Politics and Religion

A friend of mine recently wrote a letter to the university paper contrasting the common support for an MBA student wanting to be Mr. Gay International with the "reality" of Christendom. Both her letter and the lash back as been brutal. Christians across campus are under a literary attack for holding "abhorrent" views about deviant sexual practices and orientation. It is quite something else to see this all unfold, and quietly settle down. Of all the attacking letters, none was to support my friend. I should have, but I did not. Perhaps that is my failure, or it paved the way for a stronger article in the paper printed yesterday taking all to task. For my friend's letter only stated the immorality of homosexuality, but not a mention of our own sinfulness or of our lovingkindness.

This evening the Catholic Center is holding a "Java with Jesus" (similar to Theology on Tap) and I suspect that it is in response to the spat of letters that my friend started, for the scheduled topic at hand is "Religion and Politics." Other than the Catholics, attending will also be the Lutherans and Episcopalians. This ought to be interesting.

I know that it is difficult to keep religion out of politics especially as politicians seek to make what is religious into the profane ... does that make sense? They want to take religion and descerate it; same with life (abortion and eugenics), research (stem cells from adults versus embryos), and so forth. While we have free will, Christians are also forewarned that upon our hands will be the blood of those whom we did not spread the Word and keep them from sin (Ezekiel 3:16-19). However our motivation to save those who do not yet know and love Christ is not the future of our own souls, but knowing the joy and peace of Christ we should naturally want others to know what we know, and love what we love. Quite frankly the question should not be how to keep religion out of politics, but how to keep politics out of religion. See, when Christ says "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life" He is that, and we need to believe and act in that manner. Christ needs to penetrate into every fiber of our being and be present in all that we say, think, and do. Therefore, it is impossible to keep our faith out of politics. But politics needs to stay out of religion, it cannot try to convince us that we are not politically correct in our convictions and such.
Repeating the same messages time and again, I feel like a broken record.

True Musings

I'm trying not to make this post achingly similar to Xanga, as that is basically my venting and brain vomit web page; all my life is on that page. But recently my life has been consumed with two foci: God and school.

God
It feels like I am in a relationship -- mainly because I am. But there are those mornings that all starts out well, and then parents get in your way. Hopefully some of you can reach back into your young adulthood memory banks and find some inkling. I have been unofficially wearing the brown scapular this week, because I found it hidden in my dresser about a year ago. I've been wearing it and my clothes hide it well because I heave modest necklines and clothing overall. My mom picks at it, when it looked like a bra strap, this morning over the kitchen counter. Who in thier right mind think it is okay to pick at people's clothing? So I love my relationship with God, especially when I can look at the Crucifix on my wall and harshly (and yet still lovingly) whisper to Him "I can't stand them: I can't go to Mass, I get harrassed for the Rosay, the Bible, and the Scapular! I can't love you when I'm bound!" It was momentary frustration, but I am alright with it. I'd rather have frustrations with God, showing that my relationship is growing than to have it stagnate.

Don't I have enough with my relationship with God? Therefore I almost don't want to think about Sr. Marianne who suggested that I date and develop a male - boyfriend relationship to make sure that I am not using the "sisterhood" to escape one thing or another. I love my relationship with God, but I want it to be so much better.

Recently I had doubts about discernment and if I was on the right path, but I have been thinking since monday night that if I was not meant to follow God in some capacity of self-sacrifice, then all the discernment meetings would not work out perfectly each time (since I have a Research Assistant-ship meeting at the same time). Does that make sense: if I am meant to go attend these discernment meetings everything would perfectly fall into place; if they weren't God would hedge me in somehow?

School
Well I am busy with my research assistant-ship, and I am trying to study for the GREs. Someone must have forgotten to send me the memo sayingthat my parents have the authority to tell thier 22 year old daughter she can no longer attend Mass on Sundays, and instead be sequestered to her room for GRE prep. The GREs are important, but not so that they usurp my time with God. Therefore, I've been praying rosaries, writing about religion and God (i.e., this post and others), wearing the scapular, reading the Bible more, etc. The issue has always been between my parents and I is a difference in priorities. They favor education and a comfortable lifestyle. I want God, a less cluttered lifestyle, and to do what I love - which is psychology. So I've been looking at my mess of options and confusion.

Yesterday in class we were discussing how to figure out how to combine our study areas with our passions, so I realized that I could do a lot with psychology and Catholicism/religion: apologetics, pastoral counseling, Christian/Catholic counseling, teaching, etc. I just don't know if I can tell a shut door from an open one at this moment.

When the Lord is a priority in your life, He pervades in every aspect of it from school, study, driving, language, etc.

Scrambled Thoughts for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

self-reflection
introspection
self-analysis

however you plan to define it, to label it, to name it; it never does yourself much good. It's a bad idea, usually.

Conflict - how is it that I understand conflict better than calm, cool rationalizations? Perhaps because the emotions are raw, expressed and immediately understood. With rationality I have to peel the layers of one's emotional onion in order to truly see the truth; no one is ever truly objective.

AMERICA, GO VOTE

What else am I supposed to do?

A part of me wants to apologize for the last post, but I figure that I shouldn't since that issue will arise again in the future, and I'll always be bothered by the fact that I don't have my brother, let alone his grave to mourn at. It's a raw issue and unlikely to be resolved until I die.

"The Little Portion" has a proposal, here. While I cannot do all of it, I'm praying the rosary and fasting.

Everyone that I've gotten the courage to talk to about my brother is at a loss for words and can't think of a thing to say to help comfort me. I hope that maybe that loss of words and silence will help people begin to understand just how deep abortion cuts, and just how many people are in pain because of it.

Some Wounds Last for Time Immortal

It has been a while since I last posted on a live political issue - about one semester actually and I don't believe that I have done so here on the Blogger since I started posting on this particular page. I've done so on Xanga because I wanted to only write about religious and faith-based issues here.

Proposition 85 will make it illegal for an unemancipated minor to have an abortion until 48 hours after the attending physician is able to notify the minor's parent or legal guardian except in medical emergencies or parental waivers. The minor is able to get a court order waiving this notice based on presentation of convincing evidence that the minor is mature, or that failure to notify would be in the minor's best overall interests. This proposition mandates the physician to keep records stating how many abortions he/she has performed on minors; any violations by the physician results in monetary damages. There are legal consequences if the minor's consent to the abortion is coerced.

Literally: a minor can be authorized to kill another minor; children killing children.

Prayers can be found here.

Look, I know the issue is politically charged; when is an issue in American society not politically charged? I have more difficulty in these issues to argue with fact than with emotions. I do not not know how to emotionally withdraw myself from the argument long enough to have a coherent, factual comeback.

What I think abortion is:

• cowardly - to think that a child is a major problem, therefore a woman scapegoats a blameless child. The child is not the issue at hand, it is the mother who decides to be impure, to make it a financial convenience for herself, who gives into the social pressures from her family, or the father.
• murder - life begins when the soul begins, both of which begin with conception. Therefore a mother is killing her child.
• cheating/theivery - it robs siblings, period cohorts, family relatives, etc from getting the chance to know this child; it acts against God's will and plan for the child's life. Who is the mother to get in the way of the Lord's plan?
• evil - it counteracts God's will. It's full of death, loss, grief, pain; none of which can be consoled or healed by time. It haunts the mother, and later, those who become aware of the person they were refused to become acquainted with.
• making the rest of us born after 1973 survivors.
• a topic that I keep revisiting since I found out 3 years ago about my brother. In a need to make him human, to add dignity to the life that was taken from him by our parents, I named him: Joseph. I will not be made quiet on this topic. I will not be silent: emotionally, mentally, vocally, actively. It will never end, unless abortion ends.
• a preemptive strike on a life before "it" has a chance.