"God of power and mercy, you blessed the Americas at Tepeyac with the presence of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe. May her prayers help all men and women to accept each other as brothers and sisters. Through your justice present in our hearts may your peace reign in the world.
"We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen." ~ Closing Prayer for 12 December, Liturgy of the Hours
As today is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, I did a little searching on the subject and came across several fine finds. (An aside: Another bit to add to the "Everywhere You Go, Franciscans!" file: It was a Franciscan friar, Bishop Juan Zumárraga, OFM, to whom St. Juan Diego displayed his tilma.)
For a quick overview on Our Lady of Guadalupe, see The Story of Our Lady of Guadalupe, helpfully provided by the ever-awesome Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (who have placed themselves under the protection and guidance of Our Lady of Guadalupe, btw).
Check out this a super-short clip (25 seconds) of the interior of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Mexico City) on YouTube:
basilica guadalupe
And for All Things Guadalupe, check out Our Lady of Guadalupe, which provides extensive information about Our Lady of Guadalupe along with other aspects of Marian devotion. I especially like the picture gallery; there's an awesomeSt. Michael statue shown there! Seriously, anyone know how we can order a (small) replica of that sucker?!
Husband Mike and I usually prefer to be behind-the-scenes in our support of various causes, but when it comes to one in particular, the right to life, we realize that public witness is vital.
And so tomorrow, 7 October, we'll be participating in our first-ever Life Chain, "a peaceful and prayerful public witness of pro-life Americans standing for one hour praying for our nation and for an end to abortion. It is a visual statement of solidarity by the Christian community that abortion kills children and that the Church supports the sanctity of human life from the moment of conception."
Whether you think of the unborn as a "mere blob of cells" or as "a baby", one thing you can't deny is that it's a human life. A Human Life.
“The abortion-rights folks know it, the anti-abortion folks know it, and so probably, does everyone else. One of the facts of abortion is that women enter abortion clinics to kill their fetuses. It is a form of killing ... you're ending a life.” [emphasis added] ~ Ron Fitzsimmons, Executive Director, National Coalition of Abortion Providers (New York Times, February 26, 1997)
Mind you, it took us both years to fully realize the tragedy of abortion and that it is, indeed, the ending of an actual Human Life, regardless of whether you think of it as a blob or a baby. Years ago in my Raging Feminist, I-Totally-Hate-The-Church Days, I was a firm supporter of abortion and assuaged the niggling voice that kept saying, "But, isn't it still a life?" with the dismissive thought of, "It's just a blob of cells".
However, as I've have grown in my understanding of and obedience to what the Church teaches, I've realized just how tragically wrong I was and how the right to life is a foundational issue, not superfluous.
“We believe that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a ‘Gospel of life’. ... We cannot simultaneously commit ourselves to human rights and progress while eliminating or marginalizing the weakest among us. Nor can we practice the Gospel of life only as a private piety. American Catholics must live it vigorously and publicly, as a matter of national leadership and witness, or we will not live it at all.” ~ U.S. Bishops, Living the Gospel of Life, 1998, n. 20
And so, Husband Mike and I understand that "Our Media is the Streets", and we'll be out there tomorrow.
CFotD #1: I was browsin' around Catholics for the Common Good, which (gasp!) actually appears to be faithful to Church teaching (!!), when I stumbled 'pon this article and saw ...
CFotD #2: ... the first pic. Of a friar. With a TV camera. It's Friar Cam! How cool is that?! Dang, it's splendid to see a Franciscan friar -- and in full habit, no less -- taking part in a pro-life demonstration.
(While Friar Cam's been around for awhile on EWTN, we don't have cable (don't watch much TV and we're cheap), so it's the first I've heard o' it. An' I know you can watch their programming online, but we have dialup at home.)
"A Catholic teacher in Ohio was told she could only be exempt from paying union dues to the Ohio Education Association (OEA), if she changed religions. The teacher had requested [an] exemption after learning that the dues would assist in the promotion of abortion." Read the full story.
"A new 2006 Voter Guide has been put out by 'Catholic in Alliance for the Common Good' (CACG) a group headed up by Alexia Kelley who in 2004 worked as a religion advisor to John Kerry in the closing weeks of his campaign. ...
"Commenting on the new 12-page booklet, Catholic League president Bill Donohue said 'The voter guide is a slick attempt to get the abortion albatross off the necks of Catholic Democrats, but it's a failed effort-the noose is still there. Instead of listening to James Carville and Paul Begala, who have counseled Democrats to drop their opposition to parental notification laws and their support for keeping partial-birth abortion legal, the best Catholics in Alliance can do is say it is opposed to abortion. But it makes it painfully clear that it will never join any effort to ban any abortions, including partial-birth.'" Read the full article.
For a voter guide that actually represents faithful Church teaching, see the Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics, produced by Catholic Answers.
Last night while flipping through the latest Leaflet Missal catalog, I was puzzled when I saw this window decal listed in their pro-life section. I didn't get it at first, but if you look at it long enough, you'll see why. (Or maybe you're smarter than me and will pick up on it right away.)
"God of power and mercy, you blessed the Americas at Tepeyac with the presence of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe. May her prayers help all men and women to accept each other as brothers and sisters. Through your justice present in our hearts may your peace reign in the world.
