A Mother's Anguish
I long to hold you
in my arms,
to see your precious
baby charms.
Though I know
it will never be,
your sweet child face
I yearn to see.
Your fate was sealed
so long ago,
I made the "choice"
to let you go.
You're with God
and I am here,
but one day we'll meet
and I'll draw you near.
I'll hold you close
and hear you say,
"Mama I love you . . .
anyway."
-- Jeanene Clarke
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Cowards in High Places
Over at www.Catholicculture.com is an article on Fr. Newman a courageous pastor who had the courage to speak the truth in love to his flock. here is a tidbit of the article -
St. Mary's church in Greenville, South Carolina, is a model Catholic parish, with an outstanding young pastor. The liturgy is beautiful and reverent; the religious instruction is meticulous and orthodox; the lay people are numerous and active. There is a busy school (run by the Nashville Dominicans), and each year there are dozens of adults welcomed into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil.
But that's not why you've heard so much about St. Mary's in the past two weeks. In fact, the success of the parish is not why I'm writing about it today.
St. Mary's has suddenly become the focus of nationwide attention because of what the pastor said-- or rather, what the media said he had said-- about people who had voted for Barack Obama.
Before going any further, let's set the record straight. Father Jay Scott Newman did not say that he would deny the Eucharist to Obama supporters. In a message that he placed in the parish bulletin, he strongly recommended prayers for the .....
....To his credit, once he realized how much commotion he had caused, Father Newman wrote a longer message-- this time addressed not only to his parish but to all interested parties-- seeking to allay any potential confusion. This new, longer statement spelled out the crucial moral distinctions between a vote cast for legal abortion and a vote cast for a candidate who, among other things, favors legal abortion. If the first statement was defective, this clarification was an appropriate remedy, accurately conveying the full and nuanced teaching of the Church as Jeff Mirus acknowledges. Unfortunately the Charleston diocese ordered Father Newman not to release that clarification, and the excellent statement that was posted on the St. Mary's parish web site has been removed. So the confusion endures.
This campaign season saw the debate over abortion, and more particularly, over the duty of Catholic voters to resist legal abortion. Imagine if Father Newman had issued the same sort of pastoral warning regarding some immoral behavior that does not carry such strong political implications. Suppose, for instance, he had said that men who use pornography, or women who have undergone voluntary sterilization, should not receive Communion before making a good Confession. Would such a warning draw a rebuke from the chancery, too? If a pastor cannot warn his people about the moral consequences of their behavior, then the Church cannot instruct the faithful.
Father Newman's statement was a powerful challenge, not only to his own parishioners, but to countless thousands of Catholics and even non-Catholics who read it. He forcefully reminded us all that abortion is not an abstraction (as those who pound home the slogan of "choice" would have us believe) but a concrete reality. Our attitude toward abortion is not only a matter of personal opinion but a moral decision, for which we shall all be held to account.
_ I think you can gather from the shorts excerpts I have placed here that Fr. Newman was being "shut down" or getting the proverbial "kabash" (is that how you spell that?) for speaking the truth to his flock. And what should a pastor do? Should he sit by and watch his little lambs blindly walk into danger? Should he not have more concern for their immortal souls than for their delicate feelings? And what about these bishops of ours? What about our cardinals? Where is their courage? How are they leading their flocks? What is up with their passive luke warmness? What is going on with their quiet letters and thei dainty little press releases? How much of a warning cry are they calling out to their lambs? Is it that we are not listening well? Of course!!! We aren't listening at all! We are blinding bleeting and chewing the grass along paths that lead to the cliff's edge! What is a shepherd to do as he watches the lamb creep ever closer to the brink? Should he send out a gently worded article to a little read publication or should he leap to his feet and call out loudly as he catches that lamb by its feet with the crook of his shepherd's staff!
Now is the time for action for energy for ZEAL! The time for poetic lecture and tender "guidance" is over. We have tried that for 30 years and what has it gotten us? Obama, a pro-death house and senate, Catholic in PUBLIC dissent from their Church, a culture of death and a slide downward toward even more blatant agression towards the Church and her teachings! Wake up my brothers, my bishops! and have courage! the TRUTH is on your side and HE is the TRUTH!
St. Mary's church in Greenville, South Carolina, is a model Catholic parish, with an outstanding young pastor. The liturgy is beautiful and reverent; the religious instruction is meticulous and orthodox; the lay people are numerous and active. There is a busy school (run by the Nashville Dominicans), and each year there are dozens of adults welcomed into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil.
But that's not why you've heard so much about St. Mary's in the past two weeks. In fact, the success of the parish is not why I'm writing about it today.
St. Mary's has suddenly become the focus of nationwide attention because of what the pastor said-- or rather, what the media said he had said-- about people who had voted for Barack Obama.
Before going any further, let's set the record straight. Father Jay Scott Newman did not say that he would deny the Eucharist to Obama supporters. In a message that he placed in the parish bulletin, he strongly recommended prayers for the .....
....To his credit, once he realized how much commotion he had caused, Father Newman wrote a longer message-- this time addressed not only to his parish but to all interested parties-- seeking to allay any potential confusion. This new, longer statement spelled out the crucial moral distinctions between a vote cast for legal abortion and a vote cast for a candidate who, among other things, favors legal abortion. If the first statement was defective, this clarification was an appropriate remedy, accurately conveying the full and nuanced teaching of the Church as Jeff Mirus acknowledges. Unfortunately the Charleston diocese ordered Father Newman not to release that clarification, and the excellent statement that was posted on the St. Mary's parish web site has been removed. So the confusion endures.
This campaign season saw the debate over abortion, and more particularly, over the duty of Catholic voters to resist legal abortion. Imagine if Father Newman had issued the same sort of pastoral warning regarding some immoral behavior that does not carry such strong political implications. Suppose, for instance, he had said that men who use pornography, or women who have undergone voluntary sterilization, should not receive Communion before making a good Confession. Would such a warning draw a rebuke from the chancery, too? If a pastor cannot warn his people about the moral consequences of their behavior, then the Church cannot instruct the faithful.
Father Newman's statement was a powerful challenge, not only to his own parishioners, but to countless thousands of Catholics and even non-Catholics who read it. He forcefully reminded us all that abortion is not an abstraction (as those who pound home the slogan of "choice" would have us believe) but a concrete reality. Our attitude toward abortion is not only a matter of personal opinion but a moral decision, for which we shall all be held to account.
_ I think you can gather from the shorts excerpts I have placed here that Fr. Newman was being "shut down" or getting the proverbial "kabash" (is that how you spell that?) for speaking the truth to his flock. And what should a pastor do? Should he sit by and watch his little lambs blindly walk into danger? Should he not have more concern for their immortal souls than for their delicate feelings? And what about these bishops of ours? What about our cardinals? Where is their courage? How are they leading their flocks? What is up with their passive luke warmness? What is going on with their quiet letters and thei dainty little press releases? How much of a warning cry are they calling out to their lambs? Is it that we are not listening well? Of course!!! We aren't listening at all! We are blinding bleeting and chewing the grass along paths that lead to the cliff's edge! What is a shepherd to do as he watches the lamb creep ever closer to the brink? Should he send out a gently worded article to a little read publication or should he leap to his feet and call out loudly as he catches that lamb by its feet with the crook of his shepherd's staff!
Now is the time for action for energy for ZEAL! The time for poetic lecture and tender "guidance" is over. We have tried that for 30 years and what has it gotten us? Obama, a pro-death house and senate, Catholic in PUBLIC dissent from their Church, a culture of death and a slide downward toward even more blatant agression towards the Church and her teachings! Wake up my brothers, my bishops! and have courage! the TRUTH is on your side and HE is the TRUTH!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Living Life and Apppreciating Every Minute of It
Just some random pics from the past couple months. I am going to try to get back into the swing of things here on the blog...I need to take the holiday photos and start planning the Christmas card etc. This year has just flown by!
Lately I've been doing a lot of reflecting on my life, my family, and just the great privilege of being alive and seeing my kiddos grow! WOW how things have changed and how Tim and I both have grown and changed and it all is kind of overwhelming to me. I came across some VHS tapes this week of Tim and I "back in the day" as new parents and yet to be married. We were living in the apartment and we were so young and so silly, and joy-filled, and thin!
As I watched tape after tape I began to realize just how precious life is! That may seem obvious but you know day to day I can get so wrapped up in the bs of life that I forget that truth. I saw how much we loved each other and how much we loved Morgan. I was amazed by the sheer joy and super abundance of love we had to give our new baby. This little person seemed to have this same effect on all the people in my family. I watched all of us fall all over ourselves to have a chance at making her smile or better yet produce a little baby giggle or gurgle. We all seemed to be united and focused. Of course the back drop for all this joy and unity is vital in understanding why I got so emotional as I watched the videos play.
I couldn't help but marvel at all of our transformations. I couldn't help but be awe struck by the obvious graces poured out upon us. We were a family touched and transformed by God. One unplanned pregnancy became the catalyst for many leaps of faith! And we leaped and leaped and we keep on leaping today! My vision of my mysterious baby still invisible to me as a gift, a mystery worth discovering, worth taking a risk for is the vision which opened the door to Christ in my life. He used my surrender then and there and the chain of events since that have been just one blessing upon the next. My mother, my father, my sister, Martin, Tim, all of us have been changed over the years. We love each other more and as a new person has come into this imperfect and often "dysfunctional" family we have learned how to love MORE and sacrifice MORE and we are ALL the better for it! And there it was captured on VHS.
We don't appreciate life. we don't stop to think about what a gift it is. We take it for granted. Our growth, our learning, or changing, the love we feel, the love we give, breathing in and breathing out. Opening our eyes to a new day, day after day and given a chance to be more and do more! It is all so amazing!! I am amazed by the love of God, and how we forget it, ignore it, as it is all around us. I am glad I got some time to see it and contemplate it. I have made a promise to myself that I will be more deliberate about stopping to SEE the people in my life. I will SEE them and how they are ALIVE. I will SEE their LIFE and see it as a gift and a treasure and a MYSTERY! I will marvel in the mystery of my own life and my own personhood. God made me. God has a plan for me. He has always had a plan for me and He has loved me from the beginning of all time! WOW!
Friday, November 7, 2008
Jon Foreman - Your Love Is Strong
I love this song...It inspires me when I feel like there is so much I cannot do and so many things that I cannot control. I take so much comfort and find so much peace in the fact that His love is STRONG and His love is for me!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Friday, October 31, 2008
Vote Life! - This is a GREAT one...
There a lot of pro life videos out there but I think this one captures the essence of where the candidates stand better than others...VOTE LIFE!!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Gianna Jessen Abortion Survivor in Australia Part 2
It is the mercy of God that sustains you - even when you hate Him - WOW!!!! I love that line. She is an amazing speaker how I would love love love to have her speak at my church!!!! God bless her and her mission. Let me be a part of that mission too!!!
THE TRUTH about Born Alive Infants Protection Act - Jill Stanek on the O'Reilly Factor
It is essential that we ARM OURSELVES with the TRUTH and then speak the TRUTH in love to those around us.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Religion and Politics...Sorry - on to more pressing matters...
Sorry about all the rligion and politics as of late. It's a compulsion really and I just can't stop myself! Tim is in bed. we just finished watching the last presidential debate together and of course all the analysis following. We really are "junkies" I guess. It is a nice way for us both to connect with one another and to be able to talk with one another about bigger more important things than the often less than crucial matters we are forced into discussing because of the little people we care for daily. They seem to want to discuss menu options and entertainment choices endlessly. We discuss who ate the last chocolate pudding, how much popcorn is too much at one sitting, who forgot to flush the toilet again, whether or not the needed sports uniform is washed and ready for tomorrow, and of course the all important matter of getting a Halloween costume soon soon soon!
Morgan's volleyball season is almost over. Thank goodness. I must say it'll be nice to have a lot less driving around here there and everywhere. Mary Grace wants to do some tumbling classes or something. That is pretty easy and we can keep that close to home so we might sign her up. Collin is doing great in his Kindergarten class. Tim and I are so relieved that he loves school and that he is learning and behaving. We really feel very confident that we made the right choice to take him out of the catholic school and put him in our local school. Monica is happy to "play house" with mommy at home. I will sit on the big bed in the girls' room and have Monica "serve" me the dishes she prepares at her kitchen set. Chris likes to throw the dishes around and generally make a mess of things. Tim is working hard and trying to catch as much Illinois football as he can. I am trying to stay on top of the laundry and not let it get the best of me. So far so good.
Tuesday mornings are bible study. i really enjoy that. It's my one opportunity to talk about grown up things with a variety of people. Well the baby's crying...gotta go nurse him and lay him back down...I'll do that another 3-5 times tonight! Yikes! Can't wait til that's over...
Morgan's volleyball season is almost over. Thank goodness. I must say it'll be nice to have a lot less driving around here there and everywhere. Mary Grace wants to do some tumbling classes or something. That is pretty easy and we can keep that close to home so we might sign her up. Collin is doing great in his Kindergarten class. Tim and I are so relieved that he loves school and that he is learning and behaving. We really feel very confident that we made the right choice to take him out of the catholic school and put him in our local school. Monica is happy to "play house" with mommy at home. I will sit on the big bed in the girls' room and have Monica "serve" me the dishes she prepares at her kitchen set. Chris likes to throw the dishes around and generally make a mess of things. Tim is working hard and trying to catch as much Illinois football as he can. I am trying to stay on top of the laundry and not let it get the best of me. So far so good.
Tuesday mornings are bible study. i really enjoy that. It's my one opportunity to talk about grown up things with a variety of people. Well the baby's crying...gotta go nurse him and lay him back down...I'll do that another 3-5 times tonight! Yikes! Can't wait til that's over...
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