Be Not Afraid

Newsletter

Printed Version of January 2008 Newsletter

THE NEW EVANGELIZATION

       The first words of the late Pope John Paul II at the start of his pontificate were “BE NOT AFRAID”.  Toward the end of his amazing quarter century as our beloved Pope, he spoke often of THE NEW EVANGELIZATION.  Now there is an exciting new way you can join the thousands of Catholics who are rebuilding the Church, one soul at a time, and become a part of The New Evangelization Pope John Paul II envisioned and worked so tirelessly for.

            By joining Lighthouse Catholic Media’s CD of the Month Club, you will receive a valuable CD each month which includes a talk by a respected speaker on powerful topics of the faith.  You can participate on 3 different levels, enabling you to educate and inspire yourself as well as others.

            This program is effective because most people spend hours in the car when they can listen to the CDs, or when doing chores or going for your exercise walk.  The cost is nominal – just $5.00 per month.  Write to us to receive a free brochure and order form for the CD of the Month Club.

 CHANGING ATTITUDES – How can you and I help to bring about an end to the culture of death in our day? – by choosing your words carefully!   “I’m carrying a child” is more appropriate than “I’m expecting” since it affirms the reality that the child in the womb is already here.  A name should be chosen and used as soon as one discovers she is pregnant.  The practical problem, of course, is not knowing the child’s gender right away.  It is recommended then that the parents choose two names, one for a boy and one for a girl. The difference is that these names are definitively chosen, not just possible names.  As soon as the gender is known, one of the names will stick.  The parents can refer to their unborn child by his or her name, thus giving witness to the fact that this child is truly a person, a beloved member of their family even before birth.  Also, grandparents can say “Guess what, I’m a grandmother” instead of “I’m going to be a grandmother”(or grandfather, as the case may be).  These simple steps will help to turn the tide, bringing the truth into the light.  (taken from the writing of Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life – with permission)

Good vs. Evil in the Modern Age

            The serpent asks:  “Did God really say you were not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?”  The woman answered:  “We may eat from the fruit of the trees in the garden, but of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, “You must not eat it, nor touch it, under pain of death”.  Then the serpent said to the woman, “No, you will not die!  God knows in fact that on the day you eat it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.”  The woman saw that the tree was good to eat and pleasing to the eye, and that it was desirable for the knowledge that it could give, so she took some of its fruit and ate it.”  Genesis 3:  2-7

            Did God really want Adam and Eve not to have knowledge of good and evil?  No, it was not that they would simply know about good and evil, but that they would consider themselves gods, determining for themselves what is good and what is evil.  Fast forward to today and we still have the same thing – man has decided for himself what is to be called good and what is evil.  The modern world has lost the sense of sin, in fact “sin” is never even spoken of.   Instead, pop culture tells us that you can believe whatever you want and it’s all the same. Truth has been downgraded to whatever is true for you, which may be different than what’s true for the next person. 

            A striking example of this is abortion.  The act of killing is manipulated with words like “personhood” , “viability” , “quality of life” , and “women’s reproductive rights”, turning abortion into a “good”.  The truth is withheld because people are afraid to offend someone or they have been taught to believe that they cannot impose their morality on someone else.  Modern day psychology tells us that feelings are neither good nor bad which leads to the justification of anger, lust, and promiscuity.  The serpent is once again rearing his ugly head saying:  “you shall be like gods, deciding what is good and what is evil.”

            For insight on this subject from respected Catholic speakers, we recommend the following CDs:  (1) Anger and Forgiveness by Deacon Dr.Bob McDonald,

(2) Overcoming the New Age Movement by Matthew Arnold

(3) Confession by Fr. Larry Richards (4) The Truth by Fr. Larry Richards

(5) The Passion of Christ, Applied to Your Life, by Fr. John Corapi

THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE

            If you are on a pro-life mailing list, mostly likely you receive weekly mailings of a pro-life nature from various groups requesting donations.  Two came in the mail recently which were different than the rest.  One was from a man who drives what he calls “The Truth Truck”.  The other was from a group who call themselves “The Survivors” and who appeal to young people on college campuses across America.

            The Truth Truck is a large van-type vehicle with pictures of aborted babies on the side of the truck.  The pictures are large and very difficult to look at.  It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words.  These pictures show exactly what abortion is and people respond to them in different ways.  Some people get angry; the truck has had its tires flattened and has even been towed away.  The driver has been screamed at and cursed at.  Other people respond with shock.  Some women have broken down after seeing the truth truck saying “I didn’t know” and then burst into sobbing tears.  Interestingly, some young people who see the truth truck have responded that they thought they were “pro-choice” but now that they have seen what abortion really is, they consider themselves “pro-life”.

            In a similar way, the group known as “The Survivors”, go to college campuses with literature and pictures of abortion and try to bring “the truth about abortion” to the age group most often targeted by the abortion industry.  When young people are shown the truth, they choose the side of life. 

            People who respond with anger are generally people who are hurting for having been involved in an abortion experience.  For these people, as hard as it is for them to face their situation, it can be the beginning of the healing that they need and deserve to have.  Our God is forgiving and full of mercy, but how can someone obtain that forgiveness if they never seek it because the world has convinced them that abortion is “a right” and they don’t understand the hurt they feel so they turn it into anger? 

            Have you ever seen what an abortion looks like?  Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life has said that “America will not reject abortion until America sees abortion”.  For this reason, you can view pictures on www.priestsforlife.org.  If someone tells you they are pro-choice, ask them the question:  “Have you ever seen what an abortion looks like?” A visit to the Priests for Life website just might change their minds.   

Seek the truth in all things and remember that it is not about “us against them”.  As Father Pavone  always says:  “It is not about who wins:  the pro-life side? Or the pro-choice side?  If the pro-life side doesn’t win, nobody wins!”  We know that we are on the winning side; in Christ is the victory.  It is our job to bring as many people onto the winning side as possible.

N E W !

Do you want to receive this newsletter by e-mail?  Just send us your e-mail address:  tpiekut@yahoo.com

   THE BIBLE SAYS …..

            Where does the Bible say that abortion is wrong?  We know that the Bible speaks against adultery and fornication but where does it say contraception is wrong?  And what about test tube babies and cloning - where is that in the Bible?  The Bible is very clear on the teaching with regard to all of the above as well as every other modern day life issue.  While you may not find the word “abortion” or “cloning” in the Bible, neither will you find the word “Trinity” in the Bible; yet we know that the teaching on the Trinity is clear and profound within various passages of the Bible.

            Preaching on the life issues is more than just scanning the verses for something that relates to these issues.  Rather, it means showing how all the principle themes of the Bible reflect the relationship between God and human life, and the duty we have to respond to the lives of others with care and love.  The Bible teaches that human life is different from other types of life because human beings are made in the very image of God.  We see this clearly from the beginning in Genesis 4: 9 – 11 where God tells Cain, after he has murdered his brother Abel, that his brother’s blood is crying out to God from the ground.  This is where the famous phrase “Am I my brother’s keeper?” comes from.

            The Bible teaches that children are a blessing and that the child in the womb is truly a human child, who even has a relationship with the Lord.  In Psalm 22:  10-11 we read:  “from my mother’s womb you are my God”.   The ultimate example of the sacredness of pre-born life is Jesus Himself, conceived in the womb of Mary.  When Mary visits Elizabeth she is only days pregnant.  We know this because “she went in haste to visit her cousin, Elizabeth”.  Elizabeth’s unborn child (John the Baptist) leaps in her womb with joy and Elizabeth proclaims Mary to be the “mother of my Lord”.  Since there were no telephones or telegraphs in those days, Elizabeth did not know ahead of time that Mary was coming, nor could she know that Mary was to give her the news that she was pregnant.  She would never have expected that news in any event, since Mary was an unmarried maiden of barely 14 years of age.  Yet Elizabeth, as well as her unborn child John the Baptist, recognise that the life within Mary is indeed “the Lord”. 

            What more Bible proof do we need to believe in the sacredness of all human life from the moment of conception?  What would the world be like if every single Bible-believing Christian believed with their whole mind, heart, and soul in the sacredness of human life and then acted on that belief?

(taken in part from the writings of Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life, with permission)

CD talks are available on the Sanctity of Human Life and on the Bible etc.  Call or write for free list of all CD titles available.

Theresa M. Piekut

Lighthouse Catholic Media

tpiekut@yahoo.com

(631) 886-1280

Or write to me c/o Be Not Afraid Newsletter         

Be Not Afraid Newsletter

P. O. Box 31

Wading River, NY  11792