I took this picture from Fr. Paul's web site (fatherpaul.org).
I am back from a two week pilgrimage to Turkey and Greece called: In the Footsteps of St. Paul. The pilgrimage was packed with great sites and incredible information. My mother and I had a wonderful time together visiting many ancient sites. Our vacation was an amazing site seeing tour, but not really much of a religious pilgrimage.
I was disappointed that we never prayed together while traveling on our tour bus. We did not even say a prayer together before our meals. We did not pray at Mary's house. Mary's house brought tears to my eyes. The Mother of God in such a lowly and humble dwelling; what a huge message!
We had a very nice priest to lead us on the pilgrimage. He was substituting for another priest, and I do not think he is familiar with this type of religious pilgrimage. I think he did his best to please everyone. He was very kind, gentle, and patient with our large group of 39 people. He was Christ to all of us.
I quickly learned the dynamics of the group when the Michigan election results were announced. I was shocked and dismayed! Most of the group, including two nuns, celebrated the victory of the re-election of our pro-abortion governor, Jennifer Granholm. I was horrified. I told the nuns that they are celebrating with Planned Parenthood, NARAL, homosexual marriage advocates, the porn industry, anti-Americans, and anti-God Hollywood people like Madonna. They are celebrating with Satan himself! They are accomplices to the murder of over 47 million innocent babies. I ask the Lord WHY he put me together with all these pro-aborts? He says, "Endure what I give you...with...joyful acceptance. He knows what is good for me better than anyone....joyful acceptance...OK then...there is always a plan!
It hurt me to watch these pro-aborts receive the Lord in the Eucharist. Catholics? I say no way! One of the nuns even prayed for the unborn during Prayers of the Faithful at Mass. How could she truly mean that and then support abortion with her vote? I responded with a prayer to support only politicians who embrace life....Let us Pray to the Lord!
I learned that the nuns are involved with Call to Action. They support "choice", homosexual lifestyles and marriage, and among other heresies CA supports a female priesthood. They wore earings and dyed their hair, but St. Francis cut St. Claires hair.
Yet He calls us to be charitable. OK, I do love them, but I am angry with their refusal to support life. I had my own little pilgrimage...in my mind. I prayed the Rosary and Chaplet of the Divine Mercy on my own, silently. There were others on the trip whom I admired very much as faith-filled Catholics. I was blessed to meet Mike, Fariel, Muntaha, Elaine, Moira, and Leonard. Interestingly, Elaine's deceased husband was instrumental in founding Call to Holiness which was created to oppose Call to Action.
I am looking forward to getting back on the sidewalk. It has been over two weeks. I have been praying for the group and for all the people coming to the abortion center. I pray that I will not become hard hearted against people who support abortion. I learned on this pilgrimage that St. Paul's preaching and St. John's writings in Revelations could apply to the state of the Church today! I know that I turn people away from me when I speak up for life and against the culture of death. I question myself at times. But then when we were in Ephesus, I remembered what St. Paul said to Timothy as he struggles to evangelizing the Ephesians. St. Paul said, "I entrust this charge to you Timothy, my young child, in accordance with the prophetic words once spoken to you. Through them, may you fight the good fight by having faith and a good conscience." 1 Tim 1:18 Let's continue to fight the good fight!
I was disappointed that we never prayed together while traveling on our tour bus. We did not even say a prayer together before our meals. We did not pray at Mary's house. Mary's house brought tears to my eyes. The Mother of God in such a lowly and humble dwelling; what a huge message!
We had a very nice priest to lead us on the pilgrimage. He was substituting for another priest, and I do not think he is familiar with this type of religious pilgrimage. I think he did his best to please everyone. He was very kind, gentle, and patient with our large group of 39 people. He was Christ to all of us.
I quickly learned the dynamics of the group when the Michigan election results were announced. I was shocked and dismayed! Most of the group, including two nuns, celebrated the victory of the re-election of our pro-abortion governor, Jennifer Granholm. I was horrified. I told the nuns that they are celebrating with Planned Parenthood, NARAL, homosexual marriage advocates, the porn industry, anti-Americans, and anti-God Hollywood people like Madonna. They are celebrating with Satan himself! They are accomplices to the murder of over 47 million innocent babies. I ask the Lord WHY he put me together with all these pro-aborts? He says, "Endure what I give you...with...joyful acceptance. He knows what is good for me better than anyone....joyful acceptance...OK then...there is always a plan!
It hurt me to watch these pro-aborts receive the Lord in the Eucharist. Catholics? I say no way! One of the nuns even prayed for the unborn during Prayers of the Faithful at Mass. How could she truly mean that and then support abortion with her vote? I responded with a prayer to support only politicians who embrace life....Let us Pray to the Lord!
I learned that the nuns are involved with Call to Action. They support "choice", homosexual lifestyles and marriage, and among other heresies CA supports a female priesthood. They wore earings and dyed their hair, but St. Francis cut St. Claires hair.
Yet He calls us to be charitable. OK, I do love them, but I am angry with their refusal to support life. I had my own little pilgrimage...in my mind. I prayed the Rosary and Chaplet of the Divine Mercy on my own, silently. There were others on the trip whom I admired very much as faith-filled Catholics. I was blessed to meet Mike, Fariel, Muntaha, Elaine, Moira, and Leonard. Interestingly, Elaine's deceased husband was instrumental in founding Call to Holiness which was created to oppose Call to Action.
I am looking forward to getting back on the sidewalk. It has been over two weeks. I have been praying for the group and for all the people coming to the abortion center. I pray that I will not become hard hearted against people who support abortion. I learned on this pilgrimage that St. Paul's preaching and St. John's writings in Revelations could apply to the state of the Church today! I know that I turn people away from me when I speak up for life and against the culture of death. I question myself at times. But then when we were in Ephesus, I remembered what St. Paul said to Timothy as he struggles to evangelizing the Ephesians. St. Paul said, "I entrust this charge to you Timothy, my young child, in accordance with the prophetic words once spoken to you. Through them, may you fight the good fight by having faith and a good conscience." 1 Tim 1:18 Let's continue to fight the good fight!
4 comments:
"I pray that I will not become hard hearted against people who support abortion."
But aren't you? Note the judgment of the people on your tour, your critique of them! I read your posts to understand your perspective. But in your oh-so-christian heart there's no room for anybody who believes differently from you.
No, I am not hard hearted, I would be hard hearted if I would hate them, or not pray for them. I do niether. Of course we make judgements, we must. When someone supports murder, we judge that as wrong. We judge slavery, rape, and theft as wrong. Those are judgements we make about what people do. Do you judge who your children's friends hang around with? Of course! You must not be Christian, or understand it. If you were, you would know that it is not about what I believe, it is about what Jesus Himself has taught us to believe. Jesus taught us that murder is wrong!
Oh, and yes, people who vote pro-abortion, and call themselves Christian, need to be called out! Jesus did that with strength and conviction! He calls us all to follow Him. Read Acts, St. Paul's Epistles, and the Gospels. We don't have an option to do whatever we think is right according to our own conveniences and will...there is only one will, and that is God's will. We read in both the OT and NT that there is no room in heaven for anyone who commits or supports murder and does not repent. We are called to sanctify each other to build the Kingdom. Hard to do in silence!
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11
Whenever I meet people like you did I remind myself that God DOES have a plan for them too.
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