Our Lady of Lourdes

Please see FIT's last year's post on Our Lady of Lourdes: Lauding the Legacy of Lourdes.

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The (Humble) Greatness of Aquinas

(Reprinted from Fighting Irish Thomas, Jan. 28, 2007)

Someday the bellowing of this "dumb ox" will be heard around the world.

–St. Albert the Great

Indeed Thomas Aquinas, thought by many Christian and non-Christian scholars to be the most intelligent man whoever lived, produced enough writing to cover three full lifetimes despite his death at the age of forty-nine. Born in the famous Rocca Secca Castle in the small town of Aquino, Italy, to a family of royalty, the precocious Thomas was sent to study with the Benedictines at the age of five. He returned home briefly at the age of thirteen, but his busy political parents shipped Aquinas off again, this time to the University of Naples which was run by a new order, started by a Rosary-saying saint named Dominic.

Naples was then at the intersection of the Christian and Arabic world, and (crucial to Thomas' development) was the rare university where Jewish, Islamic, and Christian scholars worked together in harmony. Thus, in his five years there, Aquinas studied Aristotle along with Catholic theologians like Augustine. But when Thomas declared his desire to join the Dominicans, his parents (who figured if their studious son HAD to become a religious instead of a king should at least join the politically influential Benedictines, not some fledgling Mendicant Order) refused to comply, instead "kidnapping" Thomas and "imprisoning" him in one of their castles. And it was here that one of the two defining moments of Thomas' career would occur.

Attempting to seduce Thomas away from the life of priestly celibacy, family members sent a courtesan into his room to woo him. But when the young woman (by all accounts a knockout!) began to strip, Thomas instead grabbed a poker, heated it thoroughly in the fireplace, and, brandishing the iron, chased the startled would-be starlet from his room. Afterwards, his parents relented, and Thomas joined the order and went to the University of Paris to begin studying under Saint Albert the Great.

Between 1245 and 1273 (when the second defining moment of his life occurred), Thomas wrote the works which would earn him the title of "Angelic Doctor," (by Pope St. Pius V) and which would lead many to consider him the greatest theologian of all time. On the other hand, during his lifetime, his works which included everything from a lengthy scholarly defense of the faith against both pagans and heretics (Summa contra Gentiles) to sublime hymns on the Eucharist (Pange, lingua, gloriosi corporis mysterium) were often jealously challenged as William of Saint Amour went as far as to call him the Antichrist! But through both the acclaim (besides being the preeminent professor at the University of Paris, and later Naples, Thomas was the frequent guest of King Louis IX who with Thomas' help, also became a saint himself) and defaming, Thomas remained his quiet, humble "dumb ox" self.

For despite the greatness of his voluminous writing (Thomas was said to often be dictating three or four different books at a time), the defining moment of the prolific and portly (apparently a semi-circle was carved out of his favorite work table to accommodate his girth) priest came when he celebrated a Mass shortly before his death. No stranger to divine ecstasies, Thomas experienced a vision of heaven that was so profound that he ceased writing his greatest work of all, the Summa theologica, saying only that, "Compared to what I have seen, all I have written is so much straw." Thomas was summoned by Pope Gregory X to take part in the Council of Lyons (called to reunite the Orthodox and Roman churches), but fell ill along the way, and died in a Cistercian monastery March 7, 1274, as the monks (per Thomas' request) read him the "Song of Songs."

Thomas, besides being the preeminent Doctor of the Church, is also the patron saint of students and universities and Aquinas' education, which included courses taught by famous non-Christian scholars but overseen by saints (indeed Saint Albert outlived his famous pupil by seven years and had the dubious task of defending Thomas' works against Catholic scholars who claimed Aquinas' writings were too much influenced by Aristotle) is the type that influential international Catholic universities (yes, that includes Notre Dame) must strive to provide.

Saint Thomas Aquinas, pray for us!

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St. Ita of Killeedy and Blessed Arnold Janssen: Two saints (of the day) for Huckabee

The day of the Michigan Republic Primary is upon us, and running third place in the polls in a state of 7.4 percent unemployment, both former Arkansas Governor Michael Huckabee and the people of the state need a miracle. In this regard, Fighting Irish Thomas is happy to offer the help of two of today's better known saints (and blesseds), Ita of Ireland, and Arnold Janssen of Germany, to assist both the voters and our favorite candidate.

St. Ita, Ireland's best known woman saint after the brilliant St. Brigid, was born in the sixth century at Durm, now County Waterford. She was originally named Deirdre, but early on she was called Ita (which means "thirst for holiness") for this virtue was so evident in her. She refused a wealthy suitor, took a vow of virginity, migrated (with the guidance of an angel) to a mountain in Limerick, and started a school for boys! The devil was said to attack her, and Satan started fire to her quarters, but the fire only consumed the building, leaving Ita untouched. Instead her monastery "caught fire" spiritually, and her school (which later was expanded to include women) had so many holy graduates, that Ita was nicknamed "the foster-mother of the saints of Erin." When her most famous student, St. Brendan of Clonfert, asked Ita the three things that most pleased and displeased God, her response, "Three things that please God most are true faith in God with a pure heart, a simple life with a grateful spirit, and generosity inspired by charity," is practically straight from Huckabee.com, while her counter answer, "The three things that most displease God are a mouth that hates people, a heart harbouring resentments, and confidence in wealth," almost perfectly depicts Mike's various opponents.

Arnold Janssen was born the second of eight children in Goch (near Munster), Germany, on November 5, 1837. Arnold (like Huck) came from modest means, his father a small-time farmer with a second job in transportation. As busy as he was, Gerhard Janssen not only read the day's Gospel but a commentary on it to his children after dinner, and this (along with his mother's constant vocal praying while attending to the children and farm animals) led Arnold into the priesthood. A dynamic student, Arnold spent the first twelve years after his ordination teaching school, but when attending a Catholic conference, the missionary zeal consumed him, and he resigned his post. Since Catholic missionary seminaries were still illegal then in Germany, Janssen moved to the Netherlands, and, in a run-down inn on the banks of the Meuse, founded the Society of the Divine Word Missionaries.

Taking the motto, "May the heart of Jesus live in the hearts of men!" the society's twin objectives, the training of missionaries and the cultivation of Christian sciences met with much skepticism but Arnold remained undaunted declaring, "the money is already there, in the pockets of the good people who will give it to you at the proper time." He started with nothing and created a society that eventually sent missionaries to China, Papua New Guinea, Japan, Argentina, Brazil, Chile (and shortly before his death in 1909), even Chicago! Also Janssen's Catholic magazines including Little Messengers of the Sacred Heart were an immensely popular innovation at that time, and no doubt inspired the likes of Maximilian Kolbe and later John Paul II. Janssen's "blind faith and deep practicality," certainly can be found in the Huckabee campaign, while Arnold's constant admonition to his charges, "What you cannot accomplish is not the will of God," certainly brings comfort during those primaries when the other candidate's team is too massive to overcome. But those are powerful saints, so let's not rule out a Mike Huckabee "Michigan Miracle" just yet...

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Becket's Lesson Beckons

Reprinted from Fighting Irish Thomas, Dec. 29, 2006

Should God permit me to be archbishop of Canterbury, I should lose our Majesty's favour, and the affection with which you honour me would be changed into hatred. For several things you do in prejudice to the rights of the Church make me fear that you would require of me what I could not agree to; and envious persons would not fail to make this the occasion of endless strife between us.

–St. Thomas Becket

St. Thomas Becket's death—his brutal murder in his own Cathedral—is one of the most chronicled martyrdoms in the history of Christianity. But his life, which brought Thomas to his moment of Truth, certainly bears recounting. For the story of a steadfast archbishop is a tale of courage fit for any age.

In the movie Becket (starring Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole—an excellent buy/rent if you can find it), Thomas is portrayed as an impetuous playboy until he was consecrated archbishop, and while records of his prayer life, religious retreats and regular confession show this to be a bit of an exaggeration, this depiction is not totally without merit. For the brilliant Thomas had risen, from a starving clerk (a la Bob Crachit) to the archdeacon of Canterbury in relatively short order, and when you go from poverty to commanding an entourage of over 200 (when Thomas went to France to arrange a royal marriage for the infant prince Henry, his retinue included knights and esquires, clerics and servants, musicians and singers, not to mention trained hawks and bloodhounds and eight wagon-loads of presents) something has to give. The grave problem was that these pseudo-religious title like "archdeacon" swore allegiance to both king and pope; but of course if the two conflicte you chose the king, unless you wanted to go back to being a lowly clerk—or worse. But "archdeacon" was one thing; the higher you rose in Ecclesiastic ranks, the greater this conflict became. And thus, when his close friend King Henry II appointed the now Chancellor Becket as Archbishop of Canterbury—the highest Church Office in the land—Thomas tried to refuse, flat out telling the king the gulf between God and king in this post would be too great to serve both. Henry paid no heed, and Thomas was ordained priest, then consecrated bishop in the octave of Pentecost 1162.

Thanks to the Holy Spirit, the lives of saints and martyrs continually repeats itself, and the rest of Becket's story is part St. Ambrose, part St. Thomas More. Like Ambrose, Becket changed his life drastically after he was consecrated, arising early to pray, study scripture, say Mass, and then personally distribute alms, doubling the amount doled out to poor of his predecessor. Thomas wore a hair shirt under his regal bishop's dress, and now ate moderately when attending the great banquet table of the king.

And like Thomas More, Becket's disputes with the king were at first manageable. Becket began to use Church money for other things (alms, for example) than what the king desired, and also began denying some of the king's men Holy Orders, for the simple reason they weren't holy. But finally the disagreements over money and appointments became too great and Thomas, fearing for his life, exiled himself to France.

When in France, Thomas tried to resign his Archbishopric directly to the pope, but Pope Alexander refused, ordering him not to abandon his calling. Sure enough, while Thomas was gone, the Archbishop of York made a power play, crowning a successor to the English throne against Thomas' (and Pope Alexander's) orders. Knowing duty called, Thomas bid farewell to the bishop of Paris saying, "I am going home to England to die," and resumed his post at Canterbury.

Armed with letters from the pope himself, Thomas fired his first salvo almost immediately, officially (and publicly) excommunicating the Archbishop of York and his rogue assistant bishops in his homily while saying Mass at Canterbury on Christmas day! Enraged (for although Prince Henry wasn't yet the rightful successor, he was the king's son), Henry II angrily blurted out "Who will rid me of this archbishop!" and while history seems to support the theory that Henry never officially ordered the assassination, four knights took him at his word, and shortly thereafter, Thomas, who was praying in the Canterbury Cathedral at the time, was hacked to death between the altars of Our Lady and St. Benedict.

The outrage not only in England but in all of Christian Europe was so great that Henry II had to do 18 months of penance (both private fastings and public floggings) before he received absolution. By then, Thomas had already been canonized a saint, and his shrine became perhaps the greatest place of pilgrimage in all of Europe, until Henry VIII, St. Thomas More's nemesis, destroyed it during the Reformation. Thomas Becket proved to be one of the greatest examples the Church has ever produced of both amending your life when given a vocation, and defying civil authority when it no longer supports God's law. If we—as priest, parent, or public servant would only do the same... St. Thomas Becket, pray for us!

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The Book on Love from the Beloved Disciple, St. John

(Reprinted from Fighting Irish Thomas, Dec. 27, 2006)

God is Love and whoever remains in Love remains in God, and God in him.

(1 John 4:16)

In perfect Love there is no fear, rather perfect Love casts out all fear.

(1 John 4:18)

The Feast of St. John the Evangelist — the Apostle, the Beloved Disciple — is no doubt a great feast day of God's Love. St. John was the first to use Love as the perfect synonym for God, and as the last apostle to die as well as the author of the last book of The Bible, John is in many ways the last word on Love (with a capital "L") as well. So while the divine answer to the question "Who wrote the book on Love?" will always be the Holy Spirit, the human answer has to be the Beloved Disciple.

But to understand who St. John is, one has to realize who he is not. St. John is not St. Matthew. Matthew's gospel is the proof of the mathematician. John's is the pondering of a poet. Matthew's gospel is everyday faith. John's is otherworldly Love. Without Matthew, the Faith wouldn't be grounded. Without John, the Word would not soar like an Eagle, the valiant bird that also happens to be John's symbol.

John is also not Peter. Although John's steadfastness seemed to have earned him a spot closer to Christ's heart than the others, it was the impetuous Peter who was chosen to head Jesus' Church on earth. Mystics do not make great statesmen and poets do not make great popes. But before you start believing that effeminate DaVinci Code crap, the younger "Son of Thunder" was just as much a man as "The Rock." For while Peter followed Christ in being crucified (upside-down, no less!) for the faith, John was the only man who loved our Lord enough (and had enough guts) to be present at His Crucifixion. The Church (and the priesthood) need them both.

But of all the wisdom contained in John's gospel, three epistles, and the book of Revelation, John's "Love" is summed up in the two above quoted verses. The first reminds us that if you don't Love everything God gives us, the riches and poverty, the beautiful and the deformed, the joy and the sorrow, we don't yet know (or LOVE) God. The second is similar; if we are still afraid of anything whether of what people will say, or what sacrifice will cost, or what tomorrow will bring, we still cannot really Love Christ. I am far from being all accepting or totally fearless myself, but having glimpsed John's vision, I can tell you there is nothing on earth that even comes close.

So do not be afraid that you do not yet see God's Love as John did, for "In the world you will have trouble" (John 15:33). For I am hear to say that, combined with the Sacraments, John's words are sure to shed enough Son Light on the subject to start you on the Way to the Truth and the Life (John 14:6).

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Lucy and Odilia: Two Saints for Sore Eyes

(Reprinted from Fighting Irish Thomas, Dec. 13, 2006)

In the name of Jesus Christ, may the eyes of your body and the eyes of your soul receive light.

–the prayer of Bishop Erhard over St. Odilia, immediately before her blindness was healed.

First, St. Lucy ... Though celebrated in song (“Santa Lucia”) and dance (notably the Swedish “Festival of Light” on her feast day), as well as commemorated in the First Eucharistic Prayer, not a lot is known of her life other than the fact she died for her faith. Born of noble parents in Sicily, Lucy wanted to dedicate her life to God, and when she refused a suitor, he denounced her as a Christian, and she was sentenced to death. But here the details get dicey. One legend has the governor sentencing her to a brothel, but Lucy suddenly became like a stone and the guards were unable to move her. Another tells of her being lit on fire but the flames not consuming her (a la Polycarp) and she was finally stabbed in the throat. Another (remember, St. Lucy is the patron saint of those with eye trouble), has the judge plucking her eyes out, another has Lucy giving her eyes to the suitor who admired them. In each case her sight was miraculously restored. Others say she became patroness of eyesight because of her purity and the fact her name means “light.” In any event, all accounts agree she was definitely martyred for her faith around the year 304.

On the other hand, we know for a fact that St. Odilia was born blind, and we also know that her father, a Frankish nobleman named Adalric, was so enraged his wife not only bore a daughter (instead of a future-king son), but a daughter with a disability, that he wanted the child killed. His wife Bereswindis tried to plead with him that it was the will of God, but he refused to take it as anything but a personal affront. Finally, Adalric agreed to spare her life only on the condition the blind baby be sent away and never be mentioned in his presence.

Flash forward a dozen years, when the holy Bishop Erhard of Regensburg had a dream that he was to go to the Besancon Monastery, find a blind girl, baptize her and then restore her sight. Sure enough, there he found the humble Odilia, and the bishop did as the Lord foretold. Of course, word got back to Adalric, and when Hugh, the most compassionate of his four sons, suggested they now bring Odilia back to live with the family, he refused, figuring she would soundly reproach him. But Hugh was not one to take no for an answer, and brought his overjoyed sister back to the castle anyway. After beating his disobedient son within an inch of his life, Adalric finally looked into his daughter’s eyes, had an immediate change of heart, and, as the story goes, “became as affectionate as he had formerly been cruel.” Of course her father wanted her to marry, but when Odilia instead said she wanted to be a nun, Adalric showed he had learned his lesson, not only granting her request, but bequeathing Odilia a castle which she could use as a monastery. Odilia became the abbess of a new religious community and her band (of sisters) became famous throughout the land by caring for the poor, the sick, and the maimed. Odilia died around the year 720. Her name, by the way, means “daughter of light.”

And so, even if these two saints for sore eyes cannot heal my literal short sightedness today, I’m sure that in some way “Light” and “Daughter of Light” will help me to see.

Saints Lucy and Odilia, Pray for Us!

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Saint of the Day: St. Ambrose

For information on today's saint, St. Ambrose, please see FIT's previous post here.

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Saint of the Day: St. Francis Xavier

For information on today's saint, St. Francis Xavier, please see FIT's previous post here.

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Saint of the Day: St. Catherine Laboure

For information on today's saint, St. Catherine Laboure, please see FIT's previous post here.

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Saint of the Day: St. Margaret of Scotland

For information on today's saint, St. Margaret of Scotland, please see FIT's previous post here.

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Saint of the Day: St. Laurence O'Toole

For information on today's saint, St. Laurence O'Toole, please see FIT's previous post here.

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The Papacy Looks to the East: Pope Benedict meets Pope (St.) Nicholas I

On the day the United States rightly celebrates its first native saint, Frances Cabrini, comes the news our current saintly pope, Benedict XVI, is planning his first papal visit to America next spring. Still, the positive (and negative) way this news has been received reminds me less of Cabrini, and more of today's other saint, Pope St. Nicholas the Great.

When Nicholas assumed the papal office (after the death of Benedict III) in 858, the rift between East and West was already significant, and while Nicholas wanted nothing more than reconciliation, he refused to do it with false ecumenism or at the price of Rome's primacy. As a contemporary historian wrote, "He gave orders to kings as if he were Lord of the world ... to good priests and lay people, he was kind and gentle and modest, to evil doers, he was terrible and stern." For example, when Ignatius was disposed as patriarch of Constantinople, Nicholas excommunicated his successor Photius (on the grounds he wasn't even a priest) despite the opposition of the emperor Michael III and Photius' many supporters ... not to mention his own political advisers as well! Likewise, Nicholas went against convention when he excommunicated the bishops of Cologne and Trier when they supported the divorce of King Lothair II of Lorraine (who after hearing the news, initially sent an army to attack Nicholas only to later reconcile with his wife) but lifted the "excommunication" King Charles II had forced the French bishops to decree on his daughter, Judith, for marrying a mere peasant instead of a prince. Thus Nicholas became one of the first to uphold the fact that marriage should always be entered into freely and only out of Christian love.

But if Nicholas was good at justly throwing his papal weight around, he also proved his compassionate side; as the local bishop of Rome, Nicholas documented all the folks in his diocese who had fallen into poverty, decreeing that those who were disabled would be fed at home, while the able-bodied would lunch at the papal residence. "Beautiful in face and graceful in body, the friend of widows and orphans, the champion of all the people," was the way he was eulogized, but it is interesting to note that his detractors remained bitter 'til the end also, as some dissident clergy robbed him of all his money (which he had already bequeathed to the poor) as he lay on his deathbed, too weary to fight back.

When Boris, the newly baptized ruler of Bulgars, wrote to Nicholas for advice, his inspired response was called "a masterpiece of pastoral wisdom and one of the finest documents in the history of the papacy." Boris ultimately rejected the advice (which urged Boris to forsake superstitions, not to forcibly convert pagans, and use war and torture only as a last resort) and this rich young man decided to follow the lead of the worldly, ambitious Photius instead. Sadly, the same result still plagues our popes today: 80-year-old Benedict's 5-day 2-city (Washington, D.C. and New York) trip is already being criticized as only taking place in the eastern United States, and not including Boston (where the priest sex abuse scandal started), let alone the "wild" West of San Francisco or L.A. "This pope is not a barnstormer ... whereas John Paul's trips were about energy, Benedict's are about focus," wrote John Allen, a Vatican columnist, but despite Benedict's brilliant message, few worldly critics will listen to it, no matter how many cities he visits. For just as in the days of Nicholas or even Cabrini, few outside the poor and the lame—the Church's true treasures—have ears to hear.

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Saint of the Day: Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini

For information on today's saint, St. Francis Cabrini, please see FIT's previous post here.

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Bd Antony Baldinucci: The sick son who became a legend

I was thinking about my son, Gary Anthony, a lot this week, first with all he and his Navy-mates had to deal with being stationed in San Diego in the midst of the wildfires, but also how difficult it must be dealing with being one of the few Navy soldiers who is DISAPPOINTED they finally beat Notre Dame. Perhaps reading the life of today's Blessed, Antony Baldinucci, will help give him strength.

Antony was born in Florence in 1665, to Filippo (a writer and painter) and Caterina Scolari. The couple already had four sons, but after praying to St Antony of Padua and being cured of a grave illness, Filippo promised not only would his next son (if they had another) be named after this great saint, but he would make sure #5 would follow in his footsteps as a priest. Although this type of parental "persuasion" often has the opposite effect, young Antony, after learning that a young St Aloysius Gonzaga had lived in his family's house a century before, took it to be a sign of destiny and was accepted into the Society of Jesus at the age of sixteen.

Antony, like many young (would-be) saints, longed to be a missionary, but his precarious health not only kept him from going to India, a series of seizures and excruciating headaches delayed his priestly ordination until Baldinucci turned thirty. But Antony quickly made up for lost time, turning his attention to the poor and uneducated in Italy with remarkable results.

By today's standards, Antony's methods seemed like madness, but the scores of conversions Baldinucci garnered from among the dissolute and destitute suggest otherwise. When Antony came to a town, he would pick willing penitents out of the crowd and have them march in procession down main streets wearing crowns of thorns and beating themselves with the discipline, as Antony, despite his ill health, wore heavy chains and carried a huge cross at the head of the line. Once he got the crowd's attention, the violent parade would cease, but his words proved so powerful that his missions often ended with the public burning of cards, dice, obscene pictures, and the like. Soon Antony's presence (despite his shabby appearance) became requested in Italy's richer dioceses too and he preached 448 missions in Romagna and Abruzzi alone while continuing his other priestly responsibilities. Like Blessed Teresa, Antony kept an extensive correspondence through letters and rarely slept, going three hours at night on a bed of planks when he did. And during the severe famine that hit Italy in 1716, Anthony worked literally around the clock, but after a year, this heroic relief effort finally proved to be too much for his already weakened heart, as Antony ended his earthly mission on Nov. 7, 1717.

Ironically, in today's Chicago Tribune Sports section, Rick Morrissey's article "In long run, 'Just Do It' ..." talks about how, in the wake of a death such as former Notre Dame runner Ryan Shay, many critics are quick to conclude that athletes like Ryan (who had an enlarged heart) should be encouraged to live a sedentary life instead of following their dreams through sport. Fortunately Morrissey disagrees, concluding "If mankind stopped doing everything that involved pain or danger ... where would we be? Probably very cold, having not had the guts to harness fire."

Blessed Antony's life may have not been the longest or healthiest, but it was certainly one of the brightest. Like Shay, he died using his gift, inspiring others to also give their all. With a little more rest and a lot more relaxation, Ryan and Antony might have had a longer stay here on earth. But neither would have brought nearly as many souls with them to cross the finish line into that eternal victory we call heaven.

Blessed Anthony and runner Ryan, pray for us!

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Saint of the Day: St. Anthony (Mary) Claret

For information on today's saint, St. Anthony (Mary) Claret, please see FIT's previous post here.

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Saint of the Day: Saint John of Capistrano

For information on today's saint, St. John of Capistrano, please see FIT's previous post here.

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Saint of the Day: Saint Isaac Jogues

For information on today's saint, St. Isaac Jogues, please see FIT's previous post here.

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St. Margaret Mary Feast, "Dr. Berman's" Neighborhood and My Daughter's Birthday: Welcome to the fight, Therese!

Due to life's deadlines, this column appears two days later than planned. Sorry for the delay!

Today, the Feast of St. Margaret Mary, the woman most responsible for devotion to the Sacred Heart, is also my daughter's 17th birthday. Sadly, it's yet another day that the Aurora abortion clinic remains (illegally) open. Meanwhile, pro-choice propaganda including Oct. 15th's (the feast day of St. Teresa of Avila) Chicago Sun-Times' pitiful Showcase piece entitled "Planned Parenthood is not the enemy in abortion fight," abounds.

This article was authored by Dr. Laura Berman in her reoccurring role as "Sex and Relationships" columnist. The column is accompanied by a cute-pretty, very youthful looking picture of the doctor, and her writing reflects juvenile naivete mixed with monstrous lies. "Planned Parenthood has arrived!" Berman gushes like a giddy schoolgirl and it "can be viewed as nothing short of a windfall." "Windfall" strikes me as an odd "choice" of word, since it is usually associated with gaining a large unexpected sum of money and Planned Parenthood is a non-profit organization ... but maybe Dr. Berman knows something we do not. Apparently so, because she goes on to say that "only 3 percent of all Planned Parenthood services are abortion related," an astonishingly low figure considering that "Evil Steve" Trombley himself, Chicago Planned Parenthood's president and master of mis-information, lists that figure at 10 percent. But Berman is no doubt better looking than Trombley which I guess allows her an even bigger leeway on lying.

Still, Laura does pay tribute to PP's local Dark Lord, quoting Trombley's most frightening famous fabrication word for word. "We know that the services provided at this center will do more in one day to prevent abortions than our opponents will do in a lifetime of protesting." While my feelings on this undoubtedly diabolic statement have been chronicled in a previous blog, the fact that Berman repeats rather than ridicules this incredible statement makes me recall another; something about if a lie is big enough and told often enough, it becomes (for most minds) true.

Ms. Berman then continues to spout the usual party-line lies, including calling the morning-after pill "a safe form of birth control," rather than a dangerous abortifacient. She later glowingly tells how Illinois Jr. Senator/Presidential Candidate (and possible Antichrist) Barack Obama "fully supports PP's desire to open a new facility in Aurora," then concludes with the enigmatic enthusiasm of the cheerleader-gone-bad, "Welcome to the neighborhood, Planned Parenthood!"

I'm not exactly sure what kind of doctor Ms. Berman is, or if she's really as young and carefree as her picture implies. But obviously her beautiful, youthful appearance is meant to be a Planned Parenthood selling point. Of course, I wouldn't mind this so much if they put a picture of a bloody, mangled aborted corpse next to Laura's perfect pic to demonstrate what she really advocates. On the other hand, to be 100 percent accurate, the words "BOLD FACED LIE!" would have to appear after each of her untruths, but you'd need not one column, but three pages of print to accomplish that.

Something tells me the Sun Times isn't going to go along with my suggestion anytime soon, so let me propose an alternative. How about printing a column written by my daughter next to Dr. Berman's, with Therese's beautiful, but determined face atop the page about the truth concerning the Planned Parenthood movement, complete with court documents, abortion horror stories, and Biblical or Papal encyclical quotes to drive her youthful truths home. Happy Birthday, Therese. I'm so proud to see you've joined your father in the pro-life fight! But there's much work to be done, so say your St. Margaret Mary prayer to the Sacred Heart, grab your miraculous medal, and let us together enter into the battle ...

Therese's related poem "Freedom from America" can be found on Friends of Fighting Irish Thomas. Dr. Berman can be reached at drberman@bermancenter.com.

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Saint of the Day: Saint Luke

For information on today's saint, St. Luke, please see FIT's previous post here.

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Saint of the Day: Saint Ignatius of Antioch

For information on today's saint, St. Ignatius of Antioch, please see FIT's previous post here.

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