Okay, so I attended my very first Life Teen Mass yesterday by accident. Jennifer and I decided to go to Mass in the evening for the first time in awhile instead of our usual 11:00 am time. Since our parish doesn't have a Sunday evening Mass, we went to another parish we've been to a couple times before.
We arrived late, also be accident, and quickly took our seats with a friend in the very back. The Gospel was about to be read, so I was glad we weren't any later. We were thrown for a little bit of a loop though when we realized that the songs being sang were out of a paperback book we didn't have instead of the normal hymnals. We looked around and noticed that people were using Spirit Song, which I don't know anything about.
There were a lot of teens there, that I noticed, but I didn't put the two and two together. Jennifer and I were also a bit dazed when "Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again" was sung to an upbeat pop tune. It wasn't necessarily innapropriate, just different. The same occured with the Agnus Dei.
We left Mass and talked about it in the car. While I enjoyed Mass (the Priest is a great homilist at that parish), I just felt the need to address what I had noticed. And it was Jennifer who hit the nail on the head, the Mass was lacking solemnity. And it made me wonder, was Life Teen not teaching teens the importance and the beauty of Solemnity in Mass?
Solemnity is the beauty of the Church.
Of course that's my opinion, but I'd dare to suggest that it's probably the opinion of most clergy. I think it's important that teens understand that solemn doesn't mean sad or dark. It means serious, sacred, performed with full ceremony (high mass), etc. While I didn't mind the upbeat music most of the time, it just seemed unfitting to the more solemn of responses and chants.
On another note, that Mass did get me to check out www.lifeteen.com which I found to be a great resource and community builder for teens and parish priests. Please check it out, I'm very impressed with the Q&A about Jesus from a teen perspective especially.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Bush Vetoes Stem Cell Bill
A round of applause for President Bush. He said he would veto a bill to ease funding limits for research on stem cells obtained from embryos, and...he did it. It's his first veto in his 5.5 year presidency and it came at a great time."This bill would support the taking of innocent human life of the hope of finding medical benefits for others. It crosses a moral boundary that our society needs to respect, so I vetoed it," he said, according to Yahoo! News.Bush apparently met at the White House with 18 families who had adopted frozen embryos not being used by other couples. Those families used the embryos to have children, a great and charitable act.
The Senate defied Bush by passing the bill, but it was vetoed shortly after arriving at his desk and analysts say the House won't be over-turning the veto. This is a great day for the cause of human dignity in the U.S. Now we just need to sit back and wait for Bush to convert ;)
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
"Terrorists" According to Planned Parenthood
I came across something on the Curt Jester yesterday that has been bothering me non-stop since I read it. According to Planned Parenthood's website, the following Pro-life organizations are all "Terrorists and Extremist Organizations"..
Yes, you read that right. Apparently if you are a Pro-life organization, then you pose a terrorist thread to the "right to choose." In fact, these organizations are referred to as "anti-choice" organizations by Planned Parenthood. Let’s think about this for a moment..
Since when is it "right" for someone to commit murder? In general, society tends to find killing "justified" in cases of war, capital punishment, and.. abortion? Does that even make sense? I'm not going to delve into the topic of death-sentences or waging war, but I will bring up abortion and pose a question to everyone, why? Why is it "okay" to kill unborn babies? Why is it okay to avoid responsibility by taking a life? Since when is that "okay?"
The answer = it isn't.
I believe in a God of perfect justice and mercy. He is above and beyond my understanding, so I won't pretend to understand what His justice means and what His limits on mercy (if He has limits) are. But I will say that if it's as easy to go to hell as some people have claimed, then the devil’s backyard is and will be overflowing with abortionists. I do not, nor will I ever, agree with abortion as a "right" or justified "choice." I'm sorry, but murder simply isn't a right we have.
If you visit the Planned Parenthood page and look at the "anti-choice organization" bios, you'll find a list of "opposed to" and "supports" for each organization. I find it hilarious some of the things PP tries to finger when it comes to their propaganda. Once you see them list things like the ALL supporting "fasting" and "abstinence until marriage" you get a feeling that PP is simply against any moral code that doesn't allow a person to do whatever they want. They also takes stabs at intervention by saying that the ALL takes part in ""sidewalk counseling" — harassment of clients at women's health clinics speakers' bureau". I'm not saying that a member of the ALL has never harassed anyone outside of an abortion clinic, but if someone reminding you that you are about to kill your own child is harassment, then you must live in fantasyland.
And that's apparently where Planned Parenthood operates, in a land where murder isn't a word when it comes to defenseless, innocent babies. Interestingly enough, I bet there isn't a Planned Parenthood spokesman that would speak out in support of the holocaust of Nazi Germany. It's ironic since late-term abortions involve injecting saline (as one method). Yes, you heard me right, saline, a poisonous-salt solution that burns the baby alive in about an hour. Yes, the Nazis may be gone, but apparently the practice of burning people alive isn't.
On a blog titled Big Blue Wave, a documentation of 3 late-term abortion methods have been documented. This was one of them..
It makes me sick to think that probably the darkest evil humans can do is legal in this country. Americans tend to think they are "above" the third world nations, who suffer from genocide and constant violence, but look at what the "civilized" world is doing.. killing unborn children, labeling it "women's rights." What kind of woman wants the right to kill their own child? A monster! That's what kind. I won't sugar-coat it, I'm sorry, I won't...if you have an abortion I know it's painful and often depressing, and I feel for you and believe you should seek counseling. But to be honest, you should never have had one, and if you're thinking about it, stop. That baby inside you, it loves you. I know that may sound odd and campy, but it's true.
You don't have to have a religious fiber in your body to know that killing an unborn child is wrong. Does it feel right? Of course not! Anyone who says it's natural and right is a delusional monster. You claim Sadam is a monster for killing all those people? Let’s put the Planned Parenthood people on trial. Then again, they'll get their judgment one day, by the ultimate judge. And their hands will be red with the blood of infants, thousands of infants.
I know some people may say, "but you're a guy, you can't possibly understand." I say to those people, "stop talking and listen." I don't have to be a woman to understand that killing an unborn baby is murder. Just like I don't have to be a criminal to know that raping and murdering someone is wrong. Women and abortion-supporters need to stop thinking that it's their "right" to kill a baby. It's not about rights, it's about human dignity. It's about life and their baby's RIGHT to live it. I'm not suggesting that these people be parents, I'd argue against it if it was my place to do so (and it isn't), but adoption is such a great option. Some would argue against it saying that kids grow up in "group homes", etc. I'm not saying the process is perfect, but I can't push enough the fact that those babies are at least a live to grow up.
The tears of babies in heaven fill the oceans on earth. My tears unite with their's in prayer for a stop to the legal-"right" to abortion. Amen.
* American Life League (ALL)
* Americans United for Life (AUL)
* Christian Coalition
* Concerned Women for America (CWA)
* Eagle Forum
* Family Research Council (FRC)
* Feminists for Life of America (FFL)
* Focus on the Family
* Human Life International (HLI)
* Life Dynamics Incorporated (LDI)
* Missionaries to the Preborn
* National Right to Life Committee (NRLC)
* Operation Save America (formerly known as Operation Rescue)
* Pro-Life Action League (PLAL)
* STOPP International, aka STOPP Planned Parenthood
Yes, you read that right. Apparently if you are a Pro-life organization, then you pose a terrorist thread to the "right to choose." In fact, these organizations are referred to as "anti-choice" organizations by Planned Parenthood. Let’s think about this for a moment..
Since when is it "right" for someone to commit murder? In general, society tends to find killing "justified" in cases of war, capital punishment, and.. abortion? Does that even make sense? I'm not going to delve into the topic of death-sentences or waging war, but I will bring up abortion and pose a question to everyone, why? Why is it "okay" to kill unborn babies? Why is it okay to avoid responsibility by taking a life? Since when is that "okay?"
The answer = it isn't.
I believe in a God of perfect justice and mercy. He is above and beyond my understanding, so I won't pretend to understand what His justice means and what His limits on mercy (if He has limits) are. But I will say that if it's as easy to go to hell as some people have claimed, then the devil’s backyard is and will be overflowing with abortionists. I do not, nor will I ever, agree with abortion as a "right" or justified "choice." I'm sorry, but murder simply isn't a right we have.
If you visit the Planned Parenthood page and look at the "anti-choice organization" bios, you'll find a list of "opposed to" and "supports" for each organization. I find it hilarious some of the things PP tries to finger when it comes to their propaganda. Once you see them list things like the ALL supporting "fasting" and "abstinence until marriage" you get a feeling that PP is simply against any moral code that doesn't allow a person to do whatever they want. They also takes stabs at intervention by saying that the ALL takes part in ""sidewalk counseling" — harassment of clients at women's health clinics speakers' bureau". I'm not saying that a member of the ALL has never harassed anyone outside of an abortion clinic, but if someone reminding you that you are about to kill your own child is harassment, then you must live in fantasyland.
And that's apparently where Planned Parenthood operates, in a land where murder isn't a word when it comes to defenseless, innocent babies. Interestingly enough, I bet there isn't a Planned Parenthood spokesman that would speak out in support of the holocaust of Nazi Germany. It's ironic since late-term abortions involve injecting saline (as one method). Yes, you heard me right, saline, a poisonous-salt solution that burns the baby alive in about an hour. Yes, the Nazis may be gone, but apparently the practice of burning people alive isn't.
On a blog titled Big Blue Wave, a documentation of 3 late-term abortion methods have been documented. This was one of them..
Saline injection, aka salt poisoning. A long needle with poisonous salt solution is inserted through the mother's abdomen into the amniotic sac. The baby swallows it and therefore dies. The solution also burns the skin, in effect, burning the fetus. It takes about an hour for the fetus to die. So he has to go through an agonizing death. The mother gives birth to the dead baby a day later, although sometimes the baby survives that horrible experience. Sometimes the babies are left unattended to die. Sssh, no one issue a birth certificate and no one will ever know...
It makes me sick to think that probably the darkest evil humans can do is legal in this country. Americans tend to think they are "above" the third world nations, who suffer from genocide and constant violence, but look at what the "civilized" world is doing.. killing unborn children, labeling it "women's rights." What kind of woman wants the right to kill their own child? A monster! That's what kind. I won't sugar-coat it, I'm sorry, I won't...if you have an abortion I know it's painful and often depressing, and I feel for you and believe you should seek counseling. But to be honest, you should never have had one, and if you're thinking about it, stop. That baby inside you, it loves you. I know that may sound odd and campy, but it's true.
You don't have to have a religious fiber in your body to know that killing an unborn child is wrong. Does it feel right? Of course not! Anyone who says it's natural and right is a delusional monster. You claim Sadam is a monster for killing all those people? Let’s put the Planned Parenthood people on trial. Then again, they'll get their judgment one day, by the ultimate judge. And their hands will be red with the blood of infants, thousands of infants.
I know some people may say, "but you're a guy, you can't possibly understand." I say to those people, "stop talking and listen." I don't have to be a woman to understand that killing an unborn baby is murder. Just like I don't have to be a criminal to know that raping and murdering someone is wrong. Women and abortion-supporters need to stop thinking that it's their "right" to kill a baby. It's not about rights, it's about human dignity. It's about life and their baby's RIGHT to live it. I'm not suggesting that these people be parents, I'd argue against it if it was my place to do so (and it isn't), but adoption is such a great option. Some would argue against it saying that kids grow up in "group homes", etc. I'm not saying the process is perfect, but I can't push enough the fact that those babies are at least a live to grow up.
The tears of babies in heaven fill the oceans on earth. My tears unite with their's in prayer for a stop to the legal-"right" to abortion. Amen.
discerning Sainthood
Welcome to discerning Sainthood! The aim of this blog is to reflect on, help shape, and promote Catholic ideals and culture. It's a culture of life here at dS, a culture of respect for human dignity and connection with the spiritual through sacramental life and Christian fellowship. You'll find articles about pressing issues, interesting movements, Catholic-Christian Identity, faith journeys, culture (music, movies, etc.), and so much more. The only boundaries are to keep it relevant and interesting.
Discerning Sainthood was created and is maintained by two converts to the faith. Bryan and Jenny were received into the Church at the 2006 Easter Vigil in the Diocese of Richmond, Va. They attend a dynamic orthodox parish and are active in RCIA, young adult ministry, youth activities, and various other parish ministries.
We welcome all comments, questions and suggestions. If you have an idea for something you'd like to see blogged, email discerningSainthood@gmail.com. If you find errors or an issue with something we've published please email us as well. We pray that nothing we post ever offends anyone, but we won't shy from issues that deserve mention. All opinions expressed by Bryan and Jenny are theirs and theirs alone, they do not reflect the opinions of blogger.com or any linked sponsors on the site. Thanks and God bless you! Please pray for our blogging vocation!
Discerning Sainthood was created and is maintained by two converts to the faith. Bryan and Jenny were received into the Church at the 2006 Easter Vigil in the Diocese of Richmond, Va. They attend a dynamic orthodox parish and are active in RCIA, young adult ministry, youth activities, and various other parish ministries.
We welcome all comments, questions and suggestions. If you have an idea for something you'd like to see blogged, email discerningSainthood@gmail.com. If you find errors or an issue with something we've published please email us as well. We pray that nothing we post ever offends anyone, but we won't shy from issues that deserve mention. All opinions expressed by Bryan and Jenny are theirs and theirs alone, they do not reflect the opinions of blogger.com or any linked sponsors on the site. Thanks and God bless you! Please pray for our blogging vocation!
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