Please follow the The Crucified Rabbi book on Facebook by clicking here.

Planned Parenthood has released their "sports celebrity response" to Tim Tebow's Super Bowl advertisement featuring former Viking Sean James and Olympic gold medalist Al Joyner. Both athletes say they, "respect Ms. Tebow's decision," not to have an abortion when she was pregnant with Tim, but that they also want "every woman's decision about her health and her family will be respected."

Video post above via YouTube.

What do you think? Please leave a comment with your thoughts...

Labels: Pro-Life

I've recently learned of an impressive new order of Franciscans by the name "Franciscans of the Immaculate."

A special thanks to Fr. Joseph Michael Mary, FI for explaining to me the mission and charism of the Franciscans of the Immaculate.

Their founder, Fr. Stefano Manelli was a spiritual son of Saint Padre Pio. While still in his mother's womb Saint Pio blessed him. Manelli also received his first confession and first Holy Communion from Saint Pio as a young boy. When he was twelve years old he told St. Pio that he wanted to join him in the Capuchin Franciscans. However, Saint Pio told him not to do so. Instead, he was to become a Conventual Franciscan as it was there that our Lady had his sufferings waiting for him.

During his years as a Conventual Francsican, Father Stefano learned about Saint Maximilian Kolbe and the great Marian renewal that he led within the Franciscan Order. Inspired inspired by this, Father Stefano wanted to begin a renewal based on the example of Saint Maximilian Kolbe.

Father Stefano, with the permission of Saint Pio and his Conventual superior, instituted a separate observance within the Conventuals in 1970. Around 1989 the superiors of the Conventuals no longer desired this separate observance, and asked the friars to abandon their particular pattern of piety modeled on that of Saint Maximilian Koble for the common observance of the Conventuals.

At that time, Pope John Paul II of blessed memory learned about this state of affairs and asked that the documents of the separate observance be brought to him for his consideration. After reading the document called the Traccia, which is the Marian plan of Franciscan life lived by the Franciscans of the Immaculate, the Pope said that "this way of life is too precious for the Church to loose. Since they do not want you, I will separate you." In 1990, the friars became a Diocesan Institute and then in 1998 John Paul II elevated the Franciscans of the Immaculate to a religious institute of Pontifical Rite, which means the friars are directly under the Holy See.

The main aspect of their religious life is best understood by the Marian Vow. The friars make a canonical vow called the Marian Vow by which they give themselves totally to the Blessed Virgin Mary as Her property and possession. With that, in the spirit of Saint Maximilian Kolbe and Saint Francis of Assis, they seek to make her known and loved that she may bring souls to Jesus in the quickest way possible.

Here are some other links on the FI which you may have already seen:

• Franciscans of the Immaculate in America
• Franciscans of the Immaculate in Australia
• AirMaria
• Mary Victrix

I am especially grateful to Fr. Joseph Michael Mary, FI for for sharing this information with me.

Labels: Franciscans, Mary

Labels: Books

Okay, so you all have seen the Tim Tebow Superbowl Pro-Life advertisement? What did you think?

Personally, I was disappointed. The advertisement was hardly what I would consider "pro-life." I understand the need to be subtle, but it was a little too subtle. Ask yourself: "If you didn't know about the video and all the hype - would you have understood the ad or even known what it was about?"

I also don't understand why Tim tackled his mother. It's just sort of odd.

Seriously, with all the money that they spent on placing this ad in a Superbowl time slot, couldn't they have been a little more intentional and/or clever.

Those are just my thoughts. I'd love to hear your thoughts?

What did you think of the ad? Did you like it? Please leave a comment below and tell us.

Okay, so by now you've heard of Tim Tebow's amazing pro-life Superbowl ad...but have you heard about this new "pro-choice" advertisement being put out by Olympic Gold Medalist Al Joyner and former NFL football player Sean James on behalf of Planned Parenthood?

It seems that Planned Parenthood is striking back. Both Olympic Gold Medalist Al Joyner and former NFL player Sean James have performed for a Planned Parenthood video. Both men speak up for "women's choices," which is always code for "let the abortion of babies be legal." Remarkably, the video directly addresses Tebow's mother. The gist of this pro-abortion video is that everyone's decisions should be respected...

But doesn't that beg the question? If abortion kills another human being, how can we respect that?

I'll post more as I learn more.

Please watch video trailer for Taylor Marshall's The Crucified Rabbi:

Please also read:

• Planned Parenthood's "Black Genocide"
• Abortion, College Girls, and Christmas Vacation

Labels: Abortion, Pro-Life

I recently watched the film Frost/Nixon about the famous interview between David Frost and President Richard Nixon after the Watergate scandal. It's true that movie about an interview sounds pretty lame, I know, but the acting was incredible. David Frost hopes that he can get Nixon to confess to crimes in a public interview while Nixon constantly outsmarts him along the way. It's like a game of chess. If you know your history, Frost finally catches him in a "check mate" moment.

Whoever played Nixon performed amazingly. I was very impressed. Very compelling.

There is some foul language, but the film is basically clean and very informative. It very much captures America's anger and disappointment regarding the Watergate fiasco. It also sheds light on Nixon's internal struggle as to whether to come clean or not. Five Stars.

Labels: Film

Today is the feast of the virgin martyr Saint Agatha, and of course she did not where cosmetics. However, there is a beautiful passage in Saint Methodius about the "cosmetics" of Christ in reference to the blood of Christ (taken from today's Office of Readings). Here it is:

The woman who invites us to this banquet is both a wife and virgin. To use the analogy of Paul, she is the bride who has been betrothed to one husband, Christ. A true virgin, she wore the glow of pure conscience and the crimson of the Lamb’s blood for her cosmetics. Again and again she meditated on the death of her eager lover. For her, Christ’s death was recent, his blood was still moist. Her robe is the mark of her faithful witness to Christ. It bears the indelible marks of his crimson blood and the shining threads of her eloquence. She offers to all who come after her these treasures of her eloquent confession.

Agatha, the name of our saint, means “good.” She was truly good, for she lived as a child of God. She was also given as the gift of God, the source of all goodness to her bridegroom, Christ, and to us. For she grants us a share in her goodness.

What can give greater good than the Sovereign Good? Whom could anyone find more worthy of celebration with hymns of praise than Agatha?

Agatha, her goodness coincides with her name and way of life. She won a good name by her noble deeds, and by her name she points to the nobility of those deeds. Agatha, her mere name wins all men over to her company. She teaches them by her example to hasten with her to the true Good. God alone.

Saint Methodius Analecta Bollandiana 68, 76-78

Labels: Saints