NOTRE SHAME

The Grotto, University of Notre Dame

Two close non-Catholics have asked my opinion of Notre Dame inviting President Obama to give the commencement speech for the 2009 graduates and the honorary law degree bestowed on him by the university. I was so ashamed to have to answer such a question. Obama accepting the invitation was insensitive to Catholics faithful to the magisterium, and I can only hope is politically savvy in the short term, coming back to nip him in the future when somnolent Catholics wake up to the truth. But far, far worse is the offering of the invitation by Father John Jenkins, president of Notre Dame. As a leader in the education of young people, a priest and under the direction of a bishop, he overstepped his authority, made a mockery of the faith, and misled millions of news watchers over the globe. In 2004, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops stated, "The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles." I can only pray his eyes are opened and his mind is cleansed of his self-deception.

If Notre Dame is committed to the ProLife cause, and believes President Obama's presence reveals the university is open to controversial discussion, then don't be surprised if Doctor Kevorkian, (see below in his Mr. Roger's sweater), the euthanasia proponent and Dr. George R. Tiller from Kansas, the "compassionate" abortionist who will abort a 9 months old fetus will be next on the list to be honored at the so-called Catholic institution.

I listened to parts of President's speech and was amazed at his lack of understanding of the Pro Life stance. Should President Roosevelt have tried to find common ground with Adolf Hitler on the killing of 6 million Jews and 4 million other unwanteds? What a shame there was such a lack of respect on the side of President Roosevelt. I suppose it was his unwavering moral views that led to the end of Nazi Germany. Now if only Obama had been president back then- perhaps we would have had a different outcome to Hitler's tragic demise.


Whose children are these? A mother was crying somewhere.

The recent Gallup poll conducted May 15, 2009 showed for the first time since Roe V. Wade, the majority of Americans (51%) view themselves as Pr0-life rather than Pro-Choice. May the tide continue to flow in this direction. And may Notre Dame President Jenkins ride the wave.

LOCUSTS!

The eighth plague sent to the Egyptians by God was locusts. Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments never delighted in the 10 plagues-the Nile turning to blood, hailing fire, death of the first born, but instead prayed that hearts would be changed and that Pharaoh, above all, would bow to God's will.

Well, I've been off this post for almost two months, and although it wasn't due to locusts, I felt Charlton Heston's Moses stalking me. Staff in hand.

First, there was the brush fire I and ten of my relatives got caught up in at my mom's ranch in Mexico. Started by a careless cowboy burning trash. We shoveled dirt, drained our ponds dry, and stomped on flames for three hours trying to keep our ranch houses, trucks, horses, and warehouse from burning.

Next, we got a death threat. To our dog. Now Sheila is a barker, but she's not that bad. I mean, if she's barking, she's closer to us than the woman down the street who sent us the "anonymous" death threat, right? I called the sheriff's department. An officer came, read the note, and said they can only respond to death threats to people. His rifle was leaning on the passenger seat too close to me as I spoke to him in through the window. I had this irrational urge to grab it and shoot the woman's tires out.


Next, my husband turned yellow. Yep, the whites of his eyes turned yellow as a lemon. At first we thought it was due to him taking an antibiotic. But when the MRI of his liver showed an abnormal stricture of his bile duct, everyone (everyone medical and stupid people who know how to use the internet, such as myself) started whispering about Vanishing Bile Duct Syndrome, biopsies, and pancreatic cancer.

In the middle of this, I started having abnormal "female problems." My doctor is recommending a hysterectomy as a precaution. Yikes!

Did I mention the H1N1 virus has closed the school I work at? Three probable cases.

Now lesser women would have crawled into a hole, or under a bed, and hid until the plague of frogs have come and gone. I, on the other hand, turned to prayer. At a time when the life of my husband became so precious to me, I have become a different kind of wife, I turned to the Divine Mercy prayer. My favorite part of Sister Faustina's prayers is "Jesus, I trust in You."
I have thought about trust in God often over the past two months. Sister Faustina says Jesus if the fountain of mercy and He is waiting for us to approach him for it. But the more mercy you need, the more trust you must have. When my life was crashing down around me, I felt moments of pure panic intermingled with an incredible confidence that everything was going to turn out just fine. Hundreds of people have been praying for my husband, and when friends and family would call or email us and tell us that, it gave us tremendous peace. But to get back to the trust thing. It's very easy in my life to trust in myself when things are going great. I think I get lulled into thinking that it's due to my great efforts. Then when things go bad, and things are beyond my control, I suddenly need more trust. I think the remedy is to tell God you trust him everyday, several times a day. It's like practicing for the big game. You have to prepare your mind for it.

Today, more than ever, I praise God for his mercy. It turns out the radiologist misread my husband's MRI. There is no stricture. All tests came back negative for any really bad stuff. I am getting a second opinion for my own health problems, and we keep our dog, Sheila, inside as much as possible. The ranch I put in the hands of St. Isidore for safe-keeping. And I, unlike Pharaoh, am happy to be in the hands of Our Lord.

The Precious

The Lord of the Rings movies. Based on the epic by J.R.R. Tolkien. We were not as obsessed as some, but my teenage boys and I awaited each December in '01, '02 and '03 with more anticipation than a five year old on Christmas morning. We waited in lines that stretched down the sidewalk to buy tickets. We arrived early at the theater and sat on the floor playing cards until allowed to scramble to find the best seats. We preferred the extended four hour DVD versions to the piddly three hour ones. Even now, eight years later, we occasionally break out our boxed sets of the trilogy, pop some popcorn, and transport ourselves into Middle Earth. I can't explain our fascination, but the movies sparked our imaginations like none before or after.


For Lord of the Rings aficionados, the character of Gollum and his obsession with "The Precious" requires no explanation. For those of you who aren't fans, his fixation with the "Ring of Power" turned him from a happy go lucky River Hobbit into a conniving murderer. The change was incremental, however. Over time, his body atrophied until more skeletal than living. His mind twisted like the journey to Mount Doom. Relationships disappeared from his life. He existed only to posses "The Ring," and so much so that Gollum called it "The Precious," as if the object itself were a living being. He preferred shiny metal to flesh and blood.





The word precious connotes a person or thing that has such infinite value, it cannot be replaced. The value is above monetary compensation. We hear people refer to their loved ones as precious. It can also mean something not to be wasted. It should be treated with great care as in "There was precious little water to be shared among them in the desert." Water in the desert would save your life. An emerald or a ruby would choke you.

Gollum's understanding of what is truly precious in life was distorted. He believed a material object was the center of his happiness. Sometimes we do the same thing. We believe a possession has more value than a person. Sometimes, we even put qualifiers on the person as if he were an object, as if he were a product. Is the person productive? How smart is she? How much money will she make? Is she healthy? Not too sickly? Worth the cost of a surgery or treatment?

Like water in the desert, human life is not to be wasted. It has infinite value. When we invert the formula- when we believe things, or even lifestyles, are more precious than people, we become like Gollum. We atrophy, our minds twist, we prefer the shiny to flesh and blood.

Each individual fetus cannot be replaced. They should be treated with great care. If you agree, think about wearing a Precious Feet lapel pin. The pins depict the true size of the feet of a 10 week old fetus. Do not be afraid to wear one. We must be both sensitive and bold because the true precious are depending on us.

Windows to the Soul

Taken from: M. Manuel et al.
BMC Developmental Biology 2008, 8:59 [View article]


My older brother is a genius and I am not. He was Pre-med. I studied Nursing. So when we found each other unexpectedly in the same embryology course at the University of Texas, I was a bit nervous. To my sibling rivalry credit, I never missed a class. He, on the other hand, rarely showed up for the 8 am lectures. When I "beat" him on the first test, I was astounded, and also a bit puffed up. But by the time the final rolled around, he breezed by me and ended up with an "A" in the class. I blew it and was thrilled to squeak by with a "B."

Other than the aforementioned story, I don't remember much from that class. However, one of the statements made by the professor has always stayed with me. The professor had written the textbook we were using and showed us numerous slides of human embryos in various stages of development. One time he was teaching us how the brain and the eyes develop from the same neural tube tissue. In the first stage of eye development, two optic vesicles literally punch forward out of the developing brain. Smiling, the professor said, "Perhaps the eyes truly are the windows to the soul."

Do the eyes reflect what is happening within us? Do they tell of our identity? Do they reveal any part of our soul? Science might agree. Computerized iris scanners are used to determine identity for security purposes. Swedish psychology graduate student Mats Larsson studied iris patterns and found correlations to personality traits. Human experience also supports the eyes reveal our disposition. Parents and teachers are able to look into the eyes of a child and realize he is sick. Or confused, or mischievous. Or lying. Our eyes can reveal more than we would like sometimes.

Remember this photo taken of the Afghan girl when she was in a refugee camp in Pakistan? Her eyes have haunted people all over the world. Their intensity make you stop and take notice of her plight. Her eyes speak of her life and of her individuality.


Photo by Steve McCurry, of 12yr. old Sharbat Gula, cover of National Geographic Magazine, Dec. 1984


So if the eyes are so much a part of our individuality, can we make any observations about the individuality of a developing baby? By 50 days gestation, intricate parts of the developing eye can clearly be determined. Many times at this point, the mother doesn't even realize she is pregnant. But where this life is developing, stretching, struggling sometimes for life, the color of each babies' eyes, their unique striations, their size have already been blueprinted. God has created her eyes specifically for her. And not only her eyes, but her soul as well.

photomicrograph of developing eye, 50 days gestation

For as the psalmist writes: “For You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful I know that full well.” Psalm 139: 13-14

Take time and look closely at your eyes in the mirror before you go to bed tonight- study the variations of color, the striations, the specks, everything that makes your eyes unique. What is the condition of your soul? Are you a person of character? Of goodness? Perhaps you a sinner struggling to overcome temptation and find the love of God. The unborn baby has the same right to gaze into his own eyes one day and ask the same questions. He has the right to discover the God-given, God-created, unique windows to his soul.

Identity Theft

I now have a mustache. I also have a charge on my Sears card for a vacuum cleaner purchased in California. I am male and my name is Javier. I'm not bad looking. But if you know anything about me, you know I live in Texas and just survived menopause. Put this all together? Identity Theft. It happened to me. I discovered it when my bank sent my debit card with Javier's photo on it. My name, but Javier's picture. He had stolen by social security number, opened several bank accounts and charged $150 at Sears.

I was incensed when I called the bank branch in California and they told me I had to prove who I was, that the social security number belonged to me and not Javier. I contacted the credit agencies and answered questions about my life- when and where I was born, if I was married, how long I'd lived at my present address. I felt violated. Someone had used my life to recreate their own. Javier didn't care about me, what he was doing to my life, my credit history, my future. Javier only cared about Javier.

Identity Theft is a crime. I had to fight to protect myself against it. But what about those who are too small and weak to fight a crime perpetrated against them? When an unborn child experiences an elective abortion, his identity is ruthlessly stolen. His right to personhood is taken in the most brutal way. Our society is saying we don't care about this child, what pain he experiences as his body is sliced into removable pieces, his right to be born, his right to a future. We don't care about his identity, we only care about our own.

But this child's identity is intimately linked to us. Edward Albee, American playwright and a three time Pulitzer prize winner for Drama (Who's Afraid of Virgina Wolff, Three Tall Women, A Delicate Balance), was often asked what his plays were about. One time he had this answer:





"You know, if anybody wants me to say it, in one sentence, what my plays are about, they're about the nature of identity," Albee finally says. "Who we are, how we permit ourselves to be viewed, how we permit ourselves to view ourselves, how we practice identity or lack of identity."

Albee says identity is not just how I see myself, it's also how I permit myself to see myself. In other words, I might conveniently blind myself to something I know is there, but don't want to admit to.

As a society, we also have an identity. And we also conveniently blind ourselves. We are a nation with laws that protect and give rights to the masses. But what about the most basic human right- the right to be born? We cannot admit we approve laws that allow a child to be killed as it sleeps in the warmth of the womb.

If we perceive the unborn as a mass of cells with no identity, then what might this say about the way we treat human life in general? Could this contempt for our earliest beginnings be reflected in the increasing suicide, murder, child abuse, spousal abuse, abuse of the elderly, alcoholism, drug abuse rates occurring in this country? I think yes. A respect for the identity of the unborn is connected like an umbilical cord to the identity of all human beings. Only it is the unborn that protects humanity. Without the desire to protect the unborn, our society is defenseless against all evil.

I was able to prove who I was to my bank, but the child in the womb cannot prove he is human. He is completely dependent upon us to speak for him. If we as a society do not stand for the right to be born, we have stolen not only the child's identity, but our own as well.

Rewired Reading

Graphic novels are changing the way people perceive literature. From Pulitzer Prize Winner Maus by Art Spiegelman to Printz Award Winner American Born Chinese by Gene Yang, these works are shaking up everything educators have held sacred. In case you don’t know, a graphic novel is an illustrated work accompanied by language. Think comic book, but with the story long enough to require a book spine.

I had the opportunity to meet Gene Yang at the Montgomery County Teen Book Festival held at College Park High School in The Woodlands, Texas in January ’09. As a tutor working with struggling students in the public school system, I asked him if he had any concerns about students “reading” graphic novels (with all those pictures!) instead of traditional novels containing only text. What he shared surprised me. Studies have shown that graphic novels are a “gateway” to reading for reluctant readers. These comics with heft are also used effectively with ESL (English as a Second Language) students . Since they are heavy on the pictures and light on the wording, these novels do not overwhelm struggling readers. The story is easier to follow because emotions and actions can be interpreted through both the pictures and the dialogue. Also, because the words are handwritten, the reader experiences a certain intimacy with the artist. The novel has the effect of reading a handwritten letter—you feel closer to the author. Lastly, the “gutters”, the white space between the pictures, allow readers time to reflect on what they just read- something poor readers don’t do and accomplished reader do automatically.

With his insights firmly planted in my pea brain, I promptly read both his book, American Born Chinese (author Gene Yang below) and Spiegleman’s Maus. I am now thoroughly enchanted by the possibilities this “new” genre has for my students.



I encourage you to read Maus. I have to admit when I heard a graphic novel won the Pulitzer, I had reservations. However, I believe this book will affect generations for a long time to come. Maus is the story of a Holocaust survivor, Vladek Spiegleman, the author's father. For everyone in the Pro-Life movement, this story is a must read. The evil that was perpetrated, that was condoned, that was ignored reminds me so much of the abortion holocaust that is happening in our world today. Take a couple of days and read this book- it shouldn't take too long, after all, it’s mostly pictures!

Whatever You Do, Don't . . .

Werewolves, Dracula, Frankenstein, Freddie. They creep across the screen in the theater. I want to scream to the unsuspecting woman in the film, "Whatever you do, don't stay in that house (swamp, cemetery, laboratory). Run!" But her boyfriend usually says something inane like-"Whatever you do, don't turn around!"

Why? Because he doesn't want to frighten her. He wants to keep her safe from witnessing the horror. In a way, a noble cause, but if you think about it for oh, at least a millisecond, you know his intent is not in his love's best interest. If she doesn't turn around, if she doesn't see the danger, the terror will literally consume her. She won't survive.

Our present laws on abortion are similar. They seem to protect a noble cause, but in reality they are not in the best interest of women, men and babies in our county. SILENT NO MORE is an organization dedicated to encouraging women to voice the damage they have experienced after having had an abortion. Depression, alcoholism, drug addiction, overwhelming guilt, thoughts of suicide and suicide attempts are only a few of the lasting aftershocks. Men have also joined SILENT NO MORE to share their own sense of loss as fathers and uncles who have encouraged, assisted, and insisted their wives, sisters, and girlfriends procure an abortion. In our fervor to save women from the so-called horror of unwanted pregnancies, there are aftereffects of the procedure we haven't wanted to acknowledge.

Father Frank Pavone, head of Priests for Life, believes the people of this country will never oppose abortion until they see abortion. I mean actual photos of aborted babies. If you are Pro-Choice or Pro-Life with a litany of caveats, whatever you do, don't click on the links to see the photos and videos of aborted babies. Why? Because the photos are a horror to see and remaining ignorant of this evil helps you stay Pro-Choice. Because if you do see them, it will change the way you see a baby. And when you see the tiny arms, legs, torsos, heads, when you watch the video of the dead baby's body being wrapped in a piece of butcher paper, you will see Pro-Choice from a different perspective. And you will turn around.

Only the Good Die Young

James Dean died at 24 in a car accident in 1955, the year before I was born. In Rebel Without a Cause, East of Eden, and Giant, his characters were fraught with human frailties and intense emotion. He was a natural and convincing actor. Every publicity photo of him pulsates with the rawness of life. Maybe that's what attracts young and old fans to him even today. Or could it be something else? The tragic loss of someone so young creates a curiosity in us that is hard to explain.

Death has always piqued our interest. It brought about the downfall of Adam and Eve, even though they lived in a garden so full of new life, it must have been intoxicating. But the serpent flicked his tongue and sensed the possibilty of death in the air. And our first parents traded everlasting life for the intrique of death.

Today, The Culture of Death, coined by Pope John Paul II, has a mesmerizing aspect to it. It's as if we see the eighteen wheeler barreling its way toward us and all we can do is stare at its pretty lights refracting through the rainstorm. This culture removes breath from all aspects of life. Fertilized eggs? No, thanks, Contraception is easier. Holiness? No, thanks, pre-marital sex allows me to please myself before respecting anyone else. Lasting committment? No, thanks, divorce allows me more options for finding happiness on my own. New baby in the family? No, abortion allows me to have more time for myself. A dignified death? No, Euthanasia allows me to determine whether I want to live or die. In short, no God intruding in my life. I'd rather limit life than live it abundantly.

Sometimes we tend to believe that no life at all is better than one fraught with difficulties. Death is perferable to life. We are living in an age when we call evil good and good evil, we mistake darkness for light and light for darkeness, we put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter" (Isaiah 5:20)

Do we truly believe the good die young? Or does our fascination with James Dean lie in the lost potential destroyed on that fateful day in a Porshe 550 Spyder in 1955? If so, then what about the potential of the aborted babies we are losing at a rate of 3500 a day?

Defiance, Hope, and Life

Brothers Tuvia (Daniel Craig) and Zus (Liev Schreiber) argue about taking in "one more" in Defiance, a newly released picture from Paramount Vantage.



It's a miracle. Hollywood has produced a movie with such a profound message of hope and the sanctity of life, I'm in a state of shock. In Defiance, four Jewish brothers take to the forests when their village is massacred by German troops in occupied Belarus in 1941. As the persecution of the Jews increases, awe-inspiring rumors of the Bielski brothers' community of hiding Jews also grow. Several times Tuvia Bielski is asked by his brother Zus how they can take in any more- they don't have enough food, they can't protect them, how will they do it?

These questions are hauntingly familiar to those a dear friend asked me when she explained why she and her husband had decided on an abortion for her unplanned pregnancy. They felt they could not take in "one more." Even though my husband and I offered to adopt the baby yet to be born, they went ahead with the abortion. When my sweet friend lost her five year battle with breast cancer, my heart cried with grief. But I also mourn the death of a child she and her husband would surely have loved as they loved their other two children.

In Defiance (based on a true story) the eldest Bielski struggles through the worst conditions imaginable to take in all who come to hide in the forest. Tuvia has doubts, he suffers with illness, he suffers from indecision, he suffers from his revengeful actions, but he perseveres. He never refuses any who come to him to find refuge. (see photo below)

We look back at the Holocaust and are amazed and appalled that the German and Russian people could have sat by or participated in such horrific crimes to humanity. As many as 10 million Jews and other "unwanteds" murdered. I wonder if in the distant future, our society will consider the history of Roe vs. Wade and FOCA in the same light. How could the people of the United States have sat by or participated in such horrific crimes as partial birth abortion, abortion of babies 9 months in the womb, and the sale of fetal body parts?

The Lord calls upon us to give refuge to those he sends us, and a woman's womb was created to be a place of refuge for the most vulnerable of all human beings. The Bielski's used guns to defend the innocent, but we are to use prayer, love, and compassion as our weapons in this battle.

Who's Got Your Back?

I spent part of today in in-school suspension. With a 10-year old. I am a tutor and I got to be the "good cop" when all the other teachers, administrators and the counselor had to be the "bad cops." They had to be stern. The student required a disciplinary action. But I was the lucky one. I got to praise, smile, encourage, teach, uplift, strengthen, build-up. Even though all of us had the tantamount responsibility of helping this student see he has potential, I got to approach the situation with a "You're doing great in math, and you don't want to get behind, do you? Come on! You can do this!" John Belushi/Animal House type of enthusiasm. And it was a blessing to see this student believe in himself again. Believe he could turn things around, take a hard situation and make the best of it. And he learned the Metric System for the first time (10dm=1m, oh joy!) because it was obvious to him I had his back. (so did all the other teachers and administrators, and some day, he'll understand that!)

When I think of think about the person in my life who uplifts me the most, I think of my mother. ("Don't worry, someday Chris will realize you are a wonderful mother and he's lucky to have you," etc.) She's always been there for me. She's got my back.

And on this infamous anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, I question how much I've done to protect the unborn. Imagine being completely dependent on someone else for oxygen, for the blood that pumps through your body, for the nutrients to your brain. It is at their whim that you take your next breath. The child in the womb is the most vulnerable person in our society. There is no human so completely at the mercy of a mother in this world.

I pray to Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Protector of the Unborn, that she will pray with us, that our loving hearts will understand the beauty of life, the gift children are to all of us, and the awesome responsibility we have to protect the innocent. From this day forward, I make this pledge to the Unborn- From now on, I've got your back.