No Matter What?

Even though I am not keeping up with my blog, I frequently get ideas and inspirations for posts. Today, while praying with Helper's of God's Precious Infants outside a PP in Philadelphia, I saw a young lady going in and out of the facility, apparently loading a car for some political rally. She was toting signs urging people to vote for a certain man running for Governor, who would support abortion rights and keep the funding rolling in to PP.

What caught my eye, though, was her t-shirt.

Yes, you are reading that right. It says, Act, NO MATTER WHAT.

Do you feel the implications of that? No matter what? 

Just throw yourselves into this cause ladies, don't think about any of the ramifications, and really, please just don't think.

1. No matter that it has been proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that what is growing inside a pregnant woman is a human being from the moment of conception. 

2. No matter that to abort this human whether through a chemical or surgical procedure is an act of murder.

3. No matter that doing this will cause harm to the mother. Physical, emotional, spiritual and if left unaddressed, lifelong.

4. No matter that this bloody campaign is the scourge of America, happening under the noses of so many who are deceived by the popular jargon being tossed around, such as choice, health care, bodily autonomy, women's rights. 

It just screamed at me, that the little humans being cut up and flushed away, simply ...

don't.

matter.

And THAT is what is being trumpeted and ACCEPTED and emblazoned on t-shirts! ON T-SHIRTS.

Oh America. How low we have sunk. There are women and children being bought and sold into slavery across the ocean. Where are the feminists? Where is NOW? Who is crying out for justice for those women?

*If you are thinking about abortion in any manner, please talk to someone who will not lie to you and tell you it will be quick and easy and you'll be rid of it and good as new. And all empowered-like. There are Pregnancy support centers everywhere. Go to this page for numbers if you need to. You can find help for all stages of pregnancy and even adoption.

Peace, 

Kelly

January 22 --blog for life

Today I have an oh-so-rare day all alone at home. Of course, I don't mind when everyone is home, but being here alone occasionally gives me a little breathing room to think, (and usually, clean), uninterrupted. This morning, I also went to mass. The Church made it a special day--

In all the Dioceses of the United States of America, January 22 (or January 23, when January 22 falls on a Sunday) shall be observed as a particular day of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life and of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion. - USCC

 It doesn't look like I will be able to attend the March for Life this year, sadly. But I hope to pray and do some small sacrifice.

I am all out of words about abortion right now, so I am going to borrow some.

 Father Kelly gave a wonderful homily today, and since the 1st and 2nd graders were in attendance (and preciously did the readings--oh my goodness, so. cute),  he tailored his explanation of the sanctity of life to be appropriate  for their ears and understanding. It was in some ways, better to hear it framed this way than some of the very graphic and violent descriptions one can sometimes hear. Though  necessary at times as well. 

Here are a few of his points.

1. When you see a pregnant woman, boys and girls, what is she going to have? A zebra? An elephant?

2. Who here started out as a baby? That's right, everybody. When my mother was pregnant with me, what were the two possibilities? Yes, there are only two. Right, a boy or a girl! Never a parakeet, or a lump. Well, I was a lump for a short time as a teenager...

3. Have you ever heard the story, The Emporer's New Clothes? No? Oh, you should get the book and read it. -- (here he tells the story) --so, boys and girls, don't ever do what you know in your heart is wrong, no matter what crazy stuff you may see or hear. You have been taught what the Church, the Bible and the Catechism say, by our great teachers here at St. Monica's. You are not "dumb" if you go against what everybody else is doing because you know right from wrong.*

*Fr. Kelley's words are paraphrased.

How simple, profound, and how full of truth. I have been saying Number One for years, only I like to go further, and say dumptruck.

The Gospel this morning was about having to receive Jesus' teachings like a child. When something is clear and simple, such as a woman bearing a human life, there are those that would like to try to make it into a complicated thing. 

Boys and girls, don't let the world get into your head and remove your common sense, and call it "thinking for yourself, " or, the ubiquitous, "choice." 

Here are a few favorite reasons I am prolife. You know a lot of these, too. They are called people.

~Pray for the unborn~

+JMJ+

Kelly

Alleluia! He is Risen!

Philippians 3:10-12
I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

choices and charity

 Did you ever stop a minute and look back over the events of your life and see the effect of a single choice that you made? How it led to chain of occurrences, and affected so much more than you ever could have forseen? I sometimes am astonished at the power a single choice has had on the world around me, rippling off into the future, taking on a life of its own. 

 One easy example is the birth of a child. If you, like I, went headstrong into the world as a young person, and did not wait until marriage to engage in sex with the boyfriend of the time, then upon becoming pregnant, had to decide how to proceed, then you know what I am talking about. So we decide, and that decision goes forward with us, whether we embrace or reject the life now created. After my first go at it, in which I chose to abort, I married and had seven children. Having learned from that the real agenda of the abortion/death proponents, and that it fostered death in my own life and those around me, I never had to actively choose if I would give birth to the rest. But in choosing to cooperate in the creation of each child,  whole new lifetimes of choice-makers are brought into the world. The ripples of effect from the abortion also followed me into the future, these being mostly negative, in the form of PTSD type symptoms, but the positive has been that I experienced God's grace and His willingness to entrust seven more souls to me, and that now I am able to enjoy all they give to me and to the world. 

  But even a seemingly smaller choice can resonate--something you say to someone, who takes that thing to heart and acts on it, positive or negative. Paying attention when someone is talking. Deciding whether to attend a daily mass, say a rosary, write a letter; they all go out from us and make their mark on the world. Do we always get to know what happens? No, but sometimes God allows us a window-we see someone we encouraged go on to pursue a certain path, or someone we discouraged with a harsh word, withdraw. 

 This reminds me of the discussion that can ensue with people who claim 

they are not puppets of any religion, or God. Who trumpet "choice" as a religion that worships whatever thought is in their heads at any given moment. Why would anyone think that choices belong to them alone? That they don't make any choice in a vacuum? God, in His wisdom allows us to live, free in every moment of our lives, to choose to live in Him and pursue holiness, or not. We know we never "arrive" at perfection but that the journey of a life relinquished to God  is the epitome of freedom. And alternately, a life dedicated to promoting separation from God (goes by the name of Pride) is really a life of shackles. The world, the flesh and ultimately, the devil are harsh taskmasters. Case in point, in observing the relationships of those who would eschew all allegiance to God, I see an angry, defensive lot that chews up and spits out its own as soon as someone doesn't toe the party line. "Wait!" I want to say--"I thought you were all about choice"? Oh--only certain choices--"who gets to decide which choices"? oh, a certain group of people--"who chooses which people"?--oh, only other people who reject God. okay. I think I get it....one who "makes all their own choices" is not entirely self driven, but rather a reaction to those who willingly submit themselves to God, and especially if they dare to share their faith with others, and claim, as Jesus said, that He is The Way, the Truth and the Life. So it is okay to follow in lockstep with some person who says that you don't need God. (Whose narrative goes something like-"who is HE anyway, to try and tell you what to do, oh and by the way--do what I tell you to do, and don't mess up, or you're out"!). Well, all I can tell you is that THAT particular drama played out in the garden, and it seems to be in theaters near you, perpetually.

 "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." James 4:6 

This line of thinking then gets me to thinking about truth and charity. Many times, I hear people talking of Christian love, (charity), in kind of gloppy sounding terms, as though love=sappy words*, always agreeable words, words that would never hurt anyone's feelings, or in the terms of the day, "disrespect" them in any way. What is left then? How can you communicate truth to someone in error or (gasp) sin without ever countering the beliefs leading to their behavior? I firmly believe that to lie to someone is not to love them at all. I understand that a certain degree of relationship is needed to engage a person on that level, that is a given. With acquaintances we have to rely on our demeanor and example. So here, a demeanor that radiates God's love and peace are something to aim for. (of course, it helps to foster God's love and peace oneself before trying to import it). But there is a time for direct, truthful words. Ones that don't tiptoe around the truth. 

*what leaps to mind at the thought of sappy Christian love is the Franco Zefirelli depiction of Saint Francis, in Brother Sun, Sister Moon, a film from 1973, in which Saint Francis appears with an expression of ecstasy permanently stuck on his face.

 A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity, Proverbs 17:17

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17

Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. Proverbs 27:6

Who knows if the words spoken today will not shape someones future? Who knows if those words might even shape their eternal future? If we have the truth within us, we have a treasure that Jesus asked us to give away freely. He tells us we will be hated because of Him. Hated. Wow. Not irritated, not annoyed.

 But are we willing to go that far? Not to go around ready to bite heads off for Jesus, but to carry His love and mercy in us, and be ready in season and out of season, to give witness to him?

 ¹⁸"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. ¹⁹If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. ²⁰Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.'^[b] If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. ²¹They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. ²²If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. ²³He who hates me hates my Father as well. ²⁴If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. ²⁵But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason.'^[c]
 26"When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. ²⁷And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.

 John 5:18-27

signs of life

   When all my kids were little, I had to grow accustomed to a high activity level in the house. And a general mess, especially when there was a  preponderance of babies and toddlers. Some days, I could only get out of bed by promising myself that I could relax a little at the kids nap time. (I still use a version of that). I remember a friend of mine, who also had a good amount of children, saying something like, "People matter more that things." Seems kind of elementary! 

Then I would  awake each morning to mountains of laundry, (no dryer--someone in cloth diapers), meals to prepare, lessons to teach (I homeschooled back then) -- all the while skating over blankies left on the kitchen floor, stepping on legos in the hallway, (ow), cheerios buried in the couch cushions and the occasional piece of fruit forgotten in a dresser drawer for approximately seven weeks. (So that was what that smell was!)  The people vs. things issue clouded a bit when the things that were extensions of the people are difficult to manage. 

When things got really hairy I would often repeat my friends' saying and try to remember that someday I would miss those days. ( I do). Later, I also found it helpful to add the little mental caption, 'Signs of Life', to the particularly distressing scenes. The favorite- "fort" made from  sheets and blankets, held in place by many teetering, heavy books on the edges of tables and chairs. All their worldly possessions  got dragged inside so that they could barely fit in themselves. All these items were much more fun to put in the fort that to take out. Or put away.

  One son was the quintessential tinkerer.  Anyone who has one knows what this means.  One day, the thing that got taken apart was an antique gold watch I had saved from my mother's jewelry box. I think it had been her mother's. What a sight--all the teeny gears and teenier springs on my dresser. This one was not getting put back together. But this was a Thing and the tinkerer was my Son. Who now can take things apart and get them back together in even better shape than they were before. 

These days, the people are considerably larger, and the activity level is about things like applying to colleges, job interviews, and SAT's. I still have to talk to myself some days, and allow for lots of  'signs of life'. The kids are largely teens and young adults now, well able to take care of a lot of their own messes. It is tricky, as we have eight people in a South Philly row house. Picture a large, uncoordinated dance troupe in an area the size of a postage stamp. For it to be always neat as a pin ( ha HA) would require almost military style order. And I don't really want our home to have the atmosphere of a boot camp. So I take a deep breath, say a prayer or three, do whatever work needs to be done, delegate what needs to be delegated. Then I remember that these people are much more important that anything else surrounding us, and that someday, when they have moved on to leave signs of life in their own places, I will miss them like crazy.

If there are those who might be thinking that having a child or several children, (or seven), will take away something from your life; it will. It will take away your focus from yourself. It will take your breath away, every time you peek in on them while they sleep. It will take away your small vision of the world, and open up whole new horizons, as they grow and pursue their dreams. All the love, sweat, tears, and laundry, you put in on their behalf comes around and blesses you beyond what you could have imagined.

So yes, life is messy. But without a little mess, all we would have left is a very sterile, orderly, lonely and colorless existence. When the Lord said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." ( John 10:10) Sure there are those who do not have children for one reason or another--but I am not talking about those here--I have in mind those who would practice and promote abortion. What a sad world indeed , is one that would not welcome the children it is given.

There is always the danger that we may just do the work for the sake of the work. This is where the respect and the love and the devotion come in - that we do it to God, to Christ, and that's why we try to do it as beautifully as possible.
Mother Teresa








 If you are contemplating abortion, feel free to contact me, or go here: priestsforlife.org to talk with someone who can help.

♥Kelly

 

after work blink-blogging

Well I say that now, but once I get going, you never can tell.

 I just got home from my Friday night shift at Women of Hope. 4-12. Recently I have been thinking about leaving my job there and trying to make this blogging thing bring in some shekels instead. And maybe finally get going on that book I have been wanting to write.

But when I really imagine not working there I think of how I will miss the ladies. They have grown on me. SO I think-maybe a compromise. I could start up my Rosary-and-song group again. Or Bob and I and the kids could go and do a concert. Maybe a Christmas concert! Justin could dress as Santa--he likes that sort of thing. (oh to have Kaden-he could go as mini-Santa! He likes that sort of thing, too).

The hardest part is getting the ladies to deviate from their routine. I have seen them turn on the TV while a group was there playing the piano and singing. Or pop out the foot rest on a recliner in the middle of a mass. Maybe if we stand directly in front of the TV when we do our concert, we'll have a fighting chance.



I say all this in jest and in seriousness. That is their reality, and I know I am kind of used to it. But I really appreciate my reality. Whatever I feel to be a restriction on a given day, at least I can come and go when I wish, or eat when I want, and WHAT I want. I also do not have to hear voices telling me alarming things (well, not too often) or  experience any of the myriad difficulties these ladies face daily. They are among the worlds reminders that all life is precious, even if not  noticed and revered by the majority. In some ways they truly are the least of these. It is my privilege to serve them, one more of God's gifts.