You Are In the House of God

When you enter the church, you are entering the house of God. So many people forget this. They've been taught that God is not confined to a church. This is true... but that doesn't mean it isn't a place of reverence.

You have a home. You're not confined there. You can travel, visit other people, go on vacation... but you still have a home, and if you are in your home you don't want someone coming over and disrespecting you in your house.

Even Jesus became extremely upset when there were dealers disrespecting His Father's Temple.

Jesus went into the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those selling doves. And he declared to them, "It is written: My house will be called a house of prayer. But you are making it a den of robbers." (Matthew 21:12-13)

So even Christ looked at the Temple as the house of God. When Christ came into the world and thus began Christianity (where God's chosen people became those who followed his Son - because no one goes to the Father but through Christ), Christ's church became God's temple, the home of the Holy Trinity.

In the Catholic faith, we take the Eucharist very seriously. We truly believe Christ is present in the Eucharist. It is not merely metaphoric. Through Transubstantiation, we believe that the bread and wine truly becomes the body and blood of Christ.

Jesus said to them: "Truly I say to you. Unless you eat of my body and drink of my blood, you shall have no eternal life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood, shall have eternal life and I will raise them up on the last day." (John 6:53-54)

So the bread (hosts) kept within the Tabernacle, we look at that as Christ present in the church in a literal sense.

So when you come into the church, you are entering the house of God. There must be respect, decorum and dignity, lest you disrespect God in His own home.

In the Traditional Church... rules were much stricter than they are now since Vatican II... but that doesn't mean, just because the church is looked at as more lax, that God has changed his opinions on dignity.

Now, this blog comes around after I attended daily mass this morning. A girl who I assume was volunteering at the Church's daycare came in with a group of the little children attending the Daycare. She had on the shortest shorts. When she sat, it went from inappropriate for church, to grossly inappropriate for church. Sometimes I don't think girls see themselves from the angle others can see them. They don't realize how shorts or a skirt rides up when you sit.

Another Mass last year, a girl, very tall and skinny, wore a skirt so short, you had to look away whenever she'd bend over if you didn't want an eye full of underwear (God in Heaven I hope she wore them.)

And another mass last year, a girl came in wearing a strapless dress. It was so short, whenever she sat, you got an eye full of everything, and being on the thicker side, without a bra, gravity took effect and she spent half the mass either showing too much cleavage or yanking the top up.

What you do on your own time is between you and God... but in the house of God, this is unacceptable and priests should now allow it. Those dressed as inappropriately as in the last example, should be asked to cover themselves, or leave. This is God's house. Let us say you are visiting your parents and their neighbor comes in and disrespects your parents in their own home. Would you stand for it? Of course not.

Coming into the house of God looking as if you're about to go to the strip club right after is disrespectful. Would you go to work as a banker or as a nurse in a bikini? Then why would you come to the house of our Lord looking like you just came from a night of partying at a bar? If you would not allow someone to walk into your own home and disrespect you... why would you dress disrespectfully when walking into the house of God?

In the traditional church:

WOMEN

Mantilla (Chapel Veil)
Arms should be covered at all times (Short sleeves acceptable)
Long Dress or Skirt (no pants, shorts, or capris)

MEN

Suit (Winter)
Short sleeve polo shirt and dress pants (Summer)

In the post Vatican II Church:

WOMEN

Arms should be covered at all times (short sleeves are acceptable)
Pants, Skirt below the knees, Capris no shorter than knee length.

MEN

Same as the Traditional Church with the exception that you can wear a T-Shirt as long as it does not contain inappropriate language or art.

Although, in reality, we should be following the Traditions of the original church. It only changed because of the church's modernization and Feminism over-reaching.

Some still say a dress code is repressive. If you read my previous blog about the chapel veil, you will find a documentary that details exactly why dressing respectfully and wearing a chapel veil in the house of God is a way to build a woman up, to make her special and holy, rather than oppress her.

Even if you don't believe in dresses and chapel veils... try looking at yourself and say, "I'm about to walk into the house of my Creator. Would my grandmother cringe if I walked into her home like this? If she would, God definitely would." it's only an hour out of your time, once a week. What will it hurt you to dress with dignity in God's house?

Update on LizzieAnswers

Nearly 1 year ago (August 2017) I wrote a blog about a "Protestant Who Kind of Gets It" - she could see some of the lies spread about Catholicism, lies that I spent the first several blog posts trying to dispel myself, and it was nice to see a protestant who actually understood.

She wasn't quiet there, because she still had false beliefs (like birth control) but she was so close. I closed the blog post with "God Bless this girl. I will pray for her and her continued growth as a child of God. I hope if she ever finds her way to this blog, she'll find more truths about the Catholic faith."


UPDATE: 

I was looking through YouTube to find the movie based on the life of St. Therese of Lisieux because I am going to an exhibition on her life (fingers crossed) Next week, provided they haven't left yet to the next city. That is when I came across a face I recognized and the video title: Why I'm Becoming Catholic (From an ex-protestant)

Young Liz from LizzieAnswers, a protestant whose video I cited almost a year ago, has converted. Glory to God on High. 

She is still not 100% right with the faith. A lot of it is that she's young and has a lot of ideals that were embedded into her from an early age by those who hated Catholicism, and just by lack of education in the faith... but some of it is a misunderstanding because of the modernization of the Catholic Church through Vatican II and the papal misteachings, near heresies coming from Pope Francis... but as she grows to love the faith, she will learn it all. 

I'm 40 and I was 38 when I fell in love with the Traditional Latin Mass and Traditional (pre-Vatican II) Catholicism. So she has a lot of time to grow, learn and become closer to the faith. I hope she finds her way to Latin Masses where she can experience the wonder and mystery of Christ the way the church celebrated it for centuries, before the modernization. And the church will eventually come back around. Mary said as much. The church would go through turmoil, and apostasy, but it would not fall. The truth will return. And many churches are starting to revert back to Traditional Latin Masses. My church is coming up on the year anniversary of instituting the Traditional Mass on the first Saturday of the month in honor of Mother Mary. Upon the year anniversary, our church has the opportunity to extend it to more Traditional Masses than just once. 

This is happening all over. So she will eventually be exposed to the church as it once was before the modernization, and then she'll feel the splendor of the church in it's true Glory.

I'm also quite surprised she has changed her mind about sex and birth control since becoming Catholic. It was the one thing I gave her a hard time about. She didn't agree with the Catholic stance on birth control, however it is not our stance, it is biblical, and I gave examples as to how that is. While I doubt she actually read this blog, I see she is understanding the biblical precedence behind it.

God bless this young girl and her journey. I hope she finds love in Christ, and Peace in the Catholic Faith, as I have. If I come across more updates on her journey, I'll be sure to share. You can also follow her yourself, on her channel "LizzieAnswers".

Chapel Veil

The Chapel Veil is a beautiful tradition still followed in Latin Mass Catholic Churches. I, myself, wear one to Latin Mass.

The tradition is a sign of dignity and grace. It was a sign of the reverence of a woman. The call to respect a woman. Just as the Tabernacle veils the body of Christ, so the Chapel Veil (or Mantilla) veils a woman in dignity. It is a sign that Woman is unique in her femininity. Unlike a man, God made woman close to his heart because they are the ones who can create life in the unique way that God designed, and influence life, whether spiritually as a child of God, as a mother to an actual life she brought into the world, or both.

A woman veils herself in church just like a priest is veiled in his vestments, just like the Body of Christ is veiled in the Tabernacle. It is a sign of reverence rather than oppression as some believe.

Despite what people desire to believe, there are only 2 true sexes, and God created them in different ways. Man from his image, and woman from the side of Man. Just as blood and water rushed from the side of Jesus after he was lanced on the cross, and purified those who were touched by it, and purifies us all even today... so woman was created from the side of Man, Adam. How wonderful is it truly with you see how the church looks at a woman. She is the tabernacle of life, whether physically by bearing a child, or spiritually by uplifting souls and bringing them back to God. Because woman was created from Adam's rib, she is likened to the GIFT of Christ's blood that flowed from HIS side.

God created a hierarchy. Woman to be an obedient spouse to her husband, a husband to lay down his life for his bride like Christ sacrificed himself for his bride, the Holy Church. A great act of love. It's not oppressive or abusive, it's a hierarchy with a perfect design.

And so women, to CELEBRATE their unique dignity in femininity... they wear a veil in the presence of God in the church.

The end of wearing Chapel Veils is one of many examples of why the Church has been in so much turmoil since the modernization of Vatican II, why women think they have the right to be priests, why people are gender confused, it all starts with the loss of dignity and grace and respect shown in church. Feminism and modernization removed gender roles, it removed the dignity of being feminine as if femininity is some sort of chain around a woman's neck, rather than a source of pride.

I think this video explains it far better than I ever could. it's over an hour long, but well worth the watch if you truly want to understand the Chapel Veil and how it is a tradition that should return to the church rather than be suppressed or mocked.

More Reading:

7 Reasons I Do Not Wear a Chapel Veil

Animals, FirKids, Disorder

A Catholic writer wrote an article recently about how people who look at their pets as members of the family, even calling them "furkids" are wrong. He further went to say that it is our duty to either have children as Catholics, or adopt. Anything else is disordered.

Some agree, saying that it is wrong to put animals above humans or in some way relate them to humans. They're merely animals.

But is that the truth?

God made us different than animals. He made us in his image and gave us free will. But God loved all that which he created. And all that he created with intelligence (and that includes animals) have souls that he will not dispose of. God's love is so eternal, he won't even destroy the fallen angels who became demons. God could wipe them out in a moment... but he allows them to exist and retain their angelic knowledge and powers. God can not destroy that which he originally made for good (even if their free will caused them to do evil) and who he gave intelligence.

We are different from his other creations, especially the animals, and we were created to be special... but that does not mean animals are merely animals and nothing special to him. To believe that is inaccurate and arrogant.

God made the animals for us, and one of the many roles they play in our lives is as COMPANION. 

And look at the role they play in the bible. God rode into town on what we now celebrate as Palm Sunday on a donkey. The witnesses to his miraculous birth were not the Magi, nor the shepherds, but the animals of the stable. The Dove is the symbol of God's peace. God commanded Noah to save each species of animal, two by two. Christ is often depicted in the book of Revelation as a lamb, or a lion.

As long as we remember, human life is precious, created to be special since we are in God's image, and important to protect above all else... There is nothing disordered about looking at a pet as a member of your family.

The true disorder comes on the part of the author of the article.

For one, he discounts the love God has for all his creations. Even the smallest blade of Grass is precious to God. All things have a purpose, all things are created with love. To believe otherwise, especially about an intelligent creature with the God giving capacity to feel emotion... is pure pride. It is making ourselves important instead of humble.

The disorder also comes on the part of the author for thinking it is so black and white. He states very clearly that our job as a Catholic is to either have biological children, or to adopt a child. It is a Disorder to do any less.

God does not grant all the ability to have a child. Are the barren disordered? Are nuns who live in seclusion and take the vow of silence which means they do not have children nor adopt/raise children, disordered? Are priests disordered for not taking a child into their home and raising them? After all, he merely gives a sermon on Sundays. That isn't raising a child, feeding them, clothing them, taking care of them when they're sick, reading them a bedtime story, getting their homework done... it's not the true role of a parent and according to this author, your role as a human is disordered if you don't have a child or adopt one.

Are the childless not good Catholics if they are not parents, not by choice, but by circumstance? My health, being single with no prospects right now, and the fact I've now entered my 40s, somewhat precludes me from having a child, as well as adoption. Am I less valuable as a Catholic? Or in the eyes of God am I disordered?

I have my... yes... FURKIDS. the ones God gave me to protect since a child is not in my future. They are as God created them to be. Companions. In turn they teach me patience, they teach me to be more giving, more loving, more kind. And they give love in return.

God only creates WITH PURPOSE! If God did not mean for animals to be loved and to love in return, he would not have created them with enough intelligence to feel, to be tamed and domesticated. He would not have created them to be faithful and understand what it is to be loyal.

I think God created animals more like himself than people are. They may not have free will or have been made in His image... but they are shining exaples of His love. Their love is pure, unconditional, unending. 

An animal loves you no matter what you look like, no matter how rich or poor you are, no matter if you're fat or skinny. When you've had a bad day and are cross with them because they knocked something over... they still love you unconditionally.

When you leave, they are heartbroken without you. When you return, they celebrate... so happy to see you they can barely contain their joy, even if you were only gone for 2 seconds to get the mail. If they are treated badly, or if someone they love are faced with evil... they will bite. They will even risk their lives for someone they love to protect them. Their love doesn't end. A pet looks at you and all they see is love.

That's God's love. When we turn our backs to Him, he is sorrowful, but when we come back to him, God's joy is so great, it can not be contained. When we hurt, he hurts. When we're lonely, he's there if we're only willing to accept him. When we blame him for all the wrong in our lives, he forgives us for being upset and waits for us to come to him for comfort. His love is perfect, unchanging, and eternal. 

God didn't create animals by mistake. He didn't make them to be these throw away things... or he wouldn't have given them the intelligence or the capacity to feel emotions and develop attachments. Did you know that if a deer loses a fawn, she can mourn herself almost to the point of death? She loves her child like a human loves their child, and if that child is lost, she grieves. God gave her the intelligence to know her child, and the heart to love her child. They are animals... but they are not JUST animals. 

The bible is filled with examples of how important animals actually are to God. Read Friar Jack's "I Will See You in Heaven" Is a great book that puts all of those biblical proofs on display.

Even St. Francis, a GREAT saint in the Catholic faith... he looked at all of God's creation as his family. He called the animals his brothers and sisters and even preached to them.

'Oh birds, my brothers and sisters, you have a great obligation to praise your Creator, who clothed you in feathers and gave you wings to fly with, provided you with pure air and cares for you without any worry on your part.’…The birds showed their joy in a remarkable fashion: They began to stretch their necks, extend their wings, open their beaks and gaze at him attentively.

That is from "the Sermon to the birds". St. Francis never missed an opportunity to tell animals to praise God. He called them his brothers and sisters, he related them to members of his family. Was one of our greatest saints "disordered" because he considers all that God created a part of his family in God?

Yes we are different from animals. Yes we were created set apart from animals. But no, it is not disordered to consider any of God's creations a part of our family in God, and treat them with the love and respect God calls us to treat all living things with. It is in God's most innocent creations, that we truly see him. His love, his faithfulness, his truth.

For more reading: Get Friar Jack's book "I'll see you in Heaven" for biblical proof of pets meeting us in heaven... and look up St. Francis of Assisi and animals. Lots of great resources. Then you will see... there is nothing disordered about loving an animal as a part of your family. 

Of course, as with anything, this is an over simplified response to the article I read. I could go into so much more detail, but this is a meager blog and after a while it would become redundant. I hit the finer points here. If you're interested in learning more... see the links below. 


FURTHER READING:

ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI

Article 1
Article 2
Article 3

I'll See You In Heaven

Feminism and Catholicism

One topic that comes up quite frequently in the Catholic church is whether or not they should make a change in the Catholic church to allow for married priests as well as female priests to make up for the shortage the Catholic church has been facing. Then I was asked how I feel, as a woman, about female oppression in the church. This is where I silently hit my head against a wall. Got to love feminism being inserted where it doesn't belong.

Why does everyone think that because women can't be priests in Catholic church, that the Catholic church oppresses women?

Women have always had a place in the church, and play an important role to spiritual education and growth. They are just as important to God without the priestly collar around their neck. Think of all the greatest saints that we, as Christians, aspire to be like. St. Therese, St. Clare, St. Bernadette, St. Jacinta, St. Anne, St. Elizabeth, St. Joan of Arc, St Catherine of Siena, St Gertrude the Great, St Theresa of Avila, St Cecilia...

There are more female saints than I can actually name. Then there is the Blessed Virgin Mary. Venerated as our spiritual Mother, as the queen of angels and saints, as our most powerful intercessor who speaks directly to her Son on our behalf when we need her prayers.

All of these women are important figures and role-models of the church. We look to them as examples of how we should be, They intercede for us when we need prayers the most.

Many of these saints, in their lives spread God's word, they evangelized, yet they were not priests. Some never even took holy orders, (like becoming a sister/nun). Yet many were Martyred for Christ, many preached God's word, all lived as God wished them to. They accomplished just as much for the love of God as any priest or nun, some... even more so.

The church herself is actually referred to by female terms and is called the BRIDE of Christ. It is not a submissive term, it is not condescending, it is not oppressive.

So women are anything but oppressed in the church. If anything they are revered. The sheer amount of female saints shows how much the church loves women. Even today, we have a purpose. Our prayers are no less powerful than a man's, a woman's sacrifice for God is no less significant than a man's. That said... It is not about us, in the end, whether male or female. It is about God and what he wants. Being female doesn't mean you're not important simply because you're not allowed to be a priest. That is about tradition, not oppression. We focus too much on this, “Anything you can do I can do better” feminine equality when it comes to religion. There are other places it's acceptable (such as equal pay for equal work), however, it does not belong in the church.

There was a reason Christ chose 12 MEN as his apostles, who eventually sent out into the world as the first priests... it didn't devalue the women who followed him, by not ordaining them as well. We can still teach others about God's love, we can still pray for others and our prayers are just as strong as an ordained priest's, we can be sisters (nuns), we can be saints.

Being a priest wouldn't make us more equal since we're already equal in God's love. Wanting to be a priest for the sake of feminism, is making this about US and about our social agendas and NOT about God.

To seek feminism for the sake of feminism, against biblical tradition removes the necessary humility, humbleness and obedience necessary to the priestly vocation. It is making you and your agenda more important than God. If you truly love the church and God, you can be a sister, you can teach Catechism, study and teach theology, speak God's word, be a prayer warrior, there are so many other ways to be of service to God outside of changing the church's views on the priesthood, which was started by Christ himself when he chose the 12 male apostles.

Priests should remain men as they are a representation of Christ, who was born MAN. Unlike what feminists and liberals would have you believe today... there is nothing ambiguous about God. God is ONE God in 3 Persons... the FATHER, the SON, and the Holy Spirit. These are masculine terms used by Christ himself to describe the Holy Trinity. Christ became MAN, Christ constantly refers to God the FATHER, the Holy Spirit was sent when Mary conceived God's Word made Flesh. There is no ambiguity. The Holy Trinity is masculine. And since the priest is a representation of Christ (God the SON), then he MUST be male.

A woman can not represent the very male Jesus.

And again, the church's hierarchy is believed to have been set by Christ himself who consecrated the all-male apostles to be the first priests. He had female followers (like Mary Magdalene, and the sisters of Lazarus, Mary and Martha to name a few) but he ordained his male followers only. He chose the 12 apostles personally. Only Peter was said to be married, though it is believed he was a widower. The others were celibate and unmarried, like modern priests. After the betrayal of Judas, before Christ's ascension, he picked a few different MEN to be his apostles who he would in turn Ordain.

Jesus had a reason for choosing them, teaching them, then ordaining them, and not his female followers, of which he had many disciples. Jesus was a radical person by those standards back then. Not willing to stone a prostitute as was the law of Moses, flipping over tables and whipping people who were gambling and selling in the temple, speaking to a Samaritan woman when Jews and Samaritans never co-mingled. So Christ was not afraid to go against the grain of society. And since God is all knowing, if women priests were something to be praised and accepted... then Christ would have set the example by ordaining one of his beloved female disciples. Mary or Martha, Mary Magdalene... Mary, his mother who is called Blessed through the ages, would likely have been the first he ordained before ascending. That would have made it clear to all ages, that it was God's will for this to be so. Instead, This "Radical Rabble Rouser" realized exactly what the priesthood was to represent, which was HIM and his Sacrifice for us all, and thus chose all men.

It is not about oppression, it's about tradition, and trying to observe the bible. Modernization has caused a lot of trouble in religion, making religion more appeasing to man instead of asking man to make self-sacrifices to God. People want the power of the church to fight social agendas instead of spreading the word of the God. So many are trying to make religion conform so they can worship as they wish, guilt free... instead of conforming to their religion. Religion was not meant to be easy, or morally simplistic, it was never meant to lack intellectual challenge. It is about God and not bout appeasing man.

The church has no authority to change what Christ himself started. (no legitimate authority at least). Again, this is from a Traditional Catholic's perspective. I am a woman in the Catholic church and I don't feel oppressed because I understand the tradition and theology behind the roles of everyone in the church. If it is not something that attracts you, then you have to ask yourself, are you looking for religion to make you happy, or to save your soul? Then if you still don't find that in the Catholic church, instead of asking them to conform to your desires to make it tolerable for you, look into other religions. No one is forced to be Catholic. The church should not be forced to modernize based on changing social agendas.

It is not about you. It is not about Feminism. It is not about equality. It's about God and following the guidelines he set for us. If you insist that a female should be a priest simply because of Feminism... then you're doing it for love of self and not love of God.

Catholics and Abortion

Sadly, Ireland has chosen to legalize abortion. Most people say this is a win for women's rights. However, it is actually killing millions of women every day. Maybe not fully grown women, but millions of future women. 

Women keep chanting, "My body, My Choice"... but it isn't their body that's being ripped apart. It isn't their body being killed. It isn't their choice being erased.

This is a side by side of a 4D ultrasound of a baby in the womb vs when the baby has been born. Do you notice much of a difference? Other than where the baby temporarily resides, what is the difference between the child in the womb and out of the womb? He still has the same nose, the same lips, the same eyes, the same chin, the same chubby arms, the same 10 fingers and 10 toes. The baby that is born is the same child inside the womb in every way.

This child, even in the womb, has it's own body, it's own heartbeat, it's own brain that is growing and learning, it's own completely unique, one of a kind genetic makeup. It is its own individual person. the child has its own identity completely separate from the mother's. It is not HER body... it is a separate life's body. That life has a spirit, that life has a choice... but can't speak for itself. The baby's only advocate wants her choice to supersede the choice of the most innocent.

It has been scientifically proven that a child can learn in utero. That's why doctors now tell you to play music for the unborn child, to talk to the child, it's why they believe a newborn who has never met their mother, calms down at her touch and her voice, because they learned who she is in utero and know her.

It's been scientifically proven that an unborn child (or fetus) can feel and react to physical stimulus, including when someone presses on the mother's belly... and by the time most babies in the womb are aborted, they already have the ability to feel pain. So as their limbs are being ripped away from their tiny bodies, they are feeling every second of it

.

A child that is unborn would not be okay with dying. Their sole purpose is to survive, to grow, and to be born. Yet that right to choose what to do with THEIR body is taken away from them.

Gianna Jensen was aborted. In fact, she was a late term abortion. Her mother went to planned parenthood where they injected a solution into the womb. This solution is inhaled by the fetus, and after ingestion starts to burn the fetus from the inside out until death. in 24 hours, the mother will deliver a dead child. Everyone says, "it's okay cause it's not a life until it's outside of the womb, so if it dies in the womb, it's not murder."

Gianna Jensen was meant to die in a horrific way, in an excruciatingly painful way (Because, again... not only was it scientifically proven that fetuses much younger than she was at the time of her abortion, can feel pain... but it's scientifically proven that an infant feels greater pain than adults because their nerves are hypersensitive until a certain age after birth)... so for that fetus being injected with this solution, the pain must be indescribably bad. 

She was unborn... she was to die in her mother's womb... but miraculously she is still here to talk about how grateful she is for her life. She was adopted by loving parents and thanks God every day for allowing her to live. Not her mother... GOD. He pulled her through the attempted murder and allowed her to be born and adopted by a wonderful family who accepted her even though the attempted abortion left her with medical issues (The abortion caused her to have cerebral palsy). Today she still speaks at pro-life events. Her survival proves she was a life inside the womb. If she were not a life, she would have easily expired from the abortion.

the word "abort" means to bring to a premature end. You can only end something that has begun. So to abort a baby is to end a life that has begun. By the very definition of abortion, you have to acknowledge that it is a life you are ending.

Then there is the rape argument. "Why victimize the woman more by forcing her to have a child of a rapist?"

That argument is flawed.

1. statistics show that the vast majority of abortions are after the fact birth control, not rape or medical emergency. These statistics were before modern medical advancements. Thanks to modern medicine, pregnancies that were once life and death for a mother, can now be managed without abortion, and with the morning after pill being given after a rape to stop conception, the statistics today for rape/medical emergency has dropped even lower than before... meaning the main reason for an abortion is because two consenting sexual partners (whether adults or teens) could not control their urges and had an oops that an innocent life has to pay the price for.

There is a reason the bible warns against sexual promiscuity outside of marriage. St Paul even says if someone can not control their sexual desires, it is better for them to be married and indulge with their spouse, than to suffer the fires of hell for indulging in sexual immorality. The sin of abortion is another reason for not indulging our carnal desires outside of the bonds of marriage.

So the rape argument is moot as it is statistically the lowest cause of abortion. Today it is less than 1%.

2. A child is completely innocent, and half of the genetic code belongs to the mother. To kill a child for the vile sins of the rapist would be like: a mother of 4 driving drunk kills a state trooper in an accident... so they go to the children's school, take one out of class, and have the child executed because of the mother's crime.

Should an innocent child be put to death because of a wrong the mother did? So why should an innocent unborn child who did nothing wrong in the world except try to exist, be put to death? Especially when there are so many families that would want that child. 

Of course it is sad that there are "Catholics" and "Christians" who support "women's rights" to rob a future woman of her rights. I put the words Christian and Catholics in quotations because they are not truly Christian or Catholic since the bible is VERY clear about how God feels about life. Children are lives, even if they are unborn. God is clear about that in the bible. So if an unborn child is a life, killing that child is murder which is a mortal sin according to God's commandments. So abortion is abhorrent to God.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart" - Jeremiah 1:5

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." - Matthew 19:14

When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. - Luke 1:41

This is why Catholics oppose abortion. They are life. Even in the womb, John the Baptist leapt at the presence of Mary and the fruit of her womb, Jesus.

God knew us before we were even conceived! Jesus, who started life as an unborn baby himself, states that heaven belongs to the children such as the ones he brought to himself. Elizabeth's unborn baby leaped in her womb with joy... for an unborn infant to leap in the womb at the presence of Mary and the fruit of her own womb, Jesus... that means Elizabeth's unborn child (John the Baptist), was alive and feeling emotion.

God is very clear that even an unborn life is still a life. And he knew our soul before it even was a spark in our parent's eye.

So if you are Christian, you must oppose abortion, or you are opposing God. Even if you never have an abortion yourself, to support the right is to condone the act, making you complicit in this grave sin as if you HAVE committed the act yourself.

Pray for life.

Pray for those who support abortion that their eyes may be opened before it's too late.

Pray for those who commit abortion that they may seek true redemption through the blood Christ shed on the cross at Calvary for all of us.

Pray for those who have the courage to give life a chance.

Pray for mothers.

Immaculate Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

Christ's Birth - an Unplanned Pregnancy?

So whoever runs “Ask a Catholic Priest” on Facebook, is having a very hard time with people disagreeing with him. He is acting all persecuted and even claimed he's being called a heretic. (No one that I personally saw called him that.) Being wrong (or perceived wrong) doesn't make someone a heretic.

He posted a Meme of Christ's Manger bed, and the caption read: “An Unplanned Pregnancy Saved the World.”

Now it caused a few people to scratch their heads. No one disagreed with the pro-life sentiments other than, Our Lord's birth should not be equated with sexually active couples (whether married or living in sin... because in the Catholic faith, premarital sex is still a sin.) who have an “oops” and find themselves pregnant when they weren't planning on having children at that time (or ever). 

That is a false teaching to say our Lord is unplanned.

Our Lord, God the Son, was planned since Adam and Eve's banishment. God always knew he would send his Son to redeem what Adam and Eve had done. There would be a new Eve (Mary) and a new Adam (Jesus) who would be the shining examples of what he meant his creations to be. Loving, obedient, faithful, and Christ's sacrifice would offer us redemption and conquer death which was thrust upon us because of Adam and Eve's disobedience.

The priest (I assume it's a priest since it's called “Ask a Catholic Priest”) became indignant and stated he wasn't talking about God, who is all knowing. He was talking about Mary. That it was an unplanned pregnancy on her behalf.

Wrong again Padre. Far be it from me to argue Theology with a priest as I am no expert... but Mary planned on having Jesus. It was a split second decision but a planned one none-the-less.

Mary did not find herself “accidentally” pregnant with an unwanted or mistimed child. In fact, when St. Gabriel the Archangel appeared to her, she wasn't even pregnant yet. Right there is the key to whether this was planned, or unplanned. SHE WAS NOT PREGNANT YET.

She was surprised, for sure. “How can this be? I have not known a man.” (IE she was a virgin) and hearing the angel tell her she was to BECOME pregnant (not that she already was) was confusing. How could she become pregnant if she's never been with a man and would not be as she was not yet married. (She wasn't about to commit a sin.)

Gabriel explained (again, she's not yet pregnant) that with God, all things are possible, in fact... her cousin Elizabeth who was of advanced age and barren, is now with Child. He then explained that (if she said yes, cause Mary still had free will to reject this miracle from God) The Holy spirit would come to her, and that God would overshadow her. So he explained on how she would come to be with child.

Mary, STILL NOT YET PREGNANT, said, “I am a servant of the Lord. Let it be done to me as you have said.”

So the angel came to her, explained to her what God wanted of her, how it would be done, Mary agreed... THEN she became pregnant. The moment she had foreknowledge that she would become pregnant by saying “yes” to God's miracle... The pregnancy was PLANNED on every end. On God's end since time began... and now Mary's, who was awaiting the miracle to happen, willingly.

If she was willingly awaiting the Holy Spirit to come to her, and God to overshadow her, awaiting the moment she would become with child, how was it unplanned at this point?

Again, this is nothing like two sexually promiscuous teenagers who accidentally become pregnant. She was told it was what God wanted, the angel laid out how it would happen, she agreed to it, THEN became pregnant fully knowing it was about to happen and willingly accepting and desiring it.

Well, this didn't sit well with the priest who told me to “look up the definition of unplanned”. And that “free will is a matter of faith and has nothing to do with the unexpected pregnancy.”

Uh... Free will is TRUTH, not faith. Even atheists understand we are free to make our own choices and live with the consequences. And since Mary was also imbued with free will, she had the chance to back out before she ever became pregnant. The fact that she agreed to it before the pregnancy happened, shows that using her free will, she planned on following through with God's request of her. Kind of how a husband and wife decide it's time to have a child... only a little faster.

And I did one better than simply looking up the definition of “unplanned” since a single word's meaning can change depending on its use.

I looked up the definition of “Unplanned Pregnancy.” According to most sources including the CDC:

“An unplanned pregnancy is an unintended pregnancy that is reported to have been either unwanted (that is, the pregnancy occurred when no children, or no more children, were desired) or mistimed (that is, the pregnancy occurred earlier than desired).”

So lets walk through that definition.

Was Christ an unintended pregnancy? No. His birth was predestined since the beginning of time, and since St. Gabriel explained in detail to Mary what would happen, she intended to have it be done to her as it was said. So Christ was an intended pregnancy.

Was Christ unwanted? No. When Mary agreed to be mother to the Word Incarnate, she wanted that child and already loved him before he was even concieved in her womb. Just knowing was enough for her to want him and expect him.

Was Christ mistimed? No. It was exactly as God had perfectly planned. He hand chose Mary before her birth... she is the immaculate conception, meaning she was born free of Original Sin so that she would be a clean and sinless vessel for the Son of God to be born. And yet, Mary still had that choice, and she was ready to accept Jesus as her child. The timing was exactly as it needed to be.

So Mary's pregnancy and Christ's birth does not fit into the definition of an unplanned pregnancy by any stretch of the imagination.

And again... while I don't disagree with the pro-life sentiments, it is a false teaching to place our Lord and Savior on the same level as a scared teenager who finds herself unwantingly pregnant through her own promiscuity (as most teenage pregnancies happen). An unplanned pregancy is a couple, whether through promiscuity outside of the sacred bonds of marriage, or even within a marriage, actively avoid trying to have a child while still fulfilling their sexual desires, then have a whoops.

That is NOT Christ's conception or birth!

I have suddenly found that my posting privileges on that site are gone.

I'm not a theological expert by any means... But it would seem like common sense that Christ was planned, was wanted by Mary the moment she said 'yes' before she was even pregnant with him, and that he came at the intended time as he will one day return on a cloud of Glory from Heaven, at the intended time.

As I stated before I got kicked off the page: “Vatican II: Spreading nonsensical theology since the 60s.”

That said, there is nothing more precious than a life, and even an unexpected pregnancy can be a blessing. Whether it's a blessing on the family, a blessing on an adoptive family who can not have children of their own, a blessing on a community (the child could grow up to be a charitable business owner) or a blessing on the world, (The child could grow up to be the person who cures cancer, who ends hunger, or who is set to be the next St. Francis, St. Therese, St. Padre Pio...)

The life of a child is precious and should never be unwanted, even if unplanned. If you find yourself in a situation where you are pregnant and can not care for a child... please, still consider life, consider adoption. There are many Catholic services available to help you through either the adoption process, or the transition for if you choose to keep your child. Adoption changed the life of my cousin who couldn't have children of her own. It also changed the life of a child my mom's cousin adopted and raised as her own.

A friend of mine had an unplanned pregnancy, she was left by the man she trusted who fathered the child, but she raised that child and sacrificed much for that child, and now he's a man who is returning the favor to her. There was so much love that she never expected when she was in her panicked state of mind.

So, this argument about the meme aside, remember that life is precious. So precious, Jesus came to us as a little innocent infant who grew into something unimaginably great. So great, his sacrifice and ressurection has saved us from death, has brought us redemption, and a way into heaven for an eternal life of peace and love. Obviously, There will only ever be one Savior, but every child born has the potential to be something wonderful, just waiting to do good in the world in Christ's name. It just takes faith, hope, love, and sacrifice. 

God Bless

Happy Advent.