“No one is without sin”

Day of prayer for the legal protection for unborn children

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This Saturday the forty-ninth anniversary of Roe v Wade.

When it began in the aftermath of Roe v. Wade in 1973. the March for Life turned the nation’s conscience toward the particular horror of abortion and the taking of human life that it entails. The four decades since have seen millions of deaths from abortion in the United States alone.

In each of those deaths, the world lost a unique and irreplaceable person. (Planned Parenthood and others insists in calling it a fetus, not an unborn child or a person.)

My bishop, John Noonan of the Diocese of Orlando began his letter to his people this week by saying: Pope St. John Paul II pleas with us, “A great prayer for life is urgently needed, a prayer which will rise up throughout the world. Through special initiatives and in daily prayer, may an impassioned plea rise to God, the Creator and lover of life, from every Christian community, from every group and association, from every family and from the heart of every believer” (Evangelium Vitae, 100).

And I’ve said for years we live in a world that does not recognize that and sacredness of every person’s life on this planet is sacred and inviolate.  It doesn’t understand this concept. In fact, it doesn’t understand the word ‘concept’ for the most part. (Many of us would do so for our pets, but not the unborn.)

But let’s stand down, stop the condemning and judging and seek light and understanding, forgiveness and wholeness, kindness and compassion  for young women in desperate situations who have no one to turn to and who may themselves be abandoned. (That certainly seems to be needed in Texas right now!)

My sense is that the sin of those who are quick to condemn others is as great as those who bring violence and bloodshed into their very own bodies.

We ALL have much for which to ask forgiveness.  We ALL need to ask God to increase our capacity to love and turn away from condemnation. 

The ones Jesus loves the most are the lost sheep of this world.  He would reach out to those who have had abortions!

The enemies of Jesus are those who justify themselves, the self-righteous, the hypocrites, the ones who know nothing of compassion, those who would not think of walking a mile in someone else’s shoes but would lash out with their tongue ~ sometimes by those who minister the Body of Christ at the altar!

St. John has said no one is without sin!  He also said that  “Anyone who hates his brother or sister is oneself a murderer.” (1 John 3:15) 

Are Christians only concerned with abortion? Do we champion the cause of life only until it’s born?

With an assault on people with terminal illnesses, special needs, the poor, migrants and refugees, minorities, and others, the call of the Christian to defend and advocate for life is real. Questions about capital punishment, euthanasia, war, torture, climate change, and other life issues are pressing and need clear answers.

President Trump was hailed for placing three pro-life judges on the Supreme Court but at the same time conducting filthy squalid, over-crowded camps for immigrant children and not being able to find their parents.  And Mr. Trump for some unknown reason revived the death penalty! Why?

And at the same time, even our Catholic bishops are knocking President Biden for his stand on abortion that is not extreme at all. We are seeing Democrats becoming pro-life now.

In an attempt to provide an answer to these questions, some have promoted a “consistent life ethic,” a type of seamless garment theory that was once taught by the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin. Contemporary versions of the theory, therefore, have retrieved the rich doctrine of solidarity from the Catholic tradition.

In answer to the question about the Christian’s specific mission to serve and advocate for life, subsidiarity shows us the obvious: Before we can advocate about any other life issues, we must have life itself. The first and fundamental right that must be argued and defended, therefore, is the beginning of life.

And so, we must oppose abortion without confusion or uncertainty. It stands as the primary and perennial issue for the person who cherishes and respects life.

Then a solidarity compels us to care for the poor, the migrant and refugee, the person with special needs, and others who are helped by our attention and service. Such a solidarity urges us to work for peace, champion the rights of minorities, oppose capital punishment, and seek social harmony however we are able.

None of these issues, however, are equal to abortion but all of them are connected to the dignity that abortion offends and they call for our intervention and action.

The above explanation can help the Christian who wants to be a true brother or sister to other people, or who wants to accompany and serve those who suffer, without being entrapped in only one issue.

And now I begin my prayer as I always do , , , , 

Heavenly Father,

I praise you and thank you for the gift of life

and of love that you share with me ~ with us.

On this Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children,

please allows us not to judge anyone who has had an abortion,

but to reach out with compassion to all with love and understanding.

And now, before you go, here’s the penitential hymn “Remember Your Love”  Click Here. Be sure to turn up your speakers and enter full screen.

And here are the Mass readings for today, if you’d like to reflect on them. Click here.

With Love

Bob Traupman

 contemplative writer

And P.S.  Don’t worry about the aborted children;  the innocent ones will shine like the stars in God’s kingdom.

The tragedy is that they will never set foot on this beautiful planet.

 

Nine days of Prayer for Life

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Taken in St. Augustine, Florida in February 2007. Each cross represents 1 million unborn children. Image taken by Bob Traupman.
Taken in St. Augustine, Florida in February 2007. Each cross represents 1 million unborn children. Image taken by Bob Traupman.

Nine Days of Prayer for Life

I always publish this blog near the time of the anniversary of  Roe v. Wade. And I always have this to say . . .  .

Let us stand down, stop the condemning and judging and seek light and understanding, forgiveness and wholeness, kindness and compassion for the young in desperate situations who have no one to turn to and who may themselves be abandoned.

We live in a world that will not recognize the inviolateness and sacredness of every person on this planet.  And that may include those who say  they are against abortion.

My sense is that the sin of those who are quick to condemn others is as great as those who bring violence and bloodshed into their very own bodies.

We ALL have much for which to ask forgiveness.  We ALL need to ask God to increase our capacity to love and turn away from hate ~ especially this year after this awful election campaign. The hatred still hasn’t stopped and the President has not taken the lead to crush it.

There is too much hate in this world — sometimes even from those who minister the Body and Blood of Christ at the altar.

The ones Jesus loves the most are the lost sheep of this world.  He would reach out to those who have had abortions and offer his mercy and forgiveness.  And Pope Francis keeps telling his priests he wants them to have the “smell of the sheep,”   and get out there and minister to them.

The enemies of Jesus are those who justify themselves, the self-righteous, the hypocrites, the ones who know nothing of compassion, those who would not think of walking a mile in someone else’s shoes but would lash out with their tongue (or a tweet?)

President Trump says he will defend the unborn and appoint Supreme Court justices who will do so. But Pope Francis is more concerned with what Cardinal Bernardin  spoke about as “a consistent life ethic,”  that’s more than just about abortion. It also includes policies that are anti-war, anti-poverty, pro-prison reform, pro-immigration, pro-environment, anti-death penalty, and for compassionate end of life care. So, Catholic bishops and the U. S. Church in general may not be so much  in lockstep with his policies.  In fact surprisingly, they’ve already asked him to go slow on repealing the Affordable Care Act.

This year Cardinal Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York has  opened up the one day of Prayer for the Legal Protection for Unborn Children to Nine Days of Prayer for Life and it’s been widely adopted by other dioceses. Here is an outline of the themes for each day. . . .

Nine Days of Prayer for Life

Day One ~ Monday, January 23rd . . . For the conversion of all hearts and the end of abortion.

      ~ How can we build a culture that supports women and respects life?

Day Two ~ Tuesday, the 24th . . .  May each person (woman or man) suffering from the loss of a child from abortion find hope and healing.

       ~ God is ready to forgive each of us! Don’t be afraid. Draw close to his heart.

Day Three  ~ Wednesday, the 25th . . . May all people embrace the truth that every life is a good and perfect gift and worth living.

        ~ How will (or did) you show someone today that their life is a gift?

Day Four ~ Thursday the 26th . . . May those near the end of their lives receive the medical care that respects their dignity and protects their lives

        ~ How will (or did) you show someone today that their life is a gift?

Day Five ~ Friday the 27th . .  For an end to Domestic Violence.

      ~ 75% of Americans are reported to know a victim. Learn the warning signs.

Day Six ~ Saturday the  28th . . .  May those affected by pornography receive the Lord’s mercy and healing.

       ~ Only God can truly fulfill our hearts. How can we invite him into ours?

Day Seven ~ Sunday the 29th . . . For those who long for a child be filled with trust in God’s loving plan

        ~ Lord, help us to see the ways you love us today.

Day Eight ~ Monday, the 30th . . .  For an end to the use of the death penalty in our country.

        ~ How can we bring hope to others and be examples of God’s merciful love?

Day Nine ~ For an end to Human Trafficking and modern slavery.

         ~ Smile and speak the name the clerk in stores you visit today and say “thank you!

 

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       Dearest Lady, mother of Jesus,

whose tender love brought Love Itself into our world,

  help those who have never known the tender embrace of their own mother’s love

  to receive the same tender care and love you wish for each of them. . . for each of us . . .  as you offered the strict, yet tender, love of a Jewish mother upon  Jesus, the Son of God 

     who was nourished at your tender breasts,

              cradled in your arms,

         bounced upon your knee;

                   whose booboo was kissed by your lovely mouth,

              whose dead body you received come down from the Cross.

You were the one from Jesus learned the joys of human love.

  Receive today all of Jesus’ brothers and sisters on this planet, born and unborn.

  Draw us all into that one great mystery of divine/human love which is the glory of our Christian faith,

  the Incarnation of the son of a young beautiful woman, Son of God,

       our Brother, our Friend, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!  

                      Amen. 

And now, before you go, here’s the penitential hymn “Remember Your Love”  Click Here. Be sure to turn up your speakers and enter full screen.

Bob Traupman

 contemplative writer

And P.S.  Don’t worry about the aborted children;  the innocent ones will shine like the stars in God’s kingdom.

The tragedy is that they will never set foot on this beautiful planet.

Day of prayer for the legal protection for unborn children

bobtraupmanLeave a comment

 

Taken in St. Augustine, Florida in February 2007. Each cross represents 1 million unborn children. Image taken by Bob Traupman.
Taken in St. Augustine, Florida in February 2007. Each cross represents 1 million unborn children. Image taken by Bob Traupman.

Today is the forty-third anniversary of Roe v Wade.

Let us stand down, stop the condemning and judging and seek light and understanding, forgiveness and wholeness, kindness and compassion for the young in desperate situations who have no one to turn to and who may themselves be abandoned.

We live in a world that will not recognize the inviolateness and sacredness of every person on this planet.

My sense is that the sin of those who are quick to condemn others is as great as those who bring violence and bloodshed into their very own bodies.

We ALL have much for which to ask forgiveness.  We ALL need to ask God to increase our capacity to love and turn away from hate.

There is too much hate in this world — sometimes from those who minister the Body and Blood of Christ at the altar.

The ones Jesus loves the most are the lost sheep of this world.  He would reach out to those who have had abortions.

The enemies of Jesus are those who justify themselves, the self-righteous, the hypocrites, the ones who know nothing of compassion, those who would not think of walking a mile in someone else’s shoes but would lash out with their tongue.

St. John has said NO ONE is without sin!  He also said that  “Anyone who HATES his brother or sister is oneself a MURDERER!” (1 John 3:15)

However, I quote from a blog on the Los Angeles Times: The blogger is commenting on those polled who said that abortion was no longer a key issue . . . .

 “If the killing of 1,200,000 babies each year in this country, with over 700,000 (59%) of those children killed being Black (400,000+) and Hispanic (300,000+), if this is no longer a “key” issue, then that speaks volumes of how far we have regressed back to the days when Hitler and his Nazi henchmen thought that the genocide of the Jews was also a non-issue. Abortion is a violent crime as it attacks life in the holy of holies, the mother’s womb. Every civilization that went into the killing of their children has perished from this planet by the same violent means as they used to kill their future generations.  These include: the Canaanites, the Phoenicians, the Carthaginians, the Mayans, the Incas and the Aztecs.”

President Obama supports Planned Parenthood. I would prefer  that this president  would take Bill Clinton’s approach that “abortions should be “safe, legal and rare.”   Planned Parenthood has an aggressive, non-spiritual agenda; they talk about the fetus as if it was disposable tissue, not a living being, a person entitled to life.

I read the magazines from Defenders of Wildlife that I enjoy very much.  They’re concerned about the killing of wolves in Wyoming, Grizzlies in Montana, Polar Bears in Alaska, Orcas in Hudson Bay.  And I wonder if they are Defenders of Unborn Human Life.

IMG_0663

       Dearest Lady, mother of Jesus,

whose tender love brought Love Itself into our world,

  help those who have never known the tender embrace of their own mother’s love

  to receive the same tender care and love you wish for each of them. . . for each of us . . .  as you offered the strict, yet tender, love of a Jewish mother upon  Jesus, the Son of God 

     who was nourished at your tender breasts,

              cradled in your arms,

         bounced upon your knee;

                   whose booboo was kissed by your lovely mouth,

              whose dead body you received come down from the Cross.

You were the one from Jesus learned the joys of human love.

  Receive today all of Jesus’ brothers and sisters on this planet, born and unborn.

  Draw us all into that one great mystery of divine/human love which is the glory of our Christian faith,

  the Incarnation of the son of a young beautiful woman, Son of God,

       our Brother, our Friend, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!  

                      Amen. 

And now, before you go, here’s “Surely He has borne our grief”,  from The Messiah. Click here. Be sure to turn up your speakers and enter full screen.

Bob Traupman

 contemplative writer

Hint:  If you do not yet accept our faith that Jesus is true God and true human

just accept it as a beautiful love story.  The message still works!

And P.S.  Don’t worry about the aborted children;  the innocent ones will shine like the stars in God’s kingdom.

The tragedy is that they will never set foot on this beautiful planet.