The Silent Scream

"If every member of Congress could see that film, they would move quickly to end the tragedy of abortion."

– Ronald Reagan (on The Silent Scream)

The Silent Scream is a 1984 documentary that shows, through ultrasound technology, what happens to a fetus during an abortion.

The film was narrated by Bernard Nathanson, a physician who admitted to being personally responsible for 75,000 abortions and was a major contributor in legalizing abortion in America but has since converted from being “pro” to “anti” abortion advocate after he himself witnessed an on-going abortion via ultrasound imaging.

It’s easy for someone to justify a war when it’s taking place a thousand miles away; not so when the battlefield is near one’s own backyard. The sight of dead and injured soldiers up-close, at the very least, should cause even the warmongers to reconsider their position. Through this documentary, pro-abortion advocates could view an abortion up-close and see the true nature of what they are justifying. 

WARNING: this documentary contains explicit material. Without a doubt, this is a difficult film to watch; the sight of another human being, a fetus, in excruciating pain and making a “silent scream” while being helplessly murdered is surely more than most (including this blogger) could bear. 

* Video courtesy of: American Portrait Films (http://www.silentscream.org/order.html)

Where Was God? (By Mike Huckabee)

Former U.S. presidential candidate Mike Huckabee shares his insights on the recent Connecticut school shooting tragedy.

Transcript:

Maybe it's simply the attempt to express our collective shock when we say we're trying to make sense of the horrific shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. But we're not gonna make sense; not from that which is totally disconnected from the cognitive capacity of any rational human being. The Governor of Connecticut, Dan Malloy, got it right when he said, "evil has visited this community". President Obama, in an emotional statement from the White House, spoke more as a parent than a politician and he quoted the Bible to bring comfort to the nation. Churches were filled in Newtown, Connecticut last night as candlelight vigils were held to grieve for the 27 innocent people killed and the countless lives of those shattered by a few seconds of crazed carnage.

On Friday, Neil Cavuto asked me,

"Where was God?"

I said,

"For 50 years we've systematically attempted to have God removed from our schools (and) our public activities but then at the moment we have a calamity we wonder where He was."

The predictable "left" lit up the airwaves and blogosphere with a violent, vicious reaction and jumped to the conclusion that I said that if we had prayer in school the shooting wouldn’t have happened. I said nothing of the sort.

It's far more than just taking prayer or Bible reading out of the schools.
It's the fact that people sue a city so we aren’t confronted with a manger scene or a Christmas carol; that lawsuits are filed to remove a cross that's a memorial to fallen soldiers.
Churches and Christian owned businesses are told to surrender their values under the edict of government orders to provide tax-funded abortion pills.
We carefully and intentionally stop saying things are sinful and we call them disorders; sometimes, we even say they're normal.
And to get to where that we have to abandon bedrock moral truths…

Then we're asked,

"Where was God?"

I responded as I see it,

"We escorted Him right out of our culture and we've marched Him off the public square, then we express our surprise that a culture without Him actually reflects what it's become."

As soon as the tragedy unfolded, I think God did show up.
He showed up in the lives of teachers, who put their lives between a gunman and their students.
He showed up in policemen, who rushed into the school not knowing if they would be met with a barrage of bullets.
He showed up in the form of hugs and tears for children, parents and teachers, who had lived through the slaughter.
He showed up at the overflowed church services, where people lit candles and prayed. 
He showed up at the White House, where the president invoked His Name and quoted from His Book.
 
In a few days or weeks we'll probably ask God to excuse Himself from view. And we will announce in our arrogant pride that we are now enlightened and educated and we've evolved beyond needing Him. And somebody's gonna suggest that we pass a law to stop all this kind of thing. I might want to point out that we don't have to pass a new law; there's one that's been around a while that works if we teach it and observe it:

"Thou shalt not kill."

Oh, there are about 9 others; but to tell you about them would require bringing God back and we know how unacceptable that might be.

* Video courtesy of: http://www.foxnews.com/

Intercession of Mary (by Bruno Hagspiel)

photo courtesy of sesame ellis

The story is told that one day, Jesus was walking around heaven, much as God once walked around Eden. Much to His surprise in a few hidden corners He found what looked like a few doubtful characters. He wondered how they got in. So He walked over to St. Peter and scolded him for negligence. But the gatekeeper assured his Lord and Master that he was conscientiously guarding the gate and letting in only the deserving.

“But what can I do?” complained Peter. “I carefully watch the gate but at night Your mother opens the windows and lets these rascals in… and how can I say anything against her?”

Reference/s:
Mihalic, Frank (1989). 1000 Stories You Can Use (Volume Two). Divine Word Publications.

Quote of the Dei (# 8)

Ben Connolly's "Prodigal Son"

"The church is a hospital for sinners, not a club for saints."

- unknown author

True Hypocrisy

photo courtesy of Selina Mayer

“A man once said to me: I don’t go to church because I don’t want to be with a bunch of hypocrites.

I replied: Well, one more won’t hurt!”

- Mother Angelica

Hypocrisy is often used as propaganda against Christianity. To my mind, this is due to misunderstanding what the word hypocrisy truly means.

What is hypocrisy? St. Thomas Aquinas defined hypocrisy as not failing to be good but rather pretending to be good.

In other words, hypocrisy is not failing to live up to an ideal but rather the pretense of being ideal. Therefore, a philandering husband who feigns fidelity to his wife in order to gain the admiration of others is a hypocrite. In this regard, we note that:

Philandering discredits the philanderer, not fidelity.

Hypocrisy is not failing to practice what one preaches but rather failing to believe what one preaches. Therefore, a father who forbids his children to lie but doesn’t really put stock in honesty himself and is unremorseful about his own lying is a hypocrite. In this regard, we note that:

Lying discredits the liar, not honesty. 

Jesus Christ commanded His followers to “be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Sanctity, without the grace of God, is not just hard, but impossible. For this reason, we should always pray for the wisdom, strength and courage to live our lives according to God’s will. And each time we fall, we can pick ourselves up by repenting, confessing and resolving to sin no more. What we cannot and should not do is give up our aim for holiness because we fear being called hypocrites.

It’s also been said that “hypocrisy is the price that vice pays to virtue”. If this is the case, then Christians should be willing to pay that price. In this regard, we note that:

Hypocrisy discredits the hypocrite, not Christianity.

The Real Face of Jesus? 2

The post with the most page views on this blog is “The Real Face of Jesus?” which is based on the HISTORY channel special. This maybe because both believers and unbelievers alike are interested to see what’s probably the most accurate image ever made of Jesus.

The creative team behind the awesome images are the graphic artists from Studio Macbeth headed by Ray Downing. Upon visiting their website, I found out that they have made new renderings based on the Shroud of Turin.

HISTORY channel also collaborated once again with Studio Macbeth for a new special titled “Jesus: The Lost Forty Days”. While the new visuals are stunning, the same cannot be said of the documentary. The running time is overly extended by rehashed content from “The Real Face of Jesus”. The documentary also jumps on the “Da Vinci Code” bandwagon and gives too much attention and credence to the heresy of Gnosticism and the so-called gnostic gospels. We must remember that the early Christian Church, naturally the best judge of which stories about and which teachings of Jesus were authentic, condemned the gnostic or “lost” gospels as heretical. Nevertheless, the new images depicting our Lord are worth seeing.

All images courtesy of:
www.raydowning.com
www.history.com

Quote of the Dei (# 7)

photo courtesy of jessilicious6

"Faith is what gets you started.

Hope is what keeps you going.

Love is what brings you to the end."

 

– Mother Angelica

Why I’m Opposed To The Reproductive Health Bill (Part 4)

photo courtesy of AnnuskA - AnnA Theodora

 Conclusion

• Plurality of Society

Some Catholics, perhaps wanting to play safe, say “I’m personally opposed to the RH Bill, but I don’t want to impose my beliefs on others”. On moral issues however, we simply must have the courage to take a stand. For example, we cannot say “I’m personally opposed to murdering innocents but I don’t want to impose my beliefs on others”. While we acknowledge pluralism, we must also have the integrity and conviction to stand up for our beliefs.

• Hypocrisy

At times during discussions regarding the bill, we hear those in favor accuse those opposed of hypocrisy. I believe hypocrisy deserves to be discussed in an entry of its own, but in the meantime I’d like to share a quote from philosopher Peter Kreeft on the subject:

“…if a Catholic comes to believe the Church is in error in some essential, officially defined doctrine, it is a mortal sin against conscience, a sin of hypocrisy, for him to remain in the Church and call himself a Catholic…”

I agree and also think that while an “honest believer” is best, an “honest unbeliever” is better than a “dishonest believer”. Perhaps now is an opportune time for us Catholics to seriously reflect on our own beliefs.

• Cafeteria Catholics

Religious demographics of the Philippines show that 80% of Filipinos are Catholics. Ironically, surveys also show that 80% of Filipinos are in favor of the RH Bill and want it passed into law. This is a clear indication that the Philippines is a country of Catholics only in name but not in practice.

What makes us Catholic? Millions of Filipino Catholics mourned the passing of Pope John Paul II, but shedding tears at the death of a saint doesn’t make one Catholic; mere sentimental reasons won’t suffice – we must also heed the wisdom of their words and live by their example. Let us therefore be faithful to the church’s teachings on sexual morality.

A good thing that is coming out of these discussions is that we’re given the opportunity to discover the real depth of our faith or lack thereof.

Do we believe the Church simply because that’s what our Lord Jesus Christ asks of us?
Do we believe the Church only when we agree with her teachings?
Do we believe the Church only when it’s easy for us to do so?

Now is a good time for each of us to reflect on our personal beliefs. It’s also a time for us to remember: that to be Catholic means we must accept, not just some, not just most, but all of our Lord Jesus Christ teachings, revealed and made known through His bride and our mother, the Church; that we cannot have Easter without Good Friday; that we cannot have Christ without His cross.

“…if, of the things taught by the Church, he holds what he chooses to hold, and rejects what he chooses to reject, he no longer adheres to the teaching of the Church as to an infallible rule, but to his own will.” – St. Thomas Aquinas

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Why I’m Opposed To The Reproductive Health Bill (Part 3)

photo courtesy of TARIQ-M

Arguments Commonly Used By The Reproductive Health Bill Supporters 

•  “The Catholic Church does nothing (or very little) to address the problem of poverty in the country.”

It’s everyone’s responsibility to help alleviate the suffering of their countrymen, not just the government nor the church’s. While all faithful are called to perform works of mercy (feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, etc.), we must remember that our Mother Church’s main mandate is to save souls – and this is exactly what she’s doing by opposing the bill.

• “Passing the RH Bill is essential for the country’s economic growth.”

Unless problems such as rampant corruption and lack of discipline are first addressed, any development would be improbable. But even granting (without accepting) that the bill is vital in solving the country’s economic woes, should we pay for it with our souls? The church has always taught us that “the end does not justify the means”. Pope Paul VI, preaching against the use of contraceptives, stated the same in Humanae Vitae: “it is never lawful, even for the gravest reasons, to do evil that good may come of it.” (18)

• “RH Bill promotes responsible sexual behavior.”

A closer look into the issue indicates the opposite; contraceptives are used by people who want to have sex minus the responsibility. In this way, both men and women are treated as mere objects and sex is viewed as merely an activity for one’s own pleasure. Thus, a culture of contraception actually promotes sexual irresponsibility and promiscuity.

• “RH Bill has nothing to do with abortion.”

While the bill states that abortion is a crime, it contradicts itself by promoting the use of abortifacients such as IUD. Even in ideologies espoused we can see a connection, for we often hear supporters of the bill claim that “RH bill is about freedom of choice” – and once again we hear the misuse of the word “choice”, also a favorite misdeed of the “Pro-Choice/Abortion” movement. Some supporters even go so far as to call for the legalization of abortion in the country. Such acts give further credence to fears that the bill is merely the camel’s nose and once passed, abortion, its body, will soon follow inside the tent. What does abortion have to do with contraception? Everything, for abortion is simply backup contraception.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Why I’m Opposed To The Reproductive Health Bill (Part 2)

photo courtesy of maremaremare

Catholic Teaching on Sexual Morality

Like any good parent, the Church reminds her children not only what is forbidden but also why it is so. To understand why contraception is immoral, we need to remember our Church’s teachings on the essence and meaning of sex.

• Sex is sacred.

This has often been said but what does it mean? We say this mainly because through sex, God creates the miracle of life; through sex, God made co-creators of husband and wife. Therefore, to use contraceptives, is to contracept not only God’s creative powers but ultimately, God Himself.

• Sex is for procreation.

We need to remember that the natural purpose of sex is for procreation. Sex, if we let nature takes its course, creates babies – new persons with immortal souls. Therefore, to hinder conception by the use of contraceptives is a perversion of nature.

• Sex is an act of spousal love.

During sex, spouses mutually surrender themselves to one another; 9 months later, the love between husband and wife becomes another person. In Theology of the Body, Pope John Paul II tells us that in a profound way, sex, as an act of spousal love, mirrors the eternal exchange of love within the Blessed Trinity. Therefore, the use of contraceptives reduces sex from an expression of agape to that of mere pleasure; from an act of selflessness to that of selfishness; from a reflection of the Divine Love to that of an animal impulse.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4