Posted on 03/21/2010 11:32:34 AM PDT by Faith
"They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters... and the land was polluted with blood. Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people, and He abhorred his heritage; he gave them into the hands of the nations, so that those who hated them ruled over them. Their enemies oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their power. (See Psalm 106:37-43)
Let us affirm the unborn children by our language.
SCRIPTURE
Anyone who says to his brother, "Raca," is answerable to the Sanhedrin... anyone who says, "You fool!" will be in danger of the fire of hell.
-- Matthew 5:22
REFLECTION - by Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life
Before the schoolyard bully beats up his victim, he calls him names. This is a way to dehumanize the victim, and therefore make it easier to justify attacking him.
In this verse from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says that using dehumanizing language is sinful. "Raca" was an Aramaic term of contempt.
The respect and love we are called to have for other human lives is not limited to action alone; it also has to manifest itself in language.
Professor William Brennan, in his book "Dehumanizing the Vulnerable: When Word Games Take Lives," traces the dehumanizing language used to oppress various groups of people in history, such as our African-American brothers and sisters, or our Jewish brothers and sisters in the Holocaust.
He then shows that the same kind of dehumanizing language is used against the unborn, who have been called "parasites," "tissue," and "medical waste," among other things.
What are we to do instead? We are to affirm one another, including the unborn, with ennobling language that inspires respect and love.
The unborn are precious children, they are our brothers and sisters, they are the image of God. Let us multiply the language of affirmation, as we hasten to the day of their protection!
PRAYER
Lord, we ask your forgiveness for any times our words have dehumanized our brothers and sisters.
We also ask you to send your grace to those who speak and write in degrading terms about the children in the womb. Convert those who do not see the dignity of these children.
Loosen the tongues of those who do not know how to acknowledge the humanity and sacredness of these tiny lives.
Keep us all aware of the power of language, and help us to use it rightly in the cause of life and justice. We pray through Christ our Lord, Amen.
“Open your mouth for the speechless,
In the cause of all who are appointed to die.
Open your mouth, judge righteously,
And plead the cause of the poor and needy.”
(Proverbs 31: 8-9)
Holy God,
They go to work each day, contributing to the destruction of human life. Forgive them, Lord, for they do not know what they are doing. They have believed the lies of the Devil who seeks the destruction of all people. Open their eyes, Lord God, and bring them to the full realization of what You want for them and their lives. You are the Answer to all our needs. We exalt You as the Mighty Creator of the Universe, and we pray that Your Spirit would descend upon this nation in a powerful way. In the Name of Jesus Christ, Who died that all might have life, Amen.
Lord, I can think nor speak nothing else, but that You are God. The sin of Satan is upon us as we seek to take Your place. In Your loving kindness, You have stayed Your hand of judgment, yet how long, O Lord, how long before the wrath of God is upon us.
Isaiah 55:6-8
6 Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way
and the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
'Unto Him be Honor and Everlasting Power and Dominion Forever and Ever, amen.' (1Tim.6:16)
Amen, dear Pegita. What a sad day for our republic.
Thank you for joining us today, KM. We must continue to stand up for these poor innocent babies no matter what our government allows.
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