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Leocea
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| Posted: Nov 05 2008 at 9:47pm | IP Logged
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I have been thinking of this since last night, and it bothered me to focus so much on the negative! I am very disappointed in the results of the election, but what we have is what we have. Now what do we do? Focus on the positives and PRAY, PRAY, PRAY. This is what I have come up with. Five reasons we should be GLAD about this election:
1. MCCain and Palin got almost 50% of the popular vote. This means that almost half of the country were on board with them. This is not small potatoes! Millions became aware of how many babies we lose after a diagnosis of Downs. Millions saw Sarah and John's large families stand behind them, and support them in their efforts. They saw a pro-life, pro-family candidate at work. A Republican woman almost made it to the White House!!!!! She was close enough to keep us on the edge of our seats until last night!
2. America elected an African-American to its highest office. This surprised me, in a very good way. We are apparently a less racist country than I had feared. We are looking at people for their merits, not their lineage. This is truly a grand day for black people in America, especially the oldest, who remember when times were tougher. The pictures of black men and women crying were very touching. I felt for them. I hope this inspires young black men and women to never give up, that any dream can be achieved!
3. The new vice-president is a Catholic. Now, I know he is not on board with the Church's beliefs on abortion. However, anyone who says his rosary daily cannot be ALL bad. He has a devotion to the Blessed Mother. Let's ask her to change his heart! Having a Catholic in the white house could turn out to be a huge asset, in ways we never imagine. He is most likely considering things prayerfully, and that is good too!
4. Same-sex marriage was defeated in several states. This is a small victory compared to what we were hoping, but it is a victory none-the-less!
5. This is one thing that happened during Terri Schiavo's trial,too. Millions of Americans hit their knees. Families and parishes started novenas and rosaries around the clock. Millions of people were united in their belief of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Many gave up things as sacrifices. Many helped man booths, hand out flyers and spread the word that even the smallest among us is great. Noone is unimportant. Noone is insignificant. In the words of our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI, "We are not some casual or meaningless product of evolution. Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary." From his Homily, at the Mass of his installation, April 24, 2005.
All of us are important, and for reasons that we cannot now see, God allowed Obama and Biden to win this election. For the reasons above, I am thankful. I pray for guidance for him and all his advisors. I pray that the threats of assassination are just threats, and that his family is safe. I pray that much good can come of this, in ways we cannot even imagine yet. With God, all things are possible.
In Christ,
Leocea
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mavmama
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| Posted: Nov 05 2008 at 10:06pm | IP Logged
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Thank you, Leocea, for this post.
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Liz
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dd11, dd911, ds9, ds8
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Shari in NY
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| Posted: Nov 06 2008 at 7:44am | IP Logged
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My thanks,too! We have been trying to stay upbeat here and generate some enthusiasm for an Obama presidency. Those little girls sure are cute!
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Cindy Mac
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| Posted: Nov 06 2008 at 8:26am | IP Logged
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Very well put. Thank you for that reminder that there is a bright spot.
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Cindy - wife to Chris, mommy to my 4 sons!
Kellys Klassroom Korner
St. Anne's Academy
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chrisv664
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| Posted: Nov 06 2008 at 8:29am | IP Logged
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Thank you for saying this,Leocea. You have a great positive outlook. I am going to share your post with my 13yo dd who is very disturbed by the results. I haven't been able to find the right words to put the election in a more positive light for her. I, too was thinking that we have a few high-ranking Catholics in our government right now and maybe there is a reason for that. We should all pray for the Holy SPirit to move in their hearts in a special way. Who knows where they might lead us!
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Chris
Loving Wife of Dan and Mom to Kate, Jessica, Ben,
Rebecca, Thomas and Hannah
Burning The Candle At Both Ends
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momwise
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Hello everyone and before I say anything I want to say SORRY for being gone for so long. Looking back on the last 4 years I don't really know how I every posted over a 1000 little tidbits but this year with one high schooler graduated and another in an Options (sort of a charter school program for homeschoolers) program one day a week and my youngest turning 4  I feel as though I am breathing again  .
Leocea, you are wonderful!! I came here looking for just your kind of post 
I'd like to add my 5 things for you to do today:
1) Go to Team Sarahand join. This coalition is headed by the Susan B Anthony list, a political arm of Feminists for Life and antidote to the pro-abortion EMILY list.
2) Form a highschoolers' Faith and Politics class to prepare for the 2010 Elections. They can study Faithful Citizenship in it's true spirit, visit the Legislature, identify Catholics who will run in the next election, etc.
3) Call or write one of the 100 courageous bishops who spoke out in defense of the unborn to thank them and promise them your prayers
4) Take a cue from Archbishop Chaput's
advice to Doug Kmiec and challenge a Catholic Obama supporter to live up to their promises that this will be a pro-life administration!! In fact make it a daily duty 
5) Put Barack Obama under the patronage of St. Martin de Porres who was bi-racial and abandoned by his father and whose feast was on election eve.
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Gwen...wife for 30 years, mom of 7, grandma of 3.....
"If you want equal justice for all and true freedom and lasting peace, then America, defend life." JPII
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LisaR
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| Posted: Nov 06 2008 at 9:32am | IP Logged
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momwise wrote:
5) Put Barack Obama under the patronage of St. Martin de Porres who was bi-racial and abandoned by his father and whose feast was on election eve. |
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thanks for this!!
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Lisa
dh Tim '92
Joseph 17
Paul 14
Thomas 11
Dominic 8
Maria Gianna 5
Isaac Vincent 9/21/10! and...
many little saints in heaven!
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MaryM
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| Posted: Nov 06 2008 at 10:35am | IP Logged
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Yes, thanks Gwen  - it's always good to "see" you here. You are missed in your absence.
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Mary M. in Denver
Our Domestic Church
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Sarah M
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| Posted: Nov 06 2008 at 10:51am | IP Logged
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Absolutely wonderful post, Leocea. I'm printing this out!
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guitarnan
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| Posted: Nov 06 2008 at 11:12am | IP Logged
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Leoca and Gwen,
Such wonderful thoughts and suggestions for action...exactly what I need. I love the idea of placing President-Elect Obama under the protection of St. Martin de Porres - one of my favorite New World saints.
and  to you both!
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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Marcia
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great list...off to pull out our St. Martin de Porres icon...and put it in a place to remind me to pray for Obama.
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mary theresa
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| Posted: Nov 06 2008 at 2:08pm | IP Logged
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Awesome leocea! I needed to read this too as it is easy to get depressed about socialism and more abortions and all this potential stuff -- that still is only "potential" and not "actual" yet.
As to #1 i wanted to add -- the 46% of the pop.vote that McCain/Palin got is EVEN THOUGH they are from the same party as a president with the lowest approval ratings in a LONG time. (Though I know many ppl who only voted for McCain to keep Obama out . . .  )
Remember how St. Therese and LOTS of other saints prayed for really bad sinners and GOd allowed him to be converted? We can do alot with our prayers -- I've been reading The Apostolate of HOly Motherhood and Our Lady's incessant message that the power of mothers in the home is prayer and reparation of the sins of the world. We have to pray pray pray!
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Mary Theresa
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mary theresa
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| Posted: Nov 06 2008 at 3:21pm | IP Logged
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Leocea wrote:
We are apparently a less racist country than I had feared. We are looking at people for their merits, not their lineage.
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You know what?? My husband heard one of "liberal media" talkers on the radio say: "Look how racist this country is when almost HALF of the people voted for McCain!"
???
Can you believe that?
Rush Limbaugh claims that this country will be more racially divided because of this. My sister goes to a college with many black students and she was accused of racism b/c she voted for McCain. She said there's a ton of rudeness and racism going on between white and black students at her college right now.
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Mary Theresa
mother to 3 little girls --March '06, Dec '07 and Jan '10
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teachingmyown
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mary theresa wrote:
Can you believe that?
Rush Limbaugh claims that this country will be more racially divided because of this. My sister goes to a college with many black students and she was accused of racism b/c she voted for McCain. She said there's a ton of rudeness and racism going on between white and black students at her college right now. |
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Yes, I believe it. It will get worse before it gets better.
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In Christ,
Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
Remembering Today
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knowloveserve
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Well I agree except for the misuse (everyone does it, don't feel bad; it just irks me) of the term "African-American." Obama is not African American. People who are from Africa often get offended at this blanket application to all black people.
And I like this snarky list a bit also:
10 Reasons to be Happy about this Election
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Ellie
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sarahb
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knowloveserve wrote:
Well I agree except for the misuse (everyone does it, don't feel bad; it just irks me) of the term "African-American." Obama is not African American. People who are from Africa often get offended at this blanket application to all black people.
And I like this snarky list a bit also:
10 Reasons to be Happy about this Election |
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Im sorry to butt in, but I believe African American is the correct term in this instance. Black is probably also fine. Im not sure why anyone would take issue with this designation.
I enjoyed the OP.
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mary theresa
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| Posted: Nov 06 2008 at 7:40pm | IP Logged
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I like that "snarky list" too! But then, even though I voted for McCain, I wasn't entirely happy with his/Republicans positions either, so that may explain why I liked it.
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Mary Theresa
mother to 3 little girls --March '06, Dec '07 and Jan '10
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Sarah in SC
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knowloveserve wrote:
Well I agree except for the misuse (everyone does it, don't feel bad; it just irks me) of the term "African-American." Obama is not African American. People who are from Africa often get offended at this blanket application to all black people.
And I like this snarky list a bit also:
10 Reasons to be Happy about this Election |
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Wow. There are so many insulting things here I don't know where to start. Between this & the other threads about fellow Catholics who voted their own conscience, but are getting verbally stoned for it--I'm not sure this is the same forum I used to come to.
And since I'm so disturbed by it I'm sitting here, fingers poised over the keys, but not a single nice thing to say in return, I'm just logging off.
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Happy wife to Tom and mama to Mac, 12, Hannah, 8, Rosemary, 6, Luke, now 1! and the 9 little angels that Mary is rocking.....
"What good shall we then do with today?" --Benjamin Franklin
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Jen L.
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I am sorry Sarah, for how you are feeling here.
I am also sorry that the Church has not properly taught what "following your conscience" means and what it precludes. I have been slowly unlearning the things I was taught in my 70s and 80s CCD.
Click Here for a good, short, article at Catholic Education.org
Quote:
"Primacy of conscience” does not mean that I can dissent from Church teaching on a particular issue because I don't agree with the teaching or see anything wrong with doing what the Church says I ought not to do. Conscience is not the final arbiter of what is morally right, nor has the Church ever taught that it is. In its truest sense, conscience is the intellectual apprehension of the Divine Law. For this reason, Divine Law is primary.
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In Peace,
Jen
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Jen
dh Klete,ds (8/95),dd (12/97), dd (11/00), and ^2^ in heaven
"...the best state in which to glorify God is our actual state; the best grace is that of the moment..." St. Peter Eymard
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sarahb
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Jen L. wrote:
I am sorry Sarah, for how you are feeling here.
I am also sorry that the Church has not properly taught what "following your conscience" means and what it precludes. I have been slowly unlearning the things I was taught in my 70s and 80s CCD.
Click Here for a good, short, article at Catholic Education.org
Quote:
"Primacy of conscience” does not mean that I can dissent from Church teaching on a particular issue because I don't agree with the teaching or see anything wrong with doing what the Church says I ought not to do. Conscience is not the final arbiter of what is morally right, nor has the Church ever taught that it is. In its truest sense, conscience is the intellectual apprehension of the Divine Law. For this reason, Divine Law is primary.
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In Peace,
Jen |
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Voting is not an act of dissent. I think these discussions should be tabled, but since they have not been Im going to post my belief here. Catholics who voted for Obama may be pro life. They may also be convinced that the other candidate was not as pro life as he claimed to be for a variety of reasons. Taking issue with another's vote is really out of bounds. I hope you are not looking askance at your fellow parishioners trying to discern which ones are REAL catholics as you are taking issue with people online. Its really divisive.
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: 5 reasons to be GLAD about this election!
