Partial Birth Abortion
You hear a lot about “Partial Birth Abortion” in the news, but what exactly is involved in the procedure? In the video below, a doctor uses a doll to explain what exactly takes place…
Month: March 2016
Friday Frivolity: I’m Christian…but I’m not.
A while back Buzzfeed released a really annoying video I’m Christian but I’m not… I watched the video and couldn’t help but ponder on some words absent from the content: sin, grace, repentance, redemption and, most worrying…Jesus.
A friend recently sent me a parody by Lutheran Satire of the video. I don’t think it’s Lutheran Satire’s best work and a few parts aren’t great, it still gets the point across…
I also came across this really great “Catholics Respond to…” video on the same subject:
Keeping the word of God
Here’s a homily recorded in the Synaxarion for February 9th, entitled “Whoever keeps My word will never taste death” (St. John 8:52)…
As long as a candle burns in a room, there will not be darkness as long as the candle burns and emits light. If food is seasoned with salt, it will be preserved from spoiling. If someone keeps the word of Christ in his soul, that one keeps salt and light in his soul and life will abide in him. Such a soul will not become dark in this life neither will it taste decaying death.
Whoever keeps the word of Christ in himself, the word of Christ sustains him from within and feeds him and enlightens him and enlivens him. Whether he is in the body or outside the body, he feels equally alive from the word of Christ, i.e., from the undying eternal life. The death of the body will give to his Life-bearing soul only a freer enthusiasm in embracing Christ, the Beloved Life-giver.
But, what does it mean, brethren, to keep the word of Christ within ourselves? That means; First: to keep the word of Christ in our mind, thinking about it; Second: to keep the word of Christ in our heart, loving it; Third: to keep the word of Christ in our will, fulfilling it in deeds; Fourth: to keep the word of Christ on our tongue, openly confessing it when it is necessary to do so. Thus, to keep the word of Christ means to fill ourselves with it and to fulfill it. Whoever would keep the word of Christ in this manner, truly, he will never taste of death.
O our Lord, Mighty Lord, mightier than death, give us strength and understanding to keep Your holy word to the end; that we do not taste of death and that death does not taste of us; that decay does not touch our soul. O Lord Allmerciful be merciful to us
Wise Words on Wednesday: Holding Treasures
What a remarkable illustration of self-inflicted poverty! It is possible to hold a treasure in your hand but be ignorant of it and go for the wrapping instead. This proximity to truth and distance from its worth is repeated innumerable times in our lives. In Chesterton’s words, we hold the dust and let the gold go free.
– Ravi Zacharias, Jesus among other Gods
Names for the unborn
Following on from yesterday’s post, recent discussions on Facebook have reminded me of how the abortion debate often turns around the question of language.
A few months ago I had posted an article about abortion and one of my friends wrote this response:
“You’re going to have a hard time convincing someone zygote development at 4 weeks is a fetus… When we talk in terms of a 6 week fetus it’s probably closer to bundles of cells than it is to a fetus…”
My friend’s response shows why it’s important to have a good grasp of biology when speaking about the unborn. What do we mean when we use words like “zygote”, “embryo” and “fetus”?
“Zygote”, “embryo” and “fetus” are all simply labels which describe the developmental stage of the human child, much like “infant”, “toddler” or “teenager”. A zygote is a diploid cell which is the result of fertilization of an egg by a sperm. After about twenty-four hours, cell division begins and we move from the zygote phase of development to the embryonic. After eight weeks, we move from the embryonic to the fetal.
Hopefully it’s now clear as to why I’d never try to convince someone that “zygote development at 4 weeks is a fetus”…because it’s not! It would be as nonsensical as talking about an eight-year-old toddler or a twenty-year-old teenager.
Developmental Cheat Sheet
Zygote: Human development within the first 24 hours
Embryo: After 24 hours of life, when cell division has begun. It remains in this stage for the first eight weeks.
Fetus: A development stage following eight weeks of life up until birth.
Infant: Up to twelve months after birth
Toddler: 1-3 years after birth
Adolescent: The time after birth when conversation is exchanged for incoherent grunts and parents are treated as a cross between an ATM and a taxi service.
Regardless of the name we use to describe someone’s age, all humans deserve to be protected.