“FORTNIGHT FOR FREEDOM?? YEAH, RIGHT!! / RE-DEFINING HOLY MATRIMONY

Here we go again…It’s time for our “4th Annual Fortnight for Freedom”, folks. Did anybody even know? You figured after the first three, the USCCB would have called it quits. OK, the first Fortnight back on June 21st-July 4th, 2012, was definitely called for, was rather inspirational, and it may have served its purpose – although HHS liberal, Kathleen Sebelius, got her way with then-President of the USCCB, my good buddy, Cardinal Dolan. She ran circles around him for two years.  Archbishop Lori and Cardinal Weurl did their best in rallying the Catholic Faithful at the Cathedral in D.C. – but, once again – it was way too late. The horse had already gotten out of the barn – and like American Pharaoh – had time to win the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont, thus, the Triple Crown…

American Pharaoh won it all and left an impression on the 90,000 who watched him live last Saturday evening in up-state New York. On January 20th, 2012, the unveiling of the HHS Mandate was watched live by 317 million Americans and left an impression and sour taste on the 70 million Catholics in this country who were forced to compromise their Catholic Faith by way of abortion-inducing contraceptives  – while then, USCCB leader, Cardinal Dolan, sat there and watched it all unfold, while hanging out at the Alfred B. Smith dinner and cracking jokes with the person behind this anti-Catholic mandate – Barack Obama…another cardinal sin…

Fast forward to 2015 and in seven days, this same USCCB is calling for another “Fortnight for Freedom”. Go figure…Current President of the USCCB,  Archbishop Joseph Kurtz (Diocese of Louisville), took the baton from Cardinal Dolan on November 12th, 2013, fumbled it badly, and has really not been able to pick it up and advance at all. With liberal Cardinal Daniel Dinardo as the Vice president, the USCCB has pretty much stayed at a “stand-still”  the past two years while the Pro-abortion liberals are having their way with the abortion industry; with this fiasco of Obamacare; with the Curse of Common Core (where 100 of the 176 Catholic Diocese in this country implemented it behind GOD’s back and with the blessing of the USCCB); and, now with the latest abomination – the Sacrament of Gay Marriage. Like I have been claiming for so many years from my Log Home as “a voice crying out in the wilderness”.

“THE USCCB & THE CATHOLIC CHURCH DO EVERYTHING IN A RE-ACTIVE MODE – INSTEAD OF THE MUCH-NEEDED PRO-ACTIVE MODE…AND, THAT IS WHY WE ARE ALWAYS BEHIND THE 8 BALL”…

So, while the “nine liberal attorneys in black robes” huddle behind closed doors (in the closet) – the USCCB and the Catholic Church leaders in this country are frantically & desperately trying to convince these 9 Supreme Court Injustices (once they come out of the closet), to “please, please, don’t re-define the Blessed Sacrament of Holy Matrimony”. Too little, too late…That’s like taking back the Triple Crown trophy from American Pharaoh and making him re-run all three of those breath-taking races – while re-defining the way the Triple Crown is to be raced and won – after 147 years.

Or – worse than that – it’s like going back 2,000 years – telling Jesus that He had it all wrong with this Matrimony thing – and then, taking it upon themselves and re-defining this beautiful Holy Sacrament into an abomination of allowing two men to marry each other – and calling it a perfectly legal marriage.

Friends: Those Supreme Court Injustices will be coming out of the closet within the next two weeks with a new definition of our Most Blessed Sacrament – and all the USCCB can do is half-heartedly plead with the 70 million Catholics in this country to “become Catholic for a mere 14 days and participate in their new and improved Fortnight for Freedom”! That’s what Fortnight stands for – 14 days! What about the other 351 days? What do these so-called Catholics do? Remain silent?

Instead of appropriately calling it “Fortnight Forever” – as in “being an active Catholic forever” – not just for 14 days – the USCCB once again, comes out of the clear blue and a bit too late trying to inspire the Catholic Faithful to try to pull it together for just 14 days…and see what happens…Heads or tails?…Re-active vs. Pro-active…14 days – not 14 hours a day. Then, we can all go back to “business as usual” and just go through the motions as the majority of Catholics have been doing for so many years in our country.

So, when several of our Catholic friends ask me what I am doing for this up-coming “Fortnight for Freedom?” – I simply have to laugh…then cry. It truly is that pathetic that a TEAM of 70 million Catholics in this country – that is almost one in four citizens in America – cannot get their act together and do what Jesus asked us to do on that memorable Pentecost Sunday: “Go Baptize all nations in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”. We cannot even baptize our own nation. Sad that we cannot even heed Saint John Paul II’s plea  to “BE NOT AFRAID”. What are we afraid of? What is the USCCB afraid of? Why are we always waiting to Re-act instead of Pro-act? Why can’t Archbishop Kurtz take the bull – rather, the devil – by the horns and proclaim in front of our entire country what the Holy Catholic Church teaches about the Blessed Sacrament of Holy Matrimony? We wrote the book – why can’t we explain it now? Why do we always have to wait for something destructive and evil to attack our beloved Church before we take action? Why is it that other faiths, other denominations have at least taken the initiative to combat this re-defining of marriage by standing up against this attack and doing something about it?

WHAT IS THE USCCB DOING TO COMBAT THESE ATTACKS ON OUR BELOVED CATHOLIC CHURCH?

PLEASE READ THIS VERY CRITICAL ARTICLE TO SHOW YOU WHAT THE “PRO-ACTIVE” LEADERS IN OUR COUNTRY ARE DOING AS OPPOSED TO THE “RE-ACTIVE” LEADERS…

DOBSON, GRAHAM TO SUPREMES: WE’LL CHOOSE BIBLE

‘We will not honor any decision’ that violates 1-man, 1-woman design”

Bob Unruh

Prominent Christian and Jewish leaders are warning the U.S. Supreme Court justices in a full-page ad in major newspapers that they will not honor any decision that violates the “biblical understanding of marriage as solely the union of one man and one woman.”

The statement by the leaders — who include Franklin Graham, James Dobson, Frank Pavone, Don Wildmon, Jerry Boykin, Alveda King and Alan Keyes — appears in a full-page ad in the Washington Post, USA Today and other papers.

“We affirm that marriage, as existing solely between one man and one woman, precedes civil government. Though affirmed, fulfilled and elevated by faith, the truth that marriage can exist only between one man and one woman is not based solely on religion but on the Natural Law, written on the human heart,” the leaders say in the ad.

“We implore this court to not step outside of its legitimate authority and unleash religious persecution and discrimination against people of faith. We will be forced to choose between the state and our conscience, which is informed by clear biblical and church doctrine and the natural created order.”

Their conclusion?

“We will not honor any decision by the Supreme Court which will force us to violate a clear biblical understanding of marriage as solely the union of one man and one woman.”

The statement is signed by dozens of leaders whose organizations represent tens of millions. It comes as a U.S. Supreme Court decision on a marriage dispute in the 6th Circuit is expected imminently.

Two justices, Elena Kagan and Ruth Ginsburg, already have publicly advocated for same-sex “marriage” by performing ceremonies but have refused to recuse themselves from the case.

Many analysts expect the Supreme Court, by a narrow margin, to find a constitutional right to same-sex “marriage.”

It already is recognized in about three dozen states, most of which have been ordered by federal judges to take that step.

In only one state, Alabama , has there been significant resistance. The state Supreme Court there ordered officials who issue marriage licenses to follow the state constitution and issue them only to male-female couples.

The ad states, “We the undersigned have joined together to present our unified message and plea to the justices of the United States Supreme Court regarding the matter of marriage.

“We are Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox Christian pastors, clergy, lay leaders and Jewish leaders, who collectively represent millions of people in our specific churches, parishes, denominations, synagogues and media ministry outreaches.”

They described anything other than biblical marriage as “an unjust law, as Martin Luther King Jr. described such laws in his letter from the Birmingham jail.”

They said they will choose the Bible.

“On this choice, we must pledge obedience to our Creator. While there are many things we can endure, any attempt to redefine marriage is a line we cannot and will not cross.”

They refer to DefendMarriage.org, where tens of thousands of Americans already have signed a related pledge.

The signers include: Matt C. Abbott of Renew America, Kirby Anderson of Point of View Talk Radio, Archbishop Foley Beach of the Anglican Church in North America, David and Jason Benham, Pastor Paul Blair of Fairview Baptist Church in Edmond, Oklahoma, Dean Broyles of the National Center for Law and Policy, Kevin Burke of Priests for Life, Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, David Crow of Restore America, Steve Deace of USA Radio Network, former Rep. Tom DeLay, Elaine Donnelly of Center for Military Readiness, Deacon Keith Fournier of Catholic Online, Pastor Jim Garlow of Pastors Rapid Response Team, Pastor John Hagee of Cornerstone Church, Fr. Mousa Hadaa of St. Mary Antiochian Orthodox Church, Pastor Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel, Bishop E.W. Jackson, Bishop Harry Jackson Jr., Penny Nancy of Concerned Women for America and Pastor Rick Scarborough of Vision America.

The “Marriage Pledge” being signed by Americans states: “We will view any decision by the Supreme Court or any court the same way history views the Dred Scott and Buck v. Bell decisions. Our highest respect for the rule of law requires that we not respect an unjust law that directly conflicts with higher law. A decision purporting to redefine marriage flies in the face of the Constitution and is contrary to the natural created order.”

It continues: “Experience and history have shown us that if the government redefines marriage to grant a legal equivalency to same-sex couples, that same government will then enforce such an action with the police power of the state. This will bring about an inevitable collision with religious freedom and conscience rights. The precedent established will leave no room for any limitation on what can constitute such a redefined notion of marriage or human sexuality. We cannot and will not allow this to occur on our watch.”

WND previously reported when Mathew Staver of Liberty Counsel warned of the consequences of same-sex “marriage.”

“Immediately, when elevated to that level of a constitutionally protected category, [same-sex marriage] is given the same status as race. What you cannot legally do with respect to race, you will not be able to do legally with respect to same-sex unions and sexual immorality,” he said.

“Think of race in the context of religious expression or conscience expression and replace it with sexual immorality, transsexualism or so-called gender identity. For example, churches and other religious organizations are exempt from the religious discrimination provisions of federal, state or local nondiscrimination laws. But they are not exempted from the race provisions. So Catholics can hire Catholics, and Baptists can hire Baptists, but they cannot hire only ‘white’ Catholics or only ‘white’ Baptists. They would face significant penalties. You can’t have separate restrooms or drinking fountains for people of a different color. If a church did that they would be liable for a significant amount of damages because of discrimination on the basis of race.

“Same-sex marriage or laws including sexual orientation or gender identity as a non-discrimination category directly impact religious organizations and churches. If a man wants to use the women’s restroom and a church official told him he could not, then that act would be like telling people of color they cannot use the ‘white only’ restroom. You will also have the same issues with tax exemption over sexual preference as you have now over race,” he said.

The Alabama Supreme Court, in its own decision on marriage, cited the U.S. Supreme Court’s Windsor ruling, which struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

The judges noted: “An open question exists as to whether Windsor ’s ‘equal dignity’ notion works in the same direction toward state laws concerning marriage as it did toward DOMA. The Windsor court stated that ‘the history of DOMA’s enactment and its own text demonstrate that interference with the equal dignity of same-sex marriages, a dignity conferred by the states in the exercise of their sovereign power, was more than an incidental effect of the federal statute.”

The Alabama court wrote: “In Windsor , New York ’s law allowed same-sex couples to obtain marriage licenses. Thus, the ‘dignity’ was conferred by the state’s own choice, a choice that was ‘without doubt a proper exercise of its sovereign authority within our federal system, all in the way that the Framers of the Constitution intended.’”

But it then raised a question: Why, if New York could make that choice, would Alabama be deprived of exactly the same choice?

“The problem with DOMA was that it interfered with New York ’s ‘sovereign’ choice,” the Alabama court said. “ Alabama ‘used its historic and essential authority to define the marital relations’ and made a different ‘sovereign’ choice than New York . If New York was free to make that choice, it would seem inconsistent to say that Alabama is not free to make its own choice, especially given that ‘the recognition of civil marriages is central to state domestic relations law applicable to its residents and citizens.’”

Preserving Religious Liberty for All  2015 Fortnight for Freedom

“Freedom to Bear Witness”

Edited by Pat M.

“We are Catholics. We are Americans. We are proud to be both, grateful for the gift of faith which is ours as Christian disciples, and grateful for the gift of liberty which is ours as American citizens. To be Catholic and American should mean not having to choose one over the other. Our allegiances are distinct, but they need not be contradictory, and should instead be complementary. That is the teaching of our Catholic faith, which obliges us to work together with fellow citizens for the common good of all who live in this land. That is the vision of our founding and our Constitution, which guarantees citizens of all religious faiths the right to contribute to our common life together.”

Our First, Most Cherished Liberty: A Statement on Religious Liberty, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, April 12, 2012

2015 FORTNIGHT FOR FREEDOM RALLY

“Freedom to Bear Witness”

Thursday, June 25, 2015 at 7:30 pm

Chaminade High School Auditorium

340 Jackson Avenue

Mineola, NY  11501

Keynote Speaker

Professor Robert P. George
Princeton University
Introduction and Opening Remarks
Bishop William Murphy
Master of Ceremonies
Msgr. James Vlaun

Sponsored by the Catholics for Freedom of Religion and the Diocese of Rockville Centre 
Reservations may be made by calling: 516-766-0161 or 631-896-8331
Seating is limited; early registration is encouraged

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