Archishop Chaput and the Gosnell Trial

An excellent article by our Archbishop -- if you would like to see the comments or add one, you can go to the original article here.

I have not been able to really write about Gosnell, perhaps because I didn't feel I had anything to add to what was already being said, but when I read this piece, it resonated.  Highlights are mine. 

The Gosnell story and its lessons

Some stories, no matter how unsettling, just can’t be ignored — even when some people are determined to look away.
The murder trial of Philadelphia abortionist Kermit Gosnell will soon go to jury. And like every other criminally accused person under the law, Gosnell is innocent until proven guilty. Whatever the verdict though, there’s no ambiguity about the kind of business he ran at his West Philadelphia “Women’s Medical Center” ­— an abortion clinic that critics have likened to a meatpacking plant or a butcher shop, with unborn children delivered into a toilet, and jars of fetal body parts stored around the facility.
Dr. Gosnell was originally charged with one count of infanticide and five counts of “abuse of corpse” for killing fetuses born alive by plunging scissors into their necks. Without explanation, the judge in the case accepted a motion to acquit Gosnell of these charges earlier this week. Gosnell still faces four counts of first-degree and one count of third-degree murder. Eight of his coworkers have already pleaded guilty in the case, including three to third-degree murder.
Or so said The New York Times in a report dated April 23.  The date is important.  Gosnell’s trial began March 18, more than a month ago.  The Times coverage, while modest, is significant.  Why?  The answer is simple.  The Inquirer – Philadelphia’s hometown paper – has done a good job following the trial.  But most prestige national media have seemed remarkably eager to ignore the story until shamed into covering it.
Gosnell is much more than a “local” story. The continuing debate over legalized abortion is a hot-button national issue that drew half a million pro-life demonstrators to Washington in January. The battle over abortion restrictions continues in every state. Forty years after the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision, resistance to permissive abortion remains high. And the vivid details of the Gosnell clinic tragedy have the kind of salacious appeal that few national media would normally avoid — if the issue were anything else. But abortion is too often, and in too many news rooms, exactly the kind of topic that brings on a sudden case of snow blindness.
The real story in the Gosnell trial is bigger than the ugly allegations against Gosnell himself; it includes the failure — the allergic disinterest — of some of our most important national media. A headline in The Atlantic magazine, April 12, states the obvious: “Why Dr. Kermit Gosnell’s Trial Should Be a Front-Page Story: The dead babies. The exploited women. The racism. The numerous governmental failures. It is thoroughly newsworthy.”
The Atlantic story by Conor Friedersdorf is worth reading. But don’t stop there.  Read this by Kirsten Powers, columnist for The Daily Beast, in USA Today. And these excellent analyses by journalists Terry Mattingly, Mollie Hemingway and George Conger.
The irony is that much of the media’s lethargy in covering the Gosnell case really doesn’t surprise. It’s part of the fabric of a culture that simply will not see what it doesn’t want to see about the realities of abortion. And it leads to the kind of implausible claim made recently by one local commentator that “no sense of guilt is warranted” by the media because “there is no causal connection between coverage of [the Gosnell] case and bias.” It’s hard to imagine a more untenable alibi.
The brutality in abortion is intimate, personal and permanent. It violates women, and it kills a developing human life every time — whether the venue is a “Women’s Medical Center”-style meat factory or a soothing suburban clinic. What makes the Gosnell story unique is that it should distress anyone with its details, pro-choice or pro-life, regardless of religion or politics.
But of course, people need to know about an evil before they can do anything about it.

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Well put. The unwillingness to see the realities of abortion, Gosnell-Style or otherwise, has the same overtones as the Holocaust. And there are STILL those that deny that.

I am certain the media and abortion supporters are terrified people will realize that ALL abortion has the same result, no matter how it is carried out. They don't want the collective light bulb to go on. They want it kept in the shadows (to them) where it belongs.

The Gosnell trial is in closing arguments. Apparently he is laughing his way through it. Father Frank Pavone, of  Priests for Life is attempting to talk with Gosnell, once the trial is over. He is also requesting the remains of the babies to give them proper funeral and burial.

Here is a note from Father Frank's newsletter:

please spread the word that this Sunday, May 5, Fox News Channel will air a one-hour documentary about Gosnell at 9pm ET. This is a key opportunity to pull aside the veil from the violence of what goes on in abortion clinics all over the nation.

*FOX has changed the air date to this Friday, May 3 at 9:00pm

We’ve created a Facebook event for this. See Facebook.com/events/564620810244408/.

Lastly, here is a prayer Father Frank is asking us to pray and share:

Prayer in Response to the Gosnell Tragedy

Lord of Life and Mercy, You love all you have created, And call us to protect The lives and rights of our brothers and sisters. You care for the unborn And you forgive the repentant sinner. Lord, we turn to you With astonishment and sorrow As our nation learns the tragic story Of abortionist Kermit Gosnell and those he killed. Have mercy on him And have mercy on all of us. Pour out the spirit of repentance on all people, That we may face the evil that has been done And cry out against it. Bless all involved in our legal system, That they may secure justice under your guidance. Convert all in the abortion industry That they may cease their violence against women and children. Embolden all in public office That they may take the steps necessary To protect the public they have promised to serve. And give us all the grace to proclaim, celebrate and serve The Gospel of Life, Which is your Son, Jesus Christ, Who is Lord forever and ever. Amen

  

A good explanation of freedom and reponsibility

Archbishop Chaput

As Disciples of Christ, 'You and I Are Responsible for This Moment'

an excerpt from his homily -- given at the closing Mass for the Fortnight for Freedom, July 4 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C.

    ...The implication is clear: To be made in the image of God is more than a pious slogan. It’s a statement of fact. Every one of us shares — in a limited but real way — in the nature of God himself. When we follow Jesus Christ, we grow in conformity to that image.
Once we understand this, the impact of Christ’s response to his enemies becomes clear. Jesus isn’t being clever. He’s not offering a political commentary. He’s making a claim on every human being. He’s saying, “Render unto Caesar those things that bear Caesar’s image, but, more importantly, render unto God that which bears God’s image” — in other words, you and me. All of us.
And that raises some unsettling questions: What do you and I, and all of us, really render to God in our personal lives? If we claim to be disciples, then what does that actually mean in the way we speak and act?
Thinking about the relationship of Caesar and God, religious faith and secular authority, is important. It helps us sort through our different duties as Christians and citizens. But on a deeper level, Caesar is a creature of this world, and Christ’s message is uncompromising: We should give Caesar nothing of ourselves. Obviously, we’re in the world. That means we have obligations of charity and justice to the people with whom we share it. Patriotism is a virtue. Love of country is an honorable thing. As Chesterton once said, if we build a wall between ourselves and the world, it makes little difference whether we describe ourselves as locked in or locked out.
But God made us for more than the world. Our real home isn’t here. The point of today’s Gospel passage is not how we might calculate a fair division of goods between Caesar and God. In reality, it all belongs to God, and nothing — at least nothing permanent and important — belongs to Caesar. Why? Because just as the coin bears the stamp of Caesar’s image, we bear the stamp of God’s image in baptism. We belong to God and only to God.
In today’s second reading, St. Paul tells us, “Indeed, religion” — the RSV version says “godliness” — “with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, just as we shall not be able to take anything out of it” (1 Timothy, 6:6-11).
True freedom knows no attachments other than Jesus Christ. It has no love of riches or the appetites they try to satisfy. True freedom can walk away from anything — wealth, honor, fame, pleasure. Even power. It fears neither the state, nor death itself.

Who is the most free person at anything? It’s the person who masters her art. A pianist is most free who — having mastered her instrument according to the rules that govern it and the rules of music and having disciplined and honed her skills — can now play anything she wants.
The same holds true for our lives. We’re free only to the extent that we unburden ourselves of our own willfulness and practice the art of living according to God’s plan. When we do this, when we choose to live according to God’s intention for us, we are then — and only then — truly free.
This is the freedom of the sons and daughters of God. It’s the freedom of Miguel Pro, Mother Teresa, Maximillian Kolbe, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and all the other holy women and men who have gone before us to do the right thing, the heroic thing, in the face of suffering and adversity.
This is the kind of freedom that can transform the world. And it should animate all of our talk about liberty — religious or otherwise.

Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/as-disciples-of-christ-you-and-i-are-responsible-for-this-moment/#ixzz1zlMBEUqq

The image is my addition. I refrained from adding political cartoons because I didn't want to distract from the message. But it was tough. There are some good ones floating around. 

Aside from relating to the music reference, I appreciate the archbishop's explanation of how we can fuse living our faith and living as responsible citizens of our country.

I highly recommend reading the whole homily~

Peace~

Kelly

7 Quick Advent Takes, or, I'm free!

1. I am "off"(in a way)--from school until after Jan 1st. Hooray! Well, except that I have to turn in a grammar test. Oh, and learn two chapters of theory. Oh, yes, and practice enough to stay up to speed. And actually get up to speed. Oh well. At least I don't have any school for two weeks...(?)

2. By some miracle I have been able to do most of my shopping, get some decorating done, and make several batches of cookie dough put in the freezer. Rachael was a big help with most of that list. But I think knowing I wasn't going to have much time due to school and other responsibilities forced me to think about things a little more thoroughly than usual. So I guess that saying that says something about asking a busy person if you want something done really is true. Especially a busy person that has a hard time saying no. And Super Especially a busy person that thinks it's always possible to squeeze in One More Thing. Here is my grandson. He apparently is a hard core cookie maker and requires stripping to the waist to really get into it. Rest assured in our house, we are not as progressive as he. A comforting thought for all our friends and fam.


3. My husband plays piano, (if you haven't read here before)--and recently made a You Tube recording of Rhapsody In Blue. With it, he entered a contest sponsored by Music Minus One. He could win $1000, if chosen. To be in the running for the prize, he has to be voted into the top ten by the public. So, public, if you don't mind too much, please vote for him! Besides--he actually is good! Listen--






--you can give him as many as three votes!--go here-- and type Seppy in the search box.

4. Hope everyone is having a Blessed Advent! We got out our Advent wreath, but didn't manage to buy the candles for it until the second week. And then forgot to light them each Sunday. And I couldn't find where I had put the prayers. (what was that I was saying about the busy person thing?) Then, when my eldest son whom we rarely see, came for a visit, I lit three, because they are pretty, and it WAS Gaudete Sunday...
I think Malaika took her Advent calendar with the daily chocolate in her room to avoid anyone stealing from it for a snack--who knows she may be reading it daily on the appropriate day--or SHE may be randomly snacking on it...

Anyways, haphazard as it may be, I am looking forward to His coming, and thankful for all He is doing in our lives.


5. As a Christmas present to me, my husband is giving me a weekend at The Jesus Retreat! I just became aware of it, and it is happening the first weekend of the New Year (Jan 6, 7 &8). Of course he is going too, and we are stoked! It's held at the beautiful Black Rock Retreat Center in Quarryville, Pa. I think the registration is closing soon, but take a look.

6.We still have many prayer needs in the fam. My Corrie is facing lots and lots of challenges, from within and without. She is being evicted from her present apartment if they don't settle their delinquency by the 31st.  Melissa has housing issues as well, and also some spiritual issues going on.  Daniel (the son mentioned above) has so many responsibilities for a young man of  24, some foisted upon him. I bear some of the responsibility for it, though I don't understand the entirety of why he remains there, now that he has the ability to change it, I still ask your prayers for him. All seven need prayers for one thing or another, Meghann and her little fam., Daniel, Corrie, (and boyfriend Justin), Melissa, (and I'm not sure of his status-Adam) , Rachael, Ben and Malaika--also Bob and I.  I am so grateful for any of you who include us in your prayers. My overarching prayer is that we all end up with the Lord in heaven. Though it would be nice to live lives on earth that include and glorify Him.

7. It is nice to be able to listen to music with words! While I practice on my steno machine, I play music, but it can't interfere with my thinking, so it has to be instrumental.(okay, well yes it is true that it doesn't take much to interfere with my thinking)  So as I write this here is what I'm listening to--




Bob, Rachael, Justin, Steve (our newest member, a bass) and I hope to include this in our music for January's Pro life mass at Saint John's in Center City Philadelphia. We are told our new Archbishop, Charles Chaput, may be there! How exciting!


While not making any promises, I hope to blog a bit more in the coming days. But the meantime, have a  wonderful remainder of the beautiful latter days of Advent.

Peace and Joy!

Kelly