News Update from SPUC

3 Whitacre Mews, Stannary Street London, SE11 4AB, United Kingdom Telephone: (020) 7091 7091 Email: information@spuc.org.uk http://www.spuc.org.uk
Fears for safety of vulnerable people as assisted suicide is debated in House of Lords
JOHN SMEATON, SPUC DIRECTOR Friday, 18 July 2014 Fears for safety of vulnerable people as assisted suicide is debated in House of Lords Baroness Jane Campbell Fears for the safety of vulnerable people - terminally-ill, disabled or elderly - figured strongly in the House of Lords debate on Lord Falconer's Assisted Dying Bill today. Regrettably, the bill was allowed to proceed for further consideration by the House of Lords, though its ultimate outcome remains uncertain. The bill's opponents gave excellent speeches and focused on the bill's many dangers and problems. Regrettably, those opponents did not call for a vote, which could have stopped the bill. Those who favoured the bill pointed to the ultimatum in the Supreme Court's recent Nicklinson judgment. The Supreme Court threatened that if Parliament did not debate assisted suicide, the courts might declare the current law incompatible with human rights, thereby forcing the government to introduce legislation. Many speeches in today's debate rehearsed issues which had been raised in Lord Joffe's assisted suicide bills (2004-2006) and Lord Falconer's previous attempts to change the law. Lord Tebbit argued forcefully that weakening the protection of terminally-ill people would leave them at the mercy of "vultures" – money-grasping relatives. Baroness Kennedy said that, while the bill offer 'choice' to those in terminal illness, the modern popular notion of 'choice' was both a lure and a snare. The Anglican Bishop of Bristol and others pointed to the change of mind of Dr Theo Boer of the Netherlands, previously a supporter of euthanasia, who now wishes it were possible to "put the genie back in the bottle." Viscount Colville noted how the bill failed to provide any adequate check that people supposedly choosing freely to die were of sound mind. The slippery slope argument – that the bill will lead to much more extensive killing – was widely canvassed by both sides. Some rejected this argument outright, but others, such as disabled peer Baroness Campbell asserted it forcefully. Baroness Cumberledge said the bill was not so much a slippery slope as an ice-cliff. Many peers on both sides of the debate mentioned the many letters they had received from members of the public and how these had influenced their thinking. A number of peers quoted personal stories from letters, and several indicated that correspondence had helped to shape their thinking on the bill. Comments on this blog? Email them to johnsmeaton@spuc.org.uk

For STS One has words

Sophie's Choice in Baghdad

http://news.yahoo.com/convert-pay-tax-die-islamic-state-warns-christians-181415698--business.html

Why I Need A Miracle

On December 22nd, 2010, the visa route was closed to new overseas applicants.

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/e14f0cb8-0ce0-11e4-90fa-00144feabdc0.html

News

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2696975/Putin-blames-Ukraine-loss-Flight-MH17-298-innocent-souls-DOESNT-deny-Russian-separatists-shot-missile-McCain-warns-Hell-pay.html

"Wrongfully Fired?"

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/17/lawsuit-kansas-city-catholic-diocese-gay-marriage

Remember, sin has no rights. And....from the CCC.

1867 The catechetical tradition also recalls that there are "sins that cry to heaven": the blood of Abel,¹³⁹ the sin of the Sodomites,¹⁴⁰ the cry of the people oppressed in Egypt,¹⁴¹ the cry of the foreigner, the widow, and the orphan,¹⁴² injustice to the wage earner.<sup>143

Notice the footnotes:</sup> 

139 Cf. Gen 4:10.
140 Cf. Gen 18:20; 19:13.
141 Cf. Ex 3:7-10.
142 Cf. Ex 20:20-22.
143 Cf. Deut 24:14-15; Jas 5:4.

Apostasy Watch

http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=25186#.U8lGgAFVPHE.twitter

Heresy Is The Sin of Sins

Are you saying "no" to the Church in any way, large or small? Do you mock or have pride concerning a teaching of the Church? Are you totally faithful to the Magisterium?

If not, you are in rebellion and unorthodox, and your immortal soul is in danger.

If you are not a devout, orthodox, obedient Catholic, you cannot commit the big sins. But, if you depart from Church teaching in ANY way, then you will be open to great temptation and mortal sin.

Think about this.

Here is the Merriam-Webster definition:

her·e·sy

 noun \ˈher-ə-sē, ˈhe-rə-\

: a belief or opinion that does not agree with the official belief or opinion of a particular religion

plural her·e·sies

Full Definition of HERESY

1

a :  adherence to a religious opinion contrary to church dogma

b :  denial of a revealed truth by a baptized member of the Roman Catholic Church

c :  an opinion or doctrine contrary to church dogma

2

a :  dissent or deviation from a dominant theory, opinion, or practice

b :  an opinion, doctrine, or practice contrary to the truth or to generally accepted beliefs or standards

Salvation Within A Context

When my son was a child, one of his favorite stories was Rip Van Winkle. Rip falls asleep after drinking magic ale with the "ghosts" of the crew of Henry Hudson's ship, the Half-Moon. When he wakes up twenty years later, he is in a very different world.  He slept through the American Revolution and the election of General Washington as the first president.

Almost daily, I meet Catholics and other Americans, who like Rip, are sleeping. They fell asleep 20 years ago, in 1994, and have not awakened yet to the era of persecution of Catholics, the seemingly triumph of evil in our country, the loss of international prestige for America, the apostasy of bishops and cardinals, the loss of religious liberties, the continued slaughter of unborn children, the financial distress of many middle-class families, and the warring countries of the world which seem to proliferate daily.

I know people who have buried themselves in the 1990s. They do not want to face reality. But, God demands that we face reality. We are saved within a context.

From all eternity, God planned, in His Divine Providence, that we shall live in a particular time, and in a particular place. Salvation is worked out daily in our families, or at work. And, most importantly, we are all given particular graces to live in our time and place.

One of my favorite quotations from literature is from Tolkien:

“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” 
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Gandalf is a realist. He is a warrior sent for the times and places in the story. We are warriors, the members of the Church Militant, sent by God, created by Him, for a certain time and place.

Accept this, work for these times and places, ask for more grace. God is there, as He always has been, thinking of you from and for all eternity.

Bishops And The Party of Death

Why Do Trads Trust The Media?

One of the most serious problems among Catholic Traditionals in America is that they read either the wrong sources, or do not understand the media at all. I want to make a few points on the recent problems again with reports from the, mostly, Italian, media concerning statements from the Pope.

Here are my bullets for consideration:

• Not all popes are scholars or saints. Some are more spontaneous and less reflective.
• The Italian media, even the official Vatican newspaper, has been infiltrated by Marxists and even atheists for years and years and years.
• Americans never read foreign newspapers as they are so provincial and do not go to the sources. This is a serious problem among trads who naively trust American news sources, which are also anti-Rome.
• Trad newspapers also have agendas. Some are uncharitable, incorrect, and do not check their sources. Some publish knee-jerk articles.
• This Pope has made no doctrinal statements and has only published one encyclical. He has, therefore, only one infallible document, which is that encyclical, as all encyclicals are infallible.
• This Pope is not European and is not part of the European in-crowd, many of whom are not happy with a New World Pope.
• Trads who say he is not a real Pope have excommunicated themselves as sedevacantinists. 
• One does not have to LIKE every Pope. The Church has been blessed with saintly men as popes for over a hundred years. This pope may become a saint in office, so pray for him.
• The world-wide media hates the Catholic Church so much all statements, photo-ops etc. are ammo. So? What is new? The media hated the Pope Emeritus as well, and St. John Paul II.
• One must not accept disinformation from any source. There is no such thing as a completely objective newspaper or TV presenter. In fact, some trads listen daily to presenters who absolutely hate Catholics. Pay attention, pray, reflect.

From SPUC

3 Whitacre Mews, Stannary Street London, SE11 4AB, United Kingdom Telephone: (020) 7091 7091 Email: information@spuc.org.uk http://www.spuc.org.uk
A moving account why Lord Falconer's assisted suicide bill is wrong
JOHN SMEATON, SPUC DIRECTOR Friday, 18 July 2014 A moving account why Lord Falconer's assisted suicide bill is wrong Matthew Schellhorn, a highly-regarded classical pianist, has kindly given me permission to reproduce below his moving account of his late mother's terminal illness and his insightful arguments against Lord Falconer's assisted suicide bill, beingdebated at Second Reading today: Living life to the full When my mum was diagnosed with late-stage cancer she turned to me and said, ‘We will get through it.’ At the time, I did not know what that could possibly mean. Looking after my mum disrupted my normal life. Being her carer took away my time. It made me lose interest in music and endangered professional opportunities. It also dragged my pregnant wife and young son into a world of commodes, hoists, medication and round-the-clock worry. But amidst the difficulties we all built our motivation on one solid belief, that life was something precious, something to be celebrated, cherished and affirmed. As mum’s health declined and the opportunities for ‘normal life’ decreased, the possibilities expanded. We lived the paradox that when there are limits to life the freedom is greater. Mum also knew that positive experiences would sustain the bereaved left behind: that further altruism also gave her life some meaning. I am so glad I did not have to discuss the Assisted Dying Bill with my terminally ill mother. I think that if my mum had lived to know about this Bill it might well have destroyed all our happy experiences. I think she would have been terrified to know that the same doctors so keen to see her enjoying life, even in a limited way, might be perfectly willing to help her to end her life, should she have so chosen. It would have destroyed the relationship of trust to know that there were no boundaries between healthcare professionals and patients. And it would have demoralised her carers, who together worked towards making life comfortable, to think that their efforts might be considered futile. It would also have increased my mother’s vulnerability. As she lay in bed for 23 hours a day in our living room I knew she was already self-conscious about the enormous strain put on us. Numerous times she took decisions about routine and food that she presumed would alleviate any difficulties in our family life. The sanctioning of that inclination, the condoning of any despair, might well tip the balance in favour of a fatal outcome ahead of further positive experiences. As I tried enormously hard to remove all suggestion that her presence was an unwelcome burden, there could have been an altogether more powerful tacit force undermining me. Although it has made for uncomfortable reading, I have considered the arguments in favour of this Bill. Lord Carey and Desmond Tutu have given their reasons why it is ‘compassionate’ to provide an exit door to the terminally ill ahead of their natural demise. The Care Minister, Norman Lamb, thinks people should be able ‘to make their own decision about their life’. These ways of thinking contradict established medical ethics and fly in the face of all logic. The life of a physically sick person is worth as much as a physically healthy person. Importantly, the person in question gains happiness from experiencing that truth. Now that the dust has settled, I see we ‘got through’ terminal illness, each in our own way. That is why I oppose this Bill. Comments on this blog? Email them to johnsmeaton@spuc.org.uk

Hey, Guess What?

Everything the Catholic Church teaches is true!

We shall be judged on junk

In the past eight months, I have been in many American houses. One thing which has struck me here, coming from being in Europe for three years, is the amount of "stuff" people collect in their houses. Most of those people lived through the depression and are afraid to not have things. Some are afraid of death, and think that things will keep them from facing the inevitable. Some  find solace in things because they were poor as children.

Attics, basements, spare rooms, and even living spaces are full of small decorations, too many dishes and glasses, nick-nacks and even too much art.

Americans seem to want to collect stuff beyond what they need and beyond what is attractive.

We shall be judged on junk

Millions of people in the world and in the USA go to sleep hungry daily and Americans still buy nonsense daily.

I do not want to be judged on how much stuff I bought and did not use, or bought and stuffed in closets and attics.

God forgive us for greed, for that is the sin behind stuff.

William Morris, in The Beauty of Life (1880) said, "If you want a golden rule that will fit everybody, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."