Tag: featured

What Planned Parenthood does and does not do

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A few days ago I posted a link on my Facebook wall to one of the videos concerning the recent Planned Parenthood scandal. In a response, one of my friends wrote “…in low income and rural areas planned parenthood is the only clinic available to women for women’s health”. My friend Rachel asked what kind of services they provide, but never received a reply.

Well, undeterred, Rachel did some digging and yesterday she posted a link on my wall to something posted by Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood employee. I wanted to reproduce it here in its entirety:

AbbyJohnson

This is for people who say Planned Parenthood provides so many services for women. Here are the facts. Planned Parenthood should NEVER be your “go to” for healthcare.

Planned Parenthood does NOT provide:

-Mammograms
-Prenatal Care
-Breast Biopsies
-Breast Cancer Diagnostic Care
-Primary Health Care
-Diabetes Treatment
-Treatment for Elevated Cholesterol
-Treatment for Elevated Blood Pressure
-Holistic Medicine
-Obstetrical Care
-Pediatric Care
-Care for HIV Positive Individuals
-Infertility Treatments
-Natural Family Planning Instruction
-Care for Uterine Fibroids
-Treatment for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
-Adoption Placement
-Prostate Exams
-Uterine Laser Ablation
-Cervical Laser Ablation
-Miscarriage Management
-Bladder Disorders and Urinary Problems
-Prolapsed Pelvic Floor Concerns
-Laparoscopic Procedures
-Hysterectomy
-Treatment of Endometriosis
-Polyp Removal
-Endometrial Ablation
-BRCA Testing
-Bone Density Testing
-Treatment of Pelvic Pain
-Treatment of Vulvar Pain
-Molar Pregnancy Follow Up

Planned Parenthood DOES provide:

-First and Second Trimester Abortions
-Limited STD testing and treatment
-Pap Smears for Women in Child Bearing Years
-Limited Contraceptive Methods

Just wanted to put some of the myths to rest.

Restless Heart Podcast Launched!

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Today is the the Feast Day of St. Christopher, the patron Saint of travellers, and St. James, the patron of the Camino De Santiago, so it seemed like an appropriate day to launch a new podcast, “The Restless Heart”. Each week on this podcast I will be sitting down with my friend Nessa to discuss some aspect of the Catholic Faith.

Restless Heart – Pilot (Download)

 

— Show Notes —

* If you have iTunes installed, you can click here to subscribe. Alternatively, you should be able to find us in the podcast section of the iTunes Store and Google Play. If you need to setup your podcast feed manually, our feed is:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/RestlessHeartPodcast

If you have any feedback or would like to pose a question for an upcoming episode, you can always tweet us at @davidandnessa.

Justin Martyr’s Worship

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Justin MartyrFor the next three weeks in the JP2 Group we’re going to be looking at the worship in the Early Church.

The following text is an extract from the writing of Justin Martyr (c AD 100 – 165). The document is known as his First Apology, which was written to the Emperor Antionius Pius around AD 150-155. Various English translations were used in the rendering of this extract.

We will be studying this text as a group tomorrow.  At the weekend I’ll do another post about this text, together with a little bit of commentary…

Chapter 65: Baptism & Eucharist

After we have washed someone who has been convinced and has accepted our teaching, we bring him to the place where those who are called “brethren” are assembled. Together, then, we offer hearty prayers: for ourselves, for the illuminated person, and for all others in every place. We pray that we may be counted worthy, now that we have learned the truth, by our works be found good citizens and keepers of the commandments, so that we may be saved with an everlasting salvation.

Having ended the prayers, we greet one another with a kiss. Then bread and a cup of wine mixed with water are brought to the president of the brethren. Taking them, he gives praise and glory to the Father of the universe, through the name of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and he offers thanks at considerable length for our being counted worthy to receive these things.

And when he has concluded the prayers and thanksgivings, all the people present express their assent by saying “Amen”, the Hebrew for “so be it”. And when the president has given thanks, and all the people have expressed their assent, those who are called “deacons” give to each person present a portion of the bread and the wine mixed with water, over which the thanksgiving was pronounced. To those who are absent, they carry away a portion.

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If you’re happy and you know it…

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Something has been bugging me for some time now. The vast majority of Masses I’ve attended in the States have ended with applause. Back in England I encountered this fairly often among non-Catholic congregations, but quite rarely in Catholic parishes.

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Here in San Diego I play the guitar in at a LifeTeen Mass and there is applause every week as we finish the final song. Now, there was a time when I wasn’t fussed about the clapping, but now it really rather bothers me… 

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Prepubescent Marriage in Islam

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  • Qur’an 33:49 states that a waiting period (“Iddah”) is needed if a marriage was consummated. This is to make sure that the woman isn’t pregnant.
  • Qur’an 65:4 outlines three different categories of women regarding the Iddah:
    • Pregnant women whose waiting period ends with the delivery of the child
    • Those who don’t have periods any more have a waiting period of 3 months
    • Those who have never menstruated have to wait 3 months
  • Ibn Kathir’s commentary (14th Century) confirms who this last group is:
    • “The same for the young, who have not reached the years of menstruation. Their `Iddah is three months like those in menopause.”
  • Al-Jalalayn (16th Century) says the same:
    • …and [also for] those who have not yet menstruated, because of their young age, their period shall [also] be three months 
  • Sahih al-Bukhari 5133 and Sunan an-Nasa’i 3378 (among others) confirm that Muhammad married Aisha when she was six and consummated the marriage when she was nine when she was still playing with dolls.

Mum’s Trip

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As some of you know, my Mum came to visit me in San Diego recently. In case anyone was looking for ideas for things to do when friends visit, I thought I’d post some of the things we did (or tried to do) while she was here :

Church
Saturday Midday Mass at Our Lady of the Rosary
Daily Mass at The Immaculata
Evening Mass at The Mission
Sunday Divine Liturgy at Holy Angels

Food
Sandwich lunch at Hillcrest Sandwich Store
Lunch at Peohe’s
Gelato at Pappalecco (Little Italy)
Sunday Brunch at Pappalecco (Hillcrest)
Dinner at El Prado

Walks
Balboa Park and the Spanish Village
Pacific Beach. Watch the surfing off Tourlamine
Evening walk along Seaport Village
Mission Bay
Torrey Pines

“Culture”
Cinema Under the Stars
Catholic Answers Gala
Little Italy Farmer’s Market
Show at The Old Globe
Fashion Valley Mall
Drinks at the Wine Cabanna

Mum on the beach

Quick Apology: You can’t pray to dead people

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Continuing in my series of brief apologetic responses, today I would like to look at the subject of Saintly intercession. As I mentioned last time, these will not be thorough, nuanced rebuttals, but simply how I typically would reply when I only have a brief window of opportunity to respond to objections to my Faith.

Objection

I often see on internet forums the following common objection to Saintly intercession:

“You can’t pray to dead people”

Response

In response to this objection I point out that the Saints are not dead:

“…have you not read what was said to you by God, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” – Matthew 22:32

If Jesus says that the Saints (“Abraham…Isaac….Jacob”) are alive and well, then I think it’s pretty safe to assume that they are indeed alive. Last week we had the Feast of the Transfiguration when Jesus speaks with Moses…a “dead” man (Matthew 17:1-4). Therefore, it is incorrect to call those Christians who have passed away “dead”. They are more alive in God than they have ever been!

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