Penny for Political Thought
As the Election draws near everyone seems to have something to say. This note is a homily from my deacon regarding the upcoming election, though more specifically, the requirement of Catholics to defend the sanctity of human life that is desecrated by the holocaust of the new millennium.
Homily for 27 & 28 Sept 2008…26th Sunday Ordinary Time …A
Rev. Deacon James Witulski
“Walk the Walk”
In the Holy Gospel today, we heard the parable story of the man who chose to work in his father’s vineyard and we also heard about the man who said he would do his father’s bidding, but later decided not to…Our Lord Jesus’ parable is asking US as well, to make the CHOICE - A CHOICE to do God’s Will, the Will of Our Heavenly Father, in the vineyard of His world.
When we chose to obey God’s Commandments, follow Christ’s teachings, and the teachings of His Church, we are indeed like the man of the parable who went to work for his father. People may say they believe, but are not ACTIONS, proofs of our belief?...our behavior is what we believe…In other words, when it comes to making choices and decisions, we have to walk the walk, and not just talk the talk.
Our Faith is to encompass every choice we make as Catholics and Christians. The teachings of our Holy Catholic Faith are to guide the choice-making decisions of our life, big or small, so we can ultimately be sure that we are choosing wisely - like the man in the parable, to do the Father’s Will.
For example, once again, we are faced with tough decisions as we choose a Presidential Candidate who will lead this nation for another four years. I realize that some people may object to this example being presented in a sermon.
However, it’s not a matter of mixing religion and politics…it’s really a matter of allowing our Faith to guide our choices in all things to fulfill God’s Will, even with our politics….After all, we don’t go in the voting booth and take off WHO we are as followers of Christ in His Catholic Church…
DO WE?...Of course not, if we want to Walk the Walk, and not just Talk the Talk!...Think of the martyrs who laid down their lives rather than compromise the Faith, even over political issues.
Think of St. John the Baptist…He died for the Truth… admonishing the evil, corrupt politician, King Herod, who made a mockery of the sanctity of marriage…Recall, Herod’s father before him, who slaughtered the innocents, children in their mother’s womb and up to three years of age!...These Holy Innocents died too, for our Lord. but they did NOT have a choice!...Nevertheless, these little innocent ones are in Heaven…martyrs for the Faith.
Today, WE are challenged by the Lord’s parable to chose rightly, to choose God’s Will, and NOW, many of us have an opportunity to do just that, in the upcoming crucial election…
Once again, the ideological battlefields, the cultural war, and the CONFUSION have all INTENSIFIED as Election Day draws near, but our Faith gives us clear guidance that will help us make correct decisions when we go into the voting booth in November.
When we take a look at ANY candidate for political office, we should ask three fundamental questions in choosing: 1) Which candidate affirms that life begins at the moment of conception and will do all that he can to DEFEND the rights of the unborn?... 2) Which candidate affirms that marriage is between a man and a woman? 3) Which candidate will appoint PRO-LIFE and PRO-MARRIAGE Supreme Court Justices?
Sure, Catholics are also concerned with the war in Iraq, the environment, poverty, the economy, and immigration. These too are important issues BUT the QUESTION that DIVIDES many Catholics is this…Can I vote for a candidate that supports my beliefs in these issues but who ALSO supports abortion?...I would argue that we CANNOT!...I would even say that at this moment in history, there is ONLY ONE ISSUE, and that ISSUE IS ABORTION!...Why do I say this?...Because so-called legalized abortion is DESTROYING OUR GREAT NATION!
Mother Teresa, now declared “Blessed” by the Church, hopefully soon to be canonized a Saint - said this:
“Any country that accepts abortion is NOT teaching people to love, but to use VIOLENCE to GET WHAT THEY WANT. That is why the GREATEST DESTROYER of LOVE and PEACE is ABORTION.”…Haunting words, from a Saintly nun who Walked the Walk, when it came to doing our Master’s Will.
Let’s face reality, abortion affects every hot button issue and concern that we Americans have during a Presidential election….If we can KILL and an innocent child in the womb of a mother and that NO LONGER SHOCKS US AS A NATION, then we can JUSTIFY and GET USED TO ANYTHING!...What’s next?...The killing of the infirmed elderly in nursing homes?
Abortion destroys RESPECT for any human life - PERIOD! This is why our present society has become so violent and chaotic….This is why many people have NO CONCERN for ANYONE except THEMSELVES! ...There are situations of pregnant women, some even married, who wanted to get an abortion simply because their pregnancy was INCONVIENANT! ..Sadly, their boyfriends or husbands GO ALONG with these kinds of decisions.
Since 1973, there have been 48,589,993 abortions in the U.S. alone!...How many potentially great people have been ELIMINATED through the HORRORS of abortion?
Brothers and sisters in Christ, there is NO WAY that we can vote for ANYONE WHO SUPPORTS ABORTION!...And let’s BE CLEAR about one thing…Being PRO-ABORTION and PRO-CHOICE are the SAME THING! ...Being pro-choice is a SMOKE-SCREEN!...The bottom line is this If ABORTIONS CONTINUE…OUR COUNTRY WILL COLLAPSE!
If we want America to SURVIVE WELL INTO THE FUTURE, WE MUST END ABORTION!
This is also WHY the Catholic Church needs to SPEAK UP and to SPEAK CLEARLY…With all due respect, bishops, priests, and deacons who give Holy Communion to pro-abortion politicians are spreading confusion among the Faithful!...Satan is really having a field day!
Everyone recognizes that we are CAUGHT in the MIDDLE of CULTURE WAR here in America. The Church has the responsibility to provide spiritual leadership that is so desperately NEEDED in these chaotic times.
The Catholic Church in Poland was able to RESIST the evils of Nazism and Communism because the CHURCH remained FAITHFUL and UNITED….But today, faithful Catholics face a BATTLE of TWO FRONTS…the culture war in society and the polarization of our own Church…This is a battle that is NOT EASY to HANDLE and it is possible for people to FEEL DISCOURAGED and OVERWHELMED.
Do not let anyone confuse you!...Abortion is THE ISSUE and WE MUST VOTE for that candidate that will BEST PROTECT THE RIGHTS of the UNBORN, even if that candidate that is NOT a perfect candidate with the other issues that concern Catholics.
We MUST make a CHOICE, just like the man in Our Lord’s parable today….We must Walk the Walk, and not merely talk the talk….Souls, innocent lives, depend upon it.
If we want America to SURVIVE WELL INTO THE FUTURE, WE MUST END THE ABORTION HOLOCAUST!
Homily for 27 & 28 Sept 2008…26th Sunday Ordinary Time …A
Rev. Deacon James Witulski
“Walk the Walk”
In the Holy Gospel today, we heard the parable story of the man who chose to work in his father’s vineyard and we also heard about the man who said he would do his father’s bidding, but later decided not to…Our Lord Jesus’ parable is asking US as well, to make the CHOICE - A CHOICE to do God’s Will, the Will of Our Heavenly Father, in the vineyard of His world.
When we chose to obey God’s Commandments, follow Christ’s teachings, and the teachings of His Church, we are indeed like the man of the parable who went to work for his father. People may say they believe, but are not ACTIONS, proofs of our belief?...our behavior is what we believe…In other words, when it comes to making choices and decisions, we have to walk the walk, and not just talk the talk.
Our Faith is to encompass every choice we make as Catholics and Christians. The teachings of our Holy Catholic Faith are to guide the choice-making decisions of our life, big or small, so we can ultimately be sure that we are choosing wisely - like the man in the parable, to do the Father’s Will.
For example, once again, we are faced with tough decisions as we choose a Presidential Candidate who will lead this nation for another four years. I realize that some people may object to this example being presented in a sermon.
However, it’s not a matter of mixing religion and politics…it’s really a matter of allowing our Faith to guide our choices in all things to fulfill God’s Will, even with our politics….After all, we don’t go in the voting booth and take off WHO we are as followers of Christ in His Catholic Church…
DO WE?...Of course not, if we want to Walk the Walk, and not just Talk the Talk!...Think of the martyrs who laid down their lives rather than compromise the Faith, even over political issues.
Think of St. John the Baptist…He died for the Truth… admonishing the evil, corrupt politician, King Herod, who made a mockery of the sanctity of marriage…Recall, Herod’s father before him, who slaughtered the innocents, children in their mother’s womb and up to three years of age!...These Holy Innocents died too, for our Lord. but they did NOT have a choice!...Nevertheless, these little innocent ones are in Heaven…martyrs for the Faith.
Today, WE are challenged by the Lord’s parable to chose rightly, to choose God’s Will, and NOW, many of us have an opportunity to do just that, in the upcoming crucial election…
Once again, the ideological battlefields, the cultural war, and the CONFUSION have all INTENSIFIED as Election Day draws near, but our Faith gives us clear guidance that will help us make correct decisions when we go into the voting booth in November.
When we take a look at ANY candidate for political office, we should ask three fundamental questions in choosing: 1) Which candidate affirms that life begins at the moment of conception and will do all that he can to DEFEND the rights of the unborn?... 2) Which candidate affirms that marriage is between a man and a woman? 3) Which candidate will appoint PRO-LIFE and PRO-MARRIAGE Supreme Court Justices?
Sure, Catholics are also concerned with the war in Iraq, the environment, poverty, the economy, and immigration. These too are important issues BUT the QUESTION that DIVIDES many Catholics is this…Can I vote for a candidate that supports my beliefs in these issues but who ALSO supports abortion?...I would argue that we CANNOT!...I would even say that at this moment in history, there is ONLY ONE ISSUE, and that ISSUE IS ABORTION!...Why do I say this?...Because so-called legalized abortion is DESTROYING OUR GREAT NATION!
Mother Teresa, now declared “Blessed” by the Church, hopefully soon to be canonized a Saint - said this:
“Any country that accepts abortion is NOT teaching people to love, but to use VIOLENCE to GET WHAT THEY WANT. That is why the GREATEST DESTROYER of LOVE and PEACE is ABORTION.”…Haunting words, from a Saintly nun who Walked the Walk, when it came to doing our Master’s Will.
Let’s face reality, abortion affects every hot button issue and concern that we Americans have during a Presidential election….If we can KILL and an innocent child in the womb of a mother and that NO LONGER SHOCKS US AS A NATION, then we can JUSTIFY and GET USED TO ANYTHING!...What’s next?...The killing of the infirmed elderly in nursing homes?
Abortion destroys RESPECT for any human life - PERIOD! This is why our present society has become so violent and chaotic….This is why many people have NO CONCERN for ANYONE except THEMSELVES! ...There are situations of pregnant women, some even married, who wanted to get an abortion simply because their pregnancy was INCONVIENANT! ..Sadly, their boyfriends or husbands GO ALONG with these kinds of decisions.
Since 1973, there have been 48,589,993 abortions in the U.S. alone!...How many potentially great people have been ELIMINATED through the HORRORS of abortion?
Brothers and sisters in Christ, there is NO WAY that we can vote for ANYONE WHO SUPPORTS ABORTION!...And let’s BE CLEAR about one thing…Being PRO-ABORTION and PRO-CHOICE are the SAME THING! ...Being pro-choice is a SMOKE-SCREEN!...The bottom line is this If ABORTIONS CONTINUE…OUR COUNTRY WILL COLLAPSE!
If we want America to SURVIVE WELL INTO THE FUTURE, WE MUST END ABORTION!
This is also WHY the Catholic Church needs to SPEAK UP and to SPEAK CLEARLY…With all due respect, bishops, priests, and deacons who give Holy Communion to pro-abortion politicians are spreading confusion among the Faithful!...Satan is really having a field day!
Everyone recognizes that we are CAUGHT in the MIDDLE of CULTURE WAR here in America. The Church has the responsibility to provide spiritual leadership that is so desperately NEEDED in these chaotic times.
The Catholic Church in Poland was able to RESIST the evils of Nazism and Communism because the CHURCH remained FAITHFUL and UNITED….But today, faithful Catholics face a BATTLE of TWO FRONTS…the culture war in society and the polarization of our own Church…This is a battle that is NOT EASY to HANDLE and it is possible for people to FEEL DISCOURAGED and OVERWHELMED.
Do not let anyone confuse you!...Abortion is THE ISSUE and WE MUST VOTE for that candidate that will BEST PROTECT THE RIGHTS of the UNBORN, even if that candidate that is NOT a perfect candidate with the other issues that concern Catholics.
We MUST make a CHOICE, just like the man in Our Lord’s parable today….We must Walk the Walk, and not merely talk the talk….Souls, innocent lives, depend upon it.
If we want America to SURVIVE WELL INTO THE FUTURE, WE MUST END THE ABORTION HOLOCAUST!