pro life – Page 3

Dorothy Day not the patron saint of the “left” nor an agenda item of the “right”

Dorothy Day is not a pawn in political camps. She is the darling of a political camp for either the seculars or the ecclesials. To apply political monikers of liberal and conservative, left or right is grossly inaccurate and a rather reductionistic manner to understand a person and her vocation, the vocation defined by love and happiness. True to an authentic follower of Christ, Dorothy Day’s vocation was to be a saint, that is singularly focussed on her Lord and Savior; her vocation was to adore and follow Jesus Christ. Day’s vocation was not to feed the the poor and argue for a change in governmental policy. As a friend said, Day’s life is too easily “framed in political terms by people who anachronistically use words like ‘liberal’ and ‘conservative’ to describe a life that was never about that fight.” Additionally, I fully agree with Martha Hennessy, 57, the granddaughter of Day who said she was uncomfortable about her grandmother’s abortion. Let’s pay attention to Martha Hennessy, “I wish we would focus on the birth of her child more than on her abortion because that’s what really played a role in her conversion.” Indeed. This is the pro-life position of the Church.

I significantly dislike the way Day’s life is used to diminish a true practice of faith, of religion. The NY Times published Sharon Otterman’s article, “In Hero of the Catholic Left, a Conservative Cardinal Sees a Saint,” and it’s typically misguided with tired cliches and wrong information (her facts are often wrong) yet useful in a limited way because Dorothy Day saintliness shines. Obviously Otterman wanted a story and not the truth.

Alexia Kelley, Obama consultor to head FADICA

Alexia Kelly is the new president of a prominent Catholic fundraising office in Dupont Circle, Washington, DC.

Ms Kelley holds a Masters degree in theology from Harvard Divinity School is reportedly committed to dialogue with others for the sake of advancing the common good, and interested in Catholic charitable works. Her resume includes being a former employee of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development; the executive director of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good; the Deputy Director and Senior Policy Advisor for the Whites Office for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships; and the First Lady’s Office, for whom she launched Let’s Move Faith and Communities. Most recently Kelley’s been the director of the Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships at the HHS.

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Connecticut lawmakers to consider physician assisted suicide

The front page
of today’s New Haven Register carried an article by Jordan Fenster,
“Right-to-die bill may be discussed by legislature” by which the citizens of
Connecticut were alerted to the possibility that in the next session of the
legislature the question of assisted suicide will be on the table. Following
the defeat of Massachusetts ballot on the same subject last week, the contagion is now again flowing south. Already three US states, Oregon, Montana and Washington, allow for
physician assisted suicide. 34 states prohibit lethal doses of medication that
would end human life.

Let me say from the outset, this is not a Catholic issue. Persons of belief and unbelief ought to be concerned about the potential passing of a law that legalizes medically induced suicide. Hence, this is not a conservative issue. This is not a an anti-human dignity issue. It
is just the opposite: this is a human issue. Who we are a human beings, and how
we teach each other is a human issue that is informed by what we believe and
how we behave. Committing this legislative error is a problem of education.
Recall that in the past when a similar bill was brought to the CT voters it failed only 51-49%.

Several weeks ago there appeared in the New York Times an
intriguing OP-ED article that I believe we need to seriously consider in the
discussion of physician assisted suicide. Considering voices that differ from ours need to be thoughtfully taken into account because we are people use who reason to frame our moral lives. We can’t simply dismiss the other and therefore I appeal to people of belief and unbelief to reasonably discuss what’s at stake. When we rush the discuss without fact we always get burned.

In my opinion not enough attention has been devoted
to considering how this legislation has been lived out in this country and in
others, nor have we considered the philosophical, theological, sociological and
human consequences of such an act. Most often our heart-strings are pulled, even stretched leading us to decide weighty matters without due attention to the reality in front of us –to the person and people and intimately connected with life and death issues. We also don’t always adequately consider the eternal consequences of killing someone before natural death happens.

Who’s life are we “making dignified” by engaging death before it’s naturally
presented? What really is human dignity? What does it mean to be truly a man or
a woman in relationship with other men and women here-and-now, and following
death? To what extent does fear, anxiety and perceived suffering dictate how we
think and act toward others? Are we sufficiently aware of and sensitive to the difference between ideology and being a person, no matter how debilitated?

Here is Ben Mattlin’s October 31, 2012 New York
Times article published online.

Suicide by Choice? Not So Fast

Continue reading Connecticut lawmakers to consider physician assisted suicide

Saints Cosmas and Damian, patrons of doctors and pharmacists

May you be magnified, O Lord, by the revered memory of
your Saints Cosmas and Damian, for with providence beyond words you have
conferred on them everlasting glory, and on us, your unfailing help.

Today, the
Holy Church celebrates the liturgical Memorial of Saints Cosmas and Damian.
They were twins who were known to be doctors and/or pharmacists in the Roman
province of Syria but born in what is known as Turkey. According to their biographers, the saints accepted no
payment for their medical services; they were given the title of “Unmercenary” for loving God and man. The gospel line comes to mind: freely you have received, freely give. The brothers paid very close attention to the gospel as
it was a light for their feet.

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Nellie Gray, Pro-Life “mother” died

Last weekend Nellie Gray, 88, the “Mother of the Pro-Life” movement in the USA died at her Washington, DC home. She was the voice of the marginal in the USA. The annual March for Life was founded by Nellie 39 years ago. She worked to shed light on the evil of abortion which has claimed 55 million lives. The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated for the repose of Nellie Gray on the Solemnity of the Assumption.

Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley, OFM, Cap, said of Nellie Gray:

Having received
news of Nellie Gray’s death, I wish to express my sincere condolences and
prayers for her family and for all who came to know and love her in the
Pro-Life Movement. Her love for life and her dedication to protecting the
unborn, the most vulnerable among us, have inspired countless generations of
Catholics and non-Catholics alike, and we will miss her tremendously.

Nellie
Gray will be remembered as the Joan of Arc of the Gospel of Life. The
architects of the pro-abortion movement in the United States thought that the
opposition would go away, but close to 40 years later the issue is still very
much alive, thanks in part to the annual March for Life and because of people
like Nellie who are committed to the culture of life. Having participated in
every single March for Life since its inception, I have witnessed firsthand her
advocacy and dedication. I was honored by her presence in Boston in 2009, when
during the Boston Catholic Women’s Conference we conferred upon her the Culture
of Life Award.

Her death is a great loss for both our Church and our Country,
but her life has left a meaningful and lasting impression upon the hearts of
those who knew her and upon the many hearts of those whose lives she saved. We
will keep Nellie Gray and all those who mourn her death in our prayers. We ask
God to grant her eternal rest and peace, and we give thanks to Him for the gift
of her life.

Our Lady of Life, pray for Nellie Gray, and for us.

Cardinal Dolan explains his invites to Al Smith Dinner

There’s been a lot of posturing –let alone misinformation– about the recent revelation that the Cardinal of New York, Timothy M. Dolan, invited the US President to the famed Al Smith Dinner. He wants to be inclusive, open to dialogue, and helpful in trying to inform politicos about Catholic teaching on life and public service. Civility is Dolan’s hope.

Indeed, it is noteworthy that civility ought to be a Catholic approach. In a time when civility is lacking in and outside the Church, perhaps this event may be a good example. Who could deny the value of such a method. Perhaps, one may ask, is it time to change the focus of the Al Smith Dinner or do away with it altogether?

Read the Cardinal’s comments on his blog here. (Why it took so long for the Cardinal to make his reasoning public is negligent.)

Nevertheless, I wonder if the Al Smith crowd and the Cardinal with his managers are working overtime to defend a prudential (reasonable?) judgment that’s really too difficult to defend by inviting a pro-choice US President.

The dinner invite that shouldn’t

The white-tie Al Smith Dinner on 18 October may have one of the worst public officials whose record for life issues at a key table: The US President. Mr Obama is known as one of the worst offenders on matters of life. And his dinner partner is Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan of New York. In extending an olive branch to the Democratic and Republican Presidential candidates His Eminence is fueling a fire that may not merely do away with troublesome undergrowth but kill off the roots, too. Exactly, how is inviting Mr Obama and Mr Romney helpful to the pro-life movement?

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Blessing of a Child in the Womb

The US Bishops composed and received approval of a ritual that invokes God’s blessing upon the child in the womb. The idea came from Archbishop Joseph Kurtz when he was the bishop of Knoxville several years ago. What better way to observe Mother’s Day in the USA than for us to be in prayerful solidarity with expectant mothers!

As the Introduction to this rite, the Bishops write that

“The Church welcomes with joy and compassion the mothers who, recognizing that all life is a gift from God, come to the Church seeking a blessing for their unborn child. Such a blessing sustains the parents by imparting grace and comfort in time of concern and need, unites the parish in prayer for the unborn child, and fosters respect for human life within society.”

Here’s the key prayer:

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Church is right on sex, women, birth control and abortion: admit it

Several days ago the Business Insider published a fascinating story: “Time To Admit It: The Church Has Always Been Right On Birth Control” by Michael Brendan Dougherty and Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry. Read it. You may agree with the exposition of the authors. Can’t contradict experience. Recall: this publication is not connected with the Catholic Church.

Pope Paul VI continues to be vilified for teaching the beauty of sex is indeed Catholic, beautiful and reasonable, that the contraceptive mentality leads to a wrong, destructive end of humanity, that abortion is always wrong and that women should not be used as objects (e.g., porn).

Let those who have ears, hear.

Orthodox bishops rally faithful to protest the Obama administration

Bishops of the Orthodox Churches –those of the various jurisdictions in the USA– have called upon the Orthodox faithful to protest the Obama Administration’s ruling which affects matters of conscience. Since this is NOT a Catholic issue –one needs to say it’s a matter for all people, regardless of profession of faith. Exercising one’s right to speak out against injustice, here it’s a matter of injustice done by the government, Christians need to unite their hearts, minds, and voices and work for substantial change.

One doesn’t hear of the Orthodox Church on Pro-Life matters too often but you do see a greater presence of the Orthodox Church at events like the Pro-Life March in Washington, DC. In recent years their bishops, priests, seminarians (from St Vladimir’s) and laity have begun to show up to the March. They gather at the Orthodox Cathedral and walk with the others.

Here, we all need the Orthodox witness. Thanks goes to Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Savas (Pittsburgh) for his good work on the project.

The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North
and Central America, which is comprised of the 65 canonical Orthodox bishops in
the United States, Canada and Mexico, join their voices with the United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops and all those who adamantly protest the recent
decision by the United States Department of Health and Human Services,
and call upon all the Orthodox Christian faithful to contact their elected
representatives today to voice their concern in the face of this threat to the
sanctity of the Church’s conscience.

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