As from January 2011, the Australian Federal Government plans to spend $260 million a year paying the equivalent of the Minimum Wage to the primary carer for eighteen weeks following the birth of a child.

But this will be available only to people who have been continuously employed for at least ten of the previous 13 months.

Full-time mothers will miss out completely.

* * *

Parents of traditional families have always treasured memories of the “milestones” of their child’s development, like when he/she first started to walk.

Now mothers will hear about such things from the childcare centre staff when they pick up their offspring — too tired to care whether he/she walked or not — on the way home from work.

Prime Minister Rudd carries on ad nauseam about what he calls ‘Working Families’ — his mindset being that every adult must be in the paid workforce in order to justify his/her existence.

The Rudd government and the Abbott opposition seem unanimous in their determination to cut parents out of their children’s lives by promoting double-income dependency. 

Having parents with double-decker  incomes is little compensation for toddlers who have no idea where mum is for most of the 24 hours.

* * *

We need an Early Education Care Benefit which would provide a direct cash payment to all new parents, thus giving them a choice about the type of care they want their child to have.

There is no excuse for financially discriminating against parents who want to undertake the care of their children in the environment of family and home.

This Sunday’s Gospel reading is full of realism — a mixture of good news and bad news.

Jesus warns his disciples that they will encounter dangers on all sides — that’s the bad news . . . .

However he promises them supernatural and invincible help — which has to be good news.

We, dear reader — called to be Christ’s disciples today — the message applies to us, too.

* * *

From John’s gospel:

“But when the Holy Ghost, the Paraclete, comes, whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will be my witness. And you too will be witnesses . . . .

They will expel you from the synagogues: yes, the hour is coming that whoever kills you will think that he does God a service.

These things I tell you, so that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.”

* * *

If you are trying to live as a follower of Christ, you will have experienced persecution of some kind or other already.

If not, you soon will.

Our greatest Australian, BLESSED MARY MACKILLOP, certainly was not immune from persecutions.

After one unfortunate incident involving an unsympathetic bishop, she wrote:

“We have had much sorrow and are still suffering its effects, but sorrow or trial lovingly submitted to does not prevent our being happy — it rather purifies the happiness.”

* * *

The Christian religion is a religion of joy. Think about these words written by Isaac Watts:

“Joy to the world: the Saviour reigns.

Let men their songs employ.

While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains

repeat the sounding joy . . . .

“He rules the world with truth and grace.

And makes the nations prove

the glories of his righteousness

and the wonders of his love.”

Yes, God rules the world. Whatever happens, God is in charge.

However bad it seems, there is something there that he is trying to teach you.

Part of that lesson will be for you to see his love in everything.

Twelve months ago, the Superior General of the Society of Saint Pius the Tenth (SSPX), Bishop Fellay, asked traditional Catholics worldwide to participate in a Rosary Crusade.

He requested that Rosaries be said asking that Pope Benedict, together with all the bishops of the world, will consecrate the nation of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

His aim was to have 12 million Rosaries recited for that intention between 1 May 2009 and 25 March 2010.

Well, the time has elapsed and it turns out that over 19 million Rosaries were said – including 5.5 million by Catholics in the USA and 3.1 million in France . . . Australia managed 439,000.

* * *

This consecration is something Our Lady herself requested of three children to whom she appeared at Fatima in 1917.

She said, “I shall come to ask for the Consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart . . . .

If people attend to my requests, Russia will be converted and the world will have peace . . . .

In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father (and the remaining bishops) will consecrate Russia to me . . . .

Russia will be converted and a period of peace will be given to mankind . . . .” 

* * *

It’s a long story, but for various reasons the consecration has never been carried out in exactly the way Our Lady asked for.

That is what we hope Pope Benedict will now decide to do.

* * *

There have been two previous Rosary Crusades for two earlier intentions.

After the first (in 2007), the Pope lifted the ban on the use of the Old Latin Mass.

After the second (in 2009), he lifted the “excommunications” of the four bishops of the SSPX.

After this Third Rosary Crusade, will we see, in 2010, another miracle worked in the heart of the Pope?

If so, then we may confidently expect the further miracle of world peace to follow.

Natural methods have never achieved much peace.

We look now to God to grant us his peace by supernatural means.

Let’s keep praying for the Pope, for the worldwide Catholic community, and for peace.

Australian euthanasia-campaigner, Dr Philip Nitschke, last week warned the media about an impending “grey tsunami”.

His answer is to help old people kill themselves.

He is displeased about the Rudd government’s intention to restrict access to pro-euthanasia propaganda on the internet.

Last week, Dr Nitschke ran a suicide workshop in Toowong which included a “hacking masterclass” — showing oldies how to bypass the proposed filter.

He wants them to visit his euthanasia-encouraging website which tells how to get and use illegally-imported Nembutal from Mexico.

* * *

Dr Nitschke says one of the commonest ways old people kill themselves at present is by hanging.

And, referring to the government, he says, “Those who deprive these people of good information (how to poison yourself) and force them down that horrible path, I think have some explaining to do.”

What is wrong with hanging? They end up dead, which is what Dr N wants. He is just being squeamish.

* * *

Dr Nitschke and friends fail to understand death because they fail to understand life.

They’ve swallowed the atheist/Buddhist/New Age delusion (mental poison) that life’s purpose is to be happy and to not suffer — that suffering is intolerable.

This leads into a circular argument about how if there was a good God he would never permit suffering.

Which doesn’t follow at all.

God is not somebody who exists to please us. If he owed us something, he would not be God. We would be. Which is what pro-euthanasiologists think.

Although they might prefer to word it more obscurely.

* * *

For Catholics, the purpose of life is to please God. Not because God might be nicer to us if we please him.

No, we must please God because he is God. We love him because he merits to be loved.

Sometimes this will involve suffering. Sometimes it will not. But that is a side issue.

Loving God is an end in itself.

Not a means to some other end.

* * *

There is an alternative to killing: Palliative Care.

Visit www.palliativecare.org.au/

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Today is the Feast of Saint Catherine of Siena.

Catherine was born into a big family, the 24^th of 25 children.

From the start, she was different.

Today she might be given pills to make her less different.

In childhood, she reported seeing visions.

At 7, she announced that she would never marry, but give her life to God.

At 15, she took to living in silence and solitude in her room, coming out only to attend Mass.

At 18, after a mystical “spiritual espousal” to Christ, she rejoined the world, busying herself helping the sick and poor.

Catherine ate almost nothing except the Bread received at Holy Communion.

Described by all as “radiantly happy”, she was accompanied everywhere by a band of “disciples”.

She visited and gave advice to the Pope, guiding him in political and other practical decisions.

She died, aged 33, on 29 April 1380.

* * *

Unable, herself, to read or write, Catherine’s sayings — many uttered during periods of altered consciousness — were recorded by her disciples or “secretaries”.

These writings are considered amongst the finest and most profound in the Italian language.

Most famous is her “Dialogue”, a sort of conversation, questions and answers,  between herself and God.

Saint Catherine’s message was one of humility — “self-knowledge” being the key to living for God.

* * *

“God of truth, God of love, permit me to enter into the cell of self-knowledge.

Of myself I am nothing.

All the being and goodness in me comes solely from you . . . .”

* * *

“How sweet and glorious is the virtue of obedience, which contains all the other virtues . . .

He who espouses it knows no evil . . . .

Obedience navigates without fatigue, it is straightforward and without deceit.

Give me this pearl trampled underfoot by the world,

which humbles itself to submit to creatures for love of you.”

* * *

“Until now I have not known your truth and have not loved it.

Why did I not know you?

Because I did not see you with the glorious light of the holy Faith.

Because the cloud of self-love darkened the eye of my intellect.

O eternal Trinity, dissipate the darkness with your light.

Penetrate me with a ray of grace

So that in that light I may give you thanks.”

We debate endlessly whether we’re letting too many migrants, asylum seekers etc. into Australia.

Less discussed is why, every year, 40,000 people who migrated into Australia, turn around and leave again.

Plus another 40,000, born and bred here, also packing up, leaving, never to return.

We say this is the lucky country, best in the world etc.?

80,000 a year vote with their feet, expressing that this is definitely not the place for them.

* * *

Locally-born leavers mostly say they leave for economic reasons — better job opportunities overseas for their skills.

Are there other underlying dissatisfactions making them happy to leave — reasons of which they themselves may be hardly aware?

Disgust, perhaps, at the materialism engulfing Australia, the pervasive contempt for religious belief, the immoral media . . . .

Having reached their chosen destination, these folks may experience disappointment.

People over there, wherever it is, may turn out to be (just beneath the surface) equally as grasping, two-faced and self-seeking as those back at home,

Original Sin is everywhere, mate. You could have read about it in the Bible and saved yourself the trip.

* * *

You took your biggest problem with you. You took yourself.

If you think that wherever you live needs improving, best improve yourself.

Which you cannot do — unless you ask God to change you. Don’t ask him to if you don’t mean it. God does change people.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “I was once a blasphemer, arrogant, and a persecutor, but . . . Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the chief. For that reason I was mercifully treated, so that in me, Christ might display all his patience as an example for those who will come to believe in him . . . .”

* * *

It was true. Saint Paul, when young, was the worst possible sinner, persecuting Christian believers, turning them over to the authorities to be killed.

Later, when converted to the Faith, he himself was arrested, imprisoned and, it is said, executed by the Romans.

What God will have in store for you, if you let him take control of your life, is anybody’s guess.

You just have to trust him.