The Crusade For Life.

On Friday January 25th 2013, I joined over 650,000 anti-abortion protestors in the March for Life in Washington D.C. I had arrived the day before with 150 other pro-lifers on three buses from Upper Michigan. We gathered in the morning despite below freezing temperatures in the Washington mall and listened to one dynamic pro-life speaker after another. Once we started marching, I saw the US Capitol building looming before us and felt something watching us from above its dome where legislation is enacted that either destroys or protects life. That sinister presence watching us, kept me praying, but did not deter us from going forward.

Pilgrims from all over the US left the safety and warmth of their homes to march for life. We endured cold weather and sleepless nights on buses to reach our destination. When I looked around me amidst a sea of signs and banners, I saw that the majority of marchers were youth. I was emboldened by their courageous hearts.

As we continued the march, I saw a digital billboard that showed the horrific reality of abortion. It showed a bloodied and mangled body of an aborted fetus. Many thought it was too much, but for me, I flashbacked 13 years earlier when I had viewed these billboards for the first time. I walked outside my work place and saw a group of people raising similar signs along the main street so cars passing by could see the aborted fetus and the baby’s bloodied hand. Those graphic but truth filled images activated me and brought the abstract concept of the abortion issue to a flesh and blood reality that was now my problem.

After the March was over and having finished dinner with the youth group I was with, we gathered for a late night rosary in one of our hotel rooms at the Hyatt. There were about a dozen of us. We turned off all the lights and put a prayer card of the Blessed Mother up against the TV and illuminated her with an i-phone light. Together, amidst empty pizza boxes, and sprawled out luggage, we prayed the rosary for all those we met along the way and for an end to abortion. We prayed all huddled together on two beds. I looked at these teenagers and saw something that made my heart heavy. I saw fatigue in their faces, exhaustion, uncertainty, and so many threats to their future like the HHS mandate, abortion, gay marriage, euthanasia, the dire economy, the debt, and the continual attacks on the Church and family. Such a hostile world they have inherited.

One girl in our youth group had gotten sick and was unable to march with us. Her face was pale and she was unable to eat, but she joined us in the rosary and fell asleep on the floor. She was the chosen victim soul for our group. I was proud to have fellowship with these modern day crusaders and face whatever end they would.

On the bus ride home I reflected on two pro-life speakers who had impacted me the most. The first woman gave testimony that her mother had been raped and tried to have her aborted twice but was unable to. She was that one percent where so many think it is acceptable to abort because her mother was raped.

The second woman spoke about how she soaked for five days in saline in her mother’s womb, but miraculously survived the abortion. She is a part of that invisible population of abortion survivors whose stories need to be heard. There weren’t too many dry eyes listening to these women express how much they loved their life, even though the second woman would carry the physical scars from the abortion and both of them would carry the emotional scars of not being wanted by their parents for the rest of their lives.

I also realized that the invisible presence near the US Capitol, may not be affected by bumper stickers, letters to the editor, marches, or votes, but is affected by prayer and fasting, which is a important task we all can undertake until the next march keeping that Red Eyed Dragon against the ropes as we continue to crusade for a culture of life.

sag

The Rising Shadow Of The HHS Mandate (Obamacare).

In January of 1999, I had the privilege of jogging a lap around the inner rim half way up the remains of the Roman Colosseum. I gazed downward from where spectators viewed into the maze-like ruins that were left of the arena floor, and saw where countless early-century Christians lost their lives to the cheers of the Roman Emperors of that time.



The Arena - inside the Colosseum

Now, all these years later, I see the United States divided between Christian and atheist, conservative and liberal, blue and red. I see so much anger and slander volleyed from one side to the other, as brother was pitted against brother during the Presidential election. Now that America has decided for President, I wonder about my fate, I who am a Christian.

All of my life I have enjoyed the protection of my Christian values and the freedoms our country was founded upon, but now that time seems to be over with many of today's politicians and judges challenging individual conscience and religious freedoms like never before.

In the end, I answer to God for my conscience, not to any man. Did I protect the unborn and the sanctity of human life? Did I fight for the protection of religious freedoms? Did I defend traditional marriage? Did I stand up for the freedom of individual conscience?

Another threat to our religious freedoms is from the Department of Health and Human Services – (the HHS Mandate) or Obamacare – a law that forces countless employers and religious institutions such as Catholic hospitals, schools and other religious organizations and businesses “to carry health insurance plans that provides free contraception services, sterilizations, and abortion-inducing drugs regardless of their moral and religious objections.”(1) Nearly all employers and employees not in compliance with Obamacare may face fines and lawsuits in the near future.

Now with the HHS Mandate looming ever closer like a rising shadow, then possibly that day so many early-century Christians faced will face me too. A day in which it will be my turn standing in that arena, and challenged to either bow to Caesar, deny my faith and accept the Mandate, or else pay the consequences.

My hope is like that of all the early Christian martyrs who were decapitated, fed to lions, torn apart by beasts, and burned at the stake. They paid the ultimate price for remaining steadfast in their religious beliefs. I hope I will share the same courage they had in obeying God's Commands to the end. Is our trust in God or in Caesar? Do we know better than the Creator of the Universe about these issues and the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death, when so clearly, Thou shalt not kill...is etched within all our hearts?

There can be no compromise with the Commandments of God. It is all or nothing. If politicians and judges continue to oppose my Christian beliefs and challenge our freedoms by enforcing the HHS Mandate, then I hope I'm strong for you. I hope I don't falter. I hope to show the witness of what my faith and obedience to God's Commandments means to me. I hope I am brave for you.

Will there be new martyrs in 2013? Will Colosseums be drenched in blood again? One way or the other, it will soon be time for Christians to show the world what they truly believe, what they're made of, to turn the other cheek and shed their blood once again for a new harvest.

Christians don't face this challenge alone, for our hope is in our Captain Martyr who is with us until the end of the age. The Church will never be defeated, because it is His power and grace that will free us from fear, and fuel us with courage in laying down our lives for Him; The Christ, who did so for us first, for our example!

America needs to look to courageous Christians to show them the way to Christ, even if our Government takes our religious freedoms from us, kills our babies, and spills our blood for what we believe; we still must love these modern-day Romans the same way our early Christian brothers and sisters did, with prayer and fasting, peaceful protest of the Mandate, and with the shedding of our blood if need be.



For more information about the rising HHS Mandate check out: www.standupforreligiousfreedom.com 


(1)  from: www.standupforreligiousfreedom.com/docs/HHSMandateFactSheet.pdf
Stop Obama’s HHS Mandate
Copyright 2012 Pro-Life Action League – ProLifeAction.org and Citizens for a Pro-Life Society – ProLifeSociety.com

sag

And Just What Does It Mean To Be Noble?

Live Action article

Many articles focus on how abortion affects women, and her choice, but for the moment, my focus is on men who are pro-choice and who often remain silent on the sidelines, even though they’re involved in the creation of human life just as much as she is. On January 22nd – the anniversary of Roe v Wade – the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in this country, I continue to ask myself, how has this tragedy continued for so long?

Is it in part because the virtue of nobility has disappeared from the actions and hearts of men?

How does a man fulfill his obligation to protect women and the weakest of society – the unborn? Wasn't that what he was designed for, to defend his family, his wife, his children? So where is it noble for a man to destroy his own child by pushing for an abortion, or for male politicians including the President, to promote abortion with the use of tax payer money?

Wouldn’t it be ideal to live in a society where an unplanned pregnancy is not seen as a crisis, but a blessing? Instead of families turning to Planned Parenthood* for relief by killing the baby, they would find it from family support, religious organizations, and politicians who work to provide support programs for such families, so that it is never a crisis or inconvenience to have a child under any circumstance.
 
Men with noble hearts are ready at any moment to lay down their lives for those they're called to protect, but instead, in this inverted culture, many men would rather preserve their own life while letting those they were called to protect perish. Abortion not only destroys the unborn child, but it damages the woman's body and mental health**, and at times, terminates her own life. The abortion-inducing drugs also have the same damaging effects on women's bodies.

The lost virtue of nobility can be won back by men showing women, that they will take care of them and their children, not abandon them because of a pregnancy, but show them what a true protector and provider is like. That is noble! Maybe then, with much hope and healing, women who for so long have bought into the pro-abortion mentality will be rescued back from it, and the culture of death, and finally be able to live in peace in a culture of life.

Men too have allowed Roe V Wade to continue for as long as it has, but it can end when they shine forth the virtue of nobility once again!


*(“In many cities Planned Parenthood has a monopoly on the abortion industry and reported 87.4 million in surplus revenue despite receiving 45% of their income from Uncle Sam(Obama). Last year 333,964 abortions were performed through Planned Parenthood affiliates.” (1) Planned Parenthood helped design the HHS Mandate – Obabmacare – “a law that forces countless employers and religious institutions to carry health insurance plans that provides free contraception services, sterilizations, and abortion-inducing drugs regardless of their moral and religious objections.”(2)

(1) from Susan Michelle Tyrell: www.liveactionnews.org/planned-parenthood-report-reveals-87-4-million-excess-revenue-1-2-billion-assets/

(2) from: www.standupforreligiousfreedom.com/docs/HHSMandateFactSheet.pdf

**(“Studies show that the cells from aborted babies have been found living in their mother’s brains, and some for decades. How that affects her mind will be the thrust of new research to come.” from Jill Stanek: www.lifesitenews.com/blog/scientists-discover-aborted-baby-cells-living-in-mothers39-brains

sag

The Last Word.

Wouldn't be odd if an artist working for months on a dazzling sculpture, suddenly threw their masterpiece to the ground, shattering it in a thousand pieces?

A few years ago I found a woman alone and sobbing uncontrollably on her knees in a chapel. Her anguish was inconsolable. She had had an abortion. There wasn't anything I could do to help her. I felt bad for her...my heart hurt too.

For all women who carry a wound from a past abortion, whether it was done during a traumatic and anxiety-filled time, pressured by others and deceived by the culture of death: know that choice is never the last word.

 

God the Father forgives all his prodigal sons and daughters returning home to Him from yet another disaster. There is a long line of us. In the Heavenly Father's embrace, I'm redeemed with hope that my error wasn't the last word, nor the last of me. Mercy can blast the walls that hold you captive by guilt and shame. Live life, start over, and make another masterpiece. God will forgive you, and dwell on your past no more. Christ's Mercy is the last word, are you ready for it to heal your life?

sag

Why Not Say "I Love You" With a Digital Daisy?

This article is about on-line dating with the use of emoticons.

Many on-line dating sites, including Catholic sites, have various emoticons to help speed up the love connection. An emoticon is a digital picture or symbol of a smiley face, wink, flower, or hand wave just to name a few. They can be sent to someone you're interested in at the touch of a button, and hopefully they send one back reciprocating.

I have heard various opinions on the use of emoticons on dating sites. Some say they wouldn't respond to one because it's not as respectful as a message. In other cases, emoticons can be a sign of something to come. I look back on a girl I was once attracted to. Before I met her, I had been praying through the intercession of St. Therese of Lisieux for a girlfriend who would not damage me spiritually. The Fourth of July came and I had a love-at-first-sight-moment with a simple farm girl from Oklahoma named Mandy. It was a great friendship that developed quickly.

As I tried to fall asleep that night, I wondered if she was the one I had been praying for. I knew that people often asked St. Therese for a flower to confirm what they were asking for in prayer. I asked St. Therese that she pray to God that if anyone gave me a flower the next day, I would know that Mandy would be the one who I had been praying for, because no one had ever given me a flower before. The next day Mandy and I spent the day picking strawberries and sharing our faith and dreams about the future. 

On the way back home, I felt inspiration and drove to the river. We took a walk, and on the way, she smiled and picked me a daisy. I still remember that moment clearly, even though it was twelve years ago. When I looked at her, it was with awe. I didn't tell her about the sign I had prayed for. Later that evening, when we were headed back to our friend's house to make short-cake, Mandy gave all her strawberries away to a bag lady we bumped into. That spontaneous charity attracted me to her even more. After that, I pursued her passionately and tried to win her heart. Once she had returned home, we corresponded for several months through letters, and later I flew down to see her. I told her I loved her. But this story did not have a made-for-TV ending, even with the flower. Because she was meant for, and married, another man.

Years later, I found myself thinking again about that daisy. Hadn't God answered my prayer? Why did she not choose me? As I thought about it, I realized that the significance of the daisy was that it activated my will. It caused me to pursue her, to try to win her heart. My habit before that was never to be spontaneous in pursuing a woman I was attracted to. I would have never dreamt of jumping on a plane to see her, or tell her how I felt about her. The daisy was meant for me and it was a sign that broke my inhibitions. Even now, I thank God for it every day, because that simple little flower encouraged me, a guy who would have never shaken the cobwebs from his heart had it been otherwise, to love.

We can all be held back from finding love by our inhibitions that we aren't even aware of. With modern technology in on-line dating, we have digital emoticons to provide us another avenue to meet our soul mate and another remedy to break through the barriers of our inhibitions. Although I don't need an emoticon to activate my will, when someone sends me one, or responds to one I sent, it sure does help! Like the sign we ask for in prayer, we sometimes need that little something extra to activate our hearts to love again, after they have been dormant so long in a loveless slumber. Don't be turned off to the possibilities. A simple handpicked flower from the field or one fresh from digitized cyber-space could be that which wakes up your heart.