ABORTION DOES NOT IMPROVE WOMEN'S REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

By Denise Hunnell, MD

When the United States House of Representatives debated the Protect Life Act, a bill meant to ensure that no taxpayer money would fund abortions, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, proclaimed that passage of the bill would leave American women “dying on the floor” of American hospitals. Similarly expressing a concern for “women's health”, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, recently called on the United Nations Commission on Population and Development to endorse unfettered access to abortion for teenagers and even younger adolescents. In Trinidad, Minister of Gender, Youth, and Child Development Verna St. Rose Greaves, called for the legalization of abortion in Trinidad because of public health concerns.

Clearly, there is a widespread perception that optimal reproductive health for women includes access to abortion. Yet, where is the data that supports this view? Is this just another manufactured claim by the abortion industry to justify the inclusion of abortion in health care?

The Guttmacher Institute, a pro-abortion research organization founded by Planned Parenthood, tried to bolster this position with a report on abortions in Colombia. This publication claimed that there were over 400,000 clandestine abortions annually in Colombia and at least one-third of these cases had significant medical complications. Their conclusions called for increased abortion 'services' in Colombia:

The study's findings make clear the need to remove institutional and bureaucratic obstacles for women seeking a legal procedure and ensure that health facilities with the capacity and mandate to provide safe and legal procedures do so,” says Cristina Villareal, director of Fundación Oriéntame and a coauthor of the report. “Six out of 10 health facilities in Colombia that have the capacity to provide postabortion care do not provide it, and about nine out of every 10 of these facilities do not offer legal abortion services.

While this study appears and claims to support the view that ready access to legal abortion improves women's health, a just released study by Dr. Elard Koch of Chile refutes this Guttmacher Institute report. Review of the methods for the calculation of clandestine abortions in Colombia reveal that the Guttmacher Institute relied on the opinions of health care workers to estimate the number of abortion procedures and complication rates.

In other words, there was no objective data. The translated abstract of Dr. Koch's article published in Ginecologia y Obstetricia de Mexico states:

There is no objective data based on real vital events, the whole estimate is based on imaginary numbers underlying mere opinions. Even as a public opinion survey, the sampling technique introduced serious selection bias in the gathering of information. Valid epidemiological methods using standardized rates, choosing the paradigmatic cases of Chile and Spain as standard populations, it was observed that Guttmacher Institute methodology overestimates more than 9 times the complications due to induced abortion in hospital discharges and more than 18 times the total number of induced abortions. In other Latin American countries where the same methodology was applied including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Guatemala, and Dominican Republic, the number of induced abortions was also largely overestimated. These results call for caution with this type of reports that alarm public opinion.

Instead of relying on guesses and subjective opinions, one can actually assess the effect of abortion on women's reproductive health by analyzing the maternal mortality ratio (MMR), a widely accepted indicator of women's health. If abortion were truly critical for the well-being of mothers, one would expect the maternal mortality rate to decrease with increased abortion availability and to increase as abortion is restricted.

Chile provides a natural laboratory for such an analysis. The country has kept extensive and detailed records of maternal morbidity and mortality for over fifty years. In addition, the country has implemented several distinct interventions including increasing skilled medical attendants for births, increasing the education of women, increasing the sanitation and overall level of care at medical facilities, and perhaps most significant for this discussion, the prohibition of abortion. The trends of the maternal mortality ratio can be evaluated both before and after each of these initiatives.

A recently published collaborative study by scientists from both the United States and Chile have used this objective data to demonstrate the effects of improved medical care, increased education of women, and abortion on maternal mortality. Their findings should provide the scientifically-based guidance needed to reduce maternal mortality in all developing countries.

The overall maternal mortality ratio in Chile from 1957 through 2007 decreased from 270 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births to 18.7 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births -. This is a decrease of 93.7%. The steepest declines were between the years 1965 and 1981. In 1965 Chile mandated a minimum of eight years of free education for all children. This resulted in the increase in the average years of schooling for women from 3.1 years in 1957 to 12 years in 2007. In addition, Chile markedly increased the percentage of deliveries that were aided by skilled medical attendants from 60.8% in 1957 to over 90% by 1980. By 1999, over 99% of births occurred in hospitals or maternity centers.

After 1981, the downward trend in maternal mortality continued, but the rate of decrease slowed. This is accounted for by the increasing number of women who delivered their first child over the age of 29. As Chilean women became more educated they delayed child bearing. This increased the number of maternal deaths due to underlying medical conditions such as diabetes and hypertension.

What happened to the maternal mortality trend after 1989 when Chile outlawed abortion? The Guttmacher Institute, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and Nancy Pelosi would like us to believe that this move sent the rate of maternal deaths soaring. Instead, we saw the opposite: The truth is there was absolutely no such effect.  In fact, the downward trend in maternal mortality continued with a decrease from 41.3 to 12.7 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. That is a 69% decrease in maternal mortality after the ban on abortion took effect.

The Guttmacher Institute calls into question the validity of the Chilean study by speculating that there is underreporting of abortion-related morbidity and mortality, but provide no evidence of such reporting errors. The authors of the Chilean study, however, have already addressed these concerns in their published article:

Considering the strict protocol for active epidemiological surveillance on maternal and infant mortality registry implemented in the early 1930s, it is unlikely that the observed reduction could be explained by unobserved illegal abortion deaths or misclassification for other causes. Currently any maternal death occurring in Chile is audited by the sanitary authority revising the clinical registries, interviewing the relatives, and the medical personnel under strict confidentiality rules for determining the primary cause of death.

This analysis of the Chilean experience provides persuasive evidence that the key to improving women's reproductive health begins with improved education. Women must also have access to skilled birth attendants and well-equipped and sanitary birthing centers. The Chilean study raises serious questions about the claims by government officials and other abortion advocates who say that abortion is a critical component of quality medical care for women. Initiatives that promote abortion for the health and well-being of women increasingly appear to be motivated by ideology and based on something other than science.

BENEDICT XVI CALLS ON FAITHFUL SEEK UNITY IN THE HOLY SPIRIT

Servant of God: Pope Benedict XVI

Says that Despite Advances in Communication, Man is Reliving the Event of Babel 

By Junno Arocho

VATICAN CITY, May 29,2012 (Zenit.org).- On Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI reflected in his homily on the feast of Pentecost, describing it as a  “feast of unity, of understanding and of human communion". Thousands packed St. Peter’s Square where the outdoor mass was celebrated.

The Holy Father said that despite developments in communication, understanding and communion between people are 'superficial and difficult'.

"Inequalities continue that do not infrequently lead to conflicts; dialogue between generations is hard sometimes opposition prevails; we see daily events which appear to suggest that people are becoming more aggressive and more unsociable; it seems to be too demanding to try to understand each other and we prefer to be closed up in our own 'I', in our own interests", the pope sad.

The pope contemplated on the biblical account of the Tower of Babel and its relevance to society’s advances in communication and technology. The pontiff stated that in the context of increased scientific abilities and progress that man has attained, "praying to God seems like something obsolete, useless, because we can build and realize anything we want". The pope reiterated that in doing so, man is reliving the experience of Babel.

"Indeed, we have multiplied the possibilities of communicating, of having information, of transmitting news, but can we say that the capacity to understand each other has grown or is it perhaps the case that, paradoxically, we understand each other less and less", the pope said.

The Holy Father compared the account of Babel with the event of Pentecost, recalling the words of St. Paul regarding the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, and peace. "Let us note that the Apostle uses the plural to describe the works of the flesh, which divide and scatter us, while he uses the singular to define the Spirit’s action – he speaks of 'fruit' – just as the scattering of Babel is opposed to the unity of Pentecost."

The 85 year old pontiff, concluded his homily by inviting the faithful to live in the spirit of unity and truth. He also exhorted them to pray to the Spirit to 'enlighten us and lead us to overcome the fascination with following our own truths and instead the truth of Christ transmitted in the Church".

St. Joan of Arc

Feastday: May 30Patron of soldiers and France
1412 - 1431

St. Joan of Arc is the patroness of soldiers and of France. On January 6, 1412, Joan of Arc was born to pious parents of the French peasant class, at the obscure village of Domremy, near the province of Lorraine. At a very early age, she heard voices: those of St. Michael, St. Catherine and St. Margaret.

At first the messages were personal and general. Then at last came the crowning order. In May, 1428, her voices "of St. Michael, St. Catherine, and St. Margaret" told Joan to go to the King of France and help him reconquer his kingdom. For at that time the English king was after the throne of France, and the Duke of Burgundy, the chief rival of the French king, was siding with him and gobbling up evermore French territory.

After overcoming opposition from churchmen and courtiers, the seventeen year old girl was given a small army with which she raised the seige of Orleans on May 8, 1429. She then enjoyed a series of spectacular military successes, during which the King was able to enter Rheims and be crowned with her at his side.

In May 1430, as she was attempting to relieve Compiegne, she was captured by the Burgundians and sold to the English when Charles and the French did nothing to save her. After months of imprisonment, she was tried at Rouen by a tribunal presided over by the infamous Peter Cauchon, Bishop of Beauvais, who hoped that the English would help him to become archbishop.

Through her unfamiliarity with the technicalities of theology, Joan was trapped into making a few damaging statements. When she refused to retract the assertion that it was the saints of God who had commanded her to do what she had done, she was condemned to death as a heretic, sorceress, and adulteress, and burned at the stake on May 30, 1431. She was nineteen years old. Some thirty years later, she was exonerated of all guilt and she was ultimately canonized in 1920, making official what the people had known for centuries. Her feast day is May 30.

Joan was canonized in 1920 by Pope Benedict XV.

 

POPE TO PARTICIPATE IN FAMILY FESTIVAL

The Holy Family: Model of Christian families

MILAN, Italy, MAY 25, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI will take part in a festival of families next weekend during his trip to Milan for the 7th World Meeting of Families.

The Saturday evening event, called “One World, Family, Love,” will include the “Celebration of Testimonies,” in which Benedict XVI will participate.

It will be broadcast live from Milan and include the participation of families from five continents.

The Holy Father will arrive at Bresso at 8:35 pm, he will lead moments of prayer and reflection and will stay with the young people and families for about an hour, answering the questions of families from the various continents.

The evening events, which are free, will be preceded by an afternoon of intense celebration. From 4 to 7 in Milan’s North Airport Park of Bressano “JubilFamily – The Joy of Being Family,” will be staged.

During the three intense hours, numerous groups and testimonies will alternate, especially the winners of the “Young Talents for the Pope” competition, promoted by the Milan 2012 Families Foundation, in collaboration with the Hope Association and directed to musicians and youthful musical groups from Lombardy. More than 100 young people, divided in nine groups, will perform for the tens of thousands of people.

During the afternoon, there will be time for the testimonies of Italian families and those of other continents: a five-year-old Albanian boy, a couple from the “Families for Hospitality” Association, the Fantu family from Ethiopia, the Favoti family (parents of three-year old twins and one-year-old triplets). Also the testimony of a family of missionaries, a couple from Nomadelfia which lives the community experience. And Betti and Alfonso of Renewal in the Spirit will give testimony of a family under trial: from crisis to reunification.

St. Augustine of Canterbury

Feastday: May 27

Died: 605

At the end of the sixth century anyone would have said that Augustine had found his niche in life. Looking at this respected prior of a monastery, almost anyone would have predicted he would spend his last days there, instructing, governing, and settling even further into this sedentary life.

But Pope St. Gregory the Great had lived under Augustine's rule in that same monastery. When he decided it was time to send missionaries to Anglo-Saxon England, he didn't choose those with restless natures or the young looking for new worlds to conquer. He chose Augustine and thirty monks to make the unexpected, and dangerous, trip to England.

Missionaries had gone to Britain years before but the Saxon conquest of England had forced these Christians into hiding. Augustine and his monks were to bring these Christians back into the fold and convince the warlike conquerors to become Christians themselves.

Every step of the way they heard the horrid stories of the cruelty and barbarity of their future hosts. By the time they had reached France the stories became so frightening that the monks turned back to Rome. Gregory had heard encouraging news that England was far more ready forChristianity than the stories would indicate, including the marriage of King Ethelbert of Kent to a Christian princess, Bertha. He sent Augustine and the monks on their way again fortified with his belief that now was the time for evangelization.

King Ethelbert himself wasn't as sure, but he was a just king and curious. So he went to hear what the missionaries had to say after they landed in England. But he was just as afraid of them as they were of him! Fearful that they would use magic on them, he held the meeting in the open air. There he listened to what they had to say about Christianity. He did not convert then but was impressed enough to let them continue to preach -- as long as they didn't force anyone to convert.

They didn't have to -- the king was baptized in 597. Unlike other kings who forced all subjects to be baptized as soon as they were converted, Ethelbert left religious a free choice. Nonetheless the following year many of his subjects were baptized.

Augustine was consecrated bishop of the English and more missionaries arrived from Rome to help with the new task. Augustine had to be very careful because, although the English had embraced the newreligion they still respected the old. Under the wise orders of Gregory the Great, Augustine aided the growth from the ancient traditions to the new life by consecrating pagan temples for Christian worship and turning pagan festivals into feast days of martyrs. Canterbury was built on the site of an ancient church.

Augustine was more successful with the pagans than with the Christians. He found the ancient British Church, which had been driven into Cornwall and Wales, had strayed a little in its practices from Rome. He met with them several times to try to bring them back to the Roman Church but the old Church could not forgive their conquerors and chose isolation and bitterness over community and reconciliation.

Augustine was only in England for eight years before he died in 605. His feast day is celebrated on May 26 in England and May 28 elsewhere. He is also known as Austin,a name that many locations have adopted.

Copyright 1996-2000 Terry Matz. All Rights Reserved.

Pentecost Sunday: HOLY SPIRIT - LET THE FIRE FALL!

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Oh Holy Spirit, You are the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity. You are the Spirit of truth, love and holiness, proceeding from the Father and the Son, and equal to Them in all things. I adore You and love You with all my heart. Teach me to know and to seek God, by whom and for whom I was created. Fill my heart with a holy fear and a great love for Him. Give me compunction and patience, and do not let me fall into sin.

Increase faith, hope and charity in me and bring forth in me all the virtues proper to my state of life. Help me to grow in the four cardinal virtues, Your seven gifts and Your twelve fruits.

Make me a faithful follower of Jesus, an obedient child of the Church and a help to my neighbor. Give me the grace to keep the commandments and to receive the sacraments worthily. Raise me to holinessin the state of life to which You have called me, and lead me through a happy death to everlasting life. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Grant me also, O Holy Spirit, Giver of all good gifts, the special favor for which I ask {name special petition}, if it be for Your honor and glory and for my well being. Amen.

Readings for Pentecost Sunday

The Decent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles

Pentecost Sunday
Lectionary: 63

Reading 1 Acts 2:1-11

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled,
they were all in one place together.
And suddenly there came from the sky
a noise like a strong driving wind,
and it filled the entire house in which they were.
Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire,
which parted and came to rest on each one of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak in different tongues,
as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem.
At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd,
but they were confused
because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
They were astounded, and in amazement they asked,
"Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans?
Then how does each of us hear them in his native language?
We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites,
inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,
Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene,
as well as travelers from Rome,
both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs,
yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues
of the mighty acts of God."

Responsorial Psalm Ps 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34

R. (cf. 30) Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
How manifold are your works, O LORD!
the earth is full of your creatures;
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD be glad in his works!
Pleasing to him be my theme;
I will be glad in the LORD.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
If you take away their breath, they perish
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2 1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13

Brothers and sisters:
No one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;
there are different forms of service but the same Lord;
there are different workings but the same God
who produces all of them in everyone.
To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit
is given for some benefit.

As a body is one though it has many parts,
and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,
so also Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,
whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,
and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.

Or Gal 5:16-25

Brothers and sisters, live by the Spirit
and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh.
For the flesh has desires against the Spirit,
and the Spirit against the flesh;
these are opposed to each other,
so that you may not do what you want.
But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Now the works of the flesh are obvious:
immorality, impurity, lust, idolatry,
sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy,
outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness,
dissensions, factions, occasions of envy,
drinking bouts, orgies, and the like.
I warn you, as I warned you before,
that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, generosity,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Against such there is no law.
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh
with its passions and desires.
If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.

Gospel Jn 20:19-23

On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, "Peace be with you."
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you."
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
"Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained."

Or Jn 15:26-27; 16:12-15

Jesus said to his disciples:
"When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father,
he will testify to me.
And you also testify,
because you have been with me from the beginning.

"I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears,
and will declare to you the things that are coming.
He will glorify me,
because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Everything that the Father has is mine;
for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine
and declare it to you."

St. Venerable Bede

The Venerable Bede

Feast day: May 25

Bede is one of the few saints honored as such even during his lifetime. His writings were filled with such faith and learning that even while he was still alive, a Church council ordered them to be read publicly in the churches.

At an early age Bede was entrusted to the care of the abbot of the Monastery of St. Paul, Jarrow. The happy combination of genius and the instruction of scholarly, saintly monks produced a saint and an extraordinary scholar, perhaps the most outstanding one of his day. He was deeply versed in all the sciences of his times: natural philosophy, the philosophical principles of Aristotle, astronomy, arithmetic, grammar, ecclesiastical history, the lives of the saints and, especially, Holy Scripture.

From the time of his ordination to the priesthood at 30 (he had been ordained deacon at 19) till his death, he was ever occupied with learning, writing and teaching. Besides the many books that he copied, he composed 45 of his own, including 30 commentaries on books of the Bible.

Although eagerly sought by kings and other notables, even Pope Sergius, Bede managed to remain in his own monastery till his death. Only once did he leave for a few months in order to teach in the school of the archbishop of York. Bede died in 735 praying his favorite prayer: “Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As in the beginning, so now, and forever.”

His Ecclesiastical History of the English People is commonly regarded as of decisive importance in the art and science of writing history. A unique era was coming to an end at the time of Bede’s death: It had fulfilled its purpose of preparing Western Christianity to assimilate the non-Roman barbarian North. Bede recognized the opening to a new day in the life of the Church even as it was happening.

Parents Who Refused to Abort: Video Inspires Millions of People around the World

Life is a gift...

If Lacey and Chris had listened to the professionals, Christian would have been killed through an abortion

Perhaps you have already seen the video made by Lacey Buchanan of Woodbury, Tennessee. If not, I recommend that you join the millions of people around the world who have seen it. It is an inspiring story about human tragedy and the power of faith and love to rise above it.The short homemade video presents the story of baby Christian and his mother and father's determination to bring him into this world despite being told to abort him.

KNOXVILLE, TN (Catholic Online) - Perhaps you have already seen the video made by my fellow Tennessean, Lacey Buchanan of Woodbury. If you have not, I recommend that you join the millions of people around the world who have seen it. I have included it at the top of this page. It is an inspiring story about human tragedy and the power of faith and love.

The short homemade video presents the story of baby Christian and his mother and father's determination to bring him into this world despite being told to abort him, and the subsequent suffering and joy their decision brought them over the past couple years.

In her blog, Lacey explains that she did the video because of a similar video she saw about a young, disfigured woman who was told that the world would be better off without her. The thought of someone ever saying that to Christian pained her deeply. Lacey expressed the pain she felt for her baby when she wrote, "It may not be me that looks different, but the stares at my son hurt no less than if they were at me. . . ."

The story of Lacey, her husband Chris and their beautiful child, Christian, is precious, and it inspires us all. Lacey does not speak in the video. She communicates to us in two ways: though handwritten signs that she holds up to the camera and through her emotions made visible by her facial expressions. As the story unfolds, we watch Lacey reliving key moments as if they were happening right now.

This is what most inspired me. Watching Lacey's expressions reminded me that no one can love a child like its mother, that a mother's love is a special kind of love. Furthermore, witnessing Lacey's love for her child reminded me that all children, not just Christian, need a mother's love. And this made me think that most people and societies cannot thrive without this special kind of love, so it needs to be protected.

Blessed John Paul II gives us an idea how we can protect a mother's love in his Apostolic Letter, On the Dignity and Vocation of Women. He reminds us that Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her, and husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the Church. This kind of love, Blessed John Paul II says, affirms women as persons on a fundamental level and makes it possible for the female personality to fully develop.

Consequently, in the normal course of God's plan, it would seem that a mother's love finds its first and most basic protection within family life. Unfortunately, families are under attack. This attack is coming from many directions, but the one I most thought about as I watched Lacey's video was the aggressive intervention of the state and so-called professionals into our families.

This intervention reminds me of cancer treatments. Early chemotherapy treatments not only killed cancer cells, they also killed healthy cells (today, the treatments are better focused). The power of the state, regardless how noble its intentions, is such a blunt instrument that it is often like the early cancer treatments. This means it should be used with great caution, but this has not been the case.

You only need to turn on the news to find examples, so I will not repeat them. We all know that parents and their children can be arrested and hauled away in handcuffs based on nothing more substantial than an anonymous accusation.

A partial explanation for this destructive trend can be found in the seventh edition of a college-level textbook, Social Work, by Armando T. Morales and Bradford W. Sheafor. The explanation is based on the enormous growth of social work in the wake of former President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society programs in the 1960's and two concepts--professionalism and prevention.

As their influence grew, social workers organized and lobbied hard for professional status. They defined professionals as recognized experts possessing a monopoly in their field with exclusive rights to make judgments and give advice. According to the textbook, "In granting this professional authority, society, in essence, gives up the right to judge the competency of these professionals except in extreme cases of incompetence."

After receiving this undeserved professional status, social workers revised their traditional mission which emphasized service and the motto "do no harm." Their new mission was to change society, individuals, families, and other groups. As a result, social work has largely become a vehicle for social and political activism, and it is often funded by the government with our tax dollars.

With the help of new and ever growing legislation concerning child welfare, child abuse, family preservation, violence against women, and homosexuals, etc., social workers have carried out their new mission of change.

Besides legislation, one of their primary tools used for change has been "prevention." It is defined as the "anticipation of future consequences and the purposeful manipulation to achieve desired ends or prevent undesired ones." The concept of prevention is used to justify early and aggressive intervention into families and mold them.

Although this concept is totalitarian and destructive, it has rapidly spread into many other professional disciplines. Today, federal, state and local governments, along with an army of ill-equipped social workers, sociologists, psychologists, school teachers, administrators, law-enforcement personnel, and legal and healthcare professionals have literally seized power over many families in our country.

It is true that many families are dysfunctional and need help today. When a family is not able to care for itself or a grave danger of some sort is present, it is right for the state, blunt instrument though it is, to intervene. In these cases, many social workers and other professionals perform their jobs with skill and compassion; however, far too often the state and its professional minions have unnecessarily undermined and harmed family relationships.

Depending on the specific situation, premature and overly aggressive intervention can easily drive a wedge between members in the family by causing distrust and alienating family members. It can undermine parental authority such that children do not listen to their parents and rebel. This can cause problems in the family for years, sometimes for a lifetime. And it can easily suffocate the motherly love that children and society desperately need.

The family is primary, before the state. This order can be protected and maintained based on a principle called subsidiarity. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church this principle means that "a community of a higher order should not interfere in the internal life of a community of a lower order, depriving the latter of its functions. . ." (1883).

This principle is derived from the way God governs the world and His respect for human freedom. God did not reserve the exercise of all power to Himself. We can see this when we look at creation. God entrusted "to every creature the functions it is capable of performing, according to the capacities of its own nature" (1884). Thus, the principle of subsidiarity "sets limits for state intervention" (1885).

Therefore, one of the most important ways we can protect a mother's love is to insist on the proper order between the family and the state. In today's society that means protecting the family from rampant overreach by the state and professional community. The state and professionals are to serve and support parents and families, not try to control them or change them.

If Lacey and Chris had listened to the professionals, Christian would have been killed through an abortion; we would never have known about this faith-filled mother and father; we would never have seen the beauty of their son Christian; we would never have seen the beauty of his mother's love or been inspired to protect that love for all children and society.

In her video Lacey said, "One girl even told me I was a horrible person for not aborting Christian in utero." Lacey, you are not a horrible person. You are like the woman Blessed John Paul II calls an irreplaceable support and source of spiritual strength for others. He also says such women are owed much by their families and sometimes by their nations. We owe you much and thank you for sharing your story with us and inspiring us.

Mother Angelica once said that every injury, cruelty, injustice, illness, anxiety, unfulfilled need or longing that we have experienced in this life and united with Jesus' suffering will become a great blessing in the next life, for God will turn our deepest sorrows into unimaginable joy.

 
-----

For those who are interested in finding out more about Lacey, Chris and Christian, you can go to Lacey's blog. You can also find their story on Lifesitenews.com and Nationalrighttolifenews.org.
 
 
-----

Michael Terheyden was born into a Catholic family, but that is not why he is a Catholic. He is a Catholic because he believes that truth is real, that it is beautiful and good, and that the fullness of truth is in the Catholic Church. However, he knows that God's grace operating throughout his life is the main reason he is a Catholic. He is greatly blessed to share his faith and his life with his beautiful wife, Dorothy. They have four grown children and three grandchildren.

Blessed John Paul II...the great evangeliser!

CHALLENGES TO RELIGIOUS LIFE IN THE NEW EVANGELIZATION

Pallottine Father Jacob Nampudakam on Returning to the Spirit of the Gospel

By Jose Antonio Varela Vidal

ROME, MAY 23, 2012 (Zenit.org).- As the October synod of bishops on the new evangelization draws near, ZENIT continues its series of interviews with the superiors of religious congregations.  ZENIT talked with Indian Father Jacob Nampudakam, rector-general of the congregation founded by Saint Vincent Pallotti in 1835.

ZENIT: How have you received Pope Benedict XVI’s call to the New Evangelization?

Father Nampudakam: This is a very important call for us as Pallottines. It is a topic that is related to our charism because our holy founder wished to build a Church in communion, with the participation of all the faithful, religious, priests, laity, all together as true apostles of Christ.

ZENIT: How must the faith be presented in today’s environment?

Father Nampudakam: What is important is to return to the Gospel, and to live Jesus’ message more authentically. The New Evangelization is not just conferences and books – which are important -- but until we return to the spirit of the Gospel, we will not be able to change anything. Hence, I believe we must present God, Jesus, exactly as he is.

ZENIT: The Pope says that God is the “Great Unknown” in present day society.

Father Nampudakam: It would seem that people are not interested in God, but from my little experience, I think that in the depths of their hearts there is always the desire for God. I have found, especially among young people -- when I hear their confessions, and who seem very disinterested and confused -- a real sincerity of heart, an honesty. Man cannot live without God, he can deny him for some time or create an illusion of greatness and immortality, but in my opinion God is an existential option.

ZENIT: What could be changed in religious life to respond to this challenge of the New Evangelization?

Father Nampudakam: For all of us, whether religious or laymen, the greatest temptation is materialism. We all have before us the beatitude: “Blessed are the poor.” And this is not a problem of the East or the West, but a problem of human nature, because like original sin, we feel like God. Materialism creates the illusion of feeling omnipotent, like God; that is why, an experience of real poverty: spiritual, psychological and human is very important. I think that for those who are youngest, the experience of the mission is important, because when the missions are visited, when we see those children without anything, it touches our heart and changes our attitude to life.

ZENIT: And in religious formation, what must be taken into account in the future?

Father Nampudakam: It must be founded on essential things. Often we live in environments that are somewhat removed from reality. There is the whole of theology, philosophy, science, but in the end what matters here is our profound relationship with God, with Jesus. In other words: a simple life, a certain poverty, not many great things, and also contact with persons, with the pastoral experience of the mission and with human littleness, because these are important values.

ZENIT: You spoke of the mission. What can the West learn from the East?

Father Nampudakam: In my experience, there are strong and weak points in each culture. No culture is perfect in itself. We can learn much about Western culture and the culture of many other Eastern countries or of Africa. For example, I am from India, and in the Indian, Eastern culture there is always a great sense of God as something innate. In the Muslim world, everyone also feels like this. Hence we need more interiority, profundity, and we must not limit ourselves, for example, to the liturgy, but there must be a greater experience of God. Then, we must have more simplicity, because the world and society create so many needs, but we can live a simpler life, poorer, this is very important.

ZENIT: And can what works well in the East or in Africa as pastoral strategy be learned in the West?

Father Nampudakam: For example, in India a very effective strategy was that of Mother Teresa. As a Catholic religious she had no difficulty in professing the Catholic faith and everyone accepted that. So to profess our faith honestly is something important, and also to respect all the other religions.

ZENIT: Hence, service can be a good strategy for people to find Christ in other persons?

Father Nampudakam: In the first place, the Gospel must be preached, because our work is not just of a social character. However, we cannot forget people’s needs, the works of charity, I would say especially in Africa. Because only someone who has been there can know what this means. People don’t have anything, and we cannot close our eyes to the suffering of the people, who must be involved in the works of charity in the Christian sense, with great respect because if they are poor, we are not their masters. We are all the same in this world and we all have the same rights.

ZENIT: Can you tell us about your Congregation and its vocations?

Father Nampudakam: We are 2,500 priests and brothers in 43 countries. In the past we have had a great presence in Germany and Poland, although present-day Poland is strong, in some other countries the number of vocations has declined. Today the greatest growth is in India. We are reaching other countries such as Taiwan, the Philippines, and we might also go to Vietnam or Cambodia. We are working in close to 12 countries in Africa. There is a great future in Africa, given that many countries have a large Catholic population where, at the same time, there are many needs. In South America we are quite strong, for example in Brazil, and we are growing in other countries of the region. In the European world the situation is not altogether good, but it is interesting because in Ireland we have seven young men and some in Germany.

ZENIT: What do these young postulants say to you? Why have they left the world behind?

Father Nampudakam: I have spoken with the youths of Ireland to find out why they entered our Congregation. And they told me that it was because of the hospitality they found through our parish priests, our openness to the laity which is part of our charism. Saint Vincent Pallotti always wanted to create a community with the great participation of the laity. I think today’s Church must be like this, and it is something logical, because 90% of the Church is the laity, who must not just be spectators.

ZENIT: How are the causes of canonization progressing among you?

Father Nampudakam: There are close to 20 cases. We have two from Poland who have been beatified, Fathers Jozef Stanek and Jozef Jankowski, martyrs killed during World War II, together with some other Germans and Poles. There are also the Irish martyrs and the Argentine ones who were killed during the period of dictatorship in Argentina.

ZENIT: Finally, what message can you give the Pallottine Family in the world?

Father Nampudakam: My message is that we must return to the Gospel, to the spirit of the Gospel. We have Jesus as the exemplary model of Christian life and perfection. A profound decision must be made: let us do different works, but let us do everything in the name of Christ and for his kingdom. The Church is ours and we are at the service of the one Church of Christ.