Unveiling Christianity
These conversations at Holy Family Parish in Parma, Ohio seek to encounter and share the beauty, goodness, and truth of God and the Church.
Unveiling Christianity
"Why We Protect Life"
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Speaking for the Unborn - https://a.co/d/0anhYCNx
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Hello, hello everybody, and welcome back to another episode of another week of Unveiling Christianity. Hope you're doing well today. Um Father David, Mark Turnus. It's always a little different, Mark. You know, every time the intro. It is always different. No, you gotta keep it fresh. So but here, here we have another week. Uh how was your week? How was your weekend? Anything fun, exciting?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, my weekend was very, very good. Um, I can't even uh uh really think or talk about much more than my uh granddaughter's baptism on Sunday. Hey, that's awesome. It was very yeah, there's never a bad time to baptize anyone, but I think during the Easter season is like a super special time to baptize. Ideal, sure. It is is ideal. And uh, you know, besides participating in a mass and communion, I think a baptism, participating in a baptism is probably uh one of the one of the greatest things that I think I've ever done. So and especially my granddaughter. It was very beautiful. It was at uh St. Albert the Great. Uh that's where my daughter and son-in-law go to go to mass. So nice. It was good. And and it's just it's just taken my whole week. So if you ask me what I did this week, I really can't think of anything else.
SPEAKER_00Hey, that's a ha that's a highlight for sure. Did she did she cry though?
SPEAKER_01She did. Um, she cried with the with the water only. The oil didn't really bother her. She's only seven weeks, so she's pretty young. Sure. She's she's a little she's a little one. So she did cry, but I I do have this one photo of her little brother like peering over while the water was going on her forehead, and it was just a classic picture. I'll show you. Beautiful. Beautiful. It was some beautiful visions, some just just uh just a great thing.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. I have to say, in upon reflection, I've had a pretty good track record of of baptisms. Okay.
SPEAKER_01How do you elaborate a little on that?
SPEAKER_00Leading you here a little bit. Uh well that no, they for sure have happened and they've been valid. I've said the right words and done the right things for sure.
SPEAKER_01I was paying attention because you got me very nervous.
SPEAKER_00Um no, with um uh ratio of babies crying to not crying.
SPEAKER_01Oh, okay.
SPEAKER_00So I've they've actually all I think there's They've all cried, right? No, they've all there's only been like one or two that were a little uh rambunctious.
SPEAKER_01Okay. Yeah, she she wasn't like squawking, she just like, well, you know, the water, you think the water's warm. I don't agree. I think it's a little chilly.
SPEAKER_00Indeed. Well, and that's the thing, because it's like um, you know, it's a baptism moment, it's just this beautiful thing. You want to be able to, you know, speak to the families and enter into this moment. And sometimes, you know, I mean, it it's the beautiful gift, uh, you know, of having lots of children at uh at baptisms. Uh, but then sometimes that can be not so ideal or picturesque because you know, everyone's uh active or hungry or needs a nap, or you know, and it could be a little chaos, and you're like, okay, let's just do this.
SPEAKER_01I I have to add one one thing, and it goes to back to what we said a while ago about uh about the oils. Uh I went to visit them even the next day. I went on Monday to visit them, and she still smelled so sweet. Oh, beautiful. I was gonna I was gonna ask. Yep, she smelled just like the balsam. Yeah, the chrism. Yeah. Yep. It was it was really cool because I said I I went there and I'm like, you know why she smells like this still. Who uh who who baptized her? A deacon.
SPEAKER_00Ah, okay.
SPEAKER_01Deacon, and I'm I'm I'm embarrassed that I've forgotten his name because I talked to him at length afterwards. So but uh he he has a a grandchild coming up that he's going to baptize as well.
SPEAKER_00So awesome, yeah. Oh, that's great. Yeah, baptism so beautiful. Um just welcoming new life in the church and everything. I um had a good weekend. Um it was nice. Friday night was beautiful, right? Yeah. Just the weather and being warmer outside. It was awesome running around. Um, I went for a run later on Friday, and it was um smelling the fresh cut grass and the grilling of burgers. Yeah, was a great consolation to my heart.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that is uh that's ahead of us. That's summer. Burgers and fresh cut grass.
SPEAKER_00I mean, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then I drove by and then there was um uh smell of a campfire. Oh, wow, you got it. It was it was the whole I it's my goal. This summer I need to have a little campfires and stuff. So I just here, sure. Yeah, there's a little there's a little spot.
SPEAKER_01On the roof over the garage.
SPEAKER_00No, not not putting the hibachi on the roof. Okay, yeah. Burning down the house. No, there's a little spot behind the maintenance shed. Okay. Uh maintenance building that we can have a little green. Although I don't know about the mosquito situation.
SPEAKER_01No, yeah, there's a lot of standing water back there. And you better be careful because I think you just announced it, so people are gonna be bugging you about it now.
SPEAKER_00No pun, no pun?
SPEAKER_01They're good, no pun?
SPEAKER_00Because we're talking about mosquitoes. Oh, okay.
SPEAKER_01Oh, no, no, that that pun was very well intended. Yeah, I'm not that bright. Yeah, I'm not that quick clever.
SPEAKER_00So good. Uh yeah, no, I well, although I think it might be better because you know, we've done that, they did that whole detention pun project. Yeah, right, right. So the mosquitoes moved over there. Quite as much. So yeah, we'll see. Yeah. So but either way, just yeah, sitting outside next to a fire, it just Well, I'm I'm a camper, so you're you're preaching to the choir.
SPEAKER_01I know.
SPEAKER_00And uh I was I was talking to some preachers on the phone the other day, and they happen to be out at um uh East Lake. No, no, salt. What am I saying? Uh Sandusky area. What's the the park there?
SPEAKER_01East Harbor. East Harbor, no.
SPEAKER_00I got East Lake Salt.
SPEAKER_01Are you talking about the Sherma's maybe? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. They always go there. Indeed. Yeah. For sure. That's one of my one of my favorites. It's it's it's a pretty little park. You got the lake there, which is extra special. Right. A lot of Ohio State parks have small lakes, but you got the big one there. So yeah.
SPEAKER_00Quick comment about that only uh here. So I was reminded of that when he when they said they were there. My first Boy Scout summer camp was there. And uh it rained the entire week. That's problematic. We were doing supposed to do boating and everything, and I was telling Bob, yeah, it's just like I remember just sitting beneath the canopy staring at the rain because there was literally nothing else to do.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. I I've been there having been a tent tent camper my entire career. I uh I've been there sitting under tarps, waiting for it to stop. And when it never does, you just go home.
SPEAKER_00Yep. So anyway, but it's fun stuff. Yeah, summer's coming, and uh yeah, got to hang out with some people this this last weekend. And it's good. Good. All right. So with that, we want to jump to our topic today. So we're diving back into the uh why we're Catholic book uh from Trent Horn, which we've been kind of going through and mixing in some other topics. Uh the next topic we have to talk about is uh why we protect life, why we're why we're pro-life.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's a whole section on uh morality and destiny. It's the end of the book, right? And I'm kind of looking forward to all the chapters, but the first chapter is uh uh why do we protect life?
SPEAKER_00Right. Yeah, so we're kind of tying this in. You remember from a couple episodes ago, uh we had like a little like intro to morality kind of uh topic conversation. So uh Mark, do you remember what we had talked about?
SPEAKER_01It was a while ago. Now we took a pause, a very, very appropriate pause, because we got involved in uh in Holy Week in Easter, and then we had the mission. So it's it was about four four podcasts back, and if you if you have time, go back and listen to it because it it was a real nice introduction to to what we're gonna be talking about today. We talked uh about morality and it being related to truth and freedom. And and uh if you go back, you'll see that you know we we allow ourselves to come to know the truth, we allow ourselves to rely to to follow the truth ourselves and uh ask God's mercy when we don't. And then after we receive the truth ourselves, then we can share it with others. Uh, and I think that kind of plays into a little bit about uh what we're gonna be talking about today.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think it was uh the sense too of talking about like judgmentalism versus judgment.
SPEAKER_01Right. That was that was actually the episode. It's why why why we judge.
SPEAKER_00Right, right. So the moral of the story is you know, we should not be judgmental, right? Right. Because we don't know everything about someone or their life or their situation, but we can make judgments about actions. And and Jesus did this uh in the gospels and in in all kinds of places. And yeah, that ultimately, you know, as human beings, we make decisions, and uh the church wants to uh to guide us in our decision making, uh, that ultimately it's not simply we do whatever we want to do. You know, it's not um that we choose things ultimately for the sake of of goodness, of excellence, of the fullness of of life and everything.
SPEAKER_01So but you summed it when you said the church guides us.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, ultimately the church doesn't impose but proposes. Correct. Uh and this is what this is this is the work of Jesus, right? He called everyone to to a higher place, um, but he didn't simply like you have to you have to be this way or you know, uh or just yelling at people, judging people, right? That's that's right. Hopefully, that's that's not the the posture of the church, right? Um but we do invite people into a way uh uh a deeper, a higher way of life, right? Because Jesus did himself. Uh so then after that, yeah, we were talked about uh holy week and and Easter and everything. We had a uh one of our last episodes was about mission. Um and what do we what do we say there?
SPEAKER_01We've all uh been called to something by God. We've all have a mission, we have work to do that uh, like I said in the in the mission podcast, that that God gave just to me. So uh we had Deacon John here for our uh parish mission, and he was called in a very, very specific way uh to go into a very, very trying situation with his wife in New York City uh to care for people who very much needed his help. But uh we all have mission. We all have something that we're called to do.
SPEAKER_00Right. Yeah, ultimately, I mean, the mission is God taking on flesh, coming to earth and saving us, right? And then providing us a church to continue his salv, his saving presence in the world.
SPEAKER_01The mission of salvation, right? Yes, yeah.
SPEAKER_00So yeah, that's the mission that we have, and then ultimately, you know, Easter is this is this opportunity can to continue to enter into mission, to continue to enter into proclaiming the gospel and and and the goodness of of Jesus and uh and ultimately the truth in love, right? So kind of tying together morality and mission that we're called to proclaim the truth of the church and the truth of uh Jesus, right? Uh so yeah, it's it's we're all involved in this, right? And it's to say, you know, the the the mission of the church is not apart from the world that it gets into everyday life that can be very messy and complicated and maybe confusing sometimes, but it but it's it but it's in the world. And this is this is the the posture of Jesus as well, right? He spent time with tax collectors and sinners. Um not to judge them or shame them, but you know, to to bring them into a again a deeper way of life, life uh with him. Uh and so and this is where like you know the church is involved in the world, the church is involved in politics insofar as it's involved with issues, issues that affect humans, right? And issues that affect uh humanity and God's creation, right? So the church is gonna speak to issues, yes, it does not advocate for uh political parties or candidates or whichever, uh, but it does speak to issues, right? And so that's kind of a general framework as to why is the the church pro-life, why does the church advocate for protecting life and why it has done so uh over these years. So that's kind of the intro. So to say, you know, there's a lot to be said about this topic for sure. Uh, and we really can't get into the weeds of of all the details and the arguments and and different things, but I think we just want to speak to this topic generally, uh kind of give some principles uh so that future conversations can happen. Maybe not necessarily here on the podcast, but uh in your own jer in your own journey, your own growth, uh, your own life. Uh certainly you can follow up with uh with us about any particular questions and things. Okay, so why do we protect life? Why are we pro-life?
SPEAKER_01Because life is worth protecting.
SPEAKER_00Because life is worth protecting. Yeah. For sure. Yeah, I think as we were thinking about it and talking through it, there's kind of two re two two two reasons. Uh first, because there are a lot of reasons as to why we are pro-life. And and ultimately, you know, they can be the the reasons the church has to protect life can be given on a rational basis, using reason, using science, using objective kind of things. That we don't need to ultimately appeal to religion and faith uh to be pro-life.
SPEAKER_01It just makes sense.
SPEAKER_00Right. There are, especially today, there are plenty of non-religious people uh who are advocating uh against abortion, uh are are advocating to be pro-life uh as well. So it's not a religious conversation as much as it is a human conversation, uh a rational conversation. Uh, but there are lots of reasons as to why uh why we defend life. You know, and and also too, uh it but why do we do it? Because you know, the the church has guided us to say that you know it is the pre-eminent issue that we have uh in a host of issues for sure, uh that can be uh difficult to navigate and understand. Uh the church has given us the sense that all of these topics are of importance. But the topic of abortion has more weight than others. Insofar as, you know, the right to life is the first right. Every other right flows from that, right?
SPEAKER_01Right. Right. It's a foundational thing.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. But there are there are lots of reasons. Uh and that gets into the science and the biology uh and everything. Uh we won't and personhood and kind of all of that, right? But to say there are there are lots of reasons. Uh, you know, that we believe that each person is made in the image and likeness of God. Uh and that, you know, each life, each person uh personhood begins at conception. Correct. You know, uh and this is the case. So if you go to a high school biology textbook, uh, this is when they say life begins. These are the standards at which we've been given to understanding when life begins.
SPEAKER_01And that's very scientifically agreed.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. And that gets into a lot of different questions and nuances that can be fleshed out, but ultimately that is that is the truth, and that is the case. And so uh ultimately, if it's a life, it's if it's a person, uh we can't uh end its life, right? We can't end that person's life. That is right. So that that that is kind of the long and the short of it. But it's also the case, even though there are lots of reasons for us to be uh pro-life, uh, that ultimately it's it's also uh a posture the church has had since the beginning.
SPEAKER_01Beginning of time, right.
SPEAKER_00Uh well since the beginning of the church. Beginning of the church, right. So it goes way back. So there was actually uh in ancient Roman uh culture there was a practice of exposure. So to say if there was a family or really the father of the family decided that a child was was was not desirable for some reason, that they would have a practice of taking that child out into the desert and just leaving it. So when Christian when when the church b began, when Christians were seeing this, uh there was a practice of the Christians going to to going out to the desert to rescue these children. So there was a sense of the sacredness of human life even from a young age, uh always in the church, right? Uh and so the church has always had this posture of of care and of mercy uh towards people in difficult situations, right? But would would go to great lengths to to helping and protecting uh these children. So it's really it's it is the case the church has been pro-life uh since the beginning. And and I think that's that that is the reality. You know, we talk about morality and all these complicated situations, you know, it's it's about the church proclaiming the truth in in love. And we talk about the mission of the church. It it is one of mercy. You know, we right after Easter, we have this we have the celebration of divine mercy. Yeah, divine mercy. And there's only mercy um because of brokenness. Right? Actually, and the I f I I didn't mention this before on the on that podcast we were talking about it, but you know, the Latin word for mercy is misericordia. So, in a sense, if you kind of break it apart, misericordia, misery, you know, that there that mercy is not uh apart from from misery, uh sense of this brokenness of of human life and the human situation. Uh and so this is this is the case. And and it it is the case that the church uh does a great deal uh to help m uh mothers uh and young families in their difficult situations. Um because that can be very hard. Obviously, in the situations of rape uh and on all of this, uh it's it's horrific. It's it's it's horrible. It it uh it it need not it it cannot be, right, these situations. But they happen. And uh but the reality is you know uh considering that situation happens, you know, abortion isn't the solution you know to that.
SPEAKER_01Right. Situations don't change the truth. Right. The truth is right. The truth is what the truth is. But the church steps in to help in any situation that that doesn't turn out the right way, the way God intended it to.
SPEAKER_00So God wants uh the church, God wants to to walk with everyone. Uh and it is the case I've been involved with some different uh groups uh in our in our diocese who who help mothers in very difficult situations, families in very difficult situations. Uh on the east side at um in Mentor, there was Ivy Women's Center. Uh and they take a very uh I think a very beautiful approach to uh to women in these situations, not pushing them in any one direction, but just walking with them, seeing their situation, hearing them. Uh it's a very that's a very beautiful mission apostolate.
SPEAKER_01Um does cornerstone have Cornerstone of Hope is also over here as well. Yeah, and uh I'll admit I'm less familiar with Yeah, I I just had a friend who worked there, and I'm I'm I think they were involved in in that sort of work as well.
SPEAKER_00For sure, for sure. Yeah, cornerstone of hope. Kind of a healing work, right? Is a group we have, and certainly Catholic charities and uh and everything in our diocese. So uh it is the case that you know if abortion is not an option for us, uh, you know, that yes, mercy is an option. So the church has done uh a great deal to help uh to help mothers. It is the case, you know, could we do more? Yes, but you know, uh unfortunately we need to do more because there's such a need. Uh but that's where we uh can we come exposed to you know the resources and the people and the groups out there to be able to help support them.
SPEAKER_01And and be aware of those groups out there that we can step in to support the groups.
SPEAKER_00Right. Right. Um and then lastly, just kind of to say, you know, with this topic, there's lots of reasons. And I failed to mention at this point, but uh there's another book. So the Trent Horns book, he goes through a couple arguments, you know, basically uh stating the pr the the the church's position. But that that's a very uh very quick answer to the question, though. Uh and this topic would need more conversation. So uh the reality is uh there's uh lots of other resources. One resource that I'm a cu I've come across that's been I think very helpful to understand things, and again, as as I said before, uh not appealing to faith or the church's teaching, uh, but ultimately to reason and to science. Uh speaking for the unborn, uh 30 second pro-life rebuttals to pro-choice arguments, uh, is written by a Catholic doctor. Uh I think it's a very um I think it's a very helpful way of understanding, you know, kind of what are what are the some of the reasons as to why people are advocating for abortion, uh, and what what is the church's response using reason and using science. So and and dispelling some of the myths uh around the whole topic as well. So I've done a couple a couple different book studies uh on this book, and uh there have been a few people uh come each time, not not a great amount, but um, but I just wanted to share this book with everyone. So the conversation starts here, but it continues. And then ultimately I think it's to say that uh uh hopefully this is a conversation, right? And in order to have a conversation, we have to we have to truly hear out each other, right? Right. We have to hear out each other. What's really being said, what's what's what what is the truth and what are what are the facts and uh how do we how can we know more, right? Right.
SPEAKER_01Arguments disintegrate so quickly. What you need is something different than an argument, you need dialogue.
SPEAKER_00Right, right. And this is what Jesus does too all the time. He he talks and he listens and he walks with. Uh and so this is the church's uh posture when it comes to this, uh, very ideally, right? So well no matter what kind of where we land on this issue, I I think uh, you know, what's the invitation is to learn more and to grow more, to ask questions and to have conversation. Uh and certainly that can be difficult when we have maybe a close connection to this reality. But whether we ourselves maybe have chosen it, someone in our family has chosen it. And I just want to again just emphasize mercy, right? Ultimately, you know, our we are not defined by our sins and our weaknesses, but we're defined by the Lord's love for us. He does want us to move away from our sins uh and towards uh a life of grace. Towards holiness, but he looks upon us with mercy. And I think I just want to share, you know, John Paul II, Pope Saint John Paul II, had a letter that he wrote, and it's in uh his encyclical um the gospel of of life. And he wrote uh part of that, it was a message uh for uh post abortive women. And I think I just want to share it with us uh at this time. He writes, Do not give in to discouragement and do not lose hope. Try rather to understand what happened and face it honestly. If you have not already done so, give yourself give yourselves over with humility and trust to repentance. The Father Mercies is ready to give you his forgiveness and his peace in the sacrament of reconciliation to the same Father and His mercy, you can with sure hope and trust your child with the friendly and expert help and advice of other people. And as a result of your own payful experience, you can be among the most eloquent defenders of everyone's right to life. And so, yeah, the Pope just invites um yeah, everyone, all us us all to throw ourselves into the arms of the of of God, of the Father of Mercy, right? Uh and that um they can give witness, you know, to God's power and God's mercy and and the truth and everything. So all right, so I know that's just a a couple thoughts on this topic. Um I I pray uh we we we did it well in so far as we had a little bit uh just a little bit of time here. And uh again, just this is kind of an initial initial intro to uh a conversation and to further research on this topic as we continue the mission uh of the church and the world, bringing the truth and love uh to all people. All right.
SPEAKER_01Very good.
SPEAKER_00Okay, so let's uh let's jump to our gospel for this weekend. Name the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. The Lord be with you. And with your spirit. A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John.
SPEAKER_01Glory to you, Lord.
SPEAKER_00Jesus said, Amen, amen. I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate, but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep, the gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, and the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. But they will not follow a stranger, they will run they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers. Although Jesus used his figure of speech, the Pharisees did not realize what he was trying to tell them. So Jesus said again, Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy. I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly. Gospel of the Lord. Praise be Lord Lord Jesus Christ. All right, uh so fourth fourth Sunday of our Easter journey, right? Fourth Sunday of Easter journey. Good Shepherd Sunday, right?
SPEAKER_01Yep. Yeah, yeah. He uh this this reading introduces the whole uh shepherd concept and uh it takes me back to the um there's just one line here that just just shouts out to me, that takes me back to the resurrection story where Mary Magdalene uh runs into uh Jesus and thinks he's a gardener. But the line in the this reading is as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out, uh kind of reminds me of when Jesus met Mary there at the tomb and she thought he was a gardener, and he says her name, he says Mary, and she recognizes him. Yeah. So I I think I I want to pray that that I can not only recognize Jesus, but I can recognize him in in all those around me as well.
SPEAKER_00Right. Yeah, it reminds me on uh yesterday with the the the mass with the kids, I talk and I I talked about approaching Easter as like a scavenger hunt, you know, kind of uh insofar as you're you're looking for the presence of God, you're seeking the presence of God, uh, and him calling out to us. So I think this kind of plays into that too. You know, just this reality of wanting to hear God's voice in our life. You know, and maybe that how happens in a moment of prayer, maybe that happens in you know a conversation we have or an event that happens, that uh yeah, we're are we are we listening for the voice of God? And I think the you know Jesus says those who seek will find. So yeah, recognizing that same thing, you know, what does the voice of Jesus sound like in my life? Right. And really to kind of pay attention to the things that happen, miss it, yeah, and to not miss it. And yeah, I think if we if we have that prayer, Jesus help me to hear your voice, I think we could be surprised at what we what we what we encounter. So that's exactly right. All right, any uh prayer intentions today?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, today I I'd like to pray for uh good friends of mine, Angela and John. Angela is going to enter a very difficult time in her life right now, and I pray for both of them that that the Good Shepherd just comforts them, her and her husband, on uh on this next uh phase of their life.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, great. Nah, I'll just pray for uh certainly uh any families that are in difficult situations uh right now, any any mothers and families that are um that are considering you know uh a decision of abortion that the the Lord just may be with them uh and um and protect them and uh and just inspire them in this time with his peace and his presence. Uh but then also just prayers for our our apostolates, our people uh in the diocese, you know, working uh to walk with uh families in difficult situations that uh they may be just guided, helped, and and strengthened. Let's pray. Father, Son, Holy Spirit, amen. Good gracious God, heavenly Father, we just give you thanks and praise uh for the gift of this day, uh the gift of our lives, the gift uh of life in which we have. Uh we just ask you to be with us in our lives. Uh, whatever way we need uh today, uh may your peace and your presence uh be with us. Uh we pray uh for all those in difficult situations at this time that your your your sp your pure your presence, your your mercy uh may come upon them, inspire in us courage and confidence uh as the church to continue the mission uh to proclaim uh the truth and love and in mercy uh to all people. We ask this all in your name. Amen. Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Amen. Amen. All right, everyone. Have a blessed week. Uh be well, and we'll catch you next week.