Welcome To Hell...

What's that, dear chap? You say that you shouldn't have fetched up in hell because some Cardinal told you it was ok to start off considering the good things about your life, despite your living in a state of mortal sin, as, that way, you would eventually move towards conversion...?

Sorry, old bean. In your case, I'm afraid, you didn't move towards conversion fast enough and you died in a state of unrepented mortal sin. Which is why you've fetched up down here...

You must have missed hearing the quip by St. Augustine (much quoted by St. Alphonsus) that "God promises us His grace, He does not promise us tomorrow."

Between you and me, it's always much safer to listen to what those Saints said, rather than some mere Cardinal. Especially if those Saints are also Doctors of the Church... There are even some rather good summaries of their writings on the internet, just in case you don't get to hear them from the pulpit...

Yes, I agree... the Cardinal's letter was misleading, and that Synod report wasn't so merciful after all, but there's no guarantee you'll be able to take it up with him here later. You see, we're not absolutely certain it was a mortal sin on his part... there has been some discussion as to whether he was awake during the lectures on sin at seminary... or whether they were on the curriculum at all...

Next, please...

Over 8 Million Killed...

It's a ghastly statistic. Over 8 million babies killed in the 47 years since the Abortion Act was given Royal Assent... and that's just in Great Britain. Last year in England & Wales, we averaged 550 deaths a day.

The numbers are horrific, but they are difficult to grasp, and so we can ignore them. It helps to provide concrete examples. I teach Science in Secondary School (11-18yrs). In London, these schools generally have about 1000 students. So that works out as killing a school's worth of children every two days...

This was not what was envisaged when the parliament passed the Abortion Act 47 years ago.

There were supposed to be safeguards. The mother's health was supposed to be at risk before the awful step of ending a life could be contemplated. The signatures of two independent medical practitioners were required.

But now, an abortion is seen as a woman's right, and in some cases almost a duty.

The parallels with the drive towards legalising euthanasia and assisted suicide are striking. All the assurances of safeguards ring very hollow in the face of Britain's abortion statistics.

SPUC is inviting people to hold a minute's silence on Monday 27 October at 11:04am - the time Royal Assent was given to the Abortion Act by Queen Elizabeth II.

"SPUC invites everyone to hold a minute’s silence in honour of the children who will never be born and who will never know what it is to be loved in this life. We also remember the mothers and fathers who have made this tragic mistake which has also damaged them. We honour as well all those mothers and fathers who have withstood enormous pressures and have given their babies the best chance of life by respecting their right to be born."

If you can, support SPUC in its work to defend the sanctity of human life with a donation here.

Twitch of the mantilla to Rhoslyn Thomas, SPUC's Youth Officer, for this initiative.

Lead Kindly Light...

Last night saw one of the official launch events for the latest DVD from St. Anthony Communications, Lead, Kindly Light, at St. Ethelbert's Church, Ramsgate.

The film resembles a pilgrimage following the life of Blessed John Henry Newman. In it, Fr. Marcus Holden and Fr. Nicholas Schofield visit many of the sites associated with Blessed Cardinal Newman, and discuss his conversion to Catholicism.

I have to confess that I am not a fan of Cardinal Newman - I didn't enjoy reading his Apologia, never got past the middle of The Development of Christian Doctrine, and get irritated by his hymns. I find his writing rather dry, and very heavy-going. I have no doubt that the fault is all mine - but, fortunately, we are not obliged to like all the saints of the Church. I much prefer the works (and especially the hymns) of Fr. Faber, one of Newman's contemporaries. Nevertheless, it was fascinating to find out a little more about Blessed John Henry's work both before and after his conversion to Catholicism. I would have liked to find out a bit more about the man himself, but I suppose that would require another film.

The new Parish Priest of Margate also attended the launch - and was happy to pose for a photo with Fr. Marcus Holden and his brother, Chris Holden...

I do recommend the films produced by St. Anthony Communications. Produced and directed by Chris Holden (Fr. Marcus Holden's brother), they cover many important topics of interest to lay Catholics who wish to be able to understand and defend their faith. The films are very informative, and are packed with fantastic architecture, statues and paintings from our Catholic heritage. I must admit to being slightly biased here - in Faith of Our Fathers, some of my own photos were used. I happened to see a few of them on screen last night (clips of other DVDs were being played while the sound system was being calibrated) and I got quite a thrill.

St. Anthony Communications does not receive any money from outside bodies, so it is totally reliant on the sales of its DVDs in order to produce further films. Do visit the website to see what else they have to offer.