Sunday, January 29, 2017

What I mean when I say I am ProLife

When I say I am ProLife I mean I oppose abortion, but that is only a start.  I oppose abortion but I am for giving women every help they need to avoid abortion.  I would like to see a day when maternity care is free.  I believe if we give women better solutions to the temporary problem of pregnancy they will choose those options.  I have never met a woman who wanted to have an abortion.

Being ProLife to me means giving kids what they need grow and learn and be all they can be.  It means being pro-refugee.  Life is life and we have to be brave and protect it.  It means being for helping both those in our country and those abroad.  We shouldn't neglect those at home and allowing progress to leave others behind is not progress.  Being ProLife means fair wages and making sure people have meaningful work and not just a hand out.  Life isn't life without dignity.

Bring ProLife to me means that we care for our elderly and preserve their dignity.  The end of life should be a time as meaningful and beautiful as the rest of life.  We need to continue to find ways of keeping people free from pain and mobile in old age.  Natural death surrrounded by your loved ones is the right of all people.

Friday, January 27, 2017

This is not ProLife

Yesterday I saw that a law was proposed that would legalize "accidentally" running over protesters in North Dakota.  The law was proposed to discourage the type of protest that blocks roadways.  Beyond what this does to the First Amendment, it is not Prolife.  Prolife means Prolife, from conception to natural death.

Friday, January 13, 2017

Today Dear Lord I will look for You

Today Dear Lord, I will look for You,
I will look for You in the clouds that bring us rain and bring life to the fields.
I will look for You in the pine trees that give us shade.
I will look for You in the blue sky and green river.
I will look for You everywhere and find a glimpse of You there.

I will look for You in the love my parents have for me.
I will look for You in how my siblings care for their children.
I will look for You in my friends, for they care for me and I for them.
I will look for You in how my little cat lights up when I come home.
I will for You everywhere and find a glimpse of You there.

I will look for You in the man panhandling by the side of the road and the woman in line for groceries.  I know I will find a part of You in all the people I see no matter their color or hat they believe.  I know You are there in them and I need to treat them as I would treat You.  If I look for You  I see you everywhere.

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

The Love of God through the Perfection of Nature

When I look at the little bugs swimming around in pond water I give thanks to God for showing me their perfection.  They are perfect, they are simply what God created them to be and they simply do what God asks them to do, be little bugs swimming in a pond.

The tree that blooms in due season is doing God's will better than we do.  They are saints everyday of their lives.  We can learn from them.  A bush doesn't strive to be a tree and a rock doesn't hate the rose for its bloom.  They are simply as God created them.  A lark and a jay both give glory to God by their song and neither wants to sing like the other nor feels God didn't give them their due because they don't sound the same.

If we lived like the rest of God's creation we would have no need for jealousy or fear.  We wold know that God loves us and that we were doing His will simply by being ourselves.  We don't need to be taller, skinnier, more beautiful, or more talented.  We need simply to be ourselves to the best of our ability.  We don't need racism or xenophobia because we would know that God loved everyone and they are praising God by their lives.  We would live as part of the Kingdom of God.

Monday, January 9, 2017

Prolife can be confusing to some

When I hang out with my social justice friends they understand the dignity of life for those who are already born to some extent.  My conservative Christian friends understand the anti-abortion part of being prolife.  Only some Catholics I know understand my pro-life stance from conception to natural death, and what that entails.

Abortion should not be the cheapest and easiest solution for a woman with an unwanted pregnancy.  Our goal should be to make choosing life cheapest, easiest, and safest.  I never met a woman who had an abortion who wanted that abortion.  No one should ever feel that her only option is to kill her child.

Being Prolife doesn't end there, and it doesn't end with the boundaries of my country.   I am bound to try to respect the dignity of all people and to respect their lives.  This means a decent job with decent wages and benefits.  It means making sure they have their rights and they are respected.  It means helping people who need it.  Feeding the hungry, housing the homeless.

It also means at the end of life caring for elderly and dying in such a way that they don't need euthanasia.  They should die without pain and where they are comfortable and not alone.  To me this is Prolife.

Friday, January 6, 2017

Fighting the Good Fight

Once you awakened to faith in Jesus Christ, you need to follow the path that God has chosen for you. Start with prayer, prayer is the start of everything and not just memorized prayer but talk to Him and listen to Him.  Silence is an important part of prayer.  Listen to what God tells you by looking at the world around you and listen to those near you for God speaking to you through them.

Be wary if you focus on the sins that others are committing, it is a great way for Satan to distract you.  Do all things out of an abundance of love and compassion.  Those around you should be able to tell from your actions that you are a follower of Christ.  The shouldn't feel judged or hated by you because of who you follow.

Now you are ready to fight the good fight.  Go out into the world and make a more loving and compassionate place.  Bring the Beloved to this you find and have no fear.  He is with you if you act out of love because He is Love.