The New Under Ground Church-THE TRUTH MUST BE TOLD: BIDEN VS. DESANTIS President Joe Biden criticized Florida's bill to protect unborn children after 15 weeks as “dangerous.” Biden tweeted: “My Administration will not stand for the continued erosion of women’s constitutional rights.” DeSantis defended the legislation.

Saturday, March 5, 2022

BIDEN VS. DESANTIS President Joe Biden criticized Florida's bill to protect unborn children after 15 weeks as “dangerous.” Biden tweeted: “My Administration will not stand for the continued erosion of women’s constitutional rights.” DeSantis defended the legislation.

SATURDAY, MARCH 5

BIDEN VS. DESANTIS President Joe Biden criticized Florida's bill to protect unborn children after 15 weeks as “dangerous.” Biden tweeted: “My Administration will not stand for the continued erosion of women’s constitutional rights.” DeSantis defended the legislation. “These are protections for babies that have heartbeats, that can feel pain. And this [15 weeks] is very, very late. And so I think the protections are warranted.” READ

PARENTS 'NOT ENTITLED' TO KNOW? A training session at the Eau Claire Area School District in Wisconsin claimed that parents are “not entitled” to know their own children’s “gender identity.” Empower Wisconsin obtained a copy of a training slide from last Friday’s staff development session which tells teachers that “parents are not entitled to know their kids’ identities. That knowledge must be earned.” READ

PAIN AT THE PUMP The price of gas surpassed $5 a gallon in California as the national average spiked another 11 cents in 24 hours. According to Triple-A, that's the largest one-day increase since Hurricane Katrina caused price shocks in 2005. The average price of a gallon of gas is now $3.837. READ

BOSTON MARATHON BOMBER The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to reimpose the death penalty for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. The high court rejected a federal appeals court ruling that had dropped the sentence. Writing for the majority, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote: “Dzhokhar Tsarnaev committed heinous crimes. The Sixth Amendment nonetheless guaranteed him a fair trial before an impartial jury. He received one.” READ

DOMESTIC OIL PRODUCTION Nearly every Republican governor in the country signed a statement calling on the Biden administration to increase domestic oil production. “By removing his bans on new oil and gas development on federal lands, building the Keystone XL pipeline, and reinstating regulatory reforms to streamline energy permitting, we can protect our national energy security and sell to our friends rather than buy from our enemies—specifically Russia,” said the statement signed by 25 of the nation's 28 Republican governors. READ

CHICAGO'S POLITICAL PRIEST Fr. Michael Pfleger, who is something of a local celebrity in the Archdiocese of Chicago, is endorsing State Sen. Jacqueline Collins, D-Chicago, in the primary to replace Rep. Bobby Rush, D-IL. The priest’s endorsement of Collins, who is pro-abortion, seems to violate Archdiocesan policies against “partisan” activity by priests. READ

POLL: GOING TO WAR? A new Rasmussen poll asked Americans: "If a wider war breaks out in Europe, should the U.S. military be involved?" Forty-nine percent of voters said “Yes.” The breakdown of “Yesses” by income level was significant, however. Thirty-seven percent of those making under $30,000 said “Yes,” as opposed to 66% of those making $200,000 or more. READ

BISHOP CONVICTED Bishop Gustavo Oscar Zanchetta of Argentina was convicted this week for the sexual abuse of seminarians. The news has raised questions about the credibility of Pope Francis, who appointed Zanchetta and is his longtime close friend, in handling abuse allegations. “It could well cast a shadow over the pope’s signature reform effort, Vos estis lux mundi, promulgated in the wake of the Theodore McCarrick scandal,” The Pillar reports. READ

SENATOR REBUKED Republicans in Congress harshly criticized fellow Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-SC, for openly calling on Russians to assassinate their leader, Vladimir Putin. “Is there a Brutus in Russia?” Graham tweeted. “This is an exceptionally bad idea,” said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-TX. “Use massive economic sanctions; BOYCOTT Russian oil & gas; and provide military aid so the Ukrainians can defend themselves. But we should not be calling for the assassination of heads of state.” Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-FL, sarcastically said: “When has Sen. Graham encouraging regime change ever ended badly?” READ

SUPREME COURT, ABORTION, & FREE SPEECH Columnist Terry Jeffrey writes: “President Joe Biden’s nominee to replace Justice Stephen Breyer on the Supreme Court argued in a federal court case that the government can in fact restrict the freedom of speech on a public sidewalk—in the vicinity of an abortion clinic.” READ

LENTEN CHALLENGE With all the customs, rituals, and requirements associated with Lent (getting ashes, giving up chocolate, doing additional reading, meatless Fridays…), sometimes we can get so caught up in the outward behaviors that we miss the greater point of the season. So here is a suggestion from Msgr. Charles Pope. This Lent, be grateful! Read more to see why gratitude is so important to the spirit of Lent. READ

THE MAGIC OF CHILDHOOD Children have taken big hits in the last couple of years. So much freedom, joy, and magic has been taken from their childhoods as they have been muffled, isolated, and filled with fear over sickness, critical race theory, climate apocalypse, and more. And those responsible for such policies are not likely to apologize or help rebuild the childhood these kids deserve. So here are four suggestions for protecting and renewing the magic of childhood for our kids. READ

SUNDAY DINNER What are the best days in Lent? Sundays. The “mini Easters” when you can enjoy the things you gave up. Kidding. But Sunday does remain a special day, even during Lent, when we celebrate the resurrection of Christ and our hope for eternal life. And what better way to do that than to gather the family around for a delicious, belly-warming, story-telling, laughter-inducing, bonding Sunday dinner? To help you out, here is a list of Sunday dinner recipes for a family. Mostly hands-off and slow-cooked, so you can enjoy your day of rest. READ

LENT IS NOT ABOUT YOU “I need to choose the right sacrifice this Lent, something I can actually stick to… I am really failing at my Lenten goals this year… This year’s Lent was a great victory, I did everything I committed to!” What do these thoughts all have in common? They’re about me, and not about Jesus. As helpful as our Lenten rituals can be, let’s focus even more on what God has planned for us this Lent. What sacrifices, healing, and remedies is He setting before you? READ

CATHOLIC 101 St. Ignatius of Loyola has two spiritual categories that can help us grow in self-knowledge this Lent: consolation and desolation. Fr. Joe Laramie, SJ, breaks them down for you here. READ

SATURDAY'S SAINT St. Lucius, according to the "Liber Pontificalis," was a Roman, the son of Porphyrius. When he succeeded St. Comelius as pope, the persecution of Trebonianus Gallus was still raging, and Lucius was exiled. Soon, however, the persecution died away and Lucius was able to return to Rome. There is extant a letter from St. Cyprian congratulating the pope on his return from exile and praising him for his confession of Christ. READ

SATURDAY'S PSALM “Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.” (Psalm 86:1) READ

SATURDAY'S READINGS Today's Mass readings. READ

SUNDAY’S PSALM "Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.” (Psalm 91:1) READ

SUNDAY’S READINGS Sunday's Mass readings READ

ANSWER TO THE TRIVIA Pope John Paul II was the first world leader to describe the 1994 massacre of Tutsis by Hutus in the mostly Catholic country of Rwanda as a genocide.

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ARTWORK The Virgin from The Virgin and Child with Saint John and an Angel, Sandro Botticelli, 1490. SHARE