A Boy Named Sue

Most of us are familiar with the comedic song made popular by country legend, Johnny Cash, about an absent father who named his son, Sue, to toughen him up. I wish I could say my article is comedy but it’s not. In today’s world it seems that toddlers, prepubescent boys and girls, and their mothers know better than God and can determine gender. For those of us who still have a shred of common sense, we know we are either born male or female. The only exception are those born with an extremely rare biological condition called hermaphroditism¹ of having both male and female reproductive organs.

Recently, there have been several disturbing cases of mothers determining their boys’ biological gender based on feelings. These “adults” are aiding them, chemically and surgically, in mutilating their bodies in spite of the fact that regret rates are the highest in male to female reversal surgeries, and according to a 2011 study, after sex reassignment surgery, transsexuals faced a higher risk for mortality, suicide, and psychiatric issues². The facts listed in the prior sentence are based on adult patients. Can you imagine the damage being inflicted on children?

“When I was in the psychiatric hospital, there was a man on one side of me who thought he was King George and another guy on the other side who thought he was Jesus Christ. I decided I was Sam,” explains Charles Kane who opted to become a man again after identifying as Sam Hashimi after male-to-female reassignment surgery in the BBC documentary One Life: Make Me a Man Again.  Young children have active imaginations and pretend they are all kinds of people, animals, and things. Just because they pretend to be something they’re not does not make them that person or thing. 

In the headlines this week is the horrifying case of seven-year-old Texas boy, James Younger.³ James’ mother, Dr. Anne Georgulas, says her son loves the Disney movie, Frozen, which in her mind, means he is a girl. Since the age of 3, she’s dressed him as a girl, provided him with traditional girl’s toys, and calls him Luna. He is also registered at his school as Luna. However, according to his father, Jeffrey Younger, when his son stays at his home, James refuses to wear dresses and prefers to be what he is—a boy.

Real problems started when Dr. Georgulas decided to chemically castrate James so he could fully transition into a girl. Younger refused to consent, claiming his ex-wife was forcing James against his will. As a result, Dr. Georgulas took her ex-husband to court to fight for custody and sole decision-making for their two sons (James has a twin brother). According to LifeSite News, she also sued to forbid Younger from calling his son James, from keeping the child overnight, having only supervised visits, and prevent him from bringing James near anyone who would not refer to him as a “girl”.

Tragically, eleven of the twelve jurors sided with James’ mother.  Thankfully, two days later, Judge Kim Cooks overruled the jury and granted joint conservatorship of James, including making joint medical decisions.⁴ In addition, prompted by Texas Governor, Greg Abbott, the Texas Attorney General and Texas Department of Family and Protective Services will be investigating Dr. Georgulas.⁵

This also brings me to the sad story of the now 11-year-old drag queen who performs at gay strip clubs while adult men throw money at him. Desmond Napoles is encouraged by his mother, Wendy Napoles, to perform for men. He was “discovered” at the age of 7-years-old on the TV show, RuPaul’s Drag Race. His mother was cleared of child endangerment charges by New York Child Protective Services last year and her son continues dancing for money in gay bars.⁶  Another prodigy of RuPaul Drag Race, 10-year-old, Nemis Quinn Melancon-Golden, was featured in Huck Magazine with a naked adult drag queen.⁷

The mainstream media lavishes praise and support on these children and their mothers. However, I’d like to turn the tables: Let’s talk about the fictitious Mrs. Smith and her 7-year-old daughter, Jane. Jane enjoys her dance classes and the sparkly costumes she wears at her recitals. One night, while watching her mother’s favorite TV reality show, based on the life of an exotic dancer, Jane told her mother she thought the dancer was pretty. Mrs. Smith wrote the star and told her all about her Jane. The TV star/stripper was so enamored with Jane that she invited her to perform at a televised event at the strip club. Mrs. Smith had provocative outfits tailor-made for Jane to wear. Jane was such a hit, her mother now manages Jane’s career and books her performances at local strip clubs where adult men throw money at her. The mother also maintains a website with pictures of Jane in various forms of undress. This fabricated scenario would result in Mrs. Smith jailed for child endangerment and prostitution and with Jane in foster care.

There was tragic news recently about a 9-year-old boy who set fire to his house, killing five family members. Prosecutors charged him with five counts of murder and one count of arson.⁸    Immediately, news media demanded that the child was too young to face these counts and go to jail for something he couldn’t possibly understand. However, what I find amusing is the same people who believe this child can’t comprehend his actions, also believe that same child knows his correct gender and is smarter than God and most scientists and medical professionals.

God doesn’t make mistakes. Biology and anatomy are not suggestions. These are children. The true culprits at the root of this are the mothers. Mothers: if you want a daughter and not a son—try again. If it’s fame you’re looking for, don’t do it at the expense of your child.  It’s better to name your son, Sue, instead of trying to make him Sue.

¹ Encyclopaedia Britannica – Biology, Editors of Encyclopeadia Britannica. Recent update by Kara Rogers, Senior Editor

² Newsweek – Transgender Surgery: Regret Rates Highest in Male to Female Reassignment Operations, Lizette Borreli, 10/3/17

³ Townhall – Texas Jury Blocks Dad From Stopping 7-Year-Old Son’s Chemically Castrated Transgender Transition by Timothy Meads, October 22, 2019

⁴ LifeSite News, Judge Rules Dad Will Have Say In Gender ‘Transition’ of 7-Year-Old, Madeleine Jacob, October 24, 2019

⁵ LifeSite News, Texas Gov. Investigating Case Involving Mom Who Wants Gender ‘Transition’ for 7-year-old. October 23, 2019

⁶ The Christian Post, CPS Clears Mom of 11-year-old Drag Kid Who Danced in Gay Bar for Tips, March 14, 2018 by Samuel Smith, CP Reporter

⁷ The Daily Wire, 10-Year-Old Boy ‘Drag Kid’ Photographed With Naked Adult Drag Queen, January 11, 2019 by Amanda Prestigiacomo

⁸ AP, October 22, 2019 9-year-old Arraigned on Murder, Arson Charges in Illinois Fire That Killed 5

Bend the Knee

A folk song by Bob Gibson and a phrase known by all fans of the HBO series, Game of Thrones. However, this article has nothing to do with skiing or dragon queens.

By now we’re all aware of Colin Kapernick and others who take a knee at the first strains of the US National Anthem because they feel offended and oppressed while earning millions of dollars, performing in the National Football League (NFL), in modern day United States of America. However, Kapernick’s feelings of victimhood may have more to do about the refusal of any NFL team to hire him.  It certainly couldn’t have anything to do with his multi-million dollar contract from Nike, a company that rakes in billions in profits at the expense of Chinese slave labor. Not to mention his silence in the face of the continued slaughter and oppression of Chinese peoples or the enslavement of Christians and Muslims in concentration camps. Instead, Kapernick and Nike, the leading mouthpieces for sports social justice, have chosen instead to shame team owners and bend the knee to profits and feigned offenses.  

The NFL has no qualms with Kapernick and others who take a knee. However, when Tim Tebow took a knee to pray to God before each game, well that was revolting, laughable, and offensive. What’s the difference?  Disrespecting the flag offended countless Americans, especially active military and veterans. It also resulted in loss of revenue for the NFL as many fans tuned out and refused to attend games. Kneeling in prayer to God offended exactly who? How many atheist NFL fans protested? I’m going to go out on a limb here and say it was mainly the mainstream media.  The slightest mention of the Christian religion is enough to send them into a PC tizzy.

Fast forward to the present.  We now have a new athlete in the proverbial hot seat. New Orleans Saints’ linebacker, Demario Davis, wore a headband that read ‘Man of God’ while playing in the 3^rd game of the 2019 season and it was clearly visible on TV! As a result, the NFL slapped a $7,000 fine on Demario and told him to remove the headband or face a $14,000 fine if he wore it again.¹ Donning headbands that express political or charitable messages or anything that doesn’t relate to the team are against the NFL dress code. However, kneeling during the National Anthem because the song and the flag offend you (political message and not team related) is always permitted.

Demario confessed he was not aware of the policy and stated he would stop wearing the headband. Instead of playing the victim, creating a scene, calling for a boycott, and demanding the league bend the knee, he and his agent quietly appealed the fine and won! In contrast to Kapernick and his like, Demario donated the $7,000 to St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson, Mississippi.² Children attending the St. Louis King of France School in Metairie, Louisiana, decided to support Demario and sent him a picture of them wearing ‘Children of God’ headbands³. Demario decided to turn this into a movement.  He is now manufacturing his original ‘Man of God’ headband, as well as ‘Woman of God’ and ‘Children of God’ headbands, with all proceeds going to charity.  As of October 19 he has raised upward of $120,000.⁴

Demario gave an interview with the Associated Press in 2014 when he was with the New York Jets, in which he stated, “My faith is always going to be the most important aspect of my leadership. I was a leader off the field on this team before I was a leader on the field. I wanted my character to speak for me before I even stepped foot on the field. I wanted guys to know that I put God first, I put my family second and I put football third.”

How refreshing to hear a man stand up and define himself as all Christians should. He took a negative and turned it into a positive. He respected the league dress code but was able to turn the situation into a win for his true mission—to use his platform to evangelize and create more Disciples of Christ.⁵ 

Unless you live in Louisiana or the east side of Texas, or subscribe to faith-based media, chances are you haven’t heard this story. It has been largely ignored or under-reported by the mainstream media. Why is it taboo to hear a man, a sports hero to the youth of our country, talk about and praise God? Why are athletes such as Tim Tebow and Demario Davis treated like a laughing stock?

Jesus left his disciples with these words as recorded in Mark 15:16, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” He wasn’t just instructing the disciples. He was talking to all of us. Yes, Tebow and Davis have a large platform but we encounter many people every day.

Never pass up the opportunity to talk about your faith. Yes, you might face rejection but many times it encourages others to open up and talk about their faith—or lack thereof. For instance, a co-worker asked me about my plans for the weekend. I told her my husband and I are celebrating our 38^th wedding anniversary by going to church and out to dinner. She then asked what restaurant and which church. As I can see the large, beautiful dome of my church from my office window, I pointed it out to her, which spurred a conversation.

I encourage you to converse with the young. Millennials and members of Generation Z get a bad rap. Many do not know God or they know very little of Him. When God gives you the opportunity to talk up faith, take advantage of it. Most are very inquisitive and are searching for truth and authenticity. They are open to hearing your views so don’t be afraid to share them.

There is also a large pool of lapsed Catholic Baby Boomers and members of Generation X who have totally lost their way. When churches remove reverence from Mass, people flee in search of it or fill the void with something else. It’s sad to say that many have never even attended a truly reverent Mass. If given the opportunity, invite them to your church. They may take you up on the offer.

One of my daughter’s friends, a lapsed Catholic who was agnostic, knew we were practicing Catholics and heard us talking about our church. He decided to attend Mass with us. You can imagine our surprise when after several weeks he went to Confession and received Communion for the first time in years. It doesn’t just have to be lapsed Catholics, either. My daughter had another friend who was a non-practicing Muslim. She observed our family attending Mass, and as a result she asked to attend with us. She was so impressed she spoke to our then pastor at length after Mass.

Don’t fall prey to bending the knee to material things or PC culture. There is only one King. As St. Paul reminds us in Philippians 2:10-11, “At the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Chris is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

¹ Washington Post, An NFL player will stop wearing his ‘Man of God’ headband after the league fined him $7,000 by Cindy Boren, October 3, 2019

² ABC13 Houston Sports, New Orleans Saints Player Won’t Have to Pay $7,000 Fine for ‘Man of God’ Headband, October 9, 2019

³. KNOE News CBS 8, WVUE School Shows Support for Fined Saints Linebacker with ‘Child of God’ Headbands, October 8, 2019

⁴ Fox Nation, Demario Davis ‘Man of God’ Headband Sales Explode After NFL Fine, He’s Giving it all to Charity, by Yael Halon, October 19, 2019

⁵Sports Spectrum Magazine, The Increase: Make His Name Known, December 12, 2017

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Aretha Franklin made this song popular, demanding recognition from her man. Respect should be expected by and for everyone—whether you are at the beginning or end of life. No matter what we look like or what we’re capable of, we are all the same in God’s eyes.

The month of October is known for many reasons. However, as Catholics, it should be renowned for praying the Rosary and the respect for life. What can be more important than chronicling the life of Jesus every day in the Rosary and valuing the lives of every human being created in His likeness? 

Here in the United States, we are guaranteed the right to life. Unfortunately, many politicians and citizens have forgotten. Abortion is a cancer on our nation, as well as the disregard of the marginalized, including the sick, homeless, elderly, and those who are deemed “different”. Euthanasia is becoming legal, popular, and cool. Most disturbing is watching physicians support and perform these deadly procedures on our brothers and sisters as well as their family members who advise and cajole them into it. In a world where you can exterminate your unborn child, why not do so to those who are in physical and/or mental pain or don’t conform to what we think is “perfect”?

As an average American, you watch the news and think, what can I do? We see states clambering over each other to perform abortion up to the moment of birth—and even one governor who tried to pass a law making it legal to kill the baby after birth. Democratic politicians, Hollywood elites, social and mainstream media heap praise on these states and their ‘pro-woman’ agenda. What they fail to acknowledge, however, is we are making a difference. The number of abortions today is at the lowest it’s been since abortion became legal in 1973. That is huge. When Planned Parenthood decided to break ground on a new mega-facility on the Illinois-Missouri border, they did so in secret.¹ Why do you think they’d do that?

Make no mistake, these people are trying to silence the Pro-Life movement because they know Americans are waking up to the truth. When Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood Director turned Pro-Life advocate, released her movie, based on her autobiographic book, Unplanned, Hollywood gave it an R rating so most teenagers could not see it.² Social and mainstream media refused to air ads and basically banned any mention of it from their platforms. It didn’t matter; the movie reached millions and even more millions via DVD release. To further their agenda, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter continually bar Pro-Life and Christian groups from their platforms, stating they break their “hate speech” or “fake news” rules. It’s why the Pro-Life March, held each January in Washington, DC, is never publicized or featured on any mainstream media news outlets, even though it’s the largest civil rights march in the world.

The bringing together of the Rosary and Life is no coincidence. Prayer is a powerful tool and the Rosary, its most lethal weapon. It’s time to make prayer great again, beginning with the Rosary. It takes only fifteen to twenty minutes of your day. Yes, you can recite it at church, but you can also pray it on the way to work, exercising, or just relaxing at home. There’s even an app for it!

Catholics also need to start walking the walk. Don’t be afraid to say you’re Christian and Pro-Life to your friends. Be prepared to explain the science of why abortion and euthanasia are murder. Share it on social media. Take part in a local Right to Life March, give to a women’s center, offer to help a struggling young family or elderly neighbor and ask if they need help or just need someone to talk to.

Loneliness is fast becoming an epidemic in the United States. Technology is a wonderful thing, but it has devastated young and old by eradicating real human interaction. No one talks to each other face-to-face, even when they’re in the same room. Bullying has skyrocketed—it’s easy to degrade someone when you’re anonymous. If that person harms him or herself, so what? They are a faceless entity. Churches are empty. No one is hearing the Good News and the hope it brings. Children are growing up alone, not learning the difference between right and wrong and critical thinking is dead. Grandparents don’t live in the same state or region as their children and grandchildren, so how can they share their wisdom and company? The aged are growing old with no one to turn to. Who would want to live in a world with no faith, no love, no hope, no God?

We have the power to change this. I agree we must be good stewards of the planet, but instead of preaching about Mother Earth, it’s time to get back to venerating Father God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and all His children. It’s good to admire turtles, lions, and endangered species but what about our fellow humans? At least we see ads and pictures of adorable babies on TV, but when was the last time you saw groups of physically or mentally challenged or ill and elderly people interacting on TV? Advertising agencies don’t want to share that. Nobody wants to see them. We tend to look away—much like many do when shown the bloody destruction of abortion.

When my parents were at the end of their lives, pain-stricken, hospitalized, unable to do the simplest of tasks or control their bodily functions, I realized this is what physical death really looks like. Any shred of human dignity is stripped away. My parents, however, were surrounded by their children and grandchildren who respected them, and first and foremost, my parents knew that death was not the end—it was only the beginning. Their eternal life awaited them! Unfortunately, many people face death alone, scared, and without God. Imagine how horrifying and sad that is.

All of us were babies and most of us will suffer from illnesses, grow old, and pass away. Shouldn’t everyone receive respect from birth to death? Yes! Jesus eloquently sums up our obligations in Matthew 22:37-40, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

¹ Planned Parenthood Quietly Built Massive ‘Megaclinic’ in Illinois Near Missouri Border, NBC News by Safia Samee Ali, October 2, 2019

² MPAA’s R-Rating for Anti-Abortion Film Disputed by Distributer Pure Flix by Paul Bond, Hollywood Reporter, February 22, 2019

RUNNIN’ WITH THE DEVIL

The title of a hit song by Van Halen or the motto of Democratic politicians?  Both, as legislators try to outdo each other with the most “progressive” abortion laws.  Safe, legal, and rare is now up to the moment of birth. Illinois has JB “Moloch” Pritzker as their governor. Under the majority Democratic legislature, partial birth abortion is a go, a woman can decide to abort a baby minutes before it’s born and there are no longer any father’s rights or parent’s rights. So when a Planned Parenthood worker tells a thirteen-year-old girl it’s not a baby she’s killing, the parent doesn’t have to learn about it until it’s over and are left to deal with the irreparable scars down the road. In Illinois, there are no longer father’s rights, either. If your wife or girlfriend decides she doesn’t want the baby, even at 9-month gestation, you have no voice for your child. 

As a Catholic, I believe life begins at conception. However, for the sake of this article, let’s focus on late-term abortion that democratic legislators believe is a women’s right to choose and that this is somehow healthcare.  It is not a baby, it’s a fetus. My first question to the people who tell me this is, do you not know what fetus means in Latin? My next question is when does a fetus magically turn into a baby? Does Dr. Whizzo pop in the delivery room and sprinkle fairy dust to make it a human baby? And even this theory is out since the democratic governor of Virginia decided a mother can choose if the baby lives or dies after it’s born.

A couple of weeks back, a baby born at 23 weeks gestation survived and eventually went home with her parents. That’s odd since she should have still been a fetus and not human. So how did that happen? If lawmakers rule that a mother has the right to choose if her viable infant lives or dies, what’s to stop them from issuing laws that say a 1-3 year old isn’t a child or a 70-year old mother or father isn’t either?

Pick up a science book, is another comment I hear frequently. It doesn’t even cross their minds that they aren’t scientists either. However, using science as my guide, I’ll ask them, when scientists search for life in oceans or distant planets, are they only looking for fully adult humans? Ultrasound technology is scientific, or at least I thought it was. When I was pregnant I had several of them. I saw my “fetus” who magically turned into my daughter. She had a heart-beat, hands, fingers, legs, and toes and perfectly formed human organs. When the umbilical cord was not giving her proper nutrients she stopped moving. My doctor explained that the baby’s brain was reserving energy so that the nutrients that were coming through the umbilical cord could go to the vital organs that kept baby alive. Wow, that sounds complicated for a lifeless, blob of cells.

The abortion crowd will shout, see it needs the woman and the umbilical cord to live! It’s part of the mother’s body. Her body, her choice. No, sorry, wrong again. My doctor had me on stand-by for an emergency C-section. She was perfectly capable of living outside the womb at the 7-8 month mark.  This also shoots down their cry of health of the mother. I know of no circumstance in a late term pregnancy, that the life of the mother has anything to do with killing her baby. The same magical, non-scientific, C-section works for that too. Mom is too sick, she gets a C-section, baby is delivered and everybody lives.

I’d also like a real scientist to enlighten me on how a baby in the womb is not a human baby, but a turtle or bald eagle in an egg is a turtle and a bald eagle? Please, call me to explain.

Last month there was a horrific crime on the south side of Chicago. A baby was cut out of his mother’s womb. The mother died. The baby lived for a few weeks on life support due to brain injuries because of oxygen deprivation. How did that fetus magically transform into a human baby? Did the criminals have the secret fairy dust in their possession? And what was all this outcry in the media against this? That baby is the same baby as in every woman’s womb at 9 months. Why is it that this baby is considered a person with the right to live but the others are not?  Science?  Logic?  Nah.

A few weeks ago a teen mom gave birth and tossed the baby in the garbage. When the grandmother found out the baby was alive, she went to the garbage can and called 9-1-1. The media was outraged. The first responders were on the news in tears. Why? Who could deny this poor little baby life? If mom went to Planned Parenthood, she could have aborted right before birth. What’s different other than she tossed the baby in the garbage and Planned Parenthood would have made sure they killed the baby before selling its body parts and organs to the highest bidder.

Which leads me the outrage, barbarity, horror, atrocity and scandal over the abused young calves at Fair Oaks Farm in Indiana. Women and men, screaming and carrying posters with pictures of the abused cows picketed outside the facility. Stores pulled Fair Oaks dairy products from their shelves. News crews were outside filming and shoving microphones at store employees and owners, demanding answers and accountability. The names of the three criminals were released and a manhunt ensued.  This went on for days. I was amazed at the outpouring of concern for the cows.

It would have been nice to see the several pro-life groups who were outside of Pritzker’s office, praying, while he signed the bill into law. I know they were there. However, the media chose not to air it. It doesn’t fit in with their abortion is healthcare agenda. If abortion is healthcare, why don’t we see into an abortion clinic to witness an abortion on a news documentary, as we’ve seen open heart, bariatric or brain surgery? We’ve seen cosmetic surgery on television and tonsillectomies to name a few, so why not partial birth abortion? It’s just a fetus after all—it’s not like it’s human or anything. It’s a part of the woman’s body, right? So how does it suddenly separate from the mother’s body and become its own person? Let’s see and we can decide for ourselves.  

I’m being sarcastic because they will never show this. It’s barbaric and it’s murder and they know it. They also know every Planned Parenthood facility and any person defending it would be called out. It’s much easier to say it’s not a person and just a fetus when you don’t know or don’t care. Just because something is deemed “scientifically proven” and legal doesn’t make it right. In doubt? Read up on the history of slavery in the United States. Research human zoos and eugenics in the United States. Groups of people were lawfully and scientifically deemed not human, not a person, and murdered. As we were judged harshly for this scourged period in our history, so too will be judged for the murder of infants.

HOW LOW CAN YOU GO?

The same question Chubby Checker asks in his version of the Limbo Rock, I can ask several democratic United States governors and legislators who support and cheer for late term abortion and infanticide. This has nothing to do with politics, because I can ask the same of some US Catholic Cardinals. I watched in anger and disgust as the “catholic” governor of New York, Mario Cuomo (D) signed his late term abortion bill into law while members of the New York legislature, cheered wildly. To top this, Governor Cuomo ordered the Freedom Tower to be lit that night in pink for victory!

Governor Cuomo, who identifies as catholic, has been vocal against Church teaching throughout his career. He stated in 2014, if you are pro-life, you ‘have no place’ in New York¹. Does this sound catholic to you?  If you’re not sure, ask yourself if you could imagine Jesus congratulating King Herod on the slaughter of Jewish baby boys in his quest to kill Jesus.

Just when I thought it couldn’t get worse, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam (D), went even lower. The bill in his state included infanticide. Governor Northam explained on local radio station WTOP that under his bill a newborn baby will be kept “comfortable” while mom and doc decide if he or she should be snuffed out. How low can you go? Apparently as low as China and South Korea. Such illustrious company. Thank God the bill was defeated.

Let’s move on to the democratic ladies in white, headed by Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi (D) California, a “catholic”, and newbie Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D) New York. This block of women wore white to represent the late 1800’s to early 1900’s US suffragette movement. Interesting, since all leading suffragettes of the time, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Lucy Stone among others, were vehemently against abortion and considered it a tool of men to oppress women. These legislators couldn’t even stand or applaud President Trump’s comments against infanticide. Instead of white, the female democratic legislators should have worn red.

Speaking of wearing red, the color of cardinals, and I’m not talking about birds or the baseball team, I’m talking about Catholic Cardinals. Namely, Cardinal Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York. When the good people of New York rose up against the horrific abortion law in their state, many turned to their religious leaders. Catholics demanded punishment of Cuomo on the grounds of his prolific, unrepentant pro-murder stance. The outcry is not limited to New York—it’s country wide. According to Pew, only 25% of US adults approve of late term abortion—many of the 75% against are pro-choice². So what did the chief shepherd of the Diocese of New York City faithful do?  Cardinal Dolan was horrified and condemned the law. When pressed on why Cuomo shouldn’t be excommunicated he stated that excommunication shouldn’t be used as a weapon³.

OK so why do we excommunicate women who legally have the abortion and the people who legally perform them⁴ but not the legislator who made it all legally possible? I’m not a theologian but I thought excommunication is an agent of mercy, not punishment or a weapon. It’s meant to bring the person back to the faith through penance. If you are Catholic, you want to be in communion with the church—not against it. How can Cuomo, a man who repeatedly and flamboyantly flips his nose at our Lord, have the honor of partaking in anything sacred? He’s not sorry. He’s rubbing it in our faces.

In the wake of the current sex scandal rocking the Catholic Church, why do our shepherds keep adding fuel to the flame? In what way will this lead people to the faith? Who wants admittance into a religion where the person next to you reviles the very principle you stand for? If Governor Cuomo called a presser this morning and said he was wrong about this law, begs forgiveness, and will vote to repeal it, Catholics would accept this and welcome him back, but he’s not going to do that because we know what happens to politicians who buck democratic party lines. One need looks no further than Pro-Life Illinois US Rep. Dan Lipinski (D)⁵.

It’s time we tell our “shepherds”, religious and legislative, we’re not having it. When I discuss the new late term abortion and infanticide laws to friends and co-workers, many don’t know a thing about it. The media squelches the story because it doesn’t follow their agenda, but the Church should not. This should be the main topic of every homily. What are parish priests afraid of? Parishioners like Governor Cuomo.

Just last week I read a story that Bishop Hurley, Diocese of Saginaw, Michigan, removed Father Edwin Dwyer, a canon lawyer, from his parish for introducing reverence and tradition back into one of his Masses⁶. The congregation loved it—except for a wealthy couple who reported him. He was removed expeditiously. Money is what influenced this bishop to do the unthinkable. Money and prestige influence some priests, bishops, and cardinals. Cardinal Dolan rubs elbows with the elites, attends cocktails parties and exhibits, even those that exposed sacred Catholic garments to the vile, mocking fashion of wealthy celebrities⁷.

All of us will have to face God one day—including Dolan and Cuomo. It’s our job to enlighten our loved ones. You and I have a voice. I intend to use mine. I am Catholic and proudly Pro-Life. To quote gospel singer, Mavis Staples, “We go high when they go low.” Don’t be afraid of being mocked and hated. Don’t get discouraged. Be proud. Wear it like a badge of honor. Instead of dancing the politically correct Limbo, heed the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:13-28 and Luke 6:22-23, “Blessed are you when people hate you, drive you out, abuse you, denounce your name as criminal, on account of the Son of man. Rejoice when that day comes and dance for joy! Your reward will be great in heaven.”

 

¹ The Washington Times – Sunday, January 19, 2014

²  Pew Research Center, Public Opinion on Abortion, October 15, 2018

³ Relevant Magazine, NY Cardinal Dolan Won’t Excommunicate Gov. Andrew Cuomo Over Abortion Law, January 28, 2019

⁴ Canon #1398

⁵ CNN Politics, An anti-abortion, conservative Democrat fights for survival in Illinois primary, Eric Bradner, March 19, 2018

⁶ National Catholic Register, Nation, Saginaw Priest Removed From Parish for Traditional ‘Style of Worship’, Joseph O’Brien, February 7, 2019

7 National Catholic Register, Blogs, How the Vatican Became Enmeshed in the Met Gala, Edward Pentin, May 9, 2018

AUBREY

David Gates of the soft rock group, Bread, wrote and sang this song. When I first heard the song many years ago in the early 70’s, I was drawn to the melancholy lyrics and pure vocals Gates is known for, but I had no idea what it would mean to me years later. Turns out I’m not alone. Search the internet for, Aubrey by Bread, and read how this song arouses powerful emotions in all who hear it. There are several interpretations of the lyrics, but they’re essentially about loss and what could have been.

The lyrics speak to many mothers of children lost to miscarriage. If you’ve never experienced the pain of miscarriage, it can be difficult to comprehend. The medical definition of miscarriage, according to Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia, is “the spontaneous loss of a fetus before the 20^th week of pregnancy”. No matter how early in the pregnancy—it is the death of a loved one—a real person, and you must allow for a grieving process. These babies were members of the family. Their images were captured on ultrasound and their presence was made known. A nursery may have been prepared, names may have been bandied about, and a future envisioned. That child was theirs and now he or she is gone.

Miscarriage is a topic not much discussed as it occurs early in a pregnancy with little to no outward signs that a child existed. There is no preparation for the loss; one day your baby is alive and kicking, the next day he or she is not.  Having others try to minimize it makes it even worse. There are support groups for miscarriage.  However, I wonder how many parents who lose their babies in the 1^st trimester attend? Possibly it’s because of the misconceptions of others. An actual “baby” never existed so why would there be anything to be that upset about? That is wrong and far from the truth. As Catholics, we believe life begins at conception. No matter the age of the fetus, he or she is a living human being.

A few years ago I was visiting with an elderly friend and her sister. That particular afternoon, she told me her sister wouldn’t be joining us because it was the anniversary of her miscarriage. She said her sister cried every year on this day. She then asked me how silly I thought it was for her to be depressed over a baby that never was.  I quietly informed her that I lost three children to miscarriage and the hurt is always there. I felt for her sister and wished she would talk to me—someone who understood.

When I experienced my miscarriages I asked if my babies would be baptized and what would happen to them. I can at least take comfort that my miscarriages happened at Catholic hospitals and I was assured they were baptized or prayed over, treated with respect, and buried in a Catholic cemetery. One of my miscarriages happened at home and my mother baptized the baby after consulting our parish priest over the phone. It didn’t seem so at the time, but I was blessed to have seen him. I was not able to have a liturgy or burial for any of my babies. Today you can ask for your child’s remains. There are cemeteries with special sites for miscarried babies. Your priest can also perform a ceremony for you. I would have loved to have something like this. It brings about closure that so many of us never received.

After an announced miscarriage or memorial service, you will hear an abundance of condolences from family and friends. While all are well-meaning, not all are suitable for parents grieving the loss of their child. ‘You’re young, you can always have another baby.’ Or if you already have living children, ‘Well you still have Dick and Jane’. Or ‘This is a blessing in disguise/God’s way to spare you from having a child that’s not quite right’.  Don’t offer any of these “sympathies”. One child can never replace another. Mom and Dad wanted that child. Loss never feels like a godsend and they would give anything to have this child. Some miscarriages have nothing to do with the health of the child and the parents may know this. Many women feel the miscarriage is their fault and live with misplaced guilt, so please, no.

Instead, be the shoulder to cry on and the hand to hold. Let them know how loved that child is—not was. Keep them in your prayers and provide the space for them to mourn. My mother, who lost both a living child as well as one to miscarriage, was a sought-out comforter to other moms in the same position. She provided the right amount of prayer, sympathy, counsel, understanding, and informed them that their child, who may have never lived in this world, was alive with God in His. She would go on to describe the celebration in heaven for the newest saint! How beautiful and uplifting.

Most moms are shocked to learn that their “baby” will be fully-grown in heaven. St. Thomas Aquinas tells us, “All will rise in the condition of perfect age, which is thirty-two or thirty-three years. This is because all who were not yet arrived at this age, did not possess this perfect age, and the old had already lost it. Hence, youths and children will be given what they lack, and what the aged once had will be restored to them: “Until we all attain the unity of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the age of fullness of Christ.”¹

How to remember our lost children?  For my miscarried children, I have Masses said for all unborn babies on the anniversary of each miscarriage. I’ve donated to causes in their memory and fight for the repeal of Roe v. Wade in their name. Because I was able to actually see one of my babies—perfectly formed in every way—I know the lie of the clump of cells. I can’t tell you how many pro-abortionists I have silenced with that truth. “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32

 I cried while writing this as, yes, the pain lessens but it never goes away. The thought of what could have been…the children who would have lived, played, and grown into adulthood with their two living sisters…the love they would have brought to both me and my husband. They would have completed most of their schooling by now, maybe contemplating marriage, or even having children of their own. I look forward to meeting them when we’re reunited in heaven. Will I know them? Yes, instantly, I have no doubt. Until then, I will quietly celebrate them every April and January and know one day, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain. These things of the past are gone forever.” Revelation 21:4.

If you have suffered the pain of miscarriage, know you are not alone. There are countless parents out there going through the same pain as you. Don’t be afraid to reach out to your parish priest. Chances are he knows others within your parish who suffered the same loss and can put you in touch with them.

 

¹ The Catechism of St. Thomas Aquinas – THE ELEVENTH ARTICLE “The Resurrection of the Body.” Qualities Of The Risen Bodies, paragraph (d)

 

 

ALFIE

This Burt Bacharach/Dionne Warwick classic shares nothing with this article except the title.  If you get your news from the mainstream media, chances are you may not have heard the story of Alfie Evans, a British toddler, sentenced to death by the UK’s National Health Service. Mainstream media chose to ignore the story as they ignore the Right to Life March every January. Alfie was born on May 9, 2016 to Thomas Evans and his wife, Kate James. After several months the parents complained to doctors that the child was weak, but were assured nothing was wrong.  In December of that year the baby was admitted to Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool, England after suffering a seizure and eventually lapsing into a coma. The hospital was never able to diagnose what condition Alfie was suffering from.

In June, 2017 the parents were concerned that Alder Hey was considering turning off his life support, even though the child was responsive to them, but were hopeful that a diagnosis would be forthcoming by the same doctor in the US who offered help to Charlie Gard, as well as other doctors in Utah and Italy. However, Alder Hey refused any outside doctors to look at the child or to let Alfie’s parents remove him from the hospital. In February, 2018 a judge from the Liverpool Civil and Family Court heard the case and sided with the hospital that life support must be pulled and the child must die. The Supreme Court in London as well as the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France both declined the case. In April of this year Thomas Evans met with Pope Francis, pleading for asylum for his son as the UK “does not want to give disabled children the chance of life and instead the hospitals in the UK are now assisting death in children.”¹

On April 23, 2018, ironically the same day Prince Louis was born in London, Alfie was granted Italian citizenship but Alder Hey refused to let the boy go. The Vatican sent a medivac helicopter, complete with doctors and nurses to bring him to a Roman hospital. The government answered this by deploying 30 police officers to stop any outside medical personnel from entering the hospital and the parents from taking the child out.  They also removed the ventilation tube from the child without proper weaning, and stopped all food and liquid. They insisted Alfie wouldn’t live beyond 3 minutes. Alfie began breathing on his own, continued sucking on his pacifier and looking into his parents’ eyes, while the calls for the child to be transferred to the Italian hospital continued.

However, on April 28th, 5 days after removing life support, Alfie passed away. Reports have surfaced that the child died after a nurse gave the child 4 injections after the father had been called away to a meeting with hospital officials and while the mother was sleeping.² The hospital had previously planned on giving the child a drug cocktail that would end his life.

This is the 2^nd such incident in a matter of months that we’ve seen out of England. I’d expect this behavior in North Korea or Iran, but England? The irony of the “disposable life” of Alfie Evans compared to the hoopla surrounding the birth of Prince Louis on the very same day that they removed Alfie’s life support and began starving him, was not lost on anyone. If this had been Kate and William’s child, would the hospital have prevented any life-saving methods or second opinions? We all know the answer.

The UK prides itself on operating the platinum model of socialized medicine as dictated by the government. If this supreme “free” medical care was shown to be inferior for any reason, what would that do to its glowing reputation? So faceless bureaucrats, in an effort to protect, can prioritize who receives care and who lives or dies based on your value to the State.  We are also witnessing the progression from abortion to infanticide. If it’s OK to kill a baby not yet born, what’s the difference if the child is already born AND has a disability? It’s easy to make that jump when you believe a person has no benefit to society, especially one with a set of overburdened government entitlements.

Who has the best interests of any child? Common sense tells us the parents do. No one loves your child like you do. With the continued removal of God from our culture, government becomes all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-giving. The State knows best on every aspect of your life, family, and death. What the government gives, the government can take away.

Which leads to this question. What happened to Queen Elizabeth? She is the Supreme Head of the Church of England. Is it now OK to execute disabled children under the Christian Anglican Church? As a Catholic, I was much appalled by the Catholic bishops of England and Wales, who stated the courts and hospital were acting “with integrity and for Alfie’s good” in deciding that removing life-support is in the baby’s “best interest.” ³ They said this just after Alfie’s father met with the Pope in Rome. They even had the audacity to say that the parents and child were not Catholic. To top this off, a priest of the Archdiocese of Liverpool refused to give the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick to Alfie, a baptized Catholic, saying and I quote, “it is not my job”. Fortunately, an Italian priest, Father Gabriele, who happens to live in London, traveled 4 hours to the hospital to administer the sacrament to the baby. ⁴

 Is this what Mother Church is now?  Remember those wristbands that were all the rage some 10 or 15 years ago? WWJD? What Would Jesus Do? Is this what He would have said to the parents of a sick, disabled child asking for healing or blessing? It’s not my job? The leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, pledged his support to Alfie and his parents. Yet the Archbishops of Liverpool and Wales chose not to obey God’s Commandment or even the Pope, but the State.

Abortion opened the door to the culture of death that permeates our society. How many abortions are performed on babies with disabilities? What is to say the Alfie Evans story could not happen here in the US? We have seen shades of it already. If you’re not familiar with the Justine Pelletier case in Boston, research it. Even more frightening, with the absence of religion and history in US classrooms, many US citizens are calling for socialism here, and along with it, single-payer, government-run health care, just like the UK model, because they believe it’s “free”.  Once you accept something from the government, they own you. Would you trust your life to government agencies because they’re run so efficiently and without corruption? If you’re not sure, ask a veteran who has to rely on the VA or see how many times children entrusted to Children & Family Services are abused or die while in their care.

Welcome to the wonderful world of eugenics! If you’re not clear on what this is, open up a history book and read about 20^th century Progressives and eugenics in the United States, and the right to kill “mental defectives” and “incurables”, forced sterilization, and forcible segregation, and how it inspired Hitler.⁵ Yes, you read that right. Americans pushed back on eugenics after Hitler, but with the eradication of God, evil rushes in to fill the void. If we can’t even protect the most innocent, a child, just think how easy it will be to exterminate the elderly and the undesirable. If we don’t start standing, with our clergy at the lead, there will be hundreds of thousands of Alfies whose lives will be sacrificed on the altars of indifference, convenience, and the common good.

 

¹ Timeline based on of ECHO News Agency, Liverpool News, www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/Liverpool-news/Alfie-evans-timeline-legal-battle-14312017

² LifeSite News, Bioethics, Dorothy Cummings McLean, May 1, 2018

³ LifeSite News, Bioethics, Dorothy Cummings McLean, April 18, 2018

⁴ Thomas and Alfie Evans were both baptized Catholic and mother, Kate James, was baptized Protestant. LifeSite New, A Plea For Mercy: Thomas Evans asks Pope Francis to Save Little Alfie, Bioethics, Diane Montagna, April 16, 2018

⁵ War Against the Weak: Eugenics and America’s Campaign to Create a Master Race, Edwin Black

I Can’t Get Next To You

The Temptations were once called the “kings of R&B” and ruled the airwaves from the ‘60s to the ‘90s. It’s unfortunate that most Millennials, both Generations Y and definitely Z, probably never heard of them or of Motown Records. The song is about a man who can do anything, except get close to a particular person he likes. The same can be true about the Catholic Church and Millennials. It’s not just the Catholic Church but all organized religions. Millennials, my children included, are all about technology, independence, and truth.  They are the largest demographic in the US and therefore wield an enormous amount of leverage in several markets.

As a Baby Boomer, working in a university setting, I deal with Millennials all day, every day.  I can tell you they do not think in the same traditional way that you or I do. Contrary to what is being put out there about them, they are creative, smart, and opinionated. They can be open to everything and closed to everything at the same time. They hold no loyalties, they trust no one, are in debt, but generally optimistic. They hold off on marriage, yet lead in out-of-wedlock births, while firmly believing children raised in 1-parent homes are bad for society. A recent Pew Study shows the divide.  Where 70% of past generations absolutely believed in God, only 58% of Millennials do with only 36% self-identifying as religious.¹

Organized religion is low on their priority list. Many experienced “religion” from the church services they were forced to attend by their parents. They don’t like phonies and if Millennials aren’t learning or doing something constructive they are disengaged. The one truth they have embraced is Pro-Life. They are the catalyst driving the movement. Just tune in to the March For Life every January and look at the ages of those involved.

If we want Millennials to return to the Church we have to engage them. Millennials are desperate for truths and if you don’t give it to them straight, you’re out. They don’t want wishy-washy sayings or flip-flop beliefs; they want the history and the proof of who you are, what you believe in, and why. They want the blood and guts, the nuts and bolts, botta bing—botta boom.  Who was Jesus, what did He say, and what did He do?  Who are the saints, what did they say, and what did they do. Why do we have these sacraments? What do these symbols mean? Why do you do what you do?  You must be prepared with answers and fully engage them. They are interested and they will challenge you so be prepared.

In their book, The Millennials, Thom and Jess Rainer state that those Millennials who do strongly believe and identify with God “are passionate about their faith”. They want to be “radically” rooted in community, know Scripture, and love their neighbor.² This could account for the uptick in young people returning to traditional Catholic churches.  Teach them the traditions of the church. Most Millennials have never heard of the Tridentine/Extraordinary Form/Latin Mass, Gregorian chant/Medieval sacred music/polyphonic music, and many are drawn to it.

You can’t expect Millennials to just wander into your church. You have to seek them out. They love an invitation. They are not shy about talking to older people—they like being mentored. You will have to come out of your comfort zone, though. You must make yourself available to them. If they know what you’re saying is truth they’ll return and listen for more. They are thirsty for knowledge. Be that fount.

I’m not saying all of them will listen. There are several who, like some of us, are jaded or firmly held in their beliefs and not open to other opinions. Many were raised in a secular home. As one Millennial put it, “I pray all the time but who am I praying to?” They are hungry for answers. Others are taught religion is a bad thing—guilt laden, judgmental, and close minded.  We need to show them that’s not so.

Don’t expect Millennials to come running to a “young adult” group meeting at the church. The first thing you should do is avoid the young adult moniker—they hate it. Go to them on their territory. Remember Theology on Tap? Why not host a short, engaging, lecture at the local coffee shop or art center? After the lecture open the floor to discussion.  Keep it fast-paced and make sure the topics are rooted in Scripture and relatable to today’s society. Explain what we can do together for others in our neighborhood.

Millennials want to change the world and make it a better place. Ask for their help organizing church/community events, teaching the youngsters and the oldsters the fundamentals of computers and safely navigating the Web, hosting a Millennial Bible Study, coordinating a food pantry day, neighborhood cleanup, or painting or remodeling for a neighbor in need, anything where they can lead the way and make a difference in their community—all in the name of being a good Christian. Include them in church services as lectors or ushers. Millennials are the most educated generation…utilize their skills and include them in parish councils. Millennials love social media.  You want to reach them, make sure your website is up to par and you must have an active Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat etc. And who best to be in charge of your church’s social media?  A Millennial of course.

Lastly and most importantly, when they see a parish community actually living their faith, knowledgeable in its teachings, knowing God and His Law, and loving each other, you will capture their hearts and souls. Who doesn’t enjoy being with people of all backgrounds and ages who love their Lord and their neighbor?  Isn’t that what living Catholic is all about? To get Millennials to the Catholic Church we need to change I Can’t Get Next To You to Come Together.

 

^{1 Pew Research Center, Social & Demographic Trends, Millennials in Adulthood, March 7, 2014 www.pewsocialtrends.org/2014/03/07/millennials-in-adulthood/}

^{2 The Millennials: Connecting to America’s Largest Generation by Thom S. Rainier and Jess Rainer}

 

Me Too?

The song by the same title, sung by Meghan Trainor, is about a woman who respects herself.  Toby Keith also sings a song by the same title about a man who loves his wife.  Both have powerful messages about love and respect for one’s self as well as for a loved one.

The Me Too that comes to mind in 2018 is the “new” Hollywood revelation about the sexual abuse of women by influential men in the industry. Everyone has heard stories of “casting couches” throughout history.  It’s only now that the women of Hollywood have decided to shed light on what should have been exposed years ago.  The stories of their “bravery” include Twitter hashtags and donning designer gowns that costs more than you or I earn in a year. Some members of this movement decided a long time ago to keep quiet even though they knew fellow actresses were being raped and abused.  Their choice silenced victims, thereby enabling predators, in the name of furthering their own careers. The hashtag that should be trending is #Shame.

True bravery is not found on Twitter or in designer showrooms.  It’s found where everyday men, women, and children deal with evil, have systematically called out bias and abuse, and are met with threats, name-calling, blackballing, jail, and even death—but  have never given up the fight.  Two groups were on display the 3^rd week of January who claim to do all the above.  We saw the March for Life followed the next day by the Women’s March. The March for Life consists of diverse groups who have been protesting abortion for over 40 years. In fact, their walk is the largest human rights march in the world but goes unnoticed every year with little to no recognition or media coverage.  The Women’s March, on the other hand, is in its second year and is made up of mainly President Trump protestors and promoters of abortion on demand.  This march was covered on every television channel and news outlet for days.

If you watched the March for Life in Washington, DC or even one of the smaller marches held in cities across the US, you were struck by first, the young age of the participants, their contagious enthusiasm, happiness, smiles, and inspiring signs. The Women’s March was spiked with anger, hate, vile signs, hats, and costumes—not by all, but by too many.

I have a question for those members of the #Me Too/Women’s March.  If you can make a stand for equal pay, against sexual assault, and all abuses and injustices against women, why can’t you stand against the slaughter of future women in the womb?  Why?  Or should I ask #Why?

I’d also like to ask that question to most of the Democrats in the US Senate¹ and the two female Republican Senators² who voted down the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act held January 30, 2018.  Doctors and scientists have confirmed that infants in the womb can feel pain at the 20 week mark and probably earlier, yet these fellow humans still want to murder babies up to and including the moment before birth. This bill excluded cases of rape, incest, and the health of the mother so why didn’t they vote for it?  Why? #Why?

A Knights of Columbus-Marist Poll³ published in January of 2018 concluded that more than six in ten Americans support a ban on abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy; this includes 56% of Pro-Choice Americans, 56% of Democrats, 74% Pro-Life Americans, 73% of Republicans, and 64% of Independents.  Those numbers are staggering.  So why did they vote against it?  We need to demand an answer.  However, our request will be met with the same disdain and silence as they bestow upon the peaceful protestors who attend the March for Life.

Question: Why does the modern feminist movement only relate to certain women?  Shouldn’t it relate to all women—even those who have had abortions and have suffered greatly because of it?  What about the millions of aborted baby girls?  Who would they have become?  Does it even cross the average Women’s March protestor’s mind that one of those aborted girls could have been their wife, sister, best friend, co-worker, teacher, supervisor, scientist, inventor, or even the organizer of a women’s march? I wonder how many Women’s Marchers even know Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and other leading suffragettes were vehemently against abortion.  Instead they idolize Margaret Sanger, eugenicist, Nazi sympathizer, and racist.

Anger at the indifference for human life is not just targeted at politicians and protestors.  Days before the March For Life a story broke by the Lepanto Institute⁴, and confirmed by Dutch radio that Lilianne Ploumen was honored by, of all people, Pope Francis, with the title of Commander in the Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great. Ms. Ploumen is responsible for She Decides, an organization that funded over $300 million dollars to international agencies for the sole reason of performing or promoting abortions worldwide.  Ms. Ploumen was also the Director of Programs and on the Board of Directors for CORDAID, the Dutch Catholic aid relief agency that was caught funding Planned Parenthood and dispensing contraception.⁴

This action has infuriated and confused many Catholics and non-Catholics alike.  Not only does it baffle the faithful who have been praying and peacefully protesting for an end to abortion, it’s also a direct slap in the face to those millions of marchers who come from all over the world for 40+ years to participate in the March for Life. Not to mention the priests, nuns, and laypeople who have dedicated their lives to end this culture of death and minister to young mothers and babies as well as their parish congregations.

 History will judge us.  More importantly, God will judge us—all of us.  If you haven’t already, it’s time you stand on the side of good, the side of truth.  On that note, I’d like to ask the members of the #MeToo movement and the Women’s March, are you sure your Twitter key phrase is #MeToo, or is it really #Me-NotYou?

 

¹ Joe Manchin (D-WV), Bob Casey, Jr. (D-PA) and Joe Donnelly (D-IN) Democrats who voted in favor of Act

² Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) Republicans who voted against Act

³ Knights of Columbus-Marist Poll, January, 2018.  To view all results or to view or print a pdf version of the Poll click here: www.kofc.org/en/news/polls.html#/

⁴ www.lepantoinstitute.org/pope-francis/pope-francis-awards-architect-safe-abortion-fund-potifical-honor/

DAUGHTER

The song by the same name was performed by Pearl Jam and is about a child with a disability.  Usually my articles and the titles of the songs by the same name have nothing in common, but this one… If you follow the news like me you may be aware of the Bonnie Liltz story.  Actually, the real victim of this story is not Bonnie but her late daughter, Courtney. You see Courtney was adopted by Bonnie at the age of 2.  Courtney had cerebral palsy and had to have 24-hour care.  However, the young woman was thriving. Speaking, when doctors said she wouldn’t, feeding herself, and using a computer. According to Bonnie Liltz, “she was a happy girl”¹.

On May 27, 2015, after twenty plus years of caring for Courtney, Bonnie decided Courtney’s life must end.  She came to this conclusion because she, Bonnie, was battling cancer and other health issues.  Courtney had no say-so in the matter.  Bonnie mixed a cocktail of several drugs and fed it to her daughter, Courtney. She then attempted to take her own life, but was unsuccessful.

Bonnie Liltz, who is still ill, and very much alive is upset because the Illinois courts think she should—I don’t know—go to jail for murdering her daughter.² You see Bonnie doesn’t want to go to jail.  She is now asking for “mercy” from Bruce Rauner, the governor of Illinois.  It also appears that because Bonnie is so ill the state jail just can’t seem to take good care of her.  Hmmm. Now let’s think back.  Isn’t it ironic that it was for this same reason that Bonnie decided to kill Courtney? Yes, you read that right. Bonnie worried that she couldn’t care for Courtney if she was too ill and she didn’t want to subject Courtney to state care because it wasn’t adequate—so, she killed her out of “mercy and love”. That’s amazing.

Also amazing is how many times Bonnie Liltz refers to God and the “gift” she received from Him when she adopted Courtney, and how “all life is precious”.  Really, wow!  So being Courtney was a gift from God how does Bonnie reconcile that she, not God, would decide to snuff out that gift?  And now that she is the ill one who cannot receive individualized care, it becomes a whole different story?

Bonnie, who is currently out on bond, didn’t like state sponsored jail life and is now asking for clemency to spare her from the horrors of it.  The Illinois Department of Corrections (state) just can’t provide the (individual) healthcare that Bonnie is accustomed to. You know, eating what she wants, taking her medications, and good quality physical and mental care.  She lost 14 pounds in jail! This is the same argument she made for taking Courtney’s life.  The state could not take care of her in the same manner that she, an individual citizen, could.

So far the courts are having none of it. She was sentenced to 4 years for involuntary manslaughter, which is a far lighter sentence then the one she bestowed upon her daughter.  It’s becoming the norm for judges to sentence killers of the innocent to lesser stints in jail and it’s wrong.  There is that slippery slope that pro-life advocates keep spotlighting. If abortion is legal, why stop at the fetus just before it’s born? Why not after birth and maybe up to say, 2 years old or older? And what about the disabled? That leads to the elderly. We’ve already started legalizing suicide for the sick, so why stop there?  You know, all in the name of “compassion”.

Thanks to abortion (the proverbial foot in the door), we are seeing this happen all too frequently. Mothers who no longer want to care for their child will kill them, out of mercy of course, and judges pass on lenient sentences. The child doesn’t have to be ill, just inconvenient. Some cases are more heinous than others, yet it’s difficult for Americans to wrap their heads around a mother who can kill her own child. This must stop or it will end with infanticide and worse.

Christians are taught that all life is precious from womb to the tomb. We are against capital punishment as well. It’s a hard sell when you look at some of these horrific serial offenders.  God teaches us that everyone can change. We must forgive.  St. Paul reminds us in his letter to the Romans 12:19 that vengeance belongs only with God.  However, God never said there should be no justice for the innocent and oppressed.  In fact that very thing is mentioned quite often in the Bible.  Jesus summed it all up in one sentence: love your neighbor as yourself. If you follow that golden rule you’ll never go wrong.

Back to Bonnie Liltz.  I’m sure Bonnie was a selfless mother at one time.  She cared for her disabled daughter for over 20 years. Being a mom is a thankless job on a good day. One may have looked at her and thought her a saint at one time. I agree with her thinking that the state could never take care of Courtney like she did. She was worried about her daughter and what would become of her once she was too ill or dead.  However, her end game was all wrong.

It’s very easy to feel compassion for a mother with a very ill child. How can that be murder? The mother thought the best place for her daughter was with God in Heaven. She didn’t stab or shoot her. She just went to sleep and never woke up. There was no pain¹. Tell that to the millions of mothers who have and still are caring for their sick children.

Answer me this, would you feel comfortable with another person making the decision to end your life? What happens when you’re too old or too sick to take care of you? If this becomes the norm it will eventually make its way mainstream and come for all of us.  Eugenics is making a comeback.  It seems that the more we forget our history the more it just keeps circling back.

Bonnie Liltz references God so often that I wonder if she belonged to a church or a support group. If she did, she could have talked to her pastor or friends who could have reached out and got her the help she so desperately needed. She was overwhelmed, distraught, ill, and confused. Someone could have counseled her and this tragedy would never have happened.

If Governor Rauner has an ounce of sense, and I’m not sure that he does since he lied to his constituents and just made Illinois the most abortion friendly state in the union, he will uphold the Illinois courts and keep Bonnie Liltz in jail.

 

¹ Suburban Mom Who Killed Disabled Daughter in Botched Murder-Suicide Speaks Publicly for 1^st Time; Carol Marin and Don Moseley, NBC 5 Carol Marin Reports, August 31, 2016.

² Bonnie Liltz initially was charged with murder but plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter.