Friday, February 10, 2017

The Primal Sanctuary


Sanctuaries are much in the news these days.  Sanctuary cities are providing protection for people who may face deportation under newly imposed orders affecting undocumented immigrants.  We have wildlife sanctuaries, marine sanctuaries, and sanctuaries in our churches.  Sanctuaries are where we seek protection and safety.

At the Opening Mass for the March for Life on Thursday, January 26, Cardinal Dolin spoke about the primal sanctuary, the mother’s womb.  When we violate this most sacred sanctuary, no other sanctuary remains safe.  I would urge everyone to follow the link and read his message. 

I watched the 2017 March for Life coverage on EWTN for about six hours.  For the first time in history, the vice-president of the United States spoke a strong pro-life message at the rally.  While there has been much criticism of Donald Trump’s first days in office, one cannot deny the glimmer of hope we now have that Roe v. Wade may someday be overturned.  Imagine how different the mood at the Rally would have been different had the election gone the other way. 

Now, acceptance of euthanasia appears to be spreading like darkness over society.  As one speaker so aptly put it, once we lose respect for the beginning of life and the end of life, we lose respect for what lies in between.  The evidence is apparent in the senseless killing of innocent lives we hear about most everyday.

Liberal minds view anyone who voted for Donald Trump as a bigoted hate monger.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Oh yeah, you can find a few who supplant the message and twist it to fit their own sick agenda.  Jascha Heifetz is quoted as saying, "No matter what side of an argument you're on, you always find some people on your side that you wish were on the other side."   

The country is now in an uproar because Trump imposed a travel ban on those coming from primarily Muslim countries.  The question seems to be whether the ban targets a specific religion.  Where were the protesters when Obama’s healthcare mandates targeted Catholic institutions, businesses, hospitals, and orphanages?

Trump was elected by those who saw respect for human life in a frightening decline.  They saw government encroaching on freedom of religion by mandating immoral behavior.  They saw the basic rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness being eroded.  The other candidate would have exacerbated the problem.  We had no choice.