The sanctity of life

I recently found a website about women who had been pro-choice, but changed their minds. It is headed "I used to be pro-choice, but..." The link is below. Here is a story of one such women:

I used to be pro-choice, but...
In early September of this year, I wasn't feeling well. A few days before I'd eaten at a picnic. I assumed the nausea and vomiting was from some food that was cooked improperly. Near the end of the week, the vomiting had subsided.
I had dinner with a friend. The nausea afterwards was vaguely familiar. I decided to do a pregnancy test, just to "set my mind at ease." My menstrual cycle can be irregular so, I wasn't worried.
I still remember the panic when I saw the second line appear on the test. The tears started rolling down my cheeks immediately. In hindsight, I don't think I even gave myself enough time to think. I opened the phone book that night and found a phone number for a clinic several hours away.
This clinic offered a procedure called a non-surgical, or medical abortion. The woman on the other end of the phone was very nice and caring. She explained the procedure to me. She told me the pain and bleeding would be like a heavy period. I would get a sonogram at the clinic and if my pregnancy was early enough, I would receive a shot to "stop tissue growth." A few days later, I would use some vaginal suppositories that would cause me to miscarry. She made it sound so easy. I made my appointment for the following Saturday.
I confided in my sister-in-law, and she arranged an appointment for me at a local crisis pregnancy center. While I was there, I had a sonogram that told me I was about six and a half weeks. I really couldn't see much on the sonogram and I really couldn't see how deep in crisis I was. I was not thinking as clearly as I thought I was. I remember telling the woman there my hundreds of reasons why I couldn't have this baby. I didn't know then that they had heard them all before. Finances, marriage, health, work; I had so many reasons. I really needed someone to pull me aside and tell me that they knew I could do it, but no one did.
As I told my boyfriend about the baby that evening, he was just as upset and confused as I was. After a few days to think things over, he told me that he didn't think we should keep the baby. I was devastated. If I would have had his support, I would have continued the pregnancy. The thought of raising two children by myself terrified me. I kept telling myself that I couldn't do it alone.
As I kept my appointment, my drive to the clinic that day was the longest of my life. I was scared. When I arrived at the clinic, I had all the normal blood work done. My counseling session was short. They never really discussed any of the possible physical and emotional complications. I had a quick sonogram and then received a shot of methrotrexate. This is a drug that is used for cancer treatment, it stops cell growth. After the shot, I came home.
In next few days, I really don't remember. I tried not to think a lot about what was going to happen. I spent the day on Thursday in a fog. I knew I needed to use the suppositories that day, but I tried not to think about it.
I went to bed that evening around 9pm. I used the suppositories as soon as I went to bed. I remember feeling the contractions start about half an hour later. In the beginning, they were mild, but within an hour the pain was severe. I continued contracting and bleeding most of the night. Around three in the morning, I went to the bathroom. I had been passing a lot of clots most of the evening. I assumed that the pain and pressure I was feeling was from more clots. When I stood up, I noticed that the pain and the pressure was not from clots, but from passing the placenta. When I looked in the commode, I saw laying in the center of the placenta my baby. I saw the baby's perfectly formed hands, the little fingers. I remember the scream that came from my mouth.
My actions were final at that point. Up to that moment in time, I had always considered myself pro-choice.
The last few months have been tough. The grief, depression, and anger at myself have been at times overwhelming.
I've vowed to help other women who also know this pain. Maybe someone won't hurt as much as I have.
I've started healing. A wonderful woman who understands women and the awful grief this experiences leaves behind has come into my life. I only hope I can be as helpful in someone else's life. Thank-you Brenda. You will never know how deeply your compassion and caring have touched my life.
For weeks after my abortion, every time I closed my eyes I saw the vision of my aborted baby. I have been able to replace that difficult image with a vision of a beautiful blonde haired, little girl. She has blue eyes and long hair, up in a ponytail with a big contagious smile on her face. When I see her, I tell her how sorry I am. How much I love her. I beg for her forgiveness.

Emily Rose I love you, and I am sorry.

Link: www.gargaro.com/choicetolife.html for more stories

Corpus Christi

I went up to commmunion recently, only to be greeted with silence from the minister and a host placed in my hand. I decided to say "The Body of Christ, Amen".

The words of the minister are vital to the importance of receiving holy communion.

The Words "Body of Christ" is similar to being questioned: "The body of Christ?" To which we reply Amen (yes it is true/I believe/so be it/it is true...).

This questioning has a two-fold part: "Do you believe this is the body of Christ?" and "Are you the body of Christ?" If we can answer yes (Amen) to these, we may receive communion. Perhaps communion should not be given to those then that do not respond to the question. It shows they are probably not catholic, or not aware of the importance of the eucharist, or just asleep (excusing those in special circumstances such as the mentally ill).

Therefore, in order to receive the eucharist, the church tells us we must believe it is the body and blood of christ, and be in full communion with the catholic church (being at once a baptised catholic who is free from mortal sin).

This expresses a deep sign of division for our christian brethren. Many of them believe receiving communion together is a way to "communion" between us. For for us however, the eucharist is so precious, it displays not the way to communion, but the very fact of it: The summit of communion. The summit of our faith: the person of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour himself before us, not to be "throwing our pearls at swine, for them to be trampled over" as scripture tells us.

My own personal belief is that one cannot enter heaven without receiving communion in some way. Jesus tells us in the book of John: "if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his Blood, you will not have life within you." I think that in some mysterious way, those who have yet to receive the eucharist do so in purgatory, and those who have yet to be baptised, are baptised in purgatory. Although the form of this baptism and eucharist must be different from what we have had here on earth.

Lord, bless those of our christian brothers and sisters and those good people of other or no faith, who are at this time, unable to recieve you. May we ourselves merit heaven by your free gift and by our perseverance in your love, and see these brothers and sisters of ours in heaven Amen.

Are you special, or do you conform to the spirit of the current age?

St. Paul tells us in scripture that: "we must not conform ourselves to the spirit of the age, but renew our understanding in the Holy Spirit".

Do we do this as Christians? Do I do this? Here is a quick question that may find you an answer: do you agree with the following statement: "It is a sad day when a 16-year-old unmarried girl gives birth to a child"?

If you agree with this statement, then you do not have a Christian perspective on matters of life. John Paul II told us that the birth of any child is always good, regardless of the circumstances. This is because that child is made in God's image and likeness and has been called into life by the Creator of the universe. Who could ever tell a child they shouldn't have been born?

What is sad, however, is that the mother had sexual relations when she was not ready, under God's law nor rational thinking, to do so. Girls who end up in this situation are not the main people to blame. The main culprit is the culture we live in that fails to inform young people of how to have relationships. In other words, it's everyone's fault. What can I do about it!? Speaking personally from my own experience, I too made many mistakes and learnt partly from my parents and the Church but mainly through trial and error. It doesn't have to be like this! Why isn't the Church doing something? The Pope and important heads of congregations constantly tells us these truths, but somehow these gets blurred and watered down, so that people in the pew do not know the truth unless they read documents produced directly from the Holy See in Rome. What has happened to our Church?

The rupture between sexual intercourse and the creation of human life is promoted by society so much these days that many think it is acceptable for 16-year-olds to be having sexual relations, yet the idea of a sixteen-year-old mother is abhorrent. Nonetheless, the UN statistics tell us that 64% of unwanted pregnancies are through failed contraception. Contraception does not guarantee "value free" sex. People of worldly mentality say we should follow the Swedish approach to sexual education, yet the Sweedish government statistics for abortion rates in 2006 are the worst in western europe (there are more than 600 abortions for every 1,000 live births), while US abortion rates have plumeted over recent years (around 150 abortions per 1000 live births), possibly due to the sexual abstinence programs which get more advertising and promtion than here) these worldly folk say the US is backward in its sexual education programs!

Jesus Christ calls us to be the light of the world, but christians too often blur themselves into obscurity. Many christian communites, churches and christian individuals do not realise that as Christians we have to think completely different from the rest of the world: how can we enhance the world and bring true meaning to human existence if we are no different from those around us? How can we be "the salt of the earth" if we are the same as the earth?

People on the street look back at previous generations and point out fault: Nazism, slavery, communism, bigotory, apartheid etc. but if one points out to these same people that our current society kills millions of human lives every year across the world through abortion, they think we are crazy for saying it must stop. Unless people are helped, they cannot rise above their own cultural problems. This is what we as christians are called to do. Let us take on this challenge with zeal and trust, so that we can do as the Lord says and "put out into the deep". Lord, give us the courage, strength and trust to do this!

The Secret Blessings God Imparts Upon Us

1. A KIND OF SUFFERING THAT LEADS TO JOY...

How easy is it to complain?

Complaining requires little effort, like destroying. Building a tower of cards takes concentration, skills and patience - blowing it up with a puff only takes a small amount of breath.

Chronic complaining should be banned. Don't get me wrong - sharing our frustration with the people we love is a must - they need to know how we feel and we need to let off steam sometimes. Equally, fighting for human rights and battling injustice is a duty. However, the kind of complaining that never ends, never finds a positive outlet and makes one feel miserable can almost be treated as a sin - avoidable at all costs. Let's substitute complaining with praying - our lives will take a positive turn, and we will have made this world a better place to live.

I have recently returned from the holiday of my dreams: ten days in sun-kissed (well, most of the time) New England, travelling around quaint villages, enjoying tours of three Ivy League Universities, including my beloved Princeton in NJ, where I lived for a year, visiting the charming districts of Boston, finishing off with a 'You're fired' cocktail in the Trump Tower on 5th Avenue and a stroll in Central Park in NY.

Very generous friends let us stay in their gorgeous house filled with children and joy. Their kindness allowed us to relax and live and breathe Connecticut. My excitement reached its peak when we stayed in Princeton, NJ, where I was privileged to stay for a year in 2001/2002. I loved roaming around the trendy shops, enjoying walks around the campus, meeting up with old friends. On the second night I woke up at about 2am, and seriously considered walking out of the hotel to admire the hundreds of fireflies fluttering around campus - however, common sense got the best of me and I just imagined them as I lay in bed. 'Well,' I thought 'that must be a sign. I must come back here, again, and have a proper look at them!' If you think this sounds like a feeble excuse for another holiday...maybe you're right.

Returning home was difficult, and I was keen on complaining...'Our holiday was too short! I wish God had made things different for us...I wish we could have spent a month there...I wish we could live there..!' These are few of the complaints my husband has had to endure for a couple of days. Then lightning struck...what if God had not given us this holiday?

2. ANOTHER KIND OF SUFFERING THAT LEADS TO JOY!
Being a mother is the hardest job in the world. No, you don't need the skills of a brain surgeon but you certainly need the patience of a saint! Our little one is s good little girl, but the first three months with her were challenging. My work schedule was heavier than Gordon Brown's - 13, 14 hours of work a day were simply not enough...I had to be available 24/7! I did cry myself to sleep (when I could) out of exhaustion, then, as Elizabeth grew, demands on me decreased, as she began to enjoy the pleasures of sleep.

Motherhood can be the source of a lot of suffering, and I feel for the mothers of murderers and paedophiles. Yet, it is without a doubt the most amazing experience a woman will ever have: loving a child more than yourself is the most joyful and fulfilling way of living.

A mother's love has no end. Let's pray for all the mothers, that they may be supported in their difficult and wonderful role.

God Bless You

Marriage vs the economic and social problems of our society

I can understand why the government has tried to reduce the number of smokers, because of smoking's huge financial strain on the population (via the NHS that must be paid for by the tax payer) and its associated health problems.

This anti-smoking ad is from Hong Kong and tries to evoke memories of 9/11.

We all know the effects of smoking and so one can understand the government's tactics of high tax, ban on advertising, anti-smoking adverts , propaganda in schools and now a ban on smoking in public places.

I wonder how many millions or possibly billions have been used on healthcare for smokers?

Having said that, I wonder why the government does nothing when it comes to marriage. Successive governments have let things get wayyyy out of hand!!! Did you know that over 25% of families have broken down? Do we know much money the government hands out the single parent families every year? I reckon house prices have gone up so much these last few decades, due specifically to the break down of families. This is because they no longer live together under one roof, but live in separate houses instead of sharing one. Surely this on its own has added £100,000 to everyone elses life time expenses! The population of the UK has not changed over the last 40 years, so I can see no other reason! One also has to put into context the huge social problems associated with one parent family children. They are more likely to be unemployed, get obese, smoke, go to prison (our prisions are currently bursting at the seams), take drugs...

I am not saying single families shouldn't get the money, I think they deserve more, but the government should be doing a lot more to help families stay together so that the breakdown doesn't occur and inform young people about healthy relationships and true love, rather than the value free sex nonsense they usually hear and from a such a young age. I also believe that many people get into bad relationships simply because they are young, have never been told how to sustain a healthy relationship, and the government, media and society give them wrong messages about love and relationships.

To aid this problem the government could carry out initiatives such as family marriage prep. courses, setting up marriage counselling centres or visitors which constantly advertise on TV etc. and break the negative attitudes to marriage conselling. To encourage people to marry, rather than live together, wedding presents of £10,000 per couple from the government (one of my sisters is a single parent and estimates she gets circa. £20,000 each year. This therefore would be a money saving excercise). Perhaps 5 year anniversary gifts too. Perhaps someone can think of some better incentives than me!

The only one's worse than the government on this score is the media. When Ian Duncan Smith MP came out just recently with his report on the importance of stable families, the media jumped up and down saying you cannot moralise and tell people how to live! Why didn't they say this about the smoking ban?

I think the reason why society has a different view to marriage, than for smoking is because they see marriage as a product of religion (smoking has been morally neutral traditionally in religion). However, I believe that in future generations (when things have got a lot worse before they can get better) people will see that just to toss out any thing that works, because they think it is associated with religion was the worst move in the history of mankind. I think people reject religion, as we live in a society where self comes first, and religion tells us to put others first. Certainly, confining sex to marriage is difficult for the individual, but for the good of society and all, it is worth doing, more so than any smoking ban.

The beauty of a new life - one week old Elizabeth

Welcoming a human being into this world is a truly breath-taking and incomparable experience. Let us all pray for expectant mothers and fathers. May God give them the strength and wisdom to protect and love their baby from conception.

When I realised I was pregnant I was in the middle of changing jobs and houses, and had to endure antagonism at work, not to mention a meeting with a person I thought was my new GP - only to find out she was an abortion nurse. 'Did you plan this baby? So, you feel anxious about the whole thing...' I can still hear her words in my head, together with my thoughts, 'What have I done to give them the impression I wanted to kill my baby?' Then, I remembered that when I joined the new GP practice, I had urged the receptionist to arrange an appointment for me 'as soon as possible' , as I had recently found out I was pregnant. She misinterpreted my words and put my name down for a visit with the 'death nurse'. When I kindly told this lady that I wanted to keep my baby, she sighed with disappointment and remarked, 'Oh, in that case it's not me you should see'.

Dear Lord, thank you for giving us Elizabeth, she truly is our hope and joy.

God bless you,

Annalisa

Enjoying life to the full!

Here is little Elizabeth having fun on the swing!

Hello everyone!

Hi my name is Elizabeth. I am very proud to announce my first posting. I am 18 months old.

I just want to say: I love: Mummy, Daddy, Nonna and Jesus.

:-)

Igle Pigle

Here is Little Elizabeth: better known usually as Littleone or Igle Pigle (from the Night Garden TV programme on Cbeebies).

She has just joined our blog. Welcome Little Elizabeth Therese!

Love

Mummy and Daddy.

Honeymoon

This is me, eating a delicious lunch in the pretty town of Salzburg, Austria. The picture was taken on my honeymoon in December 2004: Peter and I had a romantic wedding in a beautiful 15th century Italian Church that Napoleon had intended to make his, though his plans were thwarted. We then spent our Christmas with my family, then journeyed through northern Italy via Venice to Vienna, lavishly yet tastefully decorated for the Christmas season. The highlight of our honeymoon was the Kaiserball in the Imperial Palace, for which Peter and I wore our wedding outfits.

As you might have guessed, I love to travel. I have lots of favourite saints, perhaps too many to mention. The following top my list: Padre Pio, St Jude the Apostle, St Catherine of Alexandria, Saint Faustina Kowalska, Sister Josefa Menendez, Padre Dehon, Papa Giovanni, Pope John Paul II, St Joseph...

Peter

Here I am! This was taken during our honeymoon in Austria 2004. This is in a restaurant in Saltzburg 100 yards from the cemetery in the film "The Sound of Music!"

Study, work, family, prayer Which comes first?

I pray, work, study and spend time with my family, but which comes first?

I think they all come first and they all come last. Being a family means you do the bits that you can when you can. Having said that, I have set times for: work ,study and prayer. My family time fits inbetween these as this is my relaxation time, but sometimes I must make specific time allocations to be with my family too. Being a human, I need routine to help me fulfill all requirements in these areas.

My family time is particularly special as it can be a place where the other elements come together: where I can talk about how my day went, exams, work, prayer etc. Where I can discuss and ask for advice about work and study. Also we can pray together each day as a family. It is during family time that I can really be "me", the good and the bad.

The great thing about prayer is that all these areas come together here too. In this special place, all these areas can be contemplated, debated and prayed for. The place where the whole "me" comes together. Where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Prayer makes sense of them all and enables me to make the right choices whether relating to work, study or the relationships I have with my family members.

It appears then that prayertime and familytime have a lot in common. Perhaps its because prayer is really just another family relationship: with my family in heaven.