Thoughts on a Controversial Subject

I am happy to be able to have a rational calm discussion about the moral and ethical implications of abortion without and violent measures or unacceptable speech. How I have lived as a gentle invalid to avoid direct discourse on this issue. How easy it is to talk about freedom, political rights. How much more difficult it is to contemplate and then respect the life span of each human being from conception to natural death. Science does not provide answers for us; science creates new questions. I must oppose abortion with the same fervor that I oppose the death penalty; they both deny another human being the opportunity to live their lives. There is no reason that we should ever sanction the killing of another human being. We must discipline ourselves to a routine of regular prayer and peaceful civil protest to help with the strengthening of our position with other like minded people. We must work for the ultimate restoration of the organic respect and reverence for life instead of corporate commodity view. Our society needs to be reminded the truth about the fragility and beauty of life. Each of our actions cause reactions. We must remember this. It is time to demand that our elected officials provide us with moral, ethical, and just leadership. Instead of chasing polls and campaign contributions, they should be chasing social justice and social responsibility. Although we are an affluent society, we are not a responsible society. That abortion is legal points to a callousness, a coarseness which does not respect life or God. Each time there is an abortion we all are affected in a small subtle way. Since Roe vs Wade the country has been soothed and tranquillized by that Supreme Court decision; others have been proposing new laws and restrictions, organizing protest marches, and praying outside abortion clinics. We must keep our spirits up and filled with God’s love and mercy. We do not have to be quiet. This is an outrage, a dangerous, immoral outrage. This is a time for prayer and action; and we must remember and speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. We must be stronger, louder, and brisker in our movements and efforts to free our country from this social injustice. This entry is, perhaps, too political, and will appear so to you when you think about it, as I am afraid you must, our gaze must shine the spotlight on the dirty little secret, the dirty reality that abortion kills unborn babies. But we must remember to keep both the unborn babies and their mothers in our prayers; both need our hope and our love. I am not sanguine about the chances of legally removing abortion as a choice in the immediate future but the struggle must continue. We must avoid the temptation to judge the women who are considering or have had abortions. Treat them gently with fairness and respect. Keep them in your prayers. Let God, and God alone to judge them. Keep mercy in your heart and be willing to hope, be ready to hope: though really, without being too simplistic, open your heart, allow yourself to love life with all the beauty, respect, reverence that you can that your actions may inspire others to think like you think, to act as you think. We can all be a witness of Christ’s love; we can all follow him.

So Long The Silence Remains

I watched too much television once. At least I learned about forensics and asking questions. Television is all about asking questions and sharing suspicions. Television is just heat lightning on the horizon. It flashes occasionally, but there’s no thunder, no rain. My friends say that television is not good for our minds and causes typographical errors. Someone suggested that we should read books.

I read a book once. At least I tried. I don’t know if it counts if the book is never discussed or used in conversation. But I tried to read a book and contemplate life and other things. Most of the time my friends and I just talk about each other and people in the news and familiar people we see around town. And my friends say that I have good manners but bad mannerisms. And my friends say that my mannerisms are so stylized and playful, that sometimes it is hard for them to know when I am bored with other people from around town. The only topic this summer is sex. Only two reminders forgiveness and mercy. And everyone has an opinion on the church’s opinion on abortion and someone wrote something about homelessness and poverty and the death penalty. But in this town there is always day chasing night, wrong teasing right.

There is always talk of vacation plans with lemonade, there is always talk of vocation plans in prayers at church. I wonder if is anyone listening. Is anyone carefully putting the words from the sermons into nice genuine suitcases in the lobby of a patient mind, ready to be unpacked later, unpacked and studied later? Will the words be neat or squished? And the words will be words with meaning, some of my friends try to explain to me when they speak of love, faith and God. And the words will be more than words for those who have a desire or longing for a true vocation.

Some folks are lucky to be freckled with hope and love and understanding all over their faces and all through their hearts! And vocation is really a nice word, really nice. So nice to me and some of my friends. Something in the word makes me smile. I sometimes hear “welcome” and “thank you” and “you are loved” when I hear the word vocation.

Sometimes just mumbling the word under my breath, makes me smile. There is some type of power in vocation. Thinking about the word makes me smile. I like thinking about words that make me smile. I always like to remember them or to talk about them with or without my friends around.

And one Sunday when my friends were out of town I went to church all by myself. And I arrived early before the organist even touched the keyboard. Then I glanced at the other faces in the other pews and thought about vocation all by myself. Thought about my responsibilities, my being humble, my job. I just stared and stared until I had to close my eyes and think of the sacraments and the virtues and prayers and folks freckled with God’s hope and love.

Then, as the choir began to sing, my heart felt something beyond the melody, beyond the words. My heart hummed “Yes.”

And then I grabbed vocation and looked at it with a silence infused by Saint Paul’s writings!

That was my first truly adult thought. It was the most romantic, selfless moment of my life.

Until I remembered “So long the silence remains, So long the prayers begin”