Pages 50-77
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Monday, April 2, 2012
Atheism and Anni Sacri
Anni Sacri (Pope Pius XII, 1950) 
ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PIUS XII
ON A PROGRAM FOR COMBATING
ATHEISTIC PROPAGANDA THROUGHOUT THE WORLD
TO THE VENERABLE BRETHREN THE PATRIARCHS, PRIMATES,
ARCHBISHOPS, BISHOPS, AND OTHER ORDINARIES
IN PEACE AND COMMUNION WITH THE APOSTOLIC SEE
3. That which seems to Us not only the greatest evil but the root of all evil is this: often the lie is substituted for the truth, and is then used as an instrument of dispute. On the part of not a few religion is passed by as a thing of no importance, and elsewhere absolutely prohibited in family and social life as a remnant of ancient superstitions; public and private atheism is exalted in such a way that God and His law are being abolished, and morals no longer have any foundation. The Press also too often vulgarly reviles religious feeling, while it does not hesitate to spread the most shameful obscenities, agitating and with incalculable harm leading into vice tender childhood and betrayed youth.
4. By means of false promises a people is deceived and provoked to hatred, rivalry and rebellion, especially when the hereditary faith, the only relief in this earthly exile, is successfully torn from its heart. Disturbances, riots and revolts are organized and fomented in continuing series, which prepare for the ruin of the economy and cause irreparable harm to the common good.
5. We must above all deplore with overwhelming sadness that in not a few nations the rights of God, Church and human nature itself are outraged and trampled upon. Sacred ministers, even those invested with high dignities, are either driven from their proper Sees, exiled and imprisoned, or impeded in a manner preventing them from exercising their ministry. In the field of education, whether of lower or of university level, as well as in publications and the Press, permission to explain and defend the doctrine of the Church either is not given or is so restricted and subjected to such surveillance by official censorship that the arbitrary proposition that truth, liberty and religion must submissively serve only the civil authority seems to be the established principle.
6. Since these innumerable evils spring, as We have said, from one source only, the repudiation of God and contempt for His law, it is necessary, Venerable Brethren, to offer to God fervent prayers and recall all to those principles whence alone can come enlightenment for minds, peace and concord for souls and well ordered justice between the various social classes.
7. As you know, once religion is taken away there cannot be a well ordered, well regulated society. In this point lies the urgency to spur on priests under your guidance in order that, especially during the Holy Year, they spare no efforts so that souls entrusted to them, with their false prejudices and erroneous convictions cast aside, and hatreds and discords settled, may nourish themselves on the teachings of the Gospel and thus participate in Christian life so as to hasten the desired renewal of morals.
8. And since the priest can reach neither everybody nor everything, and as his work is not always able to meet adequately all needs, those who serve in the Catholic Action ranks must offer the aid of their own experience and activity. No one must be idle and lazy in the face of so many evils and dangers while those in the other camp strive to destroy the very basis of Catholic religion and Christian worship. Let it never come to pass that "the children of this world are wiser than the children of light" (Luke xvi. 8); let it never be that the latter are less active than the former.
9. But human efforts are ineffective unless strengthened by Divine Grace. We exhort you, therefore, Venerable Brethren, to begin a veritable crusade of prayer among your faithful to implore from the Father of Mercies and the God of Consolation (2 Cor. i. 3) suitable remedies for the present evils. We intensely desire that, united with Us, they offer public prayers on March 26th Passion Sunday, when the sacred rites of the Church begin to commemorate the bitter sufferings by means of which the Divine Redeemer liberated us from slavery to the demon and led us back to the freedom of the sons of God. It is Our intention on that day to descend into the Basilica of St. Peter to unite Our prayers not only with those present but - as We hope - with those of the whole Catholic world. Let those who, because of illness or old age or other reasons, cannot come to church, offer to God with humble and trusting heart their sufferings and their fears so that the prayer of all, the yearning of all and the wish of all may be one.
10. Let all, united with Us in prayer, implore from Divine mercy that a new order, based on truth, justice and charity, may arise from the longed-for restoration of morals. May the Heavenly Light illuminate the minds of those who have in their hands the destinies of peoples; may they realize that just as peace is the work of wisdom and justice, so war is the fruit of blindness and hatred; let them consider that one day they must render account not only to history but to God's eternal judgment.
11. Those who profusely sow the seed of hatred, of discord and of rivalry; those who secretly or openly arouse the masses and provoke rebellions; those who deceive with empty promises the easily agitated masses, even they must understand that the justice demanded by Christian principles, which gives birth to equilibrium and fraternal concord, is achieved not through force and violence, but with the application of the law.
12. Guided by the supreme light gained by collective prayer, let all be persuaded that only the Divine Redeemer can compose the many and formidable conflicts; only Jesus Christ, We say, Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John xvi. 6), Who bestows celestial clarity to clouded minds and Divine strength to doubtful and indolent wills (Imitation of Christ, III, 50 8, 5); He alone can set on the road to eternal happiness the souls of men joined by the bond of brotherhood.
13. With faith, love and hope, therefore, We address to Him Our prayers. May He then, especially during this Holy Year, benignly look down upon humanity, oppressed by so many misfortunes, assailed by so many fears and by waves of so many discords. And as one day, by His divine sign, He calmed the tempest on the Lake of Galilee, so today may He quieten human storms.
14. Let the lies of the wicked be exposed by His light, let the surly arrogance of the proud be humbled, let the rich be led to justice, generosity and charity, let the poor and wretched take as their model the family of Nazareth, which also earned its bread through daily labor; finally, let those who hold the Government of State be persuaded that there is no more solid social foundation than Christian teaching and the safeguarding of religious liberty.
Read more:
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xii/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xii_enc_12031950_anni-sacri_en.html
Given at Rome at St. Peter's, March 12th, 1950, the twelfth year of Our Pontificate.
PIUS XII
ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PIUS XII
ON A PROGRAM FOR COMBATING
ATHEISTIC PROPAGANDA THROUGHOUT THE WORLD
TO THE VENERABLE BRETHREN THE PATRIARCHS, PRIMATES,
ARCHBISHOPS, BISHOPS, AND OTHER ORDINARIES
IN PEACE AND COMMUNION WITH THE APOSTOLIC SEE
3. That which seems to Us not only the greatest evil but the root of all evil is this: often the lie is substituted for the truth, and is then used as an instrument of dispute. On the part of not a few religion is passed by as a thing of no importance, and elsewhere absolutely prohibited in family and social life as a remnant of ancient superstitions; public and private atheism is exalted in such a way that God and His law are being abolished, and morals no longer have any foundation. The Press also too often vulgarly reviles religious feeling, while it does not hesitate to spread the most shameful obscenities, agitating and with incalculable harm leading into vice tender childhood and betrayed youth.
4. By means of false promises a people is deceived and provoked to hatred, rivalry and rebellion, especially when the hereditary faith, the only relief in this earthly exile, is successfully torn from its heart. Disturbances, riots and revolts are organized and fomented in continuing series, which prepare for the ruin of the economy and cause irreparable harm to the common good.
5. We must above all deplore with overwhelming sadness that in not a few nations the rights of God, Church and human nature itself are outraged and trampled upon. Sacred ministers, even those invested with high dignities, are either driven from their proper Sees, exiled and imprisoned, or impeded in a manner preventing them from exercising their ministry. In the field of education, whether of lower or of university level, as well as in publications and the Press, permission to explain and defend the doctrine of the Church either is not given or is so restricted and subjected to such surveillance by official censorship that the arbitrary proposition that truth, liberty and religion must submissively serve only the civil authority seems to be the established principle.
6. Since these innumerable evils spring, as We have said, from one source only, the repudiation of God and contempt for His law, it is necessary, Venerable Brethren, to offer to God fervent prayers and recall all to those principles whence alone can come enlightenment for minds, peace and concord for souls and well ordered justice between the various social classes.
7. As you know, once religion is taken away there cannot be a well ordered, well regulated society. In this point lies the urgency to spur on priests under your guidance in order that, especially during the Holy Year, they spare no efforts so that souls entrusted to them, with their false prejudices and erroneous convictions cast aside, and hatreds and discords settled, may nourish themselves on the teachings of the Gospel and thus participate in Christian life so as to hasten the desired renewal of morals.
8. And since the priest can reach neither everybody nor everything, and as his work is not always able to meet adequately all needs, those who serve in the Catholic Action ranks must offer the aid of their own experience and activity. No one must be idle and lazy in the face of so many evils and dangers while those in the other camp strive to destroy the very basis of Catholic religion and Christian worship. Let it never come to pass that "the children of this world are wiser than the children of light" (Luke xvi. 8); let it never be that the latter are less active than the former.
9. But human efforts are ineffective unless strengthened by Divine Grace. We exhort you, therefore, Venerable Brethren, to begin a veritable crusade of prayer among your faithful to implore from the Father of Mercies and the God of Consolation (2 Cor. i. 3) suitable remedies for the present evils. We intensely desire that, united with Us, they offer public prayers on March 26th Passion Sunday, when the sacred rites of the Church begin to commemorate the bitter sufferings by means of which the Divine Redeemer liberated us from slavery to the demon and led us back to the freedom of the sons of God. It is Our intention on that day to descend into the Basilica of St. Peter to unite Our prayers not only with those present but - as We hope - with those of the whole Catholic world. Let those who, because of illness or old age or other reasons, cannot come to church, offer to God with humble and trusting heart their sufferings and their fears so that the prayer of all, the yearning of all and the wish of all may be one.
10. Let all, united with Us in prayer, implore from Divine mercy that a new order, based on truth, justice and charity, may arise from the longed-for restoration of morals. May the Heavenly Light illuminate the minds of those who have in their hands the destinies of peoples; may they realize that just as peace is the work of wisdom and justice, so war is the fruit of blindness and hatred; let them consider that one day they must render account not only to history but to God's eternal judgment.
11. Those who profusely sow the seed of hatred, of discord and of rivalry; those who secretly or openly arouse the masses and provoke rebellions; those who deceive with empty promises the easily agitated masses, even they must understand that the justice demanded by Christian principles, which gives birth to equilibrium and fraternal concord, is achieved not through force and violence, but with the application of the law.
12. Guided by the supreme light gained by collective prayer, let all be persuaded that only the Divine Redeemer can compose the many and formidable conflicts; only Jesus Christ, We say, Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John xvi. 6), Who bestows celestial clarity to clouded minds and Divine strength to doubtful and indolent wills (Imitation of Christ, III, 50 8, 5); He alone can set on the road to eternal happiness the souls of men joined by the bond of brotherhood.
13. With faith, love and hope, therefore, We address to Him Our prayers. May He then, especially during this Holy Year, benignly look down upon humanity, oppressed by so many misfortunes, assailed by so many fears and by waves of so many discords. And as one day, by His divine sign, He calmed the tempest on the Lake of Galilee, so today may He quieten human storms.
14. Let the lies of the wicked be exposed by His light, let the surly arrogance of the proud be humbled, let the rich be led to justice, generosity and charity, let the poor and wretched take as their model the family of Nazareth, which also earned its bread through daily labor; finally, let those who hold the Government of State be persuaded that there is no more solid social foundation than Christian teaching and the safeguarding of religious liberty.
Read more:
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xii/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xii_enc_12031950_anni-sacri_en.html
Given at Rome at St. Peter's, March 12th, 1950, the twelfth year of Our Pontificate.
PIUS XII
Sunday, April 1, 2012
O Lord the Giver of all Life
O Lord, the Giver of all life
Whose ways are ever just,
Your people lift their hearts to you
In praise and prayer and trust.
Protect the lives of those unborn;
Let laws reflect your will;
Give us your strength to work for life,
That man may cease to kill.
Help us to know your will for us;
Give courage for the fight.
Dismiss our doubts; renew our hearts
To struggle for the right.
O Mother of the Crucified,
Who bore the Lord of life,
For every mother intercede;
Be with us in our strife.
Lord Christ, to whom each soul is dear,
For whom each child has worth,
Receive your children who have died
Before their time of birth.
Blest Trinity, O living God,
To you our prayers ascend,
Bring all at last to dwell with you,
Where life shall never end.
Listen to the first stanza sung by the Adoremus Hymnal Choir here
Where life shall never end.
Listen to the first stanza sung by the Adoremus Hymnal Choir here
Friday, March 9, 2012
Same-sex “Marriage” Submission and Survey
As you may be aware, there are a number of Bills in Australia’s Federal Parliament aiming to change the definition of Marriage from one man and one woman to a man and a man or a woman and a woman.
I encourage you to send a submission stating your opposition redefining Marriage.
You can read about it here:
http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate_Committees?url=legcon_ctte/marriage_equality_2012/index.htm
I also encourage you to complete the Australian House of Representatives Online Survey on the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2012 and the Marriage Amendment Bill 2012. 
You can complete the survey here:
Further Reading
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Queensland Pro-Life Voting Guide
Family Life International’s Pro-Life voting guide has been released. It is an excellent resource for any Queenslander who wants to make an informed Pro-Life Vote.
I highly recommend it.
Read it here, www.fli.org.au/wp-content/uploads/Queensland-2012.pdf
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
40 Days for Life 2012
40 Days for Life 2012 started on Wednesday the 22nd of February (Ash Wednesday). It is a worldwide effort of prayer and fasting to end abortion (the direct and deliberate killing of an innocent human being before they are born).
Locations it will be taking place in Australia are:
Brisbane, Queensland
Sydney, New South Wales
Tweed Heads, New South Wales
Melbourne, Victoria
Hobart, Tasmania
Adelaide, South Australia
Perth, Western Australia
Bishop Julian Porteous (Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney) has invited all to take part in 40 Days for Life 2012, you can read his invitation here.
You can see the flyer for Sydney’s day of the Unborn Child event on Sunday March 25 here.
Also please read the excellent Lifelines magazine of Family Life International, Australia.
Read more on the issue of abortion:
Abortion, The Natural Law and The Sacred Scriptures
Abortion : Pain for Babies, Pain for Mothers
Locations it will be taking place in Australia are:Brisbane, Queensland
Sydney, New South Wales
Tweed Heads, New South Wales
Melbourne, Victoria
Hobart, Tasmania
Adelaide, South Australia
Perth, Western Australia
Bishop Julian Porteous (Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney) has invited all to take part in 40 Days for Life 2012, you can read his invitation here.
You can see the flyer for Sydney’s day of the Unborn Child event on Sunday March 25 here.
Also please read the excellent Lifelines magazine of Family Life International, Australia.
Read more on the issue of abortion:
Abortion, The Natural Law and The Sacred Scriptures
Abortion : Pain for Babies, Pain for Mothers
Saturday, February 25, 2012
What Happens When Prostitution Becomes Work ?
The following is an excellent research paper entitled:
What Happens When Prostitution Becomes Work ?
An Update on Legalisation of Prostitution in Australia.
By Dr. Mary Sullivan of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, Australia
It is a powerful study that dismisses the false and misleading arguments used by those who support the legalisation of prostitution by showing what has happened in Victoria after they legalised prostitution over two decades ago.
You can read it here:
http://action.web.ca/home/catw/attach/Sullivan_proof_01.pdf
What Happens When Prostitution Becomes Work ?
An Update on Legalisation of Prostitution in Australia.
By Dr. Mary Sullivan of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, Australia
It is a powerful study that dismisses the false and misleading arguments used by those who support the legalisation of prostitution by showing what has happened in Victoria after they legalised prostitution over two decades ago.
You can read it here:
http://action.web.ca/home/catw/attach/Sullivan_proof_01.pdf
Friday, February 24, 2012
Evangelium Vitae Prayer
(Prayer from Evangelium Vitae 105 of Bl. Pope John Paul II)
O Mary,
bright dawn of the new world,
Mother of the living,
to you do we entrust the cause of life
Look down, O Mother,
upon the vast numbers
of babies not allowed to be born,
of the poor whose lives are made difficult,
of men and women
who are victims of brutal violence,
of the elderly and the sick killed
by indifference or out of misguided mercy.
Grant that all who believe in your Son
may proclaim the Gospel of life
with honesty and love
to the people of our time.
Obtain for them the grace
to accept that Gospel
as a gift ever new,
the joy of celebrating it with gratitude
throughout their lives
and the courage to bear witness to it
resolutely, in order to build,
together with all people of good will,
the civilization of truth and love,
to the praise and glory of God,
the Creator and lover of life.
O Mary,
bright dawn of the new world,
Mother of the living,
to you do we entrust the cause of life
Look down, O Mother,
upon the vast numbers
of babies not allowed to be born,
of the poor whose lives are made difficult,
of men and women
who are victims of brutal violence,
of the elderly and the sick killed
by indifference or out of misguided mercy.
Grant that all who believe in your Son
may proclaim the Gospel of life
with honesty and love
to the people of our time.
Obtain for them the grace
to accept that Gospel
as a gift ever new,
the joy of celebrating it with gratitude
throughout their lives
and the courage to bear witness to it
resolutely, in order to build,
together with all people of good will,
the civilization of truth and love,
to the praise and glory of God,
the Creator and lover of life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)