Merry Christmas and Happy Conversion!

With delight, I’ve just finished reading Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. I’ve read it several times before, and find it enriches my celebration and anticipation of the Christmas season in so many ways. This year, as I set the book down on my nightstand, overcome with the joy of experiencing Scrooge’s tale, it occurred to me that this book is a story of any common man’s conversion to God.

You may find my conclusion quite obvious, but as I reflected on what really happens in this story, I’m reminded of Jesus’ words that there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than all others (Luke 15:7).

I’m also looking forward to my annual viewing of “It’s A Wonderful Life”. Each year, I somewhat religiously watch this movie. I carve some time out for a couple of hours, and sit down with whomever wants to join me, and immerse myself in the story of a man who realizes (through suffering) how many blessings God has given him. He, too, is amazingly converted.

I suppose man is pre-wired to rejoice in witnessing conversion. We know the good that will come from it. We see the struggle so clearly because we identify with it so strongly. It’s like watching a soldier get over a high wall using only a small rope. It’s so difficult. It’s so amazing when it’s accomplished. It’s so universal.

God leads us on in our lives, prodding us to make that very same conversion. Scrooge doesn’t come out and claim Jesus as his Personal Lord and Savior, and neither does George Bailey, but somehow, we know that God is the author and catalyst of their conversions. And through their conversions, God touches so many lives. May we all find God amidst our preparations for Christmas. May we experience the untold joy of conversion and share that joy with those we meet!

Can You Say "Baa"?

A certain former President of the United States, when asked by a reporter to provide details of his reputedly wild youth, gave this response: “When I was young and foolish, I was young and foolish.” No matter your feelings for the man, I would think that many of us can relate to that sentiment. I certainly can. I will spare everyone the banal details of my youthful indiscretions, (Isn’t it funny how sin always seems so exciting at the time, but in hindsight is revealed to be so ordinary? The pursuit of virtue, on the other hand, is a life of ongoing challenge and adventure.) and will instead focus on one of the spiritual turning points in my life – the point when I came to understand that I am a sheep in desperate need of a Good Shepherd.

My operating principle from about the age of 15 or 16 up until my late 20’s was that I was self-sufficient. Of course, I was financially dependent upon my parents for much of that time, but to me that was a minor detail. In all of the important ways (important by my reckoning, that is), I figured that I was smart enough to call my own shots. I considered my parents’ values and the Church’s teachings to be suggestions to be taken under advisement, but certainly not hard and fast rules that ought not to be disobeyed. That would call for a submissiveness and obedience (two words that made me shudder) that were not befitting an intelligent young gal like myself. And so began the young and foolish years. I thought I was so smart then, and it makes me uncomfortable to even think about that time now. I came to realize, however, that I had much to learn.

Surprisingly, one of the most important things that I needed to learn was the true nature of sheep. My husband, who raised sheep with his brother on their family farm for extra income in high school, was the one who taught me the most about it. And what I learned from him about the behavior of sheep who are left to their own devices is uncomfortably close to my own behavior at this time in my life. According to my husband, sheep are primarily concerned with filling their bellies, and so will graze and graze and graze without paying any attention to what’s around them. They keep their heads down and single-mindedly pursue sensual gratification and will, if not kept in a safe enclosure or closely watched by their keeper, wander into all sorts of dangerous situations. They’ll get lost in the woods, they’ll stray from the fold, they’ll come into contact with other animals that do not have their best interests in mind. Worst of all, they’ll be in deep trouble before they realize it and, by that time, won’t be able to save themselves. And so the need for a shepherd.

The analogy, though imperfect, applies pretty well to me. Especially the part about pursuing gratification of the senses without regard to danger. And the stupidity.

Here’s where the analogy fails, though. My husband and his brother didn’t love their sheep. They raised them for one purpose – income – and understood their value in direct proportion to how many lambs they could provide or what price they’d bring when it came time to slaughter them. My Shepherd, I have come to realize slowly (as is proper to a rather stupid animal), does love me. And He loves me in an utterly gratuitous way. Strictly speaking, I can be of no value to Him at all on my own. I have nothing to offer Him except what He has given me Himself. But when He gives me His superabundant love, I am then able (but again, only with His help, which is called grace) to give it back to Him.

Here’s another thing about the Good Shepherd that sets him apart from a human shepherd - the Good Shepherd calls His sheep by name. My husband assures me that he never named his sheep, though he did refer to the least cooperative of the flock in unflattering terms at times. To call something or someone by name establishes a relationship between the two parties, and my husband and his brother were not in the sheep-raising business in order to form lasting relationships with their flock. When the Good Shepherd calls His sheep by name, He shows them that He does want a lasting relationship – or, more to the point, an everlasting relationship – with them. He shows the sheep that He knows them, that He is concerned for them - each in a particular way - and that in some mysterious way He wants them to know Him too. It makes no sense to our small minds, and yet we have it on good authority that it’s true, so we are called to accept in humility that our Shepherd really loves us in this way. And, as we grow to accept it, we are moved to gratitude for the gift of that love.

But the least reasonable and most incredible way that the Good Shepherd distinguishes Himself from a human shepherd is that He is not content to simply watch over His sheep and keep them out of danger. This Shepherd loves His sheep so much that He became one of them. He lowered Himself to become a spotless Lamb. And not only that, He allowed himself to be sacrificed for their sake. His identification with His flock is so complete, so total, that He has taken on their nature for eternity. And through this condescension, He teaches the flock how to make themselves a fitting sacrifice for the Father. By lowering Himself, He has made it possible for His sheep to be raised to the unimaginable heights of union with their Creator. Clearly, this is no ordinary shepherd.

Now that I am older, I am happy to know that I am a sheep. I am happy to know that my comfort-seeking and stupidity will not be the death of me as long as I stay close to the Good Shepherd, who is the Lamb of God. I am happy to understand the need to listen for His voice and to trust that when He tells me, “No,” it’s for my own safety. I am happy to recognize that He speaks to me through human shepherds, the Pope and the bishops in union with him, and to be docile to their teachings. And I am happy now to admit that it is through my submissiveness and obedience, in imitation of His submissiveness and obedience, that I will be led into the safety of the sheepfold. Far from being dirty words, I now see that “submission” and “obedience” are in fact among those words of eternal life that, as Peter knew, come only from the Good Shepherd. As the hymn goes, “The King of love my Shepherd is.” Thank you, Good Shepherd, for placing me on Your shoulders and bringing me home.

Venerable Pauline Jaricot

"Do you object to the prayer of the Holy Rosary, feeling that the invocations are repetitious? Yes, it is like the manna that fell upon the sand in the desert. The Hebrews became bored with it for the very same reason you point out...every day the same manna, insipid and monotonous. And, yet, it sustained their lives!"

Taken from The Rosary, January, 1846

An Aspect of Marian Devotion

The more Mary loves you, the more surely you will act by faith.
~St. Louis de Montfort

Mary was entrusted to bring up our Lord. In entrusting ourselves to her, we could not ask for a better mother to lead us in the way of faith. At a certain point though, the mother must let/allow the fledgling to try his wings. In our case, it is by committing ourselves to the Blessed Virgin Mary that we gain our wings in the first place.

How do we commit to her? By doing things, everything, to please her and her son, Jesus. Our day should look like this: I am brushing my teeth for you Mary, I am making my bed for you Mary, I am eating breakfast for you Mary, I am folding laundry for you Mary. Each of these things seems so commonplace - part of ordinary life - and have no value in themselves. However, by uniting them to Mary they take on great spiritual value. Mary can use the grace obtained from you brushing your teeth to assist another soul wavering between choosing self or self-denial. Grace is given: 1. Because you gave it to Mary, 2. Because you did your duty, 3. Because you tried to do it well.

At the end of the day, we have concretely given each thing to Mary, who then has more graces to pour out upon others. This is true union with Christ - having done everything for the one human being whose will is and always has been most perfectly allied to his, to the one human being permitted to give life to our Lord - his mother. Thus our actions, having been joined to hers, are also most perfectly allied to his.

Two little things: 1. I forget to do this all the time, and 2. Grace, like love, when shared multiplies. This last one helps me in my moments of selfishness, when I don't want to give my prayers, works and sufferings of the day to Mary (cause then they won't be used for the people I wanted!) Rather, when we hand over to Mary our actions, she has the opportunity to perfect our works, and multiply them for others.

Do I Believe in the Power of Prayer?

You may have seen this story about Sr. Donna Quinn of the Sinsinawa Dominicans. Sr. Donna has been working as an escort at a suburban Chicago abortion clinic for years because, she says, women need protection from aggressive pro-life demonstrators while trying to enter the clinic. After an uproar ensued, her order issued this statement.

All of us who write for this blog, along with many of our friends, were very disturbed by this news and wondered what we could do about it. We figured we had a couple of options. We could write letters to the order and to the appropriate bishops expressing our outrage. (Indeed, many did just that and I’m sure that’s a big part of the reason that this whole sorry situation finally is being dealt with.) We could just talk about it with each other, lamenting the degree to which religious life has eroded over the past several decades. And, to be honest, we did do that. But after a little bit of discussion, we decided to respond in a different way. We felt the best way to deal with our many strong feelings about this situation would be to send a spiritual bouquet of Rosaries to Sr. Donna and her Sinsinawa Dominican sisters. We pledged a total of 200 Rosaries and then sent a letter to Sr. Patricia Mulcahey, the prioress of the order, expressing our sadness and distress at the news, our desire to ask for the intercession of the Blessed Mother and St. Dominic in healing this terrible situation, and our hope that our gift would be accepted in the spirit with which we were offering it – a spirit of love for the Sisters, for God, and for the Church. As we stated in the letter, “We will pray that St. Dominic and the Blessed Mother will plead at the Throne of Divine Mercy that all of the members of the Body of Christ will be humble and obedient to the will of God in all things. We will also pray that the wounds being inflicted against Christ's Bride, the Church, will be healed.” We didn’t know what, if any, kind of reaction we would get.

Now we know. We just received a letter from Sr. Patricia thanking us for our prayers and expressing her belief that our prayers will be helpful for the community as they seek to resolve this situation. I felt a sense of real peace when I read her letter. It made me feel like the Blessed Mother inspired us to approach this situation with love and gentleness instead of with vitriol and anger. I don’t know what the response would have been if we’d written angry letters to Sr. Patricia, but I doubt she would have responded with thanks.

I feel humbled and privileged to be a part of a group that has, in a way, adopted this community of sisters and is praying for their well-being. Because, really, I don’t want the Sinsinawa Dominicans to collapse and disappear. No, that’s not what I want. What I want, what I sincerely hope for, is that the Sinsinawa Dominicans, and every other religious order that seems to have lost its way, will hear again the voice of the Good Shepherd – the one whose voice they must have heard all those years ago when they chose to consecrate themselves to Him – and follow Him back to the safety of the Sheepfold. I hope to see a renewal of religious life, a flowering of love and devotion to Christ and His Church. We have taken to referring to Sr. Donna as “our nun” and I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we now feel a sense of responsibility for Sr. Donna and her sisters.

I have no idea how God will use these hundreds of Rosaries in the economy of salvation, but I know that He will use them. I have wondered if maybe our Rosaries will help some of their Dominican sisters in Purgatory, sisters who will then be in Heaven interceding before the Throne of Divine Mercy for their fellow Dominicans. I don’t know. Maybe, maybe not. But for me, it’s the mere fact that we were able to offer something beautiful to these sisters, women who are obviously in need of prayers, that makes this project so wonderful. May God bring Sr. Donna, the Sinsinawa Dominicans, and all consecrated men and women closer to Him so they will seek to do His will for the salvation of souls. St. Dominic, pray for us and for all who are members of your Order of Preachers.

Make Haste!

“In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in
the hill country…” Luke 1:39

I grumble. A lot. Seems to me, that this is unbecoming to a Christian wife and mother, so I’ve been taking my attitude to prayer. Now, admittedly, I’ve taken this habit to prayer before, but recently I’ve been praying about it in a spirit of repentance. I really want to change. I don’t think I dignify my vocation if I walk about with a scowl on my face all day. And do my children really want to grow up and fulfill their vocations as married persons, if they think there’s no joy to found there?

So, yesterday, as I was loading my washing machine, I began to
grumble. I hadn’t even begun to form a sentence in my head, when I
found myself desiring to just “turn off” that voice in my head. And
so I did. And I marched on with my work, choosing to fill my mind
with something that wouldn’t drag me down. Praise God! And so my
attitude was better from that one small victory yesterday. I’ve
thought about it a lot in the last 24 hours, and today during my
Rosary, I was contemplating Mary’s visit to Elizabeth and one phrase
just beamed out at me. Mary “went with haste.” She heard the Word of
God and she made haste to complete the task that God had given her.
Scripture makes absolutely no mention of Mary’s thoughts. All we know
is that she went with haste. As a wife and mother, I’m called to
imitate the one perfect model of spouse and mother, who is Mary. If
Mary makes haste, shouldn’t I? If my vocation requires that I serve
those around me via menial tasks that are taken for granted time and
time again, shouldn’t I still make haste to fulfill those duties?
Surely, Mary did not pause to grumble.

Today, I humbly ask my Mother’s help to take St. Paul’s advice:
“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7. I must
make haste to accomplish God’s will, and take no time for grumbling!

Prayer Vigil tomorrow at Planned Parenthood

A prayer vigil is planned for Wednesday, November 11 at 12:30 pm outside of Planned Parenthood, located at 1000 E. Washington Street. Come out armed with your Rosaries to combat the culture of death here in Springfield.

Please remember to remain on the sidewalk while praying and not to block pedestrians using the sidewalk. You must not trespass onto Planned Parenthood's property! Also, it is recommended that you park on the street and not in the private lots around the facility. Remember to bring coins for parking meters.

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

Rosary Wisdom from John Paul the Great

"The family that recites the Rosary together reproduces something of the atmosphere of the household of Nazareth: its members place Jesus at the center; they share his joys and sorrows; they place their needs and their plans in his hands; they draw from him the hope and strength to go on."

"I look to all of you, brothers and sisters of every state of life, to you, Christian families, to you, the sick and elderly, and to you, young people: confidently take up the Rosary once again. Rediscover the Rosary in the light of Scripture, in harmony with the liturgy, and in the context of your daily lives. May this appeal of mine not go unheard!"

"To pray the Rosary for children, and even more, with children, training them from their earliest years to experience this daily 'pause for prayer' with the family, is admittedly not the solution to every problem, but it is a spiritual aid which should not be underestimated."

"The Holy Rosary, by age-old tradition, has shown itself particularly effective as a prayer which brings the family together.”

First Friday and First Saturday Devotion

I don't have time for a lengthy post right now, but since today is the First Friday of November, I thought I'd share this information about the First Friday and First Saturday devotions. The last time I made the First Friday devotion was over three years ago, and I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I've never made the First Saturday devotion (when I re-read the promises attached to these devotions, I have to ask myself "Why not?"), but I'd love to hear about your experiences regarding these devotions.

On Brick-making and Suffering

"Every home was a brick in the great wall of decent living that men
erected over and over again as a bulwark against the perpetual
flooding in of evil. But women made the bricks, and the durableness of
each civilization depended upon their quality, and it was no good
weakening oneself for the brick-making by thinking too much about the
flood." ~Elizabeth Goudge, The Pilgrim’s Inn

This really went right to the heart of what I've been struggling with
lately - fear over our country and what the future holds for my
children (i.e. what kind of a world am I bringing them into anyway; it
seems bad enough that I wouldn't wish that upon anyone, let alone my
own children). Satan creeps in with his lies at this point to say: “it's
better not to have them.”

However, they are truly what does make this world good. The laughter
and loving kindness of the children that gives and gives, in a way
that puts me to shame. (Of course, they have their selfish moments -
we all do.) Yet, if my daughter is such a wellspring of joy in our lives, how
much richer does one's life become with the addition of each new
child.

Finally, my questions were answered through this scripture reading.
"Brothers and sisters: If God is for us, who can be against us? He did
not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not
also give us everything else along with him? Who will bring a charge
against God's chosen ones? It is God who acquits us. Who will condemn?
It is Christ Jesus who died, rather, was raised, who also is at the
right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. What will separate us
from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or
famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? As it is written:

For your sake we are being slain all the day; we are
looked upon as sheep to be slaughtered.

No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who
loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels,
nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers,
nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate
us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:31-39.

Which is to say that yes, we and our children will have sufferings to
endure. Yet, we should not be afraid. We have courage, for Jesus
Christ himself will plead our case before God. And if we trust in Him,
and His Infinite Mercy, why should we fear?

Non-Catholics and the Rosary

I grew up Catholic, but not in a very devout home. We went to Mass on Sunday, said grace before meals, and celebrated the major religious holidays. But we never, ever said the Rosary. My spiritual journey has brought me to the brink of leaving the Catholic Church, to where I reside now, which is completely enfolded in the heart of the Catholic Church. Now, I pray the Rosary daily. But is the Rosary only for Catholics? What profit would there be for a non-Catholic to pray the Rosary? If Catholics believe what they teach, shouldn't the Rosary be for all Christians, no matter their denomination? If you're reading this, and you're not a Catholic (or a practicing one) I humbly ask you to examine the Rosary as a method of prayer that leads you into deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. What could you possibly lose by the investigation?

In the interest of brevity, I'll give a short overview of the Rosary. Holding the string of beads, each representing one prayer, a series of prayers are said while, at the same time, one meditates on an episode of Christ's life as found in scripture (called a "mystery"). Each event can be located in scripture, except for the last two, which don't contradict scripture, but are not explicitly found there. The whole recitation usually requires 15 to 20 minutes time. Here's a link on the exact method: http://www.newadvent.org/images/rosary.pdf

The basic prayers used in the Rosary are the Our Father and the Hail Mary, although there are other prayers too. I bring up these two, because they are repeated the most often and would probably present the greatest obstacles for a non-Catholic. Why? The arguments I hear are due to "vain repetition" and asking for the intercession of Mary to pray for us. The following article contains a wonderful explanation for the reasons why any Christian can be comfortable praying the Rosary. http://www.catholic.com/library/Rosary.asp

All Christians consider the Bible sacred. Prayer and worship revolve around the scriptures, as they are indeed, the Word of God. The Rosary is a way of mining the depths of scripture, focusing on Christ's life, death, and resurrection, with the ultimate goal of conforming ourselves to Christ. Indeed, the Rosary is the act of praying the gospels. Imagine, fifteen minutes a day where you are completely centered on Christ. As I've heard others say, the Rosary combines many methods of prayer: vocal, spontaneous (you can add your own personal intention before beginning each mystery), and meditative.

Another glorious fruit of the Rosary is that it is universal. In times of trial and suffering, such as the funeral of a loved one, the Rosary can be said in community and give great comfort.

It may take a while to learn to say the Rosary, before it becomes natural. I know I had to sit with my prayer "cheat sheet" for many an afternoon before I could pray it on my own. Also, it may take a while to achieve a whole set of mysteries. That's okay. Start with just one mystery and see how it goes.

As I've continued on my walk with Christ, I am eternally grateful for the gift of the Rosary. In times of trial and joy, I've turned to it in every instance. This prayer is a gift for us to be said any time of day and anywhere. I've prayed it in my car, in the middle of the night, with my family, and with my friends. I'm always amazed at the comfort it brings. I hope you'll consider looking into this ancient Christian prayer and picking up your own set of beads.

Another Vigil Set

Please join other prayer warriors outside of the Planned Parenthood facility at 1000 E. Washington St. in Springfield on Wednesday, November 4 at 9:45 am. Again, stick to the sidewalk and park on the street.

And if you're not convinced that prayer is an effective weapon against the evil of abortion, see this story.

Grab Your Beads! Prayer Vigil Today at Planned Parenthood

I have just received word of a prayer vigil planned for today, Monday, November 2 at 1:30 pm outside of Planned Parenthood located at 1000 E. Washington Street, Springfield.

Please remember to remain on the sidewalk while praying and not to block pedestrians using the sidewalk. You must not trespass onto Planned Parenthood's property! Also, it is recommended that you park on the street and not in the private lots around the facility. Remember to bring coins for parking meters.

Queen of the most holy Rosary, pray for us!

On Mustard Seeds, Yeast, and Obscure Apostles

Last week provided me with yet another reminder of how small my sphere of influence is. When the flu struck our family, we simply withdrew for a week. No school, no extra-curricular activities, no nothing. What struck me is that it was so easy for me to do this. The thing is, I’m a wife and a mother of four young sons, and I stay home with my kids full-time. When I decided that we needed to hunker down and let this virus run its course, I didn’t have to report to anyone. Now, my kids needed to be called in sick to school, but as for me, I just did what I usually do - stayed home. My absence from whatever I might have done in a normal week didn’t really affect anyone. I realized, not for the first time, that my whereabouts really only matter to the five people who live here with me. I don’t run a business, or even work for one. I don’t hold elected office. I'm nobody's "go-to girl." When you Google me, all that comes up are the few times that my name has appeared in our parish bulletin. As the song goes, it’s a small, small world.

The problems of the world, by contrast, are big – very big. There’s abortion. There’s poverty. There’s war. There’s pandemic flu. And that’s just the short list. Most days, I’m so caught up in my tiny little world that I don’t really think about these big problems. But every once in a while I start to think about them and I feel overwhelmed. I feel like there’s nothing I can do, given my limited sphere of influence, about these big problems - problems which do, after all, affect me and the people I love. On my worst days I feel paralyzed, and fearful.

But then I remember Pope John Paul II addressing the world early in his pontificate with the words, “Be not afraid!” and I ask myself, how can I not be afraid? How, Lord, can I be brave when I’m so small and these problems are so big?

This past week, the Church seemed to be telling me that the answer to my question is, "Mustard seeds, yeast, and obscure apostles." Let me explain.

First, consider the Gospel reading from Tuesday’s Mass:

“Jesus said, ‘What is the Kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden. When it was fully grown, it became a large bush and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.’

Again he said, ‘To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough was leavened’” (Luke 13:18-21).

Then on Wednesday, we celebrated the Feast of Sts. Simon and Jude – two apostles about whom little is known. Even for having had the distinction of being among only 12 men chosen by Christ to be His closest companions, they are small when compared to other, better-known apostles like Peter, James the Greater, and John.

So what can someone like me - someone who is small and, in the opinion of the world, insignificant – take from this reading and this feast day? What I took from them is that God can use the small and the insignificant to effect great change. A tiny seed can grow to be a great bush. A small amount of yeast can change completely the dough it’s mixed with. Two little-known apostles can spread the Gospel, become great saints, and spend eternity interceding for the faithful before God.

But it’s not just about being small. It’s also about being obedient to God’s will. The mustard seed and the yeast always obey God's will perfectly. They can’t do anything but because they lack free will. The apostles, on the other hand, were human beings like me. They had faults and sinful tendencies. They had temptations. And they had wills that were warped by original sin and must have sometimes fought against submission to God’s will. But they were chosen by Christ to follow Him, and they accepted His call. They followed Him all the way to martyrdom and into Heaven.

What I learned last week is that I shouldn’t desire to be great in the eyes of the world. I should desire to be great in my conformity to God’s will and let Him decide how my conformity will be used for the salvation of souls. But how do I do it? How can I, despite my faults, my sinful tendencies, my warped will, become so conformed to God’s will that I can be used by Him? The key, according to many of the great spiritual masters of the Church, is the Blessed Virgin Mary. Who was smaller and more obscure than this young girl from a tiny town in the middle of nowhere? And yet, who was more conformed to God’s will than the woman who became His mother? What can Mary teach me on those days when I feel so small, so insignificant, and so overwhelmed by the big problems in the world? Mary teaches me to do God’s will right now, today. Take care of my husband and my children. Take care of our home. Pray and fast and obey God’s laws. Believe that God can take the mustard seed of one Rosary offered in love and use it to change hearts. Trust that He can take the leaven of one small sacrifice and use it to save souls. Be available to God, and when He asks me to do something, say yes.

I’m a long, long way from being able to do any of these things to the degree that Mary did them. But I feel a sense of hope when I realize that no one is too small for God to use, if they seek to do His will. Last week, I learned that I need to continue to ask the Blessed Mother to take my hand and teach me how to be more like her so that even in my obscurity I will be available to God to do His holy will.

Rosary Wisdom from Padre Pio

"Love the Madonna and pray the Rosary,

for the Rosary is the weapon against the evils of the world."

St. Pio of Pieltracina

What Would Abe Think?

A couple of weeks ago, Planned Parenthood in Springfield, Illinois announced that they would begin offering medication abortions through the distribution of RU-486. The spokesman for Planned Parenthood said they are “thrilled with this expansion of services.”

This news, and especially that quote, had a different effect on me. Rather than feeling “thrilled,” I felt positively chilled. Here we are in the city that gave America the President responsible for the end of slavery. I can’t help but wonder, what would Abraham Lincoln think of the arrival of elective abortion here in his adopted home town? To get at an idea, I browsed around on the web to find out what Lincoln had to say about slavery, the great moral issue of his day. Here are a few quotes I found:

"Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally."

"As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy."

"This declared indifference, but, as I must think, covert real zeal for the spread of slavery, I cannot but hate. I hate it because of the monstrous injustice of slavery itself. I hate it because it deprives our republican example of its just influence in the world-enables the enemies of free institutions, with plausibility, to taunt us as hypocrites-causes the real friends of freedom to doubt our sincerity, and especially because it forces so many really good men amongst ourselves into an open war with the very fundamental principles of civil liberty-criticizing the Declaration of Independence, and insisting that there is no right principle of action but self-interest."

Okay, so Lincoln was opposed to slavery. That’s pretty much a given. So what? What does slavery have to do with abortion?

To me, the parallels are obvious and many. The most important, as far as I’m concerned, is the issue of “people as property.” Here’s an example. Remember Scott Peterson? The guy who was convicted of not one, but two, homicides when he killed his pregnant wife? That’s right. He was charged with and convicted of killing an unborn child. But how is that possible? Millions of unborn children are killed every day in this country under the cover of the law. How can this killing be considered criminal? Because under the law, the unborn baby is the property of the mother. And this mother, Laci Peterson, chose to confer personhood on her child, Connor. So, his death was murder. Millions of other mothers choose not to confer personhood on their unborn babies, so those deaths are legal. Kind of like slave owners who could choose whether to grant freedom or not to their property – their slaves. Just as I decide what to do with that mattress in my basement that nobody uses anymore. Keep it? Sell it? Give it away? Dump it in the trash? My property, my choice. For more examples of the parallels between the two, see this chart.

So, what would Abe think? Without the ability to commune with the dead (and no desire to acquire it), I can only speculate. But I think it’s safe to conclude that Abraham Lincoln would not be an advocate for legalized abortion. I believe that he would find legalized abortion to be a “monstrous injustice.” And I believe that he would find this incarnation of the “people as property” mindset to be a sad outcome after the bloodshed of the Civil War that was waged under his command to eliminate this injustice forever from America.

But what can we do, right here in Springfield, in light of this news from Planned Parenthood? Here at The Lepanto Effect, we believe that the first line of attack is to seek to do God’s Will according to our states in life, to fast, and to pray - especially the Rosary. We believe that Our Lady can change the course of this battle just as she did at Lepanto. We are outmanned and outgunned to be sure. But we have a most powerful weapon at our disposal – the Holy Rosary. If you already pray the Rosary regularly, we encourage you to keep it up. If you haven’t prayed the Rosary for years - or ever - now is a good time to start. Here's a good place to help you get started. It’s a simple prayer of unimaginable depth. And it comes with promises from Our Lady, who is the Mother of God and our Mother. She will not disappoint her children.

And Abe Lincoln can give us some guidance here as well. He said, “To stand in silence when they should be protesting makes cowards out of men." So, show your courage by exercising your Constitutional rights to assemble, to speak out, and to protest this attack on the women and children of Springfield. Let’s stand up for Life in Springfield. It’s what Abe, and our Mother, would want us to do.

Welcome to The Lepanto Effect

We are Catholic wives and mothers who believe that the Holy Rosary has the power to change the course of history, as demonstrated in the Battle of Lepanto. We have come together to help each other and all who read this blog to grow in holiness and in complete and total trust in God as we seek to transform the culture and claim it for Christ. We have a special love for the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Mother of God and our own Mother and ask her intercession in all we do. We welcome comments and questions from our readers and hope that you will share your own stories of how your faith in Jesus Christ, your devotion to Mary, and praying the Holy Rosary have borne fruit in your life and the lives of your loved ones.

We welcome all Christians, as well as people of other faiths and no faith at all, to participate in this project. At the same time, we remind you that this blog is run by Catholic women and ask you to contribute in a spirit of charity, mutual respect, and common decency. We reserve the right to ban any person whose contributions violate these principles. We are excited to see what the Holy Spirit has planned for us and ask for your prayers as we seek to do His Holy Will.