Random Catholic Thoughts

I'm living in SC, surrounded by "Bible Christians" and an ever-increasing number of pagans - those who were never baptized nor exposed to Christian ideas.

As a Catholic, I do spend some time explaining that:

• Yes, Catholics ARE Christians


• No, we don't "worship" Mary - we do hold her under higher regard than most people, as befits her life on Earth


• No, we don't blindly follow whatever the Pope and the priests tell us to do - I imagine that Fr. Fabio and Fr. Paul in my church would laugh hysterically at that concept


• We do believe in knowing Jesus Christ - and God and the Holy Spirit - on a personal basis, but we haven't said the MAGIC words that allow Fundamentalists to accept that


• We DO read the Bible - not only the many, including me, that are currently on a journey through the entire Bible, but also - because in a 3-year cycle, we hear during Mass just about the entire Bible (well, except for the litany of the Begats)


• Yes, we are forgiven through the sacrament of Reconciliation - No, it doesn't mean that we can SAY we're sorry and go right out and do it again - we actually have to BE sorry, and work to stop doing the same sins over and over again

There are other misunderstandings, but those are the major ones.

Lent is one of those misunderstood concepts - Mark Shea does a good job of explaining it.

Explaining Catholicism to Protestants.

The BIG secret of Christians.

On My Last Nerve

I'm pretty well worn out today, by a combination of things:

• House(s) issues - they seem to drag on forever, and, just when you think it's over, another problem pops up.


• Money issues - my husband and I disagree on spending.  He has declared, for the last 5 years, that THIS SUMMER, we will take a cruise.  Each time I hear that, I say, "as long as we don't put it on a credit card", which is the match lighting for a good fight.  I think we have WAY too much stuff; he thinks of shopping as a recreational activity.


• I've been trying to work out on a regular basis - life keeps handing me a curve ball.  Sometimes, I have gotten injured; other times, I'm so overloaded with meetings and grading, I just don't have the energy.  I'm still stuck at the same weight I have been for 3 years.


• Politics - I never thought I'd say this, but I'm sick of it - BOTH Democratic and Republican.  Trump is on a roll, in great part to the ego problems of people who wouldn't get out of the race until the last 2 weeks.  Neither Cruz nor Rubio will budge (although I think they should meet, and show their hole cards - what do they have on the other, that would make their loss in November a virtual certainty.  I'm personally guessing that Rubio has a woman problem - no evidence, but that's my gut feeling.  For that reason alone, I think he should gracefully bow out, and support Cruz.)  At this point, I just think whoever drops out should cede their support to the other, and beat Trump.  The more the public learns about him, the less they like him.


• Whoever wins the election, I'm going to be working to:
  
  
  
  • Get out of debt
  
  
  • Diversify my assets
  
  
  • Stockpile a WTSHTF go-box
  
  
  • Get the rest of my life in order
  
  
  
  

Folks, this disruptive time is NOT just about your personal survival - it's about the survival of our civilization.  Pray for America, but also work for its survival.

Something for Court Syncophants to Think About

Too many people have been tip-toeing around Obama for many years - for good reason.  He protects his supporters (Eric Holder, Valerie Jarrett, Lois Lerner, et al) from prosecution.  He also punishes his enemies, and is ruthless with those who dare to oppose him.

Henry V was like that, too.  He was fickle in his alliances and friendships, casting aside those who had doggedly served him, and reducing them to penury and oblivion.

Here, from Henry V, is Wolsey's lament at the sudden end of his career:

here take an inventory of all I have,

To the last penny; ’tis the king’s: my robe,

And my integrity to heaven, is all

I dare now call mine own.

O Cromwell, Cromwell!

Had I but served my God with half the zealI served my king, he would not in mine age

Have left me naked to mine enemies.

Don't leave yourself naked to your enemies.  Serve God first.

Some Catholic Things

I was watching a video from Word on Fire (Fr. Barron), and thought it was a useful explanation of the role of the Pope in the Catholic Church.  If you are not a Catholic (and, maybe, if you are/were), the authority of the Pope is not well understood.

Some non-Catholics think that we blindly follow every statement from the Pope (do those people KNOW any Catholics!), others that everything the Pope says is divinely inspired, still others believe that Catholics are not familiar with the Bible, as they are believed to be forbidden to read it.

Addressed in order:

• NO, we don't all follow the Pope's religious instruction - many, for example, insist on using contraceptives, do not attend Mass regularly, ignore what is said about charity, war, modesty, et al.
  
  
  
  • One issue is that once baptized, and unless formally excommunicated, you are considered a Catholic for life.  The great majority attend only at Christmas and Easter, and ignore the little bit of doctrine they actually know.  Others, like Joy Behar, continue to self-identify as "raised Catholic" - not practicing in decades,  disagreeing with everything, and woefully ignorant of just about anything in the actual Catholic church.
  
  
  
  


• Everything the Pope says is NOT divinely inspired - only those things relating to faith or morals teaching are considered infallible.  So, don't take his advice on how to bet on a horse race (no more reliable than any other person).  Also, this does NOT mean that the Pope never sins - he does, after all, have to make his Confession just like everyone else (and I assume he also loses his temper, tells "white lies" to avoid hurting someone's feelings, and harbors ill feelings towards annoying people - he is, after all, human).


• Practicing Catholics, whether they realize it or not, are intimately familiar with the Bible - Old and New Testament - a good portion of it is read each day in the Mass - a reading from the Old Testament, one of the Psalms, a reading from the New Testament, and the Gospel.  It's on a 3-year cycle, rotating from the various Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), and other books of the Bible.
  
  
  
  • Most Catholics own at least one Bible (I have 5-6 of them, in various places).  True, most don't often break it out, unless it is to check out something someone said, but it's a rare home of a practicing Catholic that doesn't have a Bible.
  
  
  • I own:
    
    
    
    • A Gideon NT - received from the Gideons when they were doing a distribution at my college - portable and useful for comparing with the Catholic versions.
    
    
    • A Douay-Rheims - Big, seldom taken off the shelf, bought during our first year of marriage.
    
    
    • Several St. Joseph versions - often used in Catholic high schools.  One is very small (about 4 x 6), and useful when traveling.
    
    
    • New American version - I think it's my husband's.
    
    
    • New International version - can't remember when we got that.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • I also facilitate our Wednesday Adult Faith group, and read the next Sunday's Mass readings, as well as help focus the discussion of their meaning following that.  Right now, we're also viewing a video about the Gospel of John, and how it applies to our lives.
  
  
  
  

I'll be posting about once a week more about the Catholic faith, and how its teachings are a part of my life.

The Atrocity From Planned Parenthood

Yeah, I know, there are ALWAYS atrocities from them.

This one involves selling human body parts from abortions.

'Cause, ya know, you NEED to make your money back!  Plus some more!

If you are not OUTRAGED, if you are not APPALLED, then move on.  And seriously question your humanity.

Follow the logic. If children can be bought and sold, then what do we call that?

It’s called slavery.

So, when is the mainstream media going to find it important to talk about, write about, and urge Americans to protest it?

 

Some "Solutions" Cause More Problems Than They Resolve

This change is one that has been suggested by MANY people.

Although it would avoid the problem of the state forcing compliance on the Church, it would be more likely to end up with something like they have in Europe (which does things this way, for the most part) - most couples just use the state-sponsored method of getting official recognition of their marriage.  Few bother with the Church Wedding (or, do it for the sake of the parents, who might be pressuring the young couple).

One of the side effects of Church weddings is that it's an opportunity for Church representatives to spend some time with the couple.  It can be a teaching opportunity, and a point of catechesis.

I DON'T believe that this will lead to fewer problems - in fact, it is likely to lead to more.  For those couples that were previously told that they couldn't be married in the Church, imagine the OUTRAGE of an already-married - or will-be-married couple who is informed that they are not eligible for a Church wedding.  I can see the bonanza for lawyers who will sue the Church.

This will not just be gay couples, but also previously married and divorced people, cohabiters, and - if my expectations are realized - still-married potential polygamists.

The Progressive lobby will be encouraging the lawsuits, picketing, protests - not because they give a rat's @$$ about Church weddings, but because it will tie up Church funds, time, and energy, as well as provide a platform for their posturing.

Beware of "simple" solutions.

Are We Being Manipulated?

I tend to think:

YES!

based on articles like this.  I'm starting to feel like a lab rat.

This is not a new phenomenon - a book I read a few months ago (written by Leftists, but worth buying because of the insight into the methods they are now using to push, prod, and NUDGE the population towards their way of thinking, acting, and being) is Nudge.  It opened my eyes to the various ways you can incrementally move people's actions and thinking towards your goals.

One way to APPARENTLY change the political line-up is to make it as easy as possible for people to "join the club" - that is, to align themselves with the Popular Kids - which Facebook did with the rainbow-colored overlay for profile pictures.  After seeing most of your peers and family show up with the rainbow hues, many people follow the crowd - rather like how after sufficient numbers of people on a city curb jaywalk, you will usually find yourself crossing the street with them. It's human nature - we are a generally social species, and most people find it uncomfortable to stand apart from the crowd.

I don't, personally. Whether it's my Dad's hillbilly ancestors, my whole family's quirkiness, my oddball status during school, or my nerdy nature, I've just always stood apart from the crowd.  This tendency made adolescence acutely painful for me - that's the age of maximal pressure to conform - but, once past that point, I've generally shrugged off attempts to corral me. It's put me in conflict with many, including DH, who, at heart, is a conformer (that's not a bad thing, just who he is).

Whatever method the Leftists used against Justice Kennedy, it worked - and how! As the article pointed out, the Leftists on the Court vote as a block - they don't have to work to decide the issue, it's a reflexive action.

And the pressure to conform is being enhanced by social media. Most people are even less likely to express opinions different from their friends on Facebook and other media sites - so, for many people, the online world is becoming an echo chamber.

This would explain a thing I've noticed - so many people, when I've mentioned an issue, or a story I'd read about, respond by saying "where did you HEAR about that?" in a tone that indicated that they assumed that I'd been loitering around lurid conspiracy sites or neo-Nazi hideouts. In fact, it usually was something I'd picked up reading relatively mainstream outlets - Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Foxnews, CNN, Huffington Post, Instapundit, etc. Not crazed, fevered loners, just news aggregation sites or original reporting.

But, they weren't hearing about it. In part, because their news/information was largely supplied by sources like Facebook and Twitter, they had narrowed their information inputs to that introduced by people who already thought like them. Rather than search out new thoughts or interesting ideas, they had become passive consumers of oddities, "everyone agrees" posts, and superficial news digests/headlines only info.

The feed was passing on only filtered news and opinions, not the broad range of viewpoint that actually existed.  So, when I brought up information that hadn't hit their feed, it was as strange - and, to them, unbelievable - as a lone transmission from another world. It was rejected automatically, dismissed as a quirk/rumor/hoax, and, ultimately, forgotten. Didn't matter that I provided plentiful links to the original sources - they never checked them out.

Over time, since so few people seemed to agree with them, many relatively conservative people moved to embrace, or at least, accept as inevitable/normal/unremarkable the Progressive/Liberal/Leftist views on social issues. They fell victim to the Spiral of Silence. I highly suggest you check out that link.

The Precious Little Snowflake Syndrome is going to be contributing to the homogenization and conformity of Future America. Too many kids are being raised to value approval, rather than autonomy.

My concerns are primarily about the natural consequences of the decision - imposition of taxes on non-conforming churches (Catholic and Mormon, to start with), push for loss of employment and other sanctions on those who dissent, particularly in public employment - cops, government workers, teachers. At first, it will be VOLUNTARY posting of Rainbows in the classroom or wearing Rainbow Ribbons on your lapel, followed by "suggested" attendance at gay weddings/events of other staffers. Later, it will be more blatant coercion to contribute to Gay Causes, "include" Gay-Friendly content in courses (Math & Science teachers might find this tough to implement), and pressure to PUBLICLY AFFIRM GAYNESS/Trans People/Whatever. Make no mistake about it - You will be WATCHED, not only for YOUR actions/lack of action, but to make sure that you don't support those who publicly dissent.

Some are looking for a Saint Thomas More for our times.  Perhaps rather than looking for a saint, we ought to be acting like saints.

While I can, I'm going to watch A Man for All Seasons - before some Censor decides that it's a thinly veiled piece of H8 towards GAY MARRIAGE!

If You're a Church Member, Better Prepare

...to have to put more money into the plate - because the GayNazis will be gunning (dare I write that?) for your tax exemption.

I'm betting that the IRS will go after the Catholics and the Mormons first.  A lot of churches will sit on the sidelines, thinking that they're not going to have the same happen to them.

We know how well that work in the past when the Fascists attacked - yes, they hit the low-hanging fruit first, but, don't worry, they'll get around to you, too.

Our lawmakers could be of immediate help by passing legislation for ALL churches and other religious institutions - if the IRS goes after one of them, the decision applies to ALL of them!  No exceptions - either ALL churches lose tax-exempt status, or NONE of them do.

That, coupled with the logical step of forcing Obamacare on ALL lawmakers, judges, and bureaucrats, might halt their power grab - at least temporarily.

Frankly, until this week, I believed that the USA was indestructible.  No longer - we are hanging on the ropes, and only habit and inertia are keeping us from complete tyranny.

Reflections on Assumption (8/15/2013)

This was an old draft, but I found it and liked it, so....

This morning I was not scheduled to be at school until 10 am, so I took the opportunity to attend Assumption services. It was a nice service, and offered an opportunity to meet the new parish pastor. He gave an interesting and clear homily, and seemed to be someone who will be good for the parish.

We sang one of the few songs Catholics both know the words to, and can carry the tune - Hail, Holy Queen. We're not as musically inclined as the choir in Sister Act, or, for that matter, any Protestants, except the Episcopalians and Unitarians, so we sang the sedate version. It sounded good - not great, but solid and filled with fervor.

Assumption is one of those holy days that drive non-Catholics (and SOME sorta-Catholics - those ones that say "I was RAISED Catholic" or "I'm really spiritual, but don't go to mass, because you can worship God anywhere" - although they never seem to take the time from important things like sports and Facebook to actually do that worship thingy) nuts.

Assumption drives them nuts because they think it's about treating Mary as a God, not a person.

Well, it's not. It's more about giving her due as the person that made the Redemption all possible - she didn't have to agree. But she did, and was given the distinction of having her body taken into Heaven, without having to decompose after death like the rest of us. Interestingly, the Church has never actually said whether she died, or was taken before death.

Why treat her so special?

Come on, folks, who of us doesn't think their mom was the best! Oh, sure, our moms were flawed human beings, but we all realize the sacrifices they made for us, and the unstinting love they had for us - even when we acted like butt-heads.

I like to think of it as a just reward for having had to see her son crucified - it must have been awful to watch him suffer. And for not holding it against Jesus after the Resurrection (Jewish Mother Moment - "Oh, sure, Mr. I Can Walk on Water, you couldn't let me in on the plan? Do you know how I felt? Oh, that doesn't matter, who am I? Just the woman who had to ride a camel, deliver in a stable, and you didn't even give me grandchildren!").

Disbelieving the Actually Raped is NOT the Worst Thing...

...it is EQUAL to the other terrible possibility - that of wrongly accusing, and publicly smearing, an innocent man as a rapist.

Naturally, the "rape culture" crowd never even consider the position of the wrongly accused:

there were two potentially bad outcomes here, not just one. It would, of course, have been terrible if Jackie’s story were true but nobody believed her. But it would also have been awful if the charges were untrue and the alleged perpetrators had been unfairly maligned. That it never crossed the minds of the howling mob that their targets may in fact be innocent — and, indeed, that Sabrina Erdely cannot bring herself to apologize to those whose lives she has damaged — is perhaps the most worrying, and illiberal, thing of all.

Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/416530/fighting-against-rape-culture-means-never-having-say-youre-sorry-charles-c-w-cooke

Bold-face mine.

Another story about group-think - the current "issue" in Indiana with the RFRA.

Just how far will the pro-SSU group go to force Christians to go along with what they consider a grave sin?  Will they force the baker, at gunpoint, to bake the cake?  Will they just be satisfied to force him out of business, destroy him financially with fines and lawsuits, and drive him to living on the streets?

Will they send in the SWAT team to collect the fines?  Will they send him to prison for refusal to pay the fines (this already happens with the poor and men who are unable to pay child support - whether or not they are the father)?

Ironically, one of the most vocal opponents of Indiana's law, on the grounds that a business must offer its services equally to all, is Tim Cook, head of Apple.  Why is this ironic?  Because his company rejected an app that supported a viewpoint he disliked - that marriage is for men and women only - it's called the Manhattan Declaration App.

When Discussing Gay Rights or SSU...

...always respond by saying, FIRST, that:

• I hold the same beliefs, in this regard, as do Muslims - you aren't a Muslim HATER, are you?


• My views are in line with most pastors of African-American churches - you wouldn't want to imply that Black people are wrong on this issue, would you?


• I hold the same views as did Presidential Candidate Barack Hussein Obama, when he was running for election & re-election.  And, BTW, I supported President Bill Clinton's stand on this issue, and his wife's, as well, when he passed legislation during his term.

An End to Same Sex Marriage

The name, that is.  We who are traditionalists must STOP using that name (or, for convenience, the initials - SSM).

Instead, what we CAN do is to recognize the state-endorsed institution of SSU - Same Sex Union.

The word marriage needs to be reserved for the traditional participants - 1 man, 1 woman.

So, try to remember:

SSU - for YOU, and YOU, and (maybe) YOU!

We're in Henry VIII Territory Now

Our  "Progressive" media ha begun to attack, not just those who openly disagree with them, but also those who refuse to take a stand.

I'm remembering that wonderful play, A Man for All Seasons.  From that 2nd Act, when Sir Thomas More is asked to swear an oath, but is silent:

MORE (With some o f the academic's impatience for a shoddy line o f reasoning) Not so, Master Secretary, the maxim is "qui tacet consentire." (Turns t0 COMMON MAN) The maxim of the law is (Very carefully) "Silence gives consent." If, therefore, you wish to construe what my silence "betokened," you must construe that I consented, not that I denied.

CROMWELL Is that what the world in fact construes from it? Do you pretend that is what you wish the world to construe from it?

MORE The world must construe according to its wits. This Court must construe according to the law.

And, so, Mike Krzyzewski, the coach of the Duke team, has refused to comment on the Indiana Religious Freedom law, just passed.  He was, in short, silent on the issue.

And, for that, for refusing to say what he believed, he is being pilloried.  I won't be surprised that the Leftists start mandating Loyalty Oaths - that ALL should swear that they will agree to - even more - hold as HOLY WRIT the rightness, the goodness, the perfection of Same Sex Marriage.

Refusal to so swear will be used as evidence at their dismissal hearings.  It will all be for "the good of the children" and other such specious excuses.  What it will really be about is organized bullying of the non-conforming.

Gotta Brag!

My daughter was published recently.  She wrote about positive reasons to enter religious life.

One of My Favorite Sites for Re-Post Links

It's Liberal Logic 101.  

Today I woke early, and was catching up, and found this:



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Naturally, as I am Catholic, it caught my eye.

The Crusades were a Defensive War.  The Muslims were attacking an ally, who asked for our assistance.  They were not that successful - as the Muslims kept re-grouping and re-attacking over many centuries.  Although the Battle of Tours in October 762 (Christian forces led by Charles Martel, Charles the Hammer) stopped the Muslims from advancing further into France, they maintained their Iberian Peninsula foothold in Europe until 1492, when the combined forces of Ferdinand and Isabella finally pried loose Moors in the Battle of Granada.

The Muslims were, in the treaty, free to practice their religion, until 1502, when they were given a choice, convert or leave.

Beginning in Valencia in 1502, Muslims were offered the choice of baptism or exile. The majority decided to accept the former, becoming 'New Catholics', of very great interest to the newly established Spanish Inquisition, authorized byPope Sixtus IV in 1478.

The Morisco conversos (converts), though outwardly Catholic, continued to adhere to their old beliefs in private as crypto-Muslims in a practice known as taqiyyah or precaution, conduct allowed for by some Islamic authorities when the faithful are under duress or threat of life.

Some of the above I knew from college work - I specialized in Latin American History, and was reasonably fluent in Spanish, at that time.  I cited Wikipedia (yes, I do know their woeful record of inaccuracy in many entries.  However, they are generally a good resource for basic research - I sometimes use them for background in areas of science I need to brush up on.  That would be Chemistry or Physics, NOT Climate Change).

The Muslim invaders weren't stopped from their Aggressive Wars until the Battle of Vienna:

...the other 9-11: September 11th, 1683, the day when an alliance of Christian armies led by Jan III Sobieski, the King of Poland, arrived at the Gates of Vienna.

The Ottoman Empire had been expanding into Europe ever since Constantinople fell to the Turks, and even before that. Wherever the Muslim armies went, they plundered cities, took slaves, turned churches into mosques, and converted many thousands of Christian captives to Islam at the point of a sword.

The Sultan’s armies overran Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, and Serbia. They turned Protestant Hungary into a compliant vassal and made war repeatedly on Austria and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Ottomans had designs on Vienna, since the fall of the city would open the way into the heart of Austria and the rich principalities of southern Germany.

The Gates of Vienna tells the stirring story on their blog.  Do read it - you need to know why September 11 has significance, beyond 2001's atrocity.

Bonus - you'll learn the story of why we eat Croissants.

 

Winter Break? Bah, Humbug!

I work in a public school.  As a result, I've occasionally been corrected - very gently, I must say - when I refer to the 2 week vacation at the end of the year as "Christmas Break".

Oh, no, I am informed, it's a GENERIC holiday celebration (I generally refrain from pointing out that HOLIDAY is a variant of the original HOLY DAY).  Just happens that SO many important holidays occur around this time that it's convenient to adjourn for vacation.

I always respond by saying, "I'll call it Winter Break the very first year that it DOESN'T include Christmas".

Christmas is the ONLY reason for the break - it comes at a bad time, just before the end of the semester.  It would make FAR more sense to delay the vacation for another week, give the tests, then adjourn for a between-semesters vacation.

Won't happen.  Parents (most of them taxpayers and/or voters) would have the school boards roasted - like chestnuts - for daring to implement the sensible switch.

No, we break BECAUSE the majority celebrate Christmas - many of them attending church for the only time that year (I'll address the twice-a-year Christians another time).  A few celebrate Kwaanza - fewer every year - and, in selected locations, Hannukkah makes the present-giving event(s).

Funnily enough, few remember the Christian tradition of Epiphany (Jan. 6) or the Holy Day of Obligation (Jan. 1 - Feast of Mary - older Catholics may remember this as Circumcision of Jesus).

Christmas goes on from December 25 (the 1st Day of Christmas) to January 5 (the Eve of Epiphany, when the Magi appeared - celebrated as Three Kings Day in many countries).

The picture at the left shows the Holy Family at the start of their Flight into Egypt (by Michaelangelo).

So, in the spirit of the EXTENDED season,

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

 

 

Why Surrogacy is Wrong

I do get that, for some women, infertility is a major sorrow in their lives.  They want to be mothers, but, physically, it just isn't possible.

For those women, and their husband, adoption is also not possible.  Unless they have a LOT of money to spend, legally adopting a child is hard.  It's made harder by social workers who oppose adoption if a parent is living, however ill-suited they are to raise that child.  Too often, that opposition keeps children in foster care for years.  Some have accused agencies of keeping kids in foster care for the money it brings in - I can't believe that.  I think it's an ideological position that is to blame.

For those reasons, some women feel that they have no alternative to surrogacy.  Today's surrogacy has evolved into a multi-partner process, that splits the pregnancy action into parts:

• The male contribution - sometimes from the prospective adoptive father, other times from donors (the men are generally paid for their sperm).  Sometimes, the sperm samples are mixed, so the father-to-be can assume a biological connection.


• The egg contribution - an egg donor is paid far more than the sperm donor.  That's because she is pumped full of drugs to stimulate release of multiple eggs.  Research on the dangers has not fully explored the long-term damage to the egg donor's system.  See information about Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome, which is just ONE of the problems that can arise.  For this part, younger, more educated women are preferred; often, these egg SELLERS are recruited via ads in college newspapers.  The high cost of college makes them a vulnerable population.


• The Surrogate - that's the woman who actually carries the child to term.  Since there is no genetic connection, she may be of any race or background.  Previous mothers are preferred for this part of the "job".  Third-World women are often recruited for this.  India is one of the countries that have taken over this "job that Americans won't do".  Since the surrogate has to be pumped full of hormones to carry the pregnancy, it may well have a lifelong effect on that woman's health.

Breaking the motherhood part into 2 separate parts (it can be more, if the egg of one woman is used, but the DNA of another woman) virtually eliminates the problem of the "Baby M" case, where the genetic mother carried the baby, and bonded with it, leading her to challenge giving the child up after birth.

Older would-be mothers are often encouraged to use eggs from another woman, as their own might be old enough to have potential damage.  For very busy women, or those who don't want to "ruin" their figures, the surrogate option is preferred.

The whole process is expensive, involves multiple payments to the various people in the process, and legally severs the connection to original mothers and fathers.  For that reason, it is strongly promoted by well-off older partners, straight and gay.  They are the core group that has the financial resources to engage in the practice, and the ones that cannot, or would prefer to not, biologically create the child the natural way.

Who loses in this?

• The sperm seller, who has left pieces of himself spread around the country.  In some cases, donors have been forced to contribute to the support of children they helped create.  The secrecy of the system can lead to unaware grown children becoming involved with their genetic brothers and sisters.


• The egg seller, who, for a substantial amount of money, risks her health and future fertility.  Like the sperm seller, she has unknown numbers of potential children.


• The surrogate, who takes some of the largest risks (pregnancy is still a risky proposition, especially when assisted with extra, injected chemicals).  During the pregnancy, both the hormonal changes, and the natural emotions of a mother contribute to a wrenching separation at birth.  Some husbands may resent the intrusion of the infant.  Children may have trouble understanding how mother could give away a child; lifelong insecurity may result.


• The buyers, who are benefiting from many people's loss.  They have to know that only their money made this possible; the ethics of it all are questionable, at best.  At the worst, it is exploitation of vulnerable and poor people.  The surrogacy is a form of temporary slavery-for-hire.

As Pope Paul VI made clear in his encyclical, the conception process is a holistic endeavor.  To divorce one part from another, or to mechanize part of the process, is wrong.  He wrote that modern man had:

...a new understanding of the dignity of woman and her place in society, of the value of conjugal love in marriage and the relationship of conjugal acts to this love.

I do realize that Pope Paul VI was widely disparaged for his encyclical.  Few were the clergy that actually taught their congregations about the thinking behind it.  It was reported in the press and on TV as the anti-sex preaching of an out-of-touch papacy.

The encyclical warned of four resulting trends: a general lowering of moral standards throughout society; a rise in infidelity; a lessening of respect for women by men; and the coercive use of reproductive technologies by governments.

Fast forward almost 50 years, and we have:

• People coupling with virtual strangers - if a woman doesn't know that person well enough, she gives him oral sex.  Say what you will, the "Hookup Culture" is NOT compatible with human dignity.


• Very young women becoming pregnant - sometimes having abortions, sometimes having children, and raising them as single mothers.


• Sex tapes - often made by those who are more emotionally involved, and with the understanding that it is to stay private.  Lots of luck with that when they break up!


• Online porn - for some, a substitute for interaction with an actual human.  For both producer and viewer, a dehumanizing experience.


• Forced use of contraception and forced abortions.


• Many older women who have passed their fertile window of opportunity, often due to focusing on their careers.  For them, the seemingly reasonable option of surrogacy.


• Women without partners they want to make fathers - single motherhood as a CHOICE.


• Men-men partnerships - don't have the equipment to carry a child, so "HIRE" a woman or (by splitting the egg/bearer job), women. 

It is, in part, because surrogacy does not respect the dignity of women, that I am opposed to it.  It isn't that I don't understand (as far as I am able) the torment of a woman and a man that cannot conceive naturally.  The Biblical story of Abraham and Sarah is filled with that pain.

But, it is also filled with the consequences of going outside of natural marriage means to solve that problem.  Sarah insisted that Abraham impregnate a slave, Hagar.  After the child was born, Sarah did NOT bond with it, but resented both the child, and his mother.  She eventually insisted on banishing Abraham's son and his mother.

Why might Sarah have been infertile?  Well, Abraham had to labor 7 years, only to be tricked into marrying the wrong daughter.  He then had to labor another 7 years - 14 in all.  Let's assume that Sarah was 16 when Abraham first proposed.  Add 14 years to that age, and she would have been 30 when finally married.  By 27, women have lost 10% of their fertility.  By 30, women have lost 90% of their eggs.

That story is an object lesson in the perils of waiting to start your family.

What Would YOU Do? What WILL You Do?

She's being called "the bravest woman in the world".

She is Meriam Yahia Ibrahim, a Sudanese Christian who refuses to convert to Islam.

Her father was Muslim; he abandoned the family when she was 6, and her Ethiopean Christian mother raised her.  She married a Christian in her church, gave birth to one child, and is currently pregnant with another - in jail.

Her brother brought the attention of the authorities to the "problem" (guess holiday dinners will be strained).  If your father is/was Muslim, ALL his children HAVE to be, as well.  And, for women, there's another trial - they CANNOT marry a Christian, as Meriam has.

She has been sentenced to flogging, then execution.

She could stop it - IF she converted.

This, she refuses to do.

Let me see - the media is FILLED with "scandals":

• An elderly owner of a sports team made disparaging remarks about Blacks - no one's life is in jeopardy


• An athlete made mild remarks about a public, STAGED kiss between 2 men - no one's life is in jeopardy, although the athlete is being fined, and will be sent to re-education camp (Gee, shades of the totalitarian Communist regimes!)


• Sundry other "scandals" are hitting the headlines

But, not this.  It's right out of the New Testament - where are the preachers, priests, and rabbis?  Why are none of the sermons asking for help for this woman - contacting our own government - at the White House, reaching the Dept. of State, writing a letter to the legislators (if your Senator/representative is running for office, it may be most effective), reaching Amnesty International?

Crickets.

We don't even have to make that decision NOT to convert; although many of the songs we sing on Sunday claim that we would bravely resist, even to the point of death.

We just have to take a few SAFE actions, to try to persuade our government to get involved.

For most Americans, not happening.  Not as important as sports, entertainment, or otherwise goofing off.

And we CALL ourselves Christians.

Ideas for Lent

This is horribly late, but, better late than never:

From the Roman Catholic Blog, DPC:

1. Basic plan: “DPC”

D: Carry out the little duty of each moment, with faith (God sees and knows even our smallest acts) and love (because Love is the measure of all things).



“Do you really want to be a saint? Carry out the little duty of each moment: do what you ought and concentrate on what you are doing.” (St. Josemaria Escriva, The Way, n. 815)

P: Patience! With yourself, with others, with things and traffic, with work and delays; early in the morning and late at night and in all the moments in between!



“Let nothing disturb you. Let nothing frighten you.

All things pass. God never changes.

Patience wills all that it strives for.

He who has God finds that he lacks nothing.

God alone suffices!” (St. Teresa of Avila)

C: Do not complain: in the morning or in the afternoon or at night; to yourself or to others or about others; out loud or on the inside. One exception: you may complain to the Lord if you love him enough.



“You complain? And you tell me you have reason to complain: One pinprick after another!... But do you not realize that it is silly to be surprised at finding thorns among roses?

(St. Josemaria, Furrow 237)

Check it out for other ideas, and for some interesting information/links to things Catholic

The New "Womb-man"

Here's some information about IVF and the increase in surrogacy - rent-a-womb services.

"For women under the age of 35, 40.7% of fertility treatment attempts resulted in a live birth. So did 31.3% of the attempts by women ages 35 to 37; 22.2% of the attempts by women ages 38 to 40; 11.8% of the attempts by women who were 41 or 42; and 3.9% for women who were 43 or older.

http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-ivf-births-record-high-20140216,0,6799611.story#ixzz2vffq6eRC"

So, because most older women do NOT experience a successful pregnancy, even with a "test-tube" conception, SOMEONE has to carry the child for 9 months.

Enter the "womb-man" - the person who is thought of only as a disembodied uterus. She needn't be the same woman who donates the egg - in fact, for the purposes of wresting the baby from her at birth, it's MUCH better if she is not.  It's easier to deny her parental rights if she has no genetic connection to the child she nurtured during her pregnancy.

Read more about the ethical implications of this trend - about 1.5% of children born have parents who used IVF.