New Catholic guidelines say no to McGuinty's gay/straight school clubs

Finally we have some good news about the "Equity" issue. The Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association issued a document on January 25, 2012, called, “Respecting Difference”, and subtitled: "A Resource for Catholic Schools in the Province of Ontario: Regarding the Establishment and Running of Activities or Organizations Promoting Equity and Respect for All Students." Here's their rationale: "This 'Respecting Difference Resource' has been developed for students and employees to ensure compliance with provincial legislation, guidelines, policies and procedures as well as in recognition of fundamental rights and freedoms including those set out in the Constitution Act, 1867, and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Constitution Act, 1982."

Campaign Life Catholics praised the "Respecting Difference" document. Speaking for them in a press release, Suresh Dominic said, “We are grateful to Ontario’s Bishops for listening to the concerns of many parents regarding the perceived sexual agenda of the Ontario government. We thank them for such a thoughtful framework which provides solid protections from those who may have an agenda not in line with Catholic teaching."

OCSTA and the Ontario Bishops have now responded to Dalton McGuinty's "Equity and Inclusive Education Strategy" and Bill 13. They are saying to the Premier that Catholic schools will implement an anti-bullying policy against all forms of bullying. To do this, the parable of the Good Samaritan will be used as the Christian model of love and respect for everyone. Schools need not focus on a particular group, a belief or human activity when it comes to combatting bullying. Catholic denominational rights and the teaching of the Catholic Church must not be violated or compromised by the new secular policy. In short, Catholic schools should not have gay/straight alliances or promote a lifestyle contrary to the Catholic faith. The government needs to realize that If the "Equity" policy is so inclusive and equitable, it must tolerate the teaching of the Church, make room for religious freedom and fully respect parental rights in both Catholic and public schools.

Everyday for Life Canada supports both the guidelines and the objectives. The resource essentially states that Catholics schools should try to end bullying of any kind. Student clubs that are going to be established ought to be named "Respecting Difference" clubs. But the clubs, activities and all other resources used, including what is taught about same-sex attractions, must be faithful to the Catechism of the Catholic Church and fully respect denominational rights. The Ontario Bishops have clearly expressed the teaching of the faith on "Equity" education and for this we are thankful. The important question now is, Do we have the Catholic leadership in the schools and the boards that has the courage and the will to fully implement this document and respect Catholic teaching?

Here's a selection of some of the "Guidelines" for Catholic school boards to follow:

1. "Support and affirm the dignity of all students and employees in all aspects of school life irrespective of their membership in any of the categories set out in the rationale above;

2. "Improve understandings of the lives of all students and find ways to increase respect for the dignity of each other in ways appropriate to the school setting;

3. "Clarify and give definition to appropriate terms, behaviours and actions to promote greater awareness of and responsiveness to, the deleterious effects of bullying;

4. "Promote timely and effective rules and procedures against bullying to ensure the maximization of safety for all pupils;

5. "Provide training consistent with the Catholic faith for all teachers and other staff with respect to bullying prevention and intervention in schools;

6. "Provide resources consistent with the Catholic faith to support pupils who are impacted by bullying;

7. "Promote “Respecting Difference” activities or organizations in relation to the foregoing and ensure appropriate school supervision and consistency with principles of the Catholic faith."

Under the heading of "Education Staff and Professional Development" we find the following:

1. Boards are encouraged to provide and promote opportunities for staff to increase their awareness and understanding of the scope and impact of discrimination and of bullying against any person.

2. "Boards are encouraged to provide and promote opportunities for staff to increase their knowledge and skills in promoting respect for human rights, respecting diversity, understanding difference in relation to the Catholic faith and the surrounding society and addressing discrimination in schools."

Student activities or organizations must be in accordance with local board policies may request the establishment of activities or organizations within the school to address concerns regarding bullying. Nevertheless, these activities or groups must adhere to these rules:

1. "All activities and organizations should be opened to all students who wish to participate;

2. "The activities and organization of all groups or organizations formed within Catholic schools must be respectful of and consistent with Catholic teaching;

3."All mentors appointed to work with groups of students must know and be committed to Catholic teachings;

4. "Any outside speakers must be respectful of Catholic teaching."

One of the Administrative Procedures for “Respecting Difference” Groups or Activities in Catholic Schools is that:

5. "The principal, in consultation with other school staff, as appropriate, reviews expectations/resources and approves request or amends same if necessary. The nature, purpose and mandate of the student initiated activity and or organization will be clearly articulated."

There's no doubt that the government will either accept these guidelines and respect denominational rights or they will reject this document and try to politically force Catholic schools to have gay/straight alliances and promote the homosexual agenda. Their response will also be seen in how they proceed to deal with Bill 13. Whatever the government does we have little control over. We do, however, hope that those responsible for Catholic education will endorse this document and use it to defend Catholic beliefs, Catholic teachers, Catholic students, Catholic parents and the future of Catholic education in the province. Catholic leaders have an opportunity to show why they accepted such positions in the first place.

Christian education: Canada should go back to the future

As we battle the "Equity" policy and Bill 13 in Ontario, a little Canadian history of Christian education in Canada can shed light on the issue and help us to move forward. The Manitoba School Act of 1890, under Premier Thomas Greenway removed the funding of Catholic, Protestant and denominational schools in order to establish tax funded public schools. In fact, The Manitoba School Act became a central federal election issue in 1896. On Dec. 18, 1897 Pope Leo XIII intervened with an encyclical called Affari Vos.

Just a week before Christmas, Pope Leo XIII made a profound statement on the need for Catholic education and urges the laity, the politicians and his venerable brethren to take action to protect religious instruction. The argument he makes is equally true, if not more so, today. Here are some selections from the encyclical. I hope you read the entire document to discover just how rich, practical, informative and spiritual is the encyclical. By doing this as Christians, we better inform ourselves from the news that stays news.

"The Need of Religious Education"

"There is another point upon which those will agree with us who differ from us in everything else; it is not by means of a purely scientific education and with vague and superficial notions of morality that Catholic children will leave school such as the country desires and expects. Other serious and important teaching must be given to them if they are to turn out good Christians and upright and honest citizens; it is necessary that they should be formed on those principles which, deeply engravers on their consciences, they ought to follow and obey, because they naturally spring from their faith and religion.

"Without religion there can be no moral education deserving of the name, nor of any good, for the very nature and force of all duty comes from those special duties which bind man to God, who commands, forbids, and determines what is good and evil. And so, to be desirous that minds should be imbued with good and at the same time to leave them without religion is as senseless as to invite people to virtue after having taken away the foundations on which it rests. For the Catholic there is only one true religion, the Catholic religion; and, therefore, when it is a question of the teaching of morality or religion, he can neither accept nor recognize any which is not drawn from Catholic doctrine." (5)

"Justice and reason then demand that the school shall supply our scholars not only with a scientific system of instruction but also a body of moral teaching which, as we have said, is in harmony with the principles of their religion, without which, far from being of use, education can be nothing but harmful. From this comes the necessity of having Catholic masters and reading books and text books approved by the Bishops, of being free to regulate the school in a manner which shall be in full accord with the profession of the Catholic faith as well as with all the duties which flow from it.

"Furthermore, it is the inherent right of a father's position to see in what institutions his children shall be educated, and what masters shall teach them moral precepts. When, therefore, Catholics demand, as it is their duty to demand and work, that the teaching given by schoolmasters shall be in harmony with the religion of their children, they are contending justly.

"And nothing could be more unjust than to compel them to choose an alternative, or to allow the children to grow up in ignorance or to throw them amid an environment which constitutes a manifest danger for the supreme interests of their souls. These principles of judgment and action which are based upon truth and justice, and which form the safeguards of public as well as private interests, it is unlawful to call in question or in any way to abandon.

"And so, when the new legislation came to strike Catholic education in the Province of Manitoba, it was your duty, Venerable Brethren, publicly to protest against injustice and the blow that had been dealt; and the way in which you fulfilled this duty has furnished a striking proof of your individual vigilance and of your true episcopal zeal. Although upon this point each one of you finds sufficient approbation in the witness of his own conscience, know nevertheless that we also join with it our assent and approval. For the things that you have sought and still seek to preserve and defend are most holy." (6)

The Christian baptismal responsibility to act

Pope Leo XIII makes it clear that there is a need for the faithful to pray and to take action. These words written nearly 115 years ago are just as encouraging and necessary today in order to fight back the radical secular humanism that is eroding our Judeo-Christian roots in Canada and the entire Western world. Who will protect today’s children and their souls from this abusive and immoral political curriculum if we the majority chose to remain silent? An excellent start is to look back to our rich Christian roots in Canada, such as this encyclical Affari Vos, and use the message as a truthful guide to the future.

Pope Benedict XVI's address to American Bishops: A message just as true for Canada

In his Ad Limina Address, on January 19, 2012, to the American Bishops Pope Benedict XVI makes it clear that religious freedom in the United States is under attack. He reminds the bishops "to reflect on some of the spiritual and cultural challenges of the new evangelization." Today in America he says there are "powerful new cultural currents which are not only directly opposed to core moral teachings of the Judeo-Christian tradition, but increasingly hostile to Christianity as such." Is this, also, not the sad state of what is currently happening in Canada?

Wake up call for all Christians

The Church at all times must preach the Gospel and its moral truths. The Pope then warns the Bishops of the societal consequences of not doing so: "To the extent that some current cultural trends contain elements that would curtail the proclamation of these truths, whether constricting it within the limits of a merely scientific rationality, or suppressing it in the name of political power or majority rule, they represent a threat not just to Christian faith, but also to humanity itself and to the deepest truth about our being and ultimate vocation, our relationship to God." He gives Christians in North America a wake up call by saying, "When a culture attempts to suppress the dimension of ultimate mystery, and to close the doors to transcendent truth, it inevitably becomes impoverished and falls prey, as the late Pope John Paul II so clearly saw, to reductionist and totalitarian readings of the human person and the nature of society."

Faith, reason and religious freedom

A just and free society need not fear religious and moral truths that are grounded on both faith and reason because they provide in the Pope's words a "'language' which enables us to understand ourselves and the truth of our being, and so to shape a more just and humane world. She (the Church) thus proposes her moral teaching as a message not of constraint but of liberation, and as the basis for building a secure future." These are insightful words from a spiritual leader who cares about his flock and has the courage to state the truth.

It's through the "language" of faith that we ultimately define who we are and can become: "The Church’s witness, then, is of its nature public: she seeks to convince by proposing rational arguments in the public square. The legitimate separation of Church and State cannot be taken to mean that the Church must be silent on certain issues, nor that the State may choose not to engage, or be engaged by, the voices of committed believers in determining the values which will shape the future of the nation." Without a language of the Word, we remove our connection to the faith, to our religious freedom and to our very Creator.

Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity

The presence of the Church in the public square is being undermined by "radical secularism which finds increasing expression in the political and cultural spheres." The Pope cites freedom of conscience and religious liberty as two areas being attacked currently. He urges all Christians to be informed and become engaged in order to offer a counter-cultural response to the dominant societal forces advocating secularism and devaluing faith.

Pope Benedict sees a need for "The preparation of committed lay leaders and the presentation of a convincing articulation of the Christian vision of man and society remain a primary task of the Church in your country; as essential components of the new evangelization, these concerns must shape the vision and goals of catechetical programs at every level. ... There can be no doubt that a more consistent witness on the part of America’s Catholics to their deepest convictions would make a major contribution to the renewal of society as a whole."

This "radical secularism" is what we face in Canada in trying to live the Gospel. The new evangelization is at odds with the secular humanism afflicting Canadian culture. It's a battle for souls. Pope Benedict concludes by saying, "No one who looks at these issues realistically can ignore the genuine difficulties which the Church encounters at the present moment. Yet in faith we can take heart from the growing awareness of the need to preserve a civil order clearly rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition, as well as from the promise offered by a new generation of Catholics whose experience and convictions will have a decisive role in renewing the Church’s presence and witness in American society."

In Ontario and the rest of Canada, this "reductionist and totalitarian" trend is to exclude religious beliefs from the important life issues such as abortion and euthanasia. It's also a call for the laity to fight policies like the "Equity and Inclusive Education Strategy." The moral dangers in the policy is that it over-sexaulizes children, redefines the human person and the family in a manner completely contrary to the Christian view. No Christian should be forced to behave in ways or accept political agendas that contradict the teaching of the Church. This would be tantamount to the state coercing its citizens to immoral and sinful acts.

The need for prayer

The responsibility for the new evangelization, for this spiritual battle, rests with all of us: "The hope which these “signs of the times” give us is itself a reason to renew our efforts to mobilize the intellectual and moral resources of the entire Catholic community in the service of the evangelization of American culture and the building of the civilization of love. With great affection I commend all of you, and the flock entrusted to your care, to the prayers of Mary, Mother of Hope, and cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of grace and peace in Jesus Christ our Lord."

We thank and pray for Pope Benedict XVI that God will continue to give him the courage and consolation to continue to speak His Word and His truth in guiding the faithful. Only the truth can help us re-build a culture of love and life.

Humpty Dumpty, the "pro-choice" lies and language corruption

Is it possible to think of anything without using words? Could you go for a day or two without talking to anyone? What would your friends and family say if you decided not to talk to them for a while? I'm asking these questions because we become so immersed in words that too often we no longer realize that without them it's hard to think and to carry out our day to day living. It's the same thing as taking our own breathing for granted until our environment fills with fire and smoke. The language we have absorbed and come to know during our lives shapes not just our thinking, but also how we feel and act. There's nothing "wet" or "cold" about these words or edible about a "hamburger". They are mere sounds, written symbols that represent a reality, and yet the words alone can trigger a response in us. So if our language about a subject is corrupted so can our thinking and behaviour.

Phrases like "therapeutic abortion" and "termination" and "pro-choice" corrupt our language. They are deceptive and morally dangerous because they keep us from the truth. Language ought to accurately map reality; made up expressions should never be confused with reality, especially when they are misused to rationalize immoral actions like abortion and euthanasia. It's still an evil act even after we use pleasant sounding expressions like "mercy killing" and "freedom of choice". If we repeat these deceptive phrases, such as "reproductive rights", long enough we may begin to believe they represent a reality, even if that reality is a lie or exits only in the verbal world. In the phrase "pro-choice", for example, there is no real choice and so it becomes "real" only as a metaphorical construct to advocate for a real act: the killing of the unborn. The time has come for the lies, even the so called "legal" ones around this life and death issue to be exposed for what they are: a false verbal reality used to normalize the slaughter of the innocent.

In Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass, Humpty Dumpty observes a powerful truth about language deception when he says to Alice:
“I don’t know what you mean by ‘glory,’ ” Alice said.
Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. “Of course you don’t—till I tell you. I meant ‘there’s a nice knock-down argument for you!’ ”
“But ‘glory’ doesn’t mean ‘a nice knock-down argument’,” Alice objected.
“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.”

Let's read that last sentence one more time.“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.” Isn't this faulty reasoning exactly what the "pro-choice for death" side has been doing with language to hide the truth? They use words to mean whatever they want them to mean. Supporters of abortion have hijacked the meaning of words in order to explain away an evil act as if it were something morally good for the person and the society. Commandment number 5: You shall not kill is not a suggestion open to interpretation.

Dr. Bernard Nathanson came to understand the language of deception well. This is a man who admitted for having been responsible for 75,000 abortions during his life. In 1996, thank God he was baptized and converted to Catholicism. "In Confession of an Ex-Abortionist", he admits how language was used to lie and manipulate thought in order to change attitudes and behaviour: "We persuaded the media that the cause of permissive abortion was a liberal enlightened, sophisticated one. Knowing that if a true poll were taken, we would be soundly defeated, we simply fabricated the results of fictional polls. We announced to the media that we had taken polls and that 60% of Americans were in favour of permissive abortion. This is the tactic of the self-fulfilling lie. Few people care to be in the minority. We aroused enough sympathy to sell our program of permissive abortion by fabricating the number of illegal abortions done annually in the U.S."

He continues to say, "The actual figure was approaching 100,000 but the figure we gave to the media repeatedly was 1,000,000. Repeating the big lie often enough convinces the public. The number of women dying from illegal abortions was around 200-250 annually. The figure we constantly fed to the media was 10,000. These false figures took root in the consciousness of Americans convincing many that we needed to crack the abortion law. Another myth we fed to the public through the media was that legalizing abortion would only mean that the abortions taking place illegally would then be done legally. In fact, of course, abortion is now being used as a primary method of birth control in the U.S. and the annual number of abortions has increased by 1500% since legalization."

There you have it: the manufacturing of language deception and myth-making from someone who knows it from the inside. If you considered the questions at the beginning, you have probably realized just how important language is. Our lives would be drastically changed without the countless words we use and hear daily. But a corrupt and false language harms us and our society. Our language on abortion needs a reality and morality check. It needs an infusion of truth to dispel the evil behind it. When this happens, more people we hope will no longer accept "legal abortions" because we will recognize this as a lie and as a result of the new thinking and behaving, the majority will begin to embrace and live the truth.

Would a visitor to our homes know we were Christian?

Would an archaeologist sometime in the future know we were Christian if they were to examine the artifacts we left behind? Would a visitor coming to our homes today know that we believed in Christ by what they would find? My guess is that we all have several television sets in our homes. What else? Probably there's a computer or two, cameras, telephones, radios and many CD and DVD collections. All these things are evidence of what we consider important in our lives. We spend many hours using these technologies, and time is life. We may not be aware of it, but our possessions have much to tell about what defines and drives our lives. So a reasonable question is to ask : Do our possessions and the way we spend our time show that we are people of faith?

You may be a coin or stamp collector. Do you have special works of art hanging on the walls of your house? You get the idea. But would there be any signs to show a visitor that you were Christian? Would we find Christian books or religious pictures displayed in your home? Are there any Christian calendars? Is there a crucifix, or pictures of our Blessed Mother, a photo of the pope or of any of the saints? Again you get the idea. Just recently I have seriously considered, on the advice of a friend, wearing a Brown Scapular and a religious medal such as a cross or the Miraculous Medal.

How can we make sure our homes have signs that we believe in Christ and that we are Christians. A simple way to begin this is to start building a small library of spiritual books. This need not be exhaustive or overwhelming. One could start with a copy of where it all begins: The Bible. We can then add the Catechism of the Catholic Church and for our teenage children a copy of YouCat: Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church. This book makes for the perfect Confirmation gift. In addition, we could consider some catechism books for children. Texts such as The New Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism Book. 1 and Book. 2; the First Communion Catechism is also worth considering.

First Communion Catechism covers a great deal about the faith in only 65 pages. It can be used in the child's First Communion year usually in grades 1 and 2. It emphasizes Jesus in the Eucharist and the sacrament of Reconciliation/Confession. There are discussion questions at the end of each of the 11 lessons. The book begins with prayers for everyday and ends with an explanation of the Holy Mass. Book 1 - The Baltimore questions and answers are divided into three parts: The Creed, The Commandments, and The Sacraments and Prayer. This is for grades 3, 4 and 5. Book. 2 - Has the same division and order as Book No. 1, but the lessons are more in-depth for the older student in grades 6 to 8.

You could also buy a subscription for your children to MagnifiKid and Magnificat Junior. It's for children between the ages of six and twelve. Subscribers receive the issues on a monthly basis. In each month’s packet, children will find a booklet of sixteen color pages for each Sunday, and also special issues for all major feast days: Christmas, Ash Wednesday, Holy Week, Ascension, Assumption and All Saints Day. These booklets are published by Magnificat and this too is a wonderful resource for parents to prepare and to better attend Sunday Mass; this, along with attending Mass on Sunday, receiving the sacraments and making time for prayer, are an important part of living the Christian life and giving our children a good faith example.

Of course there is so much more, but building a spiritual library begins like everything else with one step at a time. Today there are so many other sources, both in print and on-line, to explore, enrich and strengthen our faith. On the Internet we can learn much from the vatican website and so many many other Christian sites. There are even spiritual apps available for smart phones. The resources are numerous as long as there's a will to live and embrace the faith. I hope you do consider doing a home inventory of faith. I'm certain the spiritual exercise will yield many fruits for a future archaeologist or any visitor to find. But what's most important it will surely be a spiritual effort that will bring you and your family closer to Christ.

US Supreme Court backs religious freedom: A good lesson for Canada

The recent Supreme Court decision in the United States about religious freedom we hope augurs good news for Canada. On January 11, 2012, a unanimous ruling was made in the case of, "Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School versus Equal Employment Opportunity Commission." The American government claimed that the Lutheran Church didn't have the authority to fire a minister who had been trained by the Church for six years and elected by the congregation. The minister who taught other subjects along with religion filed for discrimination after being dismissed. The White House was ready to challenge the First Amendment that protects religious liberty.

The Supreme Court in its 39 page ruling supported past decisions in saying that the American Constitution has always provided for "ministerial exemptions", an autonomy when it comes to employment agreements between religious institutions and their minsters or clergy. The White House, however, through the Department of Justice argued against this provision and went further: they asked for the exemption to be removed. Nevertheless, the court agreed that the Church was within its rights to "fire a religious minister." Remember we are considering a legal religious right and not whether the firing was justified. The decision is good news for all those who believe in the right to religious freedom.

It's the kind of decision that we hope the Supreme Court of Canada will soon make in the Quebec family who has been fighting for the right to have their children withdrawn from the province's mandated generic Ethics and Religious Culture course. A favourable decision would raise the obvious question for Catholic schools in Ontario: Do they have the denominational right to dismiss employees including teachers who are living in contradiction of the faith, regardless of what the teachers' unions may say? Do Catholic boards have the legal right to disregard the "Equity" policy?

Chief Justice John Roberts makes it very clear that the American government had no legal right to undermine the Church's decision. In his words, “Requiring a church to accept or retain an unwanted minister, or punishing a church for failing to do so, intrudes upon more than a mere employment decision. Such action interferes with the internal governance of the church, depriving the church of control over the selection of those who will personify its beliefs. By imposing an unwanted minister, the state infringes the free exercise clause, which protects a religious group’s right to shape its own faith and mission through its appointments. According the state the power to determine which individuals will minister to the faithful also violates the establishment clause, which prohibits government involvement in such ecclesiastical decisions.”

The government then, should not be deciding who the Church selects to perform its religious functions. To force it to so is to undermine its very existence. This is a huge Constitutional victory for the freedom of all religious institutions to hire their own teachers, ministers, priests and rabbis. American citizens should be asking their federal government to explain why they are spending tax payer dollars to try to penalize people for practicing their faith and are ready and willing to even impose fines.

In Canada, we continue to find it harder to keep our religious freedom. We live in a society that has no law on abortion, but continues to kill tens of thousands of babies each year. This is an attack on all those who believe in the sanctity of life and their right to religious beliefs. Our Catholic schools, particularly in Ontario and British Columbia, are being forced to accept policies, such as the "Equity and Inclusive Strategy", which are an outright contradiction of the faith. It's a declaration of war on religious liberty. Why should religious organization and educational institutions be legally coerced into accepting regulations that contradict the faith, curtail religious expression and do away with freedom of conscience? We leave that judgement to the reader.

The government should be protecting religious liberty and freedom of conscience. What kind of country will Canada be without religious freedom? The government in forcing people to violate their faith by accepting a materialistic secularist agenda is not building a better society, but a more divided and less tolerant one. The American Supreme Court has told the Obama government that they made a legal and moral mistake in trying to challenge the Constitutional right of religious liberty. Canada too has much to learn from this refreshing legal decision.

"You shall not have strange gods before me"

Do you think Christians should be watching movies like The Devil Inside and The Twilight Saga? Is it fine to let children read the Harry Potter series and see the films? What about toning and relaxing the body and mind with exercises like yoga and meditation techniques? Should we be reading horoscopes and consulting fortune-tellers? Let's try to answer these questions within a Christian context.

In a recent article in The Telegraph on January 9, 2012, chief Vatican exorcist Fr. Gabriele Amorth says, "Harry Potter and yoga are evil." This may come as a surprise to many of us who over time have allowed New Age beliefs and practises to enter our homes, our families and our lives. To see the evidence for this just notice the number of places in our city that offer palm reading, magic cards and crystal gazing. Similar to Dungeons and Dragons, there's an Internet game called, Magic, also known as The Gathering with over twelve million players. If you're a parent, should you not know if your children are playing these potentially soul corrupting games?

Fr. Amorth, the honorary president of the International Association of Exorcists 1986 and chief exorcist for the Diocese of Rome, has freed many people who were once afflicted with evil spirits. He says, "Yoga is Satanic because it leads to a worship of Hinduism" and “all eastern religions are based on a false belief in reincarnation”. He also warns thast reading JK Rowling’s Harry Potter books is just as dangerous. The Harry Potter books have now become international bestsellers and so may “seem innocuous” but they immerse readers, many of them are young, into the perilous world of black magic and wizardry.

According to Father Amorth, “Practising yoga is Satanic, it leads to evil just like reading Harry Potter. In Harry Potter the devil acts in a crafty and covert manner; he comes in the guise of someone with extraordinary powers, magic spells and curses. Satan is always hidden and what he most wants is for us not to believe in his existence. He studies every one of us and our tendencies towards good and evil, and then he offers temptations.”

In 2003, The Pontifical Council for Culture issued a document titled, Jesus Christ the Bearer of the Water of Life. (The publication is a solid reference on the subject to have in our homes.) It's subtitled, A Christian reflection on the New Age to warn Catholics of the potential dangers of yoga, Zen, transcendental meditation and other 'eastern’ practises. These New Age activities could “degenerate into a cult of the body” that debases Christian prayer. Yoga poses could create a feeling of well-being in the body but it's erroneous to confuse that with “the authentic consolations of the Holy Spirit." This document is an excellent resource in regaining the truth in order to fight back all New Age techniques and beliefs not compatible with the Christian faith.

The essential problem with all New Age practices and films glorifying vampires, magic and witchcraft is that they can deceptively contradict, undermine and lead to the outright rejection of our Christian beliefs. There's a spiritual risk in entertaining these ideas or trying them out. In our attempt to live the Christian faith, we need to have a living relationship with Christ. The First Commandment is where it all begins: "I am the Lord your God: You shall have not have strange Gods before me." How do we explain what these strange Gods are? In the Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church, we find this very useful explanation. (By the way, this book is a wonderful spiritual resource especially for teenagers.) The commandment forbids us:

1. "to adore other gods and pagan deities or to worship an an earthly idol to devote oneself entirely to some earthly good (money, influence, success, beauty, youth and so on);
2. "to be superstitious, which means to adhere to esoteric, magic or the occult or New Age practices or to get involved with fortune telling or spiritualism, instead of believing in God's power, Providence and blessings;
3. "to provoke God by word and deed;
4. "to commit a sacrilege;
5. "to acquire spiritual power through corruption and to desecrate what is holy through trafficking." (355)

Any teaching, activity or belief that claims human beings alone can know their destiny and the truth about life through secret powers is spiritually dangerous. It can too easily make us forget God and begin to replace Him with occult activities such as the Ouija boards, astrology and clairvoyance. Human beings, however, are not divine. In New Age practices there's the hidden assumption that redemption is possible without Christ. Christians believe only Christ and God's grace can redeem us from sin and death.

We will end with the sound spiritual advice found in Psalm 40 in dealing with all the New Age deceptions: "I have waited for the Lord,/ and he stooped toward me and heard my cry,/ Blessed the man who makes the Lord his trust;/who turns not to idolatry/ or to those who stray after falsehood." All we really need is God's truth.

The Premier's own video reveals the deception behind his school policies

If you had any second thoughts at all about the real agenda that is driving the anti-bullying legislation of the Liberals, Premier Dalton McGuinty finally reveals the lies they have been spreading. In the video, McGuinty uses the LGBT slogan, "It Gets Better", coined by two men living together in the United States. It's an Internet campaign to fight bullying based on sexual orientation. The men claim they are responding to teenager suicides that have resulted from bullying because the teens were either gay or others thought they were. The project began late last year to encourage coming out to express one's sexual orientation, moving beyond bullying and telling others that the homosexual lifestyle is normal and needs to be promoted. These are not the issues on which the Liberals were elected.

Mr. Premier the goal should not be to just focus and single out the prevention of suicide among LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered) youth. It should be about preventing suicide among all students. Mr. Premier we ought to be creating schools where bullying against every student is eradicated and stop placing a special emphasis on any particular group. The lives of teenagers is not going to change because you release a video or try to pass legislation to protect and promote the lifestyle of certain students while risking to alienate the majority you need to reach.

A truly "inclusive and equitable" policy has to be comprehensive and thus not exclude anyone. If you want to create safe, caring and supportive learning environments where all students can succeed and feel welcome, you need to begin as a government by telling parents the truth about the school policies and legislation you wish to implement. The video reveals in your own words, or at least with language you borrow from the gay activists, that you and the Ministry of Education have been practising the politics of deception with your "Safer Schools" initiatives. It's time to tell the truth.

Allan Hubley, the father and councillor from Kanata South, who recently lost his son to suicide says it best in his article, Teens' clubs don't need politicians' labels, in the Ottawa Cicizen, "Support for student-led initiatives is the key to giving kids the ability to help each other. My son Jamie wanted to start a club where every child who felt out of place could join and gain peer support. He talked about tall, short, thin, fat, and kids with freckles who would benefit from a safe place to be and the acceptance by others. My son said that this club would help kids learn to accept the differences in each other." In other words, schools, parents and the government should do all that they possibly can to try to help all students from discrimination and harassment of any kind. Why single out sexual orientation or a particular lifestyle?

We are all in support of an anti-bullying policy based on respect for the dignity of the person. However, many of us want the policy to complement Catholic/Christian teaching, not reject it. All students should be free from bullying of any kind. The Commandment to love one's neighbour has neither a category nor a qualification. The Premier needs to stop playing the politics of correctness and deception. This is why Bill 13 must be withdrawn or amended and MPPs like Randy Hillier who has spoken against it need our support. The Premier represents the people of Ontario not a list of sexual orientations. Please do watch the video and do make an effort to let the Premier and your MPP know that they have a responsibility to the truth and to build the common good both in our schools and the province they're privileged to govern.

The San Jose Articles: the United Nations' abortion lies exposed

Canadians should support MP Jeff Watson's call for Parliament to re-open the debate on abortion. We need to educate ourselves about the truth. For too long now, most people in Canada and the international community have come to believe that there’s a "fundamental human right" to abortion. This is totally false. Yes, you read that correctly. In Canada, we currently have no law on abortion, and no United Nations treaty makes abortion an international right. However, many nations have been pressured by the UN, as it recently happened in Colombia, to change their laws because of this false assumption. It’s time nations push back this culture of death. We need to unmask the lies. The San Jose Articles are designed to help countries do just that.

The United Nations has no legal and no moral authority into forcing member countries to accept abortion as a "legal right". They have been advocating a lie as if it were a truth. This evil effort has served to promote abortion internationally and to continue to deceive and intimidate those countries that are currently pro-life. The San Jose Articles provide a legal defence to combat the anti-life propaganda and expose the lies. Let's hope that all counties begin to use them to bring an end to abortion and the deceptive means by which the pro-abortionists at the UN spread the culture of death.

What follows are the objectives the Articles are designed to address and the articles themselves.

The Aim

“The purpose of the San Jose Articles is to provide expert testimony that no such right exists. The San Jose Articles were prepared by a group of 31 experts in international law, international relations, international organizations, public health, science/medicine and government. The signers include law professors, philosophers, Parliamentarians, Ambassadors, human rights lawyers, and delegates to the UN General Assembly.

“The purpose of the San Jose Articles is also to demonstrate that the unborn child is already protected in human rights instruments and that governments should begin protecting the unborn child by using international law."

San Jose Articles

"Article 1. As a matter of scientific fact a new human life begins at conception.

"Article 2. Each human life is a continuum that begins at conception and advances in stages until death. Science gives different names to these stages, including zygote, blastocyst, embryo, fetus, infant, child, adolescent and adult. This does not change the scientific consensus that at all points of development each individual is a living member of the human species.

"Article 3. From conception each unborn child is by nature a human being.

"Article 4. All human beings, as members of the human family, are entitled to recognition of their inherent dignity and to protection of their inalienable human rights. This is recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and other international instruments.

"Article 5. There exists no right to abortion under international law, either by way of treaty obligation or under customary international law. No United Nations treaty can accurately be cited as establishing or recognizing a right to abortion.

"Article 6. The Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW Committee) and other treaty monitoring bodies have directed governments to change their laws on abortion. These bodies have explicitly or implicitly interpreted the treaties to which they are subject as including a right to abortion.

"Article 7. Assertions by international agencies or non-governmental actors that abortion is a human right are false and should be rejected.

"Article 8. Under basic principles of treaty interpretation in international law, consistent with the obligations of good faith and pacta sunt servanda, and in the exercise of their responsibility to defend the lives of their people, states may and should invoke treaty provisions guaranteeing the right to life as encompassing a state responsibility to protect the unborn child from abortion.

"Article 9. Governments and members of society should ensure that national laws and policies protect the human right to life from conception. They should also reject and condemn pressure to adopt laws that legalize or depenalize abortion."

Everyday For Life Canada believes it’s important for governments, health care professionals, lawyers, doctors, priests, parents and for all citizens the world over to share and act on these articles of life. It was this truth about the sanctity of life that Blessed John Paul II's encyclical called, Evangelium vitae (The Gospel of Life) urges the faithful to safeguard at all costs. This is one of the truths that served to define John Paul II's entire pontificate.

The language of truth in the San Jose Articles takes a bold and necessary step forward in raising an awareness of the lies about abortion "rights" both at the national and international level. It's this kind of pro-life effort that can help restore a culture of life in the world. We hope it will serve as guide for Canada and the rest of the world to reconsider the evil of abortion and pass new laws making it a crime to kill unborn. In the end, the truth will win out over evil.

The articles were published in San Jose, Costa Rica on March 25, 2011. Please do spread this refreshing word of truth; this life-saving information to help promote the pro-life message with the hope of saving countless, innocent human lives.

St. Andre Bessette: a saint for Canadians to remember

It was in 1982, that blessed John Paul II beatified Canadian Andre-Alfred Bessette from the Congregation of the Holy Cross. On January 6, 2012, we celebrate his memorial. He was a simple man of the people who practised a deep prayer life. Known by his humility he was called "Brother Andre". Physically he was a weak man by human standards, but spiritually he was a giant who sought the help of the Holy Spirit and the intercession of St. Joseph in order to help the poor and the sick.

St. Andre was instrumental through prayer in building the common good by loving his neighbour. He also played a central role in the construction of the wonderful basilica of St. Joseph in Montreal. He became known for his service to his community and the deep devotion to St. Joseph. He left for all Canadians a beautiful example of his witness to faith, to life and the culture of love. His Christian example of truth is what Canada needs most today. St. Andre, pray for Canada.

A mother's witness and example on fighting back the "Equity" policy

At the Toronto Catholic District School Board meeting held on December 15, a mother made an important presentation to trustees and board members. She came to express her serious concern that the Education and Inclusive Education Strategy is being used to promote and normalize the homosexual lifestyle. Her address will be overlooked by a compromised mainstream media, but it's the kind of information parents need if they wish to push back the Liberal government's plan to over-sexualize and radically transform school curriculum. This parent correctly identified the need to monitor the kind of resources schools use such as textbooks in order to prevent the total erosion of Christian teaching. As a mother, she urged the trustees and board officials to implement the "Equity" policy so that it's consistent with these four pillars of the Catholic faith:

1. to uphold the Church's teaching especially on the vocation to chastity;

2. to promote more prayers and a stronger faith life in the schools: the Rosary, confession and the Mass;

3. to promote the teaching on sexuality based Blessed John Paul II's Theology of the Body;

4. to allow parents to be the first educators of their children when it comes to sexuality and moral issues.

Yes, the "Equity" policy continues to be implemented in Ontario schools that have not already done so. The McGuinty government now wants to pass Bill 13 in order to back this policy with legislation and make every sexual orientation equal before the law. This mother's appeal is a good example to all of us, if as Christians, we really want to fight the Equity policy. Everyday for Life Canada fully supports and applauds this mother's efforts.

As we enter 2012, we should ask ourselves a number of questions: Do we care enough about the faith to defend it? Will parents take, as this mother has, the issue of their children's instruction on moral and sexual matters seriously enough to reclaim their parental rights? Are we ready to make the sacrifices necessary to make sure the schools our children attend are being truthful to the Catechism of the Catholic Church? Are parents trying themselves to live the faith in order to know what they are protecting and at the same time giving their children a witness to that belief? Parents, after all, have the responsibility to be the true and primary educators of their children's morality and sexuality.

These no doubt are difficult confessional question, but our answers not what the government and school boards do, will in the end determine whether we will continue to have faithful, funded Catholic schools in this province. It's not easy to overcome our complacency and not anaesthetize our spiritual needs with the lure of more material comforts and electronic toys. Faith as we know is neither legislated nor can it be taken away by premiers or kings. It's a divine gift. Each Christian, each family makes a choice whether to accept it and live it or reject it by not practicing it or taking it for granted. Let's pray for the grace to know how best to live, promote and protect God's gift of faith to children and their parents.

Baby Jesus in chains: a Canadian sign of our times

As part of our Christmas celebration, my wife and I went to visit one of our favourite nativity scenes put up each year in the Toronto. It's a life size creche displayed outside the church of St. Francis of Assisi Parish which is located on Mansfield Avenue. How appropriate in that it was Saint Francis of Assisi who created the first nativity scene in 1223. He actually used real people, "a living creche", in an effort to bring people closer to Christ. At a time of the year when we tend to concentrate on shopping and coloured light decorations, it's wonderful to spend some time in front of the creche and pray. We wanted to thank God for the many blessings during the past year and to ask for a New Year filled with peace and health for everyone.

During our visit, just as two men came around and asked if we liked the creche, I noticed that Baby Jesus was chained to the ground. We said yes of course we liked it very much, and we quickly went on to add that we had been coming down for years, especially to bring our children when they were young. It turned out that these two men were part of the group that volunteers each year to erect the creche. We expressed our appreciation and encouraged them to continue with this tradition because it reminds us all of the true reason for Christmas. Then we asked why Jesus was chained down. We were told that the little Baby had been stolen a few times and so they thought this was a way to prevent it from happening again.

I decided to take a few photos of the creche and two of them are included with this blog entry. As we drove home, I began to think of how sadly telling it was to see Baby Jesus strapped down by a chain. I know that we are talking about a statue of a baby, but perhaps the chain was a way to reveal the truth: today Jesus continues to be bound by human sin. Baby Jesus in chains: isn't this a sign of our times in Canada? It's our nation's evil such as abortion, the push for euthanasia, the constant efforts to remove religion from schools, from the public square and whenever the Ten Commandments are disobeyed that keep Baby Jesus in shackles. Our refusal to openly accept Baby Jesus as a nation is a rejection to free Him, to embrace Him and the grace He brings to everyone from the Father: the gift of life and love. We hope and pray that Canada will one day soon remove the chains around Baby Jesus.

There are good reasons for hope in 2012

The organization CatholicVote.org has put together a wonderful video celebrating events that should help and encourage us to be strong in our faith efforts in 2012. It's called the "Top Ten Reasons for Hope - 2011." In Peter's First Letter we find these instructive words, "Simply proclaim the Lord Christ holy in your hearts, and always have your answer ready for people who ask you the reason for the hope that you have." (3:15)

CatholicVote.org has given us their reason for hope in words and images. A number of the events featured refer to the Catholic Church in America, but the issues also apply to Canada and the rest of the world, as in the case of the World Youth Day held in Spain this past year. The Catholic Church after all does mean the universal Church; we are all baptized to one family under God. The Creed we say on Sunday is the same for the entire world. Enjoy the video as we recall 2011 and enter the New Year 2012. Best wishes to you, our blog visitors, for peace, joy and good health.