LIVE LIFE PROGRAM

 

Yesterday, 22 Oct, feast day of St Pope John Paul II, the MFC community organised a one-day pro-life programme at JPII complex, Margao. 

It started at 10 am sharp but we reached only by 11 am (as we had to bring Christine with us and she had catechism Mass to attend at 9 am). 

Anyway, the first talk had made headway when we entered the hall, with Gavin speaking on the second marital vow - total and faithful. He had already touched upon the 'free' aspect. After elaborating upon how marriage has to be 💯 giving and 'till death do us part', he then went on to unravel the 'fruitful' part of marriage which then led into the remaining topics of the day. 

The culture of death that permeates society today even as far as the judicial system was unwrapped with the use of the acronym DEATH. 

DIVORCE

EUTHANASIA

ABORTION

TOTAL POPULATION CONTROL

HOMOSEXUAL UNION.

I do not think it would be proper to go into details on this forum but I will share a few pointers that I jotted down. 

DIVORCE: 

The lies that we hear with regards to this are

1) I can continue living after marriage just as I did before marriage. 

2) Divorce is okay if it is mutual.

3) Sex in marriage is my right.

4) The goal of sex is pleasure. 

The speaker Beverly busted these lies with counter-arguments. 

If there is an abusive relationship, a couple should take support of the MFC community and seek counseling. Temporary separation is permitted by the church till the marriage is restored to its former sanctity as per the Catholic perspective. 

Takeaway: 

THE PRAYERS, SIGHS AND TEARS OF HOLY PARENTS ARE THE SEEDS THAT  PRODUCE SAINTLY CHILDREN. 

EUTHANASIA 

Lie here is

1) Life and death is in our hands. 

What can we do? - provide monetary assistance, care and encourage them to offer their suffering for redemption of souls. 

ABORTION 

It is

- not healthcare.

- not a fundamental right.

- not women empowerment.

Here, I would like to say that the videos were very strong and showed us exactly what does happen with various types of abortion procedures. The i-pill, the abortion pills, iuds, condoms and finally the surgical methods used all destroy the marriage eventually. 

Late term abortions upto 28 weeks of gestation is now legal in USA. The lies that pro-choice mothers are fed are

1) Life does not begin at conception.

2) Life is dependent on the mother's choice. 

3) Termination of life is ok if the pregnancy is unplanned or unwanted. 

These lies were busted by the speaker.

Exception of rape or incest victims were also discussed. 

Takeaway

TWO WRONGS DO NOT MAKE RIGHT. 

TOTAL POPULATION CONTROL 

Lies here are:

1) Too many children 

2) Limited resources.

3) Children are a burden. 

Sheldon explained how the Hum Do Humare Do sterilization programme in India systematically tried to reduce population, an endeavour funded by World Bank, International Planned Parenthood Federation and UNFPA, USAID, etc. 

Today, couples DINK and DILDO. They contracept. They abort when contraception fails. They are just not OPEN TO LIFE. 

The reality is that we have a very low replacement rate. Too many children are not being born. 

The second lie (that there is not enough food) was also busted. Survey shows that almost 1/3 of world food resources get wasted either by spoilage or ineffective PDS (public distribution system). 

Children are not a burden. On the contrary, they teach us responsibility, make us more empathetic, help us learn how to multitask, etc. 

IVF, the evil that has reared its ugly head, is nothing but man playing God. With it , other evils like surrogacy, egg, sperm sharing, sex trafficking, human experiments, all contribute to a world that is pushing God out of the procreation process. 

The Catholic answer to contraception is Natural Family Planning. It is open to life and not another way of contraception. It bonds the couple so it helps the marriage in fulfilling all the three vows. 

Takeaway

A CHILD IS A GIFT FROM GOD, NOT YOUR RIGHT. 

HOMOSEXUAL UNION 

Lies associated with this are:

1) I was born this way 

2) Gender is a social construct. 

3) There are 72+ genders. 

Attraction or feelings are not your identity. Your identity comes from God. 

When we accept the homosexual lies, we cannot love in an authentic way. Temptations always come but when we give in, we sin. 

What can you do to help genuinely? Reach out and listen to them. Help them come to repentance and to get rehabilitation via support groups. 

In conclusion, 

CHOOSE LIFE (Deut 30:19)

- Live a life of prayer and the Sacraments.

- Support environments that help women and children.

- Educate yourself and use social media powerfully to spread awareness.

- Reach out to those with loved ones on life support.

- Advocate adoption over abortion. 

Mime depicting the theme of DEATH on MFC Family Day (19 Nov 2023).