Photo: casalinho Permaculture Project Portugal
Many Branches -
Dear Friends
There is a story of an African sage who knew he was dying and convoked a gathering of all his children.
H
e asked each one of them to come with a branch of the broom bush that grew all around their village, and told each of them in turn to break the broom branch. When they all broke their branches, he asked them each to get a big handful of broom branches and bind them together, and again asked them to break the branches. They tried their best but when bunched together, none of the branches would
break. The old sage explained:
“United you can never be defeated, but on your own you can offer no resistance to defeat”.
The moral of this story is probably what motivated Jesus’ prayer for the unity of his apostles in the Gospel which we read about in (John 17:2026). Jesus knew that after his
Upon this Rock magazine is published monthly by EuropeAxess Media, Gibraltar. Editor: Fr. S. Chipolina: editor@uponthisrock.gi. Production Editor: A. Sargent angela@europeaxess.com. Upon this Rock magazine is entirely supported by advertising and donations. It is run in liaison with the Catholic Diocese of Gibraltar by EuropeAxess Media Ltd. as a not-for-profit project. For Advertisers: This magazine is hand-delivered to homes, churches, hospitals and many businesses around Gibraltar every month. To discuss your advertising requirements, or promote your church group or charity, call Tel: +350 200 79335 email: angela@ europeaxess.com. Editorial is selected by EuropeAxess Media in liaison with the Catholic Diocese of Gibraltar. Neither of these parties is responsible for the accuracy of the information contained herein, nor do the views and opinions expressed herein necessarily reflect the views and opinions of either party. Advertisers are not endorsed by virtue of advertising in this magazine. EuropeAxess Media Ltd. reserves the right to refuse space to any submissions or advertisements. Efforts have been made to establish copyright owners of images, but if we have used your material, and have not credited you, please contact us to discuss restoration. The magazine is online at uponthisrock.gi. You’ll find exclusive Christian gifts in the WebShop. COVER PIC: Fr. Stuart Chipolina celebrates Mass at Lourdes. Photo: John Tewkesbury
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have we prayed for God’s grace to abide in us or do we relax presuming God’s grace since He knows all things and is equally a loving Father? This challenges us to resort to prayer whenever we sense any danger. But the question remains, each time we experience crisis of all sorts, capable of tearing us apart, how much effort do we make to remain united? Unity is one of the marks that characterized the Catholic Church right from her earliest days. This unity has always been expressed in two dimensions: unity of thought and unity of action. The early Christians were united in their Christian thoughts and actions such that they could develop certain articles of faith and codes of moral conducts to guide them. Today, most families lack this gift of unity which Christ prayed for and that is why they are gullible. We see families being torn apart by divorce, violence and hatred and this affects the Church which is made up of these families. Even among Christian Churches, we experience jealousy, rancour, greed, avarice and other distressing traits tearing Churches and ministers apart. The Christian Churches should be a visible sign of this unity Christ prayed for. It is only when they are one that they can rise
Adapted from casalinho Permaculture Project Portugal et al.
ascension, that there would be several oppositions against his disciples. He never wanted any of them to work on his own to avoid defeat. He wanted them to remain united in the exercise of their ministry, just as he is united with the father. According to Jesus, this oneness of his apostles is a proof of their oneness with God. Jesus’ prayer strengthens us at this moment, he is no longer physically present with us, though he is still with us spiritually – in the Church, the Word, the Sacraments, in our neighbours, etc. It assures us of the abiding grace of God around us and motivates us to work towards the actualization of Christ’s prayer, that we may all be one. Through the presentation of this reading, the Church reminds us that we are not orphans because our Lord and master is no longer with us physically. Instead, he is with us spiritually, each time we gather as members of one family in his name. Jesus knew what was going to befall him and how the faith of the Apostles would be shaken. To keep his apostles on the safer side, he prayed for them, asking his Father to grant that they may remain united. In our moments of danger, temptation, vocation or business crises,
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Many Roles: working towards Unity
up with one voice against social injustice and the enslavement of Christian morality, especially in a world where Christian values are under attack. How can we regain our status when we are scrambling for supremacy and authority and as a result have remained disintegrated? The early Christians were one and this unity encouraged them to give up their lives for the faith just as we read Stephen did in the Acts of the Apostles 7:55-60. Therefore the book of Revelation (Rev. 22:12-14,
16-17, 20) reminds us that Christ is coming soon, we can only prepare to receive him when we are united, when each one will help his/her brother/ sister prepare for the Lord. Our journey to eternity requires a collective effort to do the will of God and our unity as Christians and members of the family of God will guarantee us success in this journey of faith. God loves you. God Bless you all +Fr. Stuart
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How your donation to GibMissionAfrica helps Fr. Grima’s work .
Anne Mesilio writes
From Darkness into Light Father George Grima is an intrepid worker amongst the poorest people in the sprawling beautiful country that is Ethiopia.
A
place of ancient culture, this rugged landlocked country in the Horn of Africa, split by the Great Rift Valley where Christianity dates back to the first century AD, struggles to support a population of nearly 100 million. Hidden within this beauty are lives striving daily to survive in the direst circumstances and a witness to this is Maltese priest Fr. Grima, founder of the ‘Mission Jesus in Thy Neighbour’ over twenty five years ago. We were meeting on his annual awareness and fund raising visit to the Rock. Delighted as always to see him again I wondered what issues he would raise this time, as his work with people who are prisoners of poverty is on going. I waited expectantly and sure enough he named three. “We need to deal with child slavery, blindness and malnutrition which is the mother of all diseases”, and I wondered
where to start.
Free the slaves
He took the slavery issue first; “it is a silent problem but as devastating as the atomic bomb this condition of child slavery. Girls and women are treated worst of all, they are not considered important in the family, they are kept from school, denied an education and live in harsh and dangerous conditions. They are used as slaves for domestic help, cooking, cleaning, washing, collecting water.” In the unending search for what invariably ends up being polluted water, and minding the herds, children could be three days away from home where they are exposed to all sorts of dangers. They face the menace of wild animals with nothing more than a shepherd’s stick to defend themselves. They are prey to kidnappers, their herds being stolen, and their cries are lost in the wilderness. In this harsh environment, where they are wounded physically,
What are children’s hands for?
Our Lord gave us a body to be used properly, and not to be abused by others.
mentally and morally, faced with these unimaginable traumas, that is where slavery exists. Here Fr. Grima surprised me with an evocative illustration of what child slavery means (see below left).
people from darkness into light”. For the head of the family, previously unable to work the possibility now exists; he is free of the chains which held him back. The girls too are released from the need to care for and
Let the blind see
assist the adult so the possibility of school becomes real. He recounted one joyous moment; “an elderly couple, after nearly twenty years of near blindness, were able to see each other again”! Consider that for a mere £20 you to can help more people from darkness into light.
He went on to tell me of his delight at the realisation of a mobile unit to tackle the widespread eye cataract problems. “We have become mobile, a specialised mobile unit proved too expensive so we followed the advice of Gibmissionafrica. We carry all the equipment needed, go to a village and set up. We need two rooms, one where patients are prepared and the other used as an operating theatre.” His voice was light as he talked about how this simple procedure was changing lives. To understand; a cataract is a clouding of the eye’s natural lens which lies behind the iris and the pupil for which surgery is straightforward. “With trained personnel during a ten day stay in a village up to 600 operations can be performed. This simple 10/15 operation literally releases
GibMissionAfrica, a locally registered charity inspired by Fr. Grima. Call Tel: 20078714 to get your donations directly to Ethiopia. Feed the starving
Malnutrition, the third pressing issue raising concerns is essentially a lack of key nutrients. According to WHO it is the greatest contributor to child mortality globally. “Though we save many children, many
• Our body helps us to care for ourselves and those in need. • Our hands are among the most important parts of our body. • We use our hands to eat, and other daily necessities. BUT CHILD SLAVERY IN THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES MEANS: • Young hands break stones instead of writing. • Tired hands plough fields instead of reading a book. • Calloused hands carry a shepherd’s stick for herding cattle in all weathers instead of carrying a schoolbag. • Fragile hands fetch dirty water for miles from polluted ponds and other sources instead of learning to count. 4 www.uponthisrock.gi
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others die”. The priest’s stark honesty told how malnutrition keeps the country from escaping the cycle of poverty. With seriously compromised immune systems, malnutrition affects every system in the body with
weight loss, stunted growth, increased incidents of debilitating diarrhoea, vulnerability to almost all infections, it affects children’s ability to learn and caused 45% of deaths in the under fives. It is indeed the mother of all
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How your donation to GibMissionAfrica helps Fr. Grima’s work .
Anne Mesilio writes
From Darkness into Light diseases and on another level it violates the child’s human rights. It is a cycle that is difficult to tackle as undernourished young women are likely to give birth to babies who are undernourished even before they are born. I had to ask how the immediate situation is tackled. He told me; “we have a method of measuring how ill the child is. If the apparatus turns red this is seriously critical and the child may die within twenty four hours so urgent action is needed”. This urgent action consisted of feeding the child 3-4 teaspoons of reconstituted milk powder during a 24 hour period. I was bit taken aback having imagined an ambulance dash to hospital, needles, drips etc., but no, milk powder, a tin of which costs £5! (Please get in touch with Gibmissionafrica and donate urgently today). Though extremely fragile there is a good chance the child will survive, and whilst unable to talk, his eyes do so eloquently as hope shines out of them (photo on p5).
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There is other suffering too like the loneliness of the leper living in his tomb of stones. He told Fr. Grima, “I am a leper, I live here, I cannot go out because I will be stoned, and I live in my tomb”. This startled the priest who though inured to the distress and hardship through his work among the poor, rallied and offered the hand of friendship to this lonely outcast. “Each of us is a masterpiece of God’s love. We exist to make a difference and must accord human dignity to all”, he told me simply. That for me encapsulates his devotion to the poor, “the poor you will always have with you”. (Matthew 26; 11) “To love God and neighbour is not something abstract, but profoundly concrete: it means seeing in every person the face of the Lord to be served, to serve him concretely. And you are dear brothers and sisters, the face of Jesus.” Pope Francis’ address during a visit to the homeless shelter “Dona Di Maria,” 5/21/13.
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Your par ticipation helps fuel this power ful worldpriests.com event ...
Each of us is a masterpiece of God’s love. Fr. George Grima
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Prayer for Priests
T
he Sixth Annual Global Rosary Relay for Priests will take place this year on June 12th, the Feast of the Sacred Heart. Starting at a shrine in Siberia, Marian shrines all the over the world will host thousands of people reciting relays of the rosary, moving from country to country and encircling the world with the power of the rosary throughout the day This amazing experience is open to everybody. Here in our Diocese, as in previous years, the event will take place at the Shrine of Our Lady of Europe at 9.30am. In contributing to this unique and joyous event those taking part will be supporting the challenging work of priests tending to the spiritual needs of Catholics worldwide. Remember, everybody’s prayers add to the power of this relay. The Holy Father conveyed his cordial greetings to all taking part in the “24 - Hour Rosary Relay for Priests’’ via Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary
of State. He wanted to assure them of his spiritual closeness. He prays that our Blessed Mother may always guide and protect priests who are consecrated to the joyful and indispensable mission of proclaiming the Gospel and offering God’s people, through the celebration of the sacraments, the closeness, the word and the strength of Christ (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 121). With great affection and appreciation for priests, His Holiness commends them and those joining in this event to the loving intercession of Our Lady of the Rosary, and willingly imparts his Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of grace and peace. For the past five years this initiative has been growing steadily around the world. This year it is estimated that as many as 100 Marian shrines in 50 countries worldwide will take part. We look forward to seeing you at the Shrine.
Shrine, 9.30am, Friday 12th June
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“Lourdes is a place where healing occurs.”
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o sooner had the Gibraltar pilgrims left Lourdes last month, than the Military arrived, with the service members’ annual pilgrimage to the Marian shrine. Archbishop Timothy Broglio told the Catholic News Agency on May 14th that “Lourdes is a place where healing occurs. It might not be the dramatic throwing away of crutches,
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or breaking a cane, but there is always that interior peace when we put ourselves in our mother’s hands, and that’s my hope, that everyone experiences that serenity and goes home enriched and strengthened.” There is no doubt that the members of the Gibraltar contingent did just that, after their time away led by Fr. Stuart Chippolina. The Gibraltar contingent were asked to lead
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Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes
A collage of photos taken by John Tewksbury the candlelit procession and to take part in the prayers before the basilica. They also took part in the international Mass in the huge underground basilica of St. Piux X. This was designed by the architect Pierre Vago. The nave is oval, 191 metres long and 61 metres wide, and slopes gently upwards from the centre, where the sanctuary is situated on a raised platform. The ceiling is low at only 10 metres, and is supported by 58 pre-stressed concrete pillars which meet 29 concrete beams crossing the ceiling, giving it the impression of an upturned ship. This design creates a very large open space, of 12,000 square metres with maximum visibility from any part of the nave. When full it
can accommodate up to 25,000 worshippers. That tiny Gibraltar always musters such a large contingent of pilgrims at Lourdes, stepping up to the challenge of participating in the prayers and leading the procession if asked, is a huge testimony to the people. While we may not be battle scarred, in the same way as the military pilgrims who filled the basilica the following week, we are hugely grateful for Our Lady’s protection as we continue to work peacefully, navigating our community through the often turbulent geopolitical waters that lap on our shores. Our Lady of Europe, Pray for us.
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Distance Learning
Editorial sent in from Angela Perera, with a short personal testimony
Would you like to do something more with your
F
aith?
The School of the Annunciation
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Catholic faith to support the New Evangelisation. All are rooted in the Church’s Scriptures and living Tradition and present the teachings of the universal Magisterium. Courses being developed use a collaborativedistance-learning model of short residency periods, course texts and online interaction for personal student support.
Personal Testimony Angela Perera describes why she became involved with the School: “For some time I had been considering taking some sort of catechetical course, mostly for my own formation, but with the thought in the back of my mind that I might be able to ‘do’ something more with it. The most important factor, for me, that any institution offered,
was complete orthodoxy to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church, not just on paper but in the teaching as well. I had discovered the beauty of true Catholicism and I had no intention of settling for anything less. I had been keeping an eye on Catholic news media to see what some highly recommended tutors were about to do, when they opened a new school! Immediately I looked at the courses - the one that caught my interest was the Diploma in the New Evangelisation. The description of the content of the modules spoke to my heart, it was exactly what I wanted and more. [See page 12.] I applied, was accepted and even received partial funding of the fees (a distance learning grant) from the Government of Gibraltar
CH
he School of the Annunciation is a centre for adult formation, responding to the Church’s call for a New Evangelisation, in which the Catholic Faith is joyfully transmitted anew in all its beauty, depth and vigour. Here you have a sure place for finding the fullness of the faith known, loved, prayed, taught and celebrated. Situated in the extensive grounds of Buckfast Abbey, on the edge of the beautiful National Park of Dartmoor in Devon, England, every programme of the School is harmonised with the rhythm of the Divine Office, sung each day by the community of monks at the Abbey. The School of the Annunciation offers a range of courses in key areas of the
R ISTI A
Department of Education. Although it is always an effort to get down to study, I finish each session exhilarated! I am learning so much, the course is structured very well and there are so many wonderful texts and Church documents to read. Best of all each study session becomes an extension of prayer time meaning my day is spent immersed in time with the Holy Trinity.” Vision and Mission At the heart of the life of the School is our commitment to the vital and inseparable relationship between Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium that, according to ‘God’s most wise design, are so linked and joined together that one cannot stand without the others, and that all together and each in its own
FUNDING AVAILABLE
US
T
N
MIS
The Christian Mission Trust provides local Christians with donations for evangelistic SI O N T R initiatives and outreaches. The Trust is ecumenical and has provided money to many groups, individuals and churches during the last 12 years. It is run by a Board of Trustees.
We invite applications for funding from anyone who wishes to launch an evangelistic initiative or who needs support for an existing Christian missionary activity. Please write to: The Chairman, Christian Mission Trust, 4 South Pavilion Road, Gibraltar. 10 www.uponthisrock.gi
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“I finish each session exhilarated!”
way under the action of the one Holy Spirit contribute effectively to the salvation of souls’ (Dogmatic Constitution, Dei Verbum, 10). Courses and events delivered by the School will seek to promote among students and staff the passion, insight and creativity that only comes from the obedience of faith to God’s revelation safeguarded, explained and taught by the Magisterium of the Church.
in her the Lord and giver of all grace, for the salvation of the world. In this Marian spirit, the School dedicates itself to the formation of the faithful for the New Evangelisation. Rooted in the graces flowing from participation in the
celebration of the mysteries of the faith, the School seeks to embody a way in which mission flows from adoration, and the annunciation of the faith from communion in the mysteries. Attention is given to the formation needs of the Church
Angela Perera
related to all three ‘moments’ of evangelisation: • formation for initial witness and proclamation; • formation for systematic and comprehensive catechesis and apologetics; • formation in sacred theology
Vision The School of the Annunciation serves the New Evangelisation through its service to the Gospel of the Blessed Trinity, a Gospel of joy and redemption. The School is consecrated in all of its activities to Mary who, full of grace, offered an assent that was also the gift of herself, enabling the Holy Spirit to make present
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as a deeper appreciation of the mysteries of the faith. Convinced that the renewal of the faith depends upon a creative retrieval of the treasures of our Christian heritage, the School offers formation and opportunities for engagement with the spiritual, intellectual, cultural and artistic patrimony of the Church. Blending the traditional with the new in terms of learning, the School aims to develop both a small campus of fulltime students for intense periods of education and formation, together with outreach for part-time learning using a collaborative-learning method. Its vision is to act as a reference point for the New Evangelisation for small communities of learners, supporting their formation in families, in new and traditional ecclesial communities, in parishes and in deaneries.
mission of the School is to: • provide courses to support formation for the New Evangelisation in all three ‘moments’; • offer support, advice, consultancy and resources for catechesis and the New Evangelisation; • disseminate and make accessible the pontifical magisterium on the New Evangelisation; • engage with the challenges of contemporary secularisation and with the articulation of a credible Christian response through research, publications and conferences; • collaborate with families and communities to provide educational support for the development of Catholic learning, culture and life; • collaborate with universities also committed to the vision of Ex Corde Ecclesiae.
2015 Courses
Distance Learning Courses Introductory weekends: 24th - 27th Sept Diploma in the New Evangelisation. Two year, part-time distance learning course. One Year, Part-Time Distance Learning Programmes Introductory weekends: 8th - 11th Oct Ecclesiastical Latin. (Beginners & Intermediate Levels). 22nd - 25th Oct Introduction to Philosophy. 5th - 8th Nov Sacred Art and New Evangelisation. 19th - 22nd Nov Media and New Evangelisation. Four Day Summer Schools 30th July - 2nd Aug Catholic Introduction to Scripture. 3rd - 6th Aug Introduction to Apologetics. 6th - 9th Aug Ten Steps to Strengthen your Faith. 10th - 13th Aug Liturgy and the Spiritual Life. 13th - 16th Aug Catholic Life Ethics.
Contact: www.schooloftheannunciation.com Telephone: +44 1364 645660 enquiries@schooloftheannunciation.com
Mission Seeking to witness through a new ardour, new methods and a new expression to the perennial newness of the Gospel, the
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J o i n t h e ‘ P o p e ’ s P r a y e r G r o u p ’, r i g h t h e r e i n G i b r a l t a r. . .
Quiet prayers going on day in and day out...
‘POPE’S PRAYER GROUP’ Since 1844 our mission has been to help Christians live out their desire to serve God with their whole lives and their whole selves. God asks us all to pray for ourselves and for others. To make ourselves a living sacrifice and to pray without ceasing for all the needs of the Church and for the whole world. Since the nineteenth century popes have asked the Apostleship of Prayer to pray for specific intentions. We receive two prayer intentions each month from the Holy Father, pledging ourselves to pray for them every day. In 2006, the board of the Apostleship of Prayer approved this statement of our mission: The mission of the Apostleship of Prayer is to encourage Christians to make a daily offering of themselves to the Lord for the coming of God’s Kingdom and for the Holy
Father’s monthly intentions. This habit of prayer encourages a Eucharistic spirituality of solidarity with the Body of Christ and loving service to others. Nourishing this spiritual program is the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. RENEWAL Pope John Paul II, on the occasion of its 150th anniversary in 1994, wrote “As the dawn of the third millennium approaches a world in which many sectors have become quite pagan, it is obvious how urgent it is for members of the Apostleship of Prayer to be involved in the service of the new evangelization. For Christ has come to preach the Good News to the poor, and the Apostleship of Prayer has always considered itself a form of popular piety for the masses. As such it has performed an important service during the past hundred and fifty years by giving new life to people’s awareness of how valuable their lives are to God for the building up of His Kingdom.”
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The Apostleship of Prayer has renewed itself for the contemporary world. Pope Francis himself has approved the renewal document published by the international office of the Apostleship in Rome. DAILY REFLECTIONS The Apostleship of Prayer receives monthly prayer intentions from the Pope and urges Christians throughout the world to unite in prayer for those intentions. The reflections below seek to illuminate the Holy Father’s concerns in the context of the daily readings and feasts. The prayer intentions of the Holy Father for this month are Care for the suffering and Openness to mission. As always, please keep these intentions in your heart as you read and pray. MORNING OFFERING At the centre of the Apostleship of Prayer is the Morning or Daily Offering. In this simple prayer, we offer every moment of our day to God. We strive to take seriously the call we received
in baptism to be “a royal priesthood”. To offer up all our family and married life, daily work, relaxation of mind and body, if they are accomplished in the Spirit-indeed even the hardships of life if patiently borne–all these become spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. GIBRALTAR CONTACT Vicky Lombard Tel: 20075309, Mobile 54009548.
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Freedom For Life
Kristie Wellman writes in the blog onemoresoul.com
Believe In Me Not so long ago I went to my family doctor for a yearly check up...
A Sponsored by
very friendly nurse measured me, weighed me, and took my temperature. She also asked me the regular series of questions for women, such as, “When was your last menstrual period,” and “Is there any chance that you are pregnant?” To the latter question, I answered no. At that point I was a 21-year-old college student who, by God’s grace, was saving my virginity for marriage, trying to live a chaste life, and feeling very strongly about my convictions in this area. The nurse proceeded to ask me, at this point seemingly deviating from the questions on the form, if I was on any kind of birth control. I again said no and briefly informed her, in a patient-to-health professional way, that I was not planning on needing birth control because I was waiting until marriage to have sex (I didn’t even bring up the fact that I will not be using contraception after marriage either!) At my answer, the nurse smiled at me condescendingly and said, “Well, dear, I’m sure that is how you feel now, but I can’t tell you how many girls I’ve met who had similar intentions, but then weren’t prepared with contraception when in the heat of the moment they changed their minds.” Lord, have mercy, when a young unmarried girl goes to the office of a Christian family
practice doctor, and, rather than being commended and encouraged in her desire to save herself for her future husband, is told that she will not have the self-control to do so. If anyone should be telling young people to wait to have sex until marriage, it should be the health professionals who know all of the physical risks that premarital sex brings. I am horrified that someone would offer me a birth control pill to “protect” me from pregnancy while not once warning me that such a pill would do nothing to protect my body from STD’s or my heart from breaking—both common consequences of sex outside of marriage. I was indignant as I left the doctor’s office that day. Unfortunately, I was so shocked and dumbfounded that I was not even able to voice my righteous anger and let the nurse or my doctor know how I felt. I understand what that nurse was trying to do for me and even appreciate her concern. I am sure that she had seen her fair share of girls in that office who had planned on saving their virginity for their wedding night but didn’t make it. And may God have mercy on all those girls who let go of that hope, on that nurse who was really trying to help, and on me as I continue to strive for purity and confidently hope with God’s grace that I may someday look into my husband’s
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E d i t o r i a l s e l e c t e d b y D r. M o n i q u e R i s s o
“The alternative is clear: either Man governs his passions and finds peace, or he lets himself be dominated by them and becomes unhappy.” -Catechism of the Catholic Church
eyes and know that he believed all along that I could wait for him. And I can wait for him. Who has the right to tell young people that they are mere animals with no control over their bodies or hormones? No one ever said it would be easy, but for goodness sakes, with some willpower, self-control, prudent planning, and God’s ever-present grace, surely it is possible! In the words of former congressman Alan Keyes, “If we encourage our children to believe they can’t control their sexual desires, what of their greed, their anger, their prejudice, and their hate? What condoms will we distribute to protect them from the consequences of those?” I’m just thankful for all of the people in my life who let me know that they believed in me—my parents most especially, as well as the other teachers and role models.
“Today, there is a general aversion to criticizing sexual behaviours for fear of appearing repressive. But ‘safer sex’ education is safe only in the sense that those offering it are safe from being admonished for being repressive or judgmental... ‘Sort of’ safe sex ‘sort of’ prevents risks for lovers we would ‘sort of’ like to protect. And the crisis continues.” Richard Wetzel, MD, in Sexual Wisdom
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One person who has changed my life because of his belief in me was Pope John Paul II. He said to me and to all the young people of the world, “It is the nature of human beings, and especially youth, to seek the Absolute, the meaning and fullness of life. Dear young people, do not be content with anything less than the highest ideals! Do not let yourselves be dispirited by those who are disillusioned with life and have grown deaf to the deepest and most authentic desires of their heart. You are right to be disappointed with hollow entertainment and passing fads, and with aiming at too little in life. If you have an ardent desire for the Lord you will steer clear of the mediocrity and conformism so widespread in our society.” Now that is what I wish that nurse would have said to me! Young people want to be believed in, not talked down to. We long for someone to raise the bar high and challenge us to reach for it. We know that we can say yes to sex—therein lies no great feat. But we need someone to tell us that we can say no as well. Because if we cannot say no, then what does our yes mean? And deep within every human heart lies the knowledge that the sexual act is—or at least is meant to be—deeper and more meaningful than MTV and Playboy magazine make it out to be.
“If a guy is exchanging the marital act with a woman before he marries her, he has made the mistake of asking for her heart before he is willing to hold and guard it with his life.” -Jason Evert So… where does that leave us? Well, it leaves most people, like the nurse I met, in a place with good intentions toward young people but without a real belief in them. It leaves me, in love for the first time, in a place where I am appreciating both the importance of chastity in true love and the need of God’s help to achieve this, yet confident that His grace is always ready! Where does this leave you? If you are a parent— the most important player of all in the game of life your child is trying to win—it leaves you with some very important questions to ask yourself: Do you believe that there is any value or importance in saving one’s total gift of self inherent in the sexual act for marriage?
Do you believe that saving sex can help your child to achieve his or her goals in life, to have greater self-esteem and less hurt, to have a healthier and happier marriage down the road? And, finally, do you believe that he can do it—that your child is capable of choosing to put his hormones under the custody of his reason and choosing longterm happiness over short-term gratification? If you answered yes to the questions above, tell your child what you expect of him and believe him to be capable of—and why of course. Because only by being believed in and believing in himself will a child come to realize the great dignity and respect he or she deserves—and this realization will turn the rudder that shapes the course of his or her entire life. Find more from Kristie Wellman at onemoresoul.com
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