Evangelium Vitae Novena Day 1 - Contraception #EVN2016

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Welcome prolife prayer warriors!

As we recall the gift of the great encyclical from Pope John Paul II - Evangelium Vitae - let us call to mind the great need our world has for prayer.

The spilling of innocent blood through abortion and other atrocities against humanity can only be reparated by the pure and Precious Blood of Jesus Christ. With this Novena we contribute our own small effort by petitioning God for the healing of our culture of the following ills.

Contraception * Abortion * Euthanasia * Exploitation (embryonic stem cells, cloning, etc.) * Sex trafficking * Legislators * Clergy * Laity * Chastity

Welcome to Day 1 of our Evangelium Vitae Novena! Please join us in praying for today's intention: an end to the contraceptive mentality which has brought so much chaos into the world. And please remember to pray the daily prayer. God bless you all.

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Daily prayer: Pope Saint John Paul II's Prayer to our Lady.

O Mary
bright dawn of the new world,
Mother of the living,
to you do we entrust the cause
Look down, O Mother,
upon the vast numbers
of babies not allowed to be born,
of the poor whose lives are made difficult,
of men and women
who are victims of brutal violence,
of the elderly and the sick killed
by indifference or out of misguided mercy.
Grant that all who believe in your Son
may proclaim the Gospel of Life
with honesty and love
to the people of our time.
Obtain for them the grace
to accept that Gospel
as a gift ever new,
the joy of celebrating it with gratitude
throughout their lives
and the courage to bear witness to it
resolutely, in order to build,
together with all people of good will,
the civilisation of truth and love,
to the praise and glory of God,
the Creator and lover of life.

Day 1: March 16, 2016 - For an end to the contraceptive mentality.

As the domestic church, the family is summoned to proclaim, celebrate and serve the Gospel of life. This is a responsibility which first concerns married couples, called to be givers of life, on the basis of an ever greater awareness of the meaning of procreation as a unique event which clearly reveals that human life is a gift received in order then to be given as a gift. In giving origin to new life, parents recognise that the child, "as the fruit of their mutual gift of love, is, in turn, a gift for both of them, a gift which flows from them." EV 92 

Heavenly Father, please grant all women the grace to acknowledge the awe-inspiring potential of their bodies to bear new life through your creative power. Allow a greater communication between men and women in order to help them use their creative potential wisely and to be open to life within the institution of marriage. AMEN

Please share this effort with your family and friends and continue to work toward the hopeful goal of a world that respects all life - from fertilization to natural death. 

Remember to us hashtag #EvangeliumVitae when using Twitter.

You may also join the Evangelium Vitae Novena Facebook event  for daily reminders and the opportunity for interaction with like-minded prolife advocates.

If you'd like a bit of history behind the struggle for the respect of life, check out my column at Catholic Stand.

You can also find the daily meditation graphics for sharing on Facebook on the Designs by Birgit fan page. 

In His Name for Life, Birgit J

Please Join the 2nd Annual Evangelium Vitae Novena

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Last year, the Feast of the Annunciation, marked the twentieth anniversary of a prolife gift given to the Church and to the world by Saint Pope John Paul II – Evangelium Vitae (Gospel of Life). In an effort to bring the light of Truth to the darkness of the Culture of Death, a Novena was created and shared in honor of this powerfully prolife encyclical. This worldwide effort reached all corners of the globe and sought a common prayer to restore the respect for life.

This year, the second annual Evangelium Vitae Novena is at hand – beginning on March 16 – and promises to be an even larger success. Prolife people from around the world have already signed up on the Facebook Evangelium Vitae event page. More will be following along on this blog or on the Designs by Birgit fan page, where daily petitions will be published.

Won’t you prayerfully consider not only joining us yourself, but inviting your friends and family to do the same?

"For where there are two or three gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."  Matthew 18:20

What Is Evangelium Vitae?

The encyclical Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life) sought to bring attention to the innocent blood spilled through abortion and other atrocities against life. The Culture of Death had taken a firm grip on the world and the life-affirming message of Humanae Vitae, by Pope Paul VI was being largely ignored. In addition to abortion, the world had embraced other forewarned evils such as contraception, embryonic stem cell research, euthanasia, and commodification of women as well as children.

We Are Sliding Deeper Into the Abyss

Now, as the depravity continues to build, is a time ripe for a concerted effort of united prayer. Recently it has come to light that Planned Parenthood is selling aborted baby parts, even to the point of harvesting still living preborn to fulfill the ‘orders’ being placed by universities and research labs. Government and surgeons in Great Britain are considering an effort to convince mothers to bring disabled babies to term – not to save their lives, but to use them for spare parts in organ donation.

There Is Much We Can Do

The spilling of innocent blood through abortion and other atrocities can only be reparated by the pure and Precious Blood of Jesus Christ. As a plea for healing in our world we share a special Novena here. It was an inspired group effort, initiated by my friend in Australia. Her blog, Light Up the Darkness, shares a treasure trove of prolife information. The meditations were written by her hand and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

  

Each day also brings a relevant excerpt of Evangelium Vitae. The text was approved and foreword written by Father Vincent Edward Mark Bertrand, MA, MDiv, JCL Founder/Director of Marian Advocates for Life.

My part in this endeavor is the creation of the graphics and a bit of publicity.

What Is the Plan?

We will be praying daily for issues relevant to the respect for life. Each day will have a unique intention and excerpt of Evangelium Vitae:

           Petitions (Come back for daily updates):

· Day 1 March 16 - Contraception

· Day 2 March 17 - Abortion

· Day 3 March 18 - Euthanasia

· Day 4 March 19 - Exploitation (embryonic stem cells, cloning, etc.)

· Day 5 March 20 - Sex trafficking

· Legislators

· Clergy

· Laity

· Chastity

For your convenience, I will also be sharing the daily meditations as graphics daily. They will be available both on the Evangelium Vitae Novena Facebook event and on the Designs by Birgit Facebook fan page, as well as on this blog.

How can you participate?

I'm glad you asked! Here are a few suggestions:

·         Please prayerfully consider joining us, these nine days (March 16 - 24), in praying for the strengthening of respect for all life - from fertilization until natural death.  

·         There is an Evangelium Vitae Novena Facebook event you may join for daily reminders and the opportunity for interaction with like-minded prolife advocates.  

·         If you'd like a bit of history behind the struggle for the respect of life, check out this column at Catholic Stand.

·         The text of Fr. Bertrand's foreword and the prayer by Pope John Paul II and daily meditations can be found here and here. 

·         Use the hashtag #EV2016 when tweeting about this Novena or any prolife issue during this time.

·         Use your own social media to share and promote this prolife effort.

Please join us from March 16 until the final prayer on the Feast of the Annunciation on March 25. Thank you and God bless you for your advocacy for LIFE!

 In His Name for Life, 

Birgit J

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2nd Annual Evangelium Vitae Novena was also published at 365 Catholic

Evangelium Vitae Novena: Join Us Wherever You Are!

March 16, 2016 will mark the beginning of the 2nd Annual Evangelium Vitae Novena. In preparation for this worldwide prolife effort, I would like to share an endorsement from a wonderfully prolife priest.

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Dear friends in Christ and in LIFE,

My warm greetings to you as we complete our observance of Lent and join Catholics and all Christians in this grace-filled Season of Renewal in our faith, and prepare for the joyful celebration of Easter 2016 and embrace our Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and as Savior of the world!

It is a joy and honor to join our wonderful pro-life brothers and sisters in encouraging Catholics and all Christians to mark the 21st Anniversary of the powerful Encyclical "The Gospel of Life" from St. John Paul the Great by praying the blessed Evangelium Vitae Novena this month of March.

In the encyclical Evangelium Vitae (Latin: "The Gospel of Life"), Pope John Paul II expresses the position of the Catholic Church regarding the value and inviolability of all human life from conception through natural death. The Pope issued the encyclical on 25 March 1995, and we join pro-life friends around the world in praying this Novena as we together renew our commitment to our pro-life ministries and to upholding and promoting the values of LIFE here in the 21st century.

I have been blessed as a lay Catholic Christian to be a leader and minister in the respect life movement since 1976, just three years after the sad anniversary of legalized abortion in the United States. And I have been blessed to continue ministry in the pro-life movement as a priest since my ordination in 1987, especially as founder and director of the international organization Marian Advocates for Life, a ministry encouraging prayer for LIFE and for all respect life ministries around the world.

Many of us are involved in various pro-life activities, such as respect life education, lobbying for pro-life legislation and helping elect pro-life government officials, ministering with pregnancy care centers, etc. But I really believe that PRAYER must be at the heart of all our ministry for LIFE, and that we must trust that God is at the center of all our ministry. So in that belief, I truly hope that YOU will join in this Evangelium Vitae Novena, and I trust that all of our prayers for LIFE together will truly be a blessing and powerful witness for LIFE March 16-25!

With my blessings and sincere appreciation for your support of this beautiful Novena , I am Yours in Christ and in LIFE,

Fr. Vincent E. Bertrand, MA, MDiv, JCL

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Many thanks to Fr. Vincent for his thoughtful introduction‬. Please join us in praying the 2nd Annual Evangelium Vitae Novena, beginning on March 17, 2016. The daily prolife petitions
can be found as a new post, each day, on this blog.

In addition, you may want to join the Evangelium Vitae Novena event page or check it out at Designs by Birgit.

Look for, and use, the official Twitter moniker as well -   ‪#‎EV2016

Sliding Deeper Into the Culture of Death

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Planned Parenthood's Culture of Death

By now most of us have seen or heard about Planned Parenthood committing abortions and using the body parts of these little victims as a commodity. The videos are presented, each one worse than the previous, by The Center for Medical Progress. They incrementally drive home the point until the depravity can only be denied by accusations that the videos were somehow forged.

They were not falsified, however. An outside firm, experienced in such matters, has authenticated that what we are seeing and hearing is indeed the brokering for aborted baby parts. In one video a tiny yet fully formed baby is actually still moving, his heart beating, as he lays in a basin waiting to be butchered.

British Culture of Death

Now enter the British government and a group of transplant surgeons. According the Life News, "British government officials are considering a new program to encourage women to consider giving birth to babies diagnosed with fatal illnesses, rather than have an abortion, so that the babies’ organs can be harvested after they die."

Upon first reading the headline to this story, my mind simply refused to process what the words were portraying. While asking these mothers to reconsider abortion, the plan to use these little ones as spare parts is as inhuman as it is inhumane. Women are being asked to bring their children to term for the express purpose of harvesting their organs.

Of course, the excuse is similar to one often given for abortion in general. The baby falls short of what society calls normal. In some form or fashion, this Child of God is considered less worthy of life because of some physical and/or mental variation.

Let that sink in, because it seems to me that we have become so inundated with the horrors of the Culture of Death, that we no longer want to ponder the issue. It is just too painful. It is just too unbelievable. It is too difficult to comprehend and still go about our normal daily lives.

There's More

As reported in the Daily Mail “In some cases, where donation has been agreed, babies could be certified brain dead but their bodies kept alive by artificial ventilation. Surgeons could then remove organs from these so-called ‘heartbeat babies’ when they are fresh, maximising what can be used and the chance of successful transplant.”

This idea presents yet another problem to the already horrific idea. Declaring someone as brain dead isn't always as clear cut as it may sound. There are many cases of injured people who have been pronounced brain dead or in a vegetative state, who later recovered and lived on to tell about it. We must remember that non-paired organs (the heart, for example) are useless unless there is a supply of oxygen to keep them viable. Brain death, then, isn't necessarily a flawlessly precise call - the reason I'm not designated as an organ donor.

A Doctor Speaks Out 

Via Life News: 

Dr. Trevor Stammers, director of bioethics at St. Mary’s University, called the proposal “a ghoulish suggestion” in an statement to the news media.

“It would be frankly abhorrent if transplant doctors were to ask women whose unborn children have been diagnosed with severe defects to let their baby go to term for the sole reason that its body can be raided for its organs,” Stammers said. “The concept reduces the baby to nothing more than a utilitarian means to an end – a collection of spare parts – rather than respecting life for its own sake.”

“Yes, I know those organs can potentially save the lives of others, but at what cost to our humanity?” he continued.

What Can We Do About the Culture of Death?

God, however, has specific plans for us. His gift of Free Will is being abused in ever increasing ways and depths of depravity. But His promise of grace and strength for those who become His Body, here on earth, remains. If our faith is stalwart and true, we will take up the gauntlet and battle the Culture of Death in His Name. We will fearlessly, armed with Faith and Hope, face the giant as did David.

Where to Start?

• Pray for inspiration

• Listen to God for instruction

• Pray for tjhe courage to act

• Arm yourself with knowledge

• Pray for the grace to act justly

• Act in charity

The entire series of eleven videos of Planned Parenthood and their baby body part commerce can be viewed here. There are also many articles that inform readers about the details of the commodification of aborted babies.

Do We Realize What We Are Singing?

You will find this post to be short and to the point. I, among many others, am weary of church songs, masquerading as hymns, portraying something other than Church teaching. First we have every Tom, Dick, and Harriet, who wants to see himself (herself) as a composer, leaving us with what amounts to a roller coaster ride up and down the scale. Empty words, loosely connected to scripture in some vague way, mostly out of context,  and unpoetic poetry are like clanging cymbals in my ears.

I may only be passably musical,  my husband describes my voice as ‘a good voice for blending with others’ , but I do have a hearing ear. Tempo, imagery, and melody do matter but, what matters more is accurate adherence to scripture, dogma, and faith.  Adding synthesized beats, twirling and whirling through the octaves, and being ‘unique’ does not a hymn make. What it does is create a song, albeit not a very good one, which fails the faith test.

Mere Songs or Real Hymns?

There are many such songs in our hymnals today. They prance around,  pretending to be hymns but are really only annoying songs. They are in our pews because of a tacit sin of omission. It goes something like this. The Church asks potential hymns to have the approval of the diocesan bishop. Only then should they appear in our hymnals.

What happens, instead, is the cart is put before the horse. Creative juices flow within the breast of an aspiring music minister and a song is born. This song (not hymn) is added to the ‘music issue’ and makes its grand entrance. The bishop isn’t told, nor does he notice, so there is no objection to this melodious piece of heresy. Viola! Inferred approval is invoked and a new pseudo-hymn is born. Consequently, the people, gnashing their teeth, are bound to sing or to stand by, silently praying for relief.

Below you will find one such song. In the past, we’ve been forced to sing about being Christ for one another, a loosely applicable notion given that we are to lead Christ-like lives. But making the jump from that to actually being the Bread of Life, broken and shared, is just too much. The allusion to the Eucharistic Sacrifice just brings my voice to a screeching halt.

Singing Heresy

Words have meaning and power; within the context of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, it’s vital that composers adhere to Church teaching. Some concepts are simply not true nor are they acceptable. It’s one thing to dislike a song as a matter of taste; it’s quite another when a hymn fails to follow Truth.

O Lord, please spare us and bring us back to the hymns of old. If that can’t be done, won’t you please at least bring back faithful, God-centered hymns? Amen!

Which songs cause you to grind your teeth? Is it a matter of taste or theology? Weigh in by commenting below.

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 I Myself Am the Bread of Life

Refrain

I myself am the bread of life.

You and I are the bread of life.

Taken and blessed, broken and shared by Christ

That the world might live.

Verse 1

This bread is spirit, gift of the Maker’s love,

and we who share it know that we can be one:

a living sign of God in Christ.

Refrain

Verse 2

Here is God’s kingdom given to us as food.

This is our body, this is our blood:

a living sign of God in Christ.

Refrain

Verse 3

Lives broken open, stories shared aloud,

Become a banquet, a shelter for the world:

a living sign of God in Christ.

Refrain

Rory Cooney

© 1987, North American Liturgy Resources, Published by OCP Publications

What About Saint Valentine and Chastity?

A third century martyr, Saint Valentine , was known for being a kind-hearted priest who helped the persecuted Christians. As the patron saint of love, young people, and marriage, the day named for him is hardly a time for lust or a selfish concept of affection. Yet, in typical secular fashion, the Catholic feast day of this saint has been hijacked by commercialization. Saint Valentine’s Day is the third most popular holiday (holy day) when it comes to sales of candies, flowers, and gifts. Instead of focusing on acts of selfless love (true love is always selfless), we are lead to believe that consumerism is that hero of the day, and the truest expression of love involves sensuality and material gifts.

Yet, if we stray away from what is righteous, we expose ourselves to an improper concept of love. The Bible tells us that, after having eaten from the forbidden tree, Adam and Eve knew they were naked and hid from God in shame (Genesis 3:7). Unfortunately, the same scenario replays itself over and over again in modern society – as it has for all ages. Love is mistaken for lust, physical interaction, or showering the object of your affection with material wealth. Genuine, selfless love languishes, ignored along with her counterpart, chastity.

Chastity

Chastity is “sexual behavior of a man or woman that is acceptable to the moral standards and guidelines of their culture, civilization or religion”. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that “all the baptized are called to chastity…All Christ’s faithful are called to lead a chaste life in keeping with their particular states of life…” (CCC, #2348 – emphasis mine)

Unfortunately, as television, movies, and songs become more and more flagrant in their disrespect for the gift of marital sexuality, our consciousness becomes tarnished. Like our first parents, we expose ourselves to a forbidden fruit – illicit sensuality. Perversion is manifested all around us. In this age, we have greater access than ever to all sorts of distorted views. Allowed by a misconception of freedom – Freedom of Speech – this type of sullied entertainment misconstrues the reality of human freedom.

“So called moral permissiveness rests on an erroneous conception of human freedom; the necessary precondition for the development of true freedom is to let oneself be educated in the moral law. Those in charge of education can reasonably be expected to give young people instruction respectful of the truth, the qualities of the heart, and the moral and spiritual dignity of man.” (CCC #2526)

The Fruit of a Lack of Chastity

So where does this lead us, as a society? We’ve seen the results of the slippery slope of perversion – societal acceptance of sodomy – under the guise of gay ‘marriage’, rampant cohabitation, and higher numbers of children born outside marriage. Furthermore, pornography leads to ever increasing deprivation that excels the higher instances of sex trafficking seen today.

Chastity Is Love

If we live up to our God-given respect for the marriage bed, these perversions won’t find their way into our minds and souls. Chastity is the joyous affirmation of someone who knows how to live self-giving, free from any form of self-centered slavery. The chaste person is not self-centered, not involved in selfish relationships with other people. Chastity makes the personality harmonious. It matures and fills the individual with inner peace. (PCF, The Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality: Guidelines for Education Within the Family, December 8, 1995, #17)

What Can We Do to Promote Chastity?

As the people of God, we need to do everything in our power to take action. Passivity is not an option. We have been tasked with sharing the Good News and at the Dismissal of each Mass we are told to go out, nourished and renewed, to live according to the Word – to proclaim the Gospel!

5 Ways to Promote Chastity

1. Advance the ideal of respect for women and girls. Hold up the saints who lead virtuous lives, like Saint Maria Goretti, as models after which to pattern our lives.

2. Live a holy married life to illustrate chastity within the sanctity of marriage. Be a lighted lamp atop a stand for all those around you to see. (Mark 4:21)

3. Guard your eyes and the eyes of your loved ones, lest they fall into a cesspool of deviancy. You might make a point to attend and financially support morally acceptable entertainment.

4. Pray mightily for chastity for all – this includes within marriage.

5. Share available information about the virtue of chastity with those around you. This is not a time to be faint of heart. We have an obligation to proclaim the teachings of Jesus. It’s not an option to hold this information only for ourselves. We are tasked with helping one another get to Heaven.

Read more about Saint Valentine

Crucifix or Cross? Why the Difference Matters

Among the differences between Catholics and Protestants, is the use of the crucifix or cross. This was keenly brought to my attention when a faithful Protestant friend brought her children to the Right to Life office one day. Hanging in a prominent place above the office door, was my Saint Benedict crucifix. When her son asked, “What is that on the cross?”, my stammering response confirmed his innocent question caught me off guard.

Are We Simply Aware or Do We Fully Understand?

So it is with numerous other aspects of our Catholic lives. Cradle Catholics sometimes take outward marks of our faith for granted because they have always been a part of our lives. Although we are aware of Catholic sacramentals and symbols, can we truly say that we understand them? What reply do we offer if we are questioned about a practice, devotion, sacramental, or belief?

Do We Love Enough to Learn?

Many years ago, my Protestant boss habitually asked questions about Catholicism. Although my answers were enough to satisfy his level of curiosity, I experienced an awakening to the fact that my base of knowledge had not continued to develop as I had matured. Yes, the basic tenets of the Catholic faith were there, a surface awareness of the how and why. However, there was a profound need to develop a deeper knowledge to care enough to hunger for details.

It has been said if one truly loves, he wants to intimately know the object of his affection. This is true of worldly interests as well as those of a spiritual nature. For example, a continued study of plants and flowers springs from a deep affinity for gardening. Sure, pretty colors and the pleasure they give can be satisfactory, but there is a yearning for more. It benefits the aspiring gardener to study cultivars, growth habits, environmental needs, and seasons. Thus sustained, the garden is well thought out and flourishes throughout multiple growing seasons, consequently extending the pleasure derived.

What are We Willing to Do?

This begs the question: What are we willing to do to nurture our faith life, allowing it to thrive? After all, we’re contemplating Eternity.

God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. What better illustration of true love is there on this earth? So it comes back down to love. An unfettered love of God is crucial if our spiritual life is to mature because the eternal well-being of our souls relies on nurture and care. Holy Mother Church has certainly provided everything needed for Catholic Christians to blossom; the Bible, Catechism of the Catholic Church, writings of the Church Fathers, and the examples of great saints are just a few of the resources at our disposal.

Just as a garden requires continual effort, so does the soul. Simply planting, watering, and then walking away results in a disorderly, abandoned garden. Relying on childhood sacraments and our mere presence at Sunday Mass has similarly dissatisfying results. To continue to grow in grace and love, our souls need careful tending. The harvest we reap will then fill us with the Presence of God.

Crucifix or Cross: What Is the Answer?

Answering the little boy who visited me with his mother that day, satisfied his curiosity. It was Our Savior Jesus Christ on the cross, Who had died for our sins. But his mother quickly changed the subject and regrettably, an opportunity for evangelization was lost.

What more could I have shared with both of them? Catholics display a crucifix which includes the body of Jesus (corpus) because it reminds us of the greatest gift of love ever given. An empty cross is a simplified, Christian symbol but doesn’t communicate the full story. Jesus died for our sins, an act to which we return each and every time we witness the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. At the moment of Consecration, we are transported, back in time, to the foot of the cross on Calvary. We partake of the Body and Blood of Christ, as He instructed us to do on Holy Thursday, when He said, “Take and eat”.

The crucifix also serves as a compelling reminder to love as He loves and to take up our own cross to follow Him. Therefore, the crucifix is a fitting symbol of His death for our salvation. He was crucified upon it, He died there, and He was taken down from it after death.

Yet it is the Risen Christ Who is with us always. Perhaps a more suitable symbol of the resurrected Christ, then, is the empty tomb – He is no longer there, He has risen. Alleluia!

And so we continue to “…preach Christ crucified.” 1 Corinthians 1:23

Crucifix or Cross? Why the Difference Matters was first published at Catholic Stand

Spina Bifida Baby - She Didn't Ask to Be Born

Sympathy - the feeling that you care about and are sorry about someone else's trouble, grief, misfortune, etc. : a sympathetic feeling

When others experience hardships in life, an appropriate Christian response is to feel sympathy. Many causes rely on this emotional connection in their quest for assistance and donations. While it is virtuous to offer all we can to those who are less fortunate, today's culture has misdirected these natural inclinations. An example of one such instance came across my Facebook news feed today:

""Flower didn't ask for this life, it was thrust upon her by a greedy breeder who wanted to play God and make miniature bulldogs, what she created was an entire litter of bullies with spina bifida and lifelong challenges. It's NOT fair!!! Like all bullies she deserves to live and be happy and this surgery will give her that " -- THE PAY PAL IS ..."

Upside Down Values

It is true, that we have been called to care for all of God's creation. This directive includes the earth and all of the animals who inhabit it. What fails to make sense is the convoluted thinking of a society where animal rights outweigh human rights. The unborn and vulnerable lack even the basic protections demanded for their animal counterparts. There is no denying that we live in a Culture of Death when it comes to God's most cherished creation - humans. A human baby is killed by abortion every 94 seconds - some for the very condition this puppy is experiencing.

Each and every evening television viewers are inundated with sappy commercials, some set to hymns, featuring needy animals. Somehow, the values of society have been turned upside down. While animals enjoy a richer life than ever before, children and the family are suffering.The experimentation on and death of our tiny brethren is ignored by many. In our commercialized world we have reprioritized humans and animals. Uplifting animals is in, while preserving human life is out.

An Equal Look

Take a look at the above quoted appeal again and substitute baby (babies) for the subject. 

• Babies don't ask to be born. 
• Greedy doctors kill babies for profit. 
• Babies with spina bifida face a lifelong challenge. 
• Babies deserve to live and be happy. 

The injustice of this inequality can certainly not be lost on an honest heart and mind.

Purposely omitted above is the accompanying photo of the dog, dressed in a layered tutu and pink headband, begging for your sympathy and money. That will be left to your imagination. Instead, what should be encouraged is for us all to envision the needy children out there who are either abandoned or aborted because someone chooses not to deal with their struggles. 

Realign Values

Before we seek the Nirvana of a world with no suffering pets, let us work toward a world that values human life. All human life is precious. No child is unplanned, unloved, or unwanted by God. Can we do any less than He, Himself, demands?

Ground Hog Day, Every Day

It’s Groundhog Day!

That’s my thought most every morning as I reluctantly roll out of bed. The cozy, warm bed where I can fly by simply bouncing, visit with dearly departed loved ones, and solve any crisis with the greatest of ease. But my feet hitting the floor brings back reality and sometimes there doesn’t appear to be much to smile or to feel some semblance of accomplishment about. So it begins...

Whisper a morning prayer, make the bed, brush my teeth, shrug at the mirror (not going to worry about that bed head), put on my stay-at-home-Nana 'uniform' of choice (a long knit dress), and pad downstairs.

Then, by rote, the daily routine beckon - AGAIN!

• Switch out the two-way light switches (Being OCD make this of utmost importance) and the little levers have to be in the correct position – up=on and down=off) – check.
• Straighten all five bar stools at the counter (didn’t I do this right before bed last night?) – check.
• Cold coffee in coffee pot (yuck) – check. Wash, rinse and fill with hot water (for my hot tea) – check.
• Wash the tiny ‘Whiskies’ (child-speak for whiskers)  left behind by Papa off the bathroom sink – check.
• Fold Papa’s blanket and put away with his pillow (he ‘naps’ before going to bed) – check.
• Fix breakfast for whichever kids are here today – check.
• While they’re eating, load the dishwasher and clean out the sink (BTW, why am I the only one capable of rinsing a sink?) – check.

And this is just the first 20 minutes…you get the idea…right?

Sometimes this routine is almost comical – or is that a hysterical laugh escaping from my clenched lips? It never changes – EVER. But other times, when moved to the pity party compartment of the train of life, I mentally shake myself (maybe even plant a well placed mental slap) and realize that all this exactly what it should be. 

My vocation, after all, is important – even as it appears mundane. Keeping the home fires burning, so to speak, makes for a stable family life. The kiddies depend on me and so does my loving husband who works unbelievably long hours and sacrifices home time to travel for work. It’s the least I can do. It's also the most important – if done with the proper mindset.

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As an old-fashioned kind of gal, my perfect family scenario is husband/father working and wife/mother staying at home with kids – cooking, cleaning, teaching, sewing and nurturing. That’s how my childhood was. It's also how we raised our own family –  the first time around. This second time is simply icing on the cake. The blessing of doing it all again is not lost on me - because now my grandchildren are in my care. The life of a stay-at-home-Nana is not so different from the life of a stay-at-home Mama.

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As such,  the BROTHER LAWRENCE book my own mother gave to each of us siblings comes to mind. The inscription read.

‘Read at least once a year!

Love, Mama’.

“THE PRACTICE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD” instructs readers that, no matter what your lot in life, no matter how mundane the task place yourself in the Presence of Christ. Do this each and every day – all day! Much like St. Therese’ ‘little way’, this wise monk writes of offering up our daily life to God – all of it. Peeling potatoes? Do it for God as a prayer. Washing the spills off the kitchen floor for the umpteenth time? Do it for God as a prayer. 

When you begin to realize that there are two ways to do the same job, you are on your way to utilizing Br. Lawrence’s great advice. The task, after all, must be done. Do it with a frown and your day will be dark…plus, the merit of a job cheerfully done his lost. Do the same task as a gift to Him…reap the reward of a pleasant day AND just perhaps some tangible good that our human brain can comprehend will come of it. If not there are eternal implications. There’s also ‘extra credit’ if you do this without whining about it to anyone later!

It would be disingenuous to say that this goal is accomplished every day. However, it is the ultimate goal. And the benefits are many because, not only is there a sense of having accomplished something great by doing something small, it is an accomplishment to have taught by example instead of by word. As Saint Matthew exhorts, don’t live life like the Pharisees.

“So practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not practice.”  Matthew 23:3

 

So who’s with me? Let’s resolve to do our best, no matter what the task, and reap the benefit of not only getting the ordinary done, but also of having ‘prayed by action’. Next time you feel like you’re reliving ‘Groundhog Day’ – smile in the mirror and laugh at the absurdity of cleaning scary-looking, unidentified child messes off the floor and having it count as a prayer!

Sanctity of Life Sunday 2016

If I had thought about it more, I would have realized that today is National Sanctity of Life Sunday. After all the anniversary (I dislike using that normally happy word) of the erroneous Roe vs. Wade and Doe vs. Bolton decisions is on January 22nd. As it is, I had forgotten. There was also not a mention in the bulletin or homily or even the petitions during Mass. But social media came to the rescue when someone liked a Facebook post of mine from two years ago.

So why is it that the unborn and their corresponding legislative milestones are so easy to bypass or forget? When even a prolife priest and a prolife family would have missed the significance of this day, one has to wonder.

Silent No More

When we join post-abortive women who vow to be Silent No More and share the hurt they have experienced through a decision made long ago, we should keep this topic close to our hearts - always. When we have dedicated much of our adult life to the prolife movement, how can it be so easy to forget? After all, we've marched and petitioned and written and prayed - for the babies and their families. But even when that is our intention, it is just too easy to forget - to push the outrage and sorrow into the background. Especially when good people tend to fall into the trap of doing nothing - saying nothing.

What About Jesus?

But is that what we should allow to happen? No. Yet as easy as it is to sometimes shove the unpleasant out of the forefront of our minds, we do the same to Jesus on a daily basis. Try as we might, we let mundane or worldly aspects of life take over our here and now. Our Lord and Savior doesn't occupy all 24 hours of each day either, and He deserves to accompany us even in our dreams.

What would He have us do? A good start is to heighten our awareness, immerse ourselves in information, spiritual endeavors, and love of others. The more we put practice to our sentiments, the more the issue of following Jesus, living His love, and abhorring abortion becomes an issue at the forefront of our minds.

Worthy Reading, Worthy Circles

In order to give those important people and topics their due, it is good to bring our focus on the important things in life. This begs the question, "what is our focus in reading, in speaking, and prayer?" Do we bring our minds, and therefore our hearts, toward worthy interests? Or do we seek to only entertain ourselves with worldly reading and entertainment?

In order to empty ourselves of worldly pursuits, it would be of benefit to take on a mission of adding spiritual reading to our day - even if it only involves reading and meditating on a daily chapter. One book that is currently inspiring me is Rediscover Jesus: An Open Invitation by Matthew Kelly.

I owe this type of reading to a priest we know and admire. During confession one Sunday, this particular priest asked me a question, "What type of spiritual reading do you do?" He didn't want the list of informational reading I shared - he wanted me to focus on spiritual reading. I had no suitable answer. Apparently I was in the habit of studying faith and other topics of interest, but had failed to read spiritually beneficial books.

That changed with his penance - he instructed me to read Consoling the Heart of Jesus by Fr. Michael Gaitley. Before this, I had been blind to the fact that my reading material wasn't so much an attempt to improve my relationship with Jesus as it was to discover and delve into facts. Slowly that is changing now. I am still a self-proclaimed nerd when it comes to fact-finding, but I have added more spiritual reading to the mix as well.

What Does That Have to Do with Sanctity of Life Sunday?

When we work on our faith life, instead of just being able to pour out numerous statistics and biological facts, our hearts soften. We become a "litte Christ" as our Pastor put it today during his homily. Others are able to more clearly see that we are not a people of judgment; we become a people of love and tenderness. We will always be called to make judgments about whether or not an act is virtuous or immoral, but we will focus less on winning the battle and more on an encounter with each person - where they are.

As Father told us today, we need to think of the lines of a famous song, "Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me." On this Sanctity of Life Sunday, let us all strive to promote peace - in the womb and in our hearts.

Where there is no love, put love, and you will find love. ~ Saint John of the Cross

Did you hear a prolife homily or prayers of the faithful today? Do you, on a regular basis? Share your thoughts and let us pray for one another as we strive toward being the saints Jesus calls us to be.

You're Kidding, Right? 5 Outrageous, True News Stories

It really cannot be argued that we live in a perverse society. On an almost daily basis, I find myself saying, "You've got to be kidding", as more and more outrageous stories unfold.

We have the number one abortion provider of our land, Planned Parenthood, spending our tax dollars with abandon - even as they are shown on tape brokering aborted baby parts. The Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts have lost their way in the new sexual 'norms' of society. Our president pushes abortion here and abroad - even attaching aid to the poor to compliance with his morally repugnant policies.

It is no wonder that I find myself shying away from the news - even from the good sources - and from much of social media. There is an overload of horrifying information that makes being in the know almost unbearable.

Occasionally, though, my eyes come across things that are so outrageous that I feel compelled to read and share, in the interest of meeting life head-on. There is much about which to be prayerful, penitent, and dependent on the hope of Jesus.

The stories below fall under that heading. How can we be faithful witnesses for Him if we are not prepared to warn others of the atrocities being committed right under our noses? How can we be a part of the solution, when we do not reach out to inform and pray?

5 Outrageous But True News Stories

1. You’re Kidding, Right? 11-Year-Olds Can Be Implanted with Birth Control Devices at School without Parental Consent - That's right. In the state (yes, this is a United States of America story) the same little girls who can't be given an aspirin without parental approval, can have an IUD implanted at school. There's more.

2.  Catholic Care Home Sued for Refusing Euthanasia - This one is from Belgium but still qualifies. Who in the world would think that a 'care' home should do anything but care for their patients? Apparently our culture of death does. It's not like we haven't already crossed that bridge here in the United States.

3. Black Lawmakers Call White Congressman Racist Because He Condemned Aborting Black Babies - As if it's not bad enough that minority children are being killed by abortion at a higher rate than white children. Now, black supporters of abortion are pulling the race card on those who want to stop the eugenics.

4. Mom Accidentally DROPS Baby At Home, Rushes Him To Hospital. Now He’s In Foster Care - This is certainly not an isolated incident. We all know that similar things are going on all over the world as well. Parents are similarly penalized for wanting to home educate, medically treat their children (or not), or for wanting to abstain from age-inappropriate sex education. 

5. Obamacare Might Force Doctors to Perform Sex-Reassignment Surgeries - By now we're all familiar with the Obamacare Individual Mandate. It requires everyone to get government-approved health insurance or face punitive IRS penalties. We also know about the Health and Human Services (HHS) contraception mandate - it requires even religious institutions like the Little Sisters of the Poor, to help provide insurance coverage for abortifacient drugs or face millions of dollars of fines. Now the HHS is considering a “Gender Identity Mandate”, which would require doctors and insurers to provide or cover “gender transition” treatments. If they refuse, they will face discrimination charges, potential loss of federal funds, and loss of Medicaid reimbursements.

Reading these stories is not uplifting. Inconceivable as they are, they are a part of our society. As human beings we may sometimes find ourselves wanting to shy away from harsh reality and focus only on the good in life. Yet, as faithful Catholics, we need to make ourselves aware of the evil in the world so that we can combat it - as a part of the Church Militant.

That is not to say that we should focus on evil or get some perverse 'train wreck' pleasure from it. We should simply acknowledge that evil, does indeed, exist and is something with which humanity battles daily.

Let us put on the armor of God, be aware of the world and warn others, and pray with a faith that cannot be cowed to evil.

Saint Michael the Archangel...

The Saint Peregrine Novena Revisited

Two years ago I wrote Cancer, the St. Peregrine Novena, and a Miracle. There I shared some personal experiences and reflections about our cancer affected family. It was a very popular read that year but, as would be expected, didn't see much traffic afterwards. That changed this year.

During the past couple of weeks the post has resurfaced as a favorite of my readers and on Pinterest. The same period of time saw an increase in attention to the Novena to Saint Peregrine, posted on the Designs by Birgit Facebook fan page. I've received several prayer requests during that period of time.

The noticeable increase of interest in the 'cancer saint' tells me that there is a lot of cancer-related suffering going on within my little circle of the cyber world. Thank God that the Holy Spirit has a way of putting us together with just the right people at the right time. My prayers do indeed go out for all of those who ask. I encourage you to share your petitions in the combox.

As the Saint Peregrine Novena begins again today, let us all remember those suffering due to cancer - as well as other chronic illnesses. They may be the patient, a spouse, a child, a friend, or someone else affected but they all need the warm, loving touch of the Divine Healer - and our prayers.

Dear Father God in Heaven, please envelope the poor souls who are suffering due to cancer, in your loving embrace. Guide them to hearing the whisper of the Holy Spirit as He consoles their fears and pain. Saint Peregrine, pray for us. Amen.

The Saint Peregrine Novena prayers can be found at Pray More Novenas. Today's prayers follow below. You may also enjoy a recent column by Patti Maguire Armstrong over at Catholic Stand entitled Why Pray Novenas?

Saint Peregrine Novena

Day 1 – Pray for us, that we will not let sickness bring us to despair


Dear holy servant of God, St. Peregrine, we pray today for healing.

Intercede for us! God healed you of cancer and others were healed by your prayers. Please pray for the physical healing of…

(Mention your intentions)

These intentions bring us to our knees seeking your intercession for healing.

We are humbled by our physical limitations and ailments. We are so weak and so powerless. We are completely dependent upon God. And so, we ask that you pray for us…

Pray for us, that we will not let sickness bring us to despair

We know, St. Peregrine, that you are a powerful intercessor because your life was completely given to God. We know that in as much as you pray for our healing, you are praying even more for our salvation.

A life of holiness like yours is more important that a life free of suffering and disease. Pray for our healing, but pray even more that we might come as close to Our Lord as you are.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now, and ever shall be, world without end.

Amen.

Author's Note: My daughter and I continue to be cancer free - 6 and 10 years. Praise God!