"Advancing Reproductive Rights and Health in a New Administration"

Such is the title of the President-elect's change.gov page on "reproductive rights" (code phrase for abortion (code phrase for baby-killing)).

I do have to give props to the President-elect for making this page interactive. The whole purpose is to gather comments from us, the electorate. Happily, it seems many of the 3,500-plus comments are pro-life. Why not add your own pro-life comments? The web site is: http://change.gov/open_government/entry/advancing_reproductive_rights_and_health_in_a_new_administration.

Unfortunately, having just posted my own comment, I have to report the whole comment process is slow and tedious. But I feel my blog readers are intelligent and motivated enough to work though the process! Here is my own comment:

Dear Mr. Obama, please reconsider your support for this brutal piece of legislation. The FOCA would not only lead to many, many more abortions, but also contributes to the destruction of Constitutional order in this country. Please do not sign the FOCA.

It is worth noting that the document posted for discussion on this change.gov Web page amounts to 55 pages of instructions to the President-elect from the pro-death industry.

"Choose Life Virginia" license plates

http://vachoose-life.org/ is asking for paid Department of Motor Vehicles applications in order to establish the sale of "Choose Life" license plates in Virginia. Proceeds from such plates would go to agencies that counsel for adoption, and not for abortion, and also to pro-life Pregnancy Resource Centers.

Please go to this Web site, print the application, and mail your paid application as directed. Wouldn't it be great to see Choose Life plates?

Please also go here to sign a corresponding online petition. I was only the 1,006th person to sign. Please join me!

Fear of the Lord

I talked with my pastor this weekend about my struggle with being in a personal relationship with the Lord. The retreat I attended in November 2008 and the book "God and His Image" caused an earthquake in my spiritual life centered around the concept of divine filiation. Previously my real spiritual life (as opposed to my intellectual understanding) was based on God as an impersonal force whom it was just for me to worship, who was indeed all-beautiful, all-good, and all-truth, but still an impersonal force, like a forest or the sea, something to appreciate, even worship, but not something to relate to like I relate to my friends or my family.

The deep prayer offered by the retreat let me start to penetrate this shell and worship God because, and as, my Father. What a tremendous difference! The difference between joy and aesthetics.

But that joy touched something deep in me, and this something struck back, and then the struggle was on. The six or seven weeks since the retreat have been as great a period of spiritual warfare as any I've experienced. As always, the Church gives us the weapons: prayer, the sacraments, the Mass, the beauty of the faith.

Anyway, my pastor and I talked about all this. He says this reaction of fear to the Lord's gift of himself is very common. Knowing our own sinfulness, how can we not shrink from the Lord's light? The darkness in us wants to protect itself. My pastor pointed out Peter's reaction when he first became aware of the Lord's divinity: "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man." (Luke 5:8) Well, unlike Peter, I didn't ask the Lord to leave; I ran as hard as I could in the other direction!

He also had a simple strategy for enlisting Divine help with this problem: just acknowledge my fear to the Lord. When I pray - and prayer is time spent specifically in talking with the Lord - just acknowledge to Him that I am afraid of His friendship, and ask for His help to dispel the fear. Dispelling this fear amounts to dispelling the darkness within me, which is specifically what Jesus wants.

At the November retreat the priest gave me a little formula for my prayers that I can easily adapt: "Lord, I love Thee, help me to love Thee more and more." Now I can say:

"Lord, I love Thee, help me to love Thee more and more."
"Lord, I fear Thee, help me to love Thee more and more."
"Lord, I love Thee, help me to love Thee more and more."
"Lord, I fear Thee, help me to love Thee more and more."
"Lord, I love Thee, help me to love Thee more and more."
"Lord, I fear Thee, help me to love Thee more and more."

Retreat, Day 4, 11:45 AM "The Eucharist"

These are my last notes! From after the preached meditation on Sunday, November 16, 2008, at 11:45 AM - the last preached meditation of my retreat.

The Eucharist transforms us into what we consume - it conforms our soul to Jesus. So what have we become?

We must be as bread broken for the life of the world. The fruits of the Eucharist we consume should touch every aspect of our life. We have to love everyone as Christ loved them - Who came to save us when we were still His enemies. We must love and pray for those who hate us.

And we must pour out our love on everyone. Most especially those closest to us. Most especially our wives! [NOTE: this retreat was for men only.] Our task is to make our wife the happiest woman in the world. Be attentive to her in matters great and small. Anticipate her needs. Never a cross or harsh word - and apologize right away if such should cross your lips. Love your wife always.

Retreat, Day 4, 8:40 AM "Suffering"

My notes after the preached meditation on Sunday, November 16, 2008, 8:40 AM:

Suffering unites us to Jesus on the cross. Revive the old custom of "offering it up": offer everything to God - every pinprick, every jab, every twist of fortune.

Suffering makes us human - and it allows us to console others. How can one who has never felt pain offer sympathy and comfort to the afflicted?

We love the suffering that comes to us. Our duty is to put things in order - to right the disorders of sin. It is hard work that will encounter great resistance. Embrace the suffering that comes to us.

Go back through your past life. Offer everything that you have not already offered to God. Christ gave meaning to suffering. By suffering we participate in the redemption of the world.

Remember the parable of the unjust judge and the pestering widow. It applies to our nation today. Do not let the President-elect, your Senators, your Congressmen rest in peace! And pray continually to God to bring about a culture of life.