Tabloid socialite and TV personality Kourtney Kardashian recently made a decision that shocked Hollywood and rocked the reality TV world. The pop media is still in a frenzy over the news.
Kourtney, who is 30, is the oldest sister on the E! network’s Keeping Up With the Kardashian’s, and recently finished a season of her own show: Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami with her sister.
Los Angeles native Kourtney Mary Kardashian is the daughter of the late Robert Kardashian, who was OJ Simpson’s famous trial lawyer. Her mom, Kris, is married to Bruce Jenner, the 1976 Decathlon Gold Medalist. Kourtney is a graduate of Marymount High School, an all-girls Catholic school in LA. She earned a degree in Theatre Arts from the University of Arizona in Tucson, in May, 2002. After that, Kourtney assisted her mom in opening several children’s clothing boutiques in New York and LA called “Smooch”.

Reality Shows

Her first stint with reality TV began in 2005 with Filthy Rich: Cattle Drive, a show that followed celebrity kids working on a Colorado cattle ranch. The premiere of Keeping Up with the Kardashian’s in 2007 featured models Kourtney, Kim, and Khloe, who were joined by the rest of their family. This includes brother Robert, Jr. also a model, and step-sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner and their parents Kris and Bruce Jenner.

Moving to Miami, Florida, Kourtney and Khloe began shooting their own reality show Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami, which aired on August 16, 2009. But that’s not all that aired that week. Kourtney also broke the news that she was pregnant.

Reality Bites

In an exclusive interview with People Magazine, (August 12, 2009) Kourtney revealed her thoughts as she struggled with what to do next.
“I definitely thought about it long and hard, about if I wanted to keep the baby or not.”
Kardashian reflected that the “choice” of abortion is often made without a lot of thought and information:
“… I don’t think it’s talked through enough. I can’t even tell you how many people just say, ‘Oh, get an abortion.’ Like it’s not a big deal.”
She felt a lot of confusion and turmoil at this point.
“I called my best friend crying, and I was like, ‘I don’t know what to do.’ She said, ‘Call your doctor, and at least find out the risks and stuff.’”

Alternate Reality

Kourtney’s doctor suggested that she do research in order to make an informed decision.
“I looked online, and I was sitting on my bed hysterically crying, reading these stories of people who felt so guilty from having an abortion,” she recalls.
“I was reading these things of how many people are traumatized by it afterwards.“
It began to dawn on Kourtney that abortion was not a choice for her after all.
“I was just sitting there crying, thinking, ‘I can’t do that,’” she said. And I felt in my body, this is meant to be. God does things for a reason, and I just felt like it was the right thing that was happening in my life.“
“For me, all the reasons why I wouldn’t keep the baby were so selfish…”

Reality, Man…

Her boyfriend, Scott Disick, 26, came to her side to offer his support even though she had broken up with him already.
“He wanted me to talk about it more, but I just kept to myself.“
He said, ‘I really want you to keep it [the baby], but I will support you whatever you decide to do.’”
“I really wanted to think it through for myself, and not hear what my sisters were saying, or what Scott was saying,” Kourtney explained.
“Even though I took it all in, I wanted it to be my decision.“
But the advice her doctor had given Kourtney at that first visit stayed with her.
“My doctor told me there is nothing you will ever regret about having the baby, but he was like, ‘You may regret not having the baby.’”
“And I was like: ‘That is SO true.’”
“And it just hit me. I got so excited, and when I told Scott, he was so excited.“
When asked about future plans for marriage to Disick, Kardashian said,
“We talk about marriage all the time.”
Then she adds:
“I just feel like there is so much to do… We should do everything for the baby right now and I’ll worry about myself later.”

Harsh Reality

Perhaps the most convincing information about the effects of abortion comes from those who know first hand what an abortion can do to both a mother and her baby. Some women who have had an abortion write their testimonies, the stories of their sufferings, and post them on web sites such as silentnomore.org , afterabortion.org , or abortionfacts.com . These post-abortive women hope others read the testimonies and learn from them, and might be spared the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual suffering they experienced after their abortion.
Dr. Alveda King, Director of the African American Outreach at Priests for Life and niece of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., applauded Kardashian’s decision. In a LifeNews.com interview Dr. King said,
“I am a member of the Silent No More Awareness Campaign, which posts the largest collection of such testimonies on the internet precisely for the purpose of exposing the truth about abortion.”
In another interview Dr. King said:
“Kourtney’s testimony is so encouraging. She found messages from post-abortive women like myself on the Internet.”
It takes a courageous woman to give a testimony of the painful results of choosing abortion, as Dr. Alveda King knows. But saving a child’s life makes it worth the pain.

Reality Check

The flashy, anything-goes lifestyle of reality TV star Kourtney Kardashian and the decision she made proves a very important point. Anyone, no matter who they are, no matter how they live, no matter what they do, can find the truth by seeking it with an open heart.
Kourtney didn’t want opinions. She began to ask real questions about abortion. What will it do to me? What will it do to my child? Before she made up her mind, she gave herself the chance to really check things out. Asking was the most important thing in the life of her unborn child. It saved his/her life.
Kourtney Kadashian’s current lifestyle may not change much right away. She is still the glitzy socialite chic with a TV camera covering her every move.
But who knows what questions she may ask in the future? One thing is for sure. If she asks God for His help, she is sure to get it.

Reality Babe–y

Kourtney Kardashian soul-searched until she found the courage and determination to accept new life.
“This baby was unexpected, but it’s 100 percent still a blessing,” says Kardashian. (8/26/09 from TransWorldNews)
Her choice of love over selfishness was a life and death decision. True love makes sacrifices.
Regardless of her career, or what others would think about her decision, regardless of what might happen to her in the future, Kourtney chose the life of her baby over her own needs.
For her, it was selfishness to do anything less.
Kourtney’s baby is due around Christmas. We pray she will continue to hear the voice of God.

We saw him and we fell in love with him. His name is Trig. His Sarah Palin’s son, and he is beautiful. Like all of us, he has a right to live. But sadly, before he was born, many people in this country would have denied him this right. And some would even deny it after he was born.

In this lesson, we will talk about two babies and two attitudes towards babies. We will point out the opportunity these elections offer us to save babies and to change attitudes towards innocent human life.

Vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin with her husband Todd and her fifth child, Trig, at Republican National Convention, September 3, 2008.

Gov. Sarah Palin holds her son Trig after the VP debate with Sen. Joe Biden. (CNS photo/Carlos Barria, Reuters)

Surprise of joy, not a punishment

Sarah Palin was a very busy woman when she got the news she was pregnant. She was governor of Alaska and already the mother of four beautiful children. Yet she was overjoyed. Her baby was a new gift of love. He brought new hope and new love to the world.

Very soon Sarah and her husband received some additional news. Their baby probably had Down Syndrome. In this situation many doctors in our country

immediately begin to insinuate that a woman should kill her baby. This is a sad, but true fact. Why is this? Because abortion is legal in this country.

And, because of abortion, doctors in our country think parents only want a “perfect” baby. This is how legalized abortion has changed the attitude of so many doctors and even so many parents.

Catholics for change

We as Catholics know this has to change, before any more babies are killed. The Palins, who are not Catholic, also know this. And they know that every baby, no matter how handicapped or “imperfect,” always brings new gifts of love and joy to the world.

Sarah Palin and Trig at the Republican National Convention when she was named vice presidential candidate. (Reuters/Mike Segar)

Fighting for life

The Palins kept the news of Trig’s existence as a surprise for a long time. This was not because they were afraid or ashamed, but because they knew many others would not understand their joy. They would not nderstand … until they actually saw Trig.

Unspeakable joy

When Trig was finally born, the Palins immediately released this press statement: “Trig is beautiful and already adored by us. We knew through early testing that he would face special challenges, and we feel privileged God would entrust us with this gift and allow us unspeakable joy as he entered our lives.”

The Palins are teaching us a powerful lesson during this election time. It is a lesson of joy and of love. Their son, Trig, has given a face to so many babies who have been snuffed out before they had the joy of being held and loved.

The vast majority of babies like Trig are never given the chance to bring a new joy to the world. The Palin family is showing us that a baby is never “a punishment.” A baby is never “a problem”, no matter what the circumstances. A baby is always the greatest gift we can receive as human beings.

The baby we never saw

But there is another baby who is making news during this election. We have not seen this baby. He was killed. In fact, he was killed twice: they tried to kill him once while he was inside the womb, by abortion, and when that didn’t work they actually did kill him once he was outside the womb, by refusing him medical treatment.

A Child holds a man’s hand during a prolife rally in London. (Reuters/Toby Melville)

We do not know this baby’s name, but in God’s eyes he has a name. For God, and in order to celebrate the dignity of this baby, let’s give this baby a name. Let’s call him “Leif ” (in honor of the brave explorer, Leif Ericson).

Like Trig, Leif was beautiful. Like Trig, he had many gifts to bring to the world. And like Trig, Leif had Down Syndrome. But our country, in spite of its great treasury of love and compassion, felt there was no room for Leif. Our country allowed him to be killed. He was legally aborted.

Leif the fighter

But Leif was amazingly strong, and a bit lucky. He survived the abortion. He made it outside. He was born alive. But he needed help. Instead, he was taken to a utility closet to be left to die. We have not seen Leif. But someone did. A nurse named Jill Stanek spotted Leif, being carried to the trash closet. She was shocked at what had been done to him. She asked the other nurse to give Leif to her. This occurred in a hospital in Illinois.

Jill Stanek at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois

Jill was not allowed by the hospital to do much for Leif. All she was allowed to do was hold him, trying to give him at least a moment of love.

Decision to do something

As the baby died in her arms Jill decided to do something. She would tell the world about this baby. She would try to save at least some babies like him. Within a few months, Jill began to lobby for a law that would at least allow medical attention for babies who had survived an abortion. She thought that at least our country could agree about that.

Killed by fear

Jill Stanek actually succeeded in bringing this law to the Illinois legislature. She was even allowed to tell the story of Leif to the full assembly. Yet, surprisingly, her bill was killed.

Sadly, one of the key opponents to her bill was Mr. Barack Obama, who is presently favored to become our next president. Mr. Obama is an ardent supporter of abortion. He feared that approving this bill would open the door to outlawing abortion in our country.

(CNS Photo - Catholic New World/Karen Callaway)

Out of defeat, victory

Thankfully, Jill persevered in her work to educate people, and she got others involved. Her bill was presented on a national level: it was brought before the US Congress. In 2002 it was approved almost nanimously by the US Congress.

The drama continues

Although justice was eventually done with the passage of the Born Alive Infant Protection Act in 2002, abortion is still legal, and the next President and Senators will be appointing and confirming the next Supreme Court justices. These justices will be deciding on the constitutionality of restrictions on abortion, and hopefully someday will again decide whether abortion itself is protected by our Constitution.

The election of members of Congress presents a further dramatic choice for the culture of life. During the next session of Congress, abortion proponents have vowed to push for passage of the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) which would make abortion even more permanent in our land.

Youth at the 2008 March for Life in Washington DC. (CNS Photo/Bob Roller)

Not one issue, but THE issue

During this election abortion is again an issue. In fact, for well-informed Catholics, it is THE issue. This is not a matter of closing ourselves to other issues. This is a matter of the very foundation for a just society. Without the right to life, all other rights are null and void.

Misunderstood compassion

Our country correctly prides itself on its love and compassion. Unfortunately, love and compassion can be misunderstood or even manipulated. This is often the case in abortion, when people talk about “a woman’s right to choose.”

Freedom yes, murder no

Yes, every woman has a right to choose. This is called free will. Free will is given to every man and woman by God. We all have the right to choose. But before choosing something as a country, we should ask ourselves a few questions.

The first question is: do we have the right to choose simply anything at all? The second is: what is being chosen in an abortion? And the third question is: does permitting abortion truly help a woman? Does it truly bring her lasting joy and peace?

The answer to the first question is “no”: we do not have the right to choose simply anything at all. For example, we do not have the “right” to choose to steal our neighbor’s car, even though we have the possibility to do so. Freedom is not a license to do evil.

Thus, the second question: what is being chosen in an abortion? The sad truth is that we are choosing the murder of an innocent baby. We do not have a right to murder anyone, much less innocent children.

March for Women’s Lives, Washington DC, 2004. (Zuma Press/Krista Kennell)

More pain and sorrow

The sad answer to the third question is also “no.” Abortion does not help women. They experience sadness, sorrow, and pain as a result of their choice. And often this sadness lasts the rest of their lives.

A woman only has an abortion when she is left alone to experience all the difficulties of a crisis pregnancy without the support and love of those around her. The deepest part of a woman’s heart never wants to have her baby killed. By allowing abortion, we are hurting women.

Abortion is a crime against women, against the deepest part of a woman’s nature: that capacity for love and compassion, that capacity for joy and wonder at the gift of a new human life.

2007 Mass for Life, Washington, DC. (CNS Photo/ Nancy Wiechec)

Proclaiming the truth about life

Yes, abortion is a terrible crime, against a baby and against a woman, but it is often covered up because it happens inside the womb, and because it manipulates a woman in a very difficult situation.

Maybe the story of Trig and the story of Leif can expose the cover-up. Maybe if people recognized that a baby outside the womb, like Leif, has a right to life, we might begin to awaken consciences and ask ourselves a few important questions: like if abortion is really such a great idea.

For the Trigs and the Leifs of the world, this is a good question to ask ourselves. Especially in these elections.

Bible Blurbs:

“For your lifeblood I will surely require a reckoning.… Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for God made man in his own image.”
Genesis 9:5-6

“What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.”
Genesis 4:10-11

“My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately wrought in the depths of the earth.”
Psalm 139:15

Pope Quotes:

It is necessary to witness concretely that respect for life is the first form of justice to apply.
Benedict XVI, May 12, 2008

Every person is known and loved, wanted and guided by him.
Benedict XVI, May 12, 2008

Continue on this path (of promoting life), in order that the smile of life may triumph on the lips of all children and their mothers. Do not be afraid.
Benedict XVI, May 12, 2008

Catechism Clips

2258: God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being.

2261: The law forbidding the murder of an innocent human being is universally valid: it obliges each and everyone, always and everywhere.

2270: Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception.

2273: These human rights depend neither on single individuals nor on parents; nor do they represent a concession made by society and the state; they belong to human nature and are inherent in the person by virtue of the creative act from which the person took his origin.

Saints & Heroes

Unloved by some; loved and wanted by God.

“The Little Shepherdess” by Adolphe William Bouguereau (Wikipedia Commons)

St Germaine of Pibrac, Virgin
(Entered heaven in 1601)

Germaine was the daughter of poor parents who lived in southern France. She had poor health as a child, which led to a deformity in her hand. She also lost her mother when she was only an infant.

Her father remarried, but the stepmother didn’t like her too much. eventually, Germaine was relegated to little more than servant status.

She was kind of exiled without being exiled. She had to sleep in the barn, or in a cupboard under the stairs (Did JK Rowling got the idea for Harry Potter’s sleeping quarters from here?), and when she was nine her parents hired her out as a shepherdess, difficult and rugged work for anyone, let alone a nine-year old girl with a crippled hand.

But she made a little Rosary for herself out of knotted string, and accompanied her work with prayer. When she could, she would gather the little children of the town in the fields and teach them catechism. She would never allow herself to miss Mass. Even if she were already in the fields and the bell for Mass rang, she would leave her shepherd’s crook there in the ground and charge her guardian angel to take care of the flock while she went to be fed by the divine Shepherd… She never lost a sheep.

Thus she passed her childhood, persecuted by her stepmother, mocked by the neighbors, but basking in the unswerving
love of God.

As she grew older, people began to change their opinion of her a bit, especially one time after she was accused of stealing bread, chased out of the house and forced to open her apron. Though it was winter, when she opened up her apron, instead of finding stolen bread, her stepmother beheld a miraculous armful of fresh flowers.

Germaine died in her sleep at the young age of 22. Forty years later her body was accidentally dug up during a restoration of the church – it was incorrupt.
(Source: CollegeCompass.org)

Compassionate doctor, then doctor of souls

St Anthony Zaccaria, Founder of the Clerks Regular of St Paul
(Entered heaven July 5, 1539)

Anthony was born in northern Italy and raised by his mother; his dad died when he was quite young. She encouraged him in his compassion for the poor and the sick (it was simply a horrible epoch for the people of northern Italy; ravaged by unending wars and recurring waves of disease), and sent him off to study medicine at Europe’s greatest medical school in Padua. He
graduated when he was 22 and returned home to open up his practice.

Immediately he realized that his long line of patients needed not only physical treatment, but spiritual care as well. He began studying theology in his free time, which was meager considering how available he made himself and his services to every needy body and soul that came knocking.

Four years later he was ordained a priest, and his ministry became so popular that he was asked to set up shop in the much larger city of Milan, just down the road, so he could reach more people. Soon he gathered a small group of priests who shared his ideals of untiring and unrestricted service to God and man, wrote up a rule of life for them to follow, and set about
spreading the love of Christ throughout the bulging metropolis.

He dedicated himself so thoroughly to his work that he died, exhausted, from a minor illness at the young age of 37. The group of priests continued their ministry, however, receiving Milan’s Church of St Barnabas as their headquarters, and these Barnabites are still serving souls and bodies today.

All people, every person, need light for their souls, nourishment for their bodies, and love for their hearts. If we base our future on serving the real needs of our brothers and sisters, our Lord will be able to fill the world with his blessings.
(Source: CollegeCompass.org)

Virtue Verification

Awaken - to rouse from sleep or inactivity; stir up; to make aware of
Celebrate - to honor or praise publicly; to mark a happy occasion
Challenge - a demanding task that calls for special effort or dedication
Change – transform, undergo a modification. There can be good changes, and there can be bad changes. Some crisis or difficulties in life can provoke good change. Others can provoke bad change. Use of the virtues of wisdom and prudence are necessary when making changes in our lives.
Compassion – sympathetic awareness of others’ distress with a desire to alleviate it.
Conscience - a knowledge or sense of right and wrong, with an urge to do right
Entrust - to assign the care of; turn over for safekeeping; to charge or invest with a trust or duty
Free will - the freedom of the will to choose a course of action without external coercion but in accordance with the ideals or moral outlook of the person
Gift – something given voluntarily and without charge; present
Joy – 1. A state of happiness or fulfillment 2. One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Joy, as a fruit of the Holy Spirit, is the result of seeing things from God’s perspective and doing things the way Christ would do things 3. The highest and most complete joy of which man is capable is the joy of seeing and being with God.
Love – 1. A profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. 2. Kindness, respect, and generosity towards others. 3. Devotion and desire for God as our supreme good. 4. Love for others from God’s point of view. 5. God’s passionate love, regard and concern for every human being.
Peace – One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Peace is tranquility of soul, flowing from awareness of God’s love and friendship. Living in the state of grace (freedom from mortal sin) is the most powerful source of peace, because of the intimacy with God that this allows.
Persevere - to continue in some effort, course of action, etc. in spite of difficulty, opposition, etc
Privilege – an advantage or favor granted to someone
Right to life – A right is something that one has a just claim to. The right to life is given to every human being by the mere fact that he or she is a human being. It is based on the fact that every one of us has infinite value in ourselves because we are creatures with spirits (with immortal souls). The right to life is a value that is “selfevident”: simply by recognizing the wonder of what a human being is does it become obvious that every human being has absolute value. This right to life is not based on the decision of any other human being. Ultimately, the right to life is based on the
fact that every human being is made in the image and likeness of God. However, someone does not have to believe in God to recognize the absolute value of every human being. He or she simply has to recognize that, because of man’s spiritual or intellectual nature, every man and woman has infinite value.
Strength - the power to resist attack; the power to resist strain, stress
Support – to help or comfort; to give courage, faith, or confidence to someone.
Wonder – awe awakened by something amazing; a person, thing, or event that causes astonishment and admiration; marvel

Anti-virtue exposure

Manipulate - to manage or control by shrewd use of influence, often in an unfair or fraudulent way.

Discussion questions

1. Have you seen Trig Palin and his family on television? What does seeing Trig tell you about the importance of respect for life? What does it tell you about his parents and brothers and sisters? Do you think unconditional respect for human life is an important issue in these elections? How important is it?
2. Can you name some Christian virtues that the Palins lived when they learned Trig would face special challenges?
3. Why do you think doctors often exert pressure on parents to abort their child when they find that the baby may have some disabilities? Do you think this is right? How would you help parents in this situation? What words of encouragement would you offer? What would you be willing to do to help them?
4. Does having a disability mean that a child will necessarily be miserable? Does having a disability decrease the dignity and worth of a child? What gifts do children with disabilities bring to families and the world?
5. Why do you think women have abortions? Is there anything we can do to help women in difficult pregnancies? What sort of things?
6. What do you think of the work that Jill Stanek has done to promote respect for life? Do you think it was worthwhile? Do you think it was difficult? What sort of strengths of character did she have to show in doing this work? Why do you think she did it?
7. Mr. Obama has said that he would not like to “punish” his daughters with a child if they face an unwanted pregnancy. Do you think this kind of attitude truly is the most helpful to a young woman and to everyone involved in a crisis pregnancy? Do you see a possible mistake in this thinking? How would you help your daughter (if you had one) if she had an unwanted or crisis pregnancy? How would you charitably explain this to Mr. Obama or his daughters?
8. Do you ever pray for the women who have had an abortion? Do you pray that God will heal their heart and help them know his forgiveness and love? Do you pray for their babies as well, that they will one day be able to meet and embrace their mothers? How does prayer help us overcome resentment and anger at injustice? How does it help us to be more charitable? What do we learn when we pray?

Debate

(Choose a theme.)

1. Is abortion a good thing for our country?
2. If abortion is not a good thing for our country, who is to blame for it?
3. Can young people make a big difference in our country in helping create laws that show greater respect for life?
4. Should pro-life be the decisive factor in making decisions on who you will vote for?
5. Are Catholic politicians who are personally opposed to abortion but who vote pro-abortion (“prochoice”) being coherent in their faith and in their reasoning?

Activities

1. Investigate the stand of your congressional candidates on prolife issues, and get involved in the campaign of those who you think will promote a greater culture of life. Get involved in the Special Olympics or with Buddy Walk (www.BuddyWalk.org).
2. Visit a child with special needs and spend an hour helping make him or her happy.
3. Investigate about the Freedom of Choice Act which is scheduled to be debated in Congress in January. Find out where the Catholic Church stands on this issue. Make a plan on how you can educate others about this issue.

Journal writing

1. Write a letter to Leif. Tell him your thoughts about his life, about the things he missed seeing, about the forgiveness that his mother and all of us need from him. Tell him what you will do to make this world a place where other children like him are more welcome.
2. None of us are “the perfect child” from every standpoint, but all of us are cherished and treasured by God exactly as we are. Write about a few of your own personal defects. See if you can think of a way that your defects actually help others sometimes. Make some resolutions about how you will treat others when you notice their defects or failings.

Resources

• “Voters Guide for Serious Catholics”, Catholic Answers Action: http://www.CAAction.com
• Video about voting Catholic: http://www.CatholicVote.com
• US Bishops statements on voting: http://www.FaithfulCitizenship.org
• Information about the effects of abortion on women: http://www.AfterAbortion.org
• Information on Barak Obama’s voting on the Born Alive Infant Protection Act: http://www.BornAliveTruth.org
• “Our Cherished Right, Our Solemn Duty”, Statement by bishops of New York State about the 2008 elections: http://www.nyscatholic.org
• “Trig, Turning the Tide”, Dennis Teti, National Review Online, October 2, 2008: http://www.nationalreview.com
• “A Tale of Two Down Syndrome Babies”, Paul Kengor, National Catholic Register, September 21, 2008: www.NCRegister.com
• “Palin the Pro-Lifer”, Joel Davideson, National Catholic Register, September 21, 2008: http://www.NCRegister.com
• “Termination rates after prenatal diagnosis of Down Syndrome…” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10521836?dopt=AbstractPlus

Lord our God, help us to love you with all our hearts and to love all men as you love them. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Karen Gaffney is a thirty year old long-distance swimmer.  Her many accomplishments include swimming nine miles across Lake Tahoe, competing in the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon, and being part of a relay team to swim the roughly thirty miles of sixty degree water in the English Channel.  An inspirational person to be sure, Karen Gaffney also shatters the myth that having Down Syndrome, a genetic chromosomal disorder, ruins a person’s life.  She states, “Yes, we are different…But we also are filled with potential and abilities and dreams…”

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. How familiar are you with Down Syndrome? Do you know anyone who lives with this condition? Would you expect someone living with Down Syndrome to be able to do all of the things that Karen Gaffney accomplished?
2. What kinds of preparation does it take to do all of the things that Karen did? Are there things that you are involved in that require this kind of committed preparation?
3. Do you need help from others to accomplish important goals in your life? In what ways do people with disabilities remind us that we all have limitations? Is this a good thing for us to be reminded of?
4. How can helping others do great things also enrich our own life? Do you think Karen parents feel fulfilled seeing her accomplish these goals? What sort of things do people learn about life through parenthood? What sort of things do we learn by helping others?
5. Why do you think it was necessary for Senators Brownback and Kennedy to propose this bill? Should it be left up to the parents on both sides to organize their own support networks and seek out their own information? What role do you think the government should play in situations such as this? Why is it important to present the positive aspects of having a child with Down Syndrome?
6. Do you think our current culture and our current laws respect the principle stated in the Declaration of Independence by the phrase: “…they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”? In what ways can we promote a greater respect for this principle in our country today? Can you list any other initiatives that try to promote a greater understanding and living out of this principle? What things can you do in your own community to promote this more?
7. Read the Sports Illustrated article listed in the resources below. Do you think the NJ basketball coach did the right thing in allowing Brad to play ball? Why or why not? How did this opportunity impact Brad? His teammates? The members of the teams that he played against? How would this also impact the people in the stands just watching the game – would they have left with a different perspective?
8. Does society treat people with disabilities as inferior people? Can you name situations which support your response? Why do you think this is so? What can we do to change negative attitudes towards people with disabilities? Are there people in your school or your family that are treated differently for one reason or another?
9. How would you react in a situation where you would need to work with someone with a disability? Would that make you feel uncomfortable? What could be done to make you feel more comfortable in that situation? What motivations can we find to treat others with greater respect and charity when our first reaction might be one of distance or fear?
10. Is there any truth to the idea that people would begin to feel differently about Down Syndrome if they met families coping successfully with this situation? How could this be encouraged?
11. Why would God allow someone to be born with a disability of any kind? How would this change someone who knew them?

Partial answer to Question 11:
Through allowing disabilities to exist, God helps us all learn to be more humane, more focused on the deeper worth of each person, more empathetic, more loving, more like Christ. People with Down Syndrome also help us see that being a loving person is more a source of joy than being the most talented, most attractive, most intelligent, etc.

ACTIVITIES

• Determine the names of the acting Senators/Representatives for your district. Write them letters or emails in support of the Bill. You can state your concern that the right to life of every child be protected and promoted. Express your desire that women with difficult pregnancies be given the full support of the government to welcome their children with love and joy. Express your own thoughts on the dignity of each human life.
• Have a mock debate about this bill. Argue the reasons why it is important for the Brownback-Kennedy Bill to pass.

JOURNAL WRITING

Imagine that your parents came to you and told you they were having a baby and your new sibling would have Down Syndrome. How would this new situation impact your life right now? Write about your worries and your concerns. Do you seen any positive aspects of this possible situation after reading this article? Would you have enough room in your life for a sibling with special needs? How do you think your life would be changed?

FURTHER FORMATION

From The Gospel of Life (Pope John Paul II, 1995) “It is therefore a service of love which we are all committed to ensure to our neighbor, that his or her life may be always defended and promoted, especially when it is weak or threatened. It is not only a personal but a social concern which we must all foster: a concern to make unconditional respect for human life the foundation of a renewed society.
We are asked to love and honor the life of every man and woman and to work with perseverance and courage so that our time, marked by all too many signs of death, may at last witness the establishment of a new culture of life, the fruit of the culture of truth and of love.”

RESOURCES

Information on Karen Gaffney: www.karengaffneyfoundation.com

Catholic pro-life support groups for prenatal diagnosis:
www.prenatalpartnersforlife.org
www.benotafraid.net

Down Syndrome websites:
National Down Syndrome Society
Trisomy 21

Information on the Brownback/Kennedy bill:
Petition to support the Brownback/Kennedy bill

Brad Hennefer:
Story on Brad Hennefer
Brad Hennefer’s gallery
Brad Heffener Golf for Life Foundation

Story about Aidan Milligan: “The Joy of Aidan”

Interview with actress Eva Longoria about her sister Elizabeth

CNN interview of Representative Cathy McMorris-Rogers (Washington) about baby Cole born in 2007 with Down Syndrome:

• “People have just been tremendous, and when I returned after some maternity leave, I brought Cole with me that first night to the House floor.”

Interview with actor John C. McGinley – currently Dr. Cox of “Scrubs”

• His son, Max, has Down Syndrome (John was 2006 & 2007 National Buddy Walk Spokesman):

“A great blessing – Student with Down syndrome inspires school:” The Catholic Review October 13, 2006

A dream can be powerful. It can turn enthusiasm into success. For one, humble young man, his dream is gradually becoming his reality. Yet it would not have happened without his family, without their love and faith. In fact, his family saved his life. In this lesson we will look at how Tim Tebow’s family helped him put a solid foundation on his life, and how he has also found a model of faith and charity in someone else in his life.

Heisman History

Tim Tebow made football history at the end of this college season by becoming the first underclassman (freshman or sophomore) ever to win the Heisman trophy. After a solid start as a freshman, Tebow became a starting quarterback for the Florida Gators’ his sophomore year and has broken Southeastern Conference records for rushing touchdowns.  Tebow finished the regular season with 3,132 passing yards and 29 touchdowns.  He also ran for 838 yards and 22 touchdowns, becoming the first player in Division I-A football history to both pass and rush over 20 touchdowns in a season.

“It’s something I used to dream about,” Tebow says of his Heisman win on the Florida Gators’ website.  “For it to come true, it’s unbelievable.  It’s special.”

Character from the clan

Not only is his win special, the humble and soft-spoken Tebow brings character to the game. A solid family life and faith in God is what led a high-school-aged Tebow to proclaim in an interview with The Baptist Press, “Just because you play football you’re no more important than anyone else.”

The youngest of five children, Tebow could not recite his own stats during interviews when asked about his play.  Growing up in a family of homeschoolers, he was allowed to play ball with the local high school when the state of Florida passed a law allowing homeschoolers to play high school sports.

As a boy, he had always been very enthusiastic about sports. As his successes on the field mounted, his parents would remind him of a Bible verse to keep him humble: Proverbs 27:2 “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.”

Survivor, thanks to mom and dad

Tim began beating the odds long before he ever picked up a football. Before he was born, doctors strongly urged his parents to abort the pregnancy. The physicians believed the unborn baby had been severely, maybe even fatally, harmed in the womb by medications they’d given his mom to fight off an infection.

The details of the discussions between the doctors and Tim’s parents are an inspiring story all their own, and we’ve asked Pam and Bob to tell us exactly how everything happened. They were unavailable at press time, but have promised to fill us in for our next lesson.

In the meantime, suffice it to say that their courage to stand up to the doctors and trust in the Great Physician — Jesus — paid off: Timmy was born underweight but otherwise healthy.

“We were concerned at first because he was so malnourished,” recalls Pam, “but he definitely made up for it.”

And how. Today, Tim stands 6’3” and weighs 235 pounds.

“I really have a heart to encourage moms and women to trust the Lord with all their heart for all their lives,” says Pam about the challenges of motherhood.

Missionary man

Brought up with this solid faith, Tim Tebow heeds his call as an evangelizer and role model in society very seriously.  He regularly shares his Christian faith in talks to youth around the country.

Tim’s father, Bob, has spent years sharing his Christian faith with people in the Philippines, has helped to build an orphanage there and has also organized medical help for the poor. Every summer Bob brings young people from the United States to help him on his work there. His son Tim has been a regular participant in these youth missions and really loves it.

Says Tim, “Its been a great experience. We go into medical clinics, hospitals, prisons, market places and schools. You preach and help out. We go to the orphanage and a lot of things like that. It’s a great experience. I love going every year and I can’t wait until I go back. Every time you go you learn something different, and it changes your life even more.”

Tim Tebow acknowledges that working with people so disadvantaged has changed the way he looks at the world.

Finding family spirit

It is no wonder that Tim Tebow chose the University of Florida to pursue his career and football aspirations.  Majoring in Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Tebow has found another family of his own in his teammates and Gators’ coach, Urban Meyer.  Coach Meyer, a Catholic and another solid family man has said of Tim Tebow, “He’s such a positive influence.  He’s such an unselfish guy.”  Coach Meyer acknowledges that Tim Tebow is the kind of role model young people can look up to.

Coach’s favorite team

Coach Meyer and his wife, Shelley, maintain a strong family life.  Shelley credits her husband in part, for always keeping his family in the know about his schedule.  The schedule of a famous college football coach is demanding, but, like football, teamwork is the name of the game.  Shelley is a stay-at-home mother who spends her time attending to her three children and volunteering in the community.

For Coach Meyer, devoting time to his family is as important to him as it is to them. He once found himself with some time after his football commitments were completed, so he took advantage of a police escort to catch a few minutes of his son’s baseball game.    Coach Meyer makes time to spend weekends away with his son.  He also has set aside “date nights” to spend individual time with his teen daughters.

Faith: part of the program

Faith is an important aspect of the Meyers lives as well. “Spiritual health is very important to our kids and our players.  It’s very important to us,” Shelley Meyer said in an interview with The Gainsville Sun.  “Faith is the only thing that can get you through the hard times.”

The Meyers family attends Queen of Peace parish where their two teen daughters are preparing to make their confirmation.  Shelley herself was raised Protestant and she and her husband, have also taken their children to Protestant churches in the area so they can be familiar with their mother’s Christian background as well.

Fatherhood and football

Like Tim Tebow, Coach Urban Meyer takes his position as a role model very seriously.  Recruiting is one of the things any college coach must be good at.  Coach Meyer treats his recruits like family – they spend time at the Meyer family home and he has been known to text message them almost daily, just to check in and see how they are doing.

Relationship building is an important part of the coach’s recruiting process in that both the coach and his players see their Gators’ team as an extended family.  The difference that Coach Meyer brings to the lives of these athletes is his sincere concern for them.  Many recruits often comment that he truly makes himself available to them, and, when he wants to know how things are, it is because he means it.

Tim Tebow admires these qualities in his coach. As he said in an interview with The New York Times,”That’s one thing that’s so great about Coach Meyer is that he does realize that there’s things more important than football. Helping guys out, changing their lives. There’s countless guys on the team … that he’s totally changed their lives, did a 180. … He’s so much more than a football coach, he’s like a fatherto a lot of guys. He’s one of the best coaches in college football, but he’s more than that. He’s interested in helping people and doing the right thing.”

Success in selflessness

Shelley Meyer credits the team’s successes to this close-knit family feeling.  “That’s why they win,” she said.  “That’s exactly why they win.  Egos are left somewhere else.  That’s just a really special thing about our team.”  Sounds like a place called home for a young, humble football star named Tim Tebow.

Forming for fatherhood

There is always talk that successful collegiate athletes and coaches will one day find their way to the pros.  Perhaps that dream will also become a reality in the future for Tim Tebow or Coach Urban Meyer.  Shelley Meyer is quick to remark, “Urban’s calling is really to mentorand role model and teach these college guys how to be good dads and good husbands.”  That is the preparation for real life that Coach Urban Meyer brings to his team.

In the player of Tim Tebow, Coach Meyer’s example is just one more person modeling behavior that his family has instilled in him since he was a child.  For the world of football and for the world outside of football, these two men have become shining examples of what it means to live faith in every day life.

Bible Blurbs

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you.” (Jeremiah 1:5)

“Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.” (Proverbs 27:2)

“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.” (Ephesians 3: 14-15)

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Hoy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and Lo, I am with you always, until the close of the age.” (Matthew 28: 19-20)

“And the King will answer them, truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these brethren, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:40)

Pope Quotes

“The natural family, as an intimate communion of life and love, based on marriage between a man and a woman, constitutes “the primary place of ‘humanization’ for the person and society,” and a “cradle of life and love.”(Benedict XVI, Message for World Day of Peace 2008, no. 2)

“This point merits special reflection: everything that serves to weaken the family … constitutes an objective obstacle on the road to peace.”(Benedict XVI, Message for World Day of Peace 2008, no. 5)

“Today, too, there is a need for disciples of Christ who give unstintingly of their time and energy to serve the Gospel. There is a need for young people who will allow God’s love to burn within them and who will respond generously to his urgent call.” (Benedict XVI, July 20, 2007)

“Do not be afraid to become holy missionaries like Saint Francis Xavier …  or like Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus … Be prepared to put your life on the line in order to enlighten the world with the truth of Christ; to respond with love to hatred and disregard for life; to proclaim the hope of the risen Christ in every corner of the earth.”(Benedict XVI, July 20, 2007)

Catechism Clips

2205 The Christian family is a communion of persons, a sign and image of the communion of the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit.

2207 The family is the community in which, from childhood, one can learn moral values, begin to honor God, and make good use of freedom.

2210 The importance of the family for the life and well-being of society entails a particular responsibility for society to support and strengthen marriage and the family.

2472 The duty of Christians impels them to act as witness of the Gospel.  This witness is a transmission of the faith in words and deeds.

2272 The Church does not thereby intend to restrict the scope of mercy (by condemning abortion). Rather, she makes clear the gravity of the crime committed, the irreparable harm done to the innocent who is put to death, as well as to the parents and the whole of society.

Saints and Heroes

Priest Dedicated to Educating Young People in the Philippines

Fr. Jesus Reynaldo Roda, OMI

(Gave his life on January 15, 2008)

Fr. Reynaldo Roda was a member of a Catholic missionary community, the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. He dedicated his life to helping the poor, youth, and families in the Philipines. For the past ten years he ran a missionary station and Notre Dame High School –which has about 30 students- on the island township of Tabawan, Philipines, in the southern part of the Philippine islands.

Most of the Philippines is generally peaceful, and is predominantly Catholic, but in the southern islands, about 650 miles from Manila, Muslim extremists have waged a decades-long insurgency. Priests and missionaries have often been the target of Muslim extremists.

Father Roda had received death threats from the al-Queda linked Abu Sayyaf group, which has gained notoriety for bomb attacks, kidnappings and hostage beheadings. However, Father refused to abandon the young people who attended his mission and school. On Tuesday, January 15, about 10 gunmen believed to be from the al-Qaeda-linked group seized Father Roda while he was praying in the chapel to take him captive and shot him dead when he resisted. According to a witness, Fr. Roda said that he preferred to be killed right there and then rather than be taken hostage and used for ransom. Father Roda was the third Catholic missionary killed in this southern area of the Philipines in recent years.

Pope Benedict XVI heard of the news and immediately sent a telegram to the bishops of the Philipines, praising the courage and faithfulness of Fr. Roda. The pope also commended Fr. Roda’s example to priests and people throughout the region, and especially to the young.  (Source: Associated Press January 18, 2008 and other sources)

From Self-fascination to Love for Others

St Maria de Mattias

Virgin and Foundress of the Sisters Adorers of the Blood of Christ
(entered heaven August 20th, 1866)

Maria was born in the early 1800’s in central Italy.  Her family was comfortable and aristocratic, and she spent her youth close to her father, who read to her from the Bible and even gave her the rudiments of an education (girls didn’t receive formal studies at that time in that place).  She developed sensitivity for spiritual things, and an appreciation for the Scriptures, but in her teenage years, living in the relative isolation that her social class required, she became self-absorbed.  She spent more and more time admiring her own beauty and fantasizing about the wonderful life it would bring her.  Somehow, though, when she was about 17, her daydreams turned sour.  She experienced a kind of existential crisis, which must have been the fruit of grace, because when she turned to prayer and to her dad in order to get out of it, seeking from those sources light and wisdom about the true meaning of life, God granted her a mystical vision of Christ crucified, in which she perceived the beauty of God’s love in the blood spilled by Our Savior.  She found in Christ the burning, higher love that her heart had been vainly searching for in worldly dreams, and she found it in the beauty of Christ’s blood.

That experience, matured in prayer, moved her to take to the streets of Italy, which were stained by the blood of countless feuds and civil wars in those years, to preach what she had experienced.  She wanted to help others see Christ’s love as he had helped her see it.  She received another boost that same year when a holy preacher (Saint Gaspar del Bufalo) led a mission in her home town.  He preached so effectively that she could see the change in the lives of her fellow townspeople.  This gave her confidence.  It showed her that God could use human words to do in others what he had done directly in her.

Soon her zeal made her known, and the bishop asked her to take over a house for poor girls, where she cared for them, taught them their faith and some trades, and even the basics of academics (she had taught herself to read and write).  Her teaching was amazingly effective.  Soon the mothers started coming to listen as well.  And then they brought their sons too (not just their daughters).  And even though the social mores forbade her to speak to men, groups of men started gathering outside the windows to listen in.  The local shepherds, dodging the rules of etiquette, sneaked into town at night and begged her to teach them about Christ.

She attracted a following and formed a religious Congregation of women dedicated to preaching the love of Christ, so as to transform every heart and thereby change all of society.  By the time of her death when she was 61, she had founded 70 communities, usually in small, out-of-the-way towns.  By the time of her beatification almost 100 years later, the number had soared to 400. Her feast day is February 4.
(Source:www.collegecompass.org)

Virtue Verification

Acceptance - approving reception; approval

Aspiration - strong desire or ambition

Calling - an inner urging toward some profession or activity; vocation

Character - moral strength; self-discipline, fortitude, determination

Concern - interest in or regard for a person or thing; charity

Evangelize - to preach the gospel (the good news)

Faith – belief and trust in God

Humility – being simple; honesty in recognizing that one’s good qualities come from God’s generosity; unpretentiousness; having or showing a consciousness of one’s defects or shortcomings; not proud; not self-assertive; modest

Love –1. a deep and tender attachment or devotion to a person or persons
2. God’s tender regard and concern for all human beings
3. devotion to and desire for God as the supreme good

Mentor - a wise, loyal advisor

Selflessness - devoted to others’ welfare or interests and not one’s own; unselfish; altruistic

Steadfastness - firm, fixed, settled, or established; not changing, fickle or wavering; constant

Strength - the power to resist strain, stress, etc.; toughness; durability

Support - to give courage, faith, or confidence to; help or comfort

Trust – 1. firm belief or confidence in the honesty, integrity, reliability, justice, etc. of another person or thing; faith 2. confident expectation, anticipation, or hope

Discussion Questions

1. Tim Tebow’s parents had to put their trust in God rather than in the doctors who advised abortion. Do you think this was an easy time in their life? Where do you think they found the strength to be steadfast in their love for God’s gift of life? Do you think their strength helps Tim today? In what ways might it help?
2. According to researchers, doctors are frequently telling women they should consider abortion when confronted with various medical situations affecting their health. Yet, as prominent researcher Joel Brind notes,  and as Tim Tebow’s story shows, doctors can successfully treat both mother and child without suggesting the baby be killed to spare the mother’s life. Why do you think this pressure for abortion is a common practice in society today? Can you think of any ways we can change this mentality? How can Tim Tebow’s story help to affect this change?
3. Why did Tim Tebow’s parents teach him to follow the verse from Proverbs 27:2 – Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips?
4. How might Tim Tebow be different if he was raised in a family without such strong values?
5. In what ways do good marriages and families help children become good members of society? What difficulties in life can strong families and strong marriages help children and young people overcome?
6. Do you think Tim Tebow’s effort to witness to his faith and share it with others is something worth imitating? Do you think this world would be a better place if more people knew and loved Jesus Christ? In what ways might it be better? Do you think Catholics do enough to share their faith with others?
7. Why does Coach Meyer’s personal attention make such a difference to his team both on and off the field? Can you give any other examples of professions where concern for others can be a key to success?
8. Coach Meyer spends individual time with his children.  Do you think this is important as children become teenagers?  If so, why?
9. Sports can help in the formation of character and virtue. List some virtues that can be lived in sports. List some that Tim Tebow has displayed.

Journal Writing

• List the talents that God has given you and write about which ones you might be able to develop into a career.  Are there talents that you have been given that make you uncomfortable but that you think God would like for you to work on?  (examples: public speaking, helping small children or the elderly, being a peacemaker)
• Write about a time that was difficult for you.  Looking back on it now, write about why you believe God allowed this difficulty to happen in your life.

Activities

• Have a debate about question two of the discussion questions: Are doctors too likely to advise abortion in difficult pregnancies? Why or why not is this so? Do you think this can be changed, and if so, how?
• Have a debate about this question: Should homeschooled students be allowed to play on high school sports teams?  Why or why not?
• Research your real life role models.  Is their public life a reflection of their personal convictions?
• Check out the Catholic organization Missionary Youth (www.youth4missions.com)  for the possibility of participating in a mission or organize your own mission:  break into small groups, list people that you would like to invite to church for Easter Sunday and then visit them together to invite them to Mass.

Resources

• Official Heisman website: www.heisman.com
• Unofficial Tim Tebow fansite: www.timtebowfans.org
• ESPN’s Tim Tebow profile: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=183484
• UF football website: www.gatorzone.com/football
• UF’s first lady of football: http://gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070409/SUNFRONT/704090328
• Top quarterback recruit aims to stay grounded in Christ: http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=22513

Christmas is a time of miracles and a time of gifts. As we celebrate the greatest of all miracles and gifts, that of God becoming a child to save us, it can also be a time to recognize modern miracles, especially the miracle of God’s love working in people’s hearts. In this lesson we will highlight two people who have contributed to some “modern miracles.” They have allowed God’s love to inspire and strengthen their efforts to defend the precious gift of human life.

Stephanie hoffmeier: adoleScent with an attitude … for life

Two-tone hair, black T-shirt with matching fingernails, adolescent attitude … this could describe any one of a million teenagers today. Who it describes in this instance is sixteen-year-old Stephanie Hoffmeier. The student from Colonial Forge High School in Stafford, Virginia, is not just another rebellious teen, however. She wants to do something for God, by helping to overcome the injustice of abortion.

What makes Stephanie so different from other teens her age is her unstoppable conviction. Last academic year, the practicing Baptist filled out the necessary paperwork to begin the first pro-life student organization in the local public high schools. Asked why she would take on such a task, Stephanie responded,“God has laid this on my heart….[Abortion] is a really relevant issue to teenagers today.”

making Space for life, deSpite the obStacleS

The Stafford school system initially denied Stephanie’s application, noting that a pro-life club was not connected to any school “curriculum.” However, Stephanie knew that the Key Club, the Young Republicans, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and other groups were already active in her school. She felt this denial by the school board was unfair, so she did what has often been done by people who think their rights have been ignored – she sought out a lawyer.

Her attorney, David Courtman, a lawyer for the Alliance Defense Fund, determined that the best way to get the school system to take Stephanie seriously was to threaten it with a lawsuit.

The Alliance Defense Fund believed that Stephaniehad a precedent-setting case. As stated on her application, the goal of her club was “to educate people about the biggest holocaust that is going on right here in the United States. To come together and pray to end abortion. To be a voice for my generation and a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves.” Stephanie explained that hers would be a “Christcentered club” whose meetings would begin with prayer and devotion. Any student would be welcome to attend.

miSunderStanding of Separation of church and State

Pro-life issues are more than just religious issues. They are human rights issues. Nevertheless, when religion enters into a decision about public schools or government institutions it often leads to a common misrepresentation of the U.S. Constitution. The Constitution prohibits Congress from establishing a national religion or showing a preference for one religion over another, but it does not restrict the rights of citizens to express their faith and values in public. On the contrary, the Constitution upholds this right. In Stephanie’s instance, her lawsuit might protect the rights of others in the future. Catholics need to be prepared to work with leaders such as Stephanie to promote the common good of society, especially in regards to the rights of the unborn.

fruitS of faith and perSeverance

Stephanie’s persistence in this endeavor can be traced back to her faith.“I prayed for a really long time for God to use me in my school,” she said. The teen did not give up, even when facing opposition, because she knew she was not doing anything wrong. She stood her ground, knowing that the law was behind her. She worked against injustice in a mature way.

Faced with Stephanie’s legal challenge, the Stafford school system recently recognized her pro-life club. Her efforts are already paying off; fellow students are joining her club. Thus, Stephanie is helping to educate students around her. She is convincing others of the truth of human life. Through her club, Stephanie is making a difference. It is her small gift to Christ.

Dr. Markus Grompe: A scientist working for life

Recently another victory for life was won. The victory confirmed the efforts of a Catholic scientist who found himself almost alone among his peers in his insistence on respect for life.

Dr. Markus Grompe is in an elite class of about thirty of the most qualified experts in the world on stem cell research. He is director of the Oregon Stem Cell Center and a member of the board of the prestigiousInternational Society for Stem Cell Research. He has been consulted by such persons as President

Bush on stem cell research.

Dr. Grompe is also a fervent Catholic. His involvement in stem cell research comes from his love of children. He is a practicing pediatrician who decided to go into biochemical genetics and stem cell biology because he saw children who were suffering from genetic diseases.

tough going

As a Catholic and as a compassionate physician, Dr. Grompe has always been convinced that scientific research should never harm any human being, including tiny embryos. He wants to find cures for children’s diseases that can be done even at the initials stages of life. But he also knows that the ends do not justify the means; you cannot harm or kill an embryo so that other children can benefit. Unfortunately, few of his colleagues agreed with him.

Dr. Grompe admits that being a pro-life stem cell scientist has been“tough going.”He explains,“There aren’t many people [pro-life stem cell scientists] out there. The way to be heard is to be successful in science. That’s the only reason I have a voice. If I had my moral convictions but didn’t do prominent research in my area, I would have no impact.”

The doctor was often amazed that such intelligent people could show such moral blindness. While continuing to work with integrity and professionalism, Dr. Grompe published papers in prestigious scientific journals advocatingrespect for the human embryo.

a breakthrough reaffirmS life

Then, in November, it was announced that two of his colleagues, Professor Shinya Yamanaka at Kyoto University in Japan and Professor James Thomson of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, found an ethical way to “reprogram”adult skin cells into “pluripotent” stem cells. This meant that scientists would not have to use or kill human embryos to get pluripotent stem cells.

Pluripotent cells hold the promise of delivering cures for many diseases. Up to this point, most scientists thought that the only way to produce such cells would be by dissecting and killing human embryos. This latest development is abreakthrough for pro-life researchers and very good news.

a fruit of perSiStence

If it hadn’t been for persistent voices such as those of Dr. Grompe, this method of stem cell research would not have been so aggressively pursued as a viable alternative to cloning. In fact, it was known among the top stem cell scientists that Dr. Grompe was already pursuing “reprogramming” adult stem cells in his lab at the Oregon Stem Cell Center.

Dr. Grompe was very happy about the research breakthrough. In newspapers and scientific journals, he drew attention to the news.“I think this is really what we have been dreaming about,” he told the National Catholic Register.

Asked by Our Faith In Action if his efforts had helped other stem cell scientists think more deeply about the dignity of human life,Dr.Grompe replied,“Definitely. But I haven’t converted anyone to the Catholic faith yet. Just made themthink.”

One of the scientists who led this breakthrough, Dr. James Thomson, recently admitted he always had ethical qualms about the destruction of human embryos, even though he had been doing it in the past.“If human embryonic stem cell research does not make you at least a little bit uncomfortable,” Dr. Thomson told The New York Times after his breakthrough,“you have not thought about it enough.”

much Still to be done

There is still much to be done to build respect for the dignity of life, and Christmas can be a special time to gain strength and confidence for our efforts. Christmas reminds us that God sees each human being, no matter how weak and small, as a great gift. As we kneel to adore the Christ Child in the manger this Christmas, let us renew our promise to love him and to love all our brothers and sisters in him. He has sacrificed himself to save us and bring us love. We can do nothing less. He is here to help us.

catechism clips

2271: God, the Lord of life, has entrusted to men the noble mission of safeguarding life, and men must carry it out in a manner worthy of themselves. Life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception.

2294: Science and technology by their very nature require unconditional respect for fundamental moral criteria. They must be at the service of the human person, of his inalienable rights, of his true and integral good, in conformity with the plan and the will of God.

2044: In order that the message of salvation can show the power of its truth and radiance before men, it must be authenticated by the witness of the life of Christians.

Catholic Pioneer of Genetic Research

Like most young people today we tend to live our lives on fast forward, speeding frantically through our daily routine: school, work, sports, homework, friends, family, … and faith.
…Oh yeah, … faith…
As we live our fast-paced lives there is a danger that we can put faith at the end of the list. As long as everything is speeding nicely along, it doesn’t seem to be that much of a problem. But there are moments that reveal how deep our faith is, and sometimes these can be moments that call us to true heroism. This is the story of someone who had to make a decision of faith, a decision in which faith became heroic love.

Born to Fly
Speed is second nature in the life of a combat fighter pilot. Caroline Aigle, the first woman fighter pilot in France, knew all about speed. At the age of twenty-five, she was flying one of the fastest combat fighters in the French Air Force - the Mirage 2000-5.

Born in 1974 in Montauban France, Caroline lived as a daughter of the military. As a child, she spent some years in Africa; her father was a military doctor. At the age of fourteen, she entered the French military academy at Saint-Cyr. Caroline graduated valedictorian from the foremost engineering school in France. In May of 1999, she received the coveted fighter pilot wings, becoming the first woman fighter pilot in French history. She received a promotion to the rank of Commandant. (There is no U.S. rank equivalent to Commandant. It falls between the U.S. ranks for Captain and Major.) Always an athlete, Caroline also became the French and Military champion of the triathlon.

Mission Impossible
Heroism is a trait common to all fighter pilots, and Caroline was no exception. Uncommon however, was the opportunity that God provided for her to be a heroine – and it was not as a prisoner of war or because she received a commendation for being wounded in battle. Nothing, in fact, including her outstanding military education, had foreshadowed the plan that God had for her. In July of this year, Caroline was diagnosed with an advanced case of melanoma, a type of skin cancer. She was thirty-two years old. She was also five and a half months pregnant.

Caroline and her husband, Christophe Deketelaere — a fighter pilot himself — already had one healthy young son named Marc. At the time of her diagnosis, Caroline was encouraged to abort her baby so she could receive treatment for the cancer. With the support of her husband, she chose to postpone the treatment and carry her baby for as long as she could. According to her husband, Caroline wanted her baby to have “the maximum chance” for survival.

Believing in Love
Caroline’s son, Gabriel, was born three and a half months premature by cesarean section at the beginning of August. His birth came less than three weeks before her death. Caroline saw her son several times and was even able to hold him before she died. Gabriel’s prognosis is good; he should live a full life. In the most heroic of acts, Caroline secured the future of her son by placing his needs before her own.
The story of Caroline reminds us all how quickly the things of this world can change. The time from her diagnosis to her death was just over a month. She did not have the luxury of time to ponder her decision. Like a reflection of her fast flying days, the choice Caroline was forced to make needed to be done quickly. We can see by the outcome of this situation the strength of the woman that was Caroline. She believed in love; she hoped for her sons’ future; and she was heroically generous in thinking of the needs of another before herself.

Women as a Witness of love
There is something incredible about a woman’s love, a mother’s love. It’s a miracle that perhaps we become so accustomed to that it takes someone like Caroline to help us step back and appreciate the strength and totality of this kind of love. Here was a woman who seemed to have it all, and yet so gladly sacrificed everything for that little child. Her love gave him a chance, a chance to live, a chance to maybe experience some of the beautiful things Caroline had experienced.

Pope John Paul II talked often about the dignity of women. It was a theme very close to his heart. He reminded us that a woman’s dignity, her greatness, is shown especially by her capacity to love and to draw out love in others. A woman’s heart naturally makes room for others. A woman’s heart is a special sign of the love of God. It is also a reminder that we as human beings find our deepest fulfillment in love, in being loved, and in turn becoming a gift of love. Even though Caroline had reached so many exciting goals in life, she showed us that what is most fulfilling is love, even when it means total self-giving, or perhaps especially then. When Caroline held her little child in her arms she knew that the sacrifice of love was well worth it. Her heart had made room for another, even though it meant leaving the world herself.

Learning to Open Out to Others
Our Christian faith teaches us to love with generosity. Caroline Aigle was a Catholic. The priest who celebrated her funeral was the same priest who had celebrated the wedding Mass for her and her husband, Christophe, a few years earlier. He recalled that when Caroline and Christophe sought him out for marriage preparation, they asked him for a book that spoke not about the love of one for the other, “but rather about the love that opens us to love others.”

Beyond Security
Caroline Aigle chose love for an unborn child rather than choosing security for herself. As a woman, she answered the call of Christ who tells us: “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). We are also called to be this example of love in our every day lives. Our circumstances may not be as dire as those faced by Caroline and other women like her, but each day we have an opportunity to choose love of neighbor over ourselves – in the cafeteria when someone pushes past us in line, after dinner when our mother demands we finish our chores before calling our friends, perhaps with our little brother when he scribbles crayon all over our English paper. These may seem like small choices, but it is the small choices that get us ready for the more heroic ones. A hero is made in the day-to-day choices of love and generosity.
Another outstanding trait seen in Caroline’s choice is the hope she showed for her son’s future. Even in the most bleak of situations, the hope that this mother had for her child can be seen in the fact that she wanted him to have “the maximum chance” for survival.

Tough Questions
How is it that this child could survive while his mother did not? This is a hard question. Sometimes when pain enters our lives we are faced with a mystery we cannot quite comprehend. The deepest answer is trust. Hope also means trust. It means trust that the Father still loves us in spite of the pain. It means trusting that God can bring something very beautiful from the pain. Trust that, like Christ, the road to giving life also passes through the cross. Yes, love also means cross and sacrifice, but at the same time it means life. We must believe in the ability of God to bring good from all things, to bring life from the cross. Caroline’s example showed the power of hope. She believed in God’s power to bring good even from suffering and death.

Finding the Inner Strength
We naturally admire someone like Caroline, and wonder if we would have her strength faced with the tremendous decision she had to make. One of the best ways to learn to become a person like her, who can make the heroic choice when needed, is to learn to pray. Prayer is speaking with God. In a conversation, one talks and the other listens. Prayer is not just us talking to God – telling him what we want and how we want it. Prayer is also listening and learning more about the plan that God has for us. When we pray God does not magically spell out his plan for us but in prayer we learn to trust. We learn to see his providence. In prayer we learn that we are deeply loved by God, even when he allows the cross in our lives. And if we learn in prayer that we are loved, we will also feel the desire to let others know God’s love, the desire to become givers, not just takers, givers like Caroline. We must set aside time each day to talk and listen to God.

A Call to True Greatness
Many times, people today do not see the real importance of how faith fits into their busy lifestyle. Becoming people of faith will help us reach true greatness and true fulfillment. Love, hope, generosity, and prayer will help us to grow into people who will be able to make the heroic choices when we have the chance. We will become more like Caroline if we face even our toughest decisions thinking of others and not only ourselves.

Sometimes beauty comes from pain. This is a story of something beautiful coming out of the emptiness that one man felt, and what he and his friends are doing to make a difference in the world.

At age twenty-eight, Mexican actor Eduardo Verastegui had it all: fame, looks, and success. At seventeen, he had started out on his dream to become a performer and was accepted into the prestigious acting school of top Mexican company Televisa. At nineteen, he became the lead singer of the successful pop group Kairos and traveled the world. At twenty-two, he went solo, and even though he sang for sold-out crowds he felt his career needed something else. He returned to acting and became a Mexican soap opera star. He then moved to the United States to seek opportunities in the American entertainment industry, landing an important role in a U.S. movie. After appearing in a music video with Jennifer Lopez, he began receiving offers for even bigger film roles. Yet he felt empty; happiness eluded him.

Sometimes we can think that happiness comes from having lots of excitement and money, having lots of fans and admirers. Eduardo had all that, but it all began to seem like a puff of smoke, disappearing in a few seconds, leaving nothing meaningful in his heart and his life.
Real happiness is deeper. It is something that comes from living for others. It comes from living true values. It comes from a strong relationship with God – as Eduardo was about to discover.

While preparing for a major film role, his English tutor, a fervent Catholic woman, reminded him of the faith he had grown up with, a faith he had largely abandoned. His heart was pierced with the awareness that he was shunning Christ’s love. Tears came. During the next three months, he reevaluated his life. He decided he would live his faith seriously. He decided he wouldn’t accept any more degrading roles. Instead, he would become a missionary in a faraway country. He went to talk to a Catholic priest. The priest helped him go deeper in his conversion, but told Eduardo that he was not called to be a missionary in the jungles. He was to be a missionary to the same culture that had pulled him away from Christ, the world of entertainment.

Eduardo went on a retreat. He thought about the roles he was being offered. He had been called the “Brad Pitt of Latin America,” yet all the roles offered him only showed the Latino man in a bad light: a drug trafficker, a killer, a lying womanizer, etc. But the Latino families he knew were honest, hardworking, faithful, loving.

“So I made two promises to myself: first, that I would not work on any project that went against my moral values; and second, that I would not do anything that misrepresented my people,” said Verastegui. He began to dream of movies that would make a positive impact on people’s lives and hearts.

Eduardo had a friend, Alejandro Monteverde, who had come from Mexico to the United States at the age of seventeen with the dream of becoming a film director. After several failed attempts, he was finally accepted into the film school at the University of Texas where he began winning numerous awards as a student filmmaker. Although he received some very promising offers from large companies, like Eduardo Verastegui, Alejandro Monteverde wanted to create a different type of movie. He, too, had a deep relationship with Christ. He and Eduardo quickly realized that their strong personal faith was pushing them into a new adventure. Thus, Metanoia Films was born.

Leo Severino, a native of Columbia, was working in the business department of 20th Century Fox when he met Eduardo and Alejandro. He was enthused by the talent and faith of these two artists and quickly agreed to join their team as business adviser. The three friends soon became known as “the three amigos.”

Living out of a true sense of faith, trusting in God’s plan, the three reviewed many movie scripts, looking for the type of story that would serve as their first project, but they did not find anything that satisfied them. Talking it over, they decided to have Alejandro write an original story. This required a leap of faith since he had never written a script before. Alejandro went to the mountains to write. He returned with Bella.

Now they had a company and a script, but no money to turn the script into a movie. They made the Hollywood rounds, meeting with indifference and skepticism. Despite continuous obstacles, they persevered, believing in their vision. At that point, Eduardo’s priest friend invited him on a pilgrimage to Rome. During the visit, Eduardo was given the chance to personally greet Pope John Paul II and tell him about Metanoia Films. A week later, back in Los Angeles, Eduardo and his two friends met Catholic businessman Sean Wolfington. He promised to help them financially.

Sean told his friend Steve McEveety (coproducer with Mel Gibson of Braveheart, We Were Soldiers, and The Passion of The Christ) about the new project. Steve was skeptical: a director with no credits, an actor for the most part unknown in the U.S., and a first-time writer. He told Wolfington, “Run for the hills.”

But something he had seen in these young men inspired Sean. They had vision. They had talent. Their script embraced the values that Sean wanted to promote. He thought the project deserved a chance. Sean kept his commitment and convinced his business partner Eustice Wolfington to help. They put up the money to produce the film and became personally involved. Once the filming was completed (on schedule, in just twenty-four days), the team asked Steve McEveety to look at an initial cut. Steve was amazed at what he saw. There was real talent here. He agreed to get involved with the project, giving them further editing advice.
In order to see how the movie competed with other films, they applied for entrance into one of the most renowned film festivals in the industry, the Toronto International Film Festival. Happily, the film was accepted. And then came a surprise that topped all their expectations: competing with over 350 films, many with much bigger budgets and featuring famous directors and actors, Bella won the most coveted prize of the festival, the People’s Choice Award!

Suddenly they were on the map. The People’s Choice Award is often an indication of future Oscar nominations. Oscar winning films such as Hotel Rwanda, Chariots of Fire, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Life Is Beautiful first won at the Toronto Film Festival.
However, there were more challenges ahead. They still did not have a distributor for their film. Bella did not promote the easy attitudes toward sex and violence that have become common in Hollywood products. It also had a pro-life message that went against the current.

The distribution companies were uneasy about committing to something like this.
But the Metanoia team persevered, knowing that their film had an important message and trusting that God’s plan would continue to unfold. Following the grassroots model that had worked for The Passion of The Christ, they organized screenings for groups of community leaders around the country. Momentum grew, and finally, more than a year after finishing the movie, they were able to secure a distribution plan in partnership with two prestigious companies. To boost the buzz about the movie, they offered groups the chance to rent theaters for early showings of the movie. At this writing, these groups have already rented over a hundred theaters around the country to host the early showings, with more requests coming in every day.

Bella is due in theaters on October 26. Metanoia Films hopes to recover its initial investment and generate enough success to give them the chance to continue producing movies with a positive message.

Metanoia is a Greek word for change or conversion. Eduardo Verastegui chose the name not only because the company is a result of the deep spiritual change he experienced but also because he wants to help change the hearts of others. True beauty – the kind that Bella displays – can change people. But making beautiful things, as Eduardo and his friends are showing us, takes passion, faith, and perseverance.

“It’s the best reality show on the air.” That’s what one commentator called it. If we saw it ourselves, we got the impression that we were watching a championship fight. Yet it was a simple procedure in our United States Senate. And this procedure will be repeated again now.

The procedure was the confirmation of a person nominated to be Chief Justice of our Supreme Court. And the nominee was not even the one doing the verbal slugging. At first he simply answered questions. Then he was simply watching the debate, and waiting for the final decision.

But he will do a lot more than watch now that he is confirmed. He will have real power, and both sides know this. They know he will be a main protagonist in a struggle that is much bigger than him.

His name is John Roberts. The U.S. Senate has just approved him as the 19th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of this country.

Almost immediately after Judge Roberts was confirmed, the President nominated another person to fill a second opening on the Supreme Court: Ms. Harriet Miers. Let’s look at what was in play in the confirmation of Judge Roberts to see what may happen also with Ms. Meirs.

Hope and fear

It is not yet clear exactly where he stands on many issues, but some senators fearhim, while others have great hopes for him.

Generally, the senators who favor abortion and homosexual marriage, fear Judge Roberts. They believe he will overturn decisions that have led to the death of millions of unborn children.   The pro-life senators generally support judge Roberts, hoping he will protect human life and promote solid values.

Big stakes

But this was not just a question of personal preferences and intuitions of particular senators. The media, the Church, and many others also confirm that the stakes are high. They know that the basic moral direction of our country is in play here. They are right. Supreme Court judgments affect all Americans, for better or for worse.

Dreadful decision

About 150 years ago, there was a dramatic case brought before our Supreme Court. It was about slavery. A black slave from the southern United States (where slavery was legal at the time) had escaped to the North, and was therefore free. Nevertheless, his former owner found him, and demanded he be brought back into slavery. The case was brought before the Supreme Court. The slave’s name was Dred Scott. Mr. Scott lost that decision. He was made a slave again, by decision of the Supreme Court.

Changing dread to freedom

Most Christians in the North were horrified at the decision, even though the Court claimed it was done legally. These Christians, members of other faiths, and even those who did not believe in God insisted more tenaciously over the next years that the words of our Declaration of Independence “…that all men are created equal…” guaranteed the right of Mr. Scott and all slaves to be free. They helped to elect members of the government who agreed with these moral principles . A man named Abraham Lincoln, who favored freedom for all, was elected president. There was a terrible civil war. But the result was the Emancipation Proclamation , giving freedom to the slaves.

Protecting basic freedoms requires moral courage . Our court system also needs people who possess moral courage.

New drama

In 1973 the Supreme Court of the United States made another stunning decision. Its consequences were even more dreadful: the Court ruled that a mother has a right to kill her unborn child. This decision ( Roe vs. Wade ) has deeply divided our country ever since, and has been followed by a series of decisions that have made many Americans and the Catholic Church extremely worried about the moral direction of our country.

Life, death, and bottle deposits?

In the debate about present moral issues such as abortion, homosexual marriage and prayer in public, both sides claim to be protecting the basic rights of others. Some call for a middle ground or a series of concessions . Yet what is in play is so radical that a middle ground is not possible.

We can use the example of abortion. We find that one side (the pro-abortion side) says that a woman always has the right to an abortion. The other side (the pro-life side) says that a baby always has a right to life.  

Other issues, like whether a state may require cash deposits on bottles or how high to raise gas taxes, may be negotiable, and can be discussed in our legal system, but the life of a baby does not have a “middle-ground.” Once someone decides he or she can kill, we are all in danger. A society without basic moral values is in danger of killing itself.

Slogan slugging

We have seen a lot of slogans flying around in these hearings. But slogans can sometimes destroy serious thought. One slogan that was often heard is “a woman’s right to choose.”

The Church sees this phrase, “a woman’s right to choose,” as a slogan for selfishness. This is a way to say that unborn babies can be killed. No woman would really want to choose this. What would be needed is ways to help women accept their babies and be respected.

When protecting moral values, a society has to look to something other than selfishness. It has to look deeper. Selfishness made abortion possible.  

For those who go deeper than slogans, it is clear that the conflict between the culture of life and the culture of death is in play in our Supreme Court. As confusing as the debate may sometimes become, it must be clear to us that, in basic moral issues, there is a right and wrong.

Catholics need not apply

Mr. Roberts is a Catholic. Ms. Miers is a Protestant Christian. The Catholic Church has clearly and always stood in favor of life--not just now, but throughout history.

Many of the dramatic issues that the Supreme Court faces (abortion, euthanasia, protection of marriage) were things Christians faced 2,000 years ago. Little by little, and in spite of persecutions, Christians were able to change bad practices in society and help others see the value of solid moral principles. They eventually convinced their leaders to create laws that protected solid moral principles.   As a result, society became more humane.

Today there are loud voices in the Senate and in our culture that claim a Catholic or Protestant Christian who defends moral principles has no right to be a judge, because he or she will “impose their beliefs” on others. But the Catholic argument is simple. It is not a matter of making someone believe in the specific things of our religion. For example, we are not trying to make non-Catholics believe that Jesus in really present in the sacrament of the Eucharist. It is simply a matter of fundamental values, which all people of good will can appreciate.

We do not know if Judge Roberts will defend these moral principles by the means allowed to him as Chief Justice. Nor do we know what Ms. Miers will do if she too is confirmed. But we can hope and pray that they will do this. If they do, we can also make their work easier by increasing public awareness of the fundamental values that make our society stand firm.

Not there yet

Mr. Roberts has just been approved, in spite of this very dramatic debate.

If Judge Roberts does favor life in his decisions, there are still two more rounds to win, and round two has already begun.

The second nominee, Ms. Meirs, could be even more crucial in swinging the Court in favor of life. So far there is even less known about her stand on these issues. If Judge Roberts and Ms. Miers do hold that a child’s right to life is protected in our founding documents, a third pro-life judge would still be needed to overturn the 1973 abortion decision.

Jesus once said that “the children of darkness are more astute than the children of light.” He meant that the laziness and apathy of Christians can be the reason evil grows in the world. We must work peacefully but tenaciously to create a culture of life in our government and in our society. Many people are doing this. Will you join in?

Bible Blurbs

“Then the Lord asked Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” He answered, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” The Lord then said: “What have you done! Listen: your brother’s blood cries out to me from the soil!” Genesis 4:9-10

“…and from man in regard to his fellow man I will demand an accounting for human life.” Genesis 9:5

“There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’ For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, ‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her…” Luke 8: 2-5

Pope Quotes

“…without an objective moral grounding not even democracy is capable of ensuring a stable peace, especially since peace which is not built upon the values of the dignity of every individual… frequently proves to be illusory…”
(Pope John Paul II, The Gospel of Life, no. 70)
“ … we are facing an enormous and dramatic clash between good and evil, death and life, the “culture of death” and the “culture of life”. ..we are all involved and we all share in it, with the inescapable responsibility of choosing to be unconditionally prolife.
(Pope John Paul II, The Gospel of Life, no. 27)

Other Church Teaching:

“Those who would view the moral duty of Christians as something that disqualifies them from political life … would be guilty of a form of intolerant secularism.”
(Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, The Gift of Life, no. 7)

Saints and Heroes

A Lawyer Martyr

ANACLETO GONZALEZ FLORES:
Anacleto was a lawyer and a father. He was born in Mexico in 1888. He was the son of poor farmers who had a strong faith, and he worked his way through law school As an educated Catholic, he saw the need to help evangelize his fellow Catholics better and have them teach the faith to others. For this reason he founded the Popular Union, a movement of laborers, women, and farmers. As head of Popular Union, he activated these lay Catholics to be teachers of the faith. In the secular scene he helped to organize very large public gatherings which promoted faith and family values and protested against government abuses. From 1918 and during the 1920’s the Mexican government organized a fierce persecution of the Catholic faith. Anacleto repeatedly insisted that his organization and all fellow Catholics not use violence. Still, he was a marked man. On April 1, 1927 he was visiting two of his cousins. Government police erupted into the home and demanded to know where the archbishop of Guadalajara was hiding. (Anacleto and his cousins were good friends with the archbishop.) The three refused to collaborate. They were arrested and tortured, but they would not disclose the archbishop’s whereabouts. At the end, they were lined up at a wall and shot. Anacleto’s last words were, “I die. But God does not die! Long live Christ the King!” This November he will be officially declared “Blessed” by the Church in an Mass in Guadalajara, Mexico.

A Protectress of Faith and Rights

QUEEN ISABEL “THE CATHOLIC” OF SPAIN:
Born in 1451, Isabel was proclaimed queen of Castile in 1474. Along with her husband, King Ferdinand, she fought ardently to keep her courts and her country faithful to the faith. Like any political fi gure, some of her decisions were and are controversial, but she strove ardently to inform herself and do the right thing. She is called the “Evangelizer of the New World” because she strongly promoted and inspired many missionaries to bring Christianity to the newly discovered Americas. During this time of the discovery of the Americas she was also confronted with the desire of the adventurers (“conquistadores”) to make the Indians their servants and slaves. She strictly forbade the enslavement of the Indians. When Columbus himself gave an Indian as a personal servant to each of his men, Isabel intervened: “Who authorized my admiral to dispose of my subjects in this manner?” and she sent them all back home to America. She also promoted the legal document that recognized the rights of the Indians. Even though her indications were often ignored by the adventurers, she continued to do all in her power to defend the native Americans from exploitation.

Vocabulary

PROTAGONIST: Someone who is an active, important player in an event or competition
HOPE: looking forward to something good. Anticipation of something desirable.
MORAL DIRECTION: Way in which a society is headed in relation to right and wrong.
BELIEVE: Hold fast. Trust in something or someone.
TENACIOUSLY: Holding fast in spite of great diffi culties.
MORAL PRINCIPLES: basic right and wrong. Usually the Ten Commandments is the best example of moral principles.
EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION: Legal decree made by President Abraham Lincoln which gave freedom to all slaves in the United States.
MORAL COURAGE: Bravery in living and defending good values.
RADICAL: Basic; at the very starting point; dramatic; no room for confusion
CONCESSION: Giving in
SELFISHNESS: Keeping things for yourself.
ASTUTE: Clever, smart
LAZINESS: Sickness that all teenagers have (according to their parents). Symptoms tend to become particularly acute when they have to clean up their room or do homework.
APATHY: Lack of interest; boredom

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Why is the nomination of new justices now so hotly contested in the U.S. Senate and in our country? What “hot topics” does the Supreme Court have to deal with today? Why are some of these so divisive for the country? Are some of these issues worth fighting for? Which ones? Why?
2. Are the reasons that the Catholic Church opposes abortion merely religious reasons? What are some of those reasons? Can people who are not Catholic also understand them?
3. One example of the difference between a specifically Catholic teaching and a teaching about basic right and wrong was mentioned. Do you remember what it was? Can you give other examples of some specific teachings that the Catholic Church does not demand that others follow?
4. What is the difference between proposing and imposing? Do Catholics and the Catholic Church impose its values on society?

Resources:

Power of the President to appoint Supreme Court Justices

The Judiciary: Article III of the U.S. Constitution

U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Document highlighting the duties of Catholics in Political Life, June 2004

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith: Doctrinal Note on some questions regarding the Participation in Political Life, November 2002

Podcast of Supreme Court Nomination hearings

Noelle celebrated her 2-year-old birthday at the White House last May. President Bush announced to the press conference, “You all are invited to partake in a little birthday cake.” She is just an ordinary little girl, but when she was frozen as an embryo, many people were fighting over her fate.

The debate continues, as some people recognize the thousands of frozen embryos as children to be adopted, while others argue that they are only cells to be used for medical research. In this lesson we will look at the courageous testimony of those that are standing up for the dignity of these tiny human lives.

New methods create new problems

Each year thousands of couples who have problems conceiving children, try other methods such as in-vitro fertilization in which the woman’s eggs are fertilized outside of her body and then re-inserted back into her body. This process often creates many extra embryos as most couples choose to fertilize more eggs than needed to increase the chances of success.

Even though in-vitro fertilization is often done with the best of intentions, people rarely see some of the problems involved. The Church condemns in-vitro fertilization because a child deserves to be conceived by normal means. 

Always a child of God

However, the Church clearly teaches that once a child is conceived by natural process or by in-vitro, the embryo is truly a child of God and deserves all the respect that should be given to every human being.

Once a child is conceived by in-vitro fertilization, the parents then face several options. They can leave the extra embryos in deep freeze and postpone a decision. They can have the extra embryos destroyed. They turn them over to scientists for stem-cell research (which would also destroy the embryo). Or they give them up for adoption. In Noelle’s case, her parents chose this last option.

The adoption story

A loving couple chose to adopt Noelle while she was still only an embryo. Paige and Stuart Faulk wanted children but could not get pregnant for four years, so they started praying about what kind of adoption to pursue. When they heard about the Snowflake Frozen Embryo Adoption program, they were excited. Paige understood that “they are lives, just frozen. I just started crying and knew that was what I wanted to do.”

The couple actually adopted eight embryos, and although only one actually survived the difficult medical process, they see all eight as children given to them by God. “All of them are now where they are meant to be.”

Paige speaks about her daughter with pride and joy, “I want her to know how much she is loved and how God’s hand has been in her life.” She is really smart, and as soon as you teach her something, she’ll say “I do it!” Her large brown eyes with long lashes are loving and caring, but also playful and energetic. Someday her mother will tell her of the battle that was fought to save her life when she was too small to defend herself.

Press conference at the White House

President Bush hosted 21 families who had adopted frozen embryos, thanking them for their generosity in affirming that every embryo is already a human being. “The children here today are reminders that every human life is a precious gift of matchless value.”
“The children here today remind us that there is no such thing as a spare embryo. Every embryo is unique and genetically complete, like every other human being. And each of us started out our life this way. These lives are not raw material to be exploited, but gifts. And I commend each of the families here today for accepting the gift of these children and offering them the gift of your love.”
The dignity of the person is more than size or power; it is present just because he exists as a spiritual being unlike any other creation on earth.

Stem-cell debate

Some abortion advocates argued that the embryo is not yet a human being. They want to use these tiny bodies for stem-cell experiments, which they believe will result in new medical cures. They are fighting for ownership of these frozen embryos, and for government funding for their research. But the experiments kill the embryos.

There is an alternative to using human embryos for stem cell research: adult stem cells. These are cells taken from a person who is already grown, as well as from a newborn baby’s umbilical cord blood, and taking them does not harm the person. There have been many positive results in treating disease using adult stem cells, and more successes are happening every day.

Human embryos are human lives. Vocal advocates of embryo use make incredible promises of cures, but these claims are seriously questioned by many other scientists. At the heart of the question is whether man can kill innocent lives, claiming to help others. It may be easier to use embryos because they cannot protest unless someone stands up for them, but we are called to live with integrity in doing what is right and not what is easiest.

Witnesses to human life

Even the Nightlight Christian Adoption Agency, which sponsors the Snowflake program, acknowledges that they are trying to put a solution to an undesirable problem that already exists: abuses in playing with fertilization. Yet Christians have never seen the evils of the world as something to escape from, but rather to face with courage and find an opportunity to do good.

Moral theologian Fr. Thomas Williams, LC, says, “The question we need to ask is not how did they come to be, but rather what can we do to help them.” More and more people are seeing that embryo adoption is a true option of love. “The promotion of embryo adoption underscores the reality that each human being, no matter how small, is worthy of care by the community. As society’s consciousness of this reality grows, I would foresee a decrease in the production of embryos.”

Salt of the earth

Christ tells us that our example has more impact than we realize, just salt can give flavor to an entire dish. As an example, one girl decided not to have an abortion because of seeing her neighbor, an elderly woman, who risked snow and ice to go to Mass every day. The girl asked why she bothered, and the woman answered that she was offering it up for an end to abortion. The girl decided to not have an abortion and to welcome her child. The girl said that if it was that important to her neighbor, it must be a big deal. After she had her baby, she understood why.

In this debate, many politicians, families, doctors, and students have been courageous and steadfast in defending human life. Even one person, spreading this story about Noelle, can help people to see the value of the little lives that are frozen now. There are still 400,000 embryos waiting for someone to speak up for them, and give them a chance to live.

Bible Blurbs

“ Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me” Luke 9:48

“And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. ” Matthew 5:13

Pope Quotes

God loves life, which he has created, not death.
(Pope Benedict XVI, July 10, 2005 Angelus)
In a society, thirsty for genuine human values, the community of believers must be the bearer of the light of the Gospel, with the certainty that charity is above all the communication of truth.
(Pope Benedict XVI July 4, 2005)

Other Church Teaching

“No objective, even though noble in itself, such as a foreseeable advantage to science, to other human beings, or to society, can in any way justify experimentation on living human embryos or fetuses, whether viable or not, either inside or outside the mother’s body.”(Vatican Instruction on Respect for Human Life)

Saints and Heroes

A Witness of Generous Love

BLESSED RAFAELA IBARRA:
was born in Spain in 1843. As a child she had a love for the Eucharist and spiritual things. Some expected her to be a nun, but she wanted to show that one can love God fervently in a genuinely Christian marriage where God is a part of the covenant. She had children of her own, but also adopted nieces and nephews who were left orphaned. She took in her elderly parents when they became too weak to care for themselves, and several relatives as well. Not forgetting the needs of the Church, she used her money to establish a Hospice to help women and girls at risk. She founded a religious order, the Sisters of the Holy Guardian Angels, to care for these girls. She died in 1900. She was beatifi ed by Pope John Paul II.

A Man of Courage and Compassion

BLESSED CEREFINO GIMENEZ MALLA :
was martyred by the Communists in the Spanish Civil War in 1936. He was a Gypsy, and he married a Gypsy woman named Teresa. He was a good husband despite the difficulties of constant wandering and upheaval,
and he supported his family as an upright and honest horse trader. They were unable to have children of their own, so they adopted a niece, Josefi na, and gave her all of the love and affection that she needed. Cerefi no was
devoted to praying the rosary, but he became more famous among his neighbors for his goodness to all people. In the Christian persecutions that broke out during the war, he was imprisoned and tortured for defending a riest. He was offered freedom if he agreed to stop praying the rosary, but he cried “Viva Cristo Rey!” (Long Live Christ the King!) and was executed with the rosary in his hands.

Vocabulary

COHERENCE: logical, orderly and consistent in relation of parts

COURAGE: quality of spirit that enables you to face danger of pain without showing fear

GENEROSITY: Giving freely of our own possessions, time and or talent to someone else.

IN-VITRO FERTILIZATION: Fertilization of an egg outside the body of a female by the addition of sperm.

INTEGRITY: Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code. The state of being unimpaired; soundness. The quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness.

JOY: Intense and especially ecstatic or exultant happiness.

STEADFASTNESS: Fixed or unchanging; steady, faithful.