Be encouraged!

A nice woman approached me at the vigil I posted here last, and gave me a card with this paragraph on it. She had seen me going around snapping pictures, and for whatever reason, felt she needed to share this with me.

It is nice to receive encouragement.

I was watching this video-




--and Mr. D'Souza shared an Indian saying at about 13:25--"After crossing the mountains -- more mountains." He was talking about how it is easy for conservatives to grow weary.

Galatians 6:9 says this-

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

In my very humble opinion, Barack Obama would not be president today if people had not "given up" to the media blitz for Obama, if the faithful Christians of America had done their own homework, rather than letting themselves be led by headlines and weak pastoral statements about "conscience" fromt he American Bishops. (for those of us who are Catholic). There are plenty now who are taking a much clearer stance.

"You need to think and pray very carefully about your vote, because a vote for a candidate who promotes actions or behaviors that are intrinsically evil and gravely sinful makes you morally complicit and places the eternal salvation of your own soul in serious jeopardy."-Bishop Thomas Paprocki

 Now, folks, we have no excuse. Let's not be lazy. Don't simply " hope for the best." Don't be taken in by the Obama-Media. Don't let polls discourage you. Consider that there may be some who would try to dishearten conservative voters with smears against Gov. Romney. I think he will do well in the debates, but even if he doesn't, or (this is likely) that you and I think he does well, but the media proclaims him as losing--don't be swayed. Remember your children and grandchildren, who may have to live under whatever the Unconcerned-about-Reelection-Obama dishes out. (shudder.)

Unborn babies cannot do anything unless we rise up to help them. Re-electing this man is tantamount to a death sentence for untold numbers of the unborn. It is an invitation to an even more rapid decline of the values that helped shape America. Before anyone feels the need to react to these statements, no, I don't expect abortions to stop on a dime on January 22, 2013. Or that Roe v Wade will overturn immediately. But I DO know that Obamacare will go, which will spark businesses and restore religious freedom to those opposed to the mandate. Oh, and relieve many American doctors. Maybe even the March for Life on January 25, 2013, will actually be acknowledged. Maybe even the number topping a quarter of a million marchers will even be reported accurately. Hey, a girl can dream!

"It is imperative that the entire Catholic community in the United States come to realize the grave threats to the Church’s public moral witness presented by a radical secularism which finds increasing expression in the political and cultural spheres. The seriousness of these threats needs to be clearly appreciated at every level of ecclesial life. Of particular concern are certain attempts being made to limit that most cherished of American freedoms, the freedom of religion." -- Pope Benedict XVI



Glenn beck held a telephone conference on Tuesday night (Sept. 25), explicitly for Catholics. He urged us to get on our knees for our country. There is a recording of the half-hour call on the net somewhere, but I couldn't remember where I saw it, and couldn't locate it today. I usually am kind of freaked out by him, but I am glad I tuned in.


So, friends, I encourage you! Do not give up! Let's fight the good fight every day, wherever our footsteps take us. Everything belongs to God. Let's live in the times we are born, as people that recognize that and are willing to live as His children, acknowledging Him in all we do and say.

~God Bless You~

+JMJ+

Kelly

What a Pro Life Vigil really looks like

One week ago today, Bob and I went to our usual gathering of Helper's of God's Precious Children, praying outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Center City. On that day, the Pro Life Union joined us and after we did our prayer vigil, we processed to the Cathedral for mass. (It's a pretty decent walk. Props to all who did it!)

Here are a few moments I thought were so lovely. Especially since we are so often maligned and misrepresented, I wanted to show the real tone of our presence.

 

                                                                                            

And here are a few of the beautiful basilica--

I also would ask for your prayers for my family. Several of my kids are going through some rough times.

+JMJ+

God Bless!
Kelly

a strong message

 I appreciate his common sense clarity.

I do not hate you

I feel I must say this, or suffer the consequences in some form, whether it be an ulcer or the regret of being silent when I should not be.

Being a Catholic, Conservative, and (usually) Republican in Philadelphia is not a comfortable thing. But being maligned, misrepresented, and (to give benefit of the doubt where applicable), misunderstood, has been tough. I have lost some dear friends. Now, I am not whining, because I understand that to do one's best to follow Christ is to at times incur all of those things. But as the Presidential campaign heats up, and the verbal bombs are lobbed from one camp to another, I want to say a few things.

Bashing the Catholics and conservatives has become a pop culture badge of honor. It's so hip to slap labels on us. Depending on their origin, it goes from unintelligent,  "shiny objects" (DWS), to, racists, bigots, greedy wealth-hoarders, or war mongers. And don't forget hate-filled.

While I could very easily counter every one of those un-thought out labels, what I mainly want to clarify is this.

 I am your fellow human being.  

I may not agree with you on everything.

 I may not completely understand you.  

    But I do not hate you.

The political movers and shakers, mainly on the left, have found a few buzz words that are very effective and have plied them freely via every media vehicle available. It was so effective that even some people, in 2008, who identified themselves as Catholics or conservatives or what have you, suddenly felt that not to vote for Barack Obama was to embody all those labels, especially the H word.

I think that to fundamentally disagree with someone should not mean giving up your voice entirely in favor of dodging the difficult discussions. 

Sadly, some real hateful speech flies pretty freely in our direction. It is accepted and  popular now. I could, again, name names and specifics, but I am choosing not to go there right now. It's all a matter of record.

Disagreement     ≠        Hate

 


I have the responsibility to speak the truth at all times, with humility, and in love. As I had to explain to one of my daughters the other day, truly loving someone means NEVER lying to them to smooth things over. ALL my kids know that I love them to the ends of the earth and back again. For example, I will not lie and say that unmarried cohabitation is really okay. I will share my own heartbreak and failures at having tried that. But I will keep right on loving them if they make that choice. I will love their boyfriends/girlfriends. I will take them shopping, laugh, cry, joke, and be here for them.  There is no hate in the equation.

There is fear that some choices can lead in a direction that could possibly drag them ultimately to hell. I will work at living, loving, and praying them away from that end. I lay awake last night praying this:

Listen, I am not the author of Truth or the Universe. I am bound to love and serve the Savior who loves and saved me.  But He loved and died for the whole world. He does not hate anyone.

There are many, many great people, some great thinkers of history, who have died for love of Christ. I submit to any that would brush off all believers with easy, lazy reasoning, to do some objective research. Read the Early Church Fathers, who lived with Jesus or those that knew Him. Pray and ask God to help you really understand. Don't be so immersed in the pop culture, make-it-up-as-they-go-along, media icons. Don't do what we are so oft accused of -- following blindly. Think and reason for yourself, and let Him reveal Himself to you.

Demonizing people of faith, as frail and flawed as we may be, is no way to go about moving "forward" in this country.

I will support Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan because I believe they will do better for ALL of us. Do I endorse every single thing they promote? No! And I will take every opportunity to communicate that, if hopefully, they win the election. 

I will not apologize for my beliefs. But if you, dear reader, believe that I would hate you for yours, you would be wrong.  I have lived and experienced the following verse.

"For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little."  

Luke 7:47 

God Bless you~

+JMJ+

Kelly