Advent & Lent Collide

From the Associated Baptist Press...

Supreme Court will not review policy banning nativity scenes in NY schools

A year after a New York City mother's appeal, the Supreme Court declined Feb. 20 to review a policy banning nativity scenes but allowing other holiday-season displays in the nation's largest public school district.

The justices declined, without comment or recorded dissent, to hear an appeal in Skoros v. City of New York (No. 06-271).

In the case, Catholic mother Andrea Skoros had asked the justices to overturn two rulings by lower federal courts that said the school district did not violate her two sons' religious freedom or her ability to raise her children without governmental religious interference when the district disallowed nativity scenes.

The schools' policy states: "The display of secular holiday symbol decorations is permitted. Such symbols include, but are not limited to, Christmas trees, menorahs, and the [Islamic] star and crescent."

Shortly after implementing the policy in 2001, a group of Catholic activists asked school officials to allow creches or nativity scenes to be included in the displays. However, the school board denied the request.

There's more...preposterous stuff...like this:

In response to Skoros' lawsuit, city attorneys argued that menorahs, dreidels, Christmas trees, Santa Claus and the star and crescent are sufficiently secular to represent the holidays celebrated by students in the diverse district. However, they contended, creches are purely Christian religious symbols.

Why couldn't the school policy include creches & nativity scenes? What's so hard about including the scenes? They wouldn't even have a Christmas tree if it weren't for CHRIST'S birth. Why does everything have to be so hard? Oops, I forgot it's about the battle - spiritually.

That's ok, because I know who WON! We keep on fighting onward and upward! The suffering we endure on this earth allows us to receive such awesome and magnificent grace!
YEA GOD!

We can use this grace for/in Lent: to remember to be charitable and loving in ALL circumstances; always mindful of the battle (I) we should continue to fight for CHRIST so that HE gets all the honor and glory in all circumstances; remain strong, faithful and steadfast and HE will RULE THE DAY!

Prayers for this mother - Mrs. Skoros, her family, her lawyers, her supporters, the Supreme Court Justices, the New York City school district & school board. And as always we offer prayers of reparation!

Angels Singing?

Angels singing caught on tape?

Feast of the Holy Face

"Whoever gazes upon me already consoles me."

Our Lord to Sister Pierina

HOLY FACE ASSOCIATION
Our Lady of the Holy Face-Newsletter 2007

VATICAN - REPLY TO "TIMES" ARTICLE ON CATHOLIC-ANGLICAN RELATIONS

Asbury hosts pope's preacher

This is the first time the two religious organizations have collaborated in such a way, and Cantalamessa said during a news conference yesterday that the cooperation was one of the primary reasons he accepted an invitation to come.

"I saw that there was a convergence," he said. "This particular occasion is very important to me."

He said Pope John Paul II, who appointed him to the post of papal preacher in 1980, stressed "exchanging gifts among the churches, not exchanging accusations." That's something Cantalamessa said he wants to encourage.

"What unites us is much more important," he said. "The Lord put love in my heart for the fellow Christians."

He said the issues that created the division between the Catholic Church and other denominations centuries ago "have lost most of their importance."

Anglicans and the Roman Catholic Church

As reported yesterday...Churches back plan to unite under Pope

More info:

Church deadline to curb gay rights

The US Episcopal Church has been given seven months to change its ways or face being kicked out of the Anglican Communion.

In an unexpectedly hard-hitting set of recommendations, primates of the Anglican Communion demanded an “unequivocal common covenant” under which dioceses in the Episcopal Church agree not to authorise same-sex blessings.

They also demanded late last night that no more gay men or women in active relationships with a person of the same sex be consecrated bishop.

Archbishop of Canterbury -Archbishop’s comments at the final press conference in Tanzania
His press releases.

Other sites:
Commentary...Pray lift your eyes above the belt
Daily Episcopalian-Blog with other listings of commentary
Titus one nine

Catholic, Anglican officials say talk of plans to reunite churches ‘much exaggerated’
Holy reunion!-Catholic, Anglican churches studying reunification, report says

Protect Your Fertility

Sponsored by ASRM...see under 'For Patient'

Female Risk Factors-gosh, no where does it mention the effects of contraception!

I will tho...here- you decide.

College Women & Egg Donation

Increase in Egg Donors Raises Concerns

Jennifer Dziura, a 28-year-old New Yorker, is one of them.

She received $8,000 to donate her eggs in the fall of 2005 and hopes she'll be chosen again before the private egg broker she's registered with considers her too old. She realizes prospective parents who view her profile might think it a minus that her father is adopted, allowing for little medical history from his side. She also figures some are looking for a blonde, instead of a brunette.

[snip]

As more older moms look for help getting pregnant, younger women have become increasingly willing to part with their eggs. Some do it to help relatives and friends, or from a sense of altruism, but others openly acknowledge money is a big factor in their decision, prompting critics to worry that they're helping drive an unregulated market for human tissue.

And why are there older moms? The answer: (most) have delayed having families for their career or selfish needs and have killed their own eggs - contracepting! So again, we take from our young!

Mother of Jesus pray for us!

[snip]

The American Society of Reproductive Medicine, or ASRM, has set a compensation guideline of $5,000, with a limit of $10,000 for special cases - if, for instance, a recipient wants eggs of rare ancestry.

I am not ready to be a donor, despite being egged on

Classified ads are running in college newspapers across the country...(hmmm trying to woo young girls away from their eggs)

Found in local campus newspaper this past weekend:

$5000.00 EGG DONORS NEEDED ASAP $5000.00 min. comp.healthy fit females height/weight proportionate non smoking 21 -29 info confidential 941-741-4994 web openarmsconsultants.com 941.741.4994

So, you'd better keep an eye on your children (and possibly grandchildren!); keep all lines of communication open so that this will not happen to your child. They could be very vulnerable and susceptible to this kind of tactic. Need I say more...spring break is quickly approaching (they need spending $), peer pressure and of course their age (sometimes) prevents good judgement and choices.

While we were sleeping...

Iran Launches Large-Scale War Games

Iran began its largest war games in almost a year Monday, just two days ahead of a U.N. Security Council deadline for Iran to halt uranium enrichment or face further economic sanctions.

The elite Revolutionary Guards began three days of ground maneuvers, state-run media reported Monday.

Culture

Benefits for Gay Couples Start in N.J.

Hundreds of gay couples received the same legal protections as married couples early Monday when a law making New Jersey the third state in the nation to offer civil unions took effect.

The civil unions - which offer the legal benefits but not the title of marriage - were granted automatically to the hundreds of gay New Jersey couples who have been joined in civil unions or married in other states or nations.