THIS IS AN APPEAL.
THIS MORNING, I RECEIVED THIS EMAIL FROM A CO-PARENT AT WOODROSE THROUGH OUR MOM'S YAHOO GROUPS AND I HAVE DECIDED TO SHARE IT HERE. I THINK FOR MOST PART MANY HAVE BEEN SILENT FOR FEAR OF THE POSSIBLE REACTIONS THAT WILL BE ELICITED FROM TAKING A PRO-LIFE STAND ESPECIALLY WITH THE RECENT EVENTS THAT HAVE INVOLVED THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND PRO-CHOICE PROPONENTS. THEN AGAIN THIS MORNING, I WAS COMPELLED BY THIS EMAIL TO TRY AND TAKE A FEW STEPS FURTHER TO SUPPORT LIFE AND TO RALLY FOR LIFE.
SOMETIMES, SILENCE IS GOOD AND GOLDEN BUT WHEN IT DISABLES US FROM TAKING A STAND, FROM BEING THE THE BETTER VERSION CHRISTIANS WE ALL ASPIRE TO BE AND NATURAL STEWARDS OF LIFE, THEN CHOOSING TO BE SILENT DOES MORE DAMAGE THAN WHAT WE WANTED TO AVOID ANYWAY. THERE IS A LINE BETWEEN TOLERANCE AND PERMISSIVENESS. I REMEMBER THIS ALWAYS FROM FR. CORAPI'S TALKS. WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR LIFE. WE ARE CARETAKERS OF LIFE, FOREMOST AS PARENTS AND AS HUMAN BEINGS. GOD HELP US WITH COURAGE TO SPEAK UP IN FAVOR OF LIFE, NOT SO MUCH TO BE CONFRONTATIONAL OR ARGUMENTATIVE OR SENSATIONAL TO SAY THE LEAST- BUT JUST TAKE A STAND FOR IT REGARDLESS OF RELIGION. AFTER ALL, LIFE AND CHOICE- THESE BLESSINGS ARE NOT EXCLUSIVE TO CATHOLICS. THESE BLESSINGS ARE ALL INCLUSIVE.
MANY YEARS INTO THE FUTURE, IT WILL BE OUR CHILDREN WHO WILL HARVEST THE CONSEQUENCES OF OUR DECISIONS, ACTIONS AND INACTIONS.
MAY OUR CHOICES, REGARDLESS WHO IS RIGHT OR WRONG, BE ALWAYS LIFE-GIVING.
GOD BLESS!
From: SHARON FERNANDEZ <sybf2005@yahoo.com>
Subject: A CALL FOR ACTION
Date: Sunday, October 3, 2010, 9:48 AM
Dear Family and Friends,
This past week saw a very sad incident and a tragic turn of events take place in our midst - a misguided individual took it upon himself to disrespect and desecrate the holy sacrifice of the mass, the most central and revered practice of our faith, under the excuse of "freedom of expression". He also disrespected the leaders of our Church, who were present in the celebration. If this had happened in a mosque and it was the muslim religion that was disrespected, muslims everywhere (not only in the Phils) would be up in arms and calling for a fatwah.
But how did we react as Catholics?
In light of all the attacks being waged against the Church these past weeks (and which we can expect will continue as those who are pushing for the RH bill will certainly make the most out of the recent incidents to put the Church in a bad light and force Filipinos to take sides), let's take some time to pause and reflect on where we stand in all of this. As Catholics, are we going to side with those who say that we should be "flexible" (see Carmen Pedrosa's column in Phil. Star today, Oct 3) and just choose to follow those teachings of the Church that don't agree with our views? Or are we, like true Catholics, going to practice humility and recognize that our Mother the Church is just doing her job of looking out for our welfare by reminding us of what is good for us, because God said so and He knows what's best? Since when did being a Catholic mean we can pick and choose what we want to believe and practice based on what is convenient and "makes sense" to us? For isn't that the essence of FAITH - the belief in something to be true based on the authority of someone else? In this case, we believe in the truths taught to us by the Church because the authority behind the Church is God Himself. I don't know about you but I'm not about to go against what God says because I happen to "think" that using contraceptives will be a much better (read: easier, more convenient) solution to preventing unwarranted births than say, abstinence. But that's what all these biased columnists and people in media would have us think and do. Just think about it for a while: why is it that we don't read any articles/columns that talk about the merits of ABSTINENCE? Condoms and other contraceptives have already been scientifically proven to be less than 100% effective (condoms between 85-95% effective), which is why there are still so many incidences of unwanted pregnancies despite their use, which then motivates the person to seek abortion as her next and last resort. But if people practice ABSTINENCE, that will be 100% effective 100% of the time. The problem with ABSTINENCE is that there's no money to be made by anyone out of it AND it will require discipline and self-sacrifice (virtues many of our so-called leaders and politicians could definitely benefit from learning). With abstinence, both the rich AND poor alike will benefit (not only physically but spiritually), whereas promoting contraceptives supports a billion $ industry.
So going back, where do we, as true CATHOLICS, stand in all of this? Are we going to allow the views of the few but very vocal, misguided individuals speak for the millions of Catholics in this country? As the article below says, if we don't speak up now when our very beliefs are being challenged, when else will we speak? What kind of society will we bequeath to our children and grandchildren? A society that values comfort and self-seeking over self-sacrifice and whole families (father, mother, children) loving one another? A society where children don't need to tell their parents that they're using contraceptives because they're having pre-marital sex at 15? A society where a wife doesn't need to discuss with her husband her decision to have a ligation, even if he still wants to have children? A society that doesn't value children because they represent hard work, sacrifice, expense? For that will be the result of passing the RH Bill currently being touted as the ultimate solution to our problems with poverty.
If this is the kind of society that you would want generations of Filipinos to inherit, then do NOTHING after reading this. But if you want to have a hand in our country's future, TALK, WRITE, DEBATE, DISCUSS with others what you believe. If you belong to a group who are active in Church activities, ministries, etc., generate talk and discuss these with them and get others to make a stand with you. Write to your congressmen or if you know/have connections to any politician, talk/write letters to them and let them know what you think. Because unless we make the effort to speak out, the highly vocal minority will speak out for us, and then where would we be?
Sharon Fernandez
(If you are unsure of the fact and would like to be further enlightened on the arguments against contraception, abortion, population control, the RH Bill, etc. I would be more than happy to share information with you. Feel free to e-mail/text me.)
----- Forwarded Message ----
Sent: Sun, October 3, 2010 7:42:31 AM
Subject: [alfi] Elizabeth, Generations for LIfe: An Obligation to the Truth
— Posted by Elizabeth (September 15, 2010 at 7:48 pm)
Have you ever been in a situation when a friend shares with you the fact that they performed a less-than-honorable action? And instead of pointing out that what they did was wrong, and that they have an obligation to get right with God, you laugh it off?
Yes, that happened to me. Recently, in fact. I was merely trying to be non-judgmental, but I ended up condoning that action. I didn’t speak the truth, instead I remained silent.
In our society, silence implies consent. By saying nothing, we indicate that we have no objections. We affirm the speaker as correct, and give them permission to proceed.
Meanwhile, our culture is constantly throwing objectionable beliefs in our face. We read biased articles from the media; there are numerous social settings where we run into people who hold immoral viewpoints. Our friends get caught up in the lies. As Christians – especially as Catholics who have been confirmed – we have an obligation, like it or not, to speak the truth instead of remaining silent.
We don’t have to be confrontational. We might not be especially persuasive. Maybe we’ll feel embarrassed because the truth is unpopular. But when the truth is disrespected in our presence, we can’t let the insult pass without raising even a small objection.
When you think about it, wouldn’t we speak up in any other situation? If I was speaking to someone who dissed my family, favorite sports team, or even my favorite movie, I would most certainly challenge their statement. Very few of us would merely shrug it off.
In the big picture, the Church, morality, and our pro-life beliefs are important enough to be defended – although it should be done with compassion and respect. And while oftentimes, we will be tuned out and ignored, we have the assurance that we have done the right thing.
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