Reflections on a busy week
I just returned from DC and after a few days to catch up on work, family and those all important bills, I thought I would take a moment and reflect upon what was a very interesting week.
As usual the press and the media ignored the 250,000 Americans who bundled up and traveled to our nation's capitol to express their collective outrage that this nation founded upon the principles of freedom and independence would continue to allow the systematic slaughter of one million children a year.
The politicians do not really care. All but a few are afraid to address the issue. Some give lip service but wish we would just go away. Well, I have news for them. We are not going away. In fact, our numbers are increasing. More young people than ever attended this march. The generation Y is growing up and they are asking, "What did you do to one-third of my generation?' Their energy is contagious. They are hopeful and ready to shoulder the burden. I found myself perhaps for the first time not the one who had to remind people to remain vigilant. Our sons and daughters are ready to carry forth the message of life. I only hope that they will succeed before the current generation in power destroys the country.
Some numbers to give you an idea of how many things were going on that weekend.
450 college students attend the Students for Life of America conference at Catholic University on January 20.
Over 9,000 people cram into the National Shrine for mass the next evening.
Over 25,000 youth fill the Verison Center for mass on the morning of the march.
Rallies take place at constitution Hall, the Senate building, at various hotels where delegations meet with their congressional representatives.
Blogs for Life holds its second conference at the FRC building.
March for Life holds its convention and annual Rose dinner for at least 650 people.
All of the major pro-life organizations had a presence in some way at the march.
But as Joe Scheidler asked people, "What are you going to do tomorrow?" The march is but a single event, a marker to help us stay focused.
Indeed the question must be asked of all of us, What are we doing tomorrow to protect the lives of the unborn, the weak, the elderly, the marginalized, the disabled?
Only you can answer the call to action, only you can take up the mantle to protect the little ones.
Only you ...But if you do ...And the next fellow does it... And we all do our part, we will, by God's grace, end this terrible scourge to our land.
I’m Back
For those of you who still check in to the old blog site and wondered to what distant planet I had escaped (No, Gina, I did not attempt to find Krypton), I can assure you that my disappearance was the result of that age old problem – time – or should I say the lack thereof. So before the Christmas season ends (we are currently celebrating the 12 days of Christmas – that is where the song came from), allow me to wish you all a very blessed holiday season. I know it may seem strange to wish you a Merry Christmas on the 5th day of January 2007, but the feast of Epiphany is January 6 (that is the day we celebrate the visit by the three kings – or magi – or wise men), and the official season does not end until that day.
Yet aside from being a father to the eleven children God has seen fit to entrust us, I had this little matter of a daughter who scheduled her wedding day the weekend following Christmas. As you might imagine, things have been quite hectic. I must confess that I have this tendency to put off things until late in the fourth quarter. Gathering the Christmas presents, meeting with Old’ St. Nick and addressing the final plans for the wedding was an adventure.
Still everything came together beautifully. Christmas was joyous. The wedding was a dream come true for my daughter and well…. Now it is back to dealing with the day-to-day realities and the importance of constantly defending the right to life.
The Christmas season should be a wake-up call for all of us who treasure life and believe in the dignity of the human person. The remembrance of the birth of Christ, His reason for becoming man and the life of this prince of peace, are all-important tools to use as we discuss the right to life. Many of us read of the story of the birth of John the Baptist – how Mary visited Elizabeth and how the unborn baby John leaped for joy in the presence of the unborn baby Jesus. Yet even the reading recall the desire of Hanna to bear a child and the joy she had in giving birth to Samuel, who became on of God’s great prophets. So it is that in both the Old and New Testaments, the respect for the sanctity of human life in the womb is dramatically expressed in the Scriptures.
A wedding too is a time to reflect on the joy of life and the expectations of the future. Children are the natural ingredients of the future. For without children, there is no future for humankind. The tragic effect of the zero population mentality and the Planned Parenthood hatred of children have decimated Europe. Meanwhile the Moslems continue to have large families and there are elements among them who have no tolerance for allowing every person to seek God on his own terms. Marriage then becomes a most important consideration in the strengthening of the values that respect life.
Thus we are reminded that in everything and in every way, we should express our love for life. Today then treat your neighbor, your co-worker, your family member with respect and consideration. Recognize the beauty in every person and realize that we are to be pro-life advocates every day in every way.
Finally I would be remiss if I did not thank God for the fact that Planned Parenthood is currently closed due to an electrical fire that seriously damaged the building. It is always a good thing when the killing stops. Perhaps we can encourage the construction industry to avoid taking blood money to rebuild this death chamber.
By the way Arizona Right to Life is transitioning to a new website. We will keep you all posted.
