Posted on 10/30/2008 3:33:23 PM PDT by tcg
I know I’m posting it to much but I have to cry out to my Co-Religionists, not you guys I know but I just have to.
Before Pope Benedict came to America to celebrate Mass in New York and Washington, it was revealed that as a young boy in Germany he had had a cousin with Down Syndrome. One day a Nazi doctor came and claimed his cousin for the Third Reich. Taken to be “cared for” at the “hospital” young Karl Ratzinger never saw his cousin again: one of the host of “useless eaters” marked for extermination by that brutal regime.
My wife and I operate St. Joseph’s House, a daycare and respite care home for handicapped children. As it happened one of the children we care for, a wheelchair bound young lady, was chosen along with three other handicapped folks to carry the gifts up to the altar before the consecration at the Mass at Nationals Stadium in Washington D.C. on April 17, 2008. One of these was James, a 30ish man who works in the Officer’s Club at Andrews AFB. James has Down Syndrome. He was chosen to carry the large host which would become the Body of Christ lifted up before the assembled. As James with great ceremony advanced toward the Pope, his native enthusiasm overcame his reserve and he started to run. Simultaneously the Holy Father leapt from his chair and walked towards James with his arms outstretched. We have a picture of this moment which I cannot look at without tearing up. What did he see as he gazed so lovingly at James? I believe he saw his cousin. I believe he saw the face of Jesus. And I believe that his great prayer as he elevated that host on that impossibly beautiful day was “As long as you did to these the least of my brethren, you did it to Me.”
The next day April 18th, a boy was born to of all people, the Governor of Alaska. They named him Trig.
While I hold all these truths of the Church to be self evident, I am saddened by how many of my fellow Catholics have been deceived by the great deceiver that the so-called “vote of conscience” allows you to vote for a democrat in the name of moral justices. It mystifies me, but there are lots of Catholics out there voting for “choice.”
Last Sunday, my parents’ deacon gave a particularly moving pro-life homily that brought tears to their eyes. Someone started clapping, and about half the congregation joined in - but only half. The rest sat on their hands. In my own parish, the pastor chased us out of the parking lot in 2004 because we were putting pro-life literature on cars.
We’re in the conservative “T” of PA. I just don’t understand what could be more important to Catholics than protecting the unborn.
Great post. Thank you.
Thank you for sharing this!
I am Catholic, and my wife is Catholic... AND WE ARE VOTING FOR McCAIN-PALIN.
Any Catholic voting for Barak Obama or Joe Biden is willfully taking part in the most grave sin of abortion, and thus that individual excommunicates themself from the Catholic Church.
Canon 1398 provides that, “a person who procures a successful abortion incurs an automatic (latae sententiae) excommunication.” This means that at the very moment that the abortion is successfully accomplished, the woman and all formal conspirators are excommunicated.
An abortion is defined as “the killing of the foetus, in whatever way or at whatever time from the moment of conception” (Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts, published in the “Acts of the Apostolic See” vol. 80 (1988), 1818). This definition applies to any means, including drugs, by which a human being present in the woman is killed. Thus, once a woman knows she is pregnant the intentional killing of the new life within her is not only murder but an excommunicable offense. A woman who only thinks she might be pregnant has a grave responsibility to find out and to protect the possible life within. Any action to end a “possible” pregnancy while probably not an excommunicable offense would be callous disregard for life and gravely sinful.
Conspirators who incur the excommunication can be defined as those who make access to the abortion possible. This certainly includes doctors and nurses who actually do it, husbands, family and others whose counsel and encouragement made it morally possible for the woman, and those whose direct practical support made it possible (financially, driving to the clinic etc.).
Clearly those who think the availability of chemical abortions will settle the abortion issue are deluded. It will only widen to drug manufacturers, pharmacists and family physicians those guilty of grave sin and subject to excommunication. [It should also be noted that many contraceptive pills are already abortifacient in operation. Theoretically, the knowing use of such a pill for its abortafacient purpose could also subject one to excommunication. Pill manufacturers have recently been touting this capability of their deadly wares.]
NOTE WELL To actually incur the excommunication one must know that it is an excommunicable offense at the time of the abortion. Canon 1323 provides that the following do not incur a sanction, those who are not yet 16, are unaware of a law, do not advert to it or are in error about its scope, were forced or had an unforeseeable accident, acted out of grave fear, or who lacked the use of reason (except culpably, as by drunkenness). Thus a woman forced by an abusive husband to have an abortion would not incur an excommunication, for instance, whereas someone culpably under the influence of drugs or alcohol would (canon 1325).
In any case, whether one has been excommunicated or not, the sin of abortion must be confessed as the taking of innocent human life (5th Commandment). If the penitent did not know about this law at the time of the abortion then he or she was NOT excommunicated. If the person knew about the law but there were extenuating circumstances (such as mentioned above concerning c. 1323) then these factors should be mentioned to the confessor. He will say whether he has the faculty from the bishop to absolve from this excommunication or whether he even needs to. If he does not, he will privately and secretly obtain absolution from the bishop or send the person to a confessor who has that power.
A person who believes they have been excommunicated must refrain from Holy Communion until both absolution for the sin and absolution for the excommunication has been given.
One complicating factor for anyone in this situation is that intentionally withholding mortal sin (abortion) or knowledge of one’s excommunication invalidates ALL the absolutions for other sins given since the time of the intentionally overlooked sin. Culpably withholding mortal sin or an excommunication means that even after the priest says the words of absolution because of dishonesty on the penitent’s part, the sin has not been absolved. Absolution is not magic, it depends upon sincere repentance from all known mortal sins and a firm purpose of amendment. Such sins would need to be confessed again, as part of an integral (complete and honest) confession. This is not the case if the person did not know that what they did was sinful in the eyes of God and the Church, but only found out this out latter. Since they did not withhold from confession what they knew to be sinful their prior confessions are valid.
The Church makes every effort to make Penance available and obliges priests to make anonymity possible as well (c. 964). There is really no valid excuse for delaying one’s full return to the sacraments. All those who have had abortions should come home to Christ and the Church.
50 million WOMEN killed their babies
Heartbreaking
I just called my dtr to read your post. We’re both crying. What a beautiful story. Do you have any pictures? A good friend of mine at school had Downes Syndrome. I think of her often may she RIP.
God bless you for all your good work. Taking care of special needs kids has to be very difficult.
In my world you either drop out of the Church or support the basic fundamental of the Church. I think the CINOs need to be purged by the priests, bishops, etc.
If there is a Catholic Vote, why are all the Catholic Senators, PRO ABORTION?
I pray Our Lord posts an angel at each and every voting booth to turn the hearts of the 'pro-choice' Catholics at the last minute to vote for Life above every other issue.
Pray unceasingly.
Who said the Senators are Catholic? I could say I was Polish but that wouldn’t make me so! These folks crossed the line into heresy long ago!
This is a Catholic speaking...listen carefully:
http://download.streamingmediahosting.com/santacruzmedia/Election_Alert.mp3
I have pictures but they were taken by the Pope’s photographer and there some code or something in them that doesn’t let me post them on-line.
I believe there is a strong pro-life Catholic vote. This vote is much more unified than it was in the previous two presidetial elections.
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