Babies, Love, and Life

On this beautiful Sunday, please remember this beautiful mom in your prayers.

The Red Envelope Project

Did you mail your red envelope today?



If not, then get up off your duffer and do it. It's never too late. Send a message to your president. Now.

What Did You Do to Save the Babies Mommy?

The 40-Days for Life Campaign starts tomorrow! If you haven't heard of this yet, then don't waste a second and get over to the website to check it out. You can put in your zip code and get information on events in your area.

Rappers for Life

Even if you are no fan of rap music, this video can't help but touch your heart.

Flypside: Happy Birthday

Suffering for the March for Life?

A week ago today I headed out my door for the 2009 March for Life along with nine teenagers and three other adults. We drove two vans to Pittsburgh where we picked up a bus with friends there.

Most everything went beautifully. The weather was gorgeous -- 46 and sunny. (Interestingly it was 30 and icky for the inauguration two days earlier.) We had first class accommodations. In past years, we've slept on church floors or dorm beds (aka as back killers). This year, thanks to Priceline.com we stayed in a Hyatt Place with a pool and everything.

Thanks to Fr. Lawler's intercession I had no problems with all the standing and walking. In the past I've always found myself exhausted before we even started marching.

Plus, to top it all off, we got to see Christian and hang out with the Steuby students.

As wonderful as all that is, I somehow feel that we didn't suffer enough. (Only a Catholic would think like that!) It was too easy.

One thing that wasn't easy was meeting up with friends. The plan was to call one another on our cell phones and connect. However, it was far too loud. The conversations went something like this:
Hi M . . .
what?
P . . . here
I can't . . . you
Huh?
I'm under the . . . banner . . . next to . . .
click

Half the time I wasn't even sure who I was talking to.

Even though five different friends called me, I was only able to hook up with one -- Dawn of A Helping Hand. And that was only a two-minute visit as my kids were dragging me away to find the Franciscan University banner. But at least Dawn had the foresight to take a picture of us.

Oh well, it's all about saving the babies and not socializing with friends. Even so, we'll plan a little better next year.

The Better Choice

I'm heading out the door to head east for the March for Life. I leave you with this to ponder.



Hat Tip: Mark Shea

Will You March for Life?

Every year when I go on the March for Life I come home saying, "That was awesome but I'm not going again." I commit to helping the teens get there but swear I'll be staying home next time. It's just a lot on my auto-immune-impaired body. And, yet, here I am, once again, packing to go on the March for Life.

Today the most pro-abortion, pro-infanticide president took the oath of office. How can I stay home?

When I dropped Christian off at Franciscan University a few weeks ago one of his friends commented that he wasn't going on the March for Life this year. It was great last year but just too darn cold. This made me think of Father Ronald Lawler, God rest his soul.

Fr. Lawler never missed the March even in his old age and failing health. In fact, he didn't even miss the March for Life in his final year. His dear friend Mike Aquilina told me, "We didn't think he was going to make it. We thought he was going to die right there at the March."

If Fr. Lawler, that sweet dear old man, could endure the frigid, wet cold marching amongst hundreds of thousands of people, who am I to stay home? Who am I to stay silent?

Fr. Lawler, please pray for all of us as we stand up for Truth and March for Life.

The Outcomes of FOCA

Senator Barak Obama has promised that his very first act, should he be elected president of the United States will be to sign the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA). Not end the Iraq War, lower our taxes, cut federal spending. look for energy alternatives, or work on the foreclosure crisis. No, the most important issue on his mind is abortion.

Should an Obama presidency becoma a reality, he would undo all the work of pro-life activists over the past 35 years. All of the following restrictions would be nullified by FOCA:

• the Hyde Amendment, which restricts federal funding for abortions;

• the federal law banning partial birth abortions, which was finally upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in April 2007;

• the "Mexico City Policy," which has barred the use of federal taxpayers' money to pay for abortions in other countries;

• laws in 44 states that preserve a parental role when children under 18 seek abortions;

• laws in 40 states that restrict late-term abortions;

• laws in 46 states that protect the right of conscience for individual health care providers;

• laws in 27 states that protect the right of conscience for institutions;

• laws in 38 states that ban partial birth abortions;

• laws in 33 states that require counseling before having an abortion;

• and laws in 16 states that provide for ultrasounds before an abortion.

Embryonic Stem Cell Research and Catholic Governors

Regarding our governor's support of Proposition 2 which will allow embryonic stem cell research and other attrocities our new bishop issued a statement:

10/27/08
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Michael D. Diebold, Director of Communications, Catholic Diocese of Lansing

The Most Reverend Earl Boyea, Bishop of Lansing, today issued the following statement in response to recent comments of Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm:

In a Sunday address in Grand Rapids, Governor Jennifer Granholm incredibly said of Proposal 2 "As a Catholic, I can say to be pro-cure is to be pro-life." Of course, Catholics and all other responsible citizens will continue to seek cures for disease and injury. But to imply that Proposal 2 is a valid expression of Catholic principles is shocking. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Proposal 2, which goes before Michigan voters in a week, would give an unrestricted license to those who perform destructive experiments on human embryos. While the Catholic Church strongly supports legitimate forms of stem cell research and all other proper forms of scientific inquiry, the Church also teaches that is it is always immoral to destroy a human embryo. For that reason, the Catholic Bishops of Michigan have taken a strong position in opposition to this well-funded assault on human life.

Saint Paul reminds us that we must preach the Truth in season and out of season. The Truth will never go unspoken. To be in favor of Proposal 2 is not to be pro-life. A well-formed Catholic conscience would never lead a person to support Proposal 2 "as a Catholic."

Click here if you're looking for a simple explanation of the Catholic Church's position on stem cell research.

Is it True No One is Pro-Abortion

I heard Jill Stanek speak at a dinner some years ago. Anyone who is prolife and considering a vote for Senator Obama should listen to her story.

In the first video she discusses Barak Obama's voting record in Illinois as it relates to born alive abortion at hospitals in Chicago. The second video is her story as told to Bill OReilly in 2000.

Be forewarned her story is very difficult to hear. But it's an important story to hear.

Gianna Jessen and the Born Alive Act

When I share with family members or friends that abortion is legal up to nine months, up to the point of delivery the baby's head, they look at me with complete disbelief. Tell them about Partial Birth Abortion and they think I'm making it up. After all, how can such a horrible thing be real? How can it be true? They look at me with similar disbelief when I share Barak Obama's position on infanticide. Here is the video to share with those unfamiliar with this candidate's voting record on the Born Alive Act. Quite a story:



Hat tip: Mark Shea

Embedded Pictures

Hannah, 13-years old, is an important member of our Homeschoolers4Life club. God bless her heart and her innocence.

Last year when my mom went on the D.C. trip, I wanted to go so bad. But she told me I had to wait. Now I know why. When my friends and I were walking, I saw signs all over. Many were harmless, but got the point across. Many times my mom told me not to look someplace because they had pictures of partial birth aborted babies. I dared not look, but at one point I looked up and saw a picture. It took a moment for me to figure out what it was, because it was bloody and twisted. Then my mom's words rang in my ears, "Some people have pictures of those babies." At that moment my stomach churned and my heart broke. To think that a person would ever do that to a harmless baby is unthinkable. That picture is still in my mind, and I don't think it will ever go away. But we need to remember God has everything in his hands, and we need to keep on praying and making a difference. Every baby is precious, and they can't defend themselves so we need to. Rock for Life!

This Little Light of Mine

Natalie, 16, and Lorraine, 12, are sisters and wrote about their 2008 March for Life experience together:

Seeing as I’ve never been farther than Indiana, going to D.C. was a new but cool experience. It helped to actually be out in the world without someone making sure I knew what I was doing (no offense Mom and Dad). I think uniting against a common evil also drew us closer together as a group. And, as a paper deliverer, I’m one of the first to read of the latest murder or any other violent occurrence and when I see all the reports, I think of how many more should be on the front page; stories on all the murdered babies. So, seeing how many people are willing to give up a few days’ pay (or anything else) was a welcomed and inspirational sight.

It was a powerful sight, seeing the multitudes of people gathered in D.C. I was moved to tears, thinking about how we, as God’s children, could commit such brutality against our fellow man. I recall the song This Little Light of Mine. It may be a simple song, but the words ring true for every ear. We are all like little lights of hope which still shine out amidst the darkness. It is by the grace of God that we have the courage to take a stand against one of the greatest evils of all time. I pray that one day we may all come together united in love with Christ who is the way, the truth, and the life.

Natalie & Rain

Shouting Out Our Message

Anna is such a mature young lady that I forget she's only 11-years old. She was a joy to have on the March:

Hi, my name is Anna, and I was one of the thousands of people who were at the March for Life rally in Washington, D.C. this year. I just wanted to tell you what I enjoyed the most about going on the trip: being with my friends, praying, going to Mass, visiting the Basilica and Franciscan University. Of course, the best part was being able to shout out a message to all those people who think abortion is “okay” and that don’t know what really is happening. Of all the pro-life signs I read at the March, my favorite one was, “A person is a person no matter how small.” That says it all!

Strengthening My Soul, and My Compassion

Some of the most important people in making the March for Life happen, didn't even attend the event. Today's reflection is written by one of those people. My good friend Linda S. stayed home while sending her daughter in the care of other moms. Linda provided babysitting services for moms who had to leave littles behind and she provided a ton of fresh fruit for the hungry travelers. Most importantly, she was a prayer warrior :

“Hi, Mom,” said the sweet voice over a 1,000 miles of cyberspace. My heart was touched by those two words, and my mind raced to many thoughts ... she’s safe, how much she sounded like her older sister, and how much I missed her. The voice was of my second daughter on her first trip to the March for Life.

Being one of the parents staying behind, my heart was strengthened by prayer and blessings. I also spent time reflecting and remembering the many mothers who mourn the loss of a baby through abortion.

Letting my daughter attend the 2008 March without any of her other family members was hard for me. I worried about weather, health, and safety. I love the part of the Catholic Mass that says “and protect us from all anxiety.” So, with that said, each time an anxious thought or feeling would occur, I would pray to God. He is the only one who could help and protect. Of course, my daughter had a wonderful time and returned safe and sound, with a beautiful memory, and another stand for life.

One of the blessings of the trip was being able to watch two little friends. It was wonderful to see the two girls and my girls play dress-up for hours. Such innocent fun. Forever imprinted on my mind is the sweet three-year-old sitting in a child-sized rocking chair lovingly holding her baby doll. Another vivid image is one of the radiant smile of the seven-year-old; such joy and happiness! I could see the love of their mother, who was traveling, through those children. I know how hard it is as a parent to leave the “littles” behind, and I know how hard it is to let them go. I prayed for the parents and children staying at
home, as well as the ones traveling.

Through the years, my compassion for mothers who have had abortions has changed as my knowledge has changed. I used to have an image of an ogre of a person who would abort their own baby. But the fact is, of the women I know who have had an abortion, every one of the them have regretted it. Some of the women I know are really some of the most compassionate women to cross my path. I am not making excuses for their decision, and neither have they.

When I started finding out more about abortion statistics from Life Decisions International, I found out that 70-80% of women having an abortion, don’t really want one. I think about that. These women are in a crisis, reaching out for support; and in doing so, it is the friends and relatives who misguide them in their time of need. Even in the most horrible of cases, abortion is not the answer. The people in their lives think they are helping, but in reality they are creating a horrible error. These women live with the error for the rest of their lives. Pray for women in crisis.

I am encouraged to see so many young people on fire to end abortion. Some of these people will encounter friends, relatives, and others in their life who are considering abortion. It may be the unwed teen. It may be the woman whose baby has a birth defect (but, we are "all created in the image and likeness of God”). These young people will be friends of the unborn and friends of the mother. They will be able to stand by and be a positive support for life to a temporarily tough problem. I am proud of you! Bless you!

We Can't Keep Silent

Today's reflection is written by Mary, who turned 16 today. She brings yet another perspective that many of us may not have considered:

The March 4 Life 2008, amazing as ever and as sad. Not only because of all the babies, our next generation being killed by the thousands everyday, but also because of us pro-lifers. When we were marching, I looked around and I could see all kinds of literature scattered on the ground everywhere. I saw people who are pro-life going after other pro-lifers because of different politics. Even our two best known pro-life groups, Right to Life and American Life League, fight among themselves when we should be holding on to each other as tight as possible because each other is the most important thing we've got.

The media overlooks how many people come every year to the March to stand up against abortion, so we will just have to encourage more people to come until they can't deny it any longer.

We also need to do more than just support life when we're in DC or just sending a check every month to an organization. We need to be active in our local pro-life groups in our own cities. I know we have an awesome group in Lansing and there is so much that needs to be done. Like when Jesus was being condemned he could have been saved but the people who believed and cared about him kept silent. But we can't keep silent; silence is our worst enemy, we need to raise our voice above the media and all the negativity of this culture of death, it's hurting our nation so badly but if we can turn it around and turn our country into a culture of life then maybe the rest of the world will see the awesome change and bring God's love and forgiveness back into our homes and lives.

Mary

Providing a Place to Rest for the Tired

Cecelia is a leader in our local homeschool group. She's one of those woman who just exudes the love of Jesus in all she does. I love this story:

The March for Life was memorable, to say the least. One story I promised Maureen I would pass along is that of an encounter I had with one elderly participant, who borrowed Maureen’s red, folding chair, as she paused to rest her tired body, before the March began.

She was a much older woman than I, with a thin face and a gentle smile. She wore a brown wool coat, pale, yellow scarf and a large, green hat that buttoned under her narrow chin. That she reminded me of the elderly, beggar woman, in Peter Collington’s book, Small Miracles, was due mostly to the fact that she came with hope, like the woman in Collington’s Christmas story, and she found more than she was looking for.

It began when we CHURCH Homeschoolers 4 Life had gathered west of the main stage, on the Mall, huddling together here and there, to listen to the politicians, priests and other notables who were rallying the troops before the actual march took place. After a period of time, I scoured the area a bit to find a better vantage point so the smallest ones among us could get a clearer view of the speakers. After asking Maureen and the other adults whether they wanted to move, we all proceeded about 100 yards closer to the action. In doing so, we left behind Maureen’s red chair, which she needs for her rest. Feeling badly, because I had convinced everyone to move from our original spot, I volunteered to go back and recover the red chair.

When I returned to the group 100 yards from the chair, I came back empty-handed. “I couldn’t do it,” I told Maureen, “I don’t have your chair.” Maureen looked at me and smiled, seemingly not too upset. “It’s still there,” I told her, “but a little, old woman is using it.” In the few minutes that had passed between our group’s move from one spot to the next, the left-behind chair had become a resting place for an old woman, wrinkled and vulnerable herself, who had come to take a stand for life. In doing so, she was the recipient of the charity of Maureen and the mercy of God. “It was meant to be, “ said Maureen, “that I left it there. She needs it more than I do.”

Just a small example of how God provides and will continue to provide for us all.

Being the Voice for Those Who Cannnot Speak

Stephanie, 10-years old, proves that you you don't have to be a grown-up to see the truth, to know right from wrong. Thank you Stephanie:

I was one of 200,000 people who went on the 2008 March For Life and protested against abortion. Abortion doesn't make sense to me because if you were to kill a person who was already born you would go to jail why then should we be allowed and paid to murder unborn children? We marched passed the Supreme Court which uses its power to destroy weak, innocent, and powerless lives. I think it is horrible that we are constantly having to desperately implore our country to stop murdering our generation. I, along with many others, hope that there will be no need to go on the March next year because I hope by that time abortion will be over.

Although there are still many people having abortions today, I think that people are starting to realize just how terrible abortion really is . On the March For Life I was surprised and happy to see just how many young people stood up for life. But the battle is not yet won so please join me and many others in being the voice for those who can not speak.

Stephanie

Rejoicing In Our Suffering

There were eight mothers on our bus to Washington, D.C. Nancy is a mother of nine children and a dear friend. I first met Nancy many, many years ago when she led a mothers' Bible study I attended. A Bible study that helped me become a better Christian wife and mother. Though we don't see one another nearly often enough, she is someone I look to for wisdom:

After the March for Life one of my children wondered, "No one who was for abortion saw us. The newspapers and TV people ignored us. Our message did not get out. Were we just wasting our time? Was it worth it?"

No one saw us? I know God did. I would have missed some very beautiful things if He hadn't shown me what He saw. Because I am a mother the Lord focused my attention on three mothers. God saw a mother of seven struggling physically with daily back pain caring for children with various health problems and significant learning challenges. He saw her sacrificing her time and strength to stand for life. God helped her make the phone calls, send the emails, buy the food, charter the bus, make the arrangements and He was well pleased with her. With heartfelt prayers she asked that everything would work out so she and her teens and their friends could march for life. God assured her, "Whatever you do for the least of my brothers you do for me."

God noticed another marcher. A mother whose newborn daughter had a defective brain condition which took the baby's life. God helped this heroic mother smile and cry and love that little one till her last breath was taken. God speaks through this mother to others tempted to abort their handicapped children. He watched her march for the culture of life and for the love of His people.

The media missed a third marcher and neglected to interview her either. But God knows her very well. He pointed out a mother who has opened her home and adopted little ones from backgrounds where drug abuse and neglect scarred them from the beginning. She and her family have been instruments of His healing. God watched her march and God knew that here was a woman after His own heart.

God embraced these mothers and gave them the privilege of uniting the sacrifice of their lives, the suffering of their bodies to His own holy, infinite sacrifice. The offering of these mothers and all of us marchers won grace for the salvation of our fallen world, God's mercy on our country and for an end to the sin of abortion. St. Paul says, "I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of His body, that is the Church." (Colossians 1:24) John Paul II explained in the Gospel of Suffering that," Jesus Christ has opened His suffering to our participation in it."

The Lord is allowing us to stand for Him. To offer our lives as apostles of life and love. He doesn't have to work this way but He gives us the blessing of being His Body in this world. This is the meaning of offering our everyday and our extraordinary sufferings to Him. God invites us, "Come follow me. Save the world through My Cross, take up your own cross daily and unite yourself to Me for the salvation of your own souls and those most in need of My mercy."

Our Lady of Guadalupe Pray for Us

David, all of 13, shares some profound insights with you:

When I went to the March For Life in D.C. I saw banners of Our Lady of Guadalupe. To a lot of people that didn't mean anything but it did to me because I knew that she is the patroness of the unborn. There is a belt around her middle which meant to the Indians that she was pregnant with the baby Jesus.

At the time, the Aztecs thought that the gods wanted human sacrifices. Each day thousands were killed. Even now we are doing the exact same thing to innocent babies. When Our Lady appeared she was stood on a blackened crescent moon symbolizing the defeat of the Aztecs serpent god. Today with the help of our lady we must conquer the devil's power and stop abortion.

On our way to the march we watched Amazing Grace, a movie about the fight to end slavery in England. In our country, in 1868, the Supreme Court ruled that African slaves were not fully human. And today the court has denied that the little unborn child is a person.

There was a poster on the March that stood out for me, a quote from Dr. Seuss's Horton Hears a Who: "A person's a person no matter how small." That was significant for me because I had just memorized Horton's lines in the book. All through the book, Horton the elephant protects the Whos and at the end, with their help, proves that they exist. In order to stop abortion we too must prove that "A person's a person no matter how small."

David