A Classic by Chaput: Attn. CINOP - 4 of 4

A Classic by Chaput: Attn. CINOP – 4 of 4
In pursuit of the truth – www.cinopsbegone.com – Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Preface: Concerning the Stupak betrayal, legal experts at the US Catholic Conference of Bishops, National Right to Life Committee, Americans United for Life, and Family Research Council have confirmed that if the Senate bill is signed into law, it is a statuary mandate for the new health plans to include federal funding of elective abortion. Maybe, the U.S.A. pro-life movement can learn something overall from Chaput’s talk. (Cont’d)

“Now here’s the first and most important do. DO BECOME MARTYRS… Martyr is originally a Greek word, and it simply means “witness.” We need to witness our beliefs about human dignity with example of our daily choices and actions. But public can be costly. We need to be ready to pay a price for our convictions. We may never be asked to bleed for what we believe. But we do see character assassination, contempt and calumny against good people every day in our public media. We need to prepare for that. Nothing, not even our good name, should stop us from doing what we know to be right.

“Here’s the second do. DO KEEP HOPE ALIVE. Cultivating a spirit of joy is not self-deceptive. It’s a way to acknowledge that God really is on the side of human life and dignity, that human nature, created by God and despite the wound of original sin, is also on our side. Nothing is more important than happy warriors. I have never seen in my life joy-filled pro-abortion event. And I’ve always found that instructive.

“Here’s the third do. DO USE THE BEST MEANS OF YOUR MESSAGE, ESPECIALLY THE NEW TECHNOLOGIES. Today’s new technologies can be a mixed blessing. But they’re also cheap and useful tools that pro-lifers – like Brian Burch at catholicvote.org and many others -- can use very effectively. Many of the traditional, mainline media are losing influence. Bogs, social networks and You Tube are thriving…

“Here is the fourth and final do - DO REMEMBER THAT RENEWING THE CULTURE, NOT GRASPING AT POWER, IS OUR REAL GOAL. POLITICAL AND SOCIAL ACTION IS VITAL. BUT IT’S NOT AN END IN ITSELF.

“Culture is our “human ecology” – the environment where we breathe not only air, but ideas, beliefs, art, music, social manners and values. Our job is to carry out; according the talents and skills God gave us, what John Paul II called the “evangelization of culture.”

… Culture can be changed in small but powerful ways. But achieving that change demands from each of us a lifelong commitment to education; to studying and really understanding the issues that face us in science, medicine, technology and law; … to personal action and personal witness in the public square…

“I want to leave you with two final thoughts. Here’s the first. Nothing we do to defend the human person, no matter how small, is ever unfruitful or forgotten. Our actions touch other lives and move other hearts in ways we can never fully understand …

“Don’t ever underestimate the beauty and power of the witness you give in your pro-life work… But I also came here for me, to see your dedication and to draw friendship and strength from you. One thing we learn from Scripture is that God doesn’t have much use for the vain, or the prideful, for big shots or celebrities. But He loves the “anawim” – the ordinary, simple, everyday people who keep God’s Word, who stay faithful to His commandments, and who sustain the life of the world by leavening it with their goodness…

“Here’s my second and final thought. I was in Texas last week, and a friend shared with me the unofficial motto of the Texas Rangers. It goes like this: “No man in the wrong can stand up against a fella that’s in the right, and keeps a-comin.”… Virtue does matter. Courage and humility, justice and perseverance, do have the power. Good does win…
George H. Kubeck, the Stupak betrayal is a tragedy. We have a few articles on it.