BEATITUDES, BABIES AND BASEBALL: The Pure-Hearted Shortstop

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." Matt. 5:8. Like the players on a baseball team, the beatitudes perform together. The actions of one lead to the others. This essay here considers the last of the middle three beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount in Chapter 5 of Matthew’s Gospel. Each essay examines a beatitude in three relationships: our relationship with God, with His laws and with others, particularly the least favored of humanity. Each begins with mention of a famous baseball player who demonstrated some characteristics of the beatitude. Can you recognize the player before reading his name? This shortstop won back-to-back National League Most Valuable Player Awards when his team finished no higher than fifth place. Though he slugged over 20 home runs 13 times and finished his career with 512 home runs, he never played in the World Series. Through thick and thin, he always focused on what was good. His most famous, oft-repeated saying is, “What a great day for baseball. Let’s play two!” He is known, loved and respected as Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks. The Spirit abides in the pure in heart. When the Spirit abides in us, we are overflowing with a love of His law which directs our inner thoughts as well as our external actions toward others, but most especially the least among us. The pure in heart see life in the Spirit as a wonderful feast of the most delicious dishes prepared by the most skilled chef. Though others may choose less desirable meals, some downright poisonously filled with rat poison, the pure in heart keep focused on what is good and direct all their attention to that good. The prochoice position sees life from a different perspective. It rejoices not in the delicious banquet, but in the fact that people can choose the rat poison instead, if not for themselves, then at least for their smallest offspring. It sees that decision as a private matter which no one should dare to deprive anyone of. It claims too that all such private choices are to be respected equally. Privacy instead of purity is the principle the prochoice position guards. In the prolife cause, we should strive to be pure in heart. We must recognize that the root cause of abortion is an inner spiritual struggle where the participants must first deny the unborn the dignity of being considered fully human. If the Spirit is to abide in our hearts, however, there is no room there for us to deny anyone that dignity. There is no room for sex outside of marriage which deprives people of purity in their own bodies. There is no room for pornography which denies respect for the other persons used. There is no room for sexism and racism which deny dignity to whole classes of people. Our inner thoughts as well as our external actions must keep focused on what is good. Let us taste this most wonderful feast of life in the Spirit prepared for us and help others to do so likewise. When they are tempted to sample the rat poison, let us be the ones to say, “No, have a taste of this good delicacy instead. In fact, let’s have two.”

BLOG HOME PAGE LINK Illinoislife.blogspot.com

Peoria, Illinois Life Chain Press Release

For immediate release
Contact: Mike Miller, 309-248-7909
 
Peoria-area residents to form Life Chain Oct. 4

PEORIA -- The central Illinois portion of the National Life Chain will be linked from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday, October 4, on sidewalks along University Street, Northmoor Road and Allen Road. The Peoria chain will link the despair of the city's abortion clinic, National Health Care at 7405 N. University St., to the hope of Esther House, an in-house, long-term facility for women and women with children at 6847 N. Allen Road.

Life Chain is a peaceful and prayerful public witness of pro-life Americans standing for one hour, praying for our nation and for an end to abortion. It is a visual statement of solidarity by the Christian community that abortion kills children and that the church supports the sanctity of human life from the moment of conception to natural death.

Similar events will take place at more than 1,400 locations across the United States and Canada.

Those taking part in the Peoria Life Chain, organized by Central Illinois Right to Life, should meet at the intersection of University and Northmoor starting around 2 p.m. Pro-life signs will be distributed. Parking will be available in the parking lots of St. Vincent de Paul Grade School and Richwoods High School. Water, lawn chairs, umbrellas and strollers are welcome. The Life Chain will be formed rain or shine. Entire families and congregations are encouraged to take part.

For more information, view www.LifeChain.net.

Call 691-3611 for more details on the Peoria Life Chain.

NOTE TO NEWS MEDIA: For advance interviews, you can contact the Rev. James McDonald at 387-2600 or the Rev. Mark Henninger at 676-8658. McDonald and Henninger, who are both Central Illinois Right to Life board members, also will be available for interviews on the day of the Life Chain.

Peoria, Illinois 2009 Abortion Mill Statistics

There were approximately 20 abortions the week of Sept. 17. Totals for 2009=1257.
Source: Karen Guth - Helpers of God’s Precious Infants.

Just what is the reality of this? How many human beings is 1257?

For you who are local to Central Illinois Right to Life, just think of our mailing meetings and all those newsletters we put together. 1257 is approximately the same number of people as the individuals that we mail that huge pile of newsletters to 4 times a year.

Or for another illustration, take a look at the membership list of the Central Illinos Right to Life FaceBook Group with all those pictures of the smiling faces of the members of the group. The number of people, yes people, killed at the Peoria, Illinois abortion mill this year will soon surpase the number of people in the CIRTL FaceBook group - and it takes a very long time to scroll through that membership list and look at each face.

So many lives lost ...

To My Democratic Friends

To My Democratic Friends,

I heard recently something that suggested that the people who oppose abortion are part of the Republican far-right. That statement kinda bothers me because I don’t think of myself as Republican or as extremely conservative. But I do think that we need to have a great respect for human life in all its forms.

I don’t understand why the Democrats can’t adopt a concern for everybody who is in need … for all human beings that are downtrodden and oppressed. It seems to me that unborn human beings are in this category … the ones who are threatened with their lives being snuffed out .. and it seems to me a very human thing to care about human life … to care about unborn babies.

I would think that anybody with an ounce of humanity has got to think that killing an unborn baby, especially one that is viable (that could live outside the womb), has got to be wrong. And I just hope and pray that the Democratic Party could find it in their hearts to extend the compassion for which they are well known to this group of human beings whose life is threatened.

Will today's killing be viewed as a "Hate Crime"?

Today, in Michigan, a pro-life activist was murdered, in front of a High School.

Do you suppose the Attorney General will open an investigation, to determine whether or not this should be deemed a "Hate Crime"?

The answer, "Of course not."

And why? Because the victim was standing for life. He was not a homosexual; he was not an abortionist; and he was not a left-winger.

Because he failed these necessary requirements, this man's death cannot be attributed to a "Hate Crime."

40 Days for Life Peoria Vigil Information

Location:
National Health Care
7405 N. University St.
Peoria, IL 61614

Hours of operation:

The clinic is open one weekday per week
- one Wednesday per month-either the 1st, 2nd or 3rd,
- the rest of the weekdays are Thursdays, 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month
Women seeking abortions start arriving as early as 7:30 a.m.
Abortionist usually arrives around 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, 10 a.m. on Wednesday
and Thursday.
Women start to leave the facility about 1 1/2 hours after the abortionist arrives if they are having an abortion that day, unless we think they have come for a check-up, maybe a post-abortion check or an RU-486 appointment (the medical form of abortion). Then they will leave sooner, or the people leaving could be their family and friends who have come to be with them in the waiting room.

What to expect:
Sometimes there are signs showing aborted babies – harsh pictures but they make
people face the reality of what’s going on inside the abortion mill
Some people will honk, yell obscene things or make obscene gestures
Some people will honk or wave to show support
Sadly, most people do nothing
…and sometimes someone comes out and says “they didn’t do it” and a life has been saved because someone cared enough to be out there trying to help!

Where to park:
At the Chicago Grill (right next to the abortion mill) – The owner has given up permission, they are supportive of our efforts, please patronize them

Rules:
1) No violent/abusive behavior (physical or verbal) – this is only a peaceful demonstration
2) No harassing people going in/out of the clinic– just reach out in love
3) Always have at least 2 people present at the abortion mill preferably at least 1 man present from 6:00 p.m. through 7:00 a.m.
4) Stay off of the property (you can only be on the sidewalk or on the grass between the sidewalk and the street)
On site:
1) Information will be available - listing of phone numbers, ponchos, etc.
2) There may be some pro-life banners that can be held if desired

Contact information:
1) Contact the scheduled captain for the day (see website) http://www.40daysforlife.com/peoria/ For general information contact Karen Guth (309)453-7493

Students for Life on Twitter

For those who are members of Twitter, the following are Prolife Student Organizations which can be followed on Twitter -

@Students4LifeHQ - Students for Life of America
@ProlifeBSU - Students for Life Boise State University.
@liveactionfilms - Youth led media movement for equal human life rights
@TeensForLife - Teens For Life
@ProLifeIllinois - Students for Life of Illinois
@buStudents4Life - Students for Life Bradley University
@FordhamRFL - Prolife organization Fordham University
@StudentsforLife - Students for Life St Louis University

If you do not have an account, you can get one at http://www.twitter.com and then follow these groups. Be sure to follow Central Illinois Right to Life too - @cirtl.

40 Days for Life on Twitter

For those who are members of Twitter, the following are 40 days for Life Organizations which can be followed on there -

@40daysforlife - 40 Days for Life | The National Organization
@40daysGR - 40 Days for Life | Grand Rapids, MI
@40DaysSouthgate - 40Days Southgate | Southgate, MI
@40DaysIndy - 40 Days INdy | Indianpolis, IN
@40dayskalamazoo - 40 Days For Life | Kalamazoo, MI
@40DaysATX - 40DaysforLifeAustin | Austin, Texas
@40Days4LifePNS - 40 Days For Life | Pennsecola FL
@40DaysforlifeBF - 40 Days For Life | Buffalo, NY
If you dont have an account, you can get one at http://www.twitter.com and then follow these groups. Be sure to follow Central Illinois Right to Life too - @cirtl.