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“Families are the domestic Church where Jesus grows; He grows in the love of spouses, He grows in the lives of children. That’s why the enemy attacks the family so much: the devil doesn’t want it! He tries to destroy it; he tries to prevent love from flourishing. Families are this domestic Church.”
“The Church is a spiritual family, the home of those who believe in Jesus and live according to His teachings; and the family is a small domestic Church, a school of love for God and neighbor.” "Families are the domestic Church where Jesus grows; He grows in the love of spouses, He grows in the lives of children. That’s why the enemy attacks the family so much: the devil doesn’t want it! He tries to destroy it; he tries to prevent love from flourishing. Families are this domestic Church. The Church is a spiritual family, the home of those who believe in Jesus and live according to His teachings; and the family is a small domestic Church, a school of love for God and neighbor. The family nucleus of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph is, for every believer—and especially for families—a true school of the Gospel. Here, we admire the fulfillment of the divine plan to make the family a special community of life and love. Here, we learn that every Christian family nucleus is called to be a ‘domestic Church,’ to radiate evangelical virtues and become a leaven of good in society. The typical characteristics of the Holy Family are: recollection and prayer, mutual understanding and respect, a spirit of sacrifice, work, and solidarity. It is within the united family that children reach the maturity of their existence, experiencing the meaningful and effective reality of freely given love, tenderness, mutual respect, understanding, forgiveness, and joy. Drawing from the example and witness of the Holy Family, every family can find valuable guidance for its lifestyle and life choices, as well as strength and wisdom for the daily journey. The Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph teach us to welcome children as a gift from God, to bring them into being and raise them, cooperating in a marvelous way with the Creator’s work and giving the world, through each child, a new smile. It is in the united family that children mature in their existence, living the meaningful and effective experience of freely given love, tenderness, mutual respect, understanding, forgiveness, and joy. The true joy experienced within the family is neither random nor a matter of chance. It is a joy born from the deep harmony among people, which allows us to taste the beauty of being together and supporting one another on life’s path. At the root of this joy is the presence of God—His welcoming, merciful, and patient love toward all. If the family’s door is not open to God’s presence and His love, the family loses its harmony, individualism prevails, and joy fades. In contrast, the family that lives the joy of faith communicates it spontaneously; it is the salt of the earth and the light of the world, a leaven for all society. May Jesus, Mary, and Joseph bless and protect all the families of the world, so that serenity and joy, justice and peace—the gifts Christ brought to humanity at His birth—may reign within them. Pope Francis" |
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"Life is something precious; guard it." | Mother Teresa of Calcutta |
I recall that before I was born, I was gripped by deep anguish because the world had already sentenced me to death; my fate had been sealed as eternal exile. Yet, "In my distress, I cried out to Yahweh, and He answered me; from the depths of the abyss, I called, and You heard me." | Jonah 2:2 | Psalm 130:1 | From the depths of the abyss, I cried out to the Lord: ¡Abbá! ¡Abbá! ¡Abbá! My soul awaits the Lord more eagerly than watchmen await the dawn. I give glory to my God, Yahweh, before darkness falls and before my feet stumble in exile, shrouded in thick shadows. I speak to my mother from within her womb, with the love of her only son, longing for her to hear my pleading voice: "But if you do not heed it, my soul will weep in silence for this pride; my eyes will shed tears, they will pour forth abundantly, for Yahweh’s flock has been taken captive." | Jeremiah 13:17 | Lord, I sensed in my mother’s heart that she does not love me, that I am an obstacle to her life’s plans. My God, forgive her; she does not know what she is doing. She is bewildered by the filth of the culture of death that has warped her conscience. She tells me: I’m not doing anything wrong; it’s my body! My own mother wishes to take away the life You, my God, have given me. "Abba, Father! All things are possible for You. In my anguish, I cry out to You; I am enveloped in darkness. From the depths of the abyss, I implore You: My Father, if it is possible, renew this heart, illuminate it with Your light that pierces the depths of eternity, make her reflect and grant me the chance to live—not as I will, but as You will." | Matthew 26:39 | Mark 14:36 | Jesus, I trust in You; only You, Lord, can save! Mother, I want to live. I want to laugh, to sing, to enjoy life. I want to be happy and also to weep. I know life is hard, but I want to fight until the end—until the day my God, who gave me life, calls me to enjoy the eternal kingdom. I do not have the joy of knowing my mother, of seeing her face. I have not beheld the sun; I have not known it. I am like the fetuses who have not seen the light, for I came amidst vanities and depart into darkness, my name hidden in the shadows. I love you, my mother. God made me to love, not to hate. My beloved, even if you take this life—the least of your children—I will continue to love you, Mommy, for you are the mother God gave me. I am flesh of your flesh and blood of your blood. May God forgive you and have mercy on your soul. Hear the voice of God: "My child, do not fear or be dismayed. I go before you; I am with you. I will neither leave you nor forsake you. Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord shines upon you! For darkness covers the earth, and thick gloom the nations, but the Lord will shine upon you, and His glory will appear over you." | Isaiah 60 | “I have entrusted you to a woman; she is your mother. I made her intelligent, sensitive, joyful, and beautiful. She laughs and delights in the wonders of life; she suffers and weeps, but above all, she can love deeply.” The teachers of the law approached Jesus, conspired, and put Him to the test in the presence of all. They posed this question: Sir, we want to legalize abortion; we have many legal justifications: • In cases of rape; • Danger to the mother’s life—who said the greatest love is to give one’s life for a loved one? That’s foolish; we prefer the woman who can give us the children we want, when and how we want them. We also have the power to manipulate life genetically; we don’t even need Your approval; • The baby hinders a woman’s professional plans; • Congenital malformations in the fetus—we can manipulate embryos as we please, discarding those that don’t serve us; • Saving money on healthcare and food we spend on people, thus improving the country’s economy. Fewer poor children mean more money for us who hold power: ‘Less is more’; • We can control the population by manipulating their ideas as we see fit; it’s a weak population; • Euthanasia, the killing of the dying and the terminally ill; • Killing the elderly, the disabled, and the poor who are of no use to our interests; • Marriage between homosexuals, who can adopt children freely as a true family and produce children artificially; the notion of ‘male and female’ is outdated. We are certain, we know, and we are aware that all that is good—love, holiness, and life—comes from God, and that without God, we twist the truth into lies, bringing forth all that is evil: hatred, sin, and death. Jesus Christ, Son of the Most High God, what should we do? Jesus bent down to write on the ground and said, “I AM WHO I AM.” When He said to them, “I am,” they stepped back and fell to the ground, suddenly confused and as if dead! Yahweh Sabaoth stood and declared: You shall not kill! “Woe to you, hypocrites, who devour and manipulate the poor and the weakest while pretending to do great good for humanity. For this, you will be judged more harshly.” And bending down again, He wrote on the ground. They did not listen when I told them, “Yahweh created them, male and female.” And He blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply.” I am weary of your abominations. If you had understood what it means—“I desire mercy, not sacrifice”—you would not have condemned the innocent. Serpents! Brood of vipers! How will you escape the punishment of hell? Cursed be they for all eternity. Depart from Me! They rose in shame, terrified and trembling before Him. Hearing Jesus’ words, they withdrew one by one, starting with the eldest, until Jesus was left alone with the woman still standing in the midst. Rising, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She replied, “No one, Lord.” Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on, sin no more.” Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” The sinners kept shouting, “ABORT IT, KILL IT, END IT!” Their cries grew louder, and the tumult intensified. For the third time, the Judge said to them, “But what wrong have these little ones who believe in Me done? These children are the least of My children. I find in them no crime deserving death.” They persisted in shouting and complaining, their cries growing ever more violent: “Cut it out, kill it, destroy it!” The entire crowd began to cry out as one, “Away with this one; we want sin and its mother!” “Who is responsible for this innocent blood?” And all the people answered, “Let His blood fall on us and on our children.” The King will reply to them, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. I assure you, whatever you did to one of these little ones, you did to Me.” Then I had a vision: those on the left were followed by a great multitude; they descended like the dead into the Abyss, engulfed by darkness. They were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with sulfur and vanished forever, to be tormented day and night for all eternity. These are the ones who despised Yahweh. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, says the Lord God, “He who is, who was, and who is to come,” the Almighty. Catholic Church “It is the particular mission of the Church and our episcopal ministry to reaffirm above all that procured abortion is death—it is the murder of an innocent creature.” We must proclaim the inviolability of the right to live and to live with dignity against abortion—an abhorrent crime that bears the hallmarks of a totalitarian system toward the most defenseless of human beings. “No one can adopt attitudes of leniency or, in any way, passivity in the face of abortion’s reality.” Abortion is an “abominable crime.” “Under no circumstances should abortion be promoted as a method of family planning.” God says: “You shall not kill!” Abortion and euthanasia are “repulsive terrorism with a human face,” an “abominable crime,” and the clinics where abortions are performed are “veritable slaughterhouses of human beings.” Abortion and euthanasia are cloaked in “expressions that conceal the tragic reality of the acts.” Against those who distort the truth: Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness into light and light into darkness, who make bitter sweet and sweet bitter! Woe to the nations that call themselves “civilized” and enact “laws contrary to human nature.” The killing of a defenseless human being is called a voluntary termination of pregnancy, and euthanasia is labeled “death with dignity.” “Every child killed by abortion is a sign of profound poverty, for every human life matters and holds a special character before God.” Procured abortion is death; it is the murder of an innocent creature. With the legal practice of abortion, humanity would suffer yet another great failure of law and justice. The right to life is not a matter of ideology; it is not merely a religious right; it is a human right—the most fundamental right of humanity! God says: “You shall not kill!” (Exodus 20:13). This commandment is both a foundational principle and a norm of the moral code, inscribed in every person’s conscience. To women, “God entrusts man—that is, the human being—in a special way.” By virtue of her calling to love, “a woman cannot find herself unless she gives love to others.” In a society so often marked by signs of death and indifference—such as violence, abortion, euthanasia, and the marginalization of the poor and those deemed useless—women are called to keep alive the flame of life and respect for the mystery of every new life. Mother Teresa of Calcutta: Life is the greatest gift from God. That’s why it’s heartbreaking to see what happens in so many parts of the world today: life is deliberately destroyed by war, violence, and abortion. We were created by God for greater things—to love and be loved. I’ve often said, and I’m convinced of it, that the greatest destroyer of peace in the world today is abortion. If a mother can kill her own child, what prevents you and me from killing each other? The only one with the right to take life is the One who created it—no one else: not the mother, not the father, not the doctor, not an agency, not a conference, not a government. [...] I tremble at the thought of all those who deaden their consciences to commit abortion. After death, we will meet face-to-face with God, the Giver of life. Who will take responsibility before God for the millions upon millions of children denied the chance to live, to love, and to be loved? [...] A child is the greatest gift to a family and a nation. Let us never reject this gift from God. This lengthy quote is from Mother Teresa of Calcutta. I’m glad she was able to speak in Kalisz. Mary, Mother of humanity, receive our prayer, which echoes the anguished cry of the victims of abortion, hatred, war, and countless other assaults on life. Be a support for the weak and a comfort to those who suffer unjustly. Touch the hearts of those who reject the light of truth and, by killing, wound their own humanity. |
