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.

Powerful statement

painting by Akiane Kramarik

This is a very wonderful discussion the deacon of my church wrote about the message of the readings and Gospel for 7/2/17 (the 13th Sunday of Ordinary time)

Jesus said to his Apostles

"Whoever Loves Father or Mother more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me."

Those are very powerful words. Powerful words indeed. And difficult words too. Jesus is telling us that true Christianity comes at a cost.

Here's a cute story of two brothers, ages 9 and 5. They were arguing over who would get the last chocolate chip cookie. Their mother said to the boys not to fight. She told her sons, "Think of what Jesus would do. He would tell his brother, "here brother, you take the cookie". The nine year old thought for a moment then said to his 5 year old brother: "Mikey, you be Jesus".

To be a true Christian means suffering is part and parcel to our lives, but no one really likes the idea of suffering, do we? Yet pain, sorrow and suffering are a part of who we are and part of our human existence. Think of it. Headaches, muscle aches and pains, worries, cares, the death of a loved one, stress, misery, trouble with our marriages, jobs, daily living, so on. All of these things point to the fact that we do have pain and suffering in our daily lives. We'd like to be free of them, but the fact is we can not, no matter how hard we wish or how hard we try. In the end, following Jesus is going to cost us something.

We've all heard the saying, "You get what you pay for". Well then, beware of cheap religions or any religion that comes across as soft and easy and accepting of everything. Beware religion where the cost of following Jesus Christ is never mentioned and where our consciences is never challenged or disturbed. Also be wary when we begin to think that living for Jesus Christ is SUPPOSE to be easy.

Cheap religion will only wrap us in tales of God's love. It will never tell us the truth. The Truth is that Jesus Christ DIED for us. Think of that. Jesus Christ died on a cross for you and me, and the whole human race. He suffered a painful, humiliating death. he willingly gave his life for us and he calls us to be willing to give something of ourselves in return.

There are too many people who only know one side of the story. The story of God's love. Learning and living in God's love is important, but there is much more to the story! that is the point of today's Gospel.

Jesus tells his Apostles and those who succeed them, that they must be prepared to undergo great sacrifices, even death itself, if called to do so. Even though they had only a very vague idea of what he meant, when the time came, they remembered his words and gladly suffered imprisonment, hardships, and finally Martyrdom for Jesus. This shows how the resurrection of Jesus, and the descent of the Holy Spirit on them, changed them from worldly weaklings to fearless heroes.

They had become convinced that Jesus was the Son of God who had come to Earth to bring all men to heaven. They came to realize how transitory and unimportant the few years of earthly life were, when compared with the eternal life to follow. It was not only the apostles who gave their lives gladly for Jesus. There are thousands of martyrs who, during the first three centuries of the church, not only accepted, but welcomed death for Christ's sake, because they were convinced it was the door to eternal life, the only life that mattered.

Down through the centuries, the followers of Jesus have been persecuted because of their belief in him, and many of us can be proud that we have among our ancestors, men and women who died for their faith. Today, too, there are still those who are suffering a lingering martyrdom, because they obey God rather than man.

All of us, at one point or another, or in one way or another, have had to bear crosses in life. By bearing our crosses, we can become more like Jesus. Why do some of us come out of our trials more miserable than before? And why do some of us become more Christ like? Well, it may be that the answer has to do with how we see Jesus and follow him.

Remember our Lord's words in today's first reading. he who will give hospitality and help to a prophet will have the reward of the prophet. He who helps those who are preaching and teaching the message of salvation, the good news of Jesus, at home and abroad, will himself share in that reward of these preachers and teachers.

When we get to heaven, one of the many pleasant surprises awaiting us will be the gratitude we will receive from the saints we've helped send to heaven, people we never knew or perhaps thought about. We helped those who thought about them and worked hard for their salvation, and thus we share in their rewards.

Remember this promise, even a cup of cold water will not go unrewarded, every little helping hand we give to bring our fellowmen to heaven will help us too, toward the same goal. Heaven is our real goal in life. It alone will satisfy all our desires and it alone will last forever.

Are we truly followers of him or are we only admirers? That is an important question we need to ask ourselves. Are we followers or admirers? If we are only admirers, then we will tend to see our faith and belief in Jesus as a crutch or a Band-Aid. If that happens, when trials and sufferings and sorrows come, we'll become bitter and hopeless people. Especially when things don't go the way we want them to go.

If on the other hand, we are true followers of Jesus we will realize that all of our trials and tribulations, no matter how awful they are, can and will bring us closer to God. Remember that we are called to learn about God. This doesn't mean that we figure out the Trinity or know word for word what the pope or Vatican has said or that we can read the new testament in original Greek. no we are called to learn about Jesus from our every day experiences and the joys and happiness of life, the struggles and pains, in our strengths and weaknesses of life too. We need to learn about God from Christ like people, people who pick up their crosses everyday and do their best to follow Jesus.

All of us can be Jesus to someone, someone who will remember what Jesus is like because they remember what we are like. They will know that we are true followers of Jesus, even in the midst of bearing our crosses. True followers and not just admirers only.

But we must also be willing to put away our self-centeredness. If we do this and realize this, we'll gain a deeper appreciation of what pain and suffering can bring to our lives.

Jesus says, "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake, will find it." Let us lose ourselves then in Jesus, and lose ourselves in all that life gives us, in joy and sorrow, in happiness and pain, in all things good and bad, so that one day, we can find life eternal in Him.

Readings and Gospel for this statement:

2 kings 4:8-17

Romans 6:1-11

Matthew 10:37-42

Today, so many religions are all about acceptance, tolerance, inclusivity. They talk about how God loves everyone and accepts everyone, and who are we to judge anyone? That's for God alone.

They don't teach about hell. Hell's become either a non existent place made up to frighten children or a place that is merely a separation from God. (despite the biblical mentions of fire and brimstone and suffering.)

God, in many newer Christian religions, has become a magic fairy godmother and all we have to do is love, accept, tolerate, and not judge. Suffering isn't part of the deal. Avoiding sin isn't part of the deal. sacrifice isn't part of the deal.

They are leading people astray by reinterpreting the harsh language of the bible and making it about love and peace and equality.

They are missing the point. The saints suffered, Christ suffered, and so we too must suffer in this world, and offer our sufferings to Christ, so that we can gain eternal peace and joy with Christ and all the saints who went before us.