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TRÁI TIM
MẸ: NƠI CON NƯƠNG NÁU - ĐƯỜNG ĐẾN VỚI CHÚA |
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"Chúa Giêsu muốn dùng con để làm
cho Mẹ được nhận biết và yêu mến" |
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August 31/2009 - Monday of
22nd Week of Ordinary Time
LITURGICAL/THEME MEDITATION:
"No prophet is acceptable in his own country"
UNIVERSAL CHURCH/WORLD EVENT(S):
Papal Homily for the Assumption;
Family and Marriage in
America
SAINT OF THE DAY
Sts. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus
GENERAL
MARIOLOGY
Book Five - Chapter IV
THE HAPPY DEATH OF SAINT JOSEPH
DIVINE MERCY
Divine Mercy in My Soul
NOTEBOOK V
TEACHING/TESTIMONY/CONVICTION:
Testimony of Nita Whitten,
former Abortion Provider
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DAILY LITURGICAL MEDITATION |
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Monday (8/31): "No prophet is acceptable in
his own country"
Scripture: Luke 4:16-30
16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and he went
to the synagogue, as his custom was, on the Sabbath day. And he stood
up to read; 17 and there was given to him the book of the prophet
Isaiah. He opened the book and found the place where it was written, 18
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach
good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the
captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those
who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." 20
And he closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down;
and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began
to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your
hearing." 22 And all spoke well of him, and wondered at the gracious
words which proceeded out of his mouth; and they said, "Is not this
Joseph's son?" 23 And he said to them, "Doubtless you will quote to me
this proverb, `Physician, heal yourself; what we have heard you did at
Caper'na-um, do here also in your own country.'" 24 And he said, "Truly,
I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his own country. 25 But in
truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of
Eli'jah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when
there came a great famine over all the land; 26 and Eli'jah was sent to
none of them but only to Zar'ephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman
who was a widow. 27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of
the prophet Eli'sha; and none of them was cleansed, but only Na'aman the
Syrian." 28 When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with
wrath. 29 And they rose up and put him out of the city, and led him to
the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might
throw him down headlong. 30 But passing through the midst of them he
went away.
Meditation: How would you react if Jesus spoke this message
from the pulpit of your church? It was customary for Jesus to go weekly
to the synagogue to worship and on occasion to read the scriptures and
comment on them to the people. His hometown folks listened with rapt
attention on this occasion because they had heard about the miracles he
had performed in other towns. What sign would he do in his hometown?
Jesus startled them with a seeming rebuke that no prophet or servant of
God can receive honor among his own people. He then angered them when he
complimented the gentiles who seemed to have shown more faith in God
than the "chosen ones" of Israel. They regarded gentiles as "fuel for
the fires of hell." Jesus' praise for "outsiders" caused them offence
because they were blind-sighted to God's mercy and plan of redemption
for all nations.
The word "gospel" literally means "good news". Isaiah had prophesied
that the Messiah would come in the power of the Holy Spirit to bring
freedom to those oppressed by sin and evil (see Isaiah 61:1-2). Jesus
came to set people free from the worst tyranny possible – the tyranny of
slavery to sin and the fear of death, and the destruction of both body
and soul. God's power alone can save us from emptiness and poverty of
spirit, from confusion and error, and from the fear of death and
hopelessness. The gospel of salvation is "good news" for us today. Do
you know the joy and freedom of the gospel?
"Lord Jesus, you are the fulfillment of all our hopes and desires.
Your Spirit brings us grace, truth, life, and freedom. Fill me with the
joy of the gospel and inflame my heart with love and zeal for you and
for your will".
Psalm 119:97-102
97 Oh, how I love thy law! It is my meditation all the day.
98 Thy commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with
me.
99 I have more understanding than all my teachers, for thy testimonies
are my meditation.
100 I understand more than the aged, for I keep thy precepts.
101 I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep thy word.
102 I do not turn aside from thy ordinances, for thou hast taught me.
www.dailyscripture.net
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UNIVERSAL CHURCH/WORLD EVENTS |
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Papal Homily for the Assumption
"Mary Lives Her Constant Ascent to God in the Spirit of the
Magnificat"
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, AUG. 30, 2009 (Zenit.org).-
Here is a Vatican translation of the homily Benedict XVI gave
Aug. 15, the solemnity of the Assumption. The Pope celebrated Holy Mass
at the Parish Church of San Tommaso da Villanova in Castel Gandolfo.
* * *
Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate and in the Priesthood,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Today's Solemnity crowns the series of important liturgical celebrations
in which we are called to contemplate the role of the Blessed Virgin
Mary in the history of salvation. Indeed, the Immaculate Conception, the
Annunciation, the Divine Motherhood and the Assumption are the
fundamental, interconnected milestones with which the Church exalts and
praises the glorious destiny of the Mother of God, but in which we can
also read our history.
The mystery of Mary's conception recalls the first page of the human
event, pointing out to us that in the divine plan of creation man was to
have had the purity and beauty of the Virgin Immaculate.
This plan, jeopardized but not destroyed by sin, through the Incarnation
of the Son of God, proclaimed and brought into being in Mary, was
recomposed and restored to the free acceptance of the human being in
faith.
Lastly, in Mary's Assumption, we contemplate what we ourselves are
called to attain in the following of Christ the Lord and in obedience to
his word, at the end of our earthly journey.
The last stage of the Mother of God's earthly pilgrimage invites us to
look at the manner in which she journeyed on toward the goal of glorious
eternity.
In the Gospel passage just proclaimed, St Luke tells that, after the
Angel's announcement, Mary "arose and went with haste into the hill
country", to visit Elizabeth (Lk 1: 39).
With these words the Evangelist wishes to emphasize that for Mary to
follow her own vocation in docility to God's Spirit, who has brought
about within her the Incarnation of the Word, means taking a new road
and immediately setting out from home, allowing herself to be led on a
journey by God alone.
St Ambrose, commenting on Mary's "haste", says: "the grace of the Holy
Spirit admits of no delay" (Expos. Evang. sec. Lucam, ii, 19: PL 15,
1560).
Our Lady's life is guided by Another: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the
Lord; let it be to me according to your word" (Lk 1: 38); it is modelled
by the Holy Spirit, it is marked by events and encounters, such as that
with Elizabeth, but above all by her very special relationship with her
Son Jesus.
It is a journey on which Mary, cherishing and pondering in her heart the
events of her own life, perceives in them ever more profoundly the
mysterious design of God the Father for the salvation of the world.
Then, by following Jesus from Bethlehem to exile in Egypt, in both his
hidden and his public life and even to the foot of the Cross, Mary lives
her constant ascent to God in the spirit of the Magnificat, fully
adhering to God's plan of love, even in moments of darkness and
suffering, and nourishing in her heart total abandonment in the Lord's
hands in order to be a paradigm for the faithful of the Church (cf.
Lumen Gentium, nn. 64-65).
The whole of life is an ascent, the whole of life is meditation,
obedience, trust and hope, even in darkness; and the whole of life is
marked by this "holy haste" which knows that God always has priority and
nothing else must create haste in our existence.
And, lastly, the Assumption reminds us that Mary's life, like that of
every Christian, is a journey of following, following Jesus, a journey
that has a very precise destination, a future already marked out: the
definitive victory over sin and death and full communion with God,
because as Paul says in his Letter to the Ephesians the Father "raised
us up with him, and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in
Christ Jesus" (Eph 2: 6).
This means that with Baptism we have already fundamentally been raised
and are seated in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, but we must
physically attain what was previously begun and brought about in
Baptism.
In us, union with Christ resurrection is incomplete, but for the Virgin
Mary it is complete, despite the journey that Our Lady also had to make.
She has entered into the fullness of union with God, with her Son, she
draws us onwards and accompanies us on our journey.
In Mary taken up into Heaven we therefore contemplate the One who,
through a unique privilege, was granted to share with her soul and her
body in Christ's definitive victory over death. "When her earthly life
was over", the Second Vatican Council says, the Immaculate Virgin "was
taken up body and soul into heavenly glory... and exalted by the Lord as
Queen over all things, that she might be the more fully conformed to her
Son, the Lord of lords (cf. Rv 19: 16) and conqueror of sin and death"
(Lumen Gentium, n. 59).
In the Virgin taken up into Heaven we contemplate the crowning of her
faith, of that journey of faith which she points out to the Church and
to each one of us: the One who, at every moment, welcomed the Word of
God, is taken up into Heaven, in other words she herself is received by
the Son in the "dwelling place" which he prepared for us with his death
and Resurrection (cf. Jn 14: 2-3).
Human life on earth as the First Reading has reminded us is a journey
that takes place, constantly, in the intense struggle between the dragon
and the woman, between good and evil. This is the plight of human
history: It is like a voyage on a sea, often dark and stormy. Mary is
the Star that guides us towards her Son Jesus, "the sun that has risen
above all the shadows of history" (cf. Spe Salvi, n. 49) and gives us
the hope we need: the hope that we can win, that God has won and that,
with Baptism we entered into this victory. We do not succumb
definitively: God helps us, he guides us.
This is our hope: This presence of the Lord within us that becomes
visible in Mary taken up into Heaven. "The Virgin" in a little while we
shall read in the Preface for this Solemnity "that you made to shine out
as "a sign of hope and comfort for your people on their pilgrim way'".
With St Bernard, a mystic who sang the Blessed Virgin's praises, let us
thus invoke her: "We pray you, O Blessed One, for the grace that you
found, for those prerogatives that you deserved, for the Mercy you bore,
obtain that the One who for your sake deigned to share in our
wretchedness and infirmity, through your prayers may make us share in
his graces, in his bliss and in his eternal glory, Jesus Christ, your
Son, our Lord, who is above all things, Blessed God for ever and ever.
Amen" (Sermo 2 "de Adventu", 5: PL 183, 43).
© Copyright 2009 --
Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Family and Marriage in America
Author Sees Notable Differences From Other Countries
By Father John Flynn, LC
ROME, AUG. 30, 2009 (Zenit.org).-
Family life in many countries has undergone radical changes in the last
few decades. The situation in America is, however, substantially worse
compared to other countries, argued Andrew J. Cherlin in a book
published earlier this year.
According to the arguments in "The Marriage Go-Round: The State of
Marriage and the Family in America Today," (Alfred A. Knopf) Americans
have embraced contradictory models of personal and family life. The
first involves a commitment to share one's life with another; the second
emphasizes personal growth and development.
Cherlin is the Benjamin H. Griswold III professor of Sociology and
Public Policy at Johns Hopkins University and has spent the last three
decades analyzing family life.
Marriage as a cultural ideal is a strong force in America, he points
out. In fact, there are government programs promoting marriage and the
fierce debate over proposals to introduce same-sex marriage testifies to
the way marriage is strongly defended by many.
Nevertheless, Cherlin comments that in no other Western country is the
waiting period for a no-fault divorce so short. One study he read said
that children living with two married parents in the United States have
a higher risk of experiencing a family breakup than do children with two
unmarried parents in Sweden.
Cherlin recalled the experience some years back of some states that
introduced a "covenant marriage" option for couples getting married in a
civil ceremony. In such a marriage both spouses agree to restrictions on
how quickly and easily they can obtain a divorce.
No covenant
At the time, Cherlin recalled, he thought that maybe up to a third of
couples would choose this option. Experience showed this to be a wild
overestimate. Several years later, less than 2% had opted for a covenant
marriage in Louisiana and Arkansas.
So even though the covenant marriage option was introduced in Arkansas
in 2001, in 2004 it had the second-highest number of divorces per person
of any state -- coming after Nevada, a notorious divorce destination for
people from other states.
At the same time, in 2004, Arkansas also had the third highest per
capita rate of marriage. Arkansas is part of the U.S. "Bible Belt," with
above average church membership. In fact, six of the 10 states with the
highest divorces rates are in the South -- the other four are in the
West -- and all of them tend to be socially conservative.
Thus, while marriage is held in high esteem in America, Cherlin pointed
out that the postmodern cultural trend to self-expression and personal
growth is also very influential.
There are societies with strong marriage values, where few children are
born outside marriage and there are low levels of cohabitation. Italy is
such a case, said Cherlin. Then there are countries with a culture that
places a high value on individualism, such as Sweden. Only in the United
States, however, do both these cultural tendencies co-exist.
As a result, Americans value the stability and security of marriage, but
they also believe that individuals who are unhappy with their marriages
should be allowed to end them. "What Americans want, in other words, is
for everyone else to have a covenant marriage," he concluded.
Statistics
This is reflected in the statistics on marriage in the United States,
Cherlin pointed out. The percentage of people who aspire to marriage is
close to 90%, higher than in other countries. Yet America has the
highest divorce rate in the Western world, higher even than countries
such as Sweden.
Half of all first marriages occur by age 25 in the United States,
compared to 29 years-of-age in Italy, 30 in France, and 31 in Sweden.
Cohabitation also commences earlier for Americans than in many European
nations.
Marriages in America also break down at a higher rate. Nearly half of
all American marriages end in divorce. In fact, after only 5 years more
than one-fifth of Americans who married are separated or divorced. Among
those who began cohabitating over half had broken up 5 years later, a
substantially higher figure than in many other countries.
In the United States, 40% of children born to married or cohabitating
parents experience a breakup by age fifteen. In Sweden the rate is 30%,
and in other countries it is in the high or low 20s.
After their breakups, Americans are also more likely to seek a new
partner. Nearly half of children who experience a breakup see the entry
of another partner in the household within three years, a much higher
proportion than in other countries.
Frequent marriage, frequent divorce, more short-term cohabitation, this
is what creates great turbulence in American family life, according to
Cherlin. What he calls "this merry-go-round" of American families is
more than a statistical quirk, he continues.
The impact on children is of particular concern. Some children
experience great difficulty in adjusting to a series of partners.
Children whose parents have remarried do not have higher levels of
well-being than children in lone-parent families, despite the addition
of a second parent. This is in spite of the fact that remarrying brings
with it an increase in income and an additional person to parent the
children.
New stepparents disrupt the existing relationships between lone parents
and their children and repeated changes of parents or partners affects a
child's emotional development.
Dramatic change
Looking back over the last 50 years or so, Cherlin commented on the
dramatic changes in family and marriage. In the 1950s, having children
out of marriage was a shameful experience, while today it is
commonplace. Living together before marriage was a rarity, but today not
living together before marriage is the exception.
Marriage is still considered as something important, Cherlin admitted,
but it is now seen as an option. Moreover, we have seen an unprecedented
decline in marriage being considered as the only acceptable arrangement
for having sexual relations and for raising children.
Cherlin points out he is not arguing for a return to some idealized 50s
model of family life, nor is he against the trend to individualism. What
he does conclude is that Americans need to slow down and take more time
to consider their decisions about marriage and family life.
At the same time, he isn’t hopeful for any big immediate changes.
Cherlin also points out that while the United States is a strongly
religious nation, divorce has always long been a part of the culture and
it was legal in America long before it was allowed in Europe.
The challenge, he continues, is to find a way to minimize the unwanted
effects of individualism. How to this is not obvious, he concedes.
Stable two-parent families provide better environments for children than
do other arrangements.
The problem is that many people today see marriage in a different light,
viewing it as a private relationship centered on the needs of adults for
love and companionship. "This postmodern, relationship-based view of
marriage has carried the day," Cherlin admits.
As a result, it is doubtful that government promotion of marriage or
changes to welfare programs will be able to make a substantial impact on
the structures of families.
No doubt Cherlin's urging that people slow down and take more time to
make their choices when it comes to marriage is good advice. One can
only wonder, however, how much difference that will make. The real
solution is to change the cultural and social expectations and values
that orient people's priorities. Achieving that sort of transformation
of society is indeed a challenge.
© Innovative Media,
Inc.
Reprinting ZENIT's
articles requires written permission from the
editor.
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DAILY LITURGICAL SAINT |
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http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/SaintofDay
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GENERAL
MARIOLOGY |
THE DIVINE HISTORY AND
LIFE
OF THE
VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD
BOOK FIVE
Concerning
the Perfection with which the most Holy Mary copied and
Imitated
the Activity of the Soul of Christ; how the Incarnate Word
Instructed
Her in the Laws of grace, the Articles of Faith, the
Sacraments, the Ten Commandments; and with what
Alacrity
and Noble Promptitude She Corresponded.
Also
concerning the Death of Saint Joseph, the
Preaching
of Saint John, the call of the
First
Disciples and the Baptism
Of the
Virgin Mary, our
Blessed
Lady
CHAPTER IV.
THE HAPPY DEATH OF SAINT
JOSEPH.
Already eight years saint Joseph had been exercised
by his infirmities and sufferings, and his noble soul been purified more
and more each day in the crucible of affliction and of divine love. As
the time passed his bodily strength gradually diminished and he
approached the unavoidable end, in which the stipend of death is paid by
all of us children of Adam (Heb. 9, 27). In like manner also increased
the care and solicitude of his heavenly Spouse, our Queen, assisting and
serving him with unbroken punctuality. Perceiving, in her exalted
wisdom, that the day and hour for his departure from this cumbrous earth
was very near, the loving Lady betook Herself to her blessed Son and
said to Him: "Lord God Most High, Son of the eternal Father and Savior
of the world, by thy divine light I see the hour approaching which thou
hast decreed for the death of thy servant Joseph. I beseech Thee, by thy
ancient mercies and by thy infinite bounty, to assist him in that hour
by thy almighty power. Let his death be as precious in thy eyes, as the
uprightness of his life was pleasing to Thee, so that he may depart in
peace and in the hope of the eternal reward to be given to him on the
day in which Thou shalt open the gates of heaven for all the faithful.
Be mindful, my Son, of the humility and love of thy servant; of his
exceeding great merits and virtues; of the fidelity and solicitude by
which this just man has supported Thee and me, thy humble handmaid, in
the sweat of his brow."
Our Savior answered: "My Mother, thy request is
pleasing to me, and the merits of Joseph are acceptable in my eyes. I
will now assist him and will assign him a place among the princes of my
people (Ps. 115, 15), so high that he will be the admiration of the
angels and will cause them and all men to break forth in highest praise.
With none of the human born shall I do as with thy spouse." The great
Lady gave thanks to her sweetest Son for this promise; and, for nine
days and nights before the death of saint Joseph he uninterruptedly
enjoyed the company and attendance of Mary or her divine Son. By command
of the Lord the holy angels, three times on each of the nine days,
furnished celestial music, mixing their hymns of praise with the
benedictions of the sick man. Moreover, their humble but most precious
dwelling was filled with the sweetest fragrance and odors so wonderful
that they comforted not only saint Joseph, but invigorated all the
numerous persons who happened to come near the house.
One day before he died, being wholly inflamed with
divine love on account of these blessings, he was wrapped in an ecstasy
which lasted twenty-four hours. The Lord himself supplied strength for
this miraculous intercourse. In this ecstasy he saw clearly the divine
Essence, and, manifested therein, all that he had believed by faith the
incomprehensible Divinity, the mystery of the Incarnation and
Redemption, the militant Church with all its Sacraments and mysteries.
The blessed Trinity commissioned and assigned him as the messenger of
our Savior to the holy Patriarchs and Prophets of limbo; and commanded
him to prepare them for their issuing forth from this bosom of Abraham
to eternal rest and happiness. All this most holy Mary saw reflected in
the soul of her divine Son together with all the other mysteries, just
as they had been made known to her beloved spouse and She offered her
sincerest thanks for all this to her Lord.
When saint Joseph issued from this ecstasy his face
shone with wonderful splendor and his soul was transformed by his vision
of the essence of God. He asked his blessed Spouse to give him her
benediction; but She requested her divine Son to bless him in her stead,
which He did. Then the great Queen of humility, falling on her knees,
besought saint Joseph to bless Her, as being her husband and head. Not
without divine impulse the man of God fulfilled this request for the
consolation of his most prudent Spouse. She kissed the hand with which
he blessed Her and asked him to salute the just ones of limbo in her
name. The most humble Joseph, sealing his life with an act of
self-abasement, asked pardon of his heavenly Spouse for all his
deficiencies in her service and love and begged Her to grant him her
assistance and intercession in this hour of passing away. The holy man
also rendered humblest thanks to her Son for all the blessings of his
life and especially for those received during this sickness. The last
words which saint Joseph spoke to his Spouse were: "Blessed art Thou
among all women and elect of all the creatures. Let angels and men
praise Thee; let all the generations know, praise and exalt thy dignity;
and may in Thee be known, adored and exalted the name of the Most High
through all the coming ages; may He be eternally praised for having
created Thee so pleasing in his eyes and in the sight of all the blessed
spirits. I hope to enjoy thy sight in the heavenly fatherland."
Then this man of God, turning toward Christ, our
Lord, in profoundest reverence, wished to kneel before Him. But the
sweetest Jesus, coming near, received him in his arms, where, reclining
his head upon them, Joseph said: "My highest Lord and God, Son of the
eternal Father, Creator and Redeemer of the World, give thy blessing to
thy servant and the works of thy hand; pardon, O most merciful King, the
faults which I have committed in thy service and intercourse. I extol
and magnify Thee and render eternal and heartfelt thanks to Thee for
having, in thy ineffable condescension, chosen me to be the spouse of
thy true Mother; let thy greatness and glory be my thanksgiving for all
eternity." The Redeemer of the world gave him his benediction, saying:
"My father, rest in peace and in the grace of my eternal Father and
mine; and to the Prophets and Saints, who await thee in limbo, bring the
joyful news of the approach of their redemption." At these words of
Jesus, and reclining in his arms, the most fortunate saint Joseph
expired and the Lord himself closed his eyes. At the same time the
multitude of the angels, who attended upon their King and Queen, intoned
hymns of praise in loud and harmonious voices. By command of the Lord
they carried his most holy soul to the gathering-place of the Patriarchs
and Prophets, where it was immediately recognized by all as clothed in
the splendors of incomparable grace, as the putative father and the
intimate friend of the Redeemer, worthy of highest veneration.
Conformably to the will and mandate of the Lord, his arrival spread
inutterable joy in this countless gathering of the saints by the
announcement of their speedy rescue.
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DIVINE MERCY
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Divine Mercy In my soul
The Mercy of the Lord I will sing Forever.
Divine Mercy in my soul.
Sr. Faustina, Diary
NOTEBOOK V
Conversation of the
Merciful God with a Soul Striving after Perfection.
Jesus: I am pleased with your efforts, O soul
aspiring for perfection, but why do I see you so often sad and depressed?
Tell Me, My child, what is the meaning of this sadness, and what is its
cause?
Soul: Lord, the reason for my sadness is that,
in spite of my sincere resolutions, I fall again into the same faults. I
make resolutions in the morning, but in the evening I see how much I have
departed from them.
Jesus: You see what you are of yourself. The
cause of your falls is that you rely too much upon yourself and too little
on Me. But let this not sadden you so much. You are dealing with the God of
mercy, which your misery cannot exhaust. Remember, I did not allot only a
certain number of pardons.
Soul: Yes, I know all that but the great
temptations assail me, and various doubts waken within me and moreover,
everything irritates and discourages me.
Jesus: My child, know that the greatest obstacles
to holiness are discouragement and an exaggerated anxiety. These will
deprive you of the ability to practice virtue. All temptations united
together ought not disturb your interior peace, not even momentarily.
Sensitiveness and discouragement are fruits of self love. You should not
become discouraged, but strive to make My love reign in place of your self
love. Have confidence, My child. Do not lose heart in coming for pardon, for
I am always ready to forgive you. As often as you beg for it, you glorify My
mercy.
Soul: I understand what is the better thing to
do, what pleases You more, but I encounter great obstacles in acting on this
understanding.
Jesus: My child, life on earth is a struggle
indeed; a great struggle for My kingdom. But fear not, because you are not
alone. I am always supporting you, so lean on Me as you struggle, fearing
nothing. Take the vessel of trust and draw from the fountain of life - for
yourself, but also for other souls, especially such as are distrustful of My
goodness.
Soul: O Lord, I feel my heart being filled with
Your love and the rays of Your mercy and love piercing my soul. I go, Lord,
at Your command. I go to conquer souls. Sustained by Your grace, I am ready
to follow You Lord, not only to Tabor, but also to Calvary. I desire to lead
souls to the fount of Your mercy so that the splendor of Your mercy may be
reflected in all souls, and the home of our Father be filled to overflowing.
And when the enemy begins to attack me, I shall take refuge behind the
shield of Your mercy.
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CATHOLIC TEACHING/CONVICTION/TESTIMONY |
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Testimony of Nita
Whitten, former Abortion Provider
(This testimony was originally given
at a "Meet the Abortion Providers" workshop sponsored by the Pro-life
Action League of Chicago, directed by Joe Scheidler. Priests for Life
offers their video, "Inside the Abortion Industry," containing excerpts
of the testimonies of many former providers.
Contact us for more details.)
(continued)Remarks by Joe
Scheidler
Something that Nita mentioned was about
the pornography in the pro-abortion movement. In 1976, about 12 of us
attended the first National Association of Abortion Facilities, then
called NAAF. It's now changed to the National Abortion Federation (NAF).
They were holding their first national convention in Rosemont, so a
group of us came out to attend. We weren't well known, so we found some
badges and put our names on them and we attended. During one of the
breaks we went into the exhibition hall. At the end of the hall was a
large, white wall. Being shown on that wall were the most obscene,
triple X-rated color films with sound tracks that you could imagine.
Every form of sexual perversion was being shown in these films. It was
hard to be in the room with this film going on, but I was doing stories
for the National Right-to-Life Committee newspaper at that time, believe
it or not. At that time, I did four stories that came out of that
convention, and one of them, by Tom Roeser, was an explanation of why
the abortionists are involved in pornography and perversions, and the
idea was there is nothing wrong with any kind of sexual aberration at
all, except venereal disease and pregnancy. And both of those diseases
can now be handled by the abortionists. The idea was to break down all
of your resistance, all of your hang-ups that would prevent you from
having a total liberal sexual life. They run hand-in-hand. I found that
frequently at the abortion conventions that there are all kind of weird
things going on. I just mention that because it supports what Nita said
and explains part of this whole evil that abortion is part of. Abortion
is a mop-up for lives without control, without respect, without
responsibility. It's all part of a big picture in which absolutely we
are fighting principalities and powers.
Questions Addressed to Nita Whitten
Q. With all the money that you handled in
cash, were there ever any attempted robberies?
A. I never personally experienced that,
but I always was in fear of it because I was the one who took the money
to the bank every day, and I was always afraid of that. I always took a
different route to the bank. No, there weren't, but we were in an
unusual area of time where I don't think that a robber would be welcome
because it was over in sort of a "hotsy-totsy" section.
Q. What was the largest deposit?
A. I don't remember. It was somewhere
between $5,000, $10,000, $15,000 a day, depending on how many we saw
that day and whether or not they were big abortions. It wasn't unusual
at all for me to take $10,000 or $15,000 a day to the bank in cash, by
myself, without a gun.
Q. How long did you work at the clinic?
Is he still going strong?
A. I only worked at the clinic for one
year. I believe that he is still going strong, yes. Sadly.
Q. Earlier you mentioned about the
telephone. How did they teach you to sell abortion over the phone? How
did you deal with the question of picketers outside the clinic?
A. The only picketers that I experienced
were at the National Abortion Federation meeting. They were there and I
thought it was real funny. It didn't really change things for me. It
didn't make me uncomfortable. We were concerned about the press because
Curtis and Glenna had this thing about not wanting bad press. There was
a priest, however, who walked up and down in front of the clinic
regularly. We never bothered with him because he didn't do anything. But
I am firmly convinced that he prayed a lot of prayers, and perhaps one
of his prayers was what saved me and got me delivered.
Q. What illegal things might they be involved in?
A. Obviously, there are many things. They
did abortions at clinic I worked at that were way over 24 weeks, and I
believe that they took money and didn't report it. I believe that it
would be well-worth the effort of the IRS to get involved in that.
That's an area where we have some clout because the IRS is supposed to
be no respecter of persons.
Q. How was fetal disposal handled?
A. They basically put them down their
garbage disposal if they were small enough. We hardly ever sent anything
to the laboratory for pathology unless there was something weird going
on and the doctor wanted to make sure he wouldn't get sued. That was the
only reason he would send it, to keep from getting sued. Then, of
course, we started giving them the larger babies to the University of
Texas Health Science Center. There were clinics in Dallas, however, that
sold their fetal tissue for cosmetics. Pay attention to what you buy.
Q. Do you know of any mafia involvement?
A. I don't know about that sort of thing, but I can tell you that all
the people who were associated with the clinic that I worked at, and
with Curtis, were really weird. We're not talking about normal people at
all. I even thought they were weird when I worked there. There was one
doctor who worked there that was working illegally. He wasn't supposed
to be working for us. He was a resident and was only supposed to be
working at the hospital that he was at, and he worked on Saturdays and
made a lot of money. We weren't supposed to tell. There were a lot of
things that we weren't supposed to tell, and that was one of them. He
now is a licensed physician and he does work for the clinic full-time, I
understand.
Q. Are you saying that every transaction
has to be in cash?
A. Every single transaction that we did
was in cash money. We wouldn't take a check; we wouldn't take a credit
card. Now there were times when we tried accepting checks, but we kept
losing money. And there were times when they did the Medicare and those
kinds of abortions. But after I went to work there, we eliminated all of
that and it was a cash only deal. I mean it was cash only. If you didn't
have the money, forget it.
Q. Did you receive any sort of government
funding?
A. When I first started working there they
were phasing that out because they decided it wasn't profitable. But
they did do Medicare patients earlier. In Texas the Medicare program is
so messed up that they felt that they were wasting their money.
Q. If a girl had a problem and came back what would happen?
A. That's the
saddest thing you could have asked. Basically, if there was something
really serious they sent them to the little doctor on call. But other
than that, they didn't do anything, and they certainly didn't do
anything to help her emotionally or mentally. There weren't many cases
of that happening because most of the women, like has been said, wanted
to forget it. They didn't want you to know that they had had an
abortion, and they weren't about to do anything about it. I believe
Curtis was involved in some sort of litigation where he was being sued
for some sort of malpractice deal. I don't know whatever came of that,
but I do remember filing the papers for it. There were always instances
where something could happen because it was bad medical care, especially
at that clinic. It was pretty pathetic.
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