Why God Allows Evil

It is a certain truth that if God in his providence exterminated every evil deed at once, killed every evil-doer, the final sum of goodness would be less.  We have our Lord’s own words for it; there would be diminution.  Goodness itself, sanctity itself, is fostered by the proximity of evil.  As Saint Augustine puts it so well:  it pleased God to make good come out of evil rather than to abolish all evil.  God could have abolished all evil in his omnipotence;  he did not;  he did the better thing;  he made good come out of evil, he makes sanctity come out of it;  makes martyrs through the cruelty of man, and give his Church the most glorious traditions of fortitude and courage through the very presence of enemies in her midst and around her walls.  When the great day of harvest comes, sanctity will be found to be so great and so high by very reason of the wickedness that encompassed it.

Our lives are constantly bound up with those of other people in some way or another.  Perhaps those people fail in many things, but they are in some way a portion of our own lives;  they partake of the graces we possess.  “The faithless husband,” says St. Paul, “will be sanctified through the believing wife.”  The children of believers are sanctified through the very fact of their paternity.  One person in a family may be the salvation of the whole family, though it may not be given to him to see the final issues and the ultimate results.  But there is the fact – an absolute certainty, goodness inevitably produces goodness; it is unconquerable, it cannot be stifled, it has greater ramifications than evil can ever have….One saint outweighs a hundred, a thousand, perhaps a million sinners.   The sanctity of one saint prevails over the sinfulness of a thousand sinners.  Sin is negative; sanctity, positive.  Sanctity is more powerful than sin; sanctity is, in fact, the only real power.

 Dom Anscar Vonier, O.S.B. 

1875 - 1938

Christmas Day

The Virgin had a more perfect faith than any other before her or since.  All her gestures were an expression of her faith and her tenderness.  She would have kissed His feet because he was her Lord, His cheek because He was her Son.  She would have remained quietly contemplating Him for a very long time.  

It has been said that the manger is a Chair of learning.  Today we should learn the lessons which Jesus teaches us, even when He is just a newly born child, from the very moment He opens His eyes on this blessed land of men.  He is born poor, and He teaches us that happiness is not to be found in an abundance of earthly goods.  He comes into the world without any ostentation, encouraging us to be humble and not to depend on the applause of men.  God humbled Himself to allow us to get near Him, so that we could give our love in exchange for His, so that our freedom might bow, not at the sight of His power merely, but before the wonder of His humility. ..Today our Savior is born.  There can be no room for sadness when Life has just been born; that Life which overcomes all fear of death and fills us with the joy of the pledge of eternity.  Nobody should feel excluded from sharing in such joy.  Our reason for rejoicing is common to all, because Our Lord, destroyer of sin and death, not finding anyone free of sin, has come to free us all.                      ~Saint Jose Marie Escriva

 

During these days of Christmas, we sing with exultation because love will be among us till the end of time.  The presence of the child is Love among men;  the world is no longer a place of darkness;  those who seek for love know where to find it.  It is essentially love that each man needs, even those men who claim to be already fully satisfied…Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us!

                                                           ~In Coversation with God volume 1 p. 222-227

 

 

 

Pro-Life Challenge:

Do I have a heart full of Christmas joy, ready to follow the Child wherever He may lead?

23^rd Day of Advent

“Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight His paths.  Every valley shall be filled; and every mountain and hill shall be brought low.“

The voice of John the Baptist is heard inviting us to prepare “the way of the Lord”.  This invitation is especially a call to humility:  John was not only the herald of this virtue, but its model too.  We know by the testimony of Jesus Himself, that he was “more than a prophet” and that “there hath not risen among them that are born of women one greater than John the Baptist”.    John claimed to be nothing more than a mere voice, “the voice of  one crying in the wilderness:  Make straight the path of the Lord”. One greater was coming whom he declared himself  “unworthy to untie His sandal”.  And he added, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” 

 John the Baptist gives us the profound sentiments of humility with which, in our heart, we ought to make smooth “the way of the Lord”.  If the valleys, that is, our deficiencies, are to be filled up with love, then the mountains and hills, that is the vain pretense of pride, must be made low by humility.  A heart filled with self-love and pride cannot be filled with God, and too small will be the place reserved in it for the sweet Babe of Bethlehem.

                                                                                                            ~Divine Intimacy p. 64

 

Pro-Life Challenge:

Do I put aside my human concerns and boldly work to bring others to Christ?

22^nd Day of Advent

The Incarnation of the Word is the greatest proof of God’s infinite love for men.  God has loved man from all eternity, and in order to draw him to Himself, He did not hesitate to send His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh.  With hearts full of love, we must run to meet Love who is about to appear “incarnate” in the Infant Jesus.  May it be a love that is faithful in great things as well as in small, an ingenious love that is always seeking opportunities to repay God’s infinite love.

“Love is repaid by love!” 

This is the motto which has made saints, and spurred a multitude of souls to greater generosity.

                                                                                                  ~Divine Intimacy p. 64

 

  

Pro-Life Challenge:

Do I seek opportunities to serve God by helping others?  Am I daring in my apostolate?  Is God asking more of me?

21st Day of Advent

 In Mary, we confirm the truth that generosity is a virtue of great souls, who know how to find their reward in the act of giving.  A generous person knows how to be loving and understanding and how to give help – without demanding love, understanding or help in return.  He gives and forgets he has given, and in this lies his riches.  He has understood that it is better to give and receive.  He realizes that to love is in its essence to give oneself to others.  Far from being an instinctive inclination, love is a conscious decision of the will to draw close to other people.  To be able to love truly it is important to be detached from everything and, especially, from self, to give gratuitously.  This detachment from self is the source of a balanced personality.  It is the secret of happiness. (Pope John Paul II, Address June 1, 1980)

                                                                             ~In Conversation with God vol. 1 p. 192

 

 

 

Pro-Life Challenge:

Do I give away myself without counting the cost?

 

20th Day of Advent

Unless you turn and become like children, you shall never enter the kingdom of heaven. 

                                                                                                  ~Matthew 18: 3

 

To be little, you have to abandon yourself as children do, believe as children believe, beg as children beg.  ~St. Jose Maria Escriva

 

We have to approach Bethlehem with the dispositions of little children – simply, without prejudice, with our souls wide open to grace, and become completely child-like.  This is not childishness, but innocence and simplicity, devoid of any feeling of self-sufficiency.  A child is in constant need of its parents and knows it.  A child lives completely in the present and nothing more.  The greatest daring is always that of children.  Who cries for the moon, blind to dangers in getting what he wants?  We must renounce our pride and self-sufficiency, recognizing that we need grace and the help of God to find our way and keep it.  The child knows that when his father is there, nothing can go wrong and nothing bad can happen to him. Even though others may deceive him, he knows his father will never be unfriendly or hostile, because he understands.  Children are not unduly sensitive to fear of ridicule which paralyses so many undertakings.  Nor do they care about human respect born of pride and the dread of what others may think. Children tumble down, but they quickly pick themselves up again.  Unpleasant experiences are easily forgotten, not brooded upon as so often happens with adult souls.  Another consequence of spiritual childhood is the gentle virtue of meekness.  The adult soul assumes that he knows many things, but in reality he is ignorant.  He thinks he knows, but has in fact not penetrated beyond external appearances.   We can turn to Mary to learn how to be children in the sight of God.  Our Mother shows us how to be authentic sons and daughters, to love truly without limit, to be simple without the complications which come from selfishly thinking only about ourselves; to be happy, knowing that nothing can destroy hope.

                                                                                 ~In Conversation with God vol. 1 p. 177-183

 

 

 

Pro-Life Challenge:

Do I totally abandon myself to God’s will, believing as a child, and begging with the faith of a child?

New App Could Revolutionize Pro-Life Prayer and Action

The Los Angeles Archdiocese and Options United have teamed up to produce a new app that can increase prayer support and visibility of pro-life work.

LOS ANGELES — Pro-life action is about to undergo a 21st-century revolution: A new app for Smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices has the potential to open up a whole new digital frontier of prayer and support for thousands of women and girls over the United States in crisis pregnancies.

Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/new-app-could-revolutionize-pro-life-prayer-and-action?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NCRegisterDailyBlog+National+Catholic+Register#When:2013-12-17%2014:59:01#ixzz2nlEEzmh0

“You’re Going the Wrong Way!”

In the 1987 film, “Planes, Trains & Automobiles”, John Candy is driving in the wrong direction down an interstate highway.  Unaware that he is on the wrong side of the road, an oncoming vehicle slows down and tries to alert him that he is “going the wrong way”.  John Candy then laughs at these people, and raises his hand to gesture that they must be drinking.  He asks Steve Martin, “How do they know we are going the wrong way?” and then finally, it dawns on both of them that they are in a one-way lane going the wrong way.

What would the world be like if there was no one to speak the truth, and tell us we are heading the wrong way?  This is the job of Christians.  Just like in the movie, we may be laughed at and mocked.  Others may think we are crazy.  And yet, this is what Jesus meant when He said that we are to be salt and truth for the world.  Today, when our government has legalized gay marriage, abortion, embryonic stem cell research, and even euthanasia in a few states, there is a great need for the Christian to speak up with the same urgency as in the film when “going the wrong way” would result in grave bodily harm.  For Jesus told us not to fear one who would kill the body, but rather , the one who would kill the soul.  Speak up we must, until our society is once again on the right path.

19th Day of Advent

Christmas Wonder

Wonder is so radical to the human heart.  But it is we who decide what kind of wonder fills our hearts.  Sometimes there can be a depressive wonder:  Why does God permit the things He does?  Or, we wonder about ourselves.  We wonder how, after all the graces of Advent, we can still be so faulty and faltering.  But all these human wonderings, which, left to themselves can become a dark wonder, must be changed into the wonder of light, that God does know exactly what He is about.

There are so many things we cannot understand in the world, that we cannot understand in one another, and most deeply, that we cannot understand in ourselves.  But in all of these, we are full of wonder that God is nevertheless working out His own divine plans. 

Let these precious hours of Advent be given to wonder.  When we feel depressed by our faults, let us wonder that God can forgive us so much; let us be filled with wonder and praise that God gives on believing in us, hoping in us, and trusting that we will somehow yet realize His dream of us.

                                                                          ~Mother Mary Francis, (+2006)
                                                          Poor Clare Missionary of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Roswell, NM
                                                                  (Printed in December 2013 Magnificat p. 295-296)

 

 

Pro-Life Challenge:

Do I give my feelings of discouragement about the darkness of the world to the Lord and recognize that everything He allows will ultimately bring human hearts to Himself?

 

 

18th Day of Advent

Only by faith can my soul adhere to You, as You really are – infinite, omnipotent, and merciful, unity in Trinity:  thus faith presents You to my soul.  Faith comprehends You as You are, in Your divinity; Your mysteries, and Your works – all of which it proposes to my belief, so that in faith I find You completely, and in the act of faith, even thou I do not see You, I possess You truly.  If faith holds You hidden and veiled, if it permits me to see You “only through a glass in a dark manner”, I am certain, however, that it does not deceive me; it proposes You to me as You have revealed Yourself.  How shall I not believe, Lord, in Your word, since You have spoken to us not only by the mouths of the prophets, but by the mouth of Jesus, Your Incarnate Word?  What mystery is greater than that of Your infinite charity which has loved me from all eternity, created me by an act of love, redeemed me by the Blood of Your Son, and made my poor soul the temple of the Most Holy Trinity? I believe everything the Son of God has said; there is nothing more true than the Word of Truth.  

                                                                                            ~St. Thomas

 

 
 

Pro-Life Challenge:

Do I teach others to listen for God’s word rather than get caught up in that of the world?

 

 

Beautiful Coca Cola Ad Highlights the Gift of Life, Joys of Parenthood

17th Day of Advent

“We look at the baby who will be born in a few days in Bethlehem of Judaea, and we know very well that He is the key, the center and the purpose of the whole of man’s history. “ (Second Vatican Council)

On this child depends our whole existence, on earth and in heaven.  He became so small in order that we should not be afraid to come close to Him.   His most holy Humanity is our way to the Trinity.

Especially we must contemplate His life, to derive from it strength, light, serenity, and peace. 

                                                                                    ~In Conversation with God vol. 1, p. 128-130

 

 Pro-Life Challenge:

Do I take time each day to contemplate His life and try to imitate His smallness? 

16th Day of Advent

 "Let us know, let us strive to know the LORD; as certain as the dawn is His coming, and His judgment shines forth like spring rain that waters the earth.

                                                ~Hosea 6:3

 

 Pro-Life Challenge:

Do I expect God to give me everything I need to do the work He has sent me?  Do I remember that He is responsible for the growth and I the one who is asked to faithfully tend the garden?

15th Day of Advent

From today’s Mass – Guadete (Joyful) Sunday:

“Go and tell John what you hear and see:  the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.  AND BLESSED IS THE ONE WHO TAKES NO OFFENSE AT ME.” 
                                                         ~Matthew 11: 4-6

 

From Fr. Francis Erb’s Homily at 9 AM Mass at St. Joseph’s in Campbell, NY

We all have preconceived ideas of Christ – for example, to some He is a strict judge; to others He is a merciful Lord.  As humans, we pick and choose what we can accept from Him, but truly, to take no offense at Him is to accept everything that He has revealed.   Blessed (happy) are they who hear the word of God and keep it!

14^th Day of Advent

I will strengthen you, and help you.  

                                           Isaiah 41:10

 

Pro-Life Challenge

Do I pray each day for strength and help for those mothers and fathers who are facing an

unplanned pregnancy?

13th Day of Advent

All you who are thirsty, come to the water!  You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat;

Come without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk.

Why spend your money for what is not bread; your wages for what fails to satisfy?

Heed me and you shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare.

Come to me heedfully,

Listen that you may have life.

I will renew with you the everlasting covenant,

The benefits assured to David. 

Seek the Lord while he may be found,

Call him while he is near.

                                             Isaiah 55:1-3, 6

 

Pro-Life Challenge:

Do I seek the Lord in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, relying on His as the source of all

strength and goodness?

Some good books on Our Lady of Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe (Mother of the Civilization of Love)

Summary:
In Our Lady of Guadalupe: Mother of the Civilization of Love, Mr. Anderson & Msgr. Chavez trace the history of Our Lady of Guadalupe from the sixteenth century to the present and discuss how her message was and continues to be an important catalyst for religious and cultural transformation. Looking at Our Lady of Guadalupe as a model of the Church and Juan Diego as a model for all Christians, the authors explore the changing face of the Catholic Church. They show how Our Lady of Guadalupe's message was not only historically significant, but how it speaks to contemporary issues confronting the American continents and people today



Order from this link
Our Lady of Guadalupe






The Wonder of Guadalupe

Summary:

This relatively short book is widely regarded as the best on the apparition of Our Lady in 1531 in Mexico City. Tells the complete story, from the Conquest of Mexico and the conversion of the Aztecs, through the development of the devotion and into the modern era. Shows that the picture is not a painting, but more like a photograph, and how under normal circumstances it should have disintegrated in 20 or 30 years. Describes several miracles that saved it and the remarkable power of the devotion. An enthralling story and an essential devotion.

Order from this link
Wonder of Guadalupe





Our Lady of Guadalupe: And the Conquest of Darkness

Summary:

Standard histories on the Age of Colonization tell a sad story of the ills inflicted on indigenous peoples by exploitative Western powers. This book offers a realistic corrective. The Spanish conquest of the New World is shown vividly—in its fervor and exuberance, but most importantly, with its central evangelical and civilizing impulse that transformed the Americas from savagery into a central part of Christendom.


Order from this link
Our Lady of Guadalupe Conquest of Darkness




Mary of the Americas: Our Lady of Guadalupe

Summary:

The apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Tepeyac Hill northeast of Mexico City on December 12, 1531, when she left her image imprinted on the cloak of an Aztec Indian named Juan Diego, continue to fascinate believers and nonbelievers alike the world over. She came from heaven with the tenderness of a mother to invite all those who, even in the centuries to come, would dwell on the American continent, to a life of holiness, prayer and peace by following Jesus, her divine Son. Details of the apparitions, the miracle of the roses, the amazing discoveries regarding Mary's image on the tilma, and the import of her message for the world today are set forth with uncommon clarity and devotion in this highly readable and fully illustrated book. This revised and updated edition includes a detailed account of Pope John Paul II's canonization of Juan Diego in Mexico City on July 31, 2002.

Order from this link

Mary of the Americas

Our Lady Of Guadalupe

12th Day of Advent   

Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe

The encounter that took place in the winter of 1531 is an encounter with God himself, who our Lady carried in her immaculate womb.  It is a real encounter with Jesus, who has taken the initiative to meet man through His Mother. 
~Monsignor Eduardo Chavez Sanchez, “Our Lady of Guadalupe:  Mother of the Civilization of Love”

 

Pro-Life Challenge:

Do I try to imitate our Blessed Mother and turn to her for courage and help?  Do I pour out my tears of sadness for babies and their mothers to our Mother of Sorrows?

For those who may not know, Mary Wagner is a pro-life activist who was arrested after she entered the waiting room of a Toronto abortion clinic to offer help to women who were considering alternatives. Please consider sending her a Christmas card, offering her encouragement.

Below is a link that explains how you can send her a card.

God bless.

http://www.lifenews.com/2013/12/08/send-a-christmas-card-to-mary-wagner-a-pro-life-prisoner-of-conscience/

11th Day of Advent

Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.  ~ Matt11: 28-30       The Advent liturgy shows us Christ as gentle and lowly so that we can go to Him in all simplicity, and so that we can prepare for Christmas by trying to imitate Him.  Only in this way, will we be able to understand what is happening at Bethlehem.  Only in this way will we able to get those around us to come with us towards the Baby who is God.    If we look closely at Jesus, we will see how patient His is.  Learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart.  Meekness does not go with being feeble or characterless. On the contrary, it is founded on great spiritual strength.  Just as in the Gospel, the poor are those who are truly rich, so the meek are those who are truly strong. 

Comparing (our lives) to the majesty of God, who made Himself a Baby in Bethlehem, we see our own trials in real proportions.  And what seemed enormous shrinks to insignificant size.  As we contemplate the birth of Jesus, we find that our prayer comes alive, our love becomes wider and deeper and our peace unshakeable.   The meek shall inherit the earth.  First, they will possess themselves, because they will not become slaves of their impatience and bad temper; they will possess God, because their souls will always be inclined towards God; they will possess those around them because they will have the kind of hearts which win friendship and affection. 

                                                                         ~In Conversation with God, vol. 1, p. 81-86
 

Pro-Life Challenge:

Do I remember that God is in control of everything that happens in this world?  Do I trust in Him to be able to bring good from everything, even the evil of abortion? 

 

Exclusive: ‘Diabolic’: Men attacked by feminist, pro-abort mob while defending cathedral speak up

by Sofia Vazquez-Mellado

• Mon Dec 09, 2013 19:58 EST

http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/exclusive-diabolic-men-attacked-by-feminist-mob-while-defending-cathedral-s

My Body- Reflection from Fr. Frank Pavone

Advent – Day 10

 

In you, O Lord, I take refuge.

Let me never be put to shame.

In your justice, set me free,

Hear me and speedily rescue me.

Be a rock of refuge for me,

A mighty stronghold to save me,

For you are my rock, my stronghold.

For your name’s sake, lead me and guide me.

Release me from the snares they have hidden

For you are my refuge, Lord.

Into your hands I commend my spirit.

It is you who will redeem me, Lord.

You who have seen my affliction

And taken heed of my soul’s distress,

Have not handed me over to the enemy,

But set my feet at large.

                                         ~ Psalm 31

 

Pro-Life Challenge

Into Your hands I commend my spirit.  Do I live these words, especially as they relate to following your will and caring for women in need? 

Today the beautiful Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is celebrated!

9th Day of Advent

 Graces of the Immaculate Conception

Hail, Virgin, more than woman, holy, blessed Mary!

More than woman, I say:  For humankind,

As Scripture teaches us, is born in sin.

In you, holiness preceded birth.

Womb-hidden, a mighty presence enfolded you

And shielded you from all contagion.

The sin that Adam sowed did not take root in you;

No sin, great or small, has place in you.

High above all others is your virginity and your consecration.

Your secret virgin vow leads you,

All unaware of charity’s intent,

To a wedding feast, to your spouse.

The high-born messenger’s Annunciation strikes fear in your heart.

“If you accept the counsel I bring, you will conceive a son without peer.”

O Virgin, assent, assent!” the multitude cries out,

“If aid does not come quickly, we shall hurtle to our doom.”

You consented, and so conceived the loving Christ,

And gave Him to those who had lost their way.

Conception by a word stuns worldly wisdom-

To conceive without corruption, untouched, intact!

Reason and experience know nothing of such a possibility;

Never was woman made pregnant without seed.

You alone, Mary Immaculate, you alone; in you the Word

     creans omnia,

Residing in majesty, becomes flesh, God Incarnate.

You carry God within you, God and man,

And the weight does not crush you.

Unheard-of birth, the child issuing from the sealed womb!

The infant joyously leaving the castle, through locked gates,

For it would not be fitting for God to do violence

To the womb that sheltered Him.

O Mary, what did you feel when you first saw Him?

Did love nearly destroy you?

As you gazed upon Him, how could you sustain such love?

When you gave Him suck, how could you bear such excess of joy?

When He turned to you and called you Mother,

How could you bear being called the Mother of God?

Compared to His humility in becoming man,

All other humility is nothing but pride.

Come one and all, come running!

Come see Eternal Life in swaddling clothes!

Take Him in your arms, He cannot run away;

He has come to redeem those who have lost all hope.

                                                           ~Franciscan Brother Jacopone da Todi from Italy (+1306)

  

Pro-Life Challenge:

Do I help others to understand the miracle of each newborn child?  Do I pray that mothers & fathers who are unprepared for parenthood will find hope to allow them to continue the pregnancy?

 

Today (Dec 8th) is traditionally the feast day of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady. However, since this is the Second Sunday in Advent, the celebration of the Solemnity is transferred to tomorrow, Monday, December 9, 2013. So once again continuing with our Advent reflections, below is the 8th day.

8th Day of Advent
On that day, the mountains shall drip new wine, and the hill shall flow with milk. ~Jl 4:18
Near is the day, near is the day of the Lord. ~Ez 30:3

The messianic promises are never vague. They always hold out the hope that the One who comes will fulfill the real dreams of the human heart for peace, healing, and plenty.
What we pray for, we must also work for. Thus do we prepare his way. ~Dec. 2013 Magnificat, p. 121

Pro-Life Challenge:

How can I increase my prayers for peace on earth and especially in the womb? What more can I do to prepare His way this Advent season?

Continuing with our Advent reflections:

7th Day of Advent

“Throughout the long waiting of the Old Testament, the prophets had proclaimed, with centuries still to go, the imminent arrival of the Good Shepherd, the Messiah, who would lead his flock with loving care. He would be the one shepherd (Ezek 34:23) who would seek the lost lamb that had gone astray, who would bind up its wounds and cure it of its sickness. (Ezek 34:16) With him, the sheep would be safe, and in his name they would have other good shepherd whose mission likewise would be to care for and lead them: I will set shepherds over them who will look after them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed; neither shall they be missing, says the Lord. (Jer 23:4)

I am the good shepherd, (John 10:11) says Jesus. He has come into the world to gather together God’s flock. (Matt 15:24) as St. Peter says: You were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls. (1 Pet 2:25) The Good Shepherd comes to return the lost sheep to its flock, (Luke 15:3-7) to guide it, (John 10:4) to defend it, (Luke 12:32) to feed it, (John 10:12) to judge it, (Matt 25:32) and to lead it finally to the eternal pastures irrigated by springs of living water. (Apoc 7:17)

Jesus is the Good Shepherd proclaimed by the prophets. In him, to the letter, are all the prophecies accomplished. He knows each one of his sheep and calls it by its name. (John 10:3) Yes. Jesus knows us personally. He calls us, seeks us and heals us. There is no need for us to feel lost, submerged in a huge mass of nameless humanity. To him each one of us is unique. We can say with perfect accuracy: He loved me and gave himself up for me. (Gal 2:20) He distinguishes my voice among many others. No Christian has the right to say he is alone. Jesus Christ is with him. If he is lost in the by-ways of wrongdoing, the Good Shepherd is already out searching for him. Only the perverse will of the sheep can bring unto naught the vigilance of the shepherd – a plan refusal to return to the sheepfold. That and that alone.”


~In Conversation with God, Volume 1 pages 49-51


Pro-Life Challenge:

Have I accepted the mission to be a good shepherd to women who are lost? How much do I care about them? Do I seek them out and call them by name and give them a message of hope?

Carol Everett Jan 2012

As we are currently in the season of advent waiting for Our Lord in preparation of His coming at Christmas and eventually His final return, let us take a moment out of our busy schedules and ponder Scripture and spiritual thoughts which challenge us to embrace the dignity and preciousness of all life.

1^st Day of Advent

“The Lord is coming; I will place myself in His presence and go to meet Him with all the energy of my will. “   ~Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen’s “Divine Intimacy”, page 3

Pro-Life Challenge:

In what way will I use more of my energies to promote the dignity of all human life?

  

2^nd Day of Advent

“FEAR NOT, for I am with you.  From the east I will bring back your descendants, from the west I will gather you.  I will say to the north:  Give them up! And to the south:  Hold not back!  Bring back my sons from afar, and my daughters from the ends of the earth:  Everyone who is named as mine, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”    ~Isaiah: 43: 5-7
Pro-Life Challenge:

Each person is uniquely and wonderfully made in the image and likeness of God, and our heavenly Father wills that none of His children be lost. 

Do I pray every day that God will bring back those who work in the abortion industry, our legislators who fail to vote for the protection of life, and those who have had abortions? 

  

3rd Day of Advent

Man’s whole existence is a constant preparing to see God, who draws ever closer.   ~Francis Fernandez In Conversation with God Vol. 1 p. 5

Lord, make me know Your ways.  Lord, teach me Your paths.   Make me walk in Your truth, and teach me, for You are my God, my Savior. ~Responsorial Psalm, Cycle C, Ps. 24

Pro-Life Challenge:

God’s voice is often as soft as a breeze.  Do I listen when He calls me to work in defense of the least of our brothers and sisters? 

Do I use every opportunity to teach those in my family, my work community, and even my church about the dignity of every human life?

  

4th Day of Advent

According to His promise, we await new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.  ~2 Pt 3:13

Instead, there shall always be rejoicing and happiness in what I create, for I create Jerusalem to be a joy and its people to be a delight.  I will rejoice in Jerusalem and exult in my people.  No longer shall the sound of weeping be heard there, or the sound of crying.  ~Isaiah 65: 18-19

Pro-Life Challenge:

How am I awaiting the new heaven and earth? 

Do I pray as if the answer to this evil depends on God, and act as if it depends on me?  Or am I waiting for God to miraculously stop the attacks on human life?

  

5th Day of Advent

“Servitude to the world and to our spiritually selfish will is deadly, we must flee from it.  It keeps us from being free servants of God.  It makes us want to serve God in our own way rather than God’s, which is not right and makes our service mercenary.  I tell you the, we must follow this way and teaching that He has given us.  God wants to do everything by intermediaries.  We see clearly that we were not created by ourselves but that God Himself made His charity an intermediary.  By means of His pure love, He created us in His image and likeness so that we might share in and enjoy the eternal sight of Him.  But we lost this through the selfish love and sin of our first father.  So to give us back what we had lost, God gave us His Son as intermediary, and this mediator took on the blows in our place – since the war between us and God had been so great that there was no other way this peace could have been made.  Why?  Because the infinite God had been offended, and finite humankind who had sinned could never, by any suffering they might have borne, have made satisfaction to the clear infinite God.  So the blazing depths of God’s charity found a way to make this peace.   ~Saint Catherine of Siena

Pro-Life Challenge:

Jesus told us we cannot serve two masters.  Am I a servant of God or a servant of the world?

Which one would the people who know me say that I serve?

 

6th Day of Advent

“As Jesus passed two blind men followed Jesus crying out, “Son of David, have pity on us!”  When he entered the house, the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I can do this?”  “Yes, Lord,” they said to him.  Then he touched their eyes and said, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.”  And their eyes were opened.  Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.”    But they went out and spread word of him through all that land.”

“If we live our life with our eyes fixed on God, we need fear nothing:  ‘Faith, if it is strong, protects the whole house.’ (St. Ambrose, Commentary on the Psalms, 18, 12, 13) 

With faith, we can achieve results far in excess of our own scanty powers; literally nothing will be impossible.   ‘Christ lays down one condition:  we must live by faith; then will be able to move mountains.  And so many things need moving in the world, but first of all in our own hearts. ‘ “ (St. Jose Marie Escriva)

                                                    In Conversation with God by Francis Fernandez volume 1, p.42
 

Pro-Life Challenge:

How strong is my faith in God’s ability to transform our culture of death into a culture of life?  What do I fear in my work, and how does that fear keep me from doing what God wants me to do for Him?  Do I pray daily for an increase in faith?  Do I make time to sit before the Blessed Sacrament and pray for greater faith?

Does the Spirit of Saint Nicholas Exist in our World -  and in Corning?
 

December 6^th is the feast day of St. Nicholas. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/news/2004/nick.html

The entire world has been touched by this great saint whose heart was so full of love that he is said to have tossed coins into the window of a house to provide for two poor girls who had no dowry.  Kindness, generosity, and humility were exemplified by this saint.  Today, in America and around the world, we still remember St. Nicholas, although many now refer to him as Santa Claus. Unquestionably, our American culture was dramatically influenced by this one life.  But St. Nicholas lived in the 4^nd century.  Is the true spirit of Saint Nicholas alive today? 

One wonders when a girl facing a crisis pregnancy has no place to turn for help.  In desperation, 1.5 million American mothers abort each year, most reporting that if they had had just one person to turn to for support, they would have chosen to continue the pregnancy.  The spirit of Saint Nicholas is certainly not reflected in our laws that allow the destruction of the unborn at any time in a woman’s pregnancy for any reason.   This holy saint, similar to Mother Teresa, would know there is little hope for a nation that consents to the killing of children.
 

Here in Corning, we do not have a Pregnancy Resource Center to offer assistance to mothers in need.  Instead, we have a Planned Parenthood office within walking distance of CFA Middle School.   Many erroneously believe that the Planned Parenthood prevents abortions by providing contraception.  But Planned Parenthood’s own statistics show that a full 50% of women who show up at the abortion mill report that they were using contraception when they conceived.  Planned Parenthood sets the scene for teen pregnancy, and then capitalizes on a young girl’s fears, fighting against parental notification and allowing a girl to go through the abortion without any support.   In a country requiring teens to have parental permission for a procedure as small as ear piercing, it is cruel not to require parental guidance for a procedure as life-changing as abortion.   

 

Saint Nicholas, if he were alive today, would undoubtedly call the Corning community and especially Christians to respond to the needs of our teens.  We must spread the word that Christians in Corning do care about our teens!  Through our churches and our own Teen Angel program, we will reach out to any pregnant teen.   We must find an available building for a Pregnancy Resource Center in Corning to offer real help to pregnant teens.   

 

No one who professes belief in Jesus Christ can turn a blind eye to the murder of the holy innocents and the loss of so many mother’s souls who despair after abortion.  We must tell mothers and fathers that through the Sacraments and through retreats at Rachel’s Vineyard, (http://rachelsvineyard.org/) they can find healing and forgiveness after abortion.  Let us all pray that one day soon, the spirit of Saint Nicholas will be alive and so will all unborn babies.

Urgent Call to Corning’s Pro-Life Community: 

Planned Parenthood Planning 3 Local Expansions

During the last week of November, Planned Parenthood announced a fundraising campaign to raise 6.3 million dollars for three “state-of-the-art reproduction and education centers” in Ithaca, Corning, and Hornell.   The Star-Gazette reported that an anonymous donor pledged $200,000 for a matching gift campaign which will conclude on Valentine’s Day.  It is interesting that the campaign ends on the day that has been known since the 3^rd century as the day to celebrate love.  The pro-life community knows that Planned Parenthood has no interest in love.  Planned Parenthood markets its sex industry as a cheap imitation of love.

Corning’s own Margaret Sanger founded Planned Parenthood (originally called the American Birth Control League) in 1921.  Her own words show a complete lack of interest in children and family life, an inordinate interest in sexual pleasure, and her acceptance of murder to “rid the world of undesirables”.   http://www.lifenews.com/2013/03/11/10-eye-opening-quotes-from-planned-parenthood-founder-margaret-sanger/ 

Today Planned Parenthood continues the sham and encourages our teens and ‘tweens to engage in sex.  They fight against all parental notification.  They give our youth free contraception and later sell them abortions.  True to Sanger’s vision, Planned Parenthood provides a way for our youth to be free from parenthood, but Planned Parenthood cannot free them from the pain of broken relationships and being used for sexual pleasure, the pain of living with a lifelong STD, http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/resources-and-publications/info/parents/just-facts/stds.html , or the devastating complications that follow abortion. http://www.theunchoice.com/unsafe.htm   Nor are their pocketbooks free from the $350-$950 that Planned Parenthood charges for a first trimester abortion. http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/abortion/in-clinic-abortion-procedures-4359.asp

The pro-life community in Corning needs to respond to the news of this expansion. Let us launch a prayer campaign, first, to pray for the conversion of the anonymous donor.  Let’s pray that his or her heart will be moved to withdraw the pledge. 

Second, let’s pray for conversion for our community’s Planned Parenthood nurses, abortionists, receptionists, cleaning crew, maintenance workers, and anyone who in any way enables this industry to continue. 

Third, let’s pray that pastors in the Twin Tiers will boldly speak out against Planned Parenthood and expose the evil that is done there. 

Fourth, let us pray that all Christians in our community will understand their need to commit themselves to action in this battle for lives.  http://www.ewtn.com/library/ISSUES/SINTOVOT.HTM