Show You're Pro-Life At Mass

SHOW YOU'RE PRO-LIFE AT The Next and Many Future MASSES


I've known a few priests in Ontario Catholic Churches in different dioceses who have found themselves in hot water with Bishops over talking about pro-life issues including birth control in their sermons. I've seen some parishioners walk out and others actually get verbally abusive in their pews in order to display their dissatisfaction, assuming the new Catholics are in total agreement with them.

After a few of these occasions, what usually follows is that the priest is quickly transferred out. On two occasions, priests were sent from busy southern parishes to all but dead parishes, in the farthest northern border of the diocese.

No one has to be a genius to realize there is dissent in all Ontario Catholic Churches, for a number of obvious reasons i.e., the Catholic teachers union is so anti-Catholic, militant Marxist, pro- homosexual and pro- abortion in it's official proclamations.

Of course, there is also the 'Winnipeg Statement' still un-refuted, and thus still granted credibility to any laity who want to accept that their personal 'conscience' takes precedence over anything the Roman Catholic Church, Holy See, Catholic Catechism..basically anything the Catholic Faith involves, including all matters of sexuality and reproduction.

In other words, the Canadian Catholic Bishops removed moral teaching, and moral obligation to the Church on one side of their big tent Catholic membership rules, but on the other side still say, well this is the way it 'should' be.

It was a gamble they were sure to lose, and did... not to mention with a terrible result on Canadian Catholic demographics.. not to mention, on Christian Canadian citizen demographics on the whole.

We now have a situation where both bishops and priests want to pretty much stick to chicken soup sermons that applied to ancient Jerusalem and Sunday school child parables, where there are few children or teenagers, at all in attendance for Mass in most Ontario parishes.

I'm reminded of the old comic movie, 'No Time for Sargent's' where the worst sin an enlisted man could commit was to make a 'wave' that would come back on their Sargent, who was near retirement.

Of course, I cannot ignore the gleeful fact that thousands of Catholic Teens descend upon Ottawa now in the annual March For Life. I've been told that this is primary do to a concerted effort of good high-school religion teachers across the province and may God Bless them and the enthusiastic teens for their great efforts.

Perhaps, the Bishops need to be replaced by these religion teachers who still may not get the kids to Church on Sunday, (Though I bet teens would love to hear the Truth, over politically correct tainted mush) but they can manage to have them jump to the Ottawa March once a year.

On the Mass itself, I have one comment and one thing I could never wrap my head around about the new Mass which by its nature has seemed to open up a whole can of nuance worms that varies widely at times from parish to parish.

I may even be a odds with the Holy See on this, but I am big on Truth through logic, and no one has given me a plausible reason why the (new) Mass is considered a joyous 'celebration' complete with guitar singers and the few young mothers in attendance, standing, swinging and rocking their baby straddled hips at the Lamb of God, or Agnus Dei, (Lord Have Mercy on Us, emphasized with striking of the breast, thrice) to tunes adopted to school children, very few of who are in attendance.

Of course, I get the whole meaning and life of Christ and how the Resurrection is truly something to celebrate, particularly after the Easter Vigil and on Easter Sunday or any 'time', on any 'day' other than the time and place specifically, respectfully, set aside to receive the Body of Christ against the back drop of the Last Supper.

The disciples received His Body and Blood before the Crucifixion not when He appeared to them after His Resurrection!

If one doesn't have an appreciation for the moment, it is no wonder one can not have an appreciation for the presence or Sacrament, Itself.

The first Mass, or Last Supper of which Christ obviously wanted passed on through the ages in perpetuity was not exactly a 'celebration' in hindsight or otherwise. He told of His coming brutal Crucifixion or 'Sacrifice', of which the Latin Mass is much more clearly so. He told how Judas was betraying Him at the very time. He washed the feet as a solemn humble Servant, not a partier.

'This is my Body, this is my Blood' was a clear signal that this was to be the occasion for future Masses and the atmosphere was about His love, and message I would think how we should sacrifice for the love of others not, sing, sway and roll to the music at the same time we're begging for mercy drowning in our sins in 2012. How did we get from there only the early 60's to where we are now in our more than half empty Churches to show for it?

Back to displaying the pro-life message at Catholic Masses.

So I was thinking how can we ask our (good and sincere) priests to act bravely and proclaim all the Truth and none of the lies when we show no public or even existence of 'back-up' for him, ourselves?

In the area of pro-life messaging (or pro-family or pro- marriage for that matter) we can and 'should'.

To that end, I believe that with all the confusion, dissension, not to mention the politics that go on in modern Churches that we make it clear to our fellow parishioners that we as pro-lifers are in attendance and of strong belief in the sheer depravity of the immorality of it for the reality of all common practice, let alone 'rights' that have to be called for, for innocent babies (?)...

That we cannot have a Catholic Church that does not have belief in life as a fundamental cornerstone as a requirement for membership or attendance..and to Hell with any manner of Winnipeg Statement of Conscience that tried so recklessly to imply otherwise!

There are a number of choices of tee-shirts, sweatshirts, etc, that various members of pro life families can wear as they so choose to proudly where as they receive Christ, creator of all life and choice.

There is certainly no dress code in the current day of Mass that could be worsened by such an important message.

Would such a movement increase division in the Church? I contend not at all.. it will only show it for what it already is in truth, and as in the Last Supper, expose a few Judases who should go and do what they must, quickly and allow for the start of the reuniting of the Church with Christ the Truth, with less political road blocks and without their aid or blame, if that is the way they need spin it. (Be prepared that some of the Judases may surprise you, but till now have not had to show themselves completely)

John Paul II knew how the North American Church for one, painted itself in a corner and how only the laity can now rebuild the broken Church.

Paul Gordon