April 2016
welcome letter from the editor
This edition is simply brimming with life – lives which have been and are being lived with great love. Our time and purpose here on earth is to know, love and serve God; as we are called to holiness, and ultimately, Heaven. Our gifts and talents are given to us to glorify God here on earth. Truly living life is all at once amazing, and mysterious; wonderful and captivating. I hope you will be inspired and uplifted by the lives that you read about in the pages that follow. We have few beautiful interviews; one of these is with Francis Hopkins which explores how she is working to shape a culture of love, by encouraging the virtue of chastity. In another piece, we hear from a crew of Australians passionate about life, and their experiences of walking down the east coast of Australia to promote the pro-life movement. At the core of this edition’s theme is the perennial question, what is life? In pondering what life is, we can better appreciate what we have, what we are capable of achieving and essentially who God is calling us to be. We have been given our parents, our brothers and sisters, our gifts and talents, our education, our faith, our health. These are all gifts. Gifts of life, for life. It has been an amazing opportunity to work with such a talented team for this edition. Everyone has something to offer the world, a gift from God for His greater glory. Take for example, Tara Lyubicic, an art student, who has grown to appreciate her family more keenly through the process of painting and drawing them. Sometimes it can be easy to travel through each day on autopilot. But, really, every day is a brand new opportunity to do something beautiful for God, (as Mother Teresa would say), and to better ourselves. The essence of this edition is to be able to examine how God is working through the lives of others in order to be more aware of how He is working in each of our own lives. Through an awareness of His grace and blessings in our lives we can be led to a greater appreciation of His love and mercy.
Naomi Spinks
contributors Editor in Chief Naomi Spinks
Publisher Christianne Marie Creative Director Catherine Spinks Writers Paul Elarde Antonio Moura Samantha Gianna Imogen Elvis Robert Assaf Tara Lyubicic Graphic Design Catherine Spinks Michael Darmadi Photography Ariana Prestes David Sao Jason Rosewell Joshua Earle Kate Capato Kelley Bozarth London Scout Sponsor St Joseph’s Camperdown Partners Parousia Media Cradio If you would like to contrubute or donate to Maximilian, please contact Naomi Spinks at naomi.maximilian.mag@gmail.com
“To live without faith, without a homeland to defend, without constantly upholding truth in the heat of battle, is not living but simply getting along. We should never just get by, we should live�
Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati
what’s inside live
Sr Cecilia Rose...................................................................................... 10 The culture project................................................................................. 12 Walking for life....................................................................................... 16
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Pope John Paul II: The warrior for life..................................................... 24 On my bookshelf................................................................................... 26 Why tune in to Hope 103.2.................................................................... 28
love
Portraits of my family............................................................................. 34 Why Mary Matters The Blessed Virgin Mary: Queen of the pro-life movement..................... 38 Lives of the Saints Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati................................................................. 40 Reasons why I am pro-life..................................................................... 42
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“Your talent is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God.” Leo Buscaglia
Upcoming feast days April Sunday
03 St Richard (1232)
10
Monday
04 The Annunciation (transferred from March 25, Good Friday)
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St Ezechiel (6th C., B.C.)
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
07
Friday
Saturday
01
02
St Hugh (1132)
St Francis of Paola (1507)
08
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St Julie Billiart (1816)
St Mary of Cleophas (1st C.)
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Bl. Juliana of Mount Cornillon (1258)
St Marcellinus of Carthage (413)
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St Julius (352)
St Martin I (665)
St Justin (165)
Sts. Basilissa & Anastasia (68)
St John Baptist de la Salle (1719)
St Bernadette Soubirous (1879)
St Gemma Galgani (1903)
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St Anicetus (175)
St Apollonius (185)
St Elphege (1012)
St Agnes of Montepulciano (1317)
St Anselm (1109)
Sts. Epipodius & Alexander (326)
St George (303)
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St Euphrasia Pelletier (1868)
St Mark (74)
Our Lady of Good Counsel
St Zita of Lucca (1278)
St Hugh of Cluny (1109) St Louis Marie De Montfort (1716)
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St Catherine of Siena (1380)
May Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
01
02
03
04
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St Athanasius (373)
Finding of the Holy Cross
Ascension of Our Lord * Holy Day of Obligation
St John before the Latin Gate (95)
Our Lady, Queen of Apostles
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St Francis di Girolamo (1716)
St Domitilla (2nd C.)
St Joseph the Workman (1st C.)
St Monica (387)
08
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St Desideratus (550)
St Pachomius (348)
10
St Matthias (65) Our Lady of Fatima (1917)
St Damien Molokai (1889)
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St Dymphna (7th C.)
St Simon Stock (1265)
St Paschal Baylon (1592)
St Eric (1160)
St Pudentiana (160)
St Bernardine of Siena (1444
St Andrew Bobola (1657)
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St Rita of Cascia (1457)
St Julia of Corsica (440)
St Philip Neri (1595)
St Augustine of Canterbury (604)
St Germanus (576)
Our Lady, Help of Christians
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St Maximus of Trier (4th C.)
St Madeleine Sophie Barat (1865)
31 Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
St Joan of Arc (1431)
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Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin. Blessed Mother Teresa
live
Live
Where
God
has called
me
An interview with a Dominican sister of Saint Cecilia: Sister Cecilia Rose, who is in her third year of temporary vows. By SAMANTHA GIANNA. During a visit to Washington DC for the March for Life, a little girl in a museum spotted Sister Cecilia Rose in her habit and yelled to her father “DAD! There’s a princess, there’s a real princess!” This young girl was definitely on to something; Sister Cecilia Rose is a daughter of God and a bride of Christ. Sister Cecilia Rose grew up in Western Sydney in a very strong Vietnamese Catholic family with her three younger brothers and her parents who were refugees that met in Australia. Sister gives us an insight into her childhood. “We prayed together as a family every night at least a decade of the rosary and we’d go to mass and liturgical feasts, especially the Vietnamese ones. But Mass was in Vietnamese, everything, prayers were in Vietnamese…It was almost like I was Vietnamese and Catholic, but then I went to school and I was Australian and I didn’t care much about religion. I didn’t quite own my faith until Second year at uni.” It was through studying nursing at the University of Sydney and working with terminally ill patients that Sister began pondering about her life’s purpose. She realised the desire in her to not just restore peoples’ bodies, but also their souls. She was introduced to the Catholic Youth Services (CYS) in 2007 and took a gap year to serve the Church. Her time spent with CYS presented her with the opportunity to take responsibility for her own faith. It was during this fruitful experience that Sister Cecilia Rose realised the call in her to serve the Church which gave her great joy. In 2008 she stayed on the team to help with World Youth Day which is where she met the Dominicans of Saint Cecilia. Sister Cecilia Rose saw in them joy and confidence and she desired this for herself.
In January of 2009, she went to a vocation retreat in the Dominicans of Saint Cecilia’s mother house in Nashville where she experienced the freedom, peace and joy. It perplexed her that she travelled so far to feel a sense of belonging. To Sister Cecilia Rose’s delight, she discovered was not alone in her discernment process. She recounts how her younger brother Joseph, now a Capuchin in Melbourne, was also discerning religious life. “It was on the feast of the Annunciation in 2009 that we told each other. I actually called him and said ‘I think I am called to the Dominicans’ and his reaction was ‘I think I am called to be a priest.’ I think it was the graces of WYD that made us open”. They were both novices the same year and were able to support each other through similar experiences. Entering religious life is a significant transition which comes with its unique challenges. Sister explains her greatest challenge in the convent. “Each person comes to the convent with a different history. We have to be less selfish and more considerate of others. You can never be too charitable...the biggest challenge is to be more charitable each day and find more occasions to do that”. When discerning your vocation, Sister Cecilia Rose advises that it is important to pray and surround yourself with supportive people. “For the young women discerning any vocation, not just religious life, I would commend them to pray and get to know the person of the Lord”. M
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You can never be too charitable, the biggest challenge is to be more charitable each day and find more occasions to do that – 11 –
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culture project the
Frances Hopkins is a young Catholic working to restore culture where she sees a lacking. She recently sat down with NAOMI SPINKS to discuss how she is going about this. Photography by Kate Capato. What is The Culture Project all about? The Culture Project is an initiative of young people who are passionate about restoring a broken culture. We seek to invite those we encounter to live courageous lives of virtue, to build authentic friendships, healthy relationships and discover their own identity in order to become fully alive. In order to share life-changing messages with others, we realise it starts with ourselves. As members of The Culture Project, we live in a community with other young missionaries, we undergo both intensive and continued formation, and commit to a daily Holy Hour and Mass. All of this fuels our outreach, which is predominantly delivering interactive presentations on human dignity and sexual integrity to secondary school students, youth groups and university students. We also run projects where we invite and train other young adults to join us, in sharing these messages. Two of which are Beach Outreach at Schoolies on the Gold Coast and Crossroads Australia which is a Pro-life walk from Brisbane to Melbourne. The Culture Project is based in Pennsylvania (Philadelphia), have you been there and what was your experience? Our “parent” organisation The Culture Project International, is based in Philadelphia. I have been there in both 2014, and 2015 for our month of intensive training with all of our missionaries from across the States and three other countries. When we are all gathered together it is an absolutely remarkable experience! As individuals we are a quiet witness, when there are 30-50 of us in the same location, people no longer think we are an anomaly, it’s harder for them to dismiss our joy and
zest for life as a one-off and they are hungry for answers. It is inspiring to be surrounded by a community of peers who are on fire with love and striving for holiness. After serving for a year one does get tired, though coming together is such a refreshing experience to share in one’s joys and struggles. How do your audiences respond to the message you present in your talks? The response is overwhelmingly positive! I think it is because the message that you are worth love, and should treat others with love is written within our hearts. Our message isn’t imposed from the outside, rather it is drawn from the inside out, identifying a truth within them and raising it to the surface. Last year was our very first year in Australia, and 86% of the audience rated us 7 or above out of 10. With our encounters for Beach Outreach at Schoolies on the Gold Coast, the response was also remarkably positive. I had one girl come and find me on our last day and thank me for our conversation, she had called her boyfriend up the night we talked and it changed their relationship. She wanted to take a few extra stickers we were handing out to share with her friends, to show them that they too are worth true love, worth waiting for. What motivates you to keep going in your ministry? What keeps me going? Each individual soul I have the honour of encountering. I have witnessed before my eyes the freedom and meaning this gives to young people. I have held a little life saved by his mum knowing her own worth, and by extension realising the worth of her little one. I have had
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you are
worth love, and should treat others
with love
young girls in particular write in about the ongoing impact of these messages have in helping them navigate the struggles of their daily lives. To me that makes it all worth it! How can anyone put a price on a young child’s heart or a teenager’s self worth? No number would be enough, no matter the difficulties, struggles and seemingly dead ends, it’s worth it! Was there an encounter that you’ve had through your work that has resonated with you? The difficulty with this question is to pick just one! A young girl sent me a message out of nowhere on facebook a few months after we talked. Her message was simple “My mum and sister want me to have an abortion, I can’t kill my baby. Can you help me?” We were able to get her in touch with Diamond Pregnancy Support, and she even stayed with my parents for a little bit. This young woman had a courage so fierce, that I have never witnessed before! She made brave choices, to be the best mum she could be for her little boy. She didn’t need an abortion, she just needed support. All it took was one person to believe in her, and she did the rest! Now her whole family adores her little boy, and I cannot imagine where their lives would be without him. What does being pro-life mean to you? Pro-life to me means pro-love. The culture of death has tried to separate, life from love, but the two are intimately connected. To be pro-life is to be pro all life, whether that’s your sibling who antagonises you, someone who trolls you on facebook or a preborn baby. To be Pro-life is to treat every single human being, with nothing less than love. Once we
Naomi and Frances at the Culture Project’s Sydney launch, December 2014
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The Culture Project Missionaries at a training session at La Trobe, P.A. Photograph by Dave Sao
know our own dignity, we can reassure others of theirs, even if they have forgotten. How can people be more pro-life? What are some everyday things people can do? When I was 14, I was wrestling with what I could do to put being Pro-Life into action, as the organisations I contacted only could let those 18 + be involved. I slowly learned that genuinely and intentionally loving whoever your day brings to you is a great start. I was then able to begin to identify the hundreds of opportunities we are all given daily to put our values into action, which is really just to begin practicing virtue. Whether it’s using that assignment as an opportunity to speak or write about the topic, gently celebrating with a “mum to be” that she is a mum already or asking that person who isn’t smiling how they’re doing. We are all called to uphold the dignity of our brothers and sisters, and indeed it is poignant that we do this now, today. Nobody is too young, too busy, or too poor to be actively pro-life. It is a huge area and every personality, talent and second is sorely needed -- the stakes are too high not to act. The opportunities and possibilities are endless, the only question is what will you do today? M You can read more about the Culture Project and contact them to give a workshop in your area by visiting restoreculture.com
The Australian team gather in Surfers Paradise for the Beach Outreach program
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To be pro-life is to treat every single
human being,
love with nothing less than
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WALKING LUKE STREHER of Cradio recently caught up with three Crossroads Australia walkers – Erin Burton, Dom Swan and Peter Sofatzis – to discuss what inspired them to do this year’s walk, the reception they have received, and how the walk has changed them thus far. Photograph by David Marcu. First of tell me about this initiative – you guys are walking a very long way, and it’s for the pro-life movement, but that’s all I really know about it so let me know – how did this begin and what inspired you guys to do it? DOM It actually started about twenty years ago in America in response to St Pope John Paul II’s call to go and spread the gospel of life and a group of young people literally took his message to heart in spreading the gospel of life in Australia and seeing the pro-life movement as a cause that really needed to be spread; they got marker pens and wrote ‘Pro-life’ on these big white shirts and started walking across America. And from then, Crossroads has grown to actually an organisation that’s able to run walks in multiple countries around the world, this being the fourth walk in Australia and it’s really grown exponentially over the years. And what inspired each of you to take up this journey? PETER Mine’s not as dramatic, but I wanted to go overseas and go travelling and do fun stuff for my uni holidays but that kind of fell through and then my brother was like, “Well what about that Crossroads thing?” and I was like, “Yeah, that seems pretty fun.” So I was like, “Oh yeah why not, just give it a shot.” So I did, and it’s been good.
DOM Last year I had a bunch of friends who were doing it and I’d heard about it before and it sounded like it was something that was really good – something that I wanted to do and so I was just struggling to try and find the time to fit it in. Thankfully last year I managed to get enough time off to do the second half of it, from Sydney to Melbourne. So I joined the second half last year and did that and I really enjoyed that and found it really worthwhile. And so I thought I’d do the whole thing this year and see how I go. ERIN For me, I just felt incredibly blessed by God the last few years and I wanted to give something back to Him and when I heard about the Planned Parenthood scandals in America, I just felt like it was time to do something pro-life. I’d never done any pro-life work before so I was like, “Well I’ll give Crossroads a go”, and here I am! Dom, you mentioned you did the Sydney to Melbourne leg last time, so obviously this isn’t just a tiny little walk across Sydney or something like that. Can you tell me about what’s the plan and what’s the route you take DOM So, we go pretty much from Brisbane to Melbourne, down along the coast. Although in America they walk every step of the way, from one side of America to the other, we
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Photograph by David Marcu
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FOR LIFE can’t walk every step of the way because we can’t walk on the highways without a police escort, so we use the support van to drive each way in each town and to walk through the major population centres so that way we get to interact with more people, more people see us and if they want to come and talk to us on the street they are able to do that. So we pretty much have routes planned out that we take each day walking through the towns and in the bigger towns we can just walk all day but when we get to the smaller ones sometimes we’ll walk through three or four towns in a day and just drive in between them as we go. So what’s been your experience thus far; have each of you had a particular highlight that you’d like to share? PETER It’s hard to pick. But one comes to mind; when we’d just passed the Big Banana – so that’s Coffs Harbour and we were staying with a priest who was kind of one of those surfer cool dude priests and he took us to the beach and he had this dog which is a bit like a greyhound but coloured, so not grey, and he was just crazy fun and we were throwing water at each other and we all get wet and go swimming anyway, so that was really fun.
we were still in Brisbane. We were just getting to know each other and we were playing a game of cricket and just down the road from where we were staying and it was great fun and also just really good for getting to know everyone. I guess over the whole of Crossroads you get the opportunity to get to know the people you’re walking with really well and it was a really good start to it. ERIN I’m not sure if I can pick a highlight. It’s been a really incredible two weeks. The group is amazing. I’m so happy I got to meet all of you. I’m just really happy to be here. What’s been the reaction thus far? The listeners can’t see you but you’re in fluoro yellow shirts with the words “Pro-life” on them. So it’s very difficult to miss what your point is so what’s been the reaction thus far to you on the roads? PETER It’s funny you should ask because probably the most common question is “What does Pro-life mean?” So a lot of the surfer people are like “Pro-life man, Pro! A life!” and they don’t really get it. So that’s something common that we get but the majority of the stuff is positive – you know, people beeping and they’d say something positive…
DOM For me, it might even be at the very start of the walk so
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It’s really helped me to grow in sharing what I believe ... And realising that it’s a gift that I can give to others.
ERIN A lot of people give you the thumbs up saying “We support what you’re doing, thank you so much.” DOM Overall you’d probably get more positive reactions than negative. We’ve had a couple of times where we’ve stopped and talked with people a couple that have been for pro-life, and others – not. PETER Yeah we’ve had a lot of comments like single comments and things. You get a lot of support, and then you get the hecklers who swear at you and a few of them make a few cynical comments or they have genuine questions, but don’t really follow it. And then you get a few people that have a genuine conversation with you who don’t agree with you. But yeah, for the most part its just people beeping, for better or worse. ERIN One of the ones that I remember most was I was talking to one guy who goes, “What’s Pro-life mean?” and so I was explaining it to him and he was like, “Oh yeah, I hate abortion.” And he told me his story about how he saved his own son from abortion. So he was positive about what we were doing and it just touched me. DOM Yeah, you hear some interesting stories occasionally.
us, and we ask for financial assistance because we run off donations and we ask them to join us in spreading the culture of life in whatever facet they can. So that’s the basic overview of the speech. DOM It’s really encouraging when you get so much support from the parishes – you’ll be out the back after Mass and people will come and give you a donation and they write a prayer intention and we carry it with us as we pray the rosary and we’ll go over their prayer intentions and even just talking with the people after Mass, you could be there for sometimes a good twenty minutes to half an hour with people and it’s really encouraging – the support you get from the parishes. Obviously you’re out there to change the culture, however, do you find that you’re being changed individually by this yourself? ERIN Yeah definitely DOM It makes you less.. ERIN Self centered. DOM Yeah. It’s harder to be embarrassed. When you’re walking down the street, wearing a fluoro yellow shirt saying Pro-life, praying the rosary, you get some funny looks.
Now you’re also going into parishes along the way as well; what are you doing there?
ERIN You’re taking a public stand and it’s no longer about yourself, it’s so much more than that.
PETER Well we have our spiel that we generally give after communion before Mass has ended. We tell them a bit about ourselves, how it started, and then we ask them for three things, we tell them about our daily schedule. We ask them for their prayers, and prayer intentions that we carry with
PETER One thing I found was that when people ask you questions – the tricky ones, if you like – you kind of know answers but you have to dig really deep within yourself to give adequate answers or answers that would make sense to people that people would like to accept. So it is challenging
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Photograph courtesy of Crossroads Australia
even on the intellectual level if you like, you’re digging deep like – ‘Do I really stand for this?’ ‘What about that?’ I’m speaking to someone face to face, not just in theory – you know what I mean. So I found it challenging in that sense but very rewarding. What do you think for each of you is one thing that you’ll take away from this experience? DOM Maybe just the more courage and standing up for prolife or even just more courage in standing up for the right thing because once you’ve done something already it makes you go, ‘Oh no I’ve already done this. Why can’t I do this other thing?’ …It makes it easier to stand up for what’s right. ERIN Yeah. I agree with Dom. It’s really helped me to grow in sharing what I believe with other people. And realising that it’s a gift that I can give to others – I don’t have to keep it to myself.
that stand for the same thing as you do. DOM A lot more than what the secular media portrays. That’s really encouraging. If anyone wants to know more about what you guys are doing, or if they want to join next year, how would they find out? PETER Facebook. DOM There’s a website and a Facebook page. On the Facebook page I think that they’ve been posting up photos as we go along with what we’ve been doing and getting people updated on where we are, so we do have some people as we’re walking through; certain towns and cities where they live, they’ll come and join us for the day. And we’ll give them a pro-life shirt if they want and they’ll walk along with us for the day or for a couple of hours, which is nice. DOM Yeah but very highly recommend it, it’s awesome. M
PETER I agree. It’s like you get over the embarrassment factor, or you’re more likely to make – in public, at uni, in a lecture or something – I feel more confident in myself, just to make a comment or just let it be known that I’m Catholic or something instead of just trying to keep it to myself.
This interview posted on 29 January 2016 was transcribed with permission from cradio.org, visit their website for more interviews and articles that ‘nourish the soul of the digital generation’.
DOM Yeah a lot easier to make a stand for your faith.
To find out more about Crossroads, or to get involved, you can visit their website crossroadsaustralia.org or you can follow the ‘Crossroads Australia’ Facebook page for regular updates.
ERIN And it makes a huge difference having a whole team there behind you like they’ve got your back and knowing that you’re not alone in that fight anymore. PETER Or even just the support you get on the streets. You realise that its not like the whole world’s against you. ERIN Yeah you realise that there’s a lot of people out there
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Enjoy yourselves
as much as you like, if only you keep away from sin. Have fun, but do not neglect study and prayer.
St John Bosco
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“We must not resign of daily life; rather we must breadth and go beyond yourselves be robbed of your
ourselves to the monotony cultivate projects of a wider the ordinary: do not let youthful enthusiasm!�
Pope Francis
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for Life
Men are often stereotyped by their physical strength and aggressive personality. However, a real man knows his strength and does not need to use physical or verbal force to prove his strength and worth. A man that oppresses others is not strong but a coward. A true man realises that in fact, aggression is often a sign of insecurity, an attempt to control the situation when unable to control one’s own self. An example of a great man in recent times was Karol Józef Wojtyła, better known as Pope John Paul II, or simply JPII. JPII came from a humble family (his father a tailor, his mother a schoolteacher), but lost them quite early (his brother when he was 9, his mother 12, and his father around 21). After his father’s death, he studied theology in an underground seminary in Krakow during the Second World War. He stood up against the Nazis, saved lives during the holocaust and worked to bring down communism in Eastern Europe. It was certainly not a peaceful and easy early life. Constantly surrounded by struggles, hatred and death, he had all possible reasons to become a person who hated life and society. But in the midst of all this turbulence, he chose to listen to God’s quiet voice within his heart. When he became Pope, he worked tirelessly for world peace and travelled all around the globe, spreading the good news to those in need. In 1981, he was critically wounded with four gunshots in an assassination attempt. Despite the wounds
and great pain, JPII quickly chose to forgive the man who wanted him dead and caused him enormous physical pain. He also asked people to “pray for my brother [Agca] … whom I have sincerely forgiven”. Two years after the event, JPII visited him in prison, demonstrating forgiveness not only by words but by concrete acts. Agca later converted to Christianity. JPII always believed that hatred and violence were never a solution to any problem. He suggested that violence kills whatever it intends to create. Love is always a better response – not necessarily an easier one. In his book Crossing the Threshold of Hope he says: “As a young priest I learned to love human love. This has been one of the fundamental themes of my priesthood – my ministry in the pulpit, in the confessional, and also in my writing. If one loves human love, there naturally arises the need to commit oneself completely to the service of “fair love,” because love is fair, it is beautiful.” He defended the idea that genuine love is always accompanied by both commitment and responsibility. He spoke and wrote extensively about love and marriage, knowing the importance of family. His love for God was seen particularly in his commitment to promote life at all cost. In his encyclical of 1995, Evangeliium Vitae, he wrote: “We are facing an enormous and dramatic clash between
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Photograph by Dustin Lee
Pop e John Paul II The Warrior
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“Human life is precious
because it is the gift of a God whose love is infinite; and when God gives life, it is for ever.” Pope John Paul II
good and evil, death and life, the “culture of death” and the “culture of life”. We find ourselves not only faced with but necessarily in the midst of this conflict: we are all involved and we all share in it, with the inescapable responsibility of choosing to be unconditionally pro-life.” He also challenges: “A society lacks solid foundations when, on the one hand, it asserts values such as the dignity of the person, justice and peace, but then, on the other hand, radically acts to the contrary by allowing or tolerating a variety of ways in which human life is devalued and violated, especially where it is weak or marginalized. Only respect for life can be the foundation and guarantee of the most precious and essential goods of society, such as democracy and peace.” A culture of life is a culture that shares its commitment with each other. He writes “the “people of life” rejoice in being able to share its commitment with so many others. Thus may the “people for life” constantly grow in number and may a new culture of love and solidarity develop for the true good of the whole of human society.” During a homily in Washington in 1979, he affirmed: “Human life is precious because it is the gift of a God whose love is infinite; and when God gives life, it is for ever. Life is also precious because it is the expression and the fruit of love. This is why life should spring up within the setting of marriage, and
why marriage and the parents’ love for one another should be marked by generosity in self-giving.” In the same homily, he alerted: “The great danger for family life, in the midst of any society whose idols are pleasure, comfort and independence, lies in the fact that people close their hearts and become selfish.” Heavenly father, You created me in your image and likeness. With You is the fullness of life. By the example of JPII, teach me to love human love, the love that shares commitment and responsibility. Mould me into a man of life; guide me to use my strength not for my glory but Yours. Fill me with Your love that commits but never attacks or judges others; the love that demands self-sacrifice, not only others’ sacrifices; and give me the courage to commit myself to support those in need, building a new culture of love and solidarity, a culture of life, dreamed by JPII. Your brother,
Antonio Moura
If you have any questions, you can email Antonio at antoniolandell@gmail.com.
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On my bookshelf
Photograph by Hieu Le
Book reviews by Imogen Elvis
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Wonder by R.J. Palacio “My name is August, by the way. I won’t describe what I look like. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse.” Born with a rare facial abnormality, August Pullman has spent the first ten years of his life in and out of hospitals. But the worst is behind him and, for the first time ever, he’s heading off to public school. However, life outside the family circle is harsher than expected and, in a world where acceptance is often based solely off physical appearances, August must negotiate the dangerous waters of fifth grade to prove that he is so much more than just his face. Despite being the story of a ten year old, Wonder is a book that people of all ages can relate to. Narrated by several characters, including August, his sister Olivia, and several people from August’s school, this book presents the life of a person with a visible disability from many viewpoints, including those of family, friends, and bystanders. Inspired by her own experiences with children with facial abnormalities, Palacio opens up the secret world of their lives in an entertaining yet genuine way, proving through this book that, as August himself says, “…the only reason I’m not ordinary is that no one else sees me that way.” August’s story is narrated with a heart-warming sense of humour that, along with the diverse cast of characters, keeps the deep themes that make this book so interesting from becoming overwhelming. As a reader, it is easy to identify with August’s struggles to fit in and prove his worth in a hostile world. Teenagers and young adults will especially enjoy this book and its charismatic narrator, but it is a great book that is suitable for younger readers, and parents also. Wonder has strong themes of love, acceptance, and value of all life, no matter how different a person might be or look. Despite his obvious disfigurement, August’s family love and accept him for the beautiful person they can see behind the abnormal face. It is an uplifting and eye-opening book. Perhaps the best way to sum up the experience of reading Wonder is with this quote: “If you act just a little kinder than is necessary, someone else, somewhere, someday, may recognise in you, in every single one of you, the face of God.”
The Giver by Lois Lowry Jonah’s world is a utopia, free from war, crime, and the responsibility of making choices. At twelve, his life path is chosen for him by the Elders. He is to be the next Receiver, the keeper of the community’s collective memories. But these are no ordinary memories. They are the memories of a time before their utopian society, and reveal a dark secret to their perfect lives. Receiving the memories means learning the truth. And once Jonah knows, there is no going back. The Giver is a relatively short book, and quite an easy read, but it packs a lot into its few pages. Lowry has created a vivid, realistic utopian world that is, on the surface at least, highly appealing. Everyone receives the same opportunities, and everyone is equal. But, as Jonah quickly learns when he begins his training as the Receiver, this comes at a high cost. The people in the community give up their freedom, memories, individual identity, and in some cases even their lives. This is the Elders’ darkest secret. In order to maintain their perfect society, they are killing old people and children they deem ‘unnecessary’ to the community. Throughout the book there is a constant battle between truth and lies, life and death, safety and doing the right thing that raises questions about not only Jonah’s community, but also our world today. It is not impossible to see today’s society heading in the same direction as the community in The Giver. For Jonah, despite having been born into this utopian world, discovering the truth makes him question everything he ever knew, and forces him to make a difficult choice between comfort, and the lives of children. This modern classic is a gripping story of truth, lies, the cost of perfection, the value of human life, and the courage it takes to stand up for what is right, which will appeal to teenagers and adults alike. Through Jonah’s story, Lowry not only presents a captivating story, but also calls readers to make the same choice as Jonah did. Seeing our world reflected in The Giver, where do you stand? And, knowing the truth, what will you choose? This is a thought provoking book that will stay with you long after you close the cover. M
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Why tune in to
hope
103.2
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Hope 103.2 is a radio station like no other, it plays a role in transforming people’s lives; both from within, with its faithful employees, and externally, with the people who tune in. Dwayne Jeffries shares why young people should tune in too, and what events are coming up for the Christian Youth of Sydney! Interview by CHRISTIANNE MARIE. Why should our readers choose Hope 103.2?
Photograph by Elijah Hail
A place like Hope, while it doesn’t play all of the songs you’re going to hear on other radio stations, the truth is, it’s being built to help people through the tough times, and then celebrate the really good times with them. We have a bunch of different shows on Hope that are ideally suited to you. Places like The Switch, which is our night show, which is full of fantastic music you hear on other radio stations but also music we’ve selected that carries messages of affirmation and hope. Music that will leave you feeling better about life, as opposed to making you wonder why you’re even here. Hope chooses its music and the people that appear between the songs to make sure that you are left in a better place. That’s the point of a place like Hope. The Switch – would you be able to elaborate further on this one? The Switch is hosted by Laura Bennett, who is a relatively recent uni graduate. She’s passionate about finding brand new music, both that’s Christian and also contemporary secular music. And then there’s also Fresh, which is on a Saturday night – brilliant contemporary Christian music, that if you were to introduce a friend who isn’t a Christian to, they’d still love it because it’s great music. As Content Director, you would have conducted interviews or listened to inspirational stories whilst on air. Have there been any that have touched you during your time here?
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There’s a story where, last November, we had a listener call in, who was on the brink of ending their life, and they were making choices about where they were going to do it, and the kind of message they were going to leave behind for their family. They weren’t a listener to Hope at all, and they were just flicking around, in fact the caller, when they rang, said they must have accidentally hit the seek button on the car radio and ended up at Hope. We happened to be playing a song at that same time, that was talking about a person driving to a location to end their life, and how they chose not to do it, because they realised there’s much more to life than just this moment. And living through this moment, knowing that you’re not alone, was enough to keep them living to the next moment, and the moment after that. And so our listener heard that song on the day they were planning to end their life, and said, “Wow, that’s where I’m at, I just don’t see any reason to keep going. And here in the words of this song, is somebody saying, ‘Keep going, because it’s worth it. Keep going, because you’re not alone. Keep going, because that’s not what you were made for. You were made for something excellent and incredible and if you live through this moment, and you seek help and support, you’ll get there.’ ” And so this person changed their mind about ending their life...You’re never alone when you have a faith, and a place like Hope; if you don’t have a place to go to, can be a starting place. And I understand you guys provide a Care4You line? We do, yes. Trained counsellors who are available 24/7. We also have a Prayer4You month where people can leave a message in total anonymity and ask for one of the staff here to pray... When we came to our first Prayer4You month, and those messages started to come through, I realised that all of us reach a point where there is no one else to turn to... And I can tell you that there are people around here, who, three or four times a day during that month, will stop what they’re doing, grab an email or a voice mail message, go to a room, sit down with another workmate and go “Let’s pray for this person, they’re doing it tough.” That’s a cool thing. Perhaps for any aspiring artists out there, Christian artists who would like to be heard on the radio, what is the process for applying for that with Hope?
recording devices, we’re getting great music coming through. So don’t worry even about getting studio quality, record your song with your band, wherever you can, and then send it to myself Dwayne Jeffries, or Aaron Wright, who’s not only our breakfast guy here, but hes also the day to day program director of Hope 103.2. We can even bring you in and we can record a session here in our own studios. We have live music regularly. We’ve got great facilities... From your own experience, working in such a faith-filled environment, for young people out there undergoing isolation, bullying and a hard time at home, what advice can you give? When I first arrived at Hope, working in my first all Christian working environment, while I’m a guy of faith, it was still pretty weird. Because people are genuinely interested in how you’re doing. And my advice outside of a place like Hope, has always been with things like bullying. That you are not alone in being bullied, there are many other people in that same position as you. The most nasty thing about bullying is that you’re made to feel like it is just you; that you’re the only person who is being treated like this and you deserve to be treated like that. The truth about bullying is neither - you don’t deserve ever to be treated like that and you aren’t the only person being treated like that. When you come to a place like Hope you realise very quickly that it’s not just you and it’s not just the person next door to you in the office. This whole place is on your side. You’ve got a whopping great big couple of footy teams who’ve got your back. And that’s the advice that I’d give anybody when it comes to difficult times at home or bullying or other relationship issues that make you feel like you’re not worthy or that this is only you. Because it’s never only you. And you are worthy. M This is an archive article, since this interview, Laura Bennett has made the switch to a morning show, co-hosted with Dan Widdowson. Breakfast with Dan and Laura deliveries a ‘healthy’ breakfast filled with upbeat family fun and loads of useful news and information. FRESH, hosted by Sam Robinson discovers and plays the best in contemporary Christian music Saturday nights from 8pm.
We love to hear music, and now that people can record their music in their bedrooms, lounge rooms, using really simple
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Photograph by Bao-Quân Nguyen
Keep going, because it’s worth it. You were made for something excellent and incredible and if you live through this moment, and you seek help and support, you’ll get there.
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Where love exists, it works great things. But when it ceases to act, it ceases to exist.
St Gregory the Great
love
Love
Baka, Tara Lyubicic
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Portraits of my family Young Sydney artist, Tara Lyubicic discusses her passion for art and the people that inspire her. By TARA LYUBICIC. It started when I was young and starting to familiarize myself with the practice of drawing human faces and capturing the essence of human emotions. And because I am apart of a big family, I was drawn to making my art revolve around the people living with me and connected to me. Most of my sketches and charcoal drawings are inspired by family photos that have been tucked away under beds or stacked up in chests hidden in the corners of rooms. Part of my process involves the delightful search inside my family’s history, while tracing the physical and emotional growth of each family member. Family photos are very special photos. By looking at a photo, we can unleash all kinds of memories and emotions that relate to that particular moment in time. Even when we don’t know anything about a photo, we can use our imagination to understand the meaning behind the subject of the photo. As a visual artist, images are very powerful in communicating a concept that can be more easily interpreted inside a persons mind, stimulating stronger thoughts that impact our feelings. When looking at old photos, especially family photos, we become more conscious of our past connections with our family. I’ve become more aware of the tight bond we share with our parents and siblings that has existed from birth. And from this, I am most grateful for and admire how families support each other unconditionally and survive with the utmost strength and perseverance for a lifetime. My interest in capturing the organic expressions of my family stems from the relationship I share with that person. Having such a profound, deeply rooted love for my family members, I have become very inspired to express this in my artwork. When drawing all sorts of facial expressions, I develop a closer relationship to that family member inside my mind, because their existence becomes either consciously or subconsciously more special to me. During the process of drawing each facial detail, I am automatically filled with these incredible feelings of love and gratitude for each individual’s beauty that they express in a way that is unique to how I perceive them. When drawing a person, you are capturing the inherent spirit of that person, so there are no flaws in that persons character, only natural beauty. M You can follow Tara’s artistic journey on her Instagram account @taralyubicic_
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The Twins, Tara Lyubicic
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Child Expression, Tara Lyubicic
Prana, Tara Lyubicic
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W H Y M A R Y M AT T E R S
The Blessed
Virgin Mary Queen of the
pro-life movement By PAUL ELARDE Mother of All Peoples Our Lady is truly the Queen of the pro-life movement because she is the spiritual Mother of all peoples. Every soul is her child. This role of universal motherhood was given to Mary by her Son Jesus, at the foot of the Cross. In the gospel of St John we read: When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. Throughout the Gospels, we never hear trivial words from Jesus, every word He says is packed with spiritual meaning. This was never more the case than when Jesus was dying on the cross. He only spoke seven statements from the cross, they were all loaded with spiritual significance. When Jesus spoke these words to John, He was not merely concerned about who would help Mary around the house when He was gone. Jesus was decreeing to John - who represents all of us - that he was to accept the gift of Mary as his spiritual Mother. Jesus gave us His Mother because He knew that we would need her maternal love, example and powerful intercession. In chapter one of Luke’s gospel we read about Mary’s
response to the invitation by the angel to become the Mother of Jesus. Mary’s ‘fiat’ meaning ‘let it be done’, consenting to be the Mother of God, embraces her bodily as well as spiritual realities. Indeed, bodily and spiritual realities that converge and are unified in her virgin motherhood. Mary’s motherhood is real in every sense and highlights Her role in the fight against the culture of death. Jesus, a few-day-old embryo Scripture tells us that Mary left immediately to journey to Elizabeth who was pregnant with John the Baptist. Mary wants to be there to help through this important time in Elizabeth’s life, even though Mary too, was carrying a child. But Mary also knew God wanted her to bring the Presence of Jesus in her womb, so the Holy Spirit could anoint John the Baptist in the womb of Elizabeth. Elizabeth, being filled with the Holy Spirit, acclaims praise for both Jesus and Mary, when she cries out in a loud voice saying, “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” It is critical to note that the Holy Spirit, speaking through Elizabeth, is acknowledging the PERSON of Jesus in the womb of Mary, even though Jesus is only a few-days-old embryo! Scripture proves an obvious truth that life starts from conception.
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Virgin and Child (1663) by Elizabetta Sirani, exhibited at Washington’s National Museum of Women in the Arts.
NOW is the time to experience the Father’s forgiveness and mercy When abortion takes the life of an unborn child, it not only destroys the life of a child, but it greatly grieves Mary, the child’s spiritual Mother. The loss of a child for any mother is one of the greatest tragedies; the loss of the countless millions of Mary’s children to abortion is a monumental atrocity of unparalleled dimensions. As Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta told the USA Congress, abortion is the greatest threat to world peace. It is now the time within history, especially in this Year of Mercy, to experience the Father’s forgiveness and mercy, and to trust God will heal these deep wounds in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and the wounds committed against countless innocent, unborn persons. At Fatima, every Catholic was called to make reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the sins of the world, and in our time, abortion tops this list. The Five First Saturdays devotion is one very effective way. The war against Mary and womanhood The image shown to St Catherine Laboure which is now on every miraculous medal, shows Our Lady with Her foot crushing the head of the serpent, Satan. It is a powerful symbol of truth for our times. This symbol proclaims the truth
of the Genesis 3:15 prophecy, that there will be a war between Satan and Mary (‘the woman’) and through Mary, Satan will be crushed. This is why Satan hates Mary so much. I hope you can see this truth being lived out today in our times. It is one thing for Satan to be defeated by God, his Creator, but to have Mary, a creature and human being, to defeat Satan is nothing short of a complete humiliation for ‘the father of lies’ and his inflated pride. Victory is Mary’s! If you ever doubt the reality of this war, just look at how everything beautiful that is associated with the ‘feminine genius’, (to quote St John Paul II), has been under Satan’s attack – motherhood; fertility - especially through contraception and abortion; the degrading of women’s sexuality in fashions; pornography; and the physical, emotional and sexual abuse of women. Understand that these attacks of Satan are – in the final analysis – an attack against Mary! But do not be afraid, never doubt God will fulfill His promise. The Immaculate Heart of Mary will triumph! Mary is leading the battle in this victory and for the salvation of all Her children! M
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LIVES OF THE SAINTS
Blessed
Pi er Giorgio by SAMANTHA GIANNA
Frassati
Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati was born in 1901 and died at the young age of 24. His life on Earth, though brief, was lived to the full in love and adventure. Pier Giorgio was born in Turin, Italy, of a wealthy family who owned a newspaper titled La Stampa. Pier Giorgio was known among his peers as a pious gentleman who was adventurous and cheeky. His friends would call him the ‘Terror’ because of his love of playing practical jokes on others. He enjoyed a range of outdoor activities such as hiking, skiing, horse riding and mountain climbing. He would often set out on outdoor adventures with his friends. But secretly amongst the poor he was known as a generous man who helped others with whatever resources he had. Although he came from a wealthy background, his father was strict about how much spending money he would give to Pier Giorgio. Nevertheless, Pier Giorgio was prudent with his spending, generously using most of it on the poor. At times he would sacrifice taking the train home, and choose to run instead, just to give his fare money to the poor. Many other times he would give up his lunch for those who had none. His sensitivity towards social justice was extended to his active political views against the Fascists. He would take part in anti-Fascist demonstrations, often physically protecting others from the blows of Police brutality. Pier Giorgio was not only passionate about social justice; he also possessed a deep love for the Sacraments and prayer life. His prayer life and dedication to the Catholic faith was not understood or approved by his parents, since they were both non-religious. His father had often found Pier Giorgio by his bedside, who had fallen asleep on his knees, while praying the Rosary. At times he would spend whole nights in Eucharistic adoration. He would attend daily Mass and make bets with his friends; if they lost the bet they would have to attend Mass with him. He was also a member of the Third Order of Dominicans. Although considered part of the laity, he lived the Dominican spirituality in the secular world.
confessed this love to his sister, Luciana. However, he was not allowed to pursue this love without the permission of his parents; because of Laura’s lower social status, his mother would not consider her for her son. Painfully, Pier Giorgio had to forget about pursuing her. He believed this obedience was God’s will. He expressed his heartache to his friend saying; “I am reading the novel by Italo Mario Angeloni, Ho Amato Cosi, in which he writes in the first part about his love for an Andalusian woman, and, believe me, I feel a lot because it is like the story of my love. I too have loved like that, only in the novel it is the Andalusian girl who makes the sacrifice, whereas in my case I will be sacrificed, because that is what God wills.” He spent much of his time assisting the poor who were sick, by taking them to get medical aid and by paying for the medicines they needed. Pier Giorgio would say “God has given us health so that we may serve the sick”. He lived and died by this saying. At age 24, Pier Giorgio contracted polio from the sick which he secretly ministered to. In his final week, as his health was deteriorating, he did not spend a thought on himself, instead he was still ensuring the health of others; his grandmother was also dying. The day before he died, although he could barely move, he wrote a message to his friend telling him to give a poor man who he was helping, his injections. Finally, on July 4, 1925, Pier Giorgio drew his last breath. To the surprise of all his friends and family, thousands of the poor and lonely showed up outside the mansion to grieve and to give their condolences; each of them had been personally touched by Pier Giorgio’s selfless acts of mercy. It was the poor who petitioned the Archbishop of Turin to begin the cause for his canonisation. On 20 May 1990, Pope John Paul II beatified Pier Giorgio Frassati and called him the Man of the Eight Beatitudes. M Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati’s feast day is 4 July.
Pier Giorgio was in love with a woman named Laura. He had
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pro-life
Photograph by Eric Froehling
REASONS WHY I AM
By ROBERT ASSAF Being Pro-life is so much more than just being against abortion and euthanasia. It is the constant and daily living out of our own core individuality and uniqueness. It is the building up and promotion of the lives around you. You may not realise this, but from the beginning of time to its end, there will never be another you or me again. Whilst we are all humans, we are a collection of our own unique personalities and experiences in life. There are some things we can contribute to others and to society at large that nobody else can. There are perspectives we can see things from that nobody will ever see them from again. Such is the gift of life. For we are conceived unique and not uniform, and thus, we are inherently special. We have been formed in this time period in the very place we stand now, for a particular mission. Nobody can take such uniqueness away from us. Everyone that has been conceived in the womb has this uniqueness about them, and when they are aborted, there lies a gap in the world. There lies a shadow of what that child could have grown up to be. There lies a premature termination, and there lies a sense of emptiness. Here are four more reasons as to why I am pro-life in regards to the abortion debate:
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And if you are going through tough times and facing a pregnancy, there are plenty of resources and helpers just waiting for you to call, and there are plenty of people out there who can’t conceive and would gladly take on the responsibility of raising a child if you can’t. Below are some links to some great organisations who can help you: righttolife.com.au pregnancycounselling.com.au rachelsaus.blogspot.com.au
Love
that baby has done nothing wrong and does not deserve to die
I was once in the womb The principle of ‘do unto others as you would want done unto you’ rings true in this situation. We all go through times of joy and sorrow, however abortion robs babies of ever having the chance to go through the highs and lows of life. The question stands, if you were in the womb and could hear your mother discussing the idea of aborting you, what would you want her to do?
I often hear people say that abortion in cases of rape is fine. Whilst this situation is one of immense trauma and horror for the victim, the fact stands that the baby conceived in such an evil act is not in itself evil. In fact, it is the only good thing to come out of such a situation. The baby did nothing wrong, so why does it deserve to be terminated?
to be prochoice would mean being pro-infanticide
no situation and/or person in life is perfect
Whenever I ask most pro-choicers why they think abortion is a good idea, they usually respond with something like, “because the fetus in the womb is not a separate entity from the woman because it is dependent on the woman for survival.” Such a reasoning, when stretched to its logical conclusion will also allow the killing of babies outside of the womb. This is because babies outside of the womb are still completely dependent on their parents.
Another driver behind abortion is if the baby in the womb doesn’t fit the expectations of the parents. Some cases of abortion are because the child is found with some severe disability. The fact is that nothing in life is perfect, and to deny someone’s right to life because they will make your life difficult either physically or financially (or both) is downright selfish. Furthermore, what sort of message do we send those severely disabled people already living in this world when we allow the abortion of those exactly like them in the womb?
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Live
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