Friday, February 29, 2008
Quote book
"To be pure, to remain pure, can only come at a price, the price of knowing God and loving him enough to do his will. He will always give us the strength we need to keep purity as something as beautiful for him."- Blessed Mother Teresa
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Blogging for chastity
I found a new favorite blog recently. Through the wonderful blog network, I came across A Great Deception, in which the author beautifully articulates her convictions regarding chastity and related issues. The blog is definitely for the young adults (and older) crowd and is worth checking frequently.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Catholic Men's Conference -- student discount
Cincinnati's "Answer the Call" Catholic Men's Conference is right around the corner. A student discounted price of $25 is being offered to high school and college students. Speakers this year include UC's football coach Brian Kelly and former "Apprentice" star Tarek Saab. For more info, visit the event's website.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Out of the mouths of babes ...
This from 40 Days for Life organizer David Bereit:
.............................................................................................................................................................................
The 40 Days for Life team in Bakersfield sent me this boy's story, and today I'd like to share it with you.
Eight-year-old Hugo had prayed with his older sister Sandra at the abortion center, but it was never on an abortion day.
He kept insisting to Sandra they go on a day abortions were planned. Finally, she was able to fit such a visit into her very busy schedule.
As Sandra and Hugo prayed that day, a young woman named Denisha walked out of the clinic. "I didn't have it done yet," she told the sidewalk counselors, but insisted she would be returning for an abortion.
Little Hugo stood nearby listening as Denisha explained her reasons for scheduling the abortion.
She has two young children who were taken away by Child Protective Services. She expects to get her children back at an upcoming court date, but being pregnant again could complicate the situation. She was also afraid to tell her parents that she is pregnant.
"I know it's wrong to have an abortion," she confessed, "but I'll just repent and God will forgive me."
People continued pleading with her for over an hour, but her heart remained hardened. Denisha insisted she was just going to go back inside and "get it over with."
During much of the conversation, Hugo stood close to Denisha, looking up into her eyes. Meanwhile, Sandra prayed nearby on the sidewalk, tears filling her eyes. "Her situation seemed so hopeless," Sandra said.
Then Hugo quietly said to Denisha, "But your mother didn't abort you."
Denisha broke down and cried, realizing that she couldn't go through with the abortion.
When her tears subsided, Denisha's facial expression changed. The look of anxiety was gone, replaced by a huge smile and an appearance of peace and joy.
The eternal rewards of setting aside our busy schedules to invest an hour in prayer outside an abortion center may not always be as obvious as they were in this instance, but when God gives us the opportunity to participate in saving a child's life we are always blessed when we accept His invitation.
..........................................................................................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................................................................................
The 40 Days for Life team in Bakersfield sent me this boy's story, and today I'd like to share it with you.
Eight-year-old Hugo had prayed with his older sister Sandra at the abortion center, but it was never on an abortion day.
He kept insisting to Sandra they go on a day abortions were planned. Finally, she was able to fit such a visit into her very busy schedule.
As Sandra and Hugo prayed that day, a young woman named Denisha walked out of the clinic. "I didn't have it done yet," she told the sidewalk counselors, but insisted she would be returning for an abortion.
Little Hugo stood nearby listening as Denisha explained her reasons for scheduling the abortion.
She has two young children who were taken away by Child Protective Services. She expects to get her children back at an upcoming court date, but being pregnant again could complicate the situation. She was also afraid to tell her parents that she is pregnant.
"I know it's wrong to have an abortion," she confessed, "but I'll just repent and God will forgive me."
People continued pleading with her for over an hour, but her heart remained hardened. Denisha insisted she was just going to go back inside and "get it over with."
During much of the conversation, Hugo stood close to Denisha, looking up into her eyes. Meanwhile, Sandra prayed nearby on the sidewalk, tears filling her eyes. "Her situation seemed so hopeless," Sandra said.
Then Hugo quietly said to Denisha, "But your mother didn't abort you."
Denisha broke down and cried, realizing that she couldn't go through with the abortion.
When her tears subsided, Denisha's facial expression changed. The look of anxiety was gone, replaced by a huge smile and an appearance of peace and joy.
The eternal rewards of setting aside our busy schedules to invest an hour in prayer outside an abortion center may not always be as obvious as they were in this instance, but when God gives us the opportunity to participate in saving a child's life we are always blessed when we accept His invitation.
..........................................................................................................................................................................
Saturday, February 23, 2008
If killing preborn babies is legal ...
... Then killing born babies isn't too far behind. Apparently, a "prestigious" bioethics journal has stated that killing disabled newborns is perfectly fine. Read more here.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Question box Friday -- Is it wrong for engaged people to have sex?
Even in the sixth grade, our students ask this question frequently. On the surface, it would seem that it would be okay for an engaged couple to engage in sex because they are obviously committed to each other. But the question is: Are they committed enough to express the true meaning of sex?
God created sex to have a meaning. In Pope John Paul II's theology of the body, he discusses the concept that our bodies "speak" a language that is meant to point us to God and our desire for union and communion with Him. Sex, then, is meant to express through the body what wedding vows express through words.
In a wedding, the priest asks if the couple has come freely and without reservation. Therefore, sex is meant to express love that is freely given.
During wedding vows, the couple promise "to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life." They also say, "I promise to be true to you … until death do us part." Therefore, sex is meant to express love that is total (holding nothing back) and faithful (committed until death).
During the wedding, the priest asks the couple, "Will you accept children lovingly from God and bring them up according to the law of Christ and His Church?" Therefore, sex is meant to express love that is fruitful (not referring to pears and oranges but to an openness to new life).
When a couple is engaged, they are planning to commit in this way, but they have not yet done so. I have several friends who were engaged but broke up before the wedding took place. Until the wedding vows have been spoken in front of God, each other, one's friends and family, then the couple is not capable of honestly or authentically expressing the true meaning of sex. So, the answer to this question would be, yes, it would be wrong (and not practicing chastity) for an engaged couple to have sex.
God created sex to have a meaning. In Pope John Paul II's theology of the body, he discusses the concept that our bodies "speak" a language that is meant to point us to God and our desire for union and communion with Him. Sex, then, is meant to express through the body what wedding vows express through words.
In a wedding, the priest asks if the couple has come freely and without reservation. Therefore, sex is meant to express love that is freely given.
During wedding vows, the couple promise "to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life." They also say, "I promise to be true to you … until death do us part." Therefore, sex is meant to express love that is total (holding nothing back) and faithful (committed until death).
During the wedding, the priest asks the couple, "Will you accept children lovingly from God and bring them up according to the law of Christ and His Church?" Therefore, sex is meant to express love that is fruitful (not referring to pears and oranges but to an openness to new life).
When a couple is engaged, they are planning to commit in this way, but they have not yet done so. I have several friends who were engaged but broke up before the wedding took place. Until the wedding vows have been spoken in front of God, each other, one's friends and family, then the couple is not capable of honestly or authentically expressing the true meaning of sex. So, the answer to this question would be, yes, it would be wrong (and not practicing chastity) for an engaged couple to have sex.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Still talking about "Bodies"
Since "Bodies ... the Exhibition" will be in Cincinnati until the fall, and since it is traveling to a myriad of cities in our nation, people are still talking about whether or not they morally agree with the idea of paying money to see dead bodies on display for education (or as Peter Bronson says, "edutainment"). In today's Cincinnati Enquirer, Gail Finke penned an excellent op-ed regarding the exhibit:
..............................................................................................................................................................................
When I first learned that "Bodies ... The Exhibition" was coming to Cincinnati Museum Center, I was naïve enough to believe that people who objected to it would not have to see it. But recently, I have seen TV commercials and other ads showing detailed photos of the cadavers - whether I want to see them or not.
It does not matter where these bodies came from. It does not matter if they were claimed or unclaimed, if one or a million consent forms were signed. It does not matter whether or not they will be eventually "given a decent burial." They are dead people. Using corpses to advertise anything, even themselves, should be right up there with profanity and nudity as off-limits.
Furthermore, the exhibit features not just any old corpses, but corpses that have been flayed, cut up, and posed for our amusement. The "educational" claim is a ruse. Of course people who are interested in medicine find them to be just like medical illustrations. They are actual human bodies. The important question is, would anyone come to see detailed models of bodies in the same poses? It would be a lot cheaper and easier to do, and the corpse factory could make duplicates.
But the answer is no. The attraction here isn't the chance to learn about anatomy, it's the chance to see dead human bodies. In person! Right in front of you!
These bodies are not in any sense "an anatomy textbook come to life," as the ad trumpets. They are dead. They are not thousands of years old, mummified in sacred rituals we can study to learn about an ancient culture and its beliefs. They are recently dead people posed "creatively" by exhibit designers.
They tell us a lot we might not want to know about our culture and its beliefs. The advertisements may talk about the "specimens" being "respectfully preserved," but these are nothing more than high-tech carnival displays.
.........................................................................................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................................................................
When I first learned that "Bodies ... The Exhibition" was coming to Cincinnati Museum Center, I was naïve enough to believe that people who objected to it would not have to see it. But recently, I have seen TV commercials and other ads showing detailed photos of the cadavers - whether I want to see them or not.
It does not matter where these bodies came from. It does not matter if they were claimed or unclaimed, if one or a million consent forms were signed. It does not matter whether or not they will be eventually "given a decent burial." They are dead people. Using corpses to advertise anything, even themselves, should be right up there with profanity and nudity as off-limits.
Furthermore, the exhibit features not just any old corpses, but corpses that have been flayed, cut up, and posed for our amusement. The "educational" claim is a ruse. Of course people who are interested in medicine find them to be just like medical illustrations. They are actual human bodies. The important question is, would anyone come to see detailed models of bodies in the same poses? It would be a lot cheaper and easier to do, and the corpse factory could make duplicates.
But the answer is no. The attraction here isn't the chance to learn about anatomy, it's the chance to see dead human bodies. In person! Right in front of you!
These bodies are not in any sense "an anatomy textbook come to life," as the ad trumpets. They are dead. They are not thousands of years old, mummified in sacred rituals we can study to learn about an ancient culture and its beliefs. They are recently dead people posed "creatively" by exhibit designers.
They tell us a lot we might not want to know about our culture and its beliefs. The advertisements may talk about the "specimens" being "respectfully preserved," but these are nothing more than high-tech carnival displays.
.........................................................................................................................................................................
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)