Just Imagine ...

 

I awoke early this morning to some very clear images which had entered my mind.  And I wrote down what I saw:

I was watching a television screen up close, and what appeared like a commercial came on.  I saw two women --- they looked like twins --- who were obviously pregnant and in the pangs of birth being wheeled down the hall in hospital gurneys, side by side.  One smiled and said to the other: “Mine is a girl; do you know what you’re having?”  And the other responded: “I’m having an abortion.”

n  I was shocked, and I thought: Just imagine the shock and pain of that first sister, and the sadness which overcame what was to be her day of joy.

Now on the screen I saw the same hallway, and a single pregnant woman being wheeled by what looked like a hospital orderly.  At the end of the hallway were two doorways:  Birthing and Abortion.  I saw the tired-looking orderly pause, trying to remember where he was supposed to go.  He guesses the abortion room, and the people there (not doctors) see the baby’s head emerging, and to save time and effort, say their abortion attempt failed.  The baby is put into a small cart, and for convenience’s sake is put in the nursery.  Other babies there smile or cry, and they are held and fed.  But not the aborted baby.  It will just stay there, untouched, until it dies.  Then it will be disposed of with other hospital waste. 

n  Just imagine when that mother awakens to find her baby gone.  It is something which will affect her whole life, and those thoughts perhaps mine also.

But then I saw yet another scene on the television.  A woman is in a hospital bed, the pangs of birth are coming closer together; soon it will be time to have her baby.  Her husband sits next to her --- reading the newspaper.  Suddenly, in her pain, she looks at him and screams: “Enough!  You don’t care what I’m going through!  I want an abortion!”  No one is allowed to counsel her against what “she now chooses” to do, and as I watched, her baby was horribly aborted.

n  Just imagine what the woman feels when again in control of her emotions.  Imagine what she feels when she goes home and her other children ask: “Where is our sister?”  Just imagine what they’ll feel when they discover that mom “chose” to abort her.

Just imagine all these scenes which seemed very real to me would be possible if Michigan’s state constitution is changed (Proposal 3) to allow women “to choose” abortion at any time, at any age (with no parental consent allowed), for any reason.  And no one performing an abortion can be sued for any mistakes.  As I lay in bed this morning, I thought those scenes I saw were very real, and very possibly a picture of our state’s future. 

But as I lay in bed shuddering at these thoughts, I became aware I was still watching that television screen.  Then I saw myself moving back from in front of the screen, and I could now see the room it was in.  And there I saw what looked like Satan and lots of his friends.  They were eating popcorn and candy, drinking beer, and watching the screen, seeing exactly what I had seen, and laughing and laughing and laughing and laughing.

n  Just imagine that.

But while all those thoughts troubled my mind, I had one final thought.  I was again up close looking at the screen.  There I now saw a beautiful array of flowers and pretty trees.  It was totally still, and I felt some peace, as I perceived the place to be the Garden of Eden.  Then, I heard a very soft whisper in the Garden, as a voice said to Eve: “No you have a right to choose …”  And before I could hear Eve’s response, from the rest of the room behind me I heard a loud:  Har! Har! Har!

n  Just imagine that.

I Saw God

 Yesterday had its share of troubles and worries.  So many people sick, so many dying, and so many lost souls.  Polls show the majority of Christians our state will vote in favor of the most unlimited abortion law in the country.  And our governor, who will “fight like hell” for unlimited abortion, is the same one who sent Covid patients into senior living centers, and thousands of seniors died in our state because of her actions.  Acting in favor of death for the young and the old, she too is leading in polls.  And today as I set out for morning mass, it seemed to continue:  the sky was dark, but I praised God for how much He loves us --- and for His mercy.

Driving West, I suddenly was blinded by the glare in my rear-view mirror.  Through a narrow slit in the clouds, just above the horizon, the bright sun rose in the East. And as I drove, I could see a rainbow appear across the clouds in the Western sky.  When I neared the church, even as a few drops or rain were hitting my windshield, in front of me I saw a row of tall trees, brilliantly sunlit from top to bottom, with the dark sky over and the dark ground under, a snapshot of beauty in the darkness.  And I praised God.  He showed me all was not dark.

Arriving at the church, I saw Marie getting out of her car in front of mine, and entering saw Sarah greet us, and then I saw Amy, who sat first in line for the after-mass confession.  Friends I infrequently saw, I saw at once.  And then before mass began, I read some of my morning prayers, and felt greeted by God:

                        Hymn:

O help us listen now, as then,
And wonder at your words again.
We all have secret fears to face.
We seek your truth; we need your grace.
O help us live what we believe
In daily work of heart and hand.

 

Dawn finds me ready to welcome you, my God.
I will call upon you, save me.
And I will do your will (Ps 119)

In every age, O Lord, you have been our rescue. (Response Psalm)

We who have been reborn through the sacrament of Baptism experience intense
joy when we feel within us the first stirrings of the Holy Spirit.  These gifts enter
us like a gentle rain, and once having done so, little by little, they bring forth
fruit in abundance.

Father, guide us as you guide creation, according to your law of love.  May we
love one another and come to perfection in the eternal life prepared for us.

 

The priest said our life’s journey is like a AAA Trip-ticket.  You see the whole route as a journey to heaven, but on the first page is only the next 100 miles or so, and when done with that you turn the page and look at the next.  And for each page of that journey, God gives us the grace necessary for that step.  On each page, we see side roads, which might have tempting sights, but we must be careful not to delay, or get lost.  And perhaps we eagerly await the next page, where a favorite restaurant is on the route, only to arrive and see it closed.  Or we may anticipate the beautiful sights of the next page, only to arrive there and see a driving rain so hard you can hardly see the road.  Don’t live for tomorrow, the priest said, just use God’s grace for today well.  Your life is a blessing.

The mass itself seemed alive for me today, as I lived with Jesus, as He said His words, and made His sacrifice --- for me.  And He came to me.

And as mass ended and I lifted up my brievary, I noticed the prayer booklet tucked inside the front cover:  You Are Not Alone; Prayers in Dark Times.  I turned it over, and read the back cover:

Be With Me When All is Dark

Lord Jesus Christ, long ago at my baptism I became Your child and
disciple.  I have often tried to recommit myself to following You
despite my failures.  I am weak and confused.  When darkness
comes into my life, I feel discouraged, rejected by You, a scavenger
along life’s highway.  I forget that most of my fellow travelers at times
have the same feelings and undergo the same painful trials.

Be with me in the dark times, and give me, please, some sign, some
awareness of Your presence.  Send me a ray of hope when the road
is long and weary and I feel alone.  Send Your Holy Spirit that I may
know in some way that you are still with me when all is dark.
Amen

 

And I left the church.  As I walked outside, a light rain was falling, but after the morning events, I felt as if the day were bright.  The rain was temporary.  The sun would shine again.  I was not alone. He is still with me in the dark.

It's Who I Am

I heard those words again yesterday, as someone explained/justified their actions by saying: “It’s who I am.”  Reflecting on those words, I think they are incomplete for my understanding or agreement.

For a start, there are groups or positions we have chosen to be.  I am a Boy Scout; I am an usher; I am a CPA.  That’s who I am, because for whatever reason, that’s who I chose to be.  I can be in lots of groups at the same time, infrequently does it happen that claiming to be in one group excludes me from another, and once I choose to join a group, I can always choose to leave it.

There are also groups I can choose which affect my way of thinking over time.  I am a Christian; I am an atheist, or I am a trans-sexual can deeply affect my thoughts on my life’s priorities, morality, and my thoughts on the purpose of life itself.  I included trans-sexual as an example because of emerging data on this new-found “choice”.  I heard of some large studies which found that young women saying they are trans-sexual is up 5000% versus a decade ago, four times the rate of young men.  And over 75% of those women have a college-educated parent, and are almost totally from single parent (mom) homes, and are over 90% white.  And virtually all are on the social media Tik-Tok. If being trans-sexual is really not a choice but some type of innate being, then where are all the male and other race trans-sexual beings, and where are the older people saying “at last, I can come out and be who I am”?  There are none.  Certainly, a lot more studies need to be done, but my background as an analyst (it’s who I am) says this is largely a choice, which begs the question of why and to what impact.

But I am sure there are some who would define “who I am” as being innate, biological, beyond my control, and I don’t doubt that may be true for some.  No one’s brain is formed in the same way and no one has the same experiences in life.  We are all unique beings, and certainly some will have physical or mental differences from others.  Studies could be done to identify the amount and degree of difference from --- “normal”?  Is “abnormal” 25% of the population, 5%, 1%, 1 in a million, or only 2 people in the world, like perhaps a baby born with 3 heads or 6 feet.  And if there are identified large groups of people who are classified as not being like the majority of “normal” people, how should normal people treat these “outside the majority” groups, and how should these groups treat the majority of “normal” people?

Sticking only with mental abnormalities, there are a number of groups commonly found: the senile, autistic, alcoholic, kleptomaniac, and pedophiliac, to name a few.  I myself would add any non-biologically sexually inclined people as a group.  In general, “normal” people have been understanding of people with abnormal mental drives, and in general many of those people try to minimize their abnormal inclinations.  Senile or mentally challenged may have caregivers, and alcoholics, kleptomaniacs, and pedophiles may join 12-step programs to limit the effect of their mania. Homosexuals used to be in that group, but are now not only encouraged to “come out of the closet”, but to celebrate their condition and even encourage others to imitate it or even broader sexual differences.  Pedophiliacs are on the same path toward claiming “normal” behavior.  Will we soon be encouraged to invite kleptomaniacs and pedophiles to become our friends and encourage our kids to “choose” their mania?

If I and a group of friends choose to share our minds and went online to encourage others to think as we do, it might become a popular trend, but like most trends it would soon pass.  But youngsters making life-changing sexual decisions and societal support for a radical departure from historical and cultural evolution are not passing fads.  They will have huge on-going results.  We can’t see the future, but historical facts show that such radical changes of culture (like socialism) rarely turn out well, and millions will likely die because of the “choice” of some who choose to be “who I am” strictly for their own perceived ego and pleasure, not considering their impact on others.

My personal prayer each day is that I might be who God created me to be, that unique being He intended.  I want His will, not mine, no matter how strong are my desires, for His plans will get me an eternity of happiness, with Him.  That’s who I am. That’s what I want, and why.

- - - - - - - - - -

 

If I had to put my perceptions of many young in a word, I’d say “fun”.  It seems to be a focus of their lives, whether in sexual feelings with others, or private feelings while staring at a screen.  Fun seems to be the aim of their lives, but studies show that like any other addiction, the quest for fun is never satisfied.  And in frustration, depression and death enter many young lives.  Sadly, they don’t consider that the feelings they strive for are just animal feelings, but humans are not “just” animals.  The history of humans has been one of survival first, then finding meaning and purpose in life, not fun.  Over centuries, and even as a human person, God came to teach humans their meaning and purpose (why He created them).  It was not for “fun” now, but joy for eternity.  Bible history has been lost in our youth’s education.

This Friday morning, the Bible Study guys I meet with were reflecting on Matthew, Chapter 27.  This very same day, the extremely popular podcast site, Bible in a Year, was reading and reflecting on the exact same chapter ---- coincidence?  You know I don’t believe that.  Matthew 27 is about the Passion and death of Jesus.

Many who don’t study the Bible say “Jesus came to teach us how to live --- just love one another.”  If you remove the word “just” I might agree, but that is not the total truth.  Jesus came to teach us how to live, but He also came to teach us how to die.  Both are covered in Matthew 27.  A life lived well will include suffering (things not fun) and dying, each of which has a purpose.  Those are the things Jesus teaches in the Bible --- “teaches” not “taught”, for the lesson goes on every day of our lives.  When “fun” becomes the focus of our lives, we’ve stopped learning, because learning no fun.  It is a growing in being, growing more like God, until we join Him.  He is waiting for us to come to Him: “I go to prepare a place for you.”

That place is not “fun” on earth.  We can choose a “fun” focus for our here and now versus an eternal focus, but human death and eternity will still come. And if we have not prepared, that eternity will not be any joy.

- - - - - - - - - -

After the guy’s Bible Study, I went to church early this morning, before mass.  There I participated in the usual Friday morning praying of the Stations of the Cross --- reflections on our Lord’s Passion and death.  Later at mass, I learned that today is the feast day of St. Padre Pio, a man who suffered with the Stigmata (the 5 wounds of Christ, visible and painful) most of his life --- but many other people were healed of their wounds through his prayers. 

Our lives have a purpose and meaning, and it involves others.  That’s what Jesus showed us.  And we need to trust Him.