Catholic Faith Refresher Course

FROM CONCEPTION TO NATURAL DEATH

Behold I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. - Matthew 10:16

Christ is calling you.

The Church needs you

and expects great things of you

The Catholic Church teaches that life is to be honored and preserved from conception to the time of one’s natural death.  The Church further teaches that one may not cut life short from its natural course, whether in war, or abortion, or homicide, or suicide, or the taking of another’s life by the state in imposition of the death penalty.   

The “Culture of Death” is a culture which allows the state to condone the taking of life before its natural course is run in any of the acts described above. 

And that includes concluding one’s own life by taking doctor-prescribed poison.

LIFE IS PRECIOUS -  A GIFT FROM AND OF GOD

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, 
your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be. Psalm 139:13-16

Some people will tell you, "The belief that life begins at fertilization is a religious tenet not shared by all." Religious people may believe that the soul enters the body at fertilization, that's true. And that is something we can't prove. But the life of a new human being starts at fertilization, and that's pure science. At fertilization (conception), a human egg and a human sperm join, and a new individual human being with its own unique genetic code is created. This is not a "religious belief."

If the child in the womb is not alive, is he dead? Well, no. And just as a woman can't be a little bit pregnancy, a baby can't be a little bit alive. Science proves that preborn babies are actually alive. Is there a potential heart beating, pumping potential blood through potential veins? Are potential nerve impulses going through potential neurons in a potential brain? No. The heart, blood and brain are real. So is the baby.

Who is going to decide — you or the state?

If the issue were slavery, murder, robbery or rape, such questions would not even be considered. As an example, slave masters were "pro-choice" in regards to slavery. They thought the choice of whether to own a slave belonged to them, not the government. Choice is important, but we should not endorse choices which drastically and unjustly limit the choices of other human beings. In abortion, of course, the child has no choice whatsoever.

 The word of the LORD came to me, saying,  "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…." -Jeremiah 1:4-5

"If men strive, and hurt a women with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life" Ex.21:22-23

"God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them" (Genesis 1:27).

"You have been my guide since I was first formed . . . from my mother’s womb you are my God"      - Psalm 22:10-11

"God… from my mother’s womb had set me apart and called me through his grace"    (St. Paul to the Galatians 1:15).

 Assisting those who seek or have had an Abortion

We are called to be the Lord's hands and heart to those who are hurting.

It is sometimes easier for us to turn away from people in pain, rather than reach out to them in their pain. It is difficult to hear the anguish and despair of another person, but we must hear that anguish if we are to minister to those who are hurting. Hearing someone's despair means really listening to his words and not assuming what he is feeling and what he is going to say. Scripture is always true, but there are times when people need to see Jesus in us, not our quoting Jesus at them. Holding a hand, or crying with someone, can often be better ministry. We cannot cringe at the pain that needs mercy, nor can we walk away from the burden that needs bearing.

Empathy is not assuming that another person's reactions or emotions to a situation are the same as ours would be under the same circumstances. Our reactions may not be "proper," but those reactions must be dealt with because they are still genuine and valid. Sometimes we need to see the face of Jesus in the face of another person.

Any pregnancy that causes stress is a crisis pregnancy

Any pregnancy, even one that was wanted at the time of conception, can be a crisis pregnancy. The crisis will occur because the woman perceives the circumstances to be so hostile to her situation, her life, or her pregnancy that she must seek an escape. All too often, the way of escape for the woman appears to be abortion, even to women who would never before have considered abortion.

Society has pushed abortion as a cure-all for the woman in a crisis pregnancy. When people are faced with a crisis of any nature, they will respond by using the information they have been taught. They will look for the easiest answer possible. This mind-set will direct a woman on a single course of action, one that has been presented time and time again - the abortion option.

Please remember that someone else may not feel the way you would under the same circumstances. Although we must be involved enough to hear what is being said to us, and to make use of our own emotional experiences, we must also be detached enough to be able to tell the difference between our emotional experiences and those of the woman.

If you have unresolved abortion issues in your life, it is often difficult to effectively deal with another's pain until you have resolved your pain from your abortion experience. It is important to walk through a healing process before going out onto the streets, in front of the abortion facilities.

Abortion is not the eraser that makes rape or incest disappear

Concealing child rape
Instead of reporting child abuse, as required by law, abortion clinics are willing to conceal adult-child sex in order to profit off of victims of child sexual abuse
 
The dirty little secret is that Planned Parenthood and the National Abortion Federation know they will sell more abortions, more birth control products and more treatments for sexually transmitted diseases when they turn a blind eye to child rape. Men involved with minors need to conceal these sexual relationships, so they take their underage victims to clinics that offer minors confidential abortion services and birth control. When Planned Parenthood and other family planning service providers ignore child abuse reporting laws, they help these men to continue their ongoing sexual abuse of children. 
 
It's illegal for an adult man to seduce an underage girl into a sexual relationship. Every state has statutory rape laws that prohibit sex between adults and children. But Planned Parenthood, the National Abortion Federation, family planning service providers, and all other clinics that profit from selling products and services to sexually active underage girls, have a financial incentive to ignore the laws that were designed to protect children from sexual abuse.

END OF LIFE ISSUES - EUTHANASIA

ASSISTED SUICIDE

 In assisted suicide, doctors provide lethal drugs, and patients swallow them or inject themselves with them. In direct euthanasia, doctors give lethal injections. Catholics have joined many others--believers and non-believers, medical professionals and lay people--in resisting pressures to legalize both forms of killing.

Form Coalitions Now  
Form pro-life action affiliations with disability groups and doctors' and nurses' organizations as good coalition partners. She also noted that lawyers and doctors who work in poverty areas tend to understand that poor people are vulnerable to pressures for euthanasia.

Gather friends, family and fellow parishioners

to form a "coalition of prayer."

Vulnerable are old people of all incomes and anyone who has a serious disability. They are susceptible to psychological distress--often including depression--and to economic pressures in this era of managed care.

There is the need for alternatives; "go to bat for" people whose pain is not adequately controlled.  There is "simply no excuse" for serious pain in dying patients. Patients should fire doctors who do not provide enough pain control.

Families who care for severely-ill or disabled patients at home also need assistance.  Build community support systems for the family.

What can you do to help the elderly and disabled

resist the pressures for suicide and euthanasia

 and rediscover the joy of life?

A wealth of literature and experience suggest the following:

Check on elderly relatives to see if they need practical help of any kind. If they no longer drive, take them to outside events--a shopping trip, a ball game, a picnic in the park, a visit to an ice cream parlor--so they won't become isolated and lonely.

Look in on elderly neighbors. Help them with practical needs such as grocery shopping; changing light bulbs they can no longer reach; or making safety checks of their homes for tripping hazards. (If you see throw rugs, roll them up and stash them away on a high closet shelf or, better, take them to the nearest dump.)

Support family caregivers by staying with the patient so the caregivers can take a break, or by preparing a special meal for the whole family.

Don't let embarrassment about what to say keep you away from a friend who is dying. (One woman whose husband died of cancer remarked later that friends "stayed away in droves.") You may well find that your friend wants to talk about old times and old friends--not death. In any case, trust that you'll find the right words when you need them.

Volunteer in your local nursing home, helping with recreational, educational or spiritual programs or just visiting people who are lonely. Many residents need more intellectual stimulation: a slide show on the national parks by a talented photographer, a "Do You Remember?" talk by an antiques dealer who displays 1930s collectibles, a Green Thumb Club led by a passionate gardener. Perhaps you can provide the special talent and leadership.

Don't stop visiting friends or family members who no longer recognize you by name. They still need human contact--perhaps now more than ever. Remember that the main point is how they feel, not how you feel.

Encourage others, including children, to visit your elderly friends. Sometimes a child brightens up a senior in a way that no one else can.

Be an advocate for those who need help--but are too weak or frail to ask for it--from their church, a nursing home ombudsman, Social Security, or other agencies.

Wherever possible, try to get the person out into the community. This means the church community, too, which in turn means wheelchair access and other practical aids in church buildings.

 Shutting Down the "shut-in" Mentality
 "Who shut out the shut-ins?
Who said they are not a vital part of our parish...our lives...our community?"

Pray Without Ceasing...

We often think prayer is the least effective method to bring about change, when in reality, all activism MUST begin with prayer.

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Although the election is over and we cannot change the vote of the American people, we must still strive to educate others so that hearts might be changed.

Please view this powerful video

The Catholic Vote - 5 Reasons Why The Church
Forbids Catholics From Voting for (Obama)
Pro-Death, "Pro-Choice" Candidates

YOU CANNOT BE A CATHOLIC AND PRO-CHOICE

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RESOURCES
Teachings From Holy Scripture Against Abortion

FREE Pro-Life DVD

American Life League Pro-Life Activism

Prayer to St. Joseph, Protector of the Family

St. Joseph, please obtain God’s grace and protection
for my family and for all families.
Help us to love by giving of ourselves to others,
avoiding selfishness, and living in peace with others.
Help us to model our lives after yours by being humble,
working at our tasks faithfully, by acting justly,
and by loving mercy.
Finally, help us by your prayers to live chaste lives,
to be truly devoted to Jesus and Mary,
to love and grow in our Catholic faith,
and finally to be with our Lord in heaven. Amen.