The Luminous Mysteries

Penance Rosary continues...

1st Luminous Mystery  

Baptism of Our Lord in the River Jordan

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" 
Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented. 
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on Him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. (Mt 3,13-17)

O Father, as we contemplate John's Baptism of Repentance of Your Beloved Son Jesus, human yet eternally sinless, we beg Your help and grace to recognize and amend our own sinful ways. Help us to see where our service to You can be better.  Help us to hear Your voice so that we may do Your will for us rather than follow our own whims.  Help us to touch the hearts and minds of those You send into our lives.  For the sake of Our Lord Jesus, whom You acclaimed from heaven, sending the Spirit to fortify Him to reconcile all creation to You, we beg your aid.   Amen.

Our Father...

For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him. 2 Cor 5:21
Hail Mary . . .

He went throughout (the) whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in . . . Isaiah: “A voice of one crying out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.’” Lk 3:3
Hail Mary . . .

And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” He said to them in reply, “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.” Lk 3:10-11
Hail Mary . . .

Jesus also had been baptized . . . heaven was opened and the holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” Lk 3:21-22
Hail Mary . . .

Here is my servant whom I uphold, / my chosen one with whom I am pleased, / Upon whom I have put my spirit. Is 42:1
Hail Mary . . .

A bruised reed he shall not break, / and a smoldering wick he shall not quench. Is 42:3
Hail Mary . . .

I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice. Is 42:6
Hail Mary . . .

I formed you, and set you / as a covenant of the people, / a light for the nations. Is 42:6
Hail Mary . . .

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, / because he has anointed me / to bring glad tidings to the poor.” Lk 4:18
Hail Mary . . .

“He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives / and recovery of sight to the blind, / to let the oppressed go free, / and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” Lk 4:18-19
Hail Mary . . .
Glory be . . .

Porta Sancta - Baptism of Christ

When Abram first comes to Canaan from Ur with his nephew Lot, the latter eventually settles east of the Jordan while God promises Abram the land near Hebron to the west.  When Moses leads his descendants from bondage in Egypt, crossing the Jordan marks their entry to this Promised Land.

This pericope has been a frequent icon for my own reflections. I bought three Porta Sancta medals when I brought my children to Rome for the Jubilee in 2000. I wore the medal shown to the left until the metal coating wore away.

River Jordan empties into a salt lake where nothing can thrive.  I always found it rather fitting that John chooses to send sins downriver to a place that leads to death since that is where we float also should we choose to retain our sins.  John of Patmos speaks two generations later of the faithful who washed clean in the Blood of the Lamb, an interesting and insightful word picture for a baptism of Living Water that is immersion and participation in the Passion of the Christ.  Bathe in the Precious Blood:  a permanent stain that cleans you to resemble the Resurrected Lord.  Awesomeness.

• 2nd Luminous Mystery 
• The Wedding at Cana

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, and Jesus and His disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to Him, "They have no more wine." 
"Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied, "My time has not yet come." 

His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet." They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now." 
This, the first of His miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed His glory, and His disciples put their faith in Him. (Jn 2,1-12)

Almighty God, as we contemplate the mystery of the Miracle at Cana, we ask that You might help us to be patient with ourselves and with our brethren.  Help us to recognize when our own time has come to do Your bidding, and when we need to grow spiritually yet before we are fit for Your service.  Open our minds and hearts to the vocations of others, that we might be an aid to them and not a stumbling block.  With You, Lord, all things are possible:  even turning wash water into the choicest wine.  We beg your mercy through the merits of Your only Son, who heard the voice of His mother and came to her aid in obedience to the Father's command to honor her.  Amen.

Our Father . . .

When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." Jn 2:3
Hail Mary . . .

Jesus said to her, "Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come." Jn 2:4
Hail Mary . . .

His mother said to the servers, "Do whatever he tells you." Jn 2:5
Hail Mary . . .

Jesus told them, "Fill the jars with water." So they filled them to the brim. 
Then he told them, "Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter." Jn 2:7-8
Hail Mary . . .

The headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him, "Everyone serves good wine first, 
and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now." Jn 2:9-10
Hail Mary . . .

If I . . . have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet. I have given you a model to follow, 
so that as I have done for you, you should also do.
Jn 13:14-15
Hail Mary . . .

To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, 
pray for those who mistreat you. Lk 6:27-28
Hail Mary . . .

Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. 
Forgive and you will be forgiven. Lk 6:37
Hail Mary . . .

Then he said to all, "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and 
take up his cross daily and follow me." Lk 9:23
Hail Mary . . .

This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. Jn 15:12
Hail Mary . . .
Glory be . . .

John shares the story of the Wedding at Cana immediately after John the Baptizer bears witness to Jesus, resulting in Andrew and John the son of Zebedee leaving all behind to follow Him; from these two were called Simon Peter, Philip, and Nathanael for a total of five (numerological symbol for the salvation of humankind).  These men, and possibly others, accompanied Jesus and his mother at the wedding.  Philip is a favorite of mine, his constant companion is called Bartholomew in the synoptics and Nathanael in the gospel of John.  My older boy, Stephen Joseph, chose Bartholomew as his confirmation name; his best friend in high school was Steven Joseph Nathanael... I referred to them jokingly as 'Stephen Squared'...

The conversation with Mary his mother seems carefully constructed to me.  When she says that there is no wine for the wedding guests, Jesus calls her 'woman' and basically dismisses her statement as a mere human concern.  But the Blessed Mother speaks then as she does even to the present day:  she is the voice of her spouse, the Holy Spirit.  When she contradicts Jesus and orders the servants to obey Him, He hears the voice of His Father through her and knows that, despite His hesitance, the time has indeed come to reveal directly what John has attested.  [please tell the NAB editors that they should fix their footnotes in their next edition, lol...]

3rd Luminous Mystery:  

Proclamation of the Kingdom of God

"The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. 

Repent and believe the good news!" (Mk 1,15)

Jesus proclaims the coming of the Kingdom of God, 

calls to conversion (cf. Mk 1:15) 

and forgives the sins of all who draw near to Him 

in humble trust (cf. Mk 2:3-13; Lk 7:47- 48) 

The inauguration of that ministry of mercy which he continues to exercise until the end of the world, particularly through the Sacrament of Reconciliation which he has entrusted to His Church (cf. Jn 20:22-23).

Almighty and Eternal Father, through our baptism we share in the life of the Trinity under Jesus' cloak.  As we contemplate the mystery of the preaching and healing ministry of the Emmanuel who pitched His tent among us, help us always to be cognizant that our thoughts, words, and deeds should reflect 

Our Father.....

Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God. Mk 1:14
Hail Mary . . .

This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel. Mk 1:15
Hail Mary . . .

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, / because he has anointed me / to bring glad tidings to the poor. Lk 4:18
Hail Mary . . .

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives / and recovery of sight to the blind, / to let the oppressed go free, / and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. Lk 4:18-19
Hail Mary . . .

Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing. Lk 4:21
Hail Mary . . .

You have heard that it was said, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." But I say to you . . . when someone strikes you on [your] right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. Mt 5:38-39
Hail Mary . . .

You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy." 

But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. Mt 5:43-44
Hail Mary . . .

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth . . . 

But store up treasures in heaven . . . 

for where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. Mt 6:19-21
Hail Mary . . .

Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets. Mt 7:12
Hail Mary . . .

Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give. Mt 10:8
Hail Mary . . .
Glory be . . .

Mark's Gospel recounts the first day of Jesus' public ministry (Mark 1:14-31), which consists of teaching, exorcism (freeing from mortal sin), healing, and prayer.  Matthew has Jesus tempted in the desert, then calling disciples before beginning to preach when John is arrested.  In Luke's telling, Jesus is tempted; then that he reads the Isaiah scroll in Nazareth (Luke 4:18-21)

The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly, to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners; To announce a year of favor from the LORD and a day of vindication by our God, to comfort all who mourn; To place on those who mourn in Zion a diadem instead of ashes, To give them oil of gladness in place of mourning, a glorious mantle instead of a listless spirit. They will be called oaks of justice, planted by the LORD to show his glory.... (Isaiah 61:1-3)

• 4th Luminous Mystery  
• The Transfiguration of the Lord

About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with Him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of His face changed, and His clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus.

They spoke about His departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. Peter and His companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him.

As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to Him, "Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters--one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." (He did not know what he was saying.) 

While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to Him." 

When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. 

The disciples kept this to themselves, and told no one at that time what they had seen.(Luk 9,28-35)

Almighty and Eternal Father, 

Our Father.....

Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. Mt 17:1-2
Hail Mary . . .

Two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem. Lk 9:30-31
Hail Mary . . .

Peter and his companions . . . saw his glory and the two men standing with him. Lk 9:32
Hail Mary . . .

Peter said . . . "Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents. . . ." But he did not know what he was saying. Lk 9:33
Hail Mary . . .

A voice [said], "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." Mt 17:5
Hail Mary . . .

But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Rise, and do not be afraid." And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone. Mt 17:7-8
Hail Mary . . .

Through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Jn 1:4-5
Hail Mary . . .

No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God, who is at the Father's side, has revealed him. Jn 1:18
Hail Mary . . .

All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit. 2 Cor 3:18
Hail Mary . . .

You are the light of the world . . . your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father. Mt 5:14, 16
Hail Mary . . .
Glory be . . .

• Institution of the Eucharist
• 5th Luminous Mystery

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to His disciples, saying, "Take it; this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it. 
"This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many," he said to them. "I tell you the truth, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God." (Mk 14,22-25)

Almighty and Eternal Father, 

Our Father.....

Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass from this world to the Father. He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end. Jn 13:1
Hail Mary . . .

My appointed time draws near; in your house I shall celebrate the Passover with my disciples. Mt 26:18
Hail Mary . . .

I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, for, I tell you, I shall not eat it [again] until there is fulfillment in the kingdom of God.
Lk 22:15-16
Hail Mary . . .

Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me."
Lk 22:19
Hail Mary . . .

And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you." Lk 22:20
Hail Mary . . .

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.
1 Cor 11:26
Hail Mary . . .

I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one . . . that the world may believe that you sent me. Jn 17:20-21
Hail Mary . . .

Now you are Christ's body, and individually parts of it. 1 Cor 12:27
Hail Mary . . .

For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit. 1 Cor 12:13
Hail Mary . . .

If [one] part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy. 1 Cor 12:26
Hail Mary . . .
Glory be . . .

June 11, 1963

June 11 1963

George Wallace bars children from entering a school.

Troops are sent to escort the schoolchildren.

JFK addresses the nation.

<iframe width=512 height=330 src='https://www.c-span.org/video/standalone/?313142-1/president-kennedy-civil-rights-address' allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' frameborder=0></iframe>

Medgar Evans is assasinated

on peace flowing from a JUST society... 

Civil marriage

At our annual Leaven Conference on Catholic social justice issues in 2010, Bishop Murphy of Rockville gave the keynote address on the topic of civil recognition for homosexual unions.  The main point that he made was the claim that state recognition of a spousal relationship and formation of a household unit is a privilege granted to some in society, not a right granted to all by virtue of their humanity. Many who are married in the eyes of the state are not wed in the eyes of the Church, and his point seemed to be that the truth we know through the Gospel must be imposed upon the civil society, and that opening permanent legal recognition to homosexual households endangers sacramental unions.

Well, the Christian NORM is chastity, whether one has entered into a marriage or not.  In most cases, that means celibacy.  We used to preach that idea more forcefully and effectively through the example of the Holy Family and devotions to St. Joseph, the chaste spouse of a Virgin Mother.  We used to preach this ideal with the full recognition that most humans cannot attain that ideal without gifts of grace.  Many sins loathsome to Almighty God no longer carry a civil or criminal penalty.  We don't throw kids into prison for experimenting with premarital sex, impose fines or jail time on adulterers, nor do we imprison people for homosexual or heterosexual acts of sodomy.

I believe my Shepherd Frank invited him to deliver this keynote because of the cases before the Florida Supreme Court at the time regarding the statewide ban barring homosexuals from adopting children, which was overturned in September 2010.  In other states and in the District of Columbia, removing the bar to adoption by homosexuals led the bishops of those areas to withdraw from offering adoption services altogether.  Our diocese still refers to the Foundations of Life adoption program through Catholic Charities, Diocese of St. Petersburg. While our Catholic services may now be ineligible for state funds, I am happy to see that our bishops here reacted with prudence rather than hysteria and that we continue to offer services.



Our Church has rules about who is eligible for the sacramental blessings of matrimony and who is not.  For example, in my own case I sought to marry an unbaptized man and so formally petitioned my bishop for a dispensation to do so.  Those whose marriages have faltered are barred from contracting another union.  The Gospel does not abandon sinners, but gently leads them out of sin and into righteousness.  We are all sinful in one way or another, and the fact that I do not share your particular sin is no cause for me to boast.

If a civil marriage between homosexuals brings those involved closer to God rather than farther away, it is no business of ours.

A Penance Rosary - Prelude

From a letter by St. Francis of Assissi - Office of Readings for 10/4/19

Dearest Father,

• Introduction

You could not have picked a penance that would make me cringe more than to requested to pray a rosary.  I have never particularly cared for that devotion; I would much have preferred to atone by reading 50 psalms a day for three days or to have prayed all the hours of the breviary for three days or to do any difficult work at all of personal kindness or charity.  (Sigh.)  As I said, some of us -- including notably St. Therese of Lisieux -- do not particularly find rosary prayer fruitful.  I personally would prefer to make a rosary or two (I was in our Rosary Makers group for a while, long story but all my stories are long) than to pray one.

• Preparations

Rosary for the Church in Need

Well...  What is worth doing is worth doing well, so I put some thought into it.  I decided that for the offenses for which I atone, contemplating the Luminous Mysteries is most apt.  As I went to get the rosary which I played with at (Latin) mass as a child, the Spirit had me get this booklet instead (see inset).

Next, I remembered a dear priest in Italy had made a Holy Rosary site that I used all the time when I was a catechist, so I decided to pray using that as it has a bead by bead, since not using the physical rosary.

This site is particularly nice because it has selections from the Apostolic Letter  ROSARIUM VIRGINIS MARIAE  which instituted the mysteries.  Unfortunately, the music at the site no longer plays, but I have a Te Deum playlist, so I put that in another tab.

There is also a page sharing excerpts of history of the rosary by De Montfort.  He reminds us that Our Blessed Mother told St. Dominic:

"That is why, before doing anything else, priests should try to kindle a love of prayer in people's hearts and especially a love of my Angelic Psalter. If only they would all start saying it and would really persevere, God in his mercy could hardly refuse to give them his grace. So I want you to preach my Rosary."     

So, a fitting penance ...  and my priest gets brownie points.

• Psalm 51  

Usually before I perform any penance, I pray the Morning Prayer from the Office for the Dead.  I used to pray it a lot for zombies (those living but in a state of mortal sin) as well as those just physically dead. Today, I just loaded a series of choral renditions of the penitential Psalm 51 to meditate before beginning prayer.

~  The bones that were crushed shall leap for joy before the Lord ..... 

Father, he who knew no sin was made sin for us, to save us and restore us to your friendship. Look upon our contrite heart and afflicted spirit and heal our troubled conscience, so that in the joy and strength of the Holy Spirit we may proclaim your praise and glory before all the nations.      

~ The bones that were crushed shall leap for joy before the Lord

• Sign of the Cross   

This small prayer, often done mechanically and thoughtlessly, actually is a reminder and an aid to great humility.  As Christians, we do not act for ourselves but rather we should quietly subordinate our own wills for those of the Father as did Christ Jesus, and the Spirit imparted to us in Baptism speaks to us always what that Will might be should we be attentive. (One Bread, One Body)   

•   Apostles' Creed 
  

(You Are Mine)   I much prefer this credal formula to the Nicene.  In His descending into Sheol, I always picture Jesus the living God embracing John the Baptist first...and then Noah the second Adam, and third to Abram, the man who left everything to gain a family in a foreign land...who became a tribe... who became a race...who became a nation.  Unlike so many others, we children of Abraham, those of blood and those grafted on, are still a people today. and will be so to the ages of ages.  I just love talking to people about Abraham, particularly those who don't accept our Catholic teachings on immigration.

• Our Father  - intention: That all suffering from sin may repent and atone

(Be Not Afraid)  Most sin is idolatry, blasphemy, and misuse of time (the first three commandments).  We humans are constructed to discern but instead believe ourselves capable of judgment.  This prayer is so very humble:  on THIS day give us only bread for THIS day...  reminds me so much of the manna -- and Quail, Christians always gloss over the protein gift -- that fed God's People in the desert, with a double portion on Friday morning to cover the Sabbath when God rested with them. Why would anyone ever want more than God will provide?  I never really understood that.  But I guess that is what a prayer of petition is supposed to be: asking God to give me more than He already has?  No, I ask other people to do that for me.  I don't dare.

• Hail Mary for faith, Hail Mary for hope, Hail Mary for charity

(Mary, Gentle Woman)  FAITH 
In 1963, I asked a favor of Mother Mary. Pope Paul was going to let the Pieta come to the New York World's Fair.  I really wanted to see it, I knew all about Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel from books. The next year, my father was suddenly transferred to New York for a year to work in NYC and White Plains. So there I was: an 8 yr old standing in front of the Pieta.  I memorized every line in the stone...  and I prayed my thank you, but asked if it were all possible that I might see her statue again where it belonged, in St. Peter's in Rome.   
[insert Long Story here ]

(Mary Did You Know)   HOPE 
My son's best friend from middle school into high school is dead.  He took his own life while suffering from PTSD after a stint in the Navy.  Sad to say, death by despair is not unusual in their generation; only my own generation of baby boomers and the very sick and elderly have higher suicide rates.  Another sign of hopelessness is that birthrates are falling and age at marriage is rising.  Many of these deaths are due to the economic situation that unchecked greed has created, but spiritual factors are also important.  Constant ragging on certain topics has made this worse, as those shouting the loudest often suffer from cognitive dissonance and their inconsistencies lead anyone with brains to tune them out.  So they are unlikely to look within church communities for the help and support that they need.  Disconnected people embrace the three deaths of despair:  drugs, drink, suicide.  We must do better, we just must.

(On This Day, O Beautiful Mother  CHARITY
Sorry, but it just makes me insane that we teach our little ones to say "the Lord is with YOU" but don't correct their mamas and grandmas who contradict their bishops and catechists by saying THOU as their great-grandmas did.  My own children are nearly thirty years old, and I was teaching the Hail Mary as shown in the USCCB inset below way back when they were babies. I mean, we don't say "Holy Ghost" anymore as we did in my youth so change IS possible.  No excuse in my opinion to teach the children and neglect their elders like that.

[Father, Son, Holy Ghost:  whoever eats the fastest gets the most.  Amen] 

Personally I think this is failure to lead by our priests. Mama Maria wants us to speak to heavenly friends as we do those next to us in the pews. These silly airs of speaking stilted English in prayer are just that:  silly.  (What does any of this spouting of have to do with charity, you ask??  Well, I have thought this for a very long time but have only very rarely expressed it, that's pretty charitable when my views on the topic are so strong, lol.)

• Doxology Gloria Patri  (Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring - Bach)

I love this prayer.  It is very timey wimey, as The Doctor would say.
This and the Trisagion I could pray all day.  (I love that my sister Faustina included that in the Divine Mercy devotion, don't you?  Our Sanctus prayer is nice, but the original hymn is better, I think)

Human beings were created to sing praises.  Most people only seem to do that in church, which is a pity.  Going to church is for practicing the attitudes and words we need to use in our everyday lives.  We should praise God more than just on Sundays, and more than just saying it as an expletive once in a while.

d



[insert rant re how "world without end" does not belong in the Doxology]


Ok, let us begin celebration of the Mysteries of Light....

Abraham's Bargain: we should not recriminalize abortion

When The Lord decided to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah for their many sins, Abraham bargained with God for their lives, reminding him of the injustice of destroying the good with the evil:

Then Abraham drew nearer to him and said: "Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty? Suppose there were fifty innocent people in the city; would you wipe out the place, rather than spare it for the sake of the fifty innocent people within it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to make the innocent die with the guilty, so that the innocent and the guilty would be treated alike! Should not the judge of all the world act with justice?"

The LORD replied, "If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake."

Abraham spoke up again: "See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord, though I am but dust and ashes! What if there are five less than fifty innocent people? Will you destroy the whole city because of those five?" "I will not destroy it," he answered, "if I find forty-five there." But Abraham persisted, saying, "What if only forty are found there?" He replied, "I will forebear doing it for the sake of the forty." Then he said, "Let not my Lord grow impatient if I go on. What if only thirty are found there?" He replied, "I will forebear doing it if I can find but thirty there." Still he went on, "Since I have thus dared to speak to my Lord, what if there are no more than twenty?" "I will not destroy it," he answered, "for the sake of the twenty."

But he still persisted: "Please, let not my Lord grow angry if I speak up this last time. What if there are at least ten there?" "For the sake of those ten," he replied, "I will not destroy it."

The LORD departed as soon as he had finished speaking with Abraham, and Abraham returned home.

Faced with the ever-growing number of societies that have de-criminalized abortion, perhaps the Catholic voter should recall that even the Lord we understand through the Hebrew Bible sets rational limits.

I just re-read the Catholic Answers column of the 10/24/08 issue of Commonweal. Yet another writer struggles with how to vote his conscience against orders from the hierarchy: part of the long chain of bishops arguing with bishops, bishops arguing with laity, and parishioners arguing with parishioners about how Catholic moral issues should shape political decisions.

I was fortunate here in the Diocese of Venice that our bishop at least acknowledged that politics and relationships with the world and the various governments are the proper sphere of the laity, not the hierarchy, and didn't order me to vote against my conscience.

We Catholics are not a one-issue constituency.  Being pro-life in my own opinion it does not necessitate holding the opinion that all abortions must be made a criminal matter.  I have witnessed the results of the Supreme Court's opinion the same as any of my age, and they have most certainly NOT been all negative.

Rather, what I have seen as the results of decriminalizing abortion is that:

1. Criminal gangs no longer make money by exploiting desperate women. 
2. Fewer women die from attempted or completed abortions.
3. Because women legally can choose abortion, those who choose life instead for their children conceived out of wedlock are now celebrated rather than spurned.  The women are not slut-shamed but are welcome in community.
4. There is no longer any stigma attached to those who are bastards.
5.  The abortion rate has gone down from what I saw in my youth.
6.  We no longer force young women to place their children for adoption.   

The last consequence, the end of most forced adoptions, is the most important boon of these to me personally.  I have held several women now in their 80s and 90s in my arms as they wept for the loss of the little ones ripped from their arms at birth because of social norms that their parents imposed to keep them from being publicly ostracized.  Family matters, especially the most important ones, belong in the hands of the family without the intrusion of government officials.

I have no desire to see abortion criminalized again.  We must fight for the lives of these children in better ways, by supporting their mothers-to-be good choices and discouraging those who would choose badly.

We also must remember that pregnancy and childbirth are matters of life and death.  We are blessed that better medical care has decreased the loss of mothers and infants over what was normally expected in my great-grandparents' day. My dad's father was the eldest of his large clan, but that was only because his mother lost her firstborn.  My closest friend from childhood grieved as her daughter's first child, Liam, died in utero for no reason just days before her due date.  

There are many, many spontaneous abortions (miscarriages) and stillbirths:  do we as a people really want the sheriff imposing on grieving families to investigate whether or not these tragedies were deliberate attempts to abort?  And for those that might have been deliberate, do we really want to incarcerate mothers who really are exhibiting a mental illness?

Criminalizing abortion means we jail people involved in abortion, viz. mothers and doctors.  I have no stomach for seeing that happen again.  I also object on moral and on religious grounds to the nonsense of legal personhood for the unborn.  

What should we do instead?   

The Lord in the Hebrew Scriptures judged no infant worthy to be joined to His covenant unless it lived for eight days, at which point the babe was named and circumcized.  In the New Testament, the last prophet John the Baptist is not named by his father until his birth, but it is John as a fetus who is the first witness to the Presence of Jesus in the womb of Mary.  Elizabeth knows because the babe in her womb leaps for joy at the sight of Our Lady at the Visitation.  Our Lord is named by the angel Gabriel at conception.  

I suggest that we should encourage our young people to name their babes in utero, as soon as the child's sex can be determined, and institute special Catholic blessing ceremonies for the unborn (performed only publicly within a mass) that the families can incorporate into their baby shower social events. 

In addition, making such blessings common would mean that we Catholics could offer further comfort to families.  A child lost by miscarriage who has been so named by the Church could perhaps have a Catholic burial that entrusts them to God's mercy as they did not receive baptism.  Having their Catholic community join with them in acknowledging the life and death of these unborn children would be a great comfort indeed to those who have experienced frequent miscarriages.  Our grief is great; sharing such moments publicly might be a help to many, and the result would be pleasing to our Virgin Mother.

Instituting such practices would do much to bolster the reality of human life in a positive and loving way.