Why I vote Pro-Life/Anti-Abortion

I was in a twitter (of all places) argument recently with a friend of mine over the issue of abortion, I wanted to consolidate my arguments and organize a little bit more, so here it is: Why I vote Pro-Life/Anti-Abortion

I need to preface it by saying I do not support a party, I have a fundamental set of ideas that shape the way I vote, and the core tenants of those revolve around the issue of life.

1. “Singe-Issue voting is bad” 

I don't vote because I only care about one issue, I vote because one issue is more important than others. The slavery example is perfect: If a candidate (during the Civil War era) had fantastic economic policy, foreign policy, and was a nice guy... but supported slavery, would you vote for him? No, because the issue of slavery far outweighs the other issues. I vote pro-life because the magnitude of the issue outweighs other issues.

2 "But the GOP supports the death penalty, war, and no social services to the poor"

First of all. That sucks. It seems like a terrible thing to say, but honestly, it straight up sucks that there is not a party that can respect life at all stages, but at what point to we realize that there is more at stake than food stamps. The right to life is a fundamental right! It comes before all other rights, which means it turns into an A Priori issue. A Priori means “First priority” so you have to analyze the issue of abortion before you can even look at anything else. If you’re pro-choice, that’s cool, but you have to decide that before you can look at other issues.

Second of all, I don’t need the government to provide me with anything. The government exists to protect my rights as a citizen first and foremost. The beautiful thing about being Catholic (and any religious affiliation really) is that we as religious people like to give. There are countless organizations who would love to provide the impoverished with necessities.

3.  “What about cases of rape and to save the life of the Mother?”

First of all, those instances are extremely rare, less than 1% of women for rape, and 12% for medical reasons (not necessarily to save mothers life). Those are low statistics for the 1.21 Million babies aborted in 2008. (http://www.abort73.com/abortion_facts/us_abortion_statistics/)

My case is not for everyone to vote the same way as I do, but to know that you can’t look at everything on an equal playing field. Foreign policy can’t be weighed the same as Social Services, and the economy can’t be equated to infrastructure policy. Our government is so large that in an attempt to make sure everyone is taken care of, we lose sight of the most basic rights: the right to live.
In the words of the Solemn Blessing “Our help comes from the Lord, who made Heaven and Earth”

Christian Poverty

The chains that bound St. Paul as he was led to his execution

            As American’s, we go crazy over the word “poor”. We associate the slums of India and the inner-city life with this 4-letter word, but we often lose sight of the poverty that plagues all of us, our own inherent impoverished nature.

            Our poverty is one that is different than the focus of most congressional banter. Instead of being poor in terms of things and money, our spiritual poverty is one that is infinitely more crippling. Our poverty is one that locks us in sin. When humanity fell to sin we inherited that nature, simply put: we can’t not sin. I find this personally in my Lenten fast of the infamous Facebook. No matter what resolutions I make, I end up on Facebook when I have nothing else to do, which frustrates me to no end. This is a prime example of my poverty, despite my best intentions, I fail.

            Paul understood this perfectly when he writes “What I do, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate.” (Rom7:15). At first this verse makes me pause, St. Paul is one of the most influential of the Early Christians, this is the same man who ended up writing most of the New Testament, and yet he speaks openly of his struggle with sin. What gave him the prompt to share of this idea of being “sold into slavery in sin” (Rom7:14)? It was the universality of the statement (and the Holy Spirit). This deep understanding that St. Paul held is one that ought to resonate within each of us, this frustration with our sin that Paul writes of is inherent to humanity. 

I can’t.

It’s the simplest fact, yet one of the most difficult to comprehend. Our nature is one of sin. We are bound to our sinfulness; I am bound to my desire to see what’s going on Facebook. I am bound to being over argumentative, that is my nature. I am stuck sinning, no matter what resolutions I make, I will sin. Our poverty of spirit is the most depressing, yet freeing idea. I am not perfect, nor am I expected to be.

I am expected to rely on Christ. It is in relying upon the Lord that my poverty is made rich. St. Paul speaks of this fulfillment in his second letter to the church in Corinth. Paul quotes Christ: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness” (2Cor 12:9a). He is speaking to the idea of relying on Christ; it is in our poverty that the Lord is made perfect. If we were not spiritually poor, would we need a savior? If we did not sin, would the Cross be necessary? The answer is no. It is because of our poverty that Christ was glorified through the Cross. If we were not sinful people, there would be no need for salvation. Furthermore, if there was no sin, then there would be no weighing mechanism to hold against Goodness.

If all we knew was perfection, than would God be perfect? Yes, but there would be nothing magnificent about it. If you look to Cell Phones, today we see them and think no big deal, because it’s the norm, whereas just 20 years ago, a cell phone was quite rare. Perfection is kind of the same way, if it was something everyone had, it would simply be the norm, nothing special. It is because of our poverty that the Trinity’s perfection is made so spectacular. Though our poverty, our imperfection, God is made powerful and perfect. 

Paul gives us the ultimate solution in his letter to the Galatians, “Yet I live no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me.” (Gal2:20).  By relying upon the Lord to fulfill our weakness; we allow Christ to live in us and His perfection to be radiated through us. We need to rely on Christ to the point where our lives conform with His, especially His Passion.

Through Lent we are to enter into the desert with Christ, to shed ourselves of all of our belongings and truly trust in Him. Embrace our poverty not as a shortcoming, but as an essential tenant of our identity. This Lent, don’t rely on your own ability, discipline, or self-control; throw yourselves into the infinite grace of Love Himself. No matter how much we acquire, we are still infinitely poor and in need of the Lord’s love and mercy. Let us follow St. Paul and die to ourselves and let Christ live through us, and in us.

Lent and Braveheart

Whenever I need a quick pick-me-up I watch “Braveheart”, the story of William Wallace rising from an orphan boy to a well-educated man freeing the whole of Scotland from the evil orange-clad English always gets my blood boiling. The movie almost has me running across campus, painted face and kilt, shouting “FREEDOM” as loud as I can. William Wallace was one man who was willing to fight for freedom, but I’m forced to wonder if I would have the courage to do that.
            In our post-modern society, we are told that “freedom” is being able to do whatever you want, as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else, however, common sense shows us that any “free” society still has laws and regulations. Freedom is the idea of self-governance; it’s a nation governing itself, a church not having decisions made for it by outside bodies, or a person not being stuck in addiction. Often we overlook the last thought, thinking that people shouldn’t have to govern themselves, but that simply isn’t the case. If one does not govern their desires, they become addicted.

Dante illustrates addiction perfectly in his “Inferno”. In the deepest circle of Hell, the Evil One is trapped in a block of ice, unable to move, just stuck.  This is what sin does to us, it traps us in our own desires, instead of being able to freely decide what is good and evil we are stuck in the ice cube, doing what our desires tell us we should.  This makes us slaves to our own flesh, our selfishness, unable to discern what is good we just do what we know.
            Although Dante paints an eerie yet spot on picture, this bondage doesn’t just apply to just things that are immoral. A few years back I upgraded to a smart phone, this phone rarely leaves my side, pocket, or hand. Now, my phone is great, I am able to receive emails from my brother stationed in Afghanistan while I’m not around my computer, I can read the newest blogs from my favorite priests on twitter, and the list continues. The issue lies in the bondage it creates. It is difficult for me to put my phone down while waiting in line at the store, and so I miss the opportunity for real conversation with the people around me. This addiction to what is good, doesn’t make the addiction any less bad, luckily, there’s Lent.

            Lent is the “William Wallace” of Liturgical Seasons. Lent allows us to don our kilts and ride into battle. This Lent, instead of sticking to the normal “I’m giving up something I enjoy for the sake of giving something up”, look to where you struggle, give up something close to the sin. If you struggle with drinking too much alcohol, give up drinking all together, avoid that near occasion. If you’re battle is putting off homework, as is one of my many, give up video games or Facebook. If you struggle with pornography, give up the computer during certain hours of the day. Just do something to help build discipline. The discipline you gain during this season will help gain the freedom to say no to whatever sins control your life.

Lent is a time where you prepare for the battle with yourself for freedom of your own heart. The Lord came to free us from sin and bondage, the next 40 days, let us bear the name of Christ upon our foreheads and ride into battle with the cry for freedom as Wallace once did.