This week, celebrated writer and poet Maya Angelou passed away quietly at home on May 28 the age of 86.
Many years ago a story appeared in Family Circle magazine, where she told how she became pregnant at the age of 16 and decided to have her baby. “My greatest blessing has been the birth of my son,” Maya once told Oprah Winfrey. Read the story in her own words here.
A Mother’s Day ad from the southern supermarket chain, Publix, shows an expectant mother and her daughter sharing a secret or two.
Guest blogger Sean Miller
“Abortion compounds the grief of many women who now carry with them deep physical and spiritual wounds after succumbing to the pressures of a secular culture which devalues God’s gift of sexuality and the right to life of the unborn.”
— Pope Francis, April 25, at a meeting with African bishops.
The grief and pain of abortion’s aftermath have devastated the lives of many men and women, who feel they have nowhere to turn.
Guest blogger Sean Miller asks us to help them find their way to the forgiveness and healing of God.
Forgiveness
How horrible it must feel to be forgotten!
How many women are hurting from abortion and feel they have nobody to talk to about their hurt? How many men struggle with their lost fatherhood as they try to handle their own hurt alone? And even couples, trying to navigate their way through a sea of stormy emotions, may find themselves feeling isolated.
Does the abortion industry concern itself with them at all? The answer is simply, NO! Once they receive their money and perform the abortion they point to the door.
And what happens when a woman leaves after her abortion is truly heart-breaking to witness. More than once I’ve seen women come out of an abortion facility devastated. Some wail. Others take a few steps, only to collapse in despair on the sidewalk.
What I’ve seen will be forever in my mind, stirring a mixture of emotions. The strongest is sorrow for these women. But there’s also a horrible feeling of helplessness inside — and anger grows. This anger asks, “How can the abortionists and other people responsible for this justify themselves?” Continue reading
Grace, a little girl whom doctors thought wasn’t worthy of life, is singing her way into America’s hearts and hearts around the world. Read the story here.
Guest blogger Sean Miller
On almost any quiet morning — often far from our notice — there is a life and death struggle taking place in the hearts of women considering abortion. Guest blogger Sean Miller considers what our response might be.
One Quiet Morning
One quiet morning, a man walking along the street noticed smoke rising above some buildings a few blocks away. He headed toward it merely out of curiosity. But as the smoke became thicker and darker, he picked up his pace.
At the corner, he could see flames coming from a house. Was there no one else around? Had no one reported this? As the seconds ticked by, he realized that he might be the only hope for anyone who might be trapped inside.
As he approached the blaze, a piercing cry from a woman shook him to the core. It was a cry of desperation. “Please help me and my baby … please!”
The man quickly moved into action. There was no time to spare! He charged into the house whose upper stories were already engulfed with flames, and, following the cries of the baby and the coughing of the mother, made his way through the smoky hallway.
He found them on the first floor, picked up the mother clinging to her infant, and with determination and unrelenting courage, carried them to safety.
Then he helped them to the ambulance, which had just arrived at the scene, and accompanied them to the hospital where they got the medical attention they needed.
The mother was deeply grateful and thanked the gentleman for saving her life and the life of her baby. The man knew that the Lord inspired him from the beginning, as it all happened so quickly.
The above story is fictious. However, it’s a parable — meant to illustrate an important point.
A woman considering an abortion is like the mother in this story, trapped in a burning building. Usually, she feels very alone. A smoke of confusion clouds her ability to see love. All she can do is cry as the flames surround her and her baby.
She desperately needs help! The smoke that billows out of the building is a sign to all of us that there are women in great need. Although they may be only quietly crying, inside they are screaming for help.
They don’t know where to turn for support. We need to be proactive and help them. And that may require all our courage, strength, and selflessness, the same qualities needed to run into a burning building.
Sometimes the call to save a life requires us to get out of our comfort zone. And if we’re able to that, we can greet the unknown — whatever we might encounter on “one quiet morning” — with hope and love.
For more blogs by Sean, just search for “Sean Miller” in the box in the upper right corner of the home page.
An unusually chilly winter reminds guest-blogger Sean Miller that the coldness of the world is no match for three friends who are filled with “limitless love.”
Guest blogger Sean Miller
Limitless Love
The winter of 2014 will be remembered as a time of endless snowstorms and freezing cold temperatures. The Northeast was relentlessly battered with frigid weather that made even a short walk to the car feel like an eternity.
It made me wonder how the homeless handle such harsh weather all winter long.
It’s so easy to forget about them once we get inside our heated homes. But I recently overheard a remarkable conversation that showed me that one person had not forgotten about their plight.
My good friend Colleen (I’m not using real names) mentioned that she recently found out that a man she knows was homeless. To my amazement, in her next breath, she said that she had some empty bedrooms in her home, and she was going to offer him shelter as he seeks employment.
She said this without any hesitation, as she willingly and lovingly shared her joy in offering help this homeless man. Her solution to the problem was simple – and immediate. And this is the heart of the pro-life message. Love requires sacrifice, and true love does not count the cost.
Colleen was like Mary, a young woman who has made a tremendous impact in the pro-life movement.
From the very beginning, her deep commitment and enthusiasm bore fruit as she counseled couples that were seeking an abortion. Her sincerity and passion touched the hearts of many young women, who decided to keep their babies.
But she didn’t stop there. Mary stayed by their side throughout their pregnancies. She prayed with them, counseled them, and comforted them in difficult times. There were many trips to the doctors’ office, and she would translate for them when there was a language barrier.
Her love required a great deal of sacrifice, and her commitment shows us all how to love without reservation.
Another good friend, Bridget, was instrumental in convincing a young woman to keep her baby.
Bridget spent an entire day helping this young woman find a place to live and get the support that she needed. However, for Bridget this was only the beginning. She kept in close touch with her young friend for the next 6 months.
She got a stroller, diapers, a playpen and pretty much anything a new baby needs. It seemed as if she never slept because she was always on the move … ready to help.
The day the baby was born Bridget was at the hospital, making a list of more items she planned to get for this joyous mother. In fact, the young mother told me,” Bridget has been there for me every step of the way. If I need something. she is always there.”
Bridget and her inexhaustible energy exemplified her love. This was a love that knew no bounds.
Colleen, Mary, and Bridget solve the problems they find before them by simply loving. All of their stories are great witnesses to the pro-life movement.
The characteristic that personally struck me the most in all three was not the tireless work they did. It was how they answered “the call” to love without any hesitation or reservation.
There were no questions asked. Instead, they acted immediately and the action they all took was to love … to love with a limitless love.
For more blogs by Sean, just search for “Sean Miller” in the box in the upper right corner of the home page.
Sometimes the simplest words can break open with insights we never expected. Here guest-blogger Sean Miller tells of the impact of two words we all use every day.
Guest blogger Sean Miller
Good Morning
Once on a beautiful Saturday morning, I overheard a woman say good morning to a co-worker.
This is something we all hear every day as we exchange pleasantries with loved ones and even total strangers.
However, on this particular day the echo of those words stayed with me.
These were people who worked at an abortion facility. I was close by, attempting to give out pro-life literature so that couples would choose life for their baby.
Hearing that cheerful exclamation of “good morning,” left me in a melancholy mood. Never would these innocent unborn babies hear a “good morning” from anybody … ever! The irony of it all was striking. Here it was a beautiful morning, warm greetings were being exchanged — and the cold reality for the unborn nearby was unthinkable.
In the matter of an hour or so these defenseless victims would be brutally dismantled in their mother’s wombs. There would be no morning for these babies, as there could be nothing good that could come from this act of brutality. Who would mourn for these forgotten victims? Would anybody remember them today or tomorrow?
Now, whenever I say or hear “good morning,” I can’t help but think of these little ones who have been robbed of their bright mornings here on earth.
So now, when the morning sun rises and God sheds His light upon us all I try to be mindful that He has blessed me with a “good morning,” and my heart should be filled with gratitude. The Lord, “the Giver of Life,” has granted us a “good morning,” and I wish to make it good for Him.
One of the ways to do this is to remember the unborn in our thoughts and prayers.
Another is to pray that couples in need will find the strength and courage to choose life. If it’s possible, I will witness to life where it is needed most, in the public square. This is where we will find the distraught couple. This is where we can help the helpless baby. This is where we can offer our support and truly wish to those in need a sincere “good morning.”
For more blogs by Sean, just search for “Sean Miller” in the box in the upper right corner of the home page.
McCloskey Council Grand Knight Arthur Saladino (2nd row, extreme left) and District Deputy Hugh Delargy (2nd row, extreme right) with representatives of some of the organizations who received donations at the Christmas Party. — Photo by Frank Traina
At a Christmas party jointly hosted by the Rockland chapter of the Knights of Columbus and the John Cardinal McCloskey Council 4565, the Knights again demonstrated their commitment to living Christ’s commandment of love by helping others.
Generous donations were made to variety of charities, local and international, religious and secular — all organizations that do true pro-life work that supports the culture of life.
Recipients included The Rockland Right to Life Committee, Birthright, Good Counsel Homes, Several Sources Shelters, The Sisters of Life, Catholic Charities, the Marian Shrine, the Tagaste Monastery, Jawonio and Camp Venture, and Free the Kids, which provides a home for orphaned and vulnerable children in Haiti.
The gift to Free the Kids was accepted in their behalf by Dr. Bob Gregory, who has raised $74,000 for this charity over the years.
Also receiving an award was Richie Porr, who was named McCloskey Council Knight of the Year. The event was held on Dec. 20 at the St. Francis of Assisi Parish Hall in West Nyack.
ROCKLAND RIGHT TO LIFE COMMITTEE 