BEATITUDES, BABIES AND BASEBALL: The Center Fielder Who Bucked Systemic Persecution

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matt. 5:11

This essay, like the previous seven in this nine part series, examines a beatitude in three relationships: our relationship with God, with His laws and with others, particularly the least favored of humanity. It begins with mention of a famous baseball player who demonstrated some characteristics of the beatitude. Can you recognize the ball player before reading his name? The center fielder who bucked systemic persecution. When his team traded him, he wrote to the commissioner of baseball: "After 12 years in the major leagues I do not feel that I am a piece of property to be bought and sold irrespective of my wishes. I believe that any system that produces that result violates my basic right as a citizen and is inconsistent with the laws of the United States." White or black, ballplayers could only bargain with one team. Seven months before the Roe v. Wade decision, Supreme Court Justice Blackmun wrote the majority opinion in this ballplayer’s appeal, ruling against him. Only 3 years later, however, free agency began, but too late for this seven time Gold Glove Award winning center fielder, Curt Flood. In the real world, persecution for the sake of righteousness can be a far greater sacrifice than giving up a baseball career. Likewise, frequently more is at stake than the principle of contract freedom. In any event, to accept persecution voluntarily, people must have faith in God who is in control over even the persecutors. Accepting persecution also requires total commitment to God’s law, even to the point of sacrifice to follow it. The hardest part about persecution, however, is the powerlessness one feels when persecuted. This powerlessness transforms a person into one less favored, and perhaps even one of the least favored of humanity. The prochoice position, by contrast, follows from unrighteous conduct and leads to the avoidance of persecution. When they become pregnant, unmarried women are five times more likely to abort their unborn children than married women are. Unmarried women have four out of five abortions. Those who have rejected God’s law by their sexual conduct have more difficulty turning in faith toward God, trusting Him, recommitting to His law, and taking up the cross of personal sacrifice necessary to accept the relative powerlessness of the persecuted. Clearly, unless we can stem the tide of sexual activity among the unmarried, the pressures they have to abort their unborn children will remain overwhelmingly high. To reduce substantially the pressures to abort, we must work to reduce the pressures unmarried persons have toward sexual activity. Those pressures are in a real sense persecutions against those who resist them. Rather than avoiding persecution by running from it, Christ teaches us to accept it. To accept this persecution requires unmarried persons to have faith that God is in control of their lives. That faith gives them the fortitude to withstand pressure. They must be totally committed to God’s law so that they can sacrifice to follow it, even when that means accepting a position of less power. Whatever we can do to aid the unmarried in accepting persecution for righteousness will help drive down abortion.

BLOG HOME PAGE LINK Illinoislife.blogspot.com

Peoria Abortion Facility Stats

Peoria Abortion Facility Statistics

There were approximately 29 abortions on Thurs., Oct. 22. Totals for 2009=1436.

This is Day 30 of the 40 Days for Life. One of the pray-ers on the sidewalk recognized someone driving in and out of the abortion clinic, after they picked someone up. They had a bumper sticker on their car with “A Proud Member of St.____’s Catholic Church.

Our Christian brothers and sisters come to this facility.

From - Karen Guth - Helpers of God's Precious Infants

Today It Rained

By Karen Guth - CIRTL Board of Directors - Helpers of God's Precious Infants

Today it rained. The morning wasn’t so bad, but the rain got heavier as the day progressed.
This was one of those days, when no one stopped for literature. I wouldn’t want to stop and let the rain in to take something from a weird-looking person swathed in poncho and rain gear.
There were lots of extra people on the sidewalk. One woman who started coming a few weeks ago, asked if they could keep coming after the 40 days were over.
I could have just jumped up and clicked my heels together at that comment. You certainly can! That is a praise God moment.
I took a break and missed the person with the “proud member of the Catholic church” bumper sticker. One of our 40 days prayer warriors got the unpleasant surprise of seeing a fellow parishioner picking someone up.
That is a horrible feeling to see someone you know, someone who is a member of your church at that evil place.
We had one of those strange, unpleasant happenings. A woman made a left turn, and then a u-turn in front of the clinic. She had her window down and was talking out the window, even before she made the u-turn.
She pulled into the driveway right by us, yelling, making ugly faces. I have trouble taking that sort of thing in. I don’t really want to know all those words she was saying, or exactly what those gestures or faces were.
They were very bizarre and ugly.
She pulled to the back of the clinic, and after a short time, drove back out, quickly, yelling as she went.
Please pray for that young woman.
I got out the holy water, sprinkled the driveway and the sidewalk. We all could have used to bless ourselves with some. I didn’t think of that.
We prayed for her.
A man contacted me this week who wants to pray for us that come to the sidewalk and to pray for all the women who come.
As you can tell, we really need that. Please join in whether you can come to the sidewalk or not. The evil one is at work.
We talked about the Fatima movie, The 13th Day. God is at work also. Praise God for our faith, our church, our many blessings.
We also talked about the talk and the visit of the National Pilgrim Fatima Statue. The speaker talked about Our Lady’s request that we offer up our sufferings to God for the conversion of sinners. We do this today for the conversion of our country.
At the time of Fatima, it was for the conversion of Russia, but today we need it here.
Let us all join together in doing this. We all have sufferings. We just need to lift them up to God, so they can be used.

BEATITUDES, BABIES AND BASEBALL: Peace Flies Out of Left Field

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." Matt. 5:10-12. This essay is the seventh in a nine part series which examines whether abortion is consistent with or opposed to the beatitudes at the core of Christian faith and action. Each part 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? Peace flies out of left field. He missed almost five seasons sacrificed to service of our country in two wars, including the Korean war where he flew missions with John Glenn. Still, he slugged 521 home runs in his career. Back in 1941, the year our country joined the fight against world tyranny, he was the last major league player to hit .400. For stopping the spread of totalitarian forces across the world, we owe a debt of gratitude to the generation of men who served our country with this left fielder, Ted Williams. When evil powers invade peaceful countries, making peace requires armies to cast the aggressors out. When evil powers take control of the reigns of government, making peace requires people to cast the usurpers out. When evil powers take control of the hearts of men and women, making peace requires us to cast the demons out. Clearly, peacemaking is not for wimps. It is risky business, and without aid from above, doomed to failure. To be successful, peacemakers must listen to the direction of the Holy Spirit, stand firm for God’s law, and protect the weak from strong forces intent on their destruction. The prochoice position, by contrast, surrenders to the forces of evil at work in our culture. No true peace exists between parents and children where parents kill one child before birth for every three born. Why are we surprised that child abuse to born children has increased 20 fold since abortion was legalized? No true peace exists between parents who kill their offspring before birth. Their marriages end up on the rocks, driving up the divorce rate and all its problems for the rest of society. No true peace exists in the hearts of those parents who know the results of their deadly choices. They frequently suffer from depression and resort to drugs, alcohol, and self-destructive behavior to deaden the impact. The prochoice voice claims that peace would reign if only prolife people would not make mothers and fathers of aborted children feel guilty about difficult decisions made in crisis. Yet even if all of us were silent, they would hear in their conscience the small, still voice reminding them of their lost children. Warfare would still rage in each of them. A house divided against itself is not a peaceful abode. Peacemaking demands first that we begin by listening in our own hearts to the directions given to us by the Holy Spirit. When we are not at peace at heart, demons drum incessantly attempting to drown out the still, small voice we need to hear to remain human. That voice directs that we stand firm by His law, as only humans can, and protect the weak, even when we have nothing to gain ourselves. By the power of the Spirit, we can help others cast out those demons to bring peace to the hearts of our fellow human beings. Second, peacemaking demands that we throw the usurpers out of our government. To make peace requires us to remember that no majority vote of the people decided to permit abortion in our society. Instead, it was the undemocratic decision of seven unelected men on the Supreme Court who rewrote the Constitution to throw out the laws proscribing abortion in all fifty states, leaving our country with the world’s least protections for the unborn until China started forcing their mothers to have abortions. Peace requires us to throw the usurpers out! That can only be done by continually electing presidents who will appoint prolife justices to the United States Supreme Court and United States Senators who will confirm their appointments. Third, peacemaking demands that when evil powers invade peaceful countries, armies must cast the aggressors out. Worldwide abortion is making this task more and more difficult each year. A case in point is the one child policy in communist China which has resulted in forced abortions, abandoned children (mostly baby girls) and an excess male population of military age approaching 15 million. If communist China turns its army toward one of its neighbors, such as nationalist China on the island of Taiwan, how are we to stop this aggression by one of our largest trading partners against one of our allies? Will we put at risk the remainder of that generation of Americans whose numbers have been decimated by abortion already? If so, who will take care of their parents, the baby boomers, who first made abortion commonplace in America, but who are now aging and moving toward retirement? Truly, as stated by Mother Teresa, “The greatest destroyer of peace in the world is abortion.”

BLOG HOME PAGE LINK Illinoislife.blogspot.com

Peoria Abortion Clinic Stats

Peoria Abortion Facility Statistics

There were approximately 29 abortions on Thurs., Oct. 15. Totals for 2009=1407. This is Day 23 of the 40 Days for Life. Are you coming to the sidewalk to join us? Are you serious about ending abortion in our world, in our country, in our city?

From - Karen Guth - Helpers of God’s Precious Infants.

Abortion Is Not Health Care

I emailed my Senators today:

Those of us who believe in the sanctity of human life are appalled that the people who are supporting the new health care program feel it necessary to include something that makes it easier for a woman to afford her abortion. The proposed health care program, I think maybe contains some good ideas; however, so far, we just see it as a program to make it easier for a woman to afford her abortion.

Human life is the most precious, most important thing .... the most important thing we have is the lives of all our human beings. It's wrong to take a human life, even if that life happens to be living inside of another human being. Obviously, the baby just before he/she is born has got to be a human being just as much as after birth.

So, I am pleading with you to add to the health care law a statement stating that it does not include coverage for abortions.

Rally scheduled Oct. 12 to mark midpoint of Peoria 40 Days for Life campaign

Peoria, IL – The 40 Days for Life campaign will have a midpoint rally at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12, at 7405 N. University St.

“As we are about to reach Day 20 of our 40 days of prayer, fasting, vigil and outreach, it is time to gather with pro-life members of the Peoria community to share stories and encourage one another, building towards a strong finish of our 40 Days for Life campaign,” said Karen Guth, spokesperson for the Peoria 40 Days for Life campaign.

Forty Days for Life is an intensive pro-life campaign that focuses on 40 days of prayer and fasting, 40 days of peaceful vigils at abortion facilities, and 40 days of grassroots educational outreach. The 40-day time frame is drawn from examples throughout B=biblical history where God brought about world-changing transformations.

Peoria is one of the many communities conducting simultaneous 40 Days for Life campaigns from Sept. 23 through Nov. 1.

“We want to thank all the people who’ve made great personal sacrifice to bring 40 Days to Life to the halfway point,” said Guth. “We also know that we still have a long way to go in our collective effort to demonstrate the harm abortion has done to Peoria.

“For the remainder of the 40 days of prayer and fasting and community outreach, we intend to gather for continuous prayer outside the abortion facility at National Health Care, 7405 N. University St., praying for an end to abortion in our community. We look forward to the challenge of bringing 40 Days for Life to an energetic conclusion.”

To learn more about 40 Days for Life, view www.40daysforlife.com. For information about the Peoria campaign, view 40daysforlife.com/peoria.

For assistance or for more information, please contact Karen Guth at godshelperkaren@comcast.net or 453-7493.

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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.