Happy Birthday, America. You’re what, 234 years old now? How about that!
It seems like yesterday when you sent that wonderful farewell letter to Mother England. You were declaring your independence. Good for you! Do you remember what it said? Let me read it to you.
“When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
And, here’s the part that’s often quoted: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Well, isn’t it interesting that God and Creator are mentioned. Unfortunately, these days God is taking a beating. The great men who had the courage to separate from Mother England felt God was blessing their decision and would be watching over them. After listing all of the reasons why they were upset with the King, notice how they ended this declaration with these words:
“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor”.
How about that? They called upon Divine Providence. It looks like they really never stopped thinking about God.
Guess what. Since they made that momentous decision, we seem to be forgetting that God. Our culture is morally polluted and our environment is physically polluted. It’s safe to say God is not in our thoughts and actions as He once was.
Granted life is different now. But, that’s no excuse for the greed and corruption in government and business and the breakdown of family values. Believe it or not, same sex marriages are gaining acceptance and respectability. Heaven help us.
Another thing. God is not welcome in schools. He’s not to be mentioned in our Pledge of Allegiance or taught that He created the world. Soon, no one will be allowed to say “God bless you” when someone sneezes, for Pete’s sake. We seem to be thumbing our noses at that God.
The good news is you are a beautiful country. In fact a song was written to describe you: “ O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountains’ majesty above the fruited plains. America, America, God shed His light on thee and crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea.” There’s that God reference again. That’s the same God your forefathers wrote about.
Well, look. I’m not going to ruin your birthday. Let me simply congratulate you on this special day. Do I dare mention His name again?
OK. God bless you, America.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Advise and Consent
Buckle up. The American Inquisition a/k/a “Senate Confirmation Hearings ” for a Supreme Court nominee has now begun.
You have to wonder why we make such a big deal of these appointments. The Founding Fathers certainly didn’t and they lived in a simpler time when a big deal would have made sense. It’s my guess that they probably never imagined that the ‘power’ to select would someday result in a court of nine people who would resolve life-altering issues. “Miranda” and “Roe v. Wade” come to mind.
The reason, in my view, for the hullabaloo of hearings is the same as what causes the Court, as I wrote last year, to appear like royalty. These are lifetime jobs.
Let’s take a closer look again at how the Court was formed:
The special power to choose (nominate) justices was given to the President : " nominate, by and with the advise and consent of the Senate" and curiously was buried in Article II, Section II of the Constitution. It was stated after " appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls.." and followed by " all other Officers of the United States, whose appointments....",and on and on.
I’m no Constitutional lawyer, but, the use of ‘advise’ is also curious. The original meaning from Middle English means ‘consider’ but the generally accepted meaning is the transitive verb ‘inform’ as in “ advise him of his rights”. Certainly, both of these meanings imply “check ‘em out ” for the President who has nominated them, but I gotta tell ya, I seriously doubt they performed like the Congress of our time. The Founders, of course, had no TV.
So, yes, I believe the process is prolonged because these judges remain on the bench for life. Holy smokes! Why? Because the authors of the Constitution wrote,“ The judges, both of the supreme and inferior courts, shall hold their Offices during good behavior.”(Article III/Section I ) Good behavior ? Were they kidding? (At the risk of offending my fellow seniors, how bad can you be at 80 or 90?)
Since the average lifespan at the time was in the mid-40’s, I guess how long they served was probably of no real consequence to them. Today, being considered for a lifetime job would be a big deal in any business and, as far as I know, doesn’t exist in this age of contracts.
In due respect, the Founders really blew this one. But, the Constitution is, as they say, a “living document ”, so, we can and should amend the constitution to create term limits.
If and when this is done, these Congressional hearings with televised posturing that gives birth to sound-bites might mercifully disappear. And, the important process will be in better proportion to the simple task of confirming a nominated person to perform an admittedly critical responsibility.
Too bad, by the way, the Founders didn’t include “during good behavior” when establishing Congress. We probably wouldn’t need term limits!
You have to wonder why we make such a big deal of these appointments. The Founding Fathers certainly didn’t and they lived in a simpler time when a big deal would have made sense. It’s my guess that they probably never imagined that the ‘power’ to select would someday result in a court of nine people who would resolve life-altering issues. “Miranda” and “Roe v. Wade” come to mind.
The reason, in my view, for the hullabaloo of hearings is the same as what causes the Court, as I wrote last year, to appear like royalty. These are lifetime jobs.
Let’s take a closer look again at how the Court was formed:
The special power to choose (nominate) justices was given to the President : " nominate, by and with the advise and consent of the Senate" and curiously was buried in Article II, Section II of the Constitution. It was stated after " appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls.." and followed by " all other Officers of the United States, whose appointments....",and on and on.
I’m no Constitutional lawyer, but, the use of ‘advise’ is also curious. The original meaning from Middle English means ‘consider’ but the generally accepted meaning is the transitive verb ‘inform’ as in “ advise him of his rights”. Certainly, both of these meanings imply “check ‘em out ” for the President who has nominated them, but I gotta tell ya, I seriously doubt they performed like the Congress of our time. The Founders, of course, had no TV.
So, yes, I believe the process is prolonged because these judges remain on the bench for life. Holy smokes! Why? Because the authors of the Constitution wrote,“ The judges, both of the supreme and inferior courts, shall hold their Offices during good behavior.”(Article III/Section I ) Good behavior ? Were they kidding? (At the risk of offending my fellow seniors, how bad can you be at 80 or 90?)
Since the average lifespan at the time was in the mid-40’s, I guess how long they served was probably of no real consequence to them. Today, being considered for a lifetime job would be a big deal in any business and, as far as I know, doesn’t exist in this age of contracts.
In due respect, the Founders really blew this one. But, the Constitution is, as they say, a “living document ”, so, we can and should amend the constitution to create term limits.
If and when this is done, these Congressional hearings with televised posturing that gives birth to sound-bites might mercifully disappear. And, the important process will be in better proportion to the simple task of confirming a nominated person to perform an admittedly critical responsibility.
Too bad, by the way, the Founders didn’t include “during good behavior” when establishing Congress. We probably wouldn’t need term limits!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
The Church Will Prevail
Like a recurring nightmare, sex abuse by some priests is again in the news.
What seems to have been the index finger to the lips, the ‘don’t tell’ attitude of the bishops and, heaven help us, the Pope, is getting wide media coverage. That has the unfortunate effect of exaggerating the extent of the despicable behavior of a few priests. Simply put, it sounds like the Catholic Church is filled with pedophile priests. Not true. Not fair. It’s as if some critics are lying in wait to attack the Catholic Church.
The good news is that the bishops have long been aware of the abuse of some priests. Eight years ago, they examined the problem and have since been dealing with it. The bad news is that there was a problem in the first place.
In 2002, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) commissioned the John Jay College of Criminal Justice for a thorough study for the years 1950-2002. Their findings were sad and shocking: a total of 4,132 priests of the 109,000 priests who were active during that 52 year period were accused of sex abuse with minors. Although the total represented, roughly, only 4%, even one priest accused should stagger the mind http://www.bringyou.to/apologetics/PriestAbuseScandal.htm
Why did the Catholic Church tolerate this depravity in the holy priesthood for so long? Well, I could be wrong, but it sounds to me like the church hierarchy too often considered the abuse as only a sin not also as a crime. And, although some priests were reported to authorities, a few imprisoned, some ‘laicized’ (de-frocked), some sent to rehab and some, strangely, transferred, apparently, mostly, the molesting was considered as committed by ‘one of us’, a parochial attitude that ‘we will deal with it.’ Colossal error.
The Pope, however, is getting unjustly criticized In the one case in Munich, an accused priest was transferred without the knowledge of Cardinal Ratzinger (before he became Pope).In Milwaukee, in an awful case of 200 deaf children being molested, civil authorities were unable to prosecute the accused priest and dropped the charges. Someone from the Vatican- not the Pope-recommended the trial be canceled because the priest was gravelly ill. (He died weeks later).
The disturbing fact remains, however, that two priests committed the dreadful sin of molestation. No excuse. None. Shame on them.
There are those who feel that the Catholic rule of celibacy is the reason for these priests’ sins and they should be allowed to marry. Nonsense. These transgressions were not acts of philandering, but were acts of pedophilia, a recognized mental disorder that is often found among married men. Allowing priests to marry is not the solution. Making sure these pedophiles are never ordained is the only solution.
Having studied for the Catholic priesthood a very long time ago, I believe, however, the rule of celibacy is more than just a rule. It is the price of admission to that life of unparalleled happiness. It is a magnificent sacrifice for the special “calling” for which few are “chosen”. Trust me. Been there and couldn’t quite do that.
For me, then, as a Catholic, these are troubling times. The sins of these priests are disgusting and disappointing, not to mention destructive of innocent lives. Compounding the mess, the apparent failure of the bishops always to report these crimes was disgraceful.
While all of this is disheartening, the Catholic Church will certainly weather this storm. After telling Peter that he was “the rock” upon which “I will build my church”, Christ then said, “and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18)
Not even the sins of some of her priests.
What seems to have been the index finger to the lips, the ‘don’t tell’ attitude of the bishops and, heaven help us, the Pope, is getting wide media coverage. That has the unfortunate effect of exaggerating the extent of the despicable behavior of a few priests. Simply put, it sounds like the Catholic Church is filled with pedophile priests. Not true. Not fair. It’s as if some critics are lying in wait to attack the Catholic Church.
The good news is that the bishops have long been aware of the abuse of some priests. Eight years ago, they examined the problem and have since been dealing with it. The bad news is that there was a problem in the first place.
In 2002, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) commissioned the John Jay College of Criminal Justice for a thorough study for the years 1950-2002. Their findings were sad and shocking: a total of 4,132 priests of the 109,000 priests who were active during that 52 year period were accused of sex abuse with minors. Although the total represented, roughly, only 4%, even one priest accused should stagger the mind http://www.bringyou.to/apologetics/PriestAbuseScandal.htm
Why did the Catholic Church tolerate this depravity in the holy priesthood for so long? Well, I could be wrong, but it sounds to me like the church hierarchy too often considered the abuse as only a sin not also as a crime. And, although some priests were reported to authorities, a few imprisoned, some ‘laicized’ (de-frocked), some sent to rehab and some, strangely, transferred, apparently, mostly, the molesting was considered as committed by ‘one of us’, a parochial attitude that ‘we will deal with it.’ Colossal error.
The Pope, however, is getting unjustly criticized In the one case in Munich, an accused priest was transferred without the knowledge of Cardinal Ratzinger (before he became Pope).In Milwaukee, in an awful case of 200 deaf children being molested, civil authorities were unable to prosecute the accused priest and dropped the charges. Someone from the Vatican- not the Pope-recommended the trial be canceled because the priest was gravelly ill. (He died weeks later).
The disturbing fact remains, however, that two priests committed the dreadful sin of molestation. No excuse. None. Shame on them.
There are those who feel that the Catholic rule of celibacy is the reason for these priests’ sins and they should be allowed to marry. Nonsense. These transgressions were not acts of philandering, but were acts of pedophilia, a recognized mental disorder that is often found among married men. Allowing priests to marry is not the solution. Making sure these pedophiles are never ordained is the only solution.
Having studied for the Catholic priesthood a very long time ago, I believe, however, the rule of celibacy is more than just a rule. It is the price of admission to that life of unparalleled happiness. It is a magnificent sacrifice for the special “calling” for which few are “chosen”. Trust me. Been there and couldn’t quite do that.
For me, then, as a Catholic, these are troubling times. The sins of these priests are disgusting and disappointing, not to mention destructive of innocent lives. Compounding the mess, the apparent failure of the bishops always to report these crimes was disgraceful.
While all of this is disheartening, the Catholic Church will certainly weather this storm. After telling Peter that he was “the rock” upon which “I will build my church”, Christ then said, “and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18)
Not even the sins of some of her priests.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Sins of the Rich and Famous
Mea culpa, mea culpa.
We are living in a time of public apologies for everything from an actor's drunken racist remark to a traffic cop to admission by a baseball player that he used steroids. My concern here is with public confession of marital infidelity. Big difference.
A little more than twenty years ago, televangelists Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggert tearfully begged for forgiveness after revelations of their sexual scandals. In the past few years, we have heard painful, public confessions mostly from politicians but recently from pro golfer Tiger Woods. Honestly, I’m getting weary of listening to “ I am so sorry ” soliloquies about sexual dalliances, these embarrassing confessions of sins by the rich and famous.
Strictly speaking, there should be no public confession since it’s really none of our business. And, while there might have been a private confession with family and clergy, I found it bothersome that, in all these public mea culpas, they never admitted that their behavior was a sin.
Whoa. Sin? I’m kidding, right? No, I’m not.
All Christian faiths have teachings on sin. Catholicism offers this explanation: “To try to understand what sin is, one must first recognize the profound relation of man to God, for only in this relationship is the evil of sin unmasked in its true identity as humanity’s rejection of God and opposition to Him” (Catechism Catholic Church)
Christians believe that God made us in His image to enjoy the world He had created. Our very first parents disobeyed God’s command and chose to eat an apple because Satan, the fallen angel, said it would make them God-like. That was the first or original sin. Simple, yet horrifying: an offense against God.
It amazes me how often we see celebrities raise their eyes to heaven and thank God, their “Lord and savior, Jesus Christ”, whenever receiving awards or how often we watch as athletes point to heaven whenever a touchdown is scored or a home run is hit. Yet, we never see or hear a politician or professional athlete point to heaven and apologize or express regret for breaking one of God’s commandments.
While we recognize that our behavior is sometimes socially unacceptable, Christians seem to shy away from labeling it as sinful. (In due respect, Tiger did, however, express regret that he had drifted away from the teachings of his Buddhist faith.)
OK. Maybe it’s hopelessly naïve to suggest that these confessions by Christians, couched in apologetic language, should indicate there were sins committed but, that’s what these transgressions were. Forgive me, but, I think we have lost our way, probably because it’s no longer the ‘straight and narrow’.
The good news is that the rich and famous are confessing their sins.
The best news is that God forgives us of our sins when we repent. What better time than Lent to reflect not only on our sins but on the act of supreme love that Christ showed by His passion and death to redeem, to pay for all our sins.
The Catholic prayer in confession is really worth repeating:
“O, my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee. I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell. But most of all, because I have offended Thee, my God who are all good and worthy of all my love. I firmly resolve with the help of Thy grace to confess my sins, do penance and amend my life.”
In this “one nation under God”, that trusts in God, swears by God, we apparently cannot say that we have offended God
We are living in a time of public apologies for everything from an actor's drunken racist remark to a traffic cop to admission by a baseball player that he used steroids. My concern here is with public confession of marital infidelity. Big difference.
A little more than twenty years ago, televangelists Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggert tearfully begged for forgiveness after revelations of their sexual scandals. In the past few years, we have heard painful, public confessions mostly from politicians but recently from pro golfer Tiger Woods. Honestly, I’m getting weary of listening to “ I am so sorry ” soliloquies about sexual dalliances, these embarrassing confessions of sins by the rich and famous.
Strictly speaking, there should be no public confession since it’s really none of our business. And, while there might have been a private confession with family and clergy, I found it bothersome that, in all these public mea culpas, they never admitted that their behavior was a sin.
Whoa. Sin? I’m kidding, right? No, I’m not.
All Christian faiths have teachings on sin. Catholicism offers this explanation: “To try to understand what sin is, one must first recognize the profound relation of man to God, for only in this relationship is the evil of sin unmasked in its true identity as humanity’s rejection of God and opposition to Him” (Catechism Catholic Church)
Christians believe that God made us in His image to enjoy the world He had created. Our very first parents disobeyed God’s command and chose to eat an apple because Satan, the fallen angel, said it would make them God-like. That was the first or original sin. Simple, yet horrifying: an offense against God.
It amazes me how often we see celebrities raise their eyes to heaven and thank God, their “Lord and savior, Jesus Christ”, whenever receiving awards or how often we watch as athletes point to heaven whenever a touchdown is scored or a home run is hit. Yet, we never see or hear a politician or professional athlete point to heaven and apologize or express regret for breaking one of God’s commandments.
While we recognize that our behavior is sometimes socially unacceptable, Christians seem to shy away from labeling it as sinful. (In due respect, Tiger did, however, express regret that he had drifted away from the teachings of his Buddhist faith.)
OK. Maybe it’s hopelessly naïve to suggest that these confessions by Christians, couched in apologetic language, should indicate there were sins committed but, that’s what these transgressions were. Forgive me, but, I think we have lost our way, probably because it’s no longer the ‘straight and narrow’.
The good news is that the rich and famous are confessing their sins.
The best news is that God forgives us of our sins when we repent. What better time than Lent to reflect not only on our sins but on the act of supreme love that Christ showed by His passion and death to redeem, to pay for all our sins.
The Catholic prayer in confession is really worth repeating:
“O, my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee. I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell. But most of all, because I have offended Thee, my God who are all good and worthy of all my love. I firmly resolve with the help of Thy grace to confess my sins, do penance and amend my life.”
In this “one nation under God”, that trusts in God, swears by God, we apparently cannot say that we have offended God
Monday, February 1, 2010
The Heart and Mind of Love
This is the month when we celebrate the feast of Saint Valentine, who undoubtedly was the reason for our custom of exchanging love letters and gifts on February 14. Last year, writing about the origin of Valentine’s Day, I tried to define love but, not surprisingly, was unsuccessful since it is really indefinable.
Let’s look, then, at love from other angles:
According to studies, at last count, there are 665 songs with ‘love’ in the title. How many songs are about love, God only knows..
Famous quotes about love are endless, but here’s a sample:
“For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.” ….(from “My Love Is Lost “ by Judy Garland, who wrote beautiful poetry )
“There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.”…..Frederick Nietzsche
“I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.” ….Mother Teresa
That eclectic group shows how universal the emotion of love really is. Ah, it’s an emotion, isn’t it? It has always fascinated me that love is associated with the heart, yet, as an emotion, it is a brain activity. Now there’s an angle worth investigating.
Some people, by the way, have difficulty believing that our individual, tangible brain controls emotions that many consider to be intangible, such as being in love. However, studies have shown that in the case of love, brain does equal behavior.
In the interesting report, “ Neurobiology of Falling in Love”, the author wrote, “Researchers think that falling in love is a basic emotion like anxiety or fear. When falling in love, the same brain structures as in anxiety are stimulated: the amygdala and related circuits and neuro transmitters. Human beings are anxious until the bond with the loved one is accomplished. Anxiety is than replaced by positive feelings of stability and pleasure. The euphoria and focused attention when falling in love is explained by involvement of the reward and motivation systems in the human brain.”. (http://www.shockmd.com/2009/04/03/the-neurobiology-of-falling-in-love/ )
OK. Is love, then, just a function of our brains? Hard to say, but probably so. Although this does not rule out other areas that many believe play a role in love, the brain does play a vital, if not ultimate role in all aspects of love.
So much for romantic love.
This is also the month when we observe Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, the prayerful and penitential journey that ends with the greatest act of another kind of love. Christ suffered and died so that our sins would be forgiven.
(“No greater love hath man than he lay down his life for his friends”- John 15:13) That’s love above and beyond romantic love.
As I wrote last year, Christ chose love as the mark to identify His disciples. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13: 31-35)How wonderful that loving one another is the mark of a Christian.
As we celebrate these feasts this month, perhaps some will find that person of their dreams, their soul mates, their special romantic love while others may share love already found. But, all of us need not look anywhere but within ourselves to find the love that Christ has already given us and commanded us to share.
So, here’s to love of every kind. As the song says, “All you need is love….love is all you need…”
Let’s look, then, at love from other angles:
According to studies, at last count, there are 665 songs with ‘love’ in the title. How many songs are about love, God only knows..
Famous quotes about love are endless, but here’s a sample:
“For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.” ….(from “My Love Is Lost “ by Judy Garland, who wrote beautiful poetry )
“There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.”…..Frederick Nietzsche
“I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.” ….Mother Teresa
That eclectic group shows how universal the emotion of love really is. Ah, it’s an emotion, isn’t it? It has always fascinated me that love is associated with the heart, yet, as an emotion, it is a brain activity. Now there’s an angle worth investigating.
Some people, by the way, have difficulty believing that our individual, tangible brain controls emotions that many consider to be intangible, such as being in love. However, studies have shown that in the case of love, brain does equal behavior.
In the interesting report, “ Neurobiology of Falling in Love”, the author wrote, “Researchers think that falling in love is a basic emotion like anxiety or fear. When falling in love, the same brain structures as in anxiety are stimulated: the amygdala and related circuits and neuro transmitters. Human beings are anxious until the bond with the loved one is accomplished. Anxiety is than replaced by positive feelings of stability and pleasure. The euphoria and focused attention when falling in love is explained by involvement of the reward and motivation systems in the human brain.”. (http://www.shockmd.com/2009/04/03/the-neurobiology-of-falling-in-love/ )
OK. Is love, then, just a function of our brains? Hard to say, but probably so. Although this does not rule out other areas that many believe play a role in love, the brain does play a vital, if not ultimate role in all aspects of love.
So much for romantic love.
This is also the month when we observe Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, the prayerful and penitential journey that ends with the greatest act of another kind of love. Christ suffered and died so that our sins would be forgiven.
(“No greater love hath man than he lay down his life for his friends”- John 15:13) That’s love above and beyond romantic love.
As I wrote last year, Christ chose love as the mark to identify His disciples. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13: 31-35)How wonderful that loving one another is the mark of a Christian.
As we celebrate these feasts this month, perhaps some will find that person of their dreams, their soul mates, their special romantic love while others may share love already found. But, all of us need not look anywhere but within ourselves to find the love that Christ has already given us and commanded us to share.
So, here’s to love of every kind. As the song says, “All you need is love….love is all you need…”
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Promises, Promises
By now, many of you have probably started smoking again, given up on your diet and worst of all, stopped going to church. Ah, broken New Year’s resolutions.
The Romans named the first month of the year after Janus, the god of beginnings and the guardian of doors and entrances. Depicted with two faces, one on the front of his head and one on the back, he could look backward and forward at the same time. At
In the Middle Ages, Christians changed New Year's Day to December 25, the birth of Jesus. Then they changed it to March 25, a holiday called the Annunciation. In the sixteenth century, Pope Gregory XIII revised the Julian calendar, and the celebration of the New Year was returned to January 1. (http://www.goalsguy.com/Events/n_facts.html)
OK. Breaking bad habits is one thing, but why not begin again a good habit that, for whatever reason, you stopped. Gym? Daily walks? Being nice? (Am I’m getting warm? ) Praying? Attending church? Ah, yes. In many ways, going back to church is more difficult than staying away from cigarettes and too much food. (Doing ‘bad’ is always easier than doing ‘good’. Ever notice that?)
It’s not the end of the world if you’ve broken your promises to yourselves, your resolutions, to stop smoking or overeating. But, it could be the end of your future world, figuratively speaking, of course, if you stopped praying and/or going to church.
The condition of our soul is infinitely more important than the condition of our body. That’s not to say that we should be careless with our physical well being, but that we should be just as careful with the condition of our souls.
So, if you have returned to the gym, started your diet or thrown away your cigarettes, your physical body will be grateful. But, if you’ve returned to church, the gym for your spiritual body, if you will, and begun to pray again, your soul will be eternally grateful.
Eternally.
Happy New Year.
Until next time....
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Waiting In Joyful Hope
And, somewhere in this country, every 26 seconds of every minute of every hour of every day, that choice is made. It staggers the mind to think that 1.2 million little lives are savagely ended in the womb every year. Incredibly, 70% of these women who make this awful choice are Christian. ( Alan Guttmacher Institute and Planned Parenthood's Family Planning Perspectives.)
Why? Why do they choose not to wait? Well, 93% of these women make that terrible choice because the child is not wanted or will be an inconvenience! And, 47% of all those women have made that choice before! Disturbing statistics.
Preaching that life is sacred is the moral coloring, if you will, that we give to the black and white act of taking a life. Often, that message doesn’t register because many of those who make that choice to end a life do not believe the fetus is alive. Ah, there’s the rub. For them, to end a pregnancy is simply to remove “a bunch of tissue” or “some blob of matter”, as some practitioners of this procedure have been quoted as saying. They no doubt have forgotten or chose to forget what they learned in Biology 101.
How could they forget that human development begins with fertilization, the process in which the male sperm fuses with the female egg to produce the single cell, the very beginning of medical pregnancy, the very beginning of their child? Did they not remember that this single cell divides and divides again in an orderly way as it travels down the Fallopian tube to find the place on the uterus wall where it will continue to grow and from whence it will be taken to the outside world?
Before the first month ends, the heart in that child-in-the-making begins a lifetime of beating. Before the second month ends, brainwaves are detected in this wonder of creation. By the end of the third month, all the organs and systems of this child, now called fetus, are developed and functioning. This is not religious dogma, but scientific fact.( Alabama Physicians for Life) ,
How did this happen? How did we get to this place where a woman was given the right to end a life? Blame it on the Supreme Court that made a sad and strange ruling in 1973 that the only time of pregnancy when a woman had that right with no restriction was in the first three months. The first three months!
And so, we wait. Advent is that time of great expectation. Soon Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be born. Let’s not forget that Mary carried Him in her womb for the whole nine months.
My prayer during this holy and happy season is that women who are thinking about making that cruel choice will not. May God inspire them to wait with joyful hope for the coming of their child.
Joy to the world! The Lord is come. Let earth receive her King. Let every heart make room.
Every heart. Especially those that have just started beating.
Have a joyous Christmas.
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