TRUMP BLASTS SPECIAL COUNSEL FOR NOT CHARGING BIDEN;HAWAII COURT BLASTED FOR CURTAILING GUN RIGHTS;SENATE FOREIGN AID BILL NIXES BORDER SECURITY; DC MEDICAL EXAMINER WILL NOT DESTROY EVIDENCE

 

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10 TRUMP BLASTS SPECIAL COUNSEL FOR NOT CHARGING BIDEN  Republican lawmakers joined former President Donald Trump in slamming Special Counsel Robert Hur’s decision not to charge President Joe Biden with a crime. Trump called the move an example of a “two-tiered justice system” and an instance of “election interference.”  READ HAWAII COURT BLASTED FOR CURTAILING GUN RIGHTS  The Supreme Court of Hawaii bucked the Second Amendment in a Thursday ruling which cited the fact that the nation’s constitutional right to carry arms is “old.” The court holds “that in Hawai’i there is no state constitutional right to carry a firearm in public,” the Wednesday 5-0 ruling stated.  READ SENATE FOREIGN AID BILL NIXES BORDER SECURITY  The Senate is gearing up to vote on a nearly-$100-billion foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and the Indo-Pacific. Unlike a previously proposed bill that Republicans succeeded in blocking, the new legislation does not include provisions involving the southern border of the U.S.  READ DC MEDICAL EXAMINER WILL NOT DESTROY EVIDENCE  The D.C. Medical Examiner will not immediately destroy the bodies of “The Five” aborted babies recovered from an abortion clinic in the nation’s capital. The news comes after numerous pro-life leaders, including CatholicVote Director of Government Affairs Tom McClusky, called on lawmakers to prevent the disposal of the remains until proper autopsies and investigations can be performed.  READ OHIO GUV ROLLS BACK PROTECTIONS FOR KIDS  Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine rolled back proposed regulations asking people under 21 to take six months of counseling before undergoing “transgender” procedures. The change also eliminates “medical ethics” oversight rules based on “assurances” from the transgender industry that they already self-police.  READ ‘PRO-LIFE SPIDERMAN’ SCALES BUILDING FOR WOMAN AND CHILD  The “pro-life spiderman,” 24-year-old Maison Des Champs, climbed the 366-foot Las Vegas Sphere this week to raise money for a homeless expectant mother considering abortion. On February 7, Des Champs scaled the outside of the massive sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada, with no harnesses or additional equipment.  READ HOUSE LAWMAKERS ADVOCATE FOR NIGERIAN VICTIMS This week the House Foreign Affairs Committee approved legislation authored by Rep. Chris Smith, R-NJ, calling on the Biden administration to place Nigeria back on its international religious persecution watchlist. “The US State Department is not using all the tools provided to hold guilty parties accountable,” said Smith.  READ NOTRE DAME’S SILENCE  “Abortion doulas” spoke at the Catholic University of America and at the University of Notre Dame, but the two Catholic institutions responded in starkly different ways. CUA immediately condemned the event and fired the professor who’d invited the doula. Notre Dame has yet to apologize.  READ LOOPcast  Do you know why NPR wants men addicted to adult “entertainment”? We have theories. New Jersey floats obscenity law immunity for public school teachers, and the DOJ tells the D.C. Police to destroy the evidence in a pro-lifer’s case. Only the Chilean all-female SWAT team can save us now…  WATCH LENT WITH SMALL CHILDREN  Great news for families! Even the smallest children can enter into the spirit of Lent and its three traditional themes: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. CatholicVote’s Rose Church offers practical, simple, and free ideas for incorporating these three pillars into a home with young kids.  READ SUPER BOWL APPS YOU HAVEN’T TRIED  It’s time to whip up some game-day snacks for tomorrow’s great American holiday, Super Bowl Sunday. You’ve had nachos, but have you had Mediterranean hummus nachos? There’s buffalo chicken dip, but what about bacon dijon dip? You’ve eaten Colby-Jack cheese and Ritz crackers, but what about mini cheese balls three ways? Make this the year you throw in a tasty new twist!  READ THE GOOD THIEF: STEPS TO REPENTANCE  Matthew and Mark wrote that Jesus was crucified with two thieves who reviled Him, but Luke’s Gospel reports one thief reviled Jesus while the other did not. The early Fathers explained that both must have refiled Christ at first, but the one we call the Good Thief had a change of heart. Here are the simple steps of repentance that led to one of the most beautiful moments of faith and redemption in the Bible.  READ CHASTITY OVER VIRGINITY A hyperfocus on virginity can lead us to forget the virtue of chastity. Many are surprised to learn that married couples are called to chastity, because chastity is mistakenly equated with virginity or sexual abstinence. Here’s why we need to prioritize the virtue of chastity over the title of virginity.  READ CATHOLIC 101  What good are rote prayers? The memorized words of traditional prayers are guideposts for the mind and heart to follow from darkness into the grace of God. One woman found that faithfulness to a simple routine of rote prayers – just three “Hail Marys” a day – was enough to bring her into the Catholic Church!  READ SAINT OF THE DAY  St. Scholastica was the twin sister of St. Benedict and, like him, founded many monasteries. When Benedict came to visit her toward the end of their lives, he refused to stay long. Scholastica prayed, and a violent storm arose, making it impossible for him to leave. She said: “If you won’t listen to me, God will!” She is now invoked as the patron saint of weather. READ SATURDAY'S PSALM  “Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.” (Psalm 106:4)  READ SATURDAY'S READINGS  Saturday's Mass readings.  READ SUNDAY’S PSALM  “I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.” (Psalm 32:7)  READ SUNDAY’S READINGS  Sunday's Mass readings.  READ ANSWER TO THE TRIVIA  Unlawful anger is a sin against the Fifth Commandment. HAVE A TIP?  Send us your news for the Weekend LOOP.  EMAIL HISTORY  When she died in February 1882, “the Angel of the Delta” had given more than $600,000 to the poor of New Orleans and built more than half-a-dozen orphanages. Mary Haughery received a state funeral and Pope Pius IX sent a crucifix to adorn her coffin. Learn more about this little-known American Catholic!  READ The LOOP is a publication of the CatholicVote Education Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization. The LOOP is organized, funded, and published by faithful Catholic laity. We do not claim to speak for any individual bishop or the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. . CATHOLICVOTE | PO Box 3310 | Carmel, IN 46082 | (317) 669-6127