Where Charity and Truth Prevail

"Only when truth and love are in harmony can man know joy.

For it is truth that makes man free."

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI

"Where love is, there is freedom..."

"Love exists only where there is freedom. To be forced to love is hell; to be free in love is heaven. Where love is, there is freedom.  Since the child is the flower of love, it is earth's sacrament of  freedom. As the cradles come back into the world, freedom will  come back. This freedom will consist not in throwing off restraint,  which is license, but in the increase of new centers of freedom. In  each child God whispers a new secret to the world; adds a new  dimension of immortality to creation; and makes the clinging  hearts of husband and wife feel a little freer, as they look into that  strange and mutual hope which has come to them from God."

+Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen, Three to Get Married

"There are certain things in life too beautiful to be forgotten."

From Venerable Fulton Sheen's Wartime Prayer Book (originally published 1943 as Armor of God):

"There are certain things in life too beautiful to be forgotten. That is why we revere the sacrifice of our soldiers on Memorial Day. The most beautiful thing about the life of our Lord was His death. Everyone else came into the world to live; He came into it to die; 'to give His life as a ransom for many' (Matt. 20:28)

"His death was the one thing He wished to have remembered.  He did not ask that men should write down His words in books. He did not ask that His deeds be recorded in history.  But He did ask that men remember his death."

 

Also from Wartime Prayer Book:
A prayer from a Soldier in France, Joyce Kilmer (1886 - 1918)

My shoulders ache beneath my pack
(Lie easier, Cross, upon His back).

I march with feet that burn and smart

(Tread, Holy Feet, upon my heart).

Men shout at me who may not speak
(They scourged Thy back and smote Thy cheek).

I may not lift a hand to clear
My eyes of salty drops that sear.

(Then shall my fickle soul forget
Thy agony of Bloody Sweat?)

My rifle hand is stiff and numb
(From Thy pierced palm red rivers come).

Lord, Thou didst suffer more for me
Than all the hosts of land and sea.

So let me render back again
This millionth of Thy gift. Amen.

Why Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have my vote.

I'll be the first to admit that when it was evident that Romney was going to win the Republican presidential nominee, I felt a bit hopeless for our country.  I had read many reports, watched the videos of his changing position on life issues, and just felt a general lack of trust for Romney.  That has changed and here's why. 

Romney's pick of Ryan started to soften my general unease about Romney, as it did with many pro-life people.  Although there have been bumps since that decision, and there will probably be more, I am no longer a Romney skeptic but a Romney supporter.  Perhaps I read too much Hotair or Drudge Report and not enough Shea, but I'd like to think my intellect and heart are more capable than that.  My instinct now is that Mitt Romney is a good man, and God has taught me to trust my instincts.  I don't think my instinct changed, I just think I was ignorant about the man Mitt Romney before this.  You know, I was against him before I was for him ;)  I guess time will tell, but regardless, my hope is in the Lord, not the man.

I got to know Mitt a little bit by listening to some of those who know him closest, particularly his wife.  Nothing like a wife to soften the hearts of people about her guy.  What became evident to me is that Mitt Romney, for all his failures on life issues in the past, is a man who celebrates family, and celebrates life.  To Mitt Romney, a baby is a cause for celebration, a cause to praise God, a beautiful testament to the love of our Creator, of God, our Father.  A baby is not viewed as a threat or a punishment, a baby is viewed as a dignified creation of God.  And he obviously has a talent for bringing prosperity out of adversity, and this is a grace from God that we need desperately in our country right now.

It is evident that Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan both care and have a deep respect for women, from the way that they speak of the women in their lives, their moms, their wives, and the women who have worked with them.  Romney has shown his respect for women by action, from the women he has mentored to his deep respect for both working women and women who choose to stay home to care for their children at home.  I believe, perhaps wrongly, that his desire to help women may have been what prompted his grave error on life issues in the past.  Many of us were indoctrinated/lied to/tricked into believing that abortion is a women's rights issue.  The truth is that not only does abortion kill a human being, but it devastates a woman's heart, body, and mind as well.  Because this truth is being realized more and more around the world, people's hearts are changing about abortion, and I believe Mitt Romney is one of those people.

Mitt Romney never supported abortion because he believed that a baby was a punishment or because he believed a baby is a threat.  That is what our current President believes.  More children stand in the way of progress in Obama's mindset, a baby or a child is only to be celebrated if it is wanted and fits into a nice little agenda of making sure it does not stifle a woman's career or exhale too much carbon dioxide.  Yes, he does purport to care about the poor, and the life of a child born into poverty, but honestly, the solution is not to eliminate the child, the solution is to provide opportunity and love for that child.  Every child, EVERY child is a gift, no matter what circumstances into which they were born, and I believe with all my heart that Romney knows that too and will enact policies to strengthen families and protect the dignity of life.

So that is why I fully suppport the Romney/Ryan ticket.  I no longer feel hopeless about our country. I have never lost hope in God and His care for us, but after seeing all those children from the Romney and Ryan families run after the balloons at the end of the convention, I feel a little bit more spring in my step regarding the direction of our country.  Whatever happens, with or without Obama, with or without Romney, God has given each one of us special talents and my heart is full of gratitude for those gifts God gives us.  I believe Romney and Ryan are also both deeply thankful to God for His Grace.  And that is our true hope.

Scroll to about 43:10 in the video below to see the beautiful scene of all the children in the Ryan and Romney families coming out and playing with the balloons. It's priceless! Thank You God for these families! 




Our hope is in You Lord, we accept Your Divine Will. May we cooperate with Your Divine Will, by supporting and encouraging each other to celebrate the beautiful gift of life and families.  Amen.

"Fasting detaches you from this world, prayer reattaches you to the next world"

I trust in You Jesus. 

We have been given an amazing opportunity to witness to the hope that we have been given in Jesus Christ. Our hope is in Him, not in men, not in princes.  He gives Himself completely to us in the Sacraments, and thanks be to God, we still can receive Him without fear in our country.  Hope in Jesus Christ is our anchor and He will not abandon us during this current storm, even if things get decidedly worse.  It is going to take a lot of trust on our part, and He will give us fortitude and courage to speak when we need to, take action when called for, and to stand firm in silence when necessary.

Each one of us has been born at this time for a particular reason.  In our ordinary lives, we are called to love in an extraordinary way.  There is a lot going on in our world and country, and it is very discouraging at times.  But God has not abandoned us.  We may be chastised a bit, but we trust in His Love for us and in His Divine Providence.  He gives and He takes away.  In all, is His Grace.  In this time, I can choose to become overwhelmed with the things of the world or I can choose to place all my trust in Him.  Trusting in Him does not mean complacency or ignoring what is going on around me.  There is a battle going on, and we must remain engaged.  Trusting in Him means giving myself completely to Him in relationship as His beloved daughter and knowing He will call me to action where I am needed in the battle.  The only way to remain grounded in Him right now is through prayer and fasting.  As Archbishop Fulton Sheen once said,

"Fasting detaches you from this world, prayer reattaches you to the next world."  

It takes discernment to hear what God is telling us, and with too much indulgence (non only food, but information and material goods) comes fog, but with fasting comes clarity.  May we discern where God wants us to be in this battle, equipped with all the virtues, especially the theological and cardinal:  faith, hope, love, prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance.

Lord, have mercy on us as we place our trust in You.  Mary, our Mother, watch over us.  I give you my will, conform it to the will of Your Son.  Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.  Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.  St. Joseph, pray for us.  Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.  In Your Most Holy Name, Amen.

Must Read: A Heart on Fire: Catholic Witness and the Next America

Archbishop Charles Chaput's newly released Heart on Fire:  Catholic Witness and the Next America is a must read!  I highly recommend reading this, regardless of your beliefs.  It is a fantastic perspective on what is happening in our American public square right now.

The best part is that it is available electronically for just 99 cents!  Find it here or here.  Download it and read it!  It is only 19 pages long.

A Fire that Cannot be Contained

My heart is on fire for Jesus Christ, and as my husband said the other day, when you are on fire for Jesus, it cannot be contained.   And, so, I am on my way, with Christ before me, in me, and for me. 

Please pray for a special intention related to my sister Laura.... I am working up the courage to write about it, and if God wants me to write here about it, I will.  It is pressing, and yet, has been a part of me for almost my entire life.  Please ask God to give me clarity on what I need to do to move forward to help my sister in the way He is calling.

Shawn McDonald, Clarity:

Standing on the battle line
I fight for my mind aching to be free
This war that I face as I long to embrace
and be with my King.

And this fire in my soul, desire to be whole

Is deep within my bones

And I long to be near as I cast away my fear

Running to Your throne.

I need clarity and truth to be

And peace to make me whole

I want freedom to come and hate to be done
And love to guide my soul.

Purchase the song Clarity at iTunes here.

Veiling and the Virtues of Humility and Confidence

Judy has a great post over at Community of Catholic Bloggers about Donning the Mantilla.  She really has some great things to say about this subject, and it really hit home for me.  As my love for Jesus in the Eucharist has grown, God has given me a desire to veil, but I do not believe there is anyone in our parish that veils.  And so, because of a lack of courage and because of my own pride, I do not veil.  And I am not sure at this point if my daughters would begin to veil without putting up a fuss since they are not used to it. 

It is a lack of courage because I am afraid of being the only one veiling.  And it falls into pride for me because I do not want my friends, family and other parishioners to think I am being prideful by wearing a veil.  And would it be prideful for me to wear a veil?  Or is is prideful to not wear a veil?  Judy really touches on this very question in her post.  It seems like it is a great act of humility and love, and that is how I would want to begin, solely as an act of humility and love for Christ and His Adorable Heart.  Would it remain as an act of humble love?  Is it prudent to veil at this time? 

I have many more questions than answers about this.  My heart is bogged down a bit with this.  And my husband is not necessarily in favor of me veiling either, but if I say I am being obedient to him, it really is just an excuse, because I know he can be persuaded on this subject.  And really, if God has given me this desire, why am I so afraid?

What do you think about veiling?

Go read Judy's post, it is excellent!

Joy and Hope in the Midst of Persecution

Fantastic post by Johnnette Benkovic at Women of Grace. H/t Janet.

Facing the Challenge

by J Benkovic

There is no question that as Catholics living in the culture of our day, we are facing unprecedented challenges. I could write a whole series of blogs about those challenges, but my guess is you know many of them already. Recently, for example, our apostolate was unable to lease space because of a usage clause that prohibited religious purposes.

Not long ago we featured on our program, Father Joseph Esper, author of the book, Spiritual Dangers of the 21st Century . In this book, he identified the stages of persecution as follows:

Stage 1 The group is stereotyped.

Stage 2 The group is marginalized

Stage 3 The group is villified.

Stage 4 The group is criminalized.

Stage 5 Outright persecution ensues.

Father Esper stated that researchers tell us Christians are hovering between Stage 3 and Stage 4. Some would argue, however, that Catholics are hovering between Stages 4 and 5. With the demise of the federal government’s “Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell” policy on September 20, 2011, the continued legislative push for gay marriages to be recognized across state lines, the Obama administration’s hammering to overturn the conscience clause, Catholics are in the cross-hairs.

So much so, that Francis Cardinal George (Archdiocese of Chicago) stated, “I expect to die in my bed, my successor will die in prison, and his successor will die a martyr.” Some wonder if his statement is more prophesy than prediction.

The question, therefore, ought not to be, “Are we facing challenges?” but rather, “How do we meet the challenges we are facing?” I think the answer to this question can be summed up as follows:

1. Admit where we are. George Weigel in an address at St. Patrick’s Church, London, entitled “Benedict XVI and the Future of the West,” said this: “A decisive moment has been reached in the history of the Catholic Church; the catechetical-devotional Catholicism of the counter-reformation is giving way to what may be called Evangelical Catholicism.” He reminded listeners that the Church itself is mission and always about the business of pointing to Jesus Christ as the answer. We must realize that, as laity, we are called to mission activity.

2. Prepare ourselves for the struggle. Many would read this as a call to stockpile food, create safety bunkers, and head for the hills. While such strategies may have value, we must remember that ultimately the battle is not with “flesh and blood,” but with “powers and principalities” (Eph 6:12). As St. Paul instructs in Ephesians, we need to equip ourselves with the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of justice, the belt of truth, the shield of faith, the sword of the Word of God, and the boots of zeal to propagate the Gospel. We do this through our time of personal prayer, attending the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, receiving the Sacraments, and striving to live a virtuous life. Maintaining holy friendships and participating in activities that fortify and strengthen our resolve increase our ability to meet the challenges that confront us.

3. Do not give in to fear, discouragement, or anxiety. These three tactics are the most frequently tried strategies of the evil one. He seeks to disarm us, paralyze us, and overtake us through them. When they tempt you, see them for what they are and call upon the name of Jesus. Quoting Scripture is invaluable in these moments. Of course, this presupposes that you have several good passages committed to memory (Tip: Start with “one-liners” and then move on to more complex passages. A good beginning are these words of Jesus, “Get thee behind me, Satan;” and St. John’s words,”Stronger is he who is in me than he who is in the world.”).

4. Read the lives of the saints, especially the martyr saints. These holy men and women show us that “nothing is impossible with God,” even giving the ultimate witness. Ask them to intercede for you as you seek to live your life as a witness of the truth in this our day and time. Their lives also give us keen insight and inspiration regarding the realities of trial, persecution, and travail.

5. Know that God is with you. Jesus tells us He will never abandon us. And He won’t . The Holy Spirit dwells with the soul that is in the state of grace and provides every spiritual blessing in the heavens we need to live out our call and mission. In addition, the peace that surpasses understanding wraps us in the certainty of God’s presence and love. He never calls us to a task or a mission without giving us the grace we need to meet it. He is our Father and our provider.

6. Be joyful. There is a certain joy that accompanies struggle and challenge. It is the joy in knowing that when our sufferings are united to the Cross of Jesus, we share in the merit accomplished through that Cross. Such is the Father’s will and pleasure. We find something else in that Cross as well: power. The Cross of Christ is the very Power of God (1 Cor.1:18). So, when the cross is presented to you, rejoice! God’s own power can be yours!

These words of St. Pio of Pietrelcina give us good advice:

Being subjected to a trial is not under a soul’s control at all, and no one can directly do anything to be subjected to a trial; it depends exclusively on God’s will. I advise you to remain peaceful and not to be the least bit concerned about what will happen. Everything will be resolved to the glory of God and the sanctification of your soul.

…Give infinite freedom to the action of divine grace in you, and let it always serve to be for his glory and for the salvation of your soul and the souls of others. Never forget that heavenly favors are granted not only for your sanctification but also for the sanctification of others. (To Raffaelina Cerase, Feb. 23, 1915, taken from Padre Pio’s Spiritual Direction for Every Day)

Pilate's moral relativism

My husband is reading Life of Christ by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. The other night he read to me the following, His Excellency's reflections of Pilate's actions after asking Jesus "What is truth?" (John 18:38):

Then he turned his back on truth- better not on it, but on Him Who is Truth. It remained to be seen that tolerance of truth and error in a stroke of broadmindedness leads to intolerance and persecution; "What is truth?" when sneered, is followed up by the second sneer, "What is justice?" Broadmindedness, when it means indifference to right and wrong, eventually ends in a hatred of what is right. He who was so tolerant of error as to deny an Absolute Truth was the one who would crucify Truth. It was the religious judge who challenged Him, "I adjure thee"; but the secular judge asked, "What is truth?" He who was in the robe of the high priest called upon God to repudiate the things that are God's; he who was in the Roman toga just professed a skepticism and doubt.

and

Pilate was one of those who believed that truth was not objective but subjective, that each man determined for himself what was to be true. It is often the fault of practical men, such as Pilate, to regard the search for objective truth as useless theorizing. Skepticism is not an intellectual position; it is a moral position, in the sense that it is determined not so much by reason as by the way one acts and behaves. Pilate's desire to save Jesus was due to a kind of liberalism which combined disbelief in Absolute Truth with a half-benevolent unwillingness to disturb such dreamers and their superstitions. Pilate asked the question, "What is truth?" of the only Person in the world Who could answer it in all its fullness.

He Knows What He is About

I have not posted on politics in awhile, mainly because I haven't been following it much, but I read something Ed Morissey said this morning that makes a lot of sense regarding the fiscal mess our country is in:

There is a lot of anger at the moment in the US over the embarrassment of the downgrade, as well as shock. I’m most amused by the shock, to tell the truth. S&P didn’t say anything yesterday that was not common knowledge and common sense. If you had to rate a potential investment that had an income of, say, $22,000 a year but had costs of $37,000 per year, a standing debt of $143,000, and contracted future debt that exceeded $1 million, would you give that investment a gold-plated AAA rating and buy their bonds at the lowest interest rate possible, or at all? Of course not, but that’s exactly the fiscal situation of the US, at a 100,000,000:1 scale.

The anger is mainly misdirected. The media wants to blame the Tea Party, but the Tea Party wants to solve the actual problem — overspending and overcommitment to entitlement programs. The Tea Party wants to blame the Obama administration, and it deserves some blame for refusing to address the real structural problems of the US fiscal condition. But that fiscal structure far predates Barack Obama, both as President and as human being, and Congresses and White Houses of both parties have done little to address the real problems in Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.

Why? Because as soon as people try to do so, demagogues accuse them of wanting to push Grandma over a cliff. Voters respond by punishing the reformers and rewarding the demagogues. If we collectively want to blame someone, we collectively should be looking in a mirror.

So where do we go from here? I do not know, I'm just a woman trying to be a loving wife, mother, and friend, knowing that I am a daughter of God. We try as a family to be responsible with our finances and to give our first fruits to God. While I do not know the solution (besides more responsibility in our own lives as well as that of our government), I do know that the only true answer is to trust God and follow His ways, He knows what He is about.

A Pearl of Great Price - Pay it Forward Tuesday

Pay it Forward is hosted by Holly at A Life-Size Catholic Blog. Thanks Holly!

One of my favorite priest bloggers (or rather, a priest who happens to blog), Fr. Andrew, has a great post from his homily this past Sunday at his website Catholic-Vision in which he challenges us to live the wisdom of Scripture:

The wisdom of Scripture says to sell everything for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. Like a great pearl there is no price too great. Like treasure in the field we must sell all to acquire that field. The wisdom of the world says to hold something back for yourselves and don’t trust the Kingdom of Heaven to provide for you—which is the wisdom of our enemy, the master of this world, Satan.

He reminds us of the 43rd Anniversary of Humanae Vitae and the consequences of choices our culture has made regarding the use of artificial contraception. His post is not about what is right and what is wrong, but about our trust in God. Fr. Andrew speaks to us with love and with challenge, as a good father does. Thanks Fr. Andrew! Read his post here.

Contrasting Archbishop Chaput with Archbishop Dolan

Scroll to end for updates.

Okay, I know, I'm supposed to be not blogging for a couple of weeks. Right after this, I am going to get back to work on homeschooling. Why are we homeschooling? Because, right now in our world, the most important thing we can do for our children is to teach them how to live in the strength and beauty of their Catholic faith. They need to be battle-ready to defend their faith and to stand up for their beliefs in the face of increasing persecution. Yes, we need to be always be living the Truth in love; however, we need not be naive about the forces which are trying to destroy the freedom to practice and live our faith completely.

Thought this was an interesting contrast between two leaders in our Church today. What do you think?

Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput, source Lifesite News:

"Systematic Discrimination Against Church Now Seems Inevitable"

…we cannot dispense with our history out of some superficial concern over offending our non-Christian neighbors. Notwithstanding the chatter of the "new atheists," there is no risk that Christianity will ever be forced upon people anywhere in the West. The only "confessional states" in the world today are those ruled by Islamist or atheist dictatorships -- regimes that have rejected the Christian West's belief in individual rights and the balance of powers.

I would argue that the defense of Western ideals is the only protection that we and our neighbors have against a descent into new forms of repression -- whether it might be at the hands of extremist Islam or secularist technocrats.

But indifference to our Christian past contributes to indifference about defending our values and institutions in the present. And this brings me to the second big lie by which we live today -- the lie that there is no unchanging truth.

Relativism is now the civil religion and public philosophy of the West. Again, the arguments made for this viewpoint can seem persuasive. Given the pluralism of the modern world, it might seem to make sense that society should want to affirm that no one individual or group has a monopoly on truth; that what one person considers to be good and desirable another may not; and that all cultures and religions should be respected as equally valid.

In practice, however, we see that without a belief in fixed moral principles and transcendent truths, our political institutions and language become instruments in the service of a new barbarism. In the name of tolerance we come to tolerate the cruelest intolerance; respect for other cultures comes to dictate disparagement of our own; the teaching of "live and let live" justifies the strong living at the expense of the weak.

New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, source To Whom Shall We Go blog:

Sometimes, how we do things is as important as what we do.

Never has this been truer than in our present discussion, where civility and regard for the dignity of others must be our priority.

Presuming the worst in others always puts dialogue at risk; mutual respect is basis of all good listening.

This is a good time for all of New York, in its varied cultural, ethnic, and religious communities, to come together in thoughtful and respectful exchange so our real healing can begin. Although I have no strong sentiment about what should be decided about the eventual where of the Islamic Center, I do have strong convictions about how such a discussion should be reached: civilly and charitably. The hot-heads on either side must not dominate. While I’m hardly an expert in this area, and there are certainly far more competent voices than mine, the Archdiocese of New York would be honored to be part of any such conversations.

Pope John Paul II’s life was an example of how this kind of good will can resolve centuries-old hatreds, building new bridges between Christians, Jews and Muslims. In this same spirit, the Archdiocese of New York hopes to cooperate with other religious leaders in laying the groundwork for a long-term relationship with the City’s diverse Islamic groups, extending the hand of friendship long overdue between both of our communities. Similarly, now is the time for all of us to rededicate ourselves to binding up the unhealed wounds of 9/11, and to consoling the ongoing suffering of its survivors.

As the tenth anniversary of 9/11 approaches, our challenge as New Yorkers is clear: to keep our proud heritage of religious freedom and a warm hospitality to newcomers alive, so that the twin goods of both welcoming and healing are never left unbalanced.

What do I think? Well, while I have a great deal of respect for both Archbishop Dolan and Archbishop Chaput, I believe that now is not the time to remain neutral and try to build bridges. Dialogue may be well and good, but let us not be naive in thinking that there are not forces out there that are trying to destroy us. May God have mercy on us and guide our shepherds in Truth.


Update: Archbishop Chaput's entire address he gave in Slovakia entitled "Living Within the Truth: Religious Liberty and Catholic Mission in the New Order of the World." is posted at Zenit.com

Academic Freedom and Religious Freedom at Stake

Many of you may be following the story of the firing of University of Illinois-UC adjunct associate professor Dr. Ken Howell for expressing Catholic beliefs in a class he teaches on Catholicism. There is a facebook page, Save Dr. Ken where other faculty, alumni, students, and interested people can offer support and learn more about what is happening. I highly recommend a great article by Daniel Klimek discussing this case, and specifically addressing the differences between natural and moral law and Catholic teaching on sexuality. It is a long but really informative article. Here is a quote:

Rightfully so, administrators at the university have decided to review the case, understanding that a proper dismissal would not result in such a powerful public outcry. There are, in essence, a couple of serious matters that the university's administrators must consider. If Professor Howell was fired for teaching provocative ideas, then a grave academic freedom violation has been perpetrated by the University of Illinois. If Professor Howell was fired for personally agreeing with the Catholic Church on the issue of homosexual relations, then a great violation of religious liberty has been perpetrated by the university. Yet, as has been shown, there isn’t anything provocative that Professor Howell was teaching, simply the standard philosophical ideas on sexuality that have been taught by prominent Catholic philosophers, ethicists, and popes throughout the years. And there isn’t anything improper in agreeing with the Catholic Church, particularly when you allow your students the right to disagree (as Professor Howell did), and particularly when you’re a Catholic scholar hired to teach a course on Catholic thought.

Go to ministryvalues.com to read the article. Speaking as a former college professor and spouse to one, this is really outrageous. This is just another sign showing how academic freedom and religious freedom are being trampled all over the world. Unfortunately, this is not an unusual occurrence anymore. I am filled with hope at the response of support for Dr. Howell. Please pray for him, for all universities, and for the student who felt attacked by Dr. Howell. And let us all stand strong in our faith and be not afraid to express the beauty, strength, and truth of our Catholic faith, even in the face of grave opposition. There is a reason that all this is occurring. God has given us all an opportunity to speak truth and love to our world through this injustice. Every opportunity He gives us, whether it be to speak truth about the sanctity of life, the dignity of each human person, or the sacredness of our freedom is a blessing that can bring hope to a world in great need of His Love.