Being a Faithful Roman Catholic Is Not About Winning Friends

That statement is from my blogger buddy, Stephanie at The Digital Hairshirt, who seems just as feisty as me, if not more - especially when it comes to our faith. She posted recently an excerpt of the current discussion of the U.S. Bishops and their stance toward the new incoming Presidential administration's on abortion.

"We're calling on the bishops to move away from the more vicious language," Whelan said. He said the church needs to act "in a more creative, constructive way," to end abortion.

Catholics United was among the groups that argued in direct mail and TV ads during the campaign that taking the "pro-life" position means more than opposing abortion rights.

Chris Korzen, the group's executive director, said, "we honestly want to move past the deadlock" on abortion. He said church leaders were making that task harder.

"What are the bishops going to do now?" Korzen said. "`They have burned a lot of bridges with the Democrats and the new administration."

Good! What are you going to do, convince Obama to stick us all in re-education camps?!

SUPPORT OF AN OBAMA PRESIDENCY IS NOT CONSISTENT WITH FIDELITY TO OUR CATHOLIC FAITH! BEING A FAITHFUL ROMAN CATHOLIC IS NOT ABOUT WINNING FRIENDS!

All I can say is, "Amen, Stephanie. Amen!"

It still shocks me that there are Democrat Catholics who still supported Obama in this past election. I don't have a problem with Democrat Catholics overall; but when your party's candidate is so over-the-top for abortion, even to the point of denying healthcare to a baby who has survived the procedure - then something is loose in the old noggin. There is a major disconnect here - MAJOR, that is preventing a Catholic of any party in seeing the horrific reality of abortion-on-demand.

I'll go even so far as to say such people are not truly Catholic. Yes. I said it. If a person is truly Catholic, they adhere to the teachings of the Bible and the Church. The Roman Catholic Church stands against the "Culture of Death" and is unapologetically Pro-Life.

The tradition of the Church has always held that human life must be protected and favored from the beginning, just as at the various stages of its development. Opposing the morals of the Greco-Roman world, the Church of the first centuries insisted on the difference that exists on this point between those morals and Christian morals. In the Didache it is clearly said: "You shall not kill by abortion the fruit of the womb and you shall not murder the infant already born."[6] Athenagoras emphasizes that Christians consider as murderers those women who take medicines to procure an abortion; he condemns the killers of children, including those still living in their mother's womb, "where they are already the object of the care of divine Providence." Tertullian did not always perhaps use the same language; he nevertheless clearly affirms the essential principle: "To prevent birth is anticipated murder; it makes little difference whether one destroys a life already born or does away with it in its nascent stage. The one who will be a man is already one."[8]

Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith: Declaration on Procured Abortion

I don't understand how anyone who calls themselves Catholic could miss this.

Being a follower of Christ will most likely be more challenging than ever with our new incoming administration. Don't be surprised to see more protests in churches and more blame that "The Church" is backward, hateful, out-of-touch, etc., etc.

We are called to be the salt and light of the world. Just by being His witnesses and for instance, silently praying at an "abortuary," will probably get tougher. Stand firm.