Anne Lastman
Donald Trump’s about face on abortion is not really surprising after all the abortion issue has huge votes attached to it and after these many years of difficulties, I think he has been worn down. This is the president (the first one) who led the pro-life march in America and yet he now considers that for the “hard cases” abortion could be considered. Further he has passed “the ball” to the different states to decide how this contentious issue is to be handled. Personally, I have a sense of sadness about all of this. It seems that the anti-life movement, the venomous feminist movement, the MeToo movement, together with other attacks against him have achieved their aim. This outcome together with the self-proclaimed “Catholic” President Biden and the self-proclaimed “Baptist” Kamala Harris, and self-proclaimed Robert Kennedy (catholic) abortion or killing of in utero infants seems to be the issue which will determine America’s politicians. Killing of babies up to full term and it’s a “human right” to do so.
St John Paul II in 1979 said “ Human life is not an idea or abstraction, and nothing surpasses the greatness and dignity of a human person. Human life is the concrete reality of creation.” Much is written about dignity and most recently the Holy Father’s, Pope Francis, document on dignity “Dignitatis Infinita,” which is a document so clearly explaining the nature of dignity inherent in the human being. No exception. Every human. And human being alone. And though so beautiful a document what has indeed occurred in life has been the slow diminution of dignity, knowledge, and estimation of the human being.
A crisis of life, a rejection, disrespect has slithered into the human “garden and consciousness” and has poisoned such a gift (dignity) given by the Creator to his creation. Dignity clothes every cell in the body of the human being so that from all time the creature is enwrapped in dignity, and we must do everything we can to alleviate this life crisis, that is, loss of dignity. From this crisis of life in our time, the resultant poverty, famine, starvation of body, mind, spirit has emerged clearly.
The human being is unique and is endowed with two aspects which no other creature possesses, that is our soul and free will. Not even the most beautiful of creations possess these two aspects of the human creation. This link with our creator does not make puppets out of us but further deepens our relationship.
It’s given to the human being to create the physical body which will house the soul not only for earthly life but for eternity. Within the human body the soul takes up residence because the divine breath has been breathed into it and enlivens the new creation (Baptism?) which unites all creatures to their creator beginning with the first creation, Adam. Procreation is the counterforce to the violence we see in our day. The violence “sin of the world” within which reside all sins possible to be committed by man and woman. It’s in the area of conception and procreation and life where this sin rises (Gen 5:1-2) and repeats down through the generations.
We as created beings in time, form ideas, beliefs, philosophies, which contribute to the formation of humanity and is the contribution we make for the formation of society. A larger community, with the smaller community being the family. It’s the breath and imprint of the divine creator which permits us to recognize the other as related, having the same father God at moment of creation and throughout the generations.
This understanding and belief in our Father’s creation of each of us has been cunningly sabotaged, from the view of creation by the divine and with divine intentions and regard for all, to a world view of “self” Self-sufficiency, self-idolatry, self-opinion (choice), indeed, a Godless society made up of human beings whose soul does not recognize the soul of the other. One could say a soul which wanders in shadows of grey. Life with its unexplainable grace and beauty, has, starting from the beginning, very slowly been savaged. Been distorted from what it was meant to be. Children of grace because our father is full of love and grace and honour. A father who wants his children to have all.
Sadly, society of this era/time, seems to believe that life in all its glory is simply an accident of chemicals with nothing more than a time allotted to it and then buried out of sight. Not to return to its creator father but to return to and become soil. Before this a life built on hedonism, no reverence for the Creator whose own breath he gave as a gift for them to come to birth and a life built on divine and visible gifts.
We further understand that society is formed by generational views which over time take form, shape and are considered the way of things. We also understand that over time, world views of the past change and even some would say for the better and superseded by newer understandings and beliefs of those past, whilst looking at the present and future. Not knowing that the past had its own influences, the present influenced by immediate past and future yet unknown. The insinuation of the old into the new societal mores urges progressive rejection of both good and bad of past, though at times rejection of what was considered very good lessened to an unrecognizable shadow of things long gone.
Aspects of the human being and life lived in constant motion, progressing slowly building on the past in order to build the future. But the new, whilst being lauded, also leaves behind a knowledge that another existed. At times thought better and more advanced society which grew in its self-accommodation. Diminution of the past which passed and held onto its beliefs about creation, life, God, relationships and because of these beliefs was thought to be more primitive and less advanced and civilized than the new one. This thought until it’s seen that what was originally was created for God’s glory and great pleasure, becomes tarnished and unrecognizable. In time the human being has self-infused a confused moral code as delivered by the father and lived in total through the son (Jer. 31:31-33) but a moral code alien to the created being.
The second gift given by the father God to his creation was/is free will which is never taken away. Dignity. The promise by the God of life is that free will cannot ever be removed or lost because this is the realm of the creator, choice. He gave his creature the same attribute which he himself has, that is, choice. Free to be accepted or rejected (as happened) but not to be taken away from him. So, for all time choice, no matter the circumstances, is not taken away. Through time, new understandings and consciousness entered the realm of life through false catechesis, and transmitted to the current and future generations the notion that their father God does not exist and has never existed, and yet free will was still not lost. Like the angels before them humanity also rebelled. Through false teachings, humanity ingesting the poison of the snake.
The recent past generations (3-5) have slowly introduced grievous changes into consciences including beliefs that life is not sacred. The God who created life, all life, has been rejected (Nietzsche’s famous quote “God is dead” ) and in its stead the moral beliefs which had helped society live in fraternity. The progressive distancing from God has led to progressive loss of respect for life and that divine breath returned to its maker.
Looking at society its possible to see the distancing of human creature from its father God. It’s possible to see the rejection of “brother” just like Cain. Rejection and murdered his brother so too the society of this time also has chosen the same. The society of this time kills millions of infants per year without so much of a whimper. Kills infants and children through neglect and starvation and all manner of travesty possible. These past few generations have changed so deeply that all manner of death is now lawful. This new consciousness has turned the unique creation, human being, into one whose free will and choice have been severely corrupted. Abortions in millions per year, euthanasia, suicides, murders, rapes, trafficking, terrors, and the death brought by wars. These recent past generations have invited the serpent to slither into the garden and even accommodated him. His work of being a murderer from all time has found believers and servants. It appears that Lucifer, Eve, Adam, and Lilith have returned. The pagan gods of the past have found followers.
The history of the human being began from divine origins but over time that lie “you shall surely not die” and “the woman saw the fruit (her choice) and she saw that it was good and took some and ate of it and gave to her husband and he ate of it”(Gen 3:1-24) The woman saw that fruit was good. Apple? No freedom of choice, liberation, no commitment, free to take that “fruit” which she saw as good and take it to die. The woman also wanted company and together they made fruit and then threw the fruit away to die.
They recognized their mistake and wept. Abortive men and women recognize their mistake and weep. The man and woman were sent from their garden of peace and serenity to live and work and die carrying that regret, and so woman today also takes her being filled with regret and comes to the point where she asks “will God hate me? Will my daughter hate?” these who were not to taste death (peace of heart) now live with fear that they will never have peace and when assured that God and daughter love her, peace returns.
Psalm 8 says, “who is man that you should care for him? You have created him a little lower than the angels” and this perhaps has been seen as reason for the wickedness and hatred of the creation and determined intention to destroy not only the relationship with their creator, but also the creation itself. Man, created a little lower than the angels could continue with the mandate to keep the creation begun God but he (Lucifer) a previously mighty angel could not and so began his work to destroy such a lowly creature. And yet God did not permit that the creation he had created would be lost to the wickedness of one former angel.
As we daily hear of wars and rumors of war over Europe, Middle east, and other civil wars, the brutality of one brother for another, murders, we can look outside and little above and maybe with a heart for God and creature see the canopy of hatred hovering, but then we can and must destroy the canopy because its made up fiery rage and not love. We cannot let it encompass us. Even nature has now begun to rebel. It can no longer stand by whilst the work of their Lord is destroyed and so nature, like on the day of death of their Lord dimmed the day into darkness so too will nature rise to demand respect, honor glory for the Lord God and his works.
