All this debate on Facebook about Komen and Planned Parenthood is horrible. And hurts my heart. People standing by Planned Parenthood for the sake of the mammograms they claim to give. Because Planned Parenthood "helps the poor" and "empowers women". I'm sorry, but women can get mammograms elsewhere at other clinics (I have to believe that other clinics besides Planned Parenthood actually give low-cost women's health care...for some reason, women have it conditioned in their brain that only Planned Parenthood offers free services...) and putting an IUD into a uterus that gives off hormones and giving out contraception that ends pregnancy (you have no idea how many times in the past few days I've read that pregnancy doesn't start till implantation and that the life of the child starts at various times other than conception) doesn't sound like empowerment to me. Sounds like entrapment. And that's putting it nicely. And does nobody care that Planned Parenthood is founded on the morals of eugenics?? Nope, not if the "health of women" is at stake. Good. grief.
The Bible study that Em and I are trying to get going had a total of 0 show up on the first night. Despite the supposed interest. I heard a few "maybe next week" (which will turn into the week after that, and the week after that). If it's God's will for us to get these women to read the Scripture, He sure is making it frustrating. Luckily our missionary is super supportive and encouraging.
Alright, now for the cool-off. Tonight, having all this swirl around in my head, I went into the chapel and read Psalm 9-10. I'd like to have you read Psalm 10: 1-15.
Why, LORD, do you stand afar
and pay no heed in times of trouble?
Arrogant scoundrels pursue the poor;
they trap them by their cunning schemes.
II
The wicked even boast of their greed;
these robbers curse and scorn the LORD.
In their insolence the wicked boast:
“God does not care; there is no God.”
Yet their affairs always succeed;
they ignore your judgment on high;
they sneer at all who oppose them.
They say in their hearts, “We will never fall;
never will we see misfortune.”
Their mouths are full of oaths, violence, and lies;
discord and evil are under their tongues.
They wait in ambush near towns;
their eyes watch for the helpless
to murder the innocent in secret.
They lurk in ambush like lions in a thicket,
hide there to trap the poor,
snare them and close the net.
The helpless are crushed, laid low;
they fall into the power of the wicked,
Who say in their hearts, “God has forgotten,
shows no concern, never bothers to look.”
III
Rise up, LORD! God, lift up your hand!
Do not forget the poor!Why should the wicked scorn God,
say in their hearts, “God does not care”?
But you do see;
you take note of misery and sorrow;
you take the matter in hand.
To you the helpless can entrust their cause;
you are the defender of orphans.
Break the arm of the wicked and depraved;
make them account for their crimes;
let none of them survive.
I read that, and realized it was just what I was thinking and feeling. I just want true justice and truth and light brought into the world, but the opposite is what thrives and succeeds. This is not me despairing. This is me hearing the battle cry. We, the Church, are being challenged right now to redouble our efforts. We are in the New Evangelization! We are the springtime of the Church! We cannot wait to be soldiers of Christ until a more convenient time. I resolve to fight the fight and to stand my ground.
P.S. St. Monica rocks my socks. St. Augustine would laugh at her when she prayed for him. Laugh and mock the prayers. Just think if she had given up because of that...we wouldn't have the great thoughts of St. Augustine that added so much to our Catholic faith. Let's think of that when we're mocked by those who disagree with us. St. Monica, pray for us!!
P.S. St. Monica rocks my socks. St. Augustine would laugh at her when she prayed for him. Laugh and mock the prayers. Just think if she had given up because of that...we wouldn't have the great thoughts of St. Augustine that added so much to our Catholic faith. Let's think of that when we're mocked by those who disagree with us. St. Monica, pray for us!!
Okay, I will admit I just skimmed this because I want to go to bed. But your mention of Komen perked my eyes up (or something) so I had to comment. I'm copying and pasting this off a thread on FB I was a part of. Just my two cents...
ReplyDeleteApparently they (Komen) have clarified their position on ESCR as well (as of this past Nov.) in that they do not support or fund it either. I think this is good, of course, as is their decision to de-fund PP. However, I still do not like them. And now beware, I'm going to rant just a little here. I was talking with Michelle Dalbom this afternoon about this. I just don't really like any of these big "charities". Whether it's Komen, American Heart Association, Leukemia and Lymphoma, MDA, the list goes on and on and on and on and on. I know many of them do good, or at least some good, but a grossly huge amount of charities out there either support or fund (or both) Embryonic Stem Cell Research (read: the destruction of human life in the name of research). And if they don't support it directly, you don't have to dig very far to find some sort of dirt on them ethically or morally (ties to abortion, ESCR, cloning, etc.). Secondly, so much of their money for a "cure" goes to overhead costs, pharmaceutical companies (who have enough money already, thank you) and other expenses, that the amount of "help" every dollar you donate actually provides is sadly very low. I think it is sad, especially in our Catholic schools, that so much fundraising time/effort is spent on things like Jump Rope for Heart, and walks and runs and this or that for these charities. I personally, as a Catholic, think my money is much better spent on charities that are Catholic doing real, charitable work...there are so many...the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging, Catholic Relief Services, Food for the Poor, Operation Rice Bowl...I could go on. So many of these charities are much more diligent about how their money is spent (read, a very high percentage of every dollar going where they say it will go) minus all the ethical dilemmas as well. Why not spend our efforts and resources on them, rather than on curing something that arguably is often brought on by unhealthy life-style choice (IE oral contraceptive/breast cancer link; overweight/unhealthy diet - heart disease link, etc.). And I in no way am saying every case of cancer, heart disease, etc. is brought on by personal choice by any stretch, but I think these charities are too willing to get you wearing a t-shirt and feeling all emotional about their "cause" without always looking at the cause (no pun intended) of their chosen disease to "cure".
So anyways...
And oh Planned Parenthood. Yes, how the whole eugenics thing is lost on everyone (including the GOVERNMENT) is completely beyond me. Sometimes I want to just go hide in a hole. Or move to another country. Or planet.
And yes, St. Monica, very cool. ;-D I am actually doing a presentation on her to my motherhood group in 2wks!
I promise, I will come back and read the whole thing soon. But for now, good night.
SUCH a good point about the charities. I was just having a conversation today about the effectiveness of boycotting groups that support certain immoral behaviors.
DeleteYou rock my socks :) (So does Monica.) For a rant you are very organized. I started writing a post about the March for Life and it disintegrated into an anti-media rant. Oi, vey.
ReplyDeleteI love you so much! :)
Thanks SaraS. And Chelsea.
ReplyDeleteI think boycotting, and TELLING people AND the particular organizations why you are boycotting is very important. A lot of people just don't know, sadly. And more sadly, a lot of people don't care. I can't get as worked up about places like Kohls and Target (just pulling those two out of no-where, I don't know if they are "good" or "bad" per se) and whoever often ends up on the "naughty list" business wise when it comes to PP, simply because I am going to them and paying them for a product, where-as with charities you are giving actual money and not getting anything in return, and I think the "cooperation with evil" is a little more direct there. Does that make sense?
It does indeed!
ReplyDelete