I was just thinking about abortion and thought: "Would it bother us more if they used GUNS?" If so, we need to contemplate that. Maybe it is the image people prefer to ignorantly have in their minds (the reality is a horror) of "a lady goes in and has a procedure done and comes out." That seems pretty "simple enough" and not enough to alarm me...I may be able to say, "Hey, it's her business what medical procedure she's doing, it's her body..." But, maybe it would be harder for you to say that if they used GUNS. If the doctor actually somehow used a gun to shoot the live growing human unborn baby. We imagine "guns" as "violent." I think so many keep themselves so uninformed on abortion PROCEDURES to protect themselves from what it really is---a very painful and very cruel way to maim, torture, and kill innocent victims: the vulnerable human growing preborn baby. Who wants to spend their free coffee break looking up all the info on that?? It's easier to the mind to just be "pro-choice" and be done with it...after all, it's not YOU that would ever choose to abort your child. Easy-peasy. Next cup, please! :)
But, in reality, we need to be the adults we are...the Catholics we are. We need to stop and take the time to inform ourselves on this issue that is a BIG issue...in fact, God may just see this as the biggest issue. Life. Human life. God's gift. God's generous, merciful, poured out from His Heart gift. Clothed in dignity. Named by Him as "chosen" and "child" and "friend".....
It's easy to wrap our thoughts around 401k's (it's much much cooler) and the stock market (very cool, too) and thoughts about oil prices and the like. Abortion? Wow. "I don't want to get involved" many of us cop out and think. "Too deep for me!" Some KNOW it is a big issue and with their "crowd", they'd become "one of them" if they chose to say loudly, " I am PROLIFE and ANTI abortion." "One of them"...*shivers down your spine* who wants that??! "Those pro-lifers are just weird and so extreme" you think, "I don't want to be associated with that." "I have my job to look after and this would not go over well"....etc etc. Humans have so many excuses for NOT standing up against something so vile. It feels better to stand up for tree rights and water rights and baby turtle egg protection rights....THAT makes you look good and feel good. But, abortion??? Can't I just be "against" it personally, but let others make their own choice? That is an easy cop out and lazy man's way out....and selfish. No, it is not enough to sit on a fence. ("I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! ") ("So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.").
God does not want fence sitters when it comes to major issues...in fact, He probably doesn't like fence sitting period (fence sitters are pretty irritating!). But, for the murder of the innocents (like Herod), He certainly does not take the issue of killing innocent babies lightly ("thou shalt not murder..")....these are humans HE created and created a soul for and put into the baby ("from my mother's womb, you are my God!" "I am fearfully and wonderfully made")....He thought of them from all eternity, He named them....He loves them, NOT less than you!, but as much as you......In His eyes, they are not less than you....
Is it perhaps that we as Catholics have lost our SALT?? ("You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.")
Yes, I think that's it. That is the only way a real practicing Catholic can justify abortion (oh, excuse me--"pro-choice").
God is pro-choice and his choice is to leave you, nay trust you, with making the choice of life ("I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live"). He does allow us the choice to murder, it is a part and parcel of "freewill" that He wants us to have. But, he also says, "Thou shalt not murder." Then, He brings up the "woe to..." and "eternal fires.." and that stuff....yes, hell. That is how serious murdering innocent growing human (made in His image) life is to Him (who created it!).* We want to (like Satan) make ourselves "gods" and determine what is really right and wrong...instead of bowing in humility and accepting that we are NOT gods....we are just blessed to have been given the gift of life ourselves from our Creator. We are but dust. (" I am nothing but dust and ashes"). Dust and ashes with pride and thinking we are our own gods and wanting to make our own faith up, our own rules...instead of humbly subitting to our Creator...our loving benevolent Creator.
Jesus said, "I am the Way"...what is "the way?"...it is a path to be followed...Jesus said: "I am the truth"...so we have no other source of truth...everything else is diluted....and Jesus said: "This is my body, GIVEN UP FOR YOU." and we hear some women scream, "This is my body, I'll do what the heck I want with it!" The latter does not seem to be following "the way." The way is "Given up for you"...very Eucharistic...broken bread...be that bread broken for others to give them life........serve others....NOT self....
So, it is so un-Catholic to be pro-abortion (or, as some rather say as it sounds much "nicer", pro-choice). We have so many excellent writings from Holy Mother Church on the subject (most all online, too). We need to read them. We need to absorb what we read with an open humble heart. Then, we need to become brave as St Paul or Daniel...and say loudly, "I AM A CATHOLIC AND I AM PROLIFE." "I cannot vote for any politician that is for abortion (not pro-life)." I wish I could in my weakness of wanting to fit in or have it easy...but, in truth, I cannot. I must live the truth I know: Life is holy and sacred and we cannot abort it under any circumstance.
(this is corrected from earlier as I typed it incorrectly and sounded aweful:)
The Roman Catholic Church does not condemn procedures which result, indirectly, in the loss of the unborn child as a "secondary effect." See: St Gianna as a shining example.
The life of the mother may be at stake where she has, for example, a cancerous tumor where it must be operated on OR she will die and yet if she chooses to have such an operation, she will her baby. That was my line of thinking when I was thinking "if the life of a mother is at stake", but, you are correct, it would not be to go ahead and ABORT the baby first. You still leave it up to God, perhaps the baby wouldn't die although medical science says it will/should.
It did sound originally written that you could abort prior to the life threatening circumstance. You can never abort, but an abortion just might happen in such a circumstance and you still can go ahead if you wish to save your life and have such an operation, knowing it would kill your baby.
Anyhow, this is what I meant and I am glad you called me on this to clarify it up! )
How wonderful if every democrat Catholic chose the CATHOLIC FAITH as their religion and not the Democratic party! How wonderful if LIFE was the deciding factor of who you choose...until it can become illegal to abort preborn Americans (hey, we protect so many other things that are less...like turtle eggs!)....How nice if both parties were pro-life.....then, you could get to other meaty issues of the day like social justice,etc. Then we could have intelligent discussions and fun lively debates...not this vehement hatred spewed constantly between both parties...that hatred stems from ONE issue only: LIFE. You're either pro-life or you are not...and Satan is on the side of "not" and you can FEEL this hatred tossed to anyone who is pro-life...they are MOCKED as real stupid idiots....primitive in thought...etc. That is Satan.
Well, what a meaty deep coffee break! :P But, we need more coffee breaks like this amongst Catholics because God will hold us Catholics responsible for the abortions...we KNOW better and we choose to still vote otherwise. That's terrible. Shame on us! Others might really not know better...it's time for US to stand up for the unborn created humans. Yes, US. It's time to take the hit, so to speak. It's time to say no to your union who forces you to vote democrat practically because it is good for them and their issues.....there is a higher issue at stake and don't think you'll die and face your judgment all alone face-to-face with God and He won't bring it up....there will be untold millions of little baby faces looking over his shoulder.
Be a courageous Catholic, take the "hit" if needed, but BE and VOTE PROLIFE.
Well, my coffee break is over...thanks for visiting with me and discussing this. :)))
"If I had only one sermon to preach
it would be a sermon against pride."
Gilbert K. Chesterton
An extract from 'Thoughts from St Alphonsus' by Rev C McNeiry C.SS.R -
"But tell me, my sweet Infant, why dost thou turn thine eyes on every side? What art thou looking for? Yes, replies Jesus, I turn my eyes around, for I am seeking some soul that desires me."
*Sidenote: remember, if you had an abortion & regret it, you can go to confession and confess it...and your confessor will walk you through what to do for real healing and help you find groups to help you in your journey, too...never get discouraged, that is what Satan wants. When we are discouraged, we make poor discisions....Satan wants that. Remember: God created you with deep and much love. Nothing changes that. Jesus died on the Cross to take the hit for our sins. The precious blood of Jesus is very powerful...Jesus even says it can make you "white as snow"...so, do not be discourged. Humans are fragile. That's why God set up confession...because he knew we would fall and have to get back up...he wanted to help us to get back up :)))
2 comments:
Hello, A superb post, but one statement really worries me i.e 'that if a pregnant woman really would face certain death if she chose not to have an abortion, then she could morally choose to have the baby aborted'. I have always understood that the Church's teaching on this probably quite rare situation, is that every effort must be made to save the life of both mother and baby. It is not allowed to deliberately abort the baby under any circumstances, but if the baby should die whilst every effort was being made to save both mother and baby, clearly that is God's will. I don't know where your information came from about this particular contingency, but with respect I think it wrong. Kind regards.Brian C.
Yes, I didn't word it correctly.
I was thinking about The Roman Catholic Church does not condemn procedures which result, indirectly, in the loss of the unborn child as a "secondary effect." (Thus cited St Gianna).
The life of the mother may be at stake where she has, for example, a cancerous tumor where it must be operated on OR she will die and yet if she chooses to have such an operation, she may lose her baby.
This is what I meant and I am glad you called me on this to clarify it up!
I usually type while multi-tasking and sometimes what I think doesn't fully transcribe :P
Kelly :)/A Catholic Cappucino, Please.
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