Bishop Vasa: Those who profess to love God, but back abortion, are liars

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BEND, OR (Catholic Sentinel) — The Mass readings for the week between Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord are taken from the First Letter of St. John. These readings are not always used for it often happens, depending upon the day on which Christmas falls, that the season of ordinary time begins immediately after the celebration of Epiphany. This year, however, the occurrence of Christmas allowed for a full week between these two post-Christmas celebrations and thus the readings from St. John’s first letter. As often happens, the daily Mass readings are both appealing and challenging. The reading of Thursday from I John 4:19ff is particularly appropriate in this year when the life issues are very much on the minds of pro-life persons.
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The reason for the increased awareness and even concern on the part of the pro-life community is the specter of the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) which is highly rumored to be in the works at the federal level. It is this act which has stimulated the bishops of the United States to launch a massive postcard campaign calling upon the House and Senate to abandon FOCA. While further details about the dramatic impact of FOCA on our American culture can be found in many places, I will simply say that it would establish abortion as a federally protected right and, as I understand it, preclude state limitation or regulation of abortion. Further, since abortion would be a federally protected right, it is very possible that even Catholic health care institutions and Catholic Physicians would be mandated to provide this heinous service.
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Thus I strongly urge all who have a glimmer of concern for the lives of pre-born children to engage themselves in this postcard campaign. This is not an action which would limit or alter present permissive abortion laws, which some so-called Catholic pro-choice persons might object to, it would simply preclude a dramatic expansion of that permissiveness. Thus it would be very difficult for any Catholic, no matter how much in favor of abortion itself, to find a reason to refuse to participate in this campaign. At the same time, I do not see how any Catholic senator or representative could vote for the passage of FOCA without recognizing that such a vote would constitute a direct and intentional declaration of their disdain for Catholic teaching. Such a vote would be tantamount to a public declaration of their intention to abandon the Catholic faith. It would be imperative that the faith consequences of such a declaration be allowed to fall fully on the heads of those who would make it.
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catholic.org/politics/story.php?id=31633
 
“Anyone who says ‘I love God’, and hates his brother is a liar…” [1 letter of John 4:20] …even if that brother, or sister is a tiny unborn infant.
 
Way to go, Bishop Vasa! 👍

Wish ALL of our Bishops were that eloquent!
 
Thank you Bishop Vasa! It is important that in this time of media hype, we remember how necessary it is to protect the unborn and the women who are victims of abortion. They are now at greater risk than ever before. Pray for an end to abortion.
 
Bishop Vasa sounds like a great man of God. May our Lord bless him and his efforts in this matter!
 
There seems to be an increase in US Bishops making serious statements like this. I hope this will continue. Perhaps Pope Benedict is inspiring them into action.
 
I contend that those who vote for candidates who favor abortion or any of the non-negotiable issues as described by our bishops is opposition to our Mother the Church.

Therefore, a vote for Obama or virtually any other Democratic Party candidate when there is an alternative pro-life choice is lending his/her support for the evil that candidate espouses. The candidate may or may not be intrinsically evil, but their vote for abortion, euthanasia, human cloning, fetal stem cell research, and redefinition of marriage as proposed recently is EVIL.
 
I live in Portland, OR area and was immeasurably blessed that the only Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat i attended in full for my own healing was in fact lead, in part, by Bishop Vasa. To meet this man in person, he is mantle of faith and fortitude, compassionate but faithful to the Gospel of Catholicism.

May God richly bless him, for he reigns in a state that is perhaps one of the most liberal and unchurched states in the Union.

Bishop Vlazny, of Portland, is good too, he just lead our prolife rally at Pionneer Square, dowtown Portland, on Sunday.

May the rights of the unborn be once again restored.

In Her Love,
scott
 
love this message. i hope he and all other clergy will pound this in everyday until it sticks in the mind of EVERY Catholic. maybe then we can get the TRUE change we need.
 
Trishie said:
“Anyone who says ‘I love God’, and hates his brother is a liar…” [1 letter of John 4:20] …even if that brother, or sister is a tiny unborn infant.
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Is there an emoticon for Snoopy dancing?-it would be most apropos.
 
I’m happy to hear that some Bishops are speaking up but I have always believed the Church has been luke warm on defending the unborn.Why haven’t more Bishops condemned politicians who support abortion? Instead you see some shaking hands with them,socializing with them at some events which disgusts me.If the Church was so gun ho defending life it’s voice should be much LOUDER! It should be in these politician’s faces and even refusing communion to the so called Catholic ones.Its no wonder that so many Catholics voted for Obama.
 
I think not all are liars. Some are just now learning the truth and it takes time to catch up.
I grew up in an extremely pro-choice, liberal, utilitarian home and I learned that life wasn’t automatically even a good thing.
In 1991 I was pregnant and had bad symptoms. My mother talked me into an abortion even though I protested and begged and argued. It destroyed my ability to think, hope or make decisions for years. It also almost killed me physically, but it was all for my “health” and for my own “good”, of course.:mad:
So in denial and college, I figured out bit by bit how to tell myself I hadn’t just failed completely to stand up for my offspring, but in fact had taken a step toward a less populated world (seen as a good outcome), and I argued in class for the choice to abort. But something bothered me. I hadn’t done my homework yet.
It was in 1999 I decided to become a Christian, which was in my world like deciding to become a flesh-eating bacterium, but it had to happen; the truth is just more important than popularity or acceptability.
So, eventually, I realized I needed a church and I went to one that looked kind of sweet and little, somewhere I could let a friend drop me off without more embarrassment than I was brave enough to take yet.
And there, some folk I befriended let me know they were fighting abortion. I had slowly learned so much developmental biology that it was undeniable that birth is just another step away from mama like weaning, starting school and getting a driver’s license, so I knew it was murder to abort a child. But I knew so many kind people who believed so strogly in abortion “rights”. How could they all be wrong? Also, buried guilt and grief do things to some people’s minds. I thought that the pro-life movement was watching and judging me for my abortion. I felt threatened. I didn’t recognize that I was projecting. It had all twisted in my head year after year into some blurry notion that unborn babies are prone to depression and don’t all want to be here long, that they are a terrible threat to their mothers’ lives, that pregnancy is highly traumatic, that it’s a self-defense situation, and that they return at a better time anyway. So I said something about the mother’s health. My friend said that only two to four percent of abortions are done for the mother’s health. She turned out to be right. Later I discovered that my own unusual symptoms most likely had a lot to do with nutrition and lifestyle factors. So the self-defense position was gone.
Yet I feared government investigations of women suffering miscarriages. So for a few more years I clung to a “discourage, but don’t outlaw” concept. It was after seeing the images of the aborted that I got the importance of society’s sending a strong message that this will not be tolerated. They were frozen in agony, heads thrown back, clutching ribs, obviously conscious when they died, obviously struggling to live, obviously distressed at the cruelty the abortionists had inflicted on them in their last moments. I lost all interest in arguments about when and how the mother makes her private decision. Deep thinking, private feelings do not confer on anyone a right to inflict that on a baby.
It took years and tons of information to sway me. I wasn’t lying. I just didn’t quite understand yet.
 
survive said:
I think not all are liars. Some are just now learning the truth and it takes time to catch up.
I grew up in an extremely pro-choice, liberal, utilitarian home and I learned that life wasn’t automatically even a good thing.
In 1991 I was pregnant and had bad symptoms. My mother talked me into an abortion even though I protested and begged and argued. It destroyed my ability to think, hope or make decisions for years. It also almost killed me physically, but it was all for my “health” and for my own “good”, of course.:mad:
So in denial and college, I figured out bit by bit how to tell myself I hadn’t just failed completely to stand up for my offspring, but in fact had taken a step toward a less populated world (seen as a good outcome), and I argued in class for the choice to abort. But something bothered me. I hadn’t done my homework yet.
It was in 1999 I decided to become a Christian, which was in my world like deciding to become a flesh-eating bacterium, but it had to happen; the truth is just more important than popularity or acceptability.
So, eventually, I realized I needed a church and I went to one that looked kind of sweet and little, somewhere I could let a friend drop me off without more embarrassment than I was brave enough to take yet.
And there, some folk I befriended let me know they were fighting abortion. I had slowly learned so much developmental biology that it was undeniable that birth is just another step away from mama like weaning, starting school and getting a driver’s license, so I knew it was murder to abort a child. But I knew so many kind people who believed so strogly in abortion “rights”. How could they all be wrong? Also, buried guilt and grief do things to some people’s minds. I thought that the pro-life movement was watching and judging me for my abortion. I felt threatened. I didn’t recognize that I was projecting. It had all twisted in my head year after year into some blurry notion that unborn babies are prone to depression and don’t all want to be here long, that they are a terrible threat to their mothers’ lives, that pregnancy is highly traumatic, that it’s a self-defense situation, and that they return at a better time anyway. So I said something about the mother’s health. My friend said that only two to four percent of abortions are done for the mother’s health. She turned out to be right. Later I discovered that my own unusual symptoms most likely had a lot to do with nutrition and lifestyle factors. So the self-defense position was gone.
Yet I feared government investigations of women suffering miscarriages. So for a few more years I clung to a “discourage, but don’t outlaw” concept. It was after seeing the images of the aborted that I got the importance of society’s sending a strong message that this will not be tolerated. They were frozen in agony, heads thrown back, clutching ribs, obviously conscious when they died, obviously struggling to live, obviously distressed at the cruelty the abortionists had inflicted on them in their last moments. I lost all interest in arguments about when and how the mother makes her private decision. Deep thinking, private feelings do not confer on anyone a right to inflict that on a baby.
It took years and tons of information to sway me. I wasn’t lying. I just didn’t quite understand yet.
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God bless you and welcome back to His loving grace. Thank you for your honesty. It is edifying and may surely be the strength someone else needs to fight for their own unborn child.

Though I have never experienced abortion, I too slowly struggled to live in His truth, especially about abortion. I didn’t know what I didn’t know thanks to the manipulation of the secular humanist culture, but I also had to come to grips that I indeed was a liar and had to stop being afraid to proclaim the truth. I think Bishop Vasa is right, even about those Christians who may not know the brutal reality of abortion. Relying on information about the issue other than what is provided by the Church is being negligent and ultimately, not excuseable. Certainly there are some mitigating factors but ultimately, we are responsible as Christians to know and proclaim the truth. To do otherwise is to put ideology above truth. :twocents: I wish, in 2008, more Catholics in particular would have realized this before voting.
 
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