JANESVILLE — A […]
Author: Chris Lee
Battling the cold to rally for life
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| A crowd gathers outside State Capitol building in Madison holding signs in support of pro-life legislation at a Rally for Life held January 12. Several state lawmakers and pro-life leaders spoke at the rally. (Catholic Herald photo/Kevin Wondrash) |
MADISON — The outside temperatures were in the single digits but dozens of hearts were on fire to protect the lives of the unborn.
During the noon hour on January 12, pro-life supporters and state lawmakers gathered on the steps of the State Capitol for a Rally for Life.
The event was co-sponsored by Pro-Life Wisconsin, Wisconsin Family Action, and Wisconsin Right to Life.
The home of the state’s lawmaking chambers served as a backdrop to call attention to three pro-life bills with hopes both the State Assembly and State Senate will pass them before the session closes in March. They include:• Assembly Bill 305/Senate Bill 260, which bans the sale and use of the body parts of aborted babies in Wisconsin.
• Assembly Bill 310/Senate Bill 237, which redirects money from the Title X grant program away from Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin.
Let’s continue to speak for the unborn
Have you ever seen a speaker weep when giving a talk on abortion? I have.
When I taught high school religion, a pro-life doctor gave a talk to my classes. As he described the tragedy of aborted babies, he wept.
Never before or since have I seen anyone weep while talking about aborted unborn babies. His tears convinced me that he truly believed that unborn babies were human persons and aborting them destroyed human life.
The Revenant and search for higher justice
Alejandro Iñárritu’s new film The Revenant is one of the most talked about movies, and for good reason.
The opening 20 minutes, which feature a frighteningly realistic Indian attack and a horrifically vivid mauling by a grizzly bear, are absolutely compelling viewing. And the remainder of the film is so involving that this viewer at least felt physically sick as he followed the sufferings of the main character.
Knife control vs. gun control legislation
To the editor:
As I watched the president wipe away a tear in announcing his new gun legislation, I wondered, “Is this the same man who proclaimed, ‘God bless Planned Parenthood’”?
Though President Obama’s compassion for the victims of Sandy Hook is commendable, what a tremendous disconnect to his callous support of an organization that kills, mutilates, and profits from the dirty business of abortion.
Penalties for harming animals, but not people
To the editor:
One of our most precious gifts is the gift of love, which we give to people and animals. We want all to enjoy life on earth.
We can go to jail or pay a fine for torturing and killing animals, even before they are born or hatched, like an eagle egg.
John Huebscher to retire after 29 years with WCC
MADISON — John Huebscher says that the Catholic Church has “always been tugging at my sleeve.”
“I’ve always been interested in the Church,” he said in an interview prior to his retirement this month as executive director of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference (WCC), the public policy voice of the state’s Catholic bishops.
“I even thought about entering the seminary,” he said. In fact, his pastor encouraged him to visit the seminary in Milwaukee in 1967 and he met the rector in his office.
Saint of light, saint of darkness
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Like so many others around the world, I was overjoyed to hear of the recent decision of the Vatican to canonize Mother Teresa, a woman generally recognized, during her lifetime, to be a “living saint.”
Mother Teresa first came to my attention through Malcolm Muggeridge’s film and attendant book, Something Beautiful for God. Of course. Muggeridge showed Mother’s work with the dying and the poorest of the poor on the streets of Kolkata, but what moved me the most were the images of the saint’s smile amidst so much squalor and suffering. She was a very bright light shining in exceptionally thick darkness.
Demonstrating love
Mother’s life reveals so many aspects and profiles of holiness, but I would like to focus on three of them.
Set apartments aside for homeless veterans?
To the editor:
How ironic that on the same day I received the Catholic Herald newspaper, I also picked up a copy of the Isthmus newspaper. The latter paper had a great article about how a non-profit organization, Housing Initiatives, is focusing on securing housing for the homeless, including homeless veterans.
Young people know value of human life
To the editor:
This is a testimony from a young local lady: “My lifestyle had become so unmanageable, that every time I spoke with my mother on the phone, she asked me how she should start planning my funeral. I knew I had to get clean, but I didn’t know how. Then a miracle happened: I found out I was pregnant. Yes, a miracle, because this baby saved my life. Right then and there I stopped everything (addictive), and I moved back home and started planning our future — the future I would have with my baby. Now, I had a reason to live!”