What You Can Learn from Unborn Babies

Most of my stress comes from things I need to do. Homework, club meetings, social activities, laundry, and emails, to name just a few. Not a day goes by when I don't wish I could do more. And under the pressure of deadlines and due dates, I can start to question myself. Why am I not more productive? Why didn't I accomplish more? Why am I not faster, smarter, more effective in my tasks?

I don't want to let anyone down. I want to prove myself - to show that I can do a good job, that I can handle all of it, that I CAN do it all. And then I even start to wish I could do more - I see all the amazing things my friends are doing, and I start to wish I could do those things, too.

Revelation

I've spent years fighting to show the world that unborn babies are full human beings - whole, complete, worthy of being protected and loved. But you know what? Unborn babies - they have yet to DO anything. And what I have been seeking to show the world is that they are just as valuable as all of us who are born, running around the world DOING things.

The Truth

The heart of the Pro-Life message is that people aren't valued for what they DO - for what they accomplish or achieve or "contribute." We are not the sum of out abilities. We are SO MUCH MORE than whatever we "do" or don't do. That is why if someone is born with different abilities, or when an elderly person's abilities begin to diminish, their value does not!

Live the Message

I can't do it all. And in fact, I don't need to do anything to be what I want most - loved. This is the Pro-Life message: we are not human doings, we are human beings, and we are each worthy of life and love. Our value is inherent in our  mere existence, and our presence alone is valuable because we exist as part of the larger human family.  I am loved the same regardless of what I do or do not "accomplish."

 

It takes a lot of humility to let this sink in. To realize that we are no more valuable than someone with different intellectual or physical capacities, than an elderly person with deteriorating abilities or memory, than a child waiting even to be born.  It forces us to recognize that all the things we do, or don't do, and regardless of how quickly or efficiently we do them, don't give us value.

The freedom in this realization is that we already have value; we already are loved. And if we are truly Pro-Life, we must live this message. That doesn’t mean blowing off our responsibilities or lying around all day doing nothing. It simply means living each day with joyful recognition that your value is already established, that you are enough, you are loved - just for existing.

 



Happy 40th Anniversary, Baby.

So if you haven’t seen this video yet, I suggest you take the 1 minute 43 seconds to watch it.

Now feel free to be disturbed. Repulsed. Angry. Sad. Disheartened. Confused. Now back to angry.

When I first watched this video, I was all of these emotions, plus more. How could anyone, even a pro-choicer, celebrate the death of 55 million children? Does he not realize that abortion in the number one killer of African Americans? How dare he sexualize the very serious and impactful decision of any woman who gets an abortion? It’s offensive, playing off the decision of abortion as something to be taken lightly or joked around about. So much so that even many pro-choicers are offended by it.

But what bothered me even more is when I went to Mehcad Brook (the man featured in the video)’s facebook page.  These are the comments I saw:

This was more disheartening than the ad itself. See, I expect it from the pro-choice side. I expect that they don’t realize what exactly they are promoting or the seriousness of the issue. This is not something that surprises me anymore.

But seeing these comments from those who claim to be pro-life? It’s depressing. I think it’s one of the biggest problems in the cause. Why on earth would you suggest that anyone deserves to be aborted? Nobody deserves that. Why, if you claim to be pro-life, would you suggest that someone go kill themself? Referring to someone as a “worthless waste of human tissue” is definitely not going to win them over.

I understand the anger. I understand the disgust. But hate the sin, not the sinner. The only way that we can persuade others is through love. Not vilifying them for a video made in poor taste, no matter how offensive it may be.

"The sword of the peaceful warrior is love." -Gary Amirault

March for Life Reflection Prayer

 

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;

 Allow me to bring peace to the war on women, the war on life. Allow me to be an example of peace through my own life and at the March.

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Allow me to choose to love those around me, regardless of their stance on abortion. Allow me to see each of these men and women as a whole person made in Your image.

where there is injury, pardon;

Allow me to forgive those who have funded and promoted lies about abortion. Allow me to pray especially for those who feel forced to participate in this tragedy.

where there is doubt, faith;

Allow me to remain faithful in this fight for life. Allow me to trust in Your will and continued presence here with us.

where there is despair, hope;

Allow me to bring hope to the prolife movement. Allow me to be an example of hope in our world for a culture of life and love.

where there is darkness, light;

Allow me to bring light to the darkness surrounding abortion. Allow me to be a light for You to work through and call others to You.

and where there is sadness, joy.

Allow me to bring joy to Washington D.C. and the March for Life. Allow me to recognize each and every day as a gift and to fill each of my days with joy.

 

-St. Francis of Assisi

President Obama

Today is President Obama’s inauguration.

Now, obviously for most pro-lifers this is a less than ideal situation. We did not want the most pro-abortion president to be reelected. We were out campaigning and hoping for a change.

But President Obama was reelected.

This is a fact. Now our decision is what to do about it. You could go in the direction of some pro-lifers and angrily protest his inauguration, running around with pictures of dismembered fetuses. You could be angry and resentful. You could sit and mope and complain about how our country has gone terribly wrong by reelecting such a man.

Or you could look to the future with hope. You could pray that President Obama changes his mind on abortion. Pray that somehow he has a change of heart. I can guarantee to you that seeing graphic images of abortion will not be what sways his opinion. This just creates even deeper division and does not create positive dialogue.

And I believe there is hope. In President Obama’s speech after the horrific shooting in Newton, Connecticut, he said

“And by that measure, can we truly say, as a nation, that we are meeting our obligations? Can we honestly say that we’re doing enough to keep our children -- all of them -- safe from harm? Can we claim, as a nation, that we’re all together there, letting them know that they are loved, and teaching them to love in return? Can we say that we’re truly doing enough to give all the children of this country the chance they deserve to live out their lives in happiness and with purpose?”

Those were his own words. Maybe he did not mean them in the context of the abortion issue, but he said them nonetheless.

We need to treat the president as if he were any other person we were trying to convince of the evils of abortion. With love, kindness, and joy. With support for the positive steps he has made for this country. Jesus said “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

When is the last time you prayed for President Obama? 

Event Idea: Prayer Service for Human Dignity

One of the things that I have noticed is that there tends to be a lot of division among people as to what special interest groups should get the most attention. Everybody seems to think that their issue is the most important. This can sometimes lead to conflicts between groups and people.

Something that is important is recognizing the gifts that each individual holds and how these skills can be used in different capacities. Everybody has their own passions and this is necessary This contributes to the idea of the seamless garment, that all life issues are of importance and all must be addressed. Cardinal Joseph Bernandin said:

“A consistent ethic does not say everyone in the Church must do all things, but it does say that as individuals and groups pursue one issue, whether it is opposing abortion or capital punishment, the way we oppose one threat should be related to support for a systemic vision of life. It is not necessary or possible for every person to engage in each issue, but it is both possible and necessary for the Church as a whole to cultivate a conscious explicit connection among the several issues. And it is very necessary for preserving a systemic vision that individuals and groups who seek to witness to life at one point of the spectrum of life not be seen as insensitive to or even opposed to other moral claims on the overall spectrum of life.”

Thus it is necessary to live out the Gospel of Life by valuing all people’s contribution to this seamless garment.

Event Idea

Collaborate with different groups on your campus to have a Mass or prayer service focusing on human dignity. This brings people together based on what they have in common instead of differences of opinion. Because who can argue against promoting human dignity?

Ways to Get Groups Involved

• Invite each group to submit their own prayer intention based on the focus or mission of their club.
• Invite members of each group to be part of the choir or to play instruments for the music of the service. Make sure you have someone to lead the choir who is in charge of music and arrangement.
• Have a reception after the event. We had drinks, cannolis, and fruit. This provides a time for the members of the different groups to get to know each other in a casual setting

Logistics

• Advertise, advertise, advertise. Ask the groups involved to send out emails to their clubs, print posters, advertise through campus channels.
• Find a presider for the service and pick the readings.
• Reserve a space with enough room for the expected attendants
• Order the food for the reception

Above all, remember this event is about recognizing the value in each person, honoring each of our strengths, and banding together to pray for change in our world. 

-written by Erin Stoyell-Mulholland

The Gift of Eliot

We hear "Life is a gift," "Life is precious," "Cherish each day," and think awww, ya that's nice.

 

 But what does that MEAN??

 

I don't know. But Eliot and his parents are showing the world. Watch. Be Inspired.





 

"An underdeveloped lung,

 a heart with a hole in it,

and DNA that placed faulty information into each and every cell of your body,

 could not stop God

from revealing Himself through a child,

who never uttered a word.

 Not a pulpit, not a slick presentation, not a bestselling book - but a six pound boy with Trisomy 18. God found great pleasure to take a lowly thing in the eyes of the world and show truth."

 

 

Love Speaks Louder

 Consider the difference:

“Whom you would change, you must first love. And they must know that you love them.”

- Martin Luther King Jr.