Pablo, I am humbled and proud to call you a Catholic brother. You are walking the walk, not just talking the talk (which is mainly what I do).PabloSerna said:It would be no different than the CCC ... here is a quick copy and paste:XUSCR said:
@pablo
"Not on the level of murder, but a grave and moral evil."
Perhaps a good place to start would be to define what you mean by murder?
2259 In the account of Abel's murder by his brother Cain,57 Scripture reveals the presence of anger and envy in man, consequences of original sin, from the beginning of human history. Man has become the enemy of his fellow man. God declares the wickedness of this fratricide: "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand."58
The point to be made and indeed the crux of my argument is the malice involved in the choice. So here I go again, putting my cards on table. I told you before I am a Lay Preacher (Dominican).. I preach at abortion facilities. Here is what I do specifically, because it has not changed since 1996.
I try to arrive early - between 7-8am. They will escort most folks in by then and you won't see them for a few hours. Most of the girls have been advised to wear lose fitting clothes. Most wear warm ups.
1. I park 2-3 blocks away. Why? Because I may be arrested. Or worse beaten.
2. On the walk in (I used to preach at the facility on Grover Lane, more recently the facility on IH-35) I recite the rosary and then the Apostle's Creed as I walk up to the entry.
3. Once I get to my spot, I kneel and begin to read out loud from several parts of the bible. Notably, I read the entire part of the Jubilee message. Then I read the entire part of the Parable of the Prodigal Son.
4. From this point, it is a repetitive message about the love and mercy of God. This is what he wants me to preach. So I preach it..
5. I will repeat steps 3-4 several times.
6. I don't ever stand up until I'm ready to leave.
** I have not been there this past year, just a little worn out from the evil that envelops the place - But I will go there from time to time. I used to be there every Saturday for years. I was fortunate to meet other Pro-Lifers from different denominations. We had a very ecumenical spirit about us and would sometime share doughnuts and coffee after prayer.
A couple of observations in the many years I have done this:
#1 And this was for me a real eye opener - I have yet to see a bumper sticker favoring abortion or Pro Choice on any vehicle arriving for the abortion. Never. And I look. That is why I say they really do not know what they are doing. They are more concerned about their circumstances (school, poverty, baby daddy issues).
#2 The escorts (Pro Abortion volunteers) are mostly young, angry women. They are seething at times. I have been engaged on occasion, but only to yelled at because I am a man. Never mind that I was once walking my then girlfriend into Planned Parenthood in Bryan TX.. thankfully she said no and that I could "do whatever - I'm having this baby." I was a coward.
#3 The evil is palatable. I don't mean you can taste it - but it is heavy. It wore on me and in the past few years I have not been as active. I have volunteered for the 40 Days for Life and stood at the other facility on Ben White holding a sign. Just not the same.
So - I felt called to preach. And the best preaching is from experience. Personal experience. I am not going to make this about me. But if someone has done the same or know someone who chose abortion - tell them how much God loves them and wants to rebuild them in his love and mercy. Wants to restore their innocence. Wants to forgive them and let them know that the child is in heaven - with him. You can spiritually baptize them, I often do, and let the people know that only God can fix this. The feeling that the devil will exploit to drive a guilt wedge between the sinner and God. Calling someone a murderer is not what God has ever asked me to do. Ever.
+Pablo
Your reminder of mercy is entirely correct and entirely appropriate. I would always want to bring God's mercy to a woman who is considering an abortion or has had one. I suppose I would consider it merciful to tell them that the thing in their womb is a human being and killing it will not only be horribly awful for the unborn child, but also for her.
