J.M.J+
I am posting to those who wish to pray to end abortion through the 40 days for Life campaign. 40 days of fasting and peaceful prayer vigil is taking place around the USA simultaneously in 80+ cities outside of Planned Parenthood. Here is a link to explain if you have not already heard of this history making pro life event! http://40daysforlife.com/splash.cfm
It is very exciting because this is the biggest pro life vigil ever held and to be involved in any way is being part of something that our kids or grand kids will someday be reading in their history books as the beginning of the end of abortion. My husband and I have decided at the prompting of 40 Days for Life to organize a 24 Hr Vigil in front of Planned Parenthood right here in New Haven CT On Saturday the 3rd ! We need people to come and stand vigil and pray with us for an hour or more. I know you might be feeling reluctant especially if you have never done a pro life vigil before, however I can assure you you will not be standing alone. In numerous cities men and woman will be standing with you in prayer and most importantly God and Our Lady will be standing with us. Serving God and standing up for the unborn in this peaceful witness is what Jesus is calling us to do in the Gospel. Whether or not people admit it abortion kills babies and hurts women. I spent and hour on the phone today with a woman who sobbed to me about the loss she felt about the children she had aborted. She kept saying how much she wanted her babies back, could I get them back for her. She said how she was lied to and did not understand what she was doing. I heard the despair in her voice of what happens to a woman when she is lied to, her baby is killed, and then goes on to learn how she was so betrayed. She kept saying that they took a piece of her soul that day. That one conversation would be enough for anyone to be confident that the pro abortion movement does not give woman choice but takes that away from them along with the hopes and dreams of mothering the child they carried within.
In response to 40 Days for Life's call to branch out to other PP in our state we are blanketing the New Haven PP as well with our prayers. Here is an excerpt below I received in email.
***SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3, UNITY VIGIL ACROSS AMERICA***Every Saturday, there are an estimated 8,000 abortionscommitted in the United States, making it the busiest abortion day of each week. But this Saturday, November 3 -- Day 39 of 40 Days forLife -- is going to be different. In addition to a big final push in each of the 80+cities holding 40 Days for Life campaigns, we are asking people of faith and conscience all across America to form a simultaneous 24-hour peaceful prayervigil outside of every Planned Parenthood center and abortion facility possible. This Saturday, please take some extra time out of yourday to be one of the tens of thousands of people -- incities and towns all across America -- who will join together as part of this "Unity Vigil. "Your peaceful witness can make a tremendous life-saving impact and help make history at the conclusion of this fall's 40 Days for Life effort".
Michael and I have decided to try to pull together all of our brothers and sisters in Christ in order to organize a 24 hr vigil of peaceful prayer this Saturday in New Haven (345 Whitney Ave New Haven CT 06511)starting at 12 am on Sat through till 12 am Sun. These past 40 days have been the biggest pro life anti abortion prayer campaign in history! This Saturday it is the hope of men and woman from all over the country that through God's grace as many PP's as possible should have witnesses for Christ visible in peaceful prayer. The goal is to save babies lives while sending the message, not only to PP but the world ,that this evil we call abortion will no longer be tolerated by God's people. We ask for prayer now in order to fill all 24 slots as well as for protection and cover for all who are praying. But most importantly we need volunteers to take an hour slot of prayer to keep the vigil going. If you have others who might as well have interest in filling an hour, please do respond or pass this along. Thank you in advance for all your prayers and we hope that together we can fulfill this goal to bring Glory to God through saving the lives of the unborn.
God Bless,
Kerry
The Eucharist
May the Heart of Jesus, in the Most Blessed Sacrament, be praised, adored and loved with grateful affection, at every moment, in all the tabernacles of the world, even to the end of time. Amen.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
40 Days For Life New Haven
Friday, October 26, 2007
Natural Family Planning a Gift of Marriage
J.M.J +
I recently was at a Catholic bulletin board to which a question was posted in regards to teaching middle school aged girls Natural Family Planning, as an alternative to the birth control pill. As a Catholic while it is never my intention to hurt another’s feelings ,I am growing more concerned about the increasing mentality of tolerating this watered down and morally corrupt view on the impossibility for our youth to live chaste and pure lives as well as the true message of NFP. My husband and I believe that parents being the first educators of their children should teach the importance of living a chaste and pure life before marriage, and when the time comes, in marriage. It is my continued belief that through God’s grace, along with utilizing the Sacraments, our youth when given the truth of God’s plan for sex and marriage will recognize the dignity of the human person. Along with the understanding that they are worth waiting for and a new found respect for the beauty of union between husband and wife and the gift of children through that union, I believe our youth can and will want to live pure lives. I have a fantastic link for teens which promotes chastity and purity which has a modern type appeal to our youth! http://www.pureloveclub.com/
I am also growing wearier of not speaking up for those who may not understand what the acceptable moral teaching is on NFP within the context of the Magisterium of the Church. Below is a response I posted to a question on whether or not it is acceptable to teach NFP to young girls for those schools and parents who feel chastity is unrealistic in our day and age. I hope through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I did it justice!
From a Catholic perspective NFP is meant to be used within the Sacrament of Marriage and only when the couple has prayerfully discerned it is needed either for the spacing of children and or other serious reasons. In context of our Faith it is never viewed as a birth control because abstaining from the marital embrace during the fertile time, unlike obstructing natural fertility with birth control pills or a condom, is in no way hindering God's Will when there is good reason. It is also perfectly acceptable for husband and wife to partake in the marital act when the woman is naturally infertile while abstaining in the fertile time, as God has deemed that period to be naturally infertile. So from a Catholic perspective I have a problem with young girls being taught NFP for "Birth Control" purposes. This would be taking NFP out on the confines of Marriage and changing completely the role it is meant to play. In response to the statement, "could it be a viable option for parents and schools who think "they're just going to have sex anyway"? "From a secular standpoint I am sure just as they are teaching that all teens are having premarital sex, need birth control because of this and when they are "irresponsible" in taking those pills can seek an abortion, they may consider adding NFP as a method of avoiding pregnancy. From a moral Catholic perspective this remains unacceptable because it does not change that it is immoral. Used in this way it has the same intentions as of using birth control and is perverting the context for which it was created to be used which is in Marriage. There really is no lesser of an evil here.
I recently was at a Catholic bulletin board to which a question was posted in regards to teaching middle school aged girls Natural Family Planning, as an alternative to the birth control pill. As a Catholic while it is never my intention to hurt another’s feelings ,I am growing more concerned about the increasing mentality of tolerating this watered down and morally corrupt view on the impossibility for our youth to live chaste and pure lives as well as the true message of NFP. My husband and I believe that parents being the first educators of their children should teach the importance of living a chaste and pure life before marriage, and when the time comes, in marriage. It is my continued belief that through God’s grace, along with utilizing the Sacraments, our youth when given the truth of God’s plan for sex and marriage will recognize the dignity of the human person. Along with the understanding that they are worth waiting for and a new found respect for the beauty of union between husband and wife and the gift of children through that union, I believe our youth can and will want to live pure lives. I have a fantastic link for teens which promotes chastity and purity which has a modern type appeal to our youth! http://www.pureloveclub.com/
I am also growing wearier of not speaking up for those who may not understand what the acceptable moral teaching is on NFP within the context of the Magisterium of the Church. Below is a response I posted to a question on whether or not it is acceptable to teach NFP to young girls for those schools and parents who feel chastity is unrealistic in our day and age. I hope through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I did it justice!
From a Catholic perspective NFP is meant to be used within the Sacrament of Marriage and only when the couple has prayerfully discerned it is needed either for the spacing of children and or other serious reasons. In context of our Faith it is never viewed as a birth control because abstaining from the marital embrace during the fertile time, unlike obstructing natural fertility with birth control pills or a condom, is in no way hindering God's Will when there is good reason. It is also perfectly acceptable for husband and wife to partake in the marital act when the woman is naturally infertile while abstaining in the fertile time, as God has deemed that period to be naturally infertile. So from a Catholic perspective I have a problem with young girls being taught NFP for "Birth Control" purposes. This would be taking NFP out on the confines of Marriage and changing completely the role it is meant to play. In response to the statement, "could it be a viable option for parents and schools who think "they're just going to have sex anyway"? "From a secular standpoint I am sure just as they are teaching that all teens are having premarital sex, need birth control because of this and when they are "irresponsible" in taking those pills can seek an abortion, they may consider adding NFP as a method of avoiding pregnancy. From a moral Catholic perspective this remains unacceptable because it does not change that it is immoral. Used in this way it has the same intentions as of using birth control and is perverting the context for which it was created to be used which is in Marriage. There really is no lesser of an evil here.
Monday, October 1, 2007
A Eucharist Starved World
J.M.J
As Catholics we have been given by Christ the most awesome gift of the Holy Eucharist. We have a God who loves us so completely He suffered, died, and rose for our salvation and then went on to make it so we would never be without Him, by sending His Spirit and by giving Himself to us so completely Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Blessed Sacrament. In a world that is love starved and where love is replaced with counterfeit substitutes, Jesus remains waiting for us in the Blessed Sacrament as Love itself. A love so pure and true that when we bask in His Eucharistic presence we cannot help but to be changed, for if we could feel His love we would surely become transformed into the likeness of Him who is Love. As we gaze at His Holy Presence we are reminded that love is freely giving all that we have so that others may have life.
In viewing the world which surrounds us one often wonders of whom the world learns of that which is love. We see families divided by divorce, contraception, abortion, euthanasia, war, attack on human dignity, as well as on the institution of marriage. And we ask ourselves where we are going wrong? How can it be we are in such a state of moral and spiritual crisis in our world?
The world’s portrayal of love as conditional and self fulfilling is the very reason that parents, as the first educators of their children, need to understand and live out their Catholic Faith. The Domestic Church is an integral part of Christ’s Body. The Catholic family should be a fruitful place where the seeds of catechismic faith are planted and nourished to grow. It is where our children build a foundation of Faith along with the skills of critical thinking in preparation for the adult years ahead. The Domestic Church should be in itself a sacred place where our children begin to understand and hear the vocation to which God is calling them. The Catholic home should be a haven which fosters vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life where as much as possible, the constant noise and message of the secular world is absent. As parents our lives should be a living testament to our faith through great love for and obedience to our Holy Father as well as the Magisterium of the Church. It is through this obedience as well as utilizing the Sacraments that we come to understand and radiate the treasure of God’s Church, a gift to which no worldly treasure could ever compare. I pray my children will come to know in their hearts, that God loves them so much He sent His only Son so that they might have eternal life, this eternal life which is attainable through His Church.
It is no secret our world is in a state of turmoil, chaos, and unrest. We know by the news and media our country is physically at war and in a battle where sadly men and woman must die every day to defend our freedom. Our hearts pour out to these families with loved ones who are lost at war and we pray for them. However we must also be attentive that there is a much greater spiritual war going on in our own homes and in our own families to which we need to know how to fight. As Father John Corapi so often preaches, have we forgotten that this war is a war for souls, that including the souls of our children? The difference with this spiritual war is that the consequence of fatality is eternal.
The only way to bring peace to our world is to bring peace within our families. This must happen through prayer. Father Peyton’s saying of “A family that prays together stays together” has taken on an even deeper meaning particularly now when there is such a blatant attack on the family as well as the institution of marriage. Is not the ultimate goal of the family for husband and wife to help one another get to heaven as well as their children? If this is true Father Peyton’s message becomes even more profound. For a family that prays together on earth will ultimately stay together in heaven for all eternity.
In a world that is no longer black nor white but grey, there remains a Eucharistic hunger only God can fulfill, a hunger mistaken as that of which earthly pleasures can satiate. The spiritual root of addiction to things such as drugs, pornography, sex, and gambling is nothing short of one’s misdirected need to satiate the hunger which only God can fill. It is only the One who suffered and died on the Cross who can lift us up and make us whole.
My husband Michael and I, after much prayer before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, have made the decision to home school our son within our Catholic Faith as well as any other children God Wills to send to us. We have already hit many road blocks in regards to those who believe we are unrealistic in our quest to teach Michael Mario as God has called us to teach him. We have heard the argument that educating our son in this way could cause great harm to him psychologically and socially. We have been accused of keeping him from understanding what the real world has to offer. In a world which hides the Truth by emphasizing an anti-Christian message our response to them is we sure hope so!
Through the teaching of Holy Mother Church, with our guidance as parents led by the Holy Spirit, and along with a network of other Catholic home schooling families we feel God will provide the education and understanding our son needs. We will nurture Michael’s seeds of Faith and when he is grown hope our efforts will have set deep roots in good soil to which that Faith will continue to grow. We pray he may come to understand that a world without God hungers for that which only our Eucharistic Lord can satisfy. As parents my husband and I will continue in prayer asking that through God’s grace we may come to mirror for our son the Love which gazes back at us from the Cross and fills our every hunger with the Bread of Life.
As Catholics we have been given by Christ the most awesome gift of the Holy Eucharist. We have a God who loves us so completely He suffered, died, and rose for our salvation and then went on to make it so we would never be without Him, by sending His Spirit and by giving Himself to us so completely Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Blessed Sacrament. In a world that is love starved and where love is replaced with counterfeit substitutes, Jesus remains waiting for us in the Blessed Sacrament as Love itself. A love so pure and true that when we bask in His Eucharistic presence we cannot help but to be changed, for if we could feel His love we would surely become transformed into the likeness of Him who is Love. As we gaze at His Holy Presence we are reminded that love is freely giving all that we have so that others may have life.
In viewing the world which surrounds us one often wonders of whom the world learns of that which is love. We see families divided by divorce, contraception, abortion, euthanasia, war, attack on human dignity, as well as on the institution of marriage. And we ask ourselves where we are going wrong? How can it be we are in such a state of moral and spiritual crisis in our world?
The world’s portrayal of love as conditional and self fulfilling is the very reason that parents, as the first educators of their children, need to understand and live out their Catholic Faith. The Domestic Church is an integral part of Christ’s Body. The Catholic family should be a fruitful place where the seeds of catechismic faith are planted and nourished to grow. It is where our children build a foundation of Faith along with the skills of critical thinking in preparation for the adult years ahead. The Domestic Church should be in itself a sacred place where our children begin to understand and hear the vocation to which God is calling them. The Catholic home should be a haven which fosters vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life where as much as possible, the constant noise and message of the secular world is absent. As parents our lives should be a living testament to our faith through great love for and obedience to our Holy Father as well as the Magisterium of the Church. It is through this obedience as well as utilizing the Sacraments that we come to understand and radiate the treasure of God’s Church, a gift to which no worldly treasure could ever compare. I pray my children will come to know in their hearts, that God loves them so much He sent His only Son so that they might have eternal life, this eternal life which is attainable through His Church.
It is no secret our world is in a state of turmoil, chaos, and unrest. We know by the news and media our country is physically at war and in a battle where sadly men and woman must die every day to defend our freedom. Our hearts pour out to these families with loved ones who are lost at war and we pray for them. However we must also be attentive that there is a much greater spiritual war going on in our own homes and in our own families to which we need to know how to fight. As Father John Corapi so often preaches, have we forgotten that this war is a war for souls, that including the souls of our children? The difference with this spiritual war is that the consequence of fatality is eternal.
The only way to bring peace to our world is to bring peace within our families. This must happen through prayer. Father Peyton’s saying of “A family that prays together stays together” has taken on an even deeper meaning particularly now when there is such a blatant attack on the family as well as the institution of marriage. Is not the ultimate goal of the family for husband and wife to help one another get to heaven as well as their children? If this is true Father Peyton’s message becomes even more profound. For a family that prays together on earth will ultimately stay together in heaven for all eternity.
In a world that is no longer black nor white but grey, there remains a Eucharistic hunger only God can fulfill, a hunger mistaken as that of which earthly pleasures can satiate. The spiritual root of addiction to things such as drugs, pornography, sex, and gambling is nothing short of one’s misdirected need to satiate the hunger which only God can fill. It is only the One who suffered and died on the Cross who can lift us up and make us whole.
My husband Michael and I, after much prayer before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, have made the decision to home school our son within our Catholic Faith as well as any other children God Wills to send to us. We have already hit many road blocks in regards to those who believe we are unrealistic in our quest to teach Michael Mario as God has called us to teach him. We have heard the argument that educating our son in this way could cause great harm to him psychologically and socially. We have been accused of keeping him from understanding what the real world has to offer. In a world which hides the Truth by emphasizing an anti-Christian message our response to them is we sure hope so!
Through the teaching of Holy Mother Church, with our guidance as parents led by the Holy Spirit, and along with a network of other Catholic home schooling families we feel God will provide the education and understanding our son needs. We will nurture Michael’s seeds of Faith and when he is grown hope our efforts will have set deep roots in good soil to which that Faith will continue to grow. We pray he may come to understand that a world without God hungers for that which only our Eucharistic Lord can satisfy. As parents my husband and I will continue in prayer asking that through God’s grace we may come to mirror for our son the Love which gazes back at us from the Cross and fills our every hunger with the Bread of Life.
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