"Problem Pregnancy? Considering Abortion? Pregnant?" A woman is concerned that she might be pregnant. Perhaps her period is two weeks late. For some reason, she is interested in exploring her alternatives to a problem pregnancy. She calls the number from the abortion clinic advertisement, just to ask some questions. The telephone is answered by an abortion salesperson who calls herself a "counselor." She only sells one product-abortion. The abortion clinic makes no money if a pregnancy is continued in any manner! The counselor has had extensive training to "help" this woman with "her problem." The counselor asks the frightened woman what the first day of her last normal period was, and the woman figures the date. The counselor says, "You are 6 weeks pregnant." The woman is frightened by this; after all, the expert (counselor) has just confirmed her worst fear-she is pregnant! Next the counselor asks, "Is this good or bad news?" Women who are happy about being pregnant do not call abortion clinics, so the answer is, "Bad news." The counselor moves in. "No one needs to know; we can take care of your problem without anyone's knowledge." Then the counselor searches. What is the reason this woman does not want this baby? The counselor must know in order to use that fear in her selling techniques! When the woman tells the counselor why her pregnancy is not convenient, the counselor continues the sale of her product. "Does the father know?" They never call the mother, "a mother," or the baby, "a baby," but the male involved is the father. Subconsciously, the counselor is encouraging the woman to blame the man for this problem. "Put all your guilt, anger, frustration on the 'father.' You (the woman) are not to blame, only the father." Two steps are left in the sales process, and the next one is the money! If the woman doesn't ask the price, the counselor will help by saying, "You know, the cost is $250.00. Do you have $250.00?" Horrified, the woman will reply, "No." The counselor will then have to calm her down and walk her through the steps to gather the money. The woman will be told, "Go to all your friends. Ask to borrow $5.00, $10.00, or $25.00. Get a part-time job. Pay them back in a year." The last step in the process is getting the woman in the clinic, preferably for an appointment, but at the very least for a "free pregnancy test so she will know for sure." The counselor checks her appointment book and gives the woman a choice of two times for the test. (The counselor must keep an appointment book to keep the patients separated. There is nothing worse than two women arriving at the same time who have just found themselves to be pregnant, who are both upset, and who can only be seen by the counselor one at a time.) When the woman walks in the front door, the counselor knows who she is and greets her by name. "Hello, Linda, I'm Carol. I am so glad you are here." The woman thinks, "Am I the only one she is working with?" After all, this counselor is trained to be a friend. Hopefully, she is the only one discussing the abortion with the distressed woman. Together, they go to the lab. The counselor mixes the urine and the chemicals, pointing to a chart on the wall which shows the results of both a positive and a negative test. The woman watches the test, and if it is positive, the counselor sympathizes with her. Then the counselor asks, "Do you have your money? Why don't you do it right now so you will not have to think about it anymore? After all, the sooner the better." If the woman leaves the clinic, someone might actually counsel her that abortion is not the answer! If the woman has her money, they go to the front desk to pay. If you read many pregnancy tests, you can tell at about a minute into the test if it is going to be positive or negative. If the test looks questionable, the counselor will start selling another step. "This test is not sensitive enough to pick up a very early pregnancy, but we have another test we can do that will tell you positively today. I know you don't want to be concerned with this any longer than you must." The woman will be put in the "proves she is pregnant" line, which usually will include a sonogram. A sonogram shows everything in a woman's abdomen, and a uterus will show up, pregnant or not. The doctor or technician will find a good view of the uterus, lock the screen in place, turn it around to show it to Linda, and say, "See, there it is, you are pregnant." Linda does not routinely read sonograms, so she will take the expert's opinion. The next question will be, "Do you have your money? Don't you want to just do it right now so you don't have to think about it any more?" What happens when an abortion is performed on a non-pregnant woman? When a woman is pregnant, her cervix (the mouth of the uterus) softens, which makes it easier to dilate. A non-pregnant uterus is hard, and the cervix is difficult to dilate, so the risk of injury is greater. Perhaps the cervix will never clamp down normally on a pregnancy again. Once the cervix is dilated, the doctor has to prove at least to the nurse that he performed an abortion, and he must remove something, so he scrapes out more of the lining of the uterus than normal. The chances of sterility resulting are far greater in a non-pregnant woman. Might this fit into the new higher rate of infertility our country is experiencing? At the front desk, the woman pays. The preferred method is cash, but many abortion clinics accept credit cards. Then the woman moves to the counseling area. She is given a consent form written by a National Abortion Federation attorney that so confuses the poor woman that she does not ask questions. The form has every possible complication, from nothing to death, and for the most part, it accomplishes its purpose. However, every woman has these same two questions: First, "Is it a baby?" "No," the counselor assures the woman. "It is a product of conception (or blood clot, or piece of tissue)." Even though these counselors see 6-week babies daily, less than an inch long, with arms, legs, and eyes that are closed like newborn puppies, they lie to the woman. How many women would actually have an abortion if they told them the truth? The second question is, "Does it hurt?" Again, a lie: "No, your uterus is a muscle. It is a cramp when it opens and a cramp when it closes, so you will experience a slight cramping sensation." Most women have had cramps and lived, so the woman thinks it must not be too painful. However, an abortion can be excruciatingly painful! Now, the woman moves into the abortion procedure area. She has signed her consent form and paid her money; she is now a different commodity! The operating area is cool, to keep the doctor happy. There seems to be confusion here, as each team of nurses rushes around trying to keep women ready for the doctor. Each operating room has a radio, each on a different station, so there is little cross-communication between rooms. Every effort is made to keep women from hearing other women scream during the abortion procedure. The woman's counselor, usually the one who booked her on the telephone, joins her in the room to continue the "friendship"; however, the real reason is to keep her quiet! The abortionist stops at the door of the room, picks up the chart, removes a receipt, and adds it to his stack. At the end of the day, each doctor turns in his receipts and is paid in cash. Using this method, the abortion clinics do not show the doctors to be employees; therefore, the clinic is not responsible for the doctor's malpractice insurance, and no records are kept for the Internal Revenue Service. The doctors prefer this method because they have no overhead. They receive cash at the end of each day without waiting for insurance to pay. Again, how much of this money is actually reported as income? The abortionist enters the room, asking a question like, "Where does your mother think you are today?"-something to reinforce the fear, rather than, "Are you sure this is what you want to do? Have you considered your other alternatives?" If the doctor misses the fear, the counselor helps him out. The woman is scared. Her legs are strapped to the table. Many times, as the abortionist starts numbing her cervix, she will say, "Stop. I don't want to do this. I've changed my mind." The abortionist will reply, "It's too late. I have already started the procedure." Another lie, but if he stops now, he doesn't get paid! Many times, other nurses will have to be called in to hold the woman on the table while the doctor completes the abortion. The sounds of the suction machine, as the blood and small parts of the baby pop through the tube, are permanently imbedded in the woman's memory. Finally, the procedure is over, and she is moved to the recovery room. Aborted women have two reactions in the recovery room. The first is, "I have killed my baby!" As bad as this sounds, this woman has had an opportunity to deal with the death of her child, grieve, and go on with her life. In anger, the second reaction is, "You promised me I would only be here two hours. It has been four. Let me go!" But she can't leave yet. She has to go through the re-sale process! "Take these birth control pills." The woman replies, "I will never have sex again." The recovery room nurse coolly says, "You came in once, and if you don't take these, you will be here again." With inadequate information, the woman is given the pill, and statistics show that when contraceptives are dispensed in this environment, pregnancy rates go up. Statistics also show that nearly one-third of all abortion clinic clients are repeat customers. Life inside the abortion clinic is chaotic. I worked seven days a week doing abortions, even on Sunday. My compensation was $25.00 per abortion and one-third interest in the clinics. In 1983, with two clinics open, I was well on the way to $250,000, with plans to open three more clinics. With five clinics open (the McDonald's of the abortion industry), my income would have been $1,000,000 annually! With this goal in mind, I called in a business counselor to handle the problems between the partners. We agreed to meet for an hour weekly for four weeks. During my second meeting, I realized this man was surrounded with a peace I didn't see in my world, and I started questioning him! For some reason, I asked if he was a minister. His reply was, "Yes." Incredulously, I asked, "What are you doing in this situation?" "God sent me." I had my answer; he was crazy! After all, I was a Christian. I had a Bible in my desk drawer. I tithed on all my abortion income, and I prayed daily about the abortions! As the minister shared the Gospel and we prayed a prayer of salvation, I didn't think anything in my life would change. To my surprise, as I returned to the abortion clinic, I saw that women were not happily rushing in to have a long-awaited abortion. Each woman really wanted someone to tell her there was another way. Abortion was not the answer! Even though each woman actually cost me $25.00, I started counseling women not to have abortions! In confusion, I returned to the minister for my next counseling session. My words were, "You will not believe what has started happening this week! All these women don't want abortions!" The minister replied, "It hasn't just started happening. Your eyes have been opened, and you have just started to see it." I knew he was right. In a state of confusion, I fell to my knees inside that abortion clinic and prayed, "Lord-if there is a Lord-if this is not where you want me, hit me over the head with a two-by-four." My prayer was answered within a few days. A television station in our area did an expose on abortion clinics doing abortions on women who were not pregnant. Six women came in, dressed in blue jeans, wired for sound. We worked so hard on one woman that she had to change her tape! She was so convinced she was pregnant that she rushed to her own doctor, who ran another test to confirm that she was not pregnant. As this flashed across the television screen for five days, I experienced an incredible peace that surpassed all understanding. My prayer was answered. I was not supposed to be in the abortion business! I know first-hand, from having my own abortion in 1973 and having operated several clinics, that taking the life of an unborn child is not the answer to an unwanted pregnancy. Abortion not only kills a real human baby, it devastates the women, who are exploited by greedy abortionists. Abortion will not be stopped until people are brought face to face with the horrors of this holocaust. My prayer is that this walk through an abortion clinic will cause you to re-double your efforts to stop this terrible plague that is ravaging the women of this country and destroying our future generations.

This little baby boy was found frozen in a jar with three other little children at an abortion mill in Dallas, Texas, in February 1993. We were stunned when we found him. There were jars upon jars of frozen children in that abortion mill. Rhonda Mackey, our executive secretary, brought this one jar out and asked me what we should do with it. I had no idea, but I instinctively knew we could not leave it there. We brought the jar to Dr. McCarty, a wonderful ObGyn in Dallas, who put the pieces of this baby and the others back together. The entire process was put on video as Dr. McCarty, and all who were present, wept at the reconstruction of these precious children. The life that was once there was now gone forever. It became apparent to all of us that God had given us these children, one in particular, to show to the entire world the horror of abortion. One picture can speak louder than a truckload of words. We prayed, and asked God to allow this little boy to speak to our nation. We remembered the scripture in Hebrews 11:4: "...he still speaks, even though he is dead." It was upon a very specific revelation from our Lord that we had the picture of one baby blown up to poster size. Rhonda asked me if she might have the privilege of naming this little baby boy. She prayed, and God gave her the name that this child would become known by all over the world - Malachi! This name strikes terror in the hearts of those who kill children, for they know that this child, more than anything else, reveals the incredible horror of what abortion really is. Yes, he has done that and so much more! Though he is dead, yet he still speaks! Thousands upon thousands of children have been saved because of his precious little life. It lasted only 21 weeks, yet fathers are now joining the battle to defend the defenseless. We buried Malachi at the Cemetery of the Innocents in Dallas, Texas, in the summer of 1993. The funeral was held at the mammoth front portico of the Dallas City Hall. Hundreds gathered to pay their last respects to Malachi. We loved him deeply though we knew him not. When those in City Hall realized that we were having a funeral for a real child they demanded that the Dallas Police put a stop to the whole funeral. Captain Kowalski, the head of SWAT in Dallas, told his superiors that he would in no way violate this funeral. This man, who had arrested us on several occasions, now joined with us in honoring the life of this one small (so very small) child. He stood for Jesus. HE STOOD! When he relayed to me that he would not interfere with the memorial service, nor would he allow anyone else to interfere, I wept. I wept because I knew that Captain Kowalski was now taking his stand and all his officers knew it - all City Hall knew it! I wept because I knew that Malachi was beginning his missionary journey and that he was already fulfilling the purpose, for his short life. Listen to these words, you mothers and fathers who have aborted your children. Listen to these words you, who have failed so miserably and found there is no way to undo the wrong you have done. Hear the word God and your child are speaking to you: "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." Genesis 50:20.

Mickey Apodaca, 1956-1984 Twenty-eight-year-old Mickey Apodaca died on April 11, 1984, after undergoing an abortion performed by an abortionist who was free on bond appealing a murder conviction. The abortionist, Raymond Showery, perforated Mickey's uterus during the abortion, which resulted in heavy bleeding. Mickey had been bleeding for over two hours at Showery's abortion clinic before she was transferred to a hospital, where she died. Showery was charged with manslaughter for Mickey's death. An El Paso grand jury found that Showery had an improperly trained staff, that he delayed treating Mickey's punctured uterus and severe bleeding, and that he held her at his abortion clinic instead of immediately transferring her to a hospital. Authorities dropped the charges against Showery. Investigative reporter Edna Gunderson found that Showery performed the abortion that killed Mickey while he was appealing a murder conviction. In 1983, Showery was convicted of the death of a baby who survived an attempted abortion. When Showery realized that the abortion had failed, he drowned the baby himself. Showery was sentenced to 15 years for the drowning, but only served five years before being released on parole. El Paso authorities vigorously protested Showery's release after Mickey's death. They said that Showery had threatened investigative reporter Edna Gunderson, a police detective, a prosecutor, and the El Paso County district attorney. Police detectives believed that Showery was abusing drugs when he killed Mickey. Source: Des Moines Register, 5/5/84

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney says he'd support abortion cases where a mother's life is in danger. The former Massachusetts governor is in the middle of a 5-day trip to Iowa. He was asked about abortion this morning in Council Bluffs. It's a tricky subject for Romney, who at one time supported abortion rights but has since taken an anti-abortion stance. Romney, a Mormon, also talked about his religion. He says while the country welcomes people from different faiths, people want leaders who share their values.

Today, there seems to be a lot of debate about what it means when someone says they are pro-life. This is especially true for politicians. For claritys sake, lets define the term. The pro-life position is that a new human life is created at the moment of fertilization and is, thus, entitled to the same legal protections as any other human being. Given that, some abortion positions are pretty cut and dried. For example, someone who supports a universal human life amendment to the constitution is pro-life, while someone who supports the Roe vs. Wade decision is not. Then there is the person who says that they are personally opposed to abortion and would never participate in one, but pro-choice when it comes to legality. As amazing as it may seem, I have actually heard pro-lifers describe people who say this as pro-life. In reality, this is the most insidious and despicable of all positions on abortion. After all, there is no reason to oppose abortion other than the belief that it takes the life of a living human being. So what the personally opposed crowd is saying is, "I agree that abortion is the intentional killing of a baby, but if other people want to do it I support their legal right to do so and its not my place to interfere." That is not a pro-life position. Its like someone in 1860 saying, I am personally opposed to slavery and I would never own one, but if someone else wants to own a few thats their business. Another stance often mischaracterized as pro-life is the pro-life with exceptions position. Youll hear people say things like, I am pro-life, but I think there should be an exception when the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest or I am pro-life, but abortion should be legal when the baby is handicapped. It is a complete abandonment of the pro-life principle to say it should be permissible to kill selected categories of children. When someone says they are pro-life but that abortion should be allowed in some circumstances, the question is whether they would support killing a five-year-old in those same circumstances. If not, then it is clear that they dont see born and unborn children as morally equal. In other words, they do not subscribe to the most fundamental tenet of the pro-life position. In the grimy world of politics, a new position is emerging to test the boundaries of what it means to be pro-life. We are now hearing presidential candidates say that they are pro-life but that each individual state should be allowed to set its own policies regarding abortion. Of course, the problem with that thinking is that the right to life is specifically listed in the U.S. Constitution. The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says that no person shall be deprived of his or her life without due process of law. Even Harry Blackmun, the Supreme Court justice who wrote Roe vs. Wade, said that if the personhood of the unborn was ever established the right to abortion evaporated. When a politician claims to be pro-life, he or she is asserting that the born and the unborn are both persons. So the question becomes, how can they logically claim that only the born have a constitutional right to life? And the answer is, they cant. To understand how preposterous this is, imagine that a state legislature passed a law allowing parents of newborn children to take a few days to decide whether they are really prepared to start a family. Under this new statute, if they decided they were not ready for this responsibility, they would be legally allowed to have a physician slit their childs throat. In that situation, how many of these pro-life politicians who are now saying that the federal government has no constitutional right to intervene on behalf of unborn children, would say that the federal government has no constitutional right to intervene on behalf of these born children? Of course, the universal consensus would be that they not only have that right, they have the duty to do so. The point is, when someone claims to be pro-life but says that abortion is a state matter, that is an unmistakable indicator that either (a) they do not truly believe that the born and unborn are both persons or (b) they are unfamiliar with the U.S. Constitution. It may also be indicative of something the pro-life movement has done. For 35 years we have hammered away at legalized abortion when, technically speaking, abortion is not the root problem. In reality, it is only a symptom. The disease is the absence of legal protection for the unborn. After all, if a woman who is not pregnant wanted to submit to abortion, we might find it bizarre and we would probably question her sanity, but in the final analysis it would probably not concern us any more than it would if she were getting a tattoo or body piercing. So the problem is not that women have abortions, but that children die. And that only occurs because our nation took away their right to life. So maybe we need to talk a little less about stopping abortion and a little more about returning legal protection to the unborn. Perhaps then, all these people claiming to be pro-life would know what being pro-life actually means.

THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS CHRIST The Passion of Christ From A Medical Point of View "I became interested in (the physical aspects of the passion, or suffering, of Jesus Christ) when...I suddenly realized that I had taken the Crucifixion for granted all these years. It finally occurred to me that, as a physician, I didn't even know the actual immediate cause of death. "...Pilate condemns Jesus to scourging and crucifixion. Preparations for the scourging are carried out. The prisoner is stripped of His clothing and His hands tied to a post above His head. The Roman legionnaire steps forward with the flagrum in his hand. This is a short whip consisting of several heavy leather thongs with two small balls of lead attached near the ends of each. The heavy whip is brought down with full force again and again across Jesus' shoulders, back, and legs. At first, the heavy thongs cut through the skin only. Then as the blows continue, they cut deeper into the subcutaneous tissues producing first an oozing of blood from the capillaries and veins of the skin and finally, spurting arterial bleeding from vessels in the underlying muscles. Finally, the skin of the back is hanging in long ribbons and the entire area is an unrecognizable mass of torn, bleeding tissue. When it is determined by the centurion in charge that the prisoner is near death, the beating is finally stopped. "The half-fainting Jesus is then untied and allowed to slump to the stone pavement wet with His own blood. The Roman soldiers throw a robe across His shoulders and place a stick in His hand for a scepter. A small bundle of flexible branches covered with long thorns (commonly used for firewood) are plaited into the shape of a crown and this is pressed into His scalp. Again, there is copious bleeding (the scalp being one of the most vascular areas of the body). The soldiers take the stick from His hand and strike Him across the head driving the thorns deeper into His scalp. Finally, they tire of their sadistic sport and the robe is torn from His back. This had already become adherent to the clots of blood and serum in the wounds and its removal causes excruciating pain just as in the careless removal of a surgical bandage. "In deference to Jewish custom, the Romans return His garments. The heavy patibulum (the crossarm weighing over one hundred pounds) is tied across His shoulders and the procession...begins its journey along the Via Dolorosa. In spite of His efforts to walk erect, He stumbles and falls. The rough wood of the beam gouges into the lacerated skin and muscles of the shoulders. He tries to rise, but human muscles have been pushed beyond their endurance. The centurion anxious to get on with the crucifixion selects...Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross...The six hundred and fifty yard journey to Golgotha is finally completed. The prisoner is again stripped of his clothes - except for a loin cloth, which is allowed the Jews. "The crucifixion begins...Jesus is quickly thrown backward with His shoulders against the wood. (Crucifixes today show the nails through the palms. Roman historical accounts have shown that the nails were driven between the small bones of the wrists and not through the palms. Nails driven through the palms will strip out between the fingers when they support the weight of a human body. The misconception may have come about through a misunderstanding of Jesus' words to Thomas, "Observe my hands". Anatomists, both modern and ancient, have always considered the wrists as part of the hand.) [Unable to display image]! "The legionnaire drives a heavy square wrought-iron nail through the wrist and deep into the wood. The left foot is pressed backward against the right foot, and a nail is driven through the arch of each leaving the knees moderately flexed. The Victim is now crucified. As He slowly sags down with more weight on the nails in the wrists, excruciating, fiery pain shoots along the fingers and up the arms - the nails in the wrists are putting pressure on the median nerves. As He pushes Himself upward to avoid this stretching torment, He places His full weight on the nail through His feet. Again, there is the searing agony of the nail tearing through the nerves between the metatarsal bones of the feet. "...As the arms fatigue, waves of cramps knot them in deep, relentless pain. With these cramps comes the inability to push Himself upward. Hanging by His arms, the pectoral muscles are paralyzed, and the intercostal muscles are unable to act. Air can be drawn into the lungs, but cannot be exhaled...Finally, carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and the blood stream, and the cramps partially subside. Spasmodically, He is able to push Himself upward to exhale and bring in the life-giving oxygen. "Hours of this pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rendering cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, searing pain as tissue is torn from His lacerated back as He moves up and down against the rough timber. Then another agony begins; a crushing pain deep in the chest as the pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart...It is now almost over; the loss of tissue fluids has reached a critical level. The compressed heart is struggling to pump. The tortured lungs are making a frantic effort to gasp in small gulps of air. A sponge soaked in the cheap, sour wine is lifted to His lips. He apparently doesn't take any of the liquid. The body of Jesus is now in extremis, and He can feel the chill of death creeping through His tissues. This realization brings out His words ...'It is finished!'. "His mission of atonement has been completed. Finally, He can allow His body to die. With one last surge of strength, He once again presses His torn feet against the nail, straightens His legs, takes a deeper breath, and utters His last cry, 'Father, into thy hands, I commit my spirit.

Do you believe in Faith Healing? Faith healing is scriptual and the Bible is full of Faith and miracle healing. Get good and sick and you may start to understand the power of the Word of God. Don't reason against God's word. Give God reign in your thought life and do your best to practice doing the word.. My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. Proverbs 4:20-22 KJV When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour. Matthew 10:13

Thomas Jefferson never knew Terri Schiavo. But his words resonate with relevance as we reflect on the roles that the state of Florida and the government of the United States have played in trying to protect her life. "The first duty of government is the protection of life, not its destruction," declared Mr. Jefferson. "The chief purpose of government is to protect life. Abandon that and you have abandoned all." It was Jefferson who, in penning the words of the Declaration of Independence, declared that the right to life was "unalienable" because it was "endowed" to us by our Creator. Government's role, according to this revered founding father, was to "secure" the unalienable rights conferred by the Creator on his creatures. In the hue and cry that has surrounded the controversy concerning Terri Schiavo's court-ordered death, many seem to have forgotten the role our Founding Fathers envisioned for government. There is a reason Mr. Jefferson and the founders attached such primacy to the right to life. The right to life is the "first" right. It is that right without which no other right can exist. The right to speak as one pleases, worship as one chooses, or associate with those whom one prefers all depend upon the protection of the right to life. Without protecting the right to life, all other rights are meaningless. Even the "right to privacy," which has been at the center of the Schiavo litigation, means nothing to a corpse. The enjoyment of all of the rights that derive from the Creator and which are secured by our Constitution and laws depend, first and foremost, upon protection of our right to life. Critics of government intrusion into the acrimonious battle between Terri Schiavo's husband and her family seem to have overlooked the fact that it was Michael Schiavo who first petitioned the Circuit Court of Pinellas County to authorize the starvation and dehydration death of his disabled wife. In doing so, Mr. Schiavo is the one who injected government into the controversy. Thereafter, in proceedings that accorded her substantially fewer due-process protections than afforded death-row inmates, the court not only "authorized" Terri's death, it "ordered" her death by starvation and dehydration. The Legislature and the governor of the state of Florida acted in the finest tradition of government when they sought to intervene to prevent Mrs. Schiavo from suffering a slow, agonizing death that would have been deemed "cruel and unusual punishment" for serial killers like Ted Bundy. The United States Congress and the president, likewise, acted in the finest Jeffersonian tradition when they sought to provide relief for Terri Schiavo. The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution provides that "no state ... shall ... deprive any person of life ... without due process of law." The amendment confers on Congress the explicit power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of the amendment. Thus, acting pursuant to its constitutional authority, Congress rightly sought to provide Terri Schiavo the same rights of review that are available to death-row inmates. After all, Mrs. Schiavo would be just as dead as Ted Bundy if the Florida court order were not set aside. Contrary to the assertions of some, Congress' intervention did not offend principles of "states' rights" or "federalism." Neither states' rights nor federalism gives a license to the states to run roughshod over the rights of American citizens. Sadly, the states have a long and sad history of giving the short shrift to the constitutional rights of vulnerable or unpopular American citizens. It is precisely because of that history that the 14th Amendment was passed in the aftermath of the Civil War. What is most surprising about the role of government in the Schiavo case is that the courts seemed to have cast a blind eye and a deaf ear to the need to protect the rights of a frail and vulnerable citizen. Historically, courts have been a bastion for the protection of individual liberties. Traditionally, it is the courts that have been the great "equalizer" for the weak and the vulnerable and the poor and unpopular. In this case, however, and increasingly around the country, courts are becoming aiders and abettors of the strong in exploiting the weak, and accomplices of the rich in exploiting the poor. As our country shifts away from a sanctity of life ethic and moves increasingly toward an ethos that calculates the net worth of individuals using cost-benefit ratios and quality of life calculus, who will protect us from exploitation and abuse when we become inconvenient or when we cost more to maintain than we produce? If not the government, who will stand in the gap?

DO NOT BE AFRAID! The Bible says 365 times in different occasions: do not be afraid! As God and man, Jesus deeply understands the reality of our existence. He knows at which point we vulnerable, disturbed, distressed and despaired. The words of Jesus are not just poor and false consolation, but the birth of hope in the space of our despair. Nowadays, the fear enters by the large door into the world, in the person. Each one is afraid of something: we are afraid for our children, we are afraid of our parents, of our teachers, of the school, of the law, of marriage, of giving birth to children, of death… We are even afraid of God, although Jesus said to us that he did not come to judge the world but to save it. The fear is not a sickly state; it is an enemy of human beings. Mary was afraid - at the time of the visit of the angel Gabriel, at the time of the flight to Egypt, when she sought her Son who was lost, during the Passion of Jesus… What can we do against fear? Firstly, what is most important, we have to believe deeply that nothing can arrive to me if I give everything into the hands of God and if, with the psalmist, I live the words: “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for you are with me.” Mary, for example, was completely released from fear by accepting until the end the will of God. It is also important to be conscious of one’s own fear and to recognize it. The fear is not a sign of failure and fall. One should not deny or suppress the fear. The cardinal Doepfner wrote: “When we recognize darkness which is in us, the step towards the light will be given to us.” When a child is afraid, it runs into in the arms of his mother. It asks protection and safety. It is not unusual that we run not only in the arms of our earthly mother, but also in those of our heavenly Mother. Mary, our Mother, offers safety and protection to all the children of the world. Let us thus not be surprised by the fact that Marian shrines are full. People go where they feel acceptance and love. The frightened and despaired man seeks God, and the door towards God is open for him. Only God can thus give earthly peace. Psalm 62 sings: “Only in God my soul finds peace”. Gospa, the Queen of Peace, often speaks about peace. She knows that this world cannot give it to us. She reminds us in fact of the words of Jesus: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (Jn 14,27) Fear will not disappear by itself. It is necessary to overcome the fear by trust in God who can transform all our anguishes into a joyful game and eternal safety.

Saint Faustina Helena Kowalska was born in the village of Glogowiec west of Lodz, Poland, on August 25, 1905. She was the third of ten children. When she was almost twenty, she entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, whose members devote themselves to the care and education of troubled young women. The following year she received her religious habit and was given the name Sister Maria Faustina, to which she added "of the Most Blessed Sacrament," as was permitted by her Congregation's custom. In the 1930s, Saint Faustina received from the Lord a message of mercy that she was told to spread throughout the world. She was asked to become the apostle and secretary of God's mercy, a model of how to be merciful to others, and an instrument for reemphasizing God's plan of mercy for the world. It was not a glamorous prospect. Her entire life, in imitation of Christ's, was to be a sacrifice -- a life lived for others. At the divine Lord's request, she willingly offered her personal sufferings in union with Him to atone for the sins of others; in her daily life she was to become a doer of mercy, bringing joy and peace to others; and by writing about God's mercy, she was to encourage others to trust in Him and thus prepare the world for His coming again. Convinced of her own unworthiness, and terrified at the thought of trying to write anything, she nonetheless began keeping a diary in 1934 in obedience to the express wishes of her spiritual director, and then of Our Lord Himself. For four years she recorded divine revelations and mystical experiences, together with her own inmost thoughts, insights, and prayers. The result is a book of some 600 printed pages that, in simple language, repeats and clarifies the gospel story of God's love for His people, emphasizing, above all, the need to trust in His loving action in all the aspects of our lives. It also reveals an extraordinary example of how to respond to God's mercy and manifest it to others. Saint Faustina's spiritual life was based on deep humility, purity of intention, and loving obedience to the will of God in imitation of the virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Her special devotion to Mary Immaculate and to the sacraments of Eucharist and Reconciliation gave her the strength to bear all her sufferings as an offering to God on behalf of the Church and those in special need, especially great sinners and the dying. She wrote and suffered in secret, with only her spiritual director and some of her superiors aware that anything special was taking place in her life. After her death from tuberculosis in 1938, even her closest associates were amazed as they began to discover what great sufferings and deep mystical experiences had been given to this sister of theirs, who had always been so cheerful and humble. She had taken deeply into her heart God's gospel command to "be merciful even as your heavenly Father is merciful" as well as her confessor's directive that she should act in such a way that everyone who came in contact with her would go away joyful. The message of mercy that Saint Faustina received is now being spread throughout the world; she was canonized by the Church on April 30, 2000; and her diary, Divine Mercy in My Soul, has become the handbook for devotion to The Divine Mercy. She would not have been surprised, for she had been told that the message of God's mercy would spread through her writings for the great benefit of souls. In a prophetic statement she had declared: I feel certain that my mission will not come to an end upon my death, but will begin. O doubting souls, I will draw aside for you the veils of heaven to convince you of God's goodness (Diary 281).

Home »» Learn About Therese »» St. Therese, "the little flower" »» Words of St. Therese »» Love for Others Love for Others Her Thoughts and Words about Love ... for Others Without love, deeds, even the most brilliant, count as nothing. Story of a Soul, Chapter VIII On the day of my conversion Charity entered into my heart and with it a yearning to forget self always; thenceforward I was happy. Story of A Soul, Chapter V Jesus wills that we give alms to Him as to one poor and needy. He puts Himself as it were at our mercy; He will take nothing but what we give Him from our heart, and the very least trifle is precious in His sight. He stretches forth His Hand, this sweet Saviour, to receive of us a little love, so that in the radiant Day of Judgment He may be able to address to us those ineffable words: "Come, ye blessed of my Father; for I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in; sick and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to me." (Matthew 25:34-36). XV Letter to Her Sister Celine I applied myself above all to practice quite hidden little acts of virtue; thus I liked to fold the mantles forgotten by the Sisters, and sought a thousand opportunities of rendering them service. Story of A Soul, Chapter VII I feel that when I am charitable it is Jesus alone who acts in me; the more I am united to Him the more do I love all my Sisters. If, when I desire to increase this love in my heart, the demon tries to set before my eyes the faults of one or other of the Sisters, I hasten to call to mind her virtues, her good desires; I say to myself that if I had seen her fall once, she may well have gained many victories which she conceals through humility; and that even what appears to me a fault may in truth be an act of virtue by reason of the intention. Story of A Soul, Chapter IX True Charity consists in bearing with all the defects of our neighbor, in not being surprised at his failings, and in being edified by his least virtues; Charity must not remain shut up in the depths of the heart, for no man lighteth a candle and putteth it under a bushel, but upon a candlestick, that it may shine to all that are in the house. (Cf. Matthew 5:15). It seems to me that this candle represents the Charity which ought to enlighten and make joyful, not only those who are dearest to me, but all who are in the house. Story of A Soul, Chapter IX There is no artist who does not like his work praised, and the Divine Artist of souls is pleased when we do not stop at the exterior, but penetrating even to the inmost sanctuary which He has chosen for His dwelling, we admire its beauty. Story of A Soul, Chapter IX I ought to seek the company of those Sisters who according to nature please me least. I ought to fulfill in their regard the office of the Good Samaritan. A word, a kindly smile, will often suffice to gladden a wounded and sorrowful heart. Story of A Soul, Chapter X If it is hard to give to whoever asks, it is still harder to let what belongs to us to be taken, without asking it back, or rather, I ought to say it seems hard; for the yoke of the Lord is sweet and light (Cf. Matthew 11:30): when we accept it we feel its sweetness immediately. Story of A Soul, Chapter IX When Charity is deeply rooted in the soul it shows itself exteriorly: there is so gracious a way of refusing what we cannot give, that the refusal pleases as much as the gift. Story of A Soul, Chapter IX Remembering that Charity covereth a multitude of sins (Proverbs 10:12), I draw from this fruitful mine opened to us by Our Lord in His sacred Gospels. I search the depths of His adorable words and cry out with David: "I have run in the way of thy commandments when thou didst enlarge my heart." (Psalms 118:32). And charity alone can enlarge my heart... O Jesus! since this sweet flame consumes it I run with delight in the way of Thy new Commandment, and therein will I run until the blessed day when with Thy Virgin train I shall follow Thee through Thy boundless Realm singing Thy New Canticle which must surely be the Canticle of LOVE. Story of A Soul, Chapter IX

A child has been born at Birger; her voice will be heard by the entire world. Sagii, die XXIV Aprilis 1903 Imprimature. FJ. Girard, V.G. These prayers and these Promises have been copied from a book printed in Toulouse in 1740 and published by the P. Adrien parvilliers of the Company of Jesus, Apostolic Missionary of the Holy Land, with approbation, permission and recommendation to distribute them. Parents and teachers who will read them to young infants for at least one year will assure their being preserved for life from any grave accident which would involve the loss of one of their five senses. Pope Pius IX took cognizance of these Prayers with the prologue; he approved them May 31, 1862, recognizing them as true and for the good of Souls. This sentence of Pope Pius IX has been confirmed by the realization of the promises by all persons who have recited the prayers and by numerous supernatural facts by which God wanted to make known their exact truth. A collection of small books, these prayers among them, was approved by the Great Congress of Malines on August 22, 1863. Question Must one recite the prayers everyday without interruption to obtain the privileges? Answer - One should miss saying them as few times as possible; but if for a serious reason one is obliged to miss them, one doesnt lose the privileges attached to them, as long as one recites 5480 Prayers during the year. One must say them with devotion and concentrate on the words one pronounces. These prayers can serve as the Way of the Cross. Visitors to the Church of St. Paul at Rome can see the crucifix, above the Tabernacle in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, sculptured by Pierre Cavallini, before which St. Bridge knelt when she received these 15 prayers from Our Lord. The following inscription is placed in the church to commemorate the event: Pendentis, Pendente Dei verba accepit aure accipit et verbum corde Brigitta Deum. Anno Jubilei MCCCL. As St. Bridget for a long time wanted to know the number of blows Our Lord received during His Passion, He one day appeared to her and said: I received 5480 blows on My Body. If you wish to honor them in some way, say 15 Our Fathers and 15 Hail Marys with the following Prayers (which He taught her) for a whole year. When the year is up, you will have honored each one of My Wounds. Our Lord made the following promises to anyone who recited the 15 St. Bridget Prayers for a whole year: Promises 1. I will deliver 15 souls of his lineage from Purgatory. 2. 15 souls of his lineage will be confirmed and preserved in grace. 3. 15 sinners of his lineage will be converted. 4. Whoever recites these Prayers will attain in the first degree of perfection. 5. 15 days before his death I will give him My Precious Body in order that he may escape eternal starvation; I will give him My Precious Blood to drink lest he thirst eternally. 6. 15 days before his death he will feel a deep contrition for all his sins and will have a perfect knowledge of them. 7. I will place before him the sign of My Victorious Cross for his help and defense against the attacks of his enemies. 8. Before his death I shall come with My Dearest Beloved Mother. 9. I shall graciously receive his soul, and will lead it into eternal joys. 10. And having led it there I shall give him a special draught from the fountain of My Deity, something I will not for those who have not recited My Prayers. 11. Let it be known that whoever may have been living in the state of mortal sin for 30 years, but who will recite devoutly, or have the intention to recite these Prayers, the Lord will forgive him all his sins. 12. I shall protect him from strong temptations. 13. I shall preserve and guard his 5 senses. 14. I shall preserve him from a sudden death. 15. His soul will be delivered from eternal death. 16. He will obtain all he asks for from God and the Blessed Virgin. 17. If he has lived all his life doing his own will and he is to die the next day, his life will be prolonged. 18. Every time one recites these Prayers he gains 100 days indulgence. 19. He is assured of being joined to the supreme Choir of Angels. 20. Whoever teaches these Prayers to another, will have continuous joy and merit which will endure eternally. 21. There where these prayer are being said or will be said in the future God is present with His grace. First Prayer Our Father Hail Mary. O Jesus Christ! Eternal Sweetness to those who love Thee, joy surpassing all joy and all desire, Salvation and Hope of all sinners, Who hast proved that Thou hast no greater desire than to be among men, even assuming human nature at the fullness of time for the love of men, recall all the sufferings Thou hast endured from the instant of Thy conception, and especially during Thy Passion, as it was decreed and ordained from all eternity in the Divine plan. Remember, O Lord, that during the Last Super with Thy disciples, having washed their feet, Thou gavest them Thy Most Precious Body and Blood, and while at the same time Thou didst sweetly console them, Thou didst foretell them Thy coming Passion. Remember the sadness and bitterness which Thou didst experience in Thy Soul as Thou Thyself bore witness saying: My Soul is sorrowful even unto death. Remember all the fear, anguish and pain that Thou didst suffer in Thy delicate Body before the torment of the Crucifixion, when, after having prayed three times, bathed in a sweat of blood, Thou wast betrayed by Judas, Thy disciple, arrested by the people of a nation Thou hadst chosen and elevated, accused by false witnesses, unjustly judged by three judges during the flower of Thy youth and during the solemn Paschal season. Remember that Thou wast despoiled of Thy garments and clothed in those of derision; that Thy Face and Eyes were veiled, that Thou wast buffeted, crowned with thorns, a reed placed in Thy Hands, that Thou was crushed with blows and overwhelmed with affronts and outrages. In memory of all these pains and sufferings which Thou didst endure before Thy Passion on the Cross, grant me before my death true contrition, a sincere and entire confession, worthy satisfaction and the remission of all my sins. Amen Second Prayer Our Father Hail Mary. O Jesus! True liberty of angels, Paradise of delights, remember the horror and sadness which Thou didst endure when Thy enemies, like furious lions, surrounded Thee, and by thousands of insults, spits, blows, lacerations and other unheard-of-cruelties, tormented Thee at will. In consideration of these torments and insulting words, I beseech Thee, O my Savior, to deliver me from all my enemies, visible and invisible, and to bring me, under Thy protection, to the perfection of eternal salvation. Amen Third Prayer Our Father Hail Mary. O Jesus! Creator of Heaven and earth Whom nothing can encompass or limit, Thou Who dost enfold and hold all under Thy Loving power, remember the very bitter pain Thou didst suffer when the Jews nailed Thy Sacred Hands and Feet to the Cross by blow after blow with big blunt nails, and not finding Thee in a pitiable enough state to satisfy their rage, they enlarged Thy Wounds, and added pain to pain, and with indescribable cruelty stretched Thy Body on the Cross, pulled Thee from all sides, thus dislocating Thy Limbs. I beg of Thee, O Jesus, by the memory of this most Loving suffering of the Cross, to grant me the grace to fear Thee and to Love Thee. Amen. Fourth Prayer Our Father Hail Mary. O Jesus! Heavenly Physician, raised aloft on the Cross to heal our wounds with Thine, remember the bruises which Thou didst suffer and the weakness of all Thy Members which were distended to such a degree that never was there pain like unto Thine. From the crown of Thy Head to the Soles of Thy Feet there was not one spot on Thy Body that was not in torment, and yet , forgetting all Thy sufferings, Thou didst not cease to pray to Thy heavenly Father for Thy enemies, saying Father forgive them for they know not what they do. Through this great Mercy, and in memory of this suffering, grant that the remembrance of Thy Most Bitter Passion may effect in us a perfect contrition and the remission of all our sins. Amen. Fifth Prayer Our Father Hail Mary. O Jesus! Mirror of eternal splendor, remember the sadness which Thou experienced, when contemplating in the light of Thy Divinity the predestination of those who would be saved by the merits of Thy Sacred passion, Thou didst see at the same time, the great multitude of reprobates who would be damned for their sins, and Thou didst complain bitterly of those hopeless lost and unfortunate sinners. Through this abyss of compassion and pity, and especially through the goodness which Thou displayed to the good thief when Thou sadist to him: This day, thou shalt be with Me in paradise. I beg of Thee, O Sweet Jesus, that at the hour of my death, Thou wilt show me mercy. Amen. Sixth Prayer Our Father Hail Mary. O Jesus! Beloved and most desirable King, remember the grief Thou didst suffer, when naked and like a common criminal, Thou was fastened and raised on the Cross, when all Thy relatives and friends abandoned Thee, except Thy Beloved Mother, who remained close to Thee during Thy agony and whom Thou didst entrust to Thy faithful disciple when Thou sadist to Mary: Woman, behold thy son! and to St. John: Son, behold thy Mother! I beg of Thee O my Savior, by the sword of sorrow which pierced the soul of Thy holy Mother, to have compassion on me in all my affliction and tribulations, both corporal and spiritual, and to assist me in all my trials, and especially at the hour of my death. Amen Seventh Prayer Our Father Hail Mary. O Jesus! Inexhaustible Fountain of compassion, Who by a profound gesture of Love, said from the Cross: I thirst! suffered from the thirst for the salvation of the human race. I beg of Thee O my Savior, to inflame in our hearts the desire to tend toward perfection in all our acts; and to extinguish in us the concupiscence of the flesh and the ardor of worldly desires. Amen Eighth Prayer Our Father Hail Mary. O Jesus! Sweetness of hearts, delight of the spirit, by the bitterness of the vinegar and gall which Thou didst taste on the Cross for Love of us, grant us the grace to receive worthily Thy Precious Body and Blood during our life and at the hour of our death, that they may serve as a remedy and consolation for our souls. Amen Ninth Prayer Our Father Hail Mary. O Jesus! Royal virtue, joy of the mind, recall the pain Thou didst endure when, plunged in an ocean of bitterness at the approach of death, insulted, outraged by the Jews, Thou didst cry out in a loud voice that Thou was abandoned by Thy Father, saying: My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me? Through this anguish, I beg of Thee, O my Savior, not to abandon me in the terrors and pains of my death. Amen Tenth Prayer Our Father Hail Mary. O Jesus! Who art the beginning and end of all things, life and virtue, remember that for our sakes Thou was plunged in an abyss of suffering from the soles of Thy Feet to the crown of Thy Head. In consideration of the enormity of Thy Wounds, teach me to keep, through pure love, Thy Commandments, whose way is wide and easy for those who love Thee. Amen Eleventh Prayer Our Father Hail Mary. O Jesus! Deep abyss of mercy, I beg of Thee, in memory of Thy Wounds which penetrated to the very marrow of Thy Bones and to the depth of Thy being, to draw me, a miserable sinner, overwhelmed by my offenses, away from sin and to hide me from Thy Face justly irritated against me, hide me in Thy Wounds, until Thy anger and just indignation shall have passed away. Amen Twelfth Prayer Our Father Hail Mary. O Jesus! Mirror of Truth, symbol of unity, link of Charity, remember the multitude of wounds with which Thou was covered from head to foot, torn and reddened by the spilling of Thy adorable blood. O great and universal pain which Thou didst suffer in Thy virginal flesh for love of us! Sweetest Jesus! What is there that Thou couldst have done for us which Thou hast not done! May the fruit of Thy sufferings be renewed in my soul by the faithful remembrance of Thy passion, and may Thy love increase in my heart each day, until I see Thee in eternity, Thou Who art the treasury of every real good and every joy, which I beg Thee to grant me, O sweetest Jesus, in Heaven. Amen Thirteenth Prayer Our Father Hail Mary. O Jesus! Strong Lion, Immortal and Invincible King, remember the pain which Thou didst endure when all Thy strength, both moral and physical, was entirely exhausted, Thou didst bow Thy head, saying: It is consummated! Through this anguish and grief, I beg of Thee Lord Jesus, to have mercy on me at the hour of my death when my mind will be greatly troubled and my soul will be in anguish. Amen Fourteenth Prayer Our Father Hail Mary. O Jesus! Only Son of the Father, splendor and figure of His substance remember the simple and humble recommendation Thou didst make of Thy Soul to Thy Eternal Father, saying: Father, into Thy Hands I commend My Spirit! And with Thy body all torn, and Thy Heart broken, and the bowels of Thy mercy open to redeem us, Thou didst expire. By this precious death, I beg of Thee O King of Saints, comfort me and help me to resist the devil, the flesh and the world, so that being dead to the world I may live for Thee alone. I beg of Thee at the hour of my death to receive me, a pilgrim and an exile returning to Thee. Amen Fifteenth Prayer Our Father Hail Mary. O Jesus! True and fruitful Vine! Remember the abundant outpouring of Blood which Thou didst so generously shed from Thy Sacred Body as juice from grapes in a wine press. From Thy Side, pierced with a lance by a soldier, blood and water issued forth until there was not left in Thy Body a single drop, and finally, like a bundle of myrrh lifted to the top of the Cross, Thy delicate flesh was destroyed, the very Substance of Thy Body withered, and the Marrow of Thy Bones dried up. Through this bitter Passion and through the outpouring of Thy precious Blood, I beg of Thee, O Sweet Jesus, to receive my soul when I am in my death agony. Amen Conclusion O Sweet Jesus! Pierce my heart so that my tears of penitence and love will be my bread day and night; may I be converted entirely to Thee, may my heart be Thy perpetual habitation, may my conversation be pleasing to Thee, and my the end of my life be so praiseworthy that I may merit Heaven and there with Thy saints, praise Thee forever. Amen

Hail, Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.