SCOTUS Upholds Obamacare

The Supreme Court has ruled in a very split 5-4 decision that Obamacare is constitutional. You are going to hear a lot of opinions about the opinion throughout the day and probably on the Sunday mornings news shows. I will refrain from any such thoughts until I have read the opinion in its entirety. For now, you too can read the decision and make your own assessments about the implications this has on the pending HHS Mandate lawsuits.

We Are Catholics!

This video provided by the folks at The Catholic Association. Check out their site for more materials.

Year of Faith Logo Unveiled

Today the Vatican unveiled the official logo for the Year of Faith. Pope Benedict XVI announced last October 11th that beginning on October 11, 2012, the Church would celebrate this Year of Faith. October 11th marks the 50th anniversary of Second Vatican Council and the 20th anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. One can surmise from Pope Benedict's Apostolic Letter, Porta Fidei (4), that the aim of the year of faith is to foster the New Evangelization of the Church.

Fortnight For Freedom

Today marks the beginning of the USCCB's Fortnight for Freedom, two weeks dedicated to prayer and reflection on religious freedom. The US Bishops have chosen this fourteen day period to begin with the feasts of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More and to culminate on Independence Day. According to the bishops this time is meant to be a "special period of prayer, study, catechesis, and public action [that] will emphasize both our Christian and American heritage of liberty."

The USCCB has organized a wealth of information to arm the laity with the resources to pray, study and act. This includes articles on the subject of religious freedom, daily reflections, text message updates, prayer cards, Church bulletin inserts and much more.

Here is the Prayer for the Protection of Religious Liberty:

O God our Creator,

Through the power and working of your Holy Spirit,
you call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world,
bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel
to every corner of society.

We ask you to bless us
in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty.
Give us the strength of mind and heart
to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened;
give us courage in making our voices heard
on behalf of the rights of your Church
and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith.

Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father,
a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughters
gathered in your Church
in this decisive hour in the history of our nation,
so that, with every trial withstood
and every danger overcome—
for the sake of our children, our grandchildren,
and all who come after us—
this great land will always be "one nation, under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

True Freedom

Today, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan's book True Freedom: On Protecting Human Dignity and Religious Liberty is available to download at Amazon for 99¢. This short book (only 37 pages long) is an important resource in helping one learn the Church's teaching on freedom. This particularly important as the Church in the United States faces the recent attack on religious freedom.

Most of us learned when we were very young that this country was founded on a principle of religious freedom. Did anyone ever teach us what that really meant? What does this mean today, when we live under the "dictatorship of relativism"?

This is a great way to start your summer reading program. Even if you don't have a Kindle, you can read the book on your computer through Amazon or on the Kindle app available on all Apple iProducts and Android phones.

For a more comprehensive review of the book go to Brandon Vogt's review.

St. Talk: St. Anthony of Padua

St. Anthony statue from St. Roch Catholic Church
Indianapolis, IN

St. Anthony of Padua is one of the most beloved and popular saints in Catholic history. Known as the "hammer of the heretics," St. Anthony is often portrayed holding the infant Jesus. This is attributed to a miracle in which Jesus appeared to St. Anthony as a baby.

St. Anthony was a tremendous speaker and teacher of the faith. So much so, that in 1946 the Church declared him a Doctor of the Church because of his ability to simplify the teachings of faith for ordinary people. Today, he is often invoked as the patron of lost items. He is also patron of a number of other causes, including faith in the Blessed Sacrament.

Prayer to St. Anthony for Lost Things
Tony, Tony,
look around.
Something's lost
and must be found!

Prayer by St. Anthony for Help from the Holy Spirit
O God, send forth your Holy Spirit into my heart that I may perceive, into my mind that I may remember, and into my soul that I may meditate. Inspire me to speak with piety, holiness, tenderness and mercy. Teach, guide and direct my thoughts and senses from beginning to end. May your grace ever help and correct me, and may I be strengthened now with wisdom from on high, for the sake of your infinite mercy. Amen.

Online Resources:
St. Anthony, Catholic Online
St. Anthony, EWTN
St. Anthony, SQPN

Recommended Book(s):
St. Anthony the Wonder Worker of Padua, Charles W. Stoddard