Come Be My Light.

I am currently reading “Come Be My Light”, a book about Mother Teresa of Calcutta. And, at the introduction of the book, these words, by Mother Teresa struck me,

Now Father- since 49 or 50 this terrible sense of loss- this untold darkness- this loneliness- this continual longing for God- which gives me that pain deep down in my heart.- Darkness is such that I really do not see- neither with myy mind nor with my reason.- There is no God in me.- When the pain of longing is so great- I just long & long for God- and then it is that I feel- He does not want me- He is not there.- … God does not want me.- Sometimes- I just hear my own heart cry out- “My God” and nothing else comes.- The torture and pain I can’t explain.-

It struck me because I feel this too. This terrible feeling of loss. This deep pain in my heart. Most especially when I’m alone- before I go to sleep and I pray, or when I look out and see the stars gloriously scattered in the sky. It makes me feel wonderful, and grateful to our One True God, that He gives us such a sight every night. But I also feel alone. And yearning. I yearn to touch the sky, the stars, the wind. And I ask God for help- I ask Him to take me- so that I may not do anything else that might hurt Him or do Him wrong, but especially, so that I won’t hurt anymore. Because it hurts so much, being apart from Him like this.

What good is it that I know how I could be happy, how I could fulfill the purpose of my life- which is to love and serve the Everlasting Love- when I don’t have enough Love for God, when I don’t have enough WILL to DO IT? I realized that I could know all the wisdoms in the world, but if I don’t have strength and courage and LOVE for God, then those wisdoms will go to WASTE. They would be just thoughts, ideas, TRUTHS that were never achieved- never fully grasped because they weren’t executed- because the weren’t DONE. 

And maybe this is why I have this feeling of loss.. maybe it’s because I know all these things yet I still can’t stop myself from doing things that will hurt God- because He loves me. Maybe I have this ache in my heart because my relationship with God is obstructed by my sins.

I don’t want to sin anymore.

Lord, thank You for everything. Thank You for Loving me, no matter how unworthy I am. Thank You for You, for Your Love, for the graces You’ve given me, especially the people You’ve put in my life- my parents, my brothers, our relatives, our friends and him- Thank You. I’m sorry for all the wrong things I’ve done and the right things I have not. Lord, hurting You is the last thing I’d want to do- but I do it everyday, when I put myself first instead of You- so Lord, I ask for one thing- please take everything I have- my heart, my soul, my spirit, the little strength I have, and my will, and everything else that You could take from me- please keep them Lord, they’re all Yours- I’m all Yours, O Lord. Please help me, Lord. Help all of us- my family and all the families in the world, the Holy Mother Church- the Pope and those who consecrated their lives to You in single blessedness, those who are losing and who lost hope, faith and Love for You, those who are hungry, thirsty, those who have no home, no clothes, those who are sick, in their deathbed and in prison, please help us Lord- help us to Love You with all our hearts, all our understanding and all of us, and to love others as You Love us- I ask this, together with the Immaculate Conception- Our Mother, St. John the Baptist, St. John, St. Joseph, St. Michael the Archangel, Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, all the Holy Angels and Saints in Heaven- Padre Pio, St. Therese of the Child Jesus, Mother Teresa- Amen.

Help me to Love You Lord. With all of me. Blindly.

Obama Turns Back the Clock

 By Colin Mason

At a time when highly significant—even historic—breakthroughs in adult stem cell research have become almost daily occurrences and almost to the point of being mundane, President Obama has chosen to turn back the clock, and starting today, will force taxpayers to subsidize the unethical over the ethical, the unworkable over what works, and hype and hyperbole over hope.

Human embryo destroying stem cell research is not only unethical, unworkable, and unreliable, it is now demonstrably unnecessary. 

–Congressman Christopher Smith (R-NJ), March 9, 2009

This speech, at which were present so-called “snowflake babies” (former frozen embryos, implanted and carried to term), was made in response to President Obama’s March 9th executive order, which sweepingly legalized embryonic stem-cell research in an attempt to remove “limitations on scientific inquiry.”

“Rather than furthering discovery,” said Obama in his March 9th statement immediately preceding the signing of the order, “our government has forced what I believe is a false choice between sound science and moral values. In this case, I believe the two are not inconsistent. As a person of faith, I believe we are called to care for each other and work to ease human suffering.”

While most pro-lifers are vigorously opposed to embryonic stem-cell research, many have difficulty defending their stance because of supposed medical advances which the research has made possible. Many would be surprised to learn that any and all medical breakthroughs made regarding stem cells have been made without using embryos. Work with these cells has produced promising research and may lead to dramatic cures of all manner of diseases. As Michaela Kingston writes, in an article entitled “Pardon Me, Your Ideology is Showing”:

ESCs may have the potential to cure many diseases. But after ten years and billions of dollars, they still have not realised their potential. In the meantime, stem cells isolated from adults have proven to be quite effective in relieving human suffering. Even better, if you’re on the ESC bandwagon, are “induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells”, which behave almost exactly like ESCs but do not involve embryo destruction. These iPS cells do not involve costly embryo manipulation and can be made from a patient’s own cells, avoiding immune rejection.

So, in other words, Obama has not only signed off on a procedure which would be morally unacceptable no matter what its scientific advantages, he has done so in the face of all medical and scientific evidence. In addition to this, Obama also rescinded Bush’s Executive Order 13435, which poured funding into research involving adult stem cells. In short, Obama has effectively worked to kill adult stem cell research (i.e., the only stem cell research that has produced results) to pour money into a dead-end, highly controversial research instead.

The president’s supposed desire to “work to ease human suffering” rings hollow when it is clear that the procedures he espouses have proven scientifically fruitless. In addition to this, morally concerned scientists have not only identified the moral hazard, but they have even offered a workable solution.

But it is to no avail.

Obama’s ideological bone-tossing apparently extends to forced abortion, as well. The FY2009 Omnibus Bill, signed into law by the president on March 11th, contains a loophole that allows funding to go to the UNFPA, regardless of whether or not they are involved in forced abortion or sterilization. The Reagan-era Kemp-Kasten amendment, clearly dictates that American tax dollars cannot be used to fund coercive abortion or sterilization overseas. Even when House pro-lifers proposed an amendment that would essentially force the UNFPA to be regulated under Kemp-Kasten like everyone else, it was overturned.

The message that this sends is very clear: Obama wants his programs funded, regardless of the costs. He is perfectly willing to cut a swathe through both legal and moral concerns to achieve this goal. However, not only is he willing to cast aside concerns, he is even willing to disregard the basic cold logic of the matter, the logic upon which delicate, bi-partisan agreements are made.

This logic dictates that, while we may not agree on abortion, we agree that women should never be forced to have abortions; that, shelving the moral controversies, embryonic stem cell research is a sterile science and should be abandoned in favor of more productive investigations. This logic dictates that Americans are split on the subject of abortion, and it is thus irresponsible to use their tax dollars equally to fund something that so many of them find morally repugnant.

In the words of Kingston, far from promoting “responsiblility,” Obama has only paved the way for “pressure on scientists from media hype, special interest groups, lobbyists and a poorly informed but well-meaning public to pursue dead-end research.”

Simply speaking, Obama really is willing to turn back the clock—to turn it back to a time when the people had little say in government, and when government took little interest in the scientific or moral conundrums placed before it.

God save us from “change” like this.

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