Our newborn!!!

Our newest arrival: Anselm Anthony Aquinas Hamilton!!! He was born on 21st July 2008 at 5am. We hope he will draw on the power of these great doctors of the church, (who were all just about contemparies) and that he may follow their examples of holiness, and humility, while in posessession of great gifts from God: intelligence, in prudence, governance and evangelisation.

If you 'd like to know about who Anselm was, check out this website: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01546a.htm

I must say, the birth of our son has brought us soooo much joy already, (its indescribable) even though he was only born 16 hours ago, and my wife is still in hospital. For me, I think its because having been a father already for 2 1/2 years now, I know what joys await me from the experiences I have had with my young daughter who will be three in December.

The birth of a new child really is "the gospel of life" for us, that is: "the good news" of life, and what good news it is! I am over come with renewed joy! I fail to understand when some say, they only want to have one child, or cannot wait until their children are at school (or freely choose a career, whereby they rarely see their family). Both myself and my wife are coming to new practical realisations of the pro-life & pro-family teachings of the Church, which is a treasure chest of untold riches indeed, as we are finding as our family grows. We hope to have many more!

Scripture is so clear in many places that children bring immesurible joy to the lives of their parents (if they bring them up according to God's will): "your children like shoots of the olive around your table...may the Lord bles you from Sion all the days of your life... May you see your children's children."

Your brother in Christ,

Peter

Why abortion is wrong

Abortion is wrong because it is the deliberate killing of a defenceless human being.

I cannot believe it happens every day. Yet, it does. Millions of defenceless babies in the womb are ruthlessly and mercilessly slaughtered. In many of these cases, the state pays for it.

I do feel for the women who have an abortion, as I believe they do not know what they are doing. But the doctors and nurses must know what they are doing, as they check that all of the babies' body parts have come out of the womb after the murder.

The video that accompanies this short article is a wonderful testimony of one of many abortion victims:

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=ce169488fe6c6f1ad3c9

May God bless, save and protect the children in the womb.

Where have you been?

Sorry, been inactive since October now!

All the usual excuses apply about being very busy, however, they are true: honest!

Well, since October, Peter has been helping out with the teaching on the RCIA course at the parish in Weybridge, and we are also expecting a little boy in mid-July! Annalisa is well, and so is Elizabeth: I must upload some recent pics of us soon. I need to put them on the computer first I suppose :-)

Last week I wrote the following letter to Gordon Brown about the Human Fertilisation and Embryology bill that is coming to the house of commons soon. Please feel happy to copy and paste/edit and send yourself if you can. its about not letting Labour MPs have a free vote. You'll notice it mentions nothing from a religious perspective, as I believe he (like Tony Blair) believes faith is fine for yourself, but not in public. Thus, I have just used basic secular logical arguments that even he (hopefully) cannot deny!

Dear Mr. Gordon Brown
I am concerned that you will not be allowing a free vote on the forthcoming Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill.

The main reason for this is that by only allowing labour MPs to abstain from voting, you are asking them to go against their consciences, on what, to some of them, and to many in society at large, is a very grave moral matter.

To force others to do nothing, when they believe such an Act will be disastrous for humanity, is plainly unfair. Let me use an example argument to make my point: if my employer had set up a tax evasion scheme which netted the company £100 million every year, and I found out, I believe it would be my duty to do something about it., and not just think to myself: my conscience is clear, I haven’t helped the company steal money.

I know this example seems a little extreme, but this "extremeness" is how many people feel about this proposed bill. So, although to you it may seem like a conscience no-brainer, it is not to many others (both within government, and in society at large). This is not because of some anti-science, extreme form of religion. Many (including a large body of scientists) believe that allowing animal genes into the human gene pool could possibly be disasterous for humanity, and once it has been done, it cannot be reversed. Still more, many also believe that human life is being further devalued, as this bill will allow the destruction of what are essentially (99% we are told) human lives on a large scale (at least thousands of lives).

It was said about the Holocaust, that it happened because "all evil needs to triumph, is for good people to do nothing". This is what you are imposing by your whip.

Furthermore, I would like you to consider the following two points:

1. All such bills previously (as far as I am aware) regarding the status of humanbeings, have been allowed a free vote by previous governments: are theConservatives more reasonable than Labour?

2. Not allowing a free vote on this issue is a move towards a moretotalitarian regime. Why are you suggesting on the one hand we shouldnot allow Zimbabwean sports men and women from competing in the UK ifa move towards a totalitarian regime is favourable in your opinion?

Yours truly

Peter Hamilton Bsc. (Hons) I am a physical science graduate from Durham University.

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