This morning I was talking to a friend of mine at church who was arrested at Notre Dame this weekend for protesting. He shared a cell with Mr. Keyes, and told me a little bit about what happened there. It’s funny how the media’s reporting always seems a bit off compared to those who experienced it. At any rate, it was interesting to get a different perspective. I wonder if it really made a difference to protest, but at the same time, that is one of the amazing things about our country – that we have the right to peaceably dissent and share our views. Sadly though, many of those dissenters were arrested and shut down. My friend was helping an 80 year old priest who had recently suffered a stroke and had fallen, and because he stepped off the sidewalk and onto the grass (private property) he was arrested. Hopefully, they will just drop all the charges for those who stood for the rights of the unborn.
I listened to the introductory speech Father Jenkins gave, and then what President Obama said. He said some nice things – he’s really a good speaker! Although he calls for “common ground,” it is difficult to come to that place of common ground without sacrificing my beliefs about the sanctity of life. How could I change my position on this issue without compromising? I believe that the decision to abort a child by a large percentage of women is not an easy decision. Of course I think we should work together to reduce the number of abortions and of course adoptions should be much more available and easy, and yes we should help women who do choose to carry their children to term. I think that is a given. But in that speech, the reality of the millions of children murdered has not been heard.
I also thought about Casey’s comment, and I have to fully agree with Dave on that – God’s ways are so much higher than mine and I can not begin to comprehend why He does or allows things like this to happen. I have no explanation nor do I even have an opinion. Simply put, I don’t know. But, what I do know is that when we [humans] are given the power to choose whether an innocent lives or dies and our choice is death, their blood is forever on our hands. You can dress it up and play politics or word games, but when all is said and done, a child – a human being, lies discarded in a trash bin – his voice – his destiny – forever silenced.
“I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself… And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another?
Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want. This is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion…
It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish.
Please don’t kill the child. I want the child. Please give me the child. I am willing to accept any child who would be aborted and to give that child to a married couple who will love the child and be loved by the child…
From here, a sign of care for the weakest of the weak – the unborn child – must go out to the world. If you become a burning light of justice and peace in the world, then really you will be true to what the founders of this country stood for.”
— Mother Theresa
National Prayer Breakfast, February 3rd, 1994
I love that quote from Mother Theresa. It’s straightforward humility is difficult to contend with. She opens with a observation, follows with a rebuke moves into a plea and envisions the reader (hearer) to catch the vision. Beautiful.
In relation to Mother T, here is an interesting/controversial take on her by the new loud mouth on the scene. Not saying I necessarily agree, but was interesting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIZMmAhsAcA
Oh, if you watch the video, be prepared for some language….