Why do some Catholics sail past pro-llife threads?

[JReducation]

And my point is that, at this website people are more interested in arguing whether or not guitars are appropriate to be played at Mass, than come together for the pro-life cause in unity of purpose.

I believe that you have hit one of the nails on the head. People can become more interested in arguing than in growing in the spiritual life. It gives the impression that some people are more interested in the sport of religion than in the inner life of faith. I honestly believe that some people remain in the Church, because it’s entertaining, not because of the spiritual life that they find in the Church. It’s like the abused spouse who remains in a bad marriage so that they don’t have to live alone. They’re in the right place, for the wrong reasons.

Our life in the Church is rooted in faith, the faith of the Church. The faith of the Church must guide our spiritual life. These chats on these threats should really be about finding answers to the age old question, “how do I find God?”

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[Middleman]

I believe that you have hit one of the nails on the head. People can become more interested in arguing than in growing in the spiritual life. It gives the impression that some people are more interested in the sport of religion than in the inner life of faith. I honestly believe that some people remain in the Church, because it’s entertaining, not because of the spiritual life that they find in the Church. It’s like the abused spouse who remains in a bad marriage so that they don’t have to live alone. They’re in the right place, for the wrong reasons.

Our life in the Church is rooted in faith, the faith of the Church. The faith of the Church must guide our spiritual life. These chats on these threats should really be about finding answers to the age old question, “how do I find God?”

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

Thanks for expressing what I’ve been feeling so well.

 

[simple_soul]

The point is to help each other develop a “Pro-Life” spirituality, not just discuss the pros and cons of abortion. That’s not what I mean by asking the question. My greatest concern is that we Catholics, others too, often fail to see that the life issues are not simple social justice issues or moral issues. They are also focal points for a spirituality that is much needed in the Church and the world.

I’ll give an example. We have to religious orders in the USA who are solely devoted to live issues, the Sisters of Life in NY and the Franciscan Brothers of Life in Florida. Religious life is experience a renewal, reformation and rebirth in the USA. Believe it or not, there are many more vocations to the religious life in the USA since 1990 than there were between 1965 and 1990. Many new religious communities have been carved out of the older orders. Many of the older orders are also getting more vocations, especially Franciscan men and Dominican women. Then there are new communities that are thriving: FSSP, Brothers of Charity, Missionaries of Charity, Missionaries of the Poor, Daughters of the Immaculate, Servants of the Lamb, and so forth.

Of the new and the reformed communities, only two are totally involved in preaching the Gospel of Life full-time, Franciscan Brothers of Life and Sisters of Life. This begs the question, why are only two religious communities focussing on the Gospel of Life?

In my sharing with other formators and spiritual directors, both ministries in which I am very deeply involved, I get the same answer, Catholics have not embraced the Gospel of Life as a spirituality. Spiritual Directors don’t know how to guide their spiritual sons and daughters in that direction. Formation Directors in religious communities do not know how to guide their novices in that direction. One spiritual director, a very good friend of mine, told me that he does not now how to direct people to read and take time to reflect on the gift of life and the mystery of God’s plan for humanity.

In today’s world, the most significant heres of our time is the belief that human life is disposable. The belief that human the only human life that counts is the life of those who are born or those who have a quality of life as defined by man. In other words, man has taken it upon himself to define when someone is human and when someone is not. Man has taken it upon himself to define what is quality of life. But man’s definitions are outside of what has been revealed to us in Sacred Scripture, Christian Tradition, and through the Magisterium.

Therefore, it is no wonder that the number of Catholics devoted to the promotion of the Gospel of Life is in the hundreds when it should be in the millions. If we do not take the time to reflect on what scripture tells us about our dignity as sons and daughters of the Father, what scripture tells us about the mystery of the Incarnation, what scripture tells us about the death and resurrection of Christ in life of the threat to human life, we won’t have a spirituality of life.

We must stop and silently read the scriptures prayerfully. Let your prayer to the Holy Spirit beg him to help you understand the significance of life from God’s perspective. The God-head have given his Son, the second person of the Trinity the gift of humanity, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Christ’s humanity is the result of the love and united activity of the Trinity. Therefore, humanity is sacred and valuable to the Trinity.

In Christ’s death and resurrection we see the Son of God give us his life for the salvation of souls. He surrenders his life to the Father. But he surrenders it willingly. It is not snatched away from him. As Jesus said to Pilate, “You have power that is given to you from above.” Pilate can only take Christ’s life because he surrenders it according to the Father’s plan, not according to man’s plan. Therefore, man is recreated in Christ to live for the Father and his life can only be taken when he voluntarilly surrenders it to the Father. It is the Holy Spirit who returns Jesus back to life, because it is the will of the Father. The Father wills it that we should not die in vain and that we should not remain dead, but live with him in eternity.

But we must meditate on this, pray over this great plan of God for us and others. We must ask God’s light to live life as he plans and to protect the life that he has created. We must be willing to give back to the Father the life that he has given to us, as Jesus and the martyrs have done. They have laid down their lives for love. They have dedicated their lives to serving life, for love. Until all of us are praying, mediating and doing what the Father calls us to do for love, the numbers of men and women dedicated to life will remain in the hundreds in a Church that numbers in the billions. The goal of this thread is to guide us into contemplation of the Gospel of Life and to help us discover our place in the Gospel of Life.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

Dear Br. Jr,

When I read this post of yours I was listening to a song called “Love and Mercy.”
I am moved to tears. What has helped me to begin understanding God’s Love of Life was understanding that the world did not revolve around me or what I thought or wanted. It revolves around God and what He thinks and what He wants.
Understanding God’s Unconditional Love for me no matter how sinful I am is one thing. Understanding God’s Unconditional Love for everyone no matter how sinful we are is another thing. I learn every day how much I need to trust and completely surrender to that Unconditional Love and His Will.

I hope and pray this makes sense,

Thank you for sharing your beautiful thoughts again.

 

[roveau]

Quote: Br JR
"We must stop and silently read the scriptures prayerfully. Let your prayer to the Holy Spirit beg him to help you understand the significance of life from God’s perspective. The God-head have given his Son, the second person of the Trinity the gift of humanity, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Christ’s humanity is the result of the love and united activity of the Trinity. Therefore, humanity is sacred and valuable to the Trinity. "

Dear Brother,

I am still thinking about what I can do for the pro-life cause and have started with some internal adjustments already (prayer and dedication). We do need to be reminded of this important aspect of our spiritual lives and I am grateful to you for bringing up this topic.

God Bless you,

 

[JReducation]

Quote: Br JR
"We must stop and silently read the scriptures prayerfully. Let your prayer to the Holy Spirit beg him to help you understand the significance of life from God’s perspective. The God-head have given his Son, the second person of the Trinity the gift of humanity, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Christ’s humanity is the result of the love and united activity of the Trinity. Therefore, humanity is sacred and valuable to the Trinity. "

Dear Brother,

I am still thinking about what I can do for the pro-life cause and have started with some internal adjustments already (prayer and dedication). We do need to be reminded of this important aspect of our spiritual lives and I am grateful to you for bringing up this topic.

God Bless you,

I believe that we have to do two things.

1. We’re supposed to look at the reality of life, meaning that we should look at what is happening in the world We must acknowledge the facts and the key players. We must acknowledge our weaknesses as a Church. “An unreflected life is not worth living.”
2. That being said, we must also reflect on the mystery of life. This requires that we stop and take a serious look at our consciences. We should ask ourselves whether we’re living life that way that God lives it? Does our life reflect God’s life? Obviously, we’re going to fall short. But unless we recognize this, we can’t change. If we don’t change we can’t become Instruments of Life.

St. Francis often called his brothers to be Instruments of Peace. This call continues to be valid for our day. But as Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul said, “The greatest threat to peace is the threat to life.” We not only live in a society that threatens life, but we have become a community of passive believers. We have stopped reflecting on the mystery and value of being alive. This was something that the great saints and mystics knew all too well. They spent hours everyday contemplating the gift of life that God had given them and how they used it to reach union with God.

We cannot convert the world by preaching at it. We must inspire it. This was the secret of the saints. They converted souls not so much by their words, but by their inspiration. They were inspired and it showed in how they dealt with the world around them. Even those who shut themselves away in cloistered monasteries have inspired the world. Their silence, their penance, their austerity, their simplicity and their great love is an inspiration to those who know them.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[RyanML]

I believe that we have to do two things.

1. We’re supposed to look at the reality of life, meaning that we should look at what is happening in the world We must acknowledge the facts and the key players. We must acknowledge our weaknesses as a Church. “An unreflected life is not worth living.”
2. That being said, we must also reflect on the mystery of life. This requires that we stop and take a serious look at our consciences. We should ask ourselves whether we’re living life that way that God lives it? Does our life reflect God’s life? Obviously, we’re going to fall short. But unless we recognize this, we can’t change. If we don’t change we can’t become Instruments of Life.

St. Francis often called his brothers to be Instruments of Peace. This call continues to be valid for our day. But as Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul said, “The greatest threat to peace is the threat to life.” We not only live in a society that threatens life, but we have become a community of passive believers. We have stopped reflecting on the mystery and value of being alive. This was something that the great saints and mystics knew all too well. They spent hours everyday contemplating the gift of life that God had given them and how they used it to reach union with God.

We cannot convert the world by preaching at it. We must inspire it. This was the secret of the saints. They converted souls not so much by their words, but by their inspiration. They were inspired and it showed in how they dealt with the world around them. Even those who shut themselves away in cloistered monasteries have inspired the world. Their silence, their penance, their austerity, their simplicity and their great love is an inspiration to those who know them.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

Dear Br. JR,

The seriousness of the issue means discussions can be emotionally charged and we may often lose our charity. What do you think is the most effective way to dialogue with fellow Catholics who seek holiness in their daily lives but who are a bit more progressive, thinking that the morality of abortion is between a woman, her doctor, and God?

In Christ,
Ryan

 

[JReducation]

Dear Br. JR,

The seriousness of the issue means discussions can be emotionally charged and we may often lose our charity. What do you think is the most effective way to dialogue with fellow Catholics who seek holiness in their daily lives but who are a bit more progressive, thinking that the morality of abortion is between a woman, her doctor, and God?

In Christ,
Ryan

Ryan asks a good question. There are those who erroneously believe that the decision to abort an unborn child is between the mother, doctor and God. Our answer has to be gentle, polite, charitable and honest. It must contain the following points.

1. It is a human being inside the mother. Fetus us a biological term that describes the stage of human development, such as we say adolescent or pubescent. Fetus does not mean, not human. Dogs and cats have fetuses too. It just means member of the species in the early stages of development. However a dog fetus is a dog. A human fetus is a human being. One of the lies that the pro-abortion industry uses is to try to redirect our thinking away from human and over to fetus or embryo. Another lie is to change our message. They claim that we’re abortion-opponents, rather than pro-life. After all, who’s going to argue against who is pro-life? So if you watch their language very carefully, they are PRO choice, while we are OPPOSED to abortion. We have been stuck with a negative label. We’re not opposed to abortion. That would be silly. Human bodies often spontaneously abort. We don’t condemn the mother or the body for doing what comes naturally.
2. We must also inform the individual that God has never granted man the right to decide whether another person is to be born or not. There is no such message in revelation. In every instance where there is human death in revelation, it is God who calls for it, not man. A wonderful example is the Egyptians who pursued the Israelites into the Red Sea. It was not Moses who decided their fate. It was God. The destruction of the world through the flood, it was not Noah who decided the fate of humanity. It was God. And like this there are hundreds of examples in the scripture where God decides the life and death of man, not man. Man only acts as an instrument per God’s command. The mother and the doctor would have to prove that they have received such a command from God, before they can justify killing a baby.
3. Another important point, which is difficult to understand, is that all human beings share one life. We speak of humanity, not humanities. We speak of human life, not human lives. There is a difference between human life and the lives of humans. We tend to use the two terms interchangeably. They are not. Human life is only one. God created one human life, the life of Adam. He created it in the image and likeness of the life of Jesus. John’s Gospel reminds us that “In the beginning the Word was with God and the Word was God and all was created through him and for him.” The child in he womb has been called into existence through the Word and for the Word, not for the mother and the doctor or even for the world. Therefore, we cannot take ownership of what is not ours to own. Our children are not our property. They are our responsibility, big difference. I don’t own my family. But I have a duty to them, as well as my country, my Church and so forth. The question is, how can I kill a life that I do not own? I don’t even own my life. Life is not property. Our constitution is clear on that. It clearly separates life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness and property. Even the secular legal philosophy upon which our nation is built, recognizes that life is separate from other gifts. It does not attribute it as property.
4. Because we share one human life, the assault on life is not a private matter. Life is shared by all. Any assault on our common nature is an abuse of power. Just because you can do it, does not mean that you may do it. The terrorists who flew into the Twin Towers did it because they could do it. They had the means to do it. But was it their right to do it? Who said that those thousands of lives belonged to the terrorists for the taking? When it comes to taking a human life, there is no such thing a privacy, because human life is not private property.
5. Obviously, the parents and the doctor involved in an abortion will have to answer to God for their decision. I won’t have to do so, nor will you. We did not make that choice. But they will have to answer to God for making a choice that they had no right to make. God has never given man the right to choose who is to be born. I would challenge anyone to prove that he has. The old argument that God gives us free choice is not applicable here. God gives us free choice with a caveat. We can choose what he wants us to choose or we can choose contrary to his will. Whatever we choose, we must live with the consequences. If I choose to do good, God will respond in kind. If I choose to do evil, God will also respond in kind. There is no such thing as taking away God’s right to choose who is born and who is not without serious consequences for violating the rights of God.

I hope this helps a little.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[kimmielittle]

Ryan asks a good question. There are those who erroneously believe that the decision to abort an unborn child is between the mother, doctor and God. Our answer has to be gentle, polite, charitable and honest. It must contain the following points.

1. It is a human being inside the mother. Fetus us a biological term that describes the stage of human development, such as we say adolescent or pubescent. Fetus does not mean, not human. Dogs and cats have fetuses too. It just means member of the species in the early stages of development. However a dog fetus is a dog. A human fetus is a human being. One of the lies that the pro-abortion industry uses is to try to redirect our thinking away from human and over to fetus or embryo. Another lie is to change our message. They claim that we’re abortion-opponents, rather than pro-life. After all, who’s going to argue against who is pro-life? So if you watch their language very carefully, they are PRO choice, while we are OPPOSED to abortion. We have been stuck with a negative label. We’re not opposed to abortion. That would be silly. Human bodies often spontaneously abort. We don’t condemn the mother or the body for doing what comes naturally.
2. We must also inform the individual that God has never granted man the right to decide whether another person is to be born or not. There is no such message in revelation. In every instance where there is human death in revelation, it is God who calls for it, not man. A wonderful example is the Egyptians who pursued the Israelites into the Red Sea. It was not Moses who decided their fate. It was God. The destruction of the world through the flood, it was not Noah who decided the fate of humanity. It was God. And like this there are hundreds of examples in the scripture where God decides the life and death of man, not man. Man only acts as an instrument per God’s command. The mother and the doctor would have to prove that they have received such a command from God, before they can justify killing a baby.
3. Another important point, which is difficult to understand, is that all human beings share one life. We speak of humanity, not humanities. We speak of human life, not human lives. There is a difference between human life and the lives of humans. We tend to use the two terms interchangeably. They are not. Human life is only one. God created one human life, the life of Adam. He created it in the image and likeness of the life of Jesus. John’s Gospel reminds us that “In the beginning the Word was with God and the Word was God and all was created through him and for him.” The child in he womb has been called into existence through the Word and for the Word, not for the mother and the doctor or even for the world. Therefore, we cannot take ownership of what is not ours to own. Our children are not our property. They are our responsibility, big difference. I don’t own my family. But I have a duty to them, as well as my country, my Church and so forth. The question is, how can I kill a life that I do not own? I don’t even own my life. Life is not property. Our constitution is clear on that. It clearly separates life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness and property. Even the secular legal philosophy upon which our nation is built, recognizes that life is separate from other gifts. It does not attribute it as property.
4. Because we share one human life, the assault on life is not a private matter. Life is shared by all. Any assault on our common nature is an abuse of power. Just because you can do it, does not mean that you may do it. The terrorists who flew into the Twin Towers did it because they could do it. They had the means to do it. But was it their right to do it? Who said that those thousands of lives belonged to the terrorists for the taking? When it comes to taking a human life, there is no such thing a privacy, because human life is not private property.
5. Obviously, the parents and the doctor involved in an abortion will have to answer to God for their decision. I won’t have to do so, nor will you. We did not make that choice. But they will have to answer to God for making a choice that they had no right to make. God has never given man the right to choose who is to be born. I would challenge anyone to prove that he has. The old argument that God gives us free choice is not applicable here. God gives us free choice with a caveat. We can choose what he wants us to choose or we can choose contrary to his will. Whatever we choose, we must live with the consequences. If I choose to do good, God will respond in kind. If I choose to do evil, God will also respond in kind. There is no such thing as taking away God’s right to choose who is born and who is not without serious consequences for violating the rights of God.

I hope this helps a little.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

:clapping:

 

[karoleck]

May God Bless you Brother and your witness to the value of human life,“greater love has no man but to laydown his life for his friends”.You are correct, but then again you could also ask, why is the fight against the culture of death being fought by only a small number of Catholics! From my own personal experience I would conclude that guilt could be a reason.I read somewhere that one in five women in some countries have had abortions,when I read this I got hold of some good liturature pamphets that told of Dorothy Days’ abortion experience and the message of hope that it brings.I sent one to each of my five sisters and yes I caught one fish! I found this out indirectly from a priest who told me about it just quietly.She only once mentioned to me that the truth needed to be told–I knew what she meant! I think that she is ashamed to talk to me about it directly.Who knows about my other sisters,one probably used IVF as she refered to her "miracle"baby.Along with child sexual abuse,abortion is one of those secret topics and nothing will be done until we all confront it openly.You do not need to say anything,your very consecration witnesses to the culture of Life.This site is worth visiting Brother just in case you are not aware of it. www.victimsofabortion.com.au Anne Lastman’s book Redeeming Grief is a great spiritual approach to this subject. May St.Francis fill your soul with Christs’joy.