Posted on 07/23/2008 4:49:10 PM PDT by tcg
We are not contending against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph 6:12).
“This combat rages fiercely even today, aided and abetted by well-known secret sects, Satanic groups and New Age movements, to mention but a few, and reveals many ugly heads of the hideous anti-God monster: among them are notoriously secularism, which seeks to build a Godless society; spiritual indifference, which is insensitive to transcendental values; and relativism, which is contrary to the permanent tenets of the Gospel.
“All of these seek to efface any reference to God or to things supernatural, and to supplant it with mundane values and behavior patterns which purposely ignore the transcendental and the divine.
“Far from satisfying the deep yearnings of the human heart, they foster a culture of death, be it physical or moral, spiritual or psychological. Examples of this culture are abortions (or the slaughter of innocent unborn children), divorces (which kill sacred marriage bonds blessed by God), materialism and moral aberrations (which suffocate the joy of living and lead often to profound psychic depression), economic, social and political injustices (which crush human rights), violence, suicides, murders, and the like, all of which abound today and militate against the mind of Christ, who came that “all may have life, and have it in abundance” (Jn 10:10).
“Two vital institutions of the human society are particularly vulnerable to such a culture of death: the family and the youth. These must, therefore, receive the special attention, guidance and support of those whom the Holy Spirit has placed as shepherds of the flock entrusted to their pastoral care.”
(Excerpt) Read more at catholic.org ...
85% of children from active and believing Christian families who attend government school will leave the faith within 2 years of graduation. 94% of homeschoolers remain faithful.
So...When are Catholics going to get serious about getting their kids a **Catholic** private education or a **Catholic** homeschool education.
If Wichita, Kansas, can give ***EVERY ONE** of its Catholic children a **FREE*** Catholic education, then every other diocese should be able to do this too!
Yes, I said ***FREE***
By the way, I was in Wichita this spring. They have just as many illegals as anyone else in the country.
( I have links)
Amen to that. Powerful words, but so necessary to be said.
Interesting that the speculation is that this indicates that the pope has given up on any kind of communion with the Anglican Church. I guess they have gone too far over the edge. It is an amazing descent to behold.
Catholic homeschooling has been growing for a number of years, and I believe that this phenomenon is playing a significant role in the Church now and will continue to do so at an even more intense level in the immediate future.
Like anything it seems, it takes time to prove the efficacy of such an endeavor. I know of a priest who was absolutely ignorant about homeschooling. I wouldn't say opposed to the idea, but certainly didn't understand it. But over the years he has seen that it is the homeschooling families that provide the altar BOYS, make up the majority of the children's choir, attend daily mass, participate regularly in special devotions, and demonstrate an above average knowlege of the faith. And the homeschooling groups inculcate an extremely orthodox faith amongst one another. Now this priest has recruited the homeschooling moms to be the religious ed. teachers, and I have actually heard him speak almost disparagingly about the gov. schools. LOL Not quite yet, but he is almost there.
I am also acquainted with a second generation homeschooling family. They started when there was virtually no Catholic curriculums but tell me how much is available now. Supply accomodates demand. At least a dozen grandchildren are being homeschooled presently.
From my perspective, there is a serious Catholic homeschooling movement. But, as you probably know, there are tremendous temptations to keep kids in the gov. schools. Generational inertia. Societal acceptance. Material priorities. Misplaced commitment. But by the witness of the current generation of homeschooling families, Catholics will relearn the traditional teaching of the Church that a Catholic education is the only acceptable approach to childrearing.
Very interesting points from Cdl. Dias. However, his analogy with Alzheimer’s Disease is inaccurate. It’s very common for Alzheimer’s patients to remember the distant past very clearly - what they got for Christmas in 1942, for example - while not remembering whether they turned the stove off five minutes ago.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.