A Struggle that I'll Gladly Accept

It seems just when I am sadly wallowing in some selfish "woe is me" pity-party, the Lord allows other struggles to creep in make my battle with loneliness and homesickness seem like peanuts. I'm not sure that God really knows what He's doing in this case - ha! I do NOT mean that in a blasphemous manner because, of course, I know that God is awesome and knows what He's doing...always. The problem is that He seems to continually hand ME these challenges and struggles. Seriously? I got in to a discussion the other day with someone who said they were against abortion but they were pro-choice. And my response? Went something along the lines of, "I appreciate what you're saying (WHAT?) but I believe in the sanctity of life at all stages." Boy, I showed her, right? UGH! I drew a blank on what to say! I know why I'm pro-life and I know why I love and adore the Catholic Church and all of Her Sacraments but I stink at apologetics. I usually end up stammering something about having the faith of a child - in that I'm not sure how to voice what I believe but that I trust God so completely that I just believe for the sake of belief! Not to say I don't study and grow and learn and question and all of that but, at the end of the day, I just believe.

Now comes the struggle of translating this child-like faith into action because, in fact, I am not a child and I have my own children to help get in to Heaven. This means doing what I can to protect them from the ickiness of the world from secular sources like television, movies, music, and the internet. But, sadly, I'm finding that I am having to protect them more and more from those people and places that are under the banner of our Church. I'm having to do battle with their schools, their teachers, their coaches, and their priests. I mean, come on, it's me, Kelly! When I attempt to discuss my approach with my family or close friends, they always say something like "you're such a rebel" I'm truly not trying to be rebellious or disrespectful. I certainly don't claim to know everything or even a lot about the Church. I do, however, know that it boils down to me arming my children with the best opportunity for Eternal Salvation and that means going to bat (if not war) with those that are under the guise of teaching my kids religion at their Catholic catholic schools.

You know the ones, we must promote anti-bullying because that is what Christ would do if He were here - ok, yes, He most certainly would not do harm physically or emotionally to anyone and fighting for the protection of those affected by bullying is important. But, hey, how 'bout we start with putting Him first!? Let's go to Mass every day or at least every week! Let's not relegate the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass to "special occassions". We pay a TON of money to insure that we have a say in our children's education and we choose a Catholic school because we hope and pray that this will insure they are prepared spiritually for battles with the devil and the sometimes-evil world. So, having my 10th grader (9th grade at the time) read a foul-mouthed book which glorifies masturbation (um, hello, masturbation is a sin - not because the Church teaches that all feed good actions are bad but because masturbation is a form of sex and it is the epitomy of selfishness. It is all about making YOU feel good and has nothing to do with marital blessings! OK, I'm done, sorry) is not exactly a point that makes me want to happily send in my $630 a month in tuition payments. But, I can have a discussion with my son about this and I have and it was productive and good. Unfortunately, many, many families just keep their blinders on and feel like their kids are going to hear about it anyway so why not at a safe place like their local Catholic school? UGH and UGH!

In all seriousness, I thought that was a big enough crisis for me to handle until I got a lovely email from my younger children's Catholic catholic school giving us parents information on the school's retreat team. Three women that have been Catholic their whole lives and have been educated on retreats through an impressive (to them) list of whos-who of spiritual leaders (code for not necessarily Catholic) I hate to say anything uncharitable about these women as they truly feel "called" to do this and they are only following the guidance of, well, someone. OK, I'm totally not saying that three women or even one hundred women cannot put on a faith-filled retreat because I've been to several wonderful ones that were put on primarily by women. But, these retreats all began and/or ended with Mass and also included Eucharistic Adoration and, most times, Confession! They were Catholic first and spiritual second - make sense? The retreat team sent home a "homework" list for us to help prepare our children for their retreats. They listed websites and books to use as a guide. Ummm...WOW! 3 of the 4 websites were filled with all of this crap about "new world" and "inner peacefulness" and "inward/outward spiritualism" What.In.The.World? For maybe every 200 words did I see the word God or Jesus. I guess the retreat team is planning on a retreat filled with meditation, yoga, deep-breathing, and inner peace. Holy Moses!

Let the battle begin...again. I thought I should sit and pray with this new development for a while so as not to go in to attack mode without thinking! I have NO IDEA what I should say or how to phrase it. I know, one thing, and this will be easy - no way are my kids attending these retreats!! They will be staying home and I'll take them to Mass or something. I guess the issue is that I'm continually shocked by all of this! There are a gazillion non-denominational or non-Catholic churches out there, why can't we remain true to OUR Church? Why does everything have to be watered down? This upsets me way more than the book with the masturbation in it (how many times can I say the m word?) I know how to battle that one head on but to go to battle on an issue where I am clearly in the minority scares the crap out of me. Not because I really care about what they will think of me - as of now, they think NOTHING of me or my family so oh well! I care because I want to be a true voice of the Church and I want to approach it in a way that will be helpful and clear. I want them to know we don't have to teach our kids watered down versions of our Faith. We can teach them the amazing gift of the Sacraments and the awe-inspiring blessing of Eucharistic Adoration and we can incorporate that in to the whole anti-bullying crap! We can have it all as long as it starts and ends with the Holy Sacrifice of th Mass!!

Sadly, the problem is that there is no priestly involvement at the school - AT ALL! Whew! Please pray for me as I do battle - that I may be God's voice and that I become less so that God can become more!

...here we go!

HABEMUS PAPAM!!!

Just the Pope settling his bill at the hotel before heading to the papal apartment!

Pope Francis (as Cardinal) riding the bus instead of taking the limo!
I have been asked by more than a few people what my opinion is about our new pope, Pope Francis. I'm always a little thrown aback when criticisms fly about a man that has only been pope for about 4 days...really??? First of all, do we or do we not believe that the Holy Spirit is in charge of our dear Church? It's the year 2013 and the Church still stands! It stands despite there being years of "false popes", "bought popes", clergy abuse, abuses of Vatican II, and other things! So, I am to understand that we pray to the Holy Spirit (and the Blesed Mother and Our Savior and...)and proclaim that we trust His workings and, yet, have the gaul to question whether this "guy" is the right person for the job of pope? Again...really???
Secondly, what the heck do I know? Really, what do any of us know about the true intentions of the person in which most of us laid eyes on for the first time on the balcony at the Vatican? He's a Jesuit - holy, moly! I know that the United States Jesuits tend to be more focused on social concerns and other more liberal ideologies - hello, Georgetown University - but, hello, University of Notre Dame (NOT a Jesuit-run university) There are problems with all sorts of groups in our Church because, here's the shocker, they are run by flawed humans! And, I believe, the pope is one of those flawed humans but he has been ordained by the H.O.L.Y. S.P.I.R.I.T. to be the rock of our Church and we dare to question his sincerity? 4 days after the election?
This ain't Obama, for goodness sakes! We're not talking about millions of voters with selfish agendas coming together to vote for the president! We have to trust...we have to believe...we have to PRAY!
As for me, I think he seem genuine and sweet and humble and gentle and prayerful and he stands up for life - from conception to natural death! Seems like a win for me - a win for my Church!!

Vote

Weep

29 April 2010

Weep, Rachel! Baby Boy Aborted Alive and Left to Die
from Catholic Online by Jennifer Hartline


I would have taken him in a heartbeat and loved him. You probably would have as well. I know there are countless couples out there who would have given anything for the gift of him. I know when you read about what happened to him, you will be as angry as I am at this moment. Then you will, hopefully, weep as I am at this moment. He deserves every tear we can shed and then some.

The story of this horrible evil deserves righteous anger. It is entirely appropriate to scream and wail. There doesn't seem to be nearly enough wailing – that may be what is beginning to bother me most. I am enraged by the overriding hush.

The UK Telegraph reported April 28 that in the town of Rossano, Italy, a 22 week-old baby boy was aborted alive, wrapped in a sheet with his umbilical cord still attached and left alone to die. 20 hours later, he was discovered by a priest who went to pray beside his body and noticed that the baby was moving and breathing. Doctors then had the baby taken to a neighboring hospital to be cared for in a neonatal intensive care unit, where he ultimately died, nearly two days after being ripped from his mother's womb and discarded like trash.

His mother decided to end his life because prenatal scans suggested he was disabled. Suggested. Possibly disabled; declared unworthy to live. He was murdered by heartless animals wearing lab coats, who have medical degrees hung in frames on their office walls. He was handed over to death by the one who was entrusted by God with his care, and he was killed and thrown away by those who take an oath to “first do no harm.”

It's time to stop tip-toeing around, sugar-coating our language for fear of sounding offensive. What's offensive is what was done to this child. What's offensive is the barbaric execution of babies in the womb in the name of “reproductive freedom.” What's offensive is that societies at large turn their eyes away, pretend not to notice, and justify the evil being masqueraded as a “right.”

How I long to hear Rachel weeping! How I long to see her wail at the top of her lungs, cover her head with ashes and mourn for her children! “A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because her children are no more.” Jeremiah 31:15

Instead, it is the anti-Rachel who presently exerts her influence and power over us. The anti-Rachel is heard in the voice of Planned Parenthood, NARAL, NOW, Emily's List, Catholics for Choice, Catholics United, the judges and politicians who protect abortion “rights” and yes, our President. The anti-Rachel sits in the seat of power in our country and around the world, and weeping for our children has been eschewed; now we declare victory and “freedom” won by their calculated deaths.

The anti-Rachel said just today that abortion must be kept safe and legal and whether or not it is rare is beside the point.
“If those 1.21 million abortions represent only the women who could access abortion financially, geographically or otherwise, then that number is too low. Yes, too low....Do we dare admit that increasing the number of abortions might be not only good for women's health, but also moral and just?” RHReality Check, “Keep Abortion Safe and Legal? Yes. Make it Rare? Not the Point.” by Aimée Thorne-Thomsen

I would love to hear Ms. Thorne-Thomsen defend what was done to that baby boy in Italy this week, and defend it she must if she insists abortion is just and moral!


Where is the statement from Planned Parenthood extolling the courageous service of this doctor in providing the mother the “reproductive health services” she needed? It should not make one iota of difference to them how this baby died. All that matters is that his mother wanted him killed and the doctor tore him out of the womb. As long as he ultimately died, the details are irrelevant. After all, abortion is abortion is abortion. What difference does it make how it's accomplished? So what if the insentient blob of tissue, the little parasite, the disabled fetus, the unplanned and unwanted intruder doesn't die right away? Whether in the womb, halfway out of the womb, or delivered and laying on an instrument table, who cares? So what if it dies hours or days later, having been thrown in the corner with the dirty laundry?

No, the voices of anti-Rachel cannot be sad for the death of this baby boy. Death is the necessary fruit of their labors. The most they can do is plead for the cause of better-trained doctors who are responsible and skilled enough to make sure they get the job done right on the first try. The tragedy for them here is that yet another doctor has failed to provide women the care they deserve.

The manner of this child's death is horrifying beyond belief, but it's not the location of his death that makes it a homicide! He was the very same 22 week-old infant hours earlier when he was kicking and growing inside his mother's womb! He was the very same human being the moment he died as the moment before he was aborted. That he died slowly, nearly two days after the abortion, only means he was clumsily murdered.

I know there will be many people in many countries who will be outraged over this child's death. They may weep and feel furiously angry. But will it matter? When the next opportunity comes to usher Rachel into the seat of power, that laws of life may be written in place of the current laws of death, will the millions remember this little boy and their anger over his murder?

In our own nation, will the millions who say they recognize the humanity of the child in the womb remember this precious child and finally denounce the mythical “right” of abortion? Will they take their anger to the ballot box in defense of the sanctity of human life?

Will Catholics in America finally live the undeniable truth of the faith they claim to believe? Human life is sacred and created by God. Abortion kills a child. No one has the right to kill a child. Abortion is intrinsically evil. This is what the Church teaches, yet scores of self-described Catholics either brush aside or flat-out reject this truth and carry the banner of “choice” instead. Why?

Why would this child's death have been legal, moral, just, and acceptable if only he had died immediately?

How long will we choose the curse over the blessing?

Why isn't Rachel's weeping a deafening roar?

Rachel absolutely must refuse to be comforted over the brutal death of this child and every child who is killed in the name of “choice.”

(This boy was killed in Italy, but it happens here in the U.S. more than anyone will admit, despite our Born Alive Infant Protection Act. Read more at Jill Stanek.)

Bravo!!!

April 27, 2009
The Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.
President
University of Notre Dame

Dear Father Jenkins,

When you informed me in December 2008 that I had been selected to receive Notre Dame’s Laetare Medal, I was profoundly moved. I treasure the memory of receiving an honorary degree from Notre Dame in 1996, and I have always felt honored that the commencement speech I gave that year was included in the anthology of Notre Dame’s most memorable commencement speeches. So I immediately began working on an acceptance speech that I hoped would be worthy of the occasion, of the honor of the medal, and of your students and faculty.

Last month, when you called to tell me that the commencement speech was to be given by President Obama, I mentioned to you that I would have to rewrite my speech. Over the ensuing weeks, the task that once seemed so delightful has been complicated by a number of factors.

First, as a longtime consultant to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, I could not help but be dismayed by the news that Notre Dame also planned to award the president an honorary degree. This, as you must know, was in disregard of the U.S. bishops’ express request of 2004 that Catholic institutions “should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles” and that such persons “should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions.” That request, which in no way seeks to control or interfere with an institution’s freedom to invite and engage in serious debate with whomever it wishes, seems to me so reasonable that I am at a loss to understand why a Catholic university should disrespect it.

Then I learned that “talking points” issued by Notre Dame in response to widespread criticism of its decision included two statements implying that my acceptance speech would somehow balance the event:

• “President Obama won’t be doing all the talking. Mary Ann Glendon, the former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, will be speaking as the recipient of the Laetare Medal.”

• “We think having the president come to Notre Dame, see our graduates, meet our leaders, and hear a talk from Mary Ann Glendon is a good thing for the president and for the causes we care about.”

A commencement, however, is supposed to be a joyous day for the graduates and their families. It is not the right place, nor is a brief acceptance speech the right vehicle, for engagement with the very serious problems raised by Notre Dame’s decision—in disregard of the settled position of the U.S. bishops—to honor a prominent and uncompromising opponent of the Church’s position on issues involving fundamental principles of justice.

Finally, with recent news reports that other Catholic schools are similarly choosing to disregard the bishops’ guidelines, I am concerned that Notre Dame’s example could have an unfortunate ripple effect.

It is with great sadness, therefore, that I have concluded that I cannot accept the Laetare Medal or participate in the May 17 graduation ceremony.

In order to avoid the inevitable speculation about the reasons for my decision, I will release this letter to the press, but I do not plan to make any further comment on the matter at this time.

Yours Very Truly,

Mary Ann Glendon

Mary Ann Glendon is Learned Hand Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. A member of the editorial and advisory board of First Things, she served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican from 2007 to 2009.

I Think This Sums It Up Perfectly!!

For Life!