Humanae Vitae and Advancing Forward

Does it seem that our country is more divided today than ever before?  I wonder what it was really like during the Civil War because it is feeling more and more that the level of anger out there right now rivals the mid 1800's.  We are a divided country on the most basic of human issues: marriage... and having babies.  We probably all agree that the economy stinks, unemployment is still high, we are tired of politicians, we could do a better job of taking care of our environment, our healthcare system needs revamping (not a government run system shoved down our throats), our public educational system is broken, and we appreciate the sacrifices our military make for our freedoms everyday.  It's the hows and whys of these issues that rile everybody up and cause politicians to point fingers.  And then there are those first two issues where we are clearly divided:  should the definition of marriage change or should it remain the same? and is it really a woman's right to her body when a baby is involved?  and what about that pesky contraception issue?  Conservatives say that liberals are destroying America's Christian foundation, eroding our freedoms by asking government to take a more active role, and giving women a pass on murder for aborting their babies. Liberals would say that conservatives are stuck in the past, Christianity is passé, the government can do a lot of good in terms of helping the poor, and abortion is legal and it is a woman's right to have the baby or not (end of story).

When I was "pro-choice", I thought it was exactly that.  I thought we as women had gained freedoms and I was simply exercising that freedom by making sure I protected the right to "choose".  When I learned of the true horrors that abortions can bring about for women (not to mention the baby), from depression to serious health issues to even death, I knew abortion was not the path to true freedom but a stranglehold on women.  How could women not have seen this back in 1973?  How could the nurturers of our society allow and encourage the passage of Roe v. Wade?  Any woman who has held a baby in her womb for even a day, knows it is LIFE.  It is a miraculous life that God gave as a gift.  It is not a mistake.  When contraception first began, it was supposed to be used in extreme circumstances.  It grew to such a popular idea that women went from the nurturers of our society to murderers of their own babies.  But we covered the blood with a picket sign that read "Pro-Choice", and fooled much of the world into believing it.  We were being modern and forward-thinking.  We shouldn't be stuck in the past if the technology was there, right?

In 1968, Pope Paul VI prophetically wrote a document called "Humanae Vitae".  It came under extreme fire from all sides, including some of his own.  In it, he discusses contraception, marriage, and having babies.  The very first line pretty much sums it up.  Ready for this? "God has entrusted spouses with the extremely important mission of transmitting human life."  This is our role in life as a married person.  When we entered into the sacrament of marriage, we were "entrusted" with the care of this special and vitally important role.  It is through married couples that God's people will continue to flourish and humanity will be saved.  When else does God's hand come down and literally touch a human being?  He works in union with the couple to bring forth life and then works together with the woman to grow a child of God in the image of Himself.

Pope Paul VI goes on to say that,
"God the Creator wisely and providently established marriage with the intent that He might achieve His own design of love through human beings.  Therefore, through mutual self-giving, which is unique and exclusive to them, spouses seek a communion of persons.  Through this communion, the spouses perfect each other so that they might share with God the task of procreating and educating new living beings."


We as spouses perfect each other by creating the possibility for new life.  It is a perfect union and one that is exactly like the Holy Family.  God chose to come to this world as a small helpless newborn baby - born into a family of a mother and father.  We mirror God's image in our families.  With God's help, we bring forth life.  When we are contracepting ourselves and aborting our babies, we are living in complete discord with the One who gave us life.  He gave us our lives, yet we continue to destroy them and our children's.

After all was said and done, Pope Paul VI was right.  His writing was prophetic.  We are currently living through a time that is overrun with evil and an inordinate amount of attention to what is in fashion.  As Christians, we know that we must abide by God's laws for that is truly the only way to complete freedom and happiness.  God's commands are there to keep his children safe, not to restrict them.  It is in safety that we are truly free.  We have a difficult time with this notion because as Americans we have grown too comfortable in our "democracy".  We were of course built on freedom and certain inalienable rights, and we are used to fighting for those rights if need be.  God is calling His people to abide by His rules, not society's - even in tough times such as these.  So, should we continue to advance forward or remain "stuck" in the past, as some would suggest?  We would do well to heed Pope Paul's warnings.  He was guided by the Holy Spirit in writing "Humanae Vitae".  God was warning us in 1968.  Society will keep pushing in all directions because it is made up of a bunch of talking heads and their followers.  It is our duty as Christians to keep pushing in one direction - God's direction - even when it seems old-fashioned or outdated.  God protects, guides, loves, and prods us to utilize the gifts we were given in this life.  We haven't been given freedoms to abuse them and do whatever we want.  We were entrusted with freedoms so that we could go about the business of building up God's kingdom.  We must remember that God's kingdom is exactly that.  It is a kingdom - it is not a democracy.

This is LIFE at 12 weeks

Are Babies Really Close to Heaven?

It is said that babies are close to heaven because they have recently joined us here... from there.  I believe this to be true because I have found it to be true.   When my oldest son was just about one and a half, I heard him up from a nap babbling in his crib.  I stealthily creeped down the hallway just so I could sneak a peek of him through the crack in the door.  What I saw was him sitting up in his crib, looking up as if to someone, and speaking very clearly. I heard him say, "Okay God, I will."  I have to admit, it kind of freaked me out - especially since I had never heard him speak so clearly before.  I went into his room, he turned to look at me, and his face changed.  He was happy to see me, but it was if he "snapped out of it."  I asked him who he was talking to and he said he didn't know.

Several years ago, I was walking my second son to sleep as I always did at every nap and every bedtime.  I have a mirror on the wall with an engraved image of Mary in it.  I had passed that mirror with him countless times already, but at that moment, he lifted his head from my shoulder.  He looked at the mirror and said, "Oh, hi Miriam."  I had never pointed out that mirror to him, nor had I ever said it was a picture of Mary.

When my third son was about two, he saw a picture of Jesus and said, "Look Mom, it's God."  My baby girl is now about a year and a half, and last week she saw a picture of a girl angel.  She pointed at it and said, "Mary".  She said it with the sweetest voice and cocked her head to the side.  She kept saying it over and over - like she was pointing to a picture of an old dear friend.  I swear I couldn't make these stories up.  They happened.

Our babies are closer to heaven than we know.  I have often held my babies close while they sleep and stared at them.  I think, "What exactly do you know?  How little credit we must give you." Our babies know who their true Father and Mother are.  They know about Jesus and the angels.  I wonder what each of my babies has come here to teach me and our family.  It is important that we watch our babies and listen.  We would do well to mirror their innocence.   If you wonder what heaven is like, you might just get a little closer to a little one.  The answers might be as close as looking into the eyes of a baby and listening.