Thursday, January 22, 2015

Mary's kids en route

Can we build a culture of life, a civilization of love?

Help is on the way!  IF IF IF … IF you have the heart to accept God’s help!

Quick quiz:
1.     All through Scripture, there is a recurrent pair: widows and _________ .  What’s the second word in that pair?
2.    About half the times that this pair shows up in Scripture, it’s actually a trio, not just a pair: widows and _____________ and _______________ .  Who’s the third?

Hint:
Jesus didn’t use checklists much; that’s not the way he taught.  But there is one checklist he repeats four times. He describes the Last Judgment in Matthew 25, and says, four times, be sure to take care of the hungry, the thirsty, etc.  It’s a list of six: do these and meet my Father, ignore them and out you go. What’s in that list?  Feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit the sick, visit the imprisoned.  That’s five.  What’s the sixth?  (Same as the third in widow/orphan/ _____ .)

Still stuck?  Well, that’s a challenge, isn’t it?  You have some work to do!

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Pro-lifers work hard to take care of women who have been abandoned or neglected by the father of their child: all the teaching in Scripture about care for widows applies to women who are tempted by abortion.  Pro-lifers work hard to take care of unborn kids who show up at abortion clinics: all the teaching in Scripture about orphans applies to them. 

But we are overwhelmed!  We don’t see a way forward to protect millions of trapped moms and kids in danger!  We do our best, but can we rebuild a culture of life?  YES! YES! YES! There’s help on the way, millions and millions of people coming to help!  In the name of God, accept help!  Let us pray that …

… millions and millions Catholic missionaries (Latino immigrants, whose ancestors received their instruction from Mary herself, not just some little saint like Patrick or Boniface or Santiago) will come to the United States to rebuild our culture of life; and

… they will be made welcome, not rejected and deported as unwanted “aliens”; and

… they will stay faithful to their heritage, cherishing their faith and their family life.

Virgin of Guadalupe, stay with us, pray with us!

Immigrants aren’t a problem, they are blessings.  They have problems – that they will solve.  And these “strangers” will also help us solve our greatest challenge: to protect our widows and orphans – just as the refugee Elijah cared for a widow and an orphan.  God watches over widows and orphans – and strangers (immigrants, xenos in Matthew’s Greek, ger in Hebrew Bible)! 


Mary’s children are coming! Let them in!