The Crisis of our Culture of Death

4/6/13

The Crisis of our Culture of Death

In society today, death is all around us, even though it may not necessarily always be seen. There are many secular forces in our culture that advocate for things like abortion, and birth control pills citing that it is a "woman's right". Many times they express their views in lighter language like "pro-choice" or "pro reproductive rights" to hide the ultimate travesty of what is caused.  Even though our country is divided 50-50 on this issue, both with males and females, the truth of the matter is that since roe v. wade, about 50 million babies have been aborted in the United States. That would be about one in every six people in the U.S. population who would not be alive.

I was compelled to right this blog because of two legislative situations that have occurred this week regarding this issue.

1. A federal judge in Brooklyn, New York ordered the US Food and Drug Administration to make the morning-after birth control pill available to people of any age without a prescription. This order overturned the 2011 decision by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to require a prescription for girls under 17. Many who agree say that this gives women a better range of effective birth control and therefore better dictate their health. Many who are against are outraged that parents now have no say in this issue regarding their children, and of course there are medical concerns. What if a young teenager misuses this drug, which will happen. Bill Donohue of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights had a great quote about the importance of parental rights and how this ruling is truly appalling: "A 12-year-old girl in a New York City school cannot be given an aspirin by her teacher, even if she has a fever. The same girl cannot buy a large soda during lunchtime because Mayor Michael Bloomberg has decreed that it is not good for her. But she can be given a pill, unbeknownst to her parents, that could arguably abort her baby"

2. A Planned Parenthood spokeswoman made some controversial remarks to say the least when questioned on Florida legislation that would require baby's born alive during a botched abortion to receive medical care. Alisa LaPolt Snow, a lobbyist with the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates was asked what Planned Parenthood's stance was on baby's that survived botched abortions. She said that the decision of what to do to that baby should be between the women, her family, and physician. This is supporting something called post-birth abortion. One lawmaker made a good point that at that point not only would the woman be a patient, but the baby as well. The spokeswoman had no response to that. So there you have it. Planned Parenthood supports murder, there is no denying it. It is a baby outside the womb and unquestionably alive. How can millions of tax payer dollars be given to an organization that supports these practices. I would like to bring up this point: if the mother has the right the kill her baby after it survives an abortion, on the terms that it never wanted the baby, then what stops a mother killing her 5, 10, or 15 year old child on the basis that she never wanted her child? This is truly horrific.

As Catholics and Christians alike, we must be steadfast and strong in our defense of the value of human life. These cases are examples of society undermining this precious gift that God has given us, a gift given at the moment of conception. In order to win this argument and save lives we must not conduct ourselves in a condemning way, but instead lead by the example of love and help out mothers that are in tough situations. Many mothers choose to abort because they think that having a baby would ruin their life, but we need to emphasize that through God, we can all find strength under tough situations and that in the long run, keeping the baby will be the best decision she ever made.

Threats from North Korea

4/4/13

Do Not Fear and Trust in the Lord

Many of you may be aware of the recent threats that Korean leader KimJongUn has made against the United States. He has warned that he is equipped with nuclear missiles that can hit the United States and is seen in videos authorizing attacks on Washington D.C, Los Angeles, and Austin, Texas. South Korea and Japan have an even greater threat due to their close proximity to North Korea. In Response the US has sent fighter jets to South Korea and the USS McCain equipped with a missile defense system to the Pacific. Even though I believe that North Korea will not attack the United States or South Korea because the United States would surely fight back and that would be certain suicide for North Korea. However, we must be vigilant and cautious. Even though there are these threats and we must stay alert, we must not fear this situation and be consumed by it. We must trust in God for he knows what is best and he has a greater plan for the end. Even though his plan may not be what we think is right, we must trust in God's will. If we trust in God then we will be at peace and no situation will deter us. This trust in the Lord should not only be restricted to this specific situation. We must trust in God everyday and in everything we do. Fear confines our ability to do certain things in life. Therefore with fear we cannot be able to be men and women fully alive.

The Power of Prayer: Kevin Ware

4/3/13

The Kevin Ware Injury

The Louisville vs. Duke elite eight game was shaping up to be a riveting clash between two titans of college basketball. Both teams were coming from successful regular seasons and with aspirations to win the whole tournament. They actually played back in the preseason with Duke coming out as the victor, however this was a different game with different circumstances. The beginning of the game lived up to all of the hype with numerous lead changes and fast-paced play. The score was very tight throughout the first half and an intense ending seemed inevitable, but toward the end of the first half, something occurred that would be the main talking point of the country for days to come. One would think that an event of this magnitude would have great precursor events that would lead up to the result, but that was not the case. Kevin Ware was contesting a three from Duke, a play that happens hundreds of times during basketball games, nothing out of the ordinary. After Duke guard Tyler Thornton made the shot play was about to go on as usual but it seemed apparent that someone was on the floor injured. I thought that this was a customary rolled ankle or crap, but after the cameras showed Louisville players on the floor and crying, it hit to me that this was something serious. I didn't know how something serious could happen from such a common play. When they showed the replay, I was flabbergasted. I had never seen such a gruesome injury in my life. Kevin Ware had broken his leg with his bone protruding his skin. I could barely watch. Everyone in the building and watching the game were shocked at what had transpired. First I thought of Kevin Ware and how his career would be affected by this injury. I also thought about how this injury would effect the game. Would it hurt or help Louisville? Clearly it helped Louisville as they went out and destroyed Duke in the second half beating them by more than twenty points, inspired by their fallen teammate. After the injury there was massive public support for Kevin through social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter with a major message being "Pray for Ware". I found this moment very moving as sports can bring out the best of even such a horrific event as this one. I believe that the public support and prayers for Kevin truly helped him in his recovery as I was surprised to see that Kevin is already walking around on crutches after undergoing a successful surgery. Doctors say that it will take him a year to recover and return to the court. He seems to have a positive outlook on his future and is going to play a key role for Louisville in the Final Four. I will keep Kevin in my prayers so that the rest of his recovery goes smoothly and that he may return to his optimal level of performance.

Reaction to Hispanic Jesuit Pope

4/2/13

Reaction to Hispanic Jesuit Pope

My partner and I have an incredible position in being able to observe the reaction to having a Pope that is both Hispanic and a Jesuit. Both of our families are hispanic and we both go to a Jesuit school. So we were able to get two different sides of joy when Pope Francis I was elected Pope.

To celebrate the announcing of the first Jesuit Pope in history, the head priest of our school decided to have a mass to mark such a historic event. After mass, he completely surprised us and decided to give us the rest of the day off. You can only imagine how excited not only we were, (we were really, REALLY excited) but how excited he must of been to let out his students on a Tuesday. Even in the interview conducted by the local news station he expressed his excitement and how ecstatic he was for the first Jesuit Pope. We even got prayer cards. It was a great day. 

As most of you who have followed the Pope know, he has started a papacy mostly dedicated to poverty. When a Pope is elected, he will usually stay in the Apostolic Palace. When Jorge Bergoglio was elected, he decided to stay in the hotel designated for the papal electors. He still hasn't moved. And people say previous Popes lived in modest conditions. Why people ask is Pope Francis still living in the hotel and why is he putting so much attention to the poor (which if you ask me, is something that should be focused on extensively by all Popes)? Because he is a Jesuit, that is their mission: to devote their life to the service of those less fortunate than them.

Mind-blowing huh?

Also as a hispanic, we are able to experience the excitement from our latin families and friends. My family are great friends with an Argentinean family and so I asked them what they thought and what the reaction around the country was when Pope Francis I was elected. They told me that they were very happy and there was a national euphoria around the country, especially in Buenos Aires. For most of the world is was a huge surprise, and for the Argentinean it was not only a huge surprise but a great surprise. 

I also had the privilege to travel to Buenos Aires this past week and witness the joy firsthand. Every billboard you will find there has either Messi's or Pope Francis I's face. Every church I visited and saw had a poster of him congratulating him on his great accomplishment. On the 9 de Julio Avenue in central Buenos Aires, the widest avenue in the world with 10 lanes, there his a huge glass building who has one side completely covered in a poster celebrating the new Pope's election.

Just like it was a huge surprise for the Jesuits in our school, it was a great surprise for the entire country of Argentina. Overall, I believe he will be an EXCELLENT Pope if he keeps his earlier promises to dedicate his office and power to poverty.

God in Sports

4/2/13

God in Sports

As most of you have heard, God is in all aspects of life. So it's just natural that God is a pretty big sports fan. I mean I bet it's hard to find a sport he doesn't like. Maybe competitive speed walking, it's really hard to get behind those speed walkers. He is probably such a big sports guy that He has just won The Game, and yes, that means you lost.

 But I mean how do you think Eli Manning was able to escape that overpowering Patriots rush in Super Bowl 42 and was able to throw an absolute bomb to David Tyree who made a catch that you just knew the Big Guy upstairs orchestrated. Or did you just think that 1980 Winter Olympics semi-final between the U.S. and the Soviet Union was divine-free? And don't you think God put in a little extra ball skills when creating Lionel Messi? The point is that He is ALWAYS watching, and maybe sometimes sending some plays down from H.Q. Here are some real examples of God being present in sports around the world:

1.Tebowing

It became famous when the Denver Broncos gave the Mile-High Messiah a chance. Tim Tebow is an American Football player for the New York Jets. Since his college years, he has been known to be a very devout Christian, and the media just loved him. So it wasn't a surprise that when Tim started doing his pre-game prayers, the media gave it a name: Tebowing. Soon every citizen from a newborn to the elderly, from the beaches of Hawaii to the harbors of Boston, from the shipping vessels in Alaska to the swamps of the Everglades in Florida, everybody was Tebowing. What started as a simple petition to God turned into a social rave. Though it is a bit unjust Tebow got all this attention.

Players in any level of football have been performing pre-game prayers way before Tebow put on his helmet for the first time. Next time you go to your local NFL, college, or high school football game, make sure to take notice on the 20-30 guys praying near each other and not the one guy all alone with cameras aimed right at him.

2. The Point to Sky

It's become almost the main-stream celebration after scoring a goal, hitting a big 3, hitting a home run, throwing a touchdown pass or any big sports accomplishment: the point to the sky. A simple yet direct way to give a small show of recognition to who without Him, none of this would of been possible. Certain people will add their own flair to this simple celebration. The American soccer player Clint Dempsey will make a small sign and cross to show respect. to his sister who died as a teenager. Manchester City's David Silva will kiss his wrist before he points because of a tattoo with the words "Cynthia" on them show love to his late cousin that died when she was 5.

It's now such a common celebration that when fans see it, they don't think much of it. Maybe they should, maybe they shouldn't. The fact is that every time an athlete points to sky, they're showing their appreciation to the God they believe. It is quite possible that there is a small amount of these players that aren't actually great religious people, but I can assure most athletes that use that celebration do it because they are actually pretty religious people. 

3. The Non-Tebowing pre-game prayer

This is probably the most apparent sign of God in sports: a pre-game prayer. It can be done on your own (done in the bottom left by Javier Hernandez of Manchester United), by a small group, or by the whole team (upper right). It is a way to get a final blessing before the game, it can be done in many different ways. It can be done by doing a simple or know prayer, or a rendition made throughout time. All of them though are the best way to bring God into sports, thanking him for being able to give the athletes and themselves this incredible opportunity to play their great game and to ask to look over them. I'm sure God wouldn't mind catching a quick game, whether it be the Stanley Cup Finals or a high school lacrosse game. I mean if He watches the Dallas Cowboys play on Sunday then I'm sure He's fine with watching anything really.

The final point I'm going to make is that religion is huge, all around the world you can find faithful. Meaning that most to all athletes are religious themselves. So if it isn't hard for athletes to have God in their everyday life, why would it be weird to expect them to bring it into Sports.