, and the strengthening of our unifying bonds in the Body of Christ than it is about having various requests “granted” or stroking some hypothetical Divine Ego. “Revisit” your own Bible. I suggest a month-long stay.
BTW: Groeschel is a most admirable man, but not everyone finds him (or is required to find him) irresistibly compelling. Waving him around like a flag is hardly a definitive gesture. IMO, his teaching is geared toward Catholics with a still-underdeveloped grasp of Catholic doctrine, its history, and its complexity. There’s nothing wrong with that, so long as such Catholics actually learn and move onward, as Paul once exhorted. I’m glad you enjoy Groeschel’s assistance.
Ian,
Are you trying to be insulting?
Ian,
I totally agree with your call to action. St. Thomas More said that we should pray like all depends on God, but act like all depends on us.
Prayer (intercessory and otherwise) is more for our edification and agreement, and the strengthening of our unifying bonds in the Body of Christ than it is about having various requests “granted” or stroking some hypothetical Divine Ego. “Revisit” your own Bible. I suggest a month-long stay.
Your assessment is dangerously close to denying the supernatural aspect of prayer. God hears our prayers and responds to them, not necessarily in the manner of the request. They are not principally for our “edification”, I suggest you read some Catholic sources on prayer.
http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p4s1.htm
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12345b.htm
I suppose that praying for Obama’s conversion — or, for that matter, the conversion of the Democratic Party in general to a pro-life or at least not rigidly pro-abortion point of view — is about as much a waste of time as was praying for the conversion of Russia in 1917?
Speaking of praying for miracles, would it be too much to suggest that all Illinois residents start praying with equal fervor for an end to corrupt (and pro-abortion) government in our state… it took 70 + years to get Russia turned around so we’d better start now!
“Speaking of praying for miracles, would it be too much to suggest that all Illinois residents start praying with equal fervor for an end to corrupt (and pro-abortion) government in our state… it took 70 + years to get Russia turned around so we’d better start now!”
I second that!
Maybe the Blue Army could take up this cause and change its name to the Blue STATE Army 🙂
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And who woulda thunk in 1973 that “Jane Roe” herself (Norma McCorvey) would one day become pro-life?
I met her in 2007 Elaine. She is quite a lady. Her movement towards the pro-life cause came while she was working at an abortion clinic. One of the pro-life protesters would bring her two little girls with her, and Norma grew to look forward to seeing the two little girls who would play while their mom prayed and passed out literature. One day a pro-abort volunteer attempted to trip the little girls. Norma tossed the pro-abort volunteer off the grounds and went home that night with a lot to think about.
I see where Time magazine is now chiding Catholics for getting all worked up about a “nonexistent” bill (FOCA, which has not yet been introduced in the 111th Congress). They admit, however, that Obama has no one but himself to blame for all the hubbub since he promised that signing FOCA would be the “first thing” he’d do as president (in relation to abortion).
The fact that as of right now, there is no FOCA pending before Congress is a testament to the depth of opposition it has raised and to the prayers of many devoted pro-life people.
Before the election, and immediately after, many Catholic and pro-life observers seemed to be absolutely convinced that FOCA was going to sail through Congress and be ready to sign the moment Obama took his hand off the inauguration Bible. I always did suspect that was an exaggeration, but you never know.
I have also wondered, too, whether the Blago-Burris disaster might have contributed to the lack of action on FOCA since it demonstrated that the Obama Administration and the Democratic Party in general could lose the goodwill of the voters as quickly as they gained it. Perhaps the attention Blago brought to ethics issues helped sink Bill Richardson’s shot at becoming Commerce secretary, and may also have contributed to the ditching of other Cabinet nominees (including notorious Catholic pro-abort Tom Daschle) over tax issues.
If that’s the case (and I realize there’s probably no way of ever proving it) then maybe we Illinois residents haven’t suffered in vain after all. Perhaps God is indeed writing straight with crooked lines, or crooked ex-governors, as the case may be.
NCR post ‘Trojan Foca’ http://www.ncregister.com/site/article/17318
explains how ‘stealth foca’ is being passed already in bits and pieces.
“Perhaps God is indeed writing straight with crooked lines, or crooked ex-governors, as the case may be.”
True Elaine. I have always thought that God uses both saints and sinners to work His will.