Sunday 25 September 2011

God's Shabbat

On the Seventh Day God ceased from work and drew breath” Ex 31.17

What an interesting and dramatic thought.  In the Genesis account it says that on the 7th day God rested but then in Exodus 31:17  we read that He “ceased”  and then He drew breath.

There is a sense of inhaling, deep breath, resting, labour, sigh, joy.  To stop, cease from all and Be.

Imagine the silence, echo of that silence, emptiness, yet the welling of something from deep within.

He ceased from His labours and drew breath. He closed His eyes and heard the murmur of creation.  He could hear an through time an echo of all the blessings, pleadings, joy, laughter, sorrows, and prayers of every creature He had ever created. That through “Adam” He would generate.   He heard an echoe of creation in travail,  in awe, in joy.   He heard the dawn break through the darkness.  He heard the light crown the day.  He heard the winds caress the trees and the waters shimmering over pearls.

On the seventh day He ceased from His labours and drew breath and in the silence between the  breath, He heard the stream of creation parade in all  its glory. In the silence of breathlessness He heard  the footsteps of Man. In the silence of the seventh day He heard an echo of need and said “Let there be light” and there was “Let there be Life and there was.”  On the 7th day He ceased from His labours and drew breath and saw His work transformed from His heart and vision into concrete reality.  On the seventh day He ceased from His labours and remembered Shabbat.

The day to stand and hear the stillness and in the Act of stillness to Hear Him and worship Him. On the seventh day He ceased from His labours and drew breath and returned to the centre of His being for there was no more to do.  No more originals needed. He has created the works of His hand.

 It was  now Shabbat.

Thursday 22 September 2011

What & Who is a Prophet.

What started out as a discussion amongst friends slowly progressed into hot words over the topic of what is a prophet.  Some amongst the friends thought that a prophet is someone like the prophets of the Old Testament but now that we are in New Testament times there is no more need for prophets because Jesus has spoken all that there is to be said. Then there are those who  think that prophets and prophecy are for the “thin brained” (whatever that means)!!!!  It turned into an interesting discussion to say the least.
My understanding is that a prophet is someone called by God to be His spokesman.
A prophet would probably never choose such a career because it’s both thankless and not very financial.  A prophet’s life is one who always speaks about what is wrong in “the day” and how God sees the society. Indeed A prophet sees with the eyes of God and speaks about all the “woes! To thee”
As I pondered more and more about this “career” called prophet, I thought about the prophets of  old and those of our day. Do we have any? And if so who are they?  Do we recognise them as prophets or as some “troublemakers” or “idiots” who just don’t know when to stay silent? Or even some doom and gloom merchants.  I think probably all of the above, but the real prophets of the “day” remain very clearly visible yet almost invisible.  Visible because they are very loudly speaking contra societal mores yet invisible because no one really sees them as prophets.  Maybe that’s a good thing because the life expectancy of the prophets of the Old period wasn’t that good.

Does our society actually speak about prophets and prophecy? Except maybe those on the loony fringe?
I remember recently speaking with someone who definitely is a prophet of doom, the world is surely about to collapse in  a heap, and when this starts I tend to wander (glazed eyed look) because if the world is going to collapse into a heap then there is not much we can do about it but collapse, and we  with it.  But I did though, start thinking about prophets of our days and our times and the things that they spoke/speak , propheies about  is happening and tried to warn us against,   and looking back into our recent history we can see that there were voices of warning but  we did not listen and hence we are where we are.

Actually it was talk about the “London riots” which set us off on this stimulating and highly (lol) “intellectual debate” What were the riots about?  The damage? The pain? The result? The reasons for riots? And of course over lattes and sometimes a cointreau or three various thoughts and ideas exchanged
The Most oft mentioned prophet of our era appeared to be the Dalai Lama, followed by Ghandi, followed by Mother Teresa (surprise, surprise) followed by John Lennon of all people! (I think his song imagine had something to do with it) followed by Bob Geldof.....I listened  stunned.  I couldn’t believe  that we are such good friends  (sharing our cointreaus) and thought worlds apart.  Maybe it was the cointreau that did dull my brain but I could not believe or could not see where their answers and ideas were coming from.

Well after cointreau no 3 with shredded strawberry bits over ice (no I am not a drinker..Just a cointreau lover) my tongue loosened and I think I let it rip.
“What about Pius XII who guided the church through the war years and protected and helped Jewish people through various and hidden way, and today is whilst there are some who still say he did not “do enough” he is rated amongst Scholars and Hebrew knowledgeable as “Righteous amongst the nations” a title of honour given to those gentiles who helped Jews during the holocaust. He spoke out against the Nazi Regime.
And after the war continued to guide the church through the turmoil which follows any war and the destabilisation effect which a war has.

What about Paul VI who wrote the magnificent paper Humane Vitae (1968) as a response to the cultural changes of the fifties and sixties, the drug culture, the loose sex and throw away bra culture,  the feminist revolution, and the introduction of the “pill” which would serve to change forever our understanding and honour of sexuality, feminity and masculinity. 
This Modern Prophet Paul VI stood against all even those within the church and said NO to contraception because it is NO to God and to life and would eventually lead to loss of respect between men and women and the use of each other’s bodies as objects rather than what God had intended them to be.

The words Paul VI spoke, so prophetic, we have the fruit today just in one biblical generation, 40 years, visible for all to see, listen to this  from 40 years ago   “It is also to be feared that the man growing used to the employment of anti conceptive practices, may finally lose respect for the woman and no longer caring for her physical and psychological equilibrium , may come to the point of considering her as a mere instrument of selfish enjoyment , and no longer his respected and beloved companion.” (HV17)
This document was spoken and delivered by a prophet of our day and like the prophets of old we also didn’t listen or change and looking around society we see abuse of sexuality, abortion in holocaust dimensions, homosexuality not only practices by demanded as a right to be legal and defined as marriage. Sexual abuse and exploitation of children  pandemic, demand for abortion and its implementation, leading to demand to euthanasia. Where  the rights of a bush rat more important than a child in the womb or a disabled human........All this why?  Because I think we refused to listen to a prophet speaking the words we needed to hear, and when God speaks through His prophets and as long as the prophets do their job well and still the people do not respond then God acts, and generally that is done in a way which leaves humanity to slowly disintegrate until it is ready to call out for help and to Listen.  We are not quite there yet.

Blessed John Paul II another great prophet one who is/was of our own time. Many of us have spoken and heard him speak to young and old about Hope, Love, faith, and Holiness. Especially Holiness of the Body. 
As he looked back over the past 50 years he saw the change in how the body was/is perceived and wrote the magnificent works like Love and Responsibility Veritatis Splendour, Theology of the Body, Dives Misericordia, Ecclesia Eucharestia, Fids et Ratio, redemptoris Hominis, Pastores Dabo Vobus, Dominus Iesus, Familiaris Consortio, Letter to Families, Letter to Women, Muglieris Dignitatum, and list continues a mile long.  And the greatest thing amongst all of his works is His recognition and expression and speaking about the human being and the holiness of the human person when understood well. So holy is the human body understood well that God Himself in Jesus took it also.

This modern “Prophet” saw that the malaise of humanity was its spiritual loss, spiritual apathy resulting in abandonment of all its understanding about holiness, humane behaviour, humanity, love, holy sexuality, respect, honour.  The very things which make us different from the beastly creation.  With what seemed like rapid fire speed “things” had changed and in the change a new and fraudulent type of humanity emerged.  He spoke and wrote against the imposter.
John Paul II travelled, spoke, gave formerly unknown and  unparalleled audiences, teachings, and hope especially to the young, whom he saw as the hope of  the church, society and future.
This was a Prophet in our time and in our day.  And I was privileged to be at several of his audiences.
God always sends us the people needed for the times we live in.
Paul VI...to try and stem the sexual revolution emerging from the acceptance of contraception.

John XXIII  a prophet  to Bring the Church as a whole into the NOW time so that Gods gifts could be understood with a Spirit speaking the language of Now, however, sabotaging the Holy Spirit’s work which would have come as a result of Vat II has cost the saboteurs and the church and the flock dearly.
The documents of Vatican II understood in their proper intent are magnificent and will one day be fully discovered, perhaps by the generation that God is preparing to bring out of the modern “Egypt”.

John Paul II a magnificent prophet  who wrote more on the holiness of the body than all the other Popes throughout history, in order to try and restore the human being as it was “in the beginning”
Because in the beginning it was not as it is now.  “in the beginning it was not so”  He spoke of being able to return the young to that place of the beginning.  His hope for the new exodus out of the new “Egypt” was the young, and the new charisms emerging which would support and encourage the family. .His gift of Prophecy was for a return to holiness, to family, to respect and love of body as God had intended in the beginning.
And then Benedict XVI...a newer prophet but the prophet most needed for these times. A prophet to steer the Church through the miasma of suffering due to sins committed by those who held a place of honour, trust and respect.

This prophet who speaks with humility and great apology , and stand there humbly with his hand tied just like Jesus in front of Pilate , for the sins of his brothers, has the courage to call again for trust, where perhaps trust is hard to give.  Slowly, with words, actions, meetings, hard decisions, he is speaking again the words which are needed to be spoken and could not be spoken because of the sins of the church.
By the sins of some members of the church, satan, the father of lies attempted to silence the voice of the church on matters of faith and morals, Benedict XVI emerges and asks forgiveness for sins committed.  Slowly this prophet, again with the young (over a million in Madrid) is saying forgive us “our trespasses” but I believe in you.  You pick up the cross and carry it onwards.  I trust in you. We have prophets of the type of Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Hosea, Zechariah.
They just have a modern name, and we have to listen to them otherwise like the prophet Jeremiah who was known as the prophet of “woe”  we may just also hear the same “Woe”

Friday 16 September 2011

Abortion Question....What do you do Anne?

I get some interesting questions in the most interesting of places and interesting times. Today was one of those.  My bank teller noted the name "Victims of Abortion" and asked what does that mean and what do I do? And so the explanation of my work. At One point I used PAS (Post abortion syndrome) and she looked dazed, and being conscious of those behind me and long queues I suggested she looked at my blog (gave her details) and I would put an explanation there for her, so here it is. I hope it helps her and I am going in next week to check if she is OK and not on a busy day.
Post abortion Syndrome (though I dont reallay like to use this term anymore) or grief, pain, regret, depression, weeping is the response following an abortion. Some would say that no one experiences these feelings anymore but my experience is that they do especially women and the men issue has not even been looked at.
If I were to put a spiritual slant on this I would say that rightly understood post abortion grief is "normal" because it acknowledges that something big happened and affected her badly. However, it can also  be seen as a gift Mercy, forgivenss and hope for healing after such a horror as the intentional death of a very small infant.
Abortion suffering can be a promise from the Father of Life that the one designed by Him and given as a gift to the world would not pass by unnoticed.  It is a gift of Mercy for the mother and father of the infant and perhaps even for society which permits as normal this "right" of woman to have her child within her womb killed legally. This suffering when attended to well means Mercy.
When this grief comes it is a gift which the baby gives to the parents who took it to die. However, it has now changed its consitution.  Without the abortion the child would have been born into Life, with all its failures and success joys and sorrows.  So important is that new life that new structures would have had to be arranged in order to accommodate this new creation.  However, because of the abortion the child is still born but born into  the sorrow of its parents and society.And the gift returned to God unopend.
And  another thing abortion does not negate the conception. The cocneption of a new life happened.  Abortion negates the birth according to the laws as we know them. However, it cannot negate its birth. Its birth is through violence.
An abortion gives birth to a child in such a way that it cannot exist in earthly life but certainly and assuredly exists in eternal life.  However, though the child was not born into the normal of this earthly life it does leave behind a memory of its its existence but a memory filled with pain and regret  rather than joy.
It has been suggested that there are studies which show that mothers retain cells of each of her children at the base of her brain stem, so if this this is so, how can she ever forget?  Even if she wanted to. So a memory of this infant that might have been is will be kept as a memorial to a refused grace.  An image of grace refused.
In remembering the broken body of her infant the response is pain and deep within this pain is the seed of sorrow leading to repentance. 
Remembering the refused grace (gift of a child) can, when seen well, become the turning point to change.  The Regret..a moment of deep sorrow.. a beginning of the journey to the understanding of the enormity of what was done.
The most profound sorrow begins when responsibilty is taken for the abortion, and her/his part in that action and from onwards there can be two roads which can be travelled one of hope and healing, love and Mercy the other of despair and hopelessness.
I have said that there are two roads, one which is filled with  forgiveness, light and hope the other with despair. substance abuse, suicide, psysical/psychical abuse, abandonment, loss of love. The other also has pain in the rememberance of what was done but with belief that there is a God of Mercy then healing is given.
Abortion means many losses, of sons, daughters, future fathers and mothers, their children, whole generations never to be born because a child dies.  Loss of charisms, vocations, all vocations, medical, teaching, priests, parenting, nurses.garners, plumbers, authors, musicians  etc. 
Abortion means loss of integrity within our society.  What does it say about a society which legalises abortion of early developed infants and infanticide of later term abortions.  Remember a late term abortion abortion, more than abortion, it means legalised infanticide, because it is an infant who with help can survive who  is killed because it is unwanted.
Abortion means loss of childhood/innocence  of the young, hearing that infants in the womb can be disposed of and fears that their own survival might be in jeopardy. 
Abortion of 13 year old young girl means she lives the rest of her life as she procedes through it more and more, as she matures, that she was responsible for the death of her son or daughter.  How does she cope with this?
Abortion means that a society which insists and demands and legislates for abortion legislates to terminate its future citizens...legally...and we dare to judge despots of the past and call this a society  jus and righteous?
We live in a society so desperate for the Mercy of God because of our great sins. We need Church. We need prayers and those to intercede for us. We need he 10 righteous people of Abraham to intercede for us. We need parents to learn to love the "unplanned pregnancy" this could the the greatest gift for their lives and in their lives.
We need priests to stop being social workers and be soul workers and use their prophetic gift to speak out against this infliction of pain.
God is always Mercy and offering Mercy but it needs to be accepted and this I think is where the problem lies.  The acceptance of Mercy would mean a change of heart and this is where the problem might  more deeply lie.
Woman is not designed to take her infant to die. Woman is designed to protect it at all costs.
Abortion is the laceration of the "feminine genius" and its is this "feminine genius" which has to be found again, strengthened if we are to continue as a society immersed in our Father's heart. 

Monday 12 September 2011

Pornography

In a very recent article (Herald Sun, Friday 9, Sept) Ms Susie O'Brien wrote that  "Porn and violence do not have a Place in our Children's lives" 
Reading this heading I thought "for once we can agree on something" Yes we can agree that pornography has no place in the life of children.  Agreed.
However, then Ms O'Brien went and spoiled it all for me by  beginning with "There's nothing wrong with pornography when it's enjoyed by consenting adults"  she continued with "hell I dont mind a bit myself on the right occassion"  After this I knew that Ms O'Brien and I parted company.  I understand that Ms O'Brien was commenting on the new book by Melinda Takard Reist  and Abigal Bray called Big Porn Inc but still what Ms O'Brien said  was that pornography is OK as long as you know what you are doing.
And the porn business is surely growing with newer and newer victims and purveyors of this kind of show and newer victims  being used.
What is Pornography?
Pornography is the using of sexuality or the reproductive faculties in order to excite or in-lust its viewers.  And to do this via the medium of movie,video, game and using, little children, older children, men, women, animals.
Pornography demeans and  makes bestial sexuality, a great gift which is used for creation of another human being and for the enjoyment and love between a husband and wife.  Pornography does nothing to strengthen and increase love between husband wife indeed it leads to loss of respect between them and their intimacy and humanity.  Often pornography leads to violence and shows violence and sado masochism and the debasing of woman/man or child.  It leads to bestial sexuality and dishonouring the body of those involved and those who view.
Pornography desensitises human beings and slowly permits sexual perversions of unimaginable dimensions.
It has been said that pornography is "victimless" Rubbish. Victimless? 
Does that mean that those "acting in the porn situations love their jobs?"  Ask a child if it loves being "touched" Ask a young woman if she loved being in the situation  used and abused.  If she feels loved and honoured and respected.  Ask a young man/boy doing his thing if he feels honoured for being a man of honour and respect.  
"Victimless?"  the only individuals calling this "victimsless" are those making millions upon millions of dollars out of the humiliation/wounding of some for those  saying "hell I dont mind a bit myself sometime"
Wherever you find pornography and its "actors" you will always find sexual abuse, incest, abortion, exploitation, violence, degradation, substance abuse, emotional, physical abuse. 
That momentary "excitement, lust" for someone who can say "hell I can enjoy some of it sometime" has meant that a woman, man,girl, boy,  child or even beast have been abused in order for the viewer to be excited.  Has it been worth it?
"Victimless"   Yeah right!
How does pornography dehumanise its victims? when intimacy meant for love and creation are reduced to voyeurism.  When intimate parts of the body are used with a sense use and abuse and violence.  When sexuality means that anaother human being is seen as less the human and his/her dignity totally removed.
Both victims and viewer are dehumanised. Both lose. Because they lose their innocence. They lose their sense of thier "Imago Dei" They lose their sense of being "human"
I wonder how those who would say "hell I dont mind a bit of that myself" would feel  at others looking at their children in the way that he/she is looking at those "actors" in the porn movie?  I wonder..
Pornography is the brutalisation of innocence and it's no wonder that the oversexualisation of children has reached the dimensions we have today.  It's no wonder that abortions have reached the dimensions we have today.  It's no wonder we have identity crisis with the young that we have today.  It's no wonder we have confused sexuality as we have today.  It's no wonder we have the open and wanton lust we see today without restriction and without care for the sacred development of children and the young.
Today pornography is not the domain for backyard, back alley, sleezy workers and sleezy business people in dingy rooms, but produced and luxurious surrounds and viewed in homes, in marriages, in schools, in houses of prayer.  It's there for all to see.
We act scandalised when we hear of paedophile groups, why?  pornography is openly available.  We as a society have said "hell I enjoy a bit of it sometimes" what did we expect?  Were we foolish enough to believe that it would remain secret? and not slowly infiltrate in all domains of life?  What idiocy to think that.
Pornography is not "victimless" but its victims are preborns, post borns, young children, teenagers, men, women, and even beasts.  And who benefits?  Those who take your money and in the process destroy that image of you that is human, created just a little lower than the angels.

Monday 5 September 2011

New Study into Effects of Abortion shows increased mental health problems 81%

In a new study released this month in the British Journal of Psychiatry, abortion, that famous "right" fought for by the sisterhood for so many years and "celebrated with champagne" when open abortion to 40 weeks was legalised, has now been found to  have increased self destructive behaviours in statistical figures previously unacknowledged at least publicly.

"Largest ever study finds abortion increases risk of severe mental health problems by 81%" and goes on to outline findings. 

This very large study using 877,181 participants out of which 161,831 had had abortions was stringent in its methodology.  In a meta analysis of 22 prior studies,  leaving out all possible confounding variables, eg past mental health issues, and using very strong inclusion criteria, that is prior studies to be included, (eg size of prior study) and prior history of participants, this makes Dr Priscilla Coleman's study the most comprehensive and detailed study showing staggering results into the damage which abortion does to women.  And this  further calls into serious question the American Psychological Association's own position that no deleterious effect  is experience by an adult women having single abortion. This in itself because most abortion are not done by "adult woman" but by teenagers as young as 12years of age and upwards.  The "single" adult woman is the career woman or one night stand "woman"  and these too are long term effected by their abortion experience.

This study further finds that there has been a coverup by those who should have known better.  That the political nature of "right to abortion" hard fought for by the pro choice, pro abortion lobbies, have seriously let down those whom they were supposed to care for..women.

Imagine some of these figures.in this study abortion  is associated with 34% increased risk of anxiety disorders.  37% greater risk of depression, 110% greater risk of alcohol abuse, a whopping 220% greater risk of marijuana use and abuse (and what about other substances like Ice, Meth, cocaine etc) and a whopping 155% greater risk of attempting suicide.Imagine over all the creased mental health issues of women  10% are directly..linked to abortion...50,000,000 abortions yearly...means  5,000,000 serious mental health issues attributed to abortion, and we wonder why society is in pain. These are extremely disturbing and upsetting results and its nothing new to me. I have seen all these expressions of distress following abortion for the last 15 years, and have endured mockery and derision and cyber-abuse by pro abortion lobbyist.

Today we have a seriously hurt women and society, as we continue to abort babies in the millions we also abort the peace of their mothers.  We women were NOT meant to abort (kill) our babies, there is something deeply embedded within us that cannot allow that to happen and not affect our behaviour and understanding of who we are. Our femininity is tied to being able to carry an infant in our wombs and bring it to full life, and not to take it to be killed.  We grieve unintentional death of our infants (miscarriage/stillbirth) yet women taken their babies to die at the behest of another or even their own design and its supposed to be OK?  that is not our design and mandate.   And in this understanding then we self harm, self mutilate.

This study can be found in the British Journal of Psychiatry.
Source: http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/largest-ever-study-finds-abortion-increases-risk-of-severe-mental-health-pr/

Thursday 1 September 2011

Grief A Universal Experience

This week I was able to attend a day seminar of "grief" and as part of my ongoing personal development  (OPDs-as a requirement of belonging to the ACA) and understanding of grief.  I try to attend these seminars at least twice a year.  I enjoyed this seminar because I didnt have to give a talk. I didnt have to prepare. I didnt have to make sure powerpoints were suitable, I just sat and listened to another who has been involved in "griefmatters"  many many more years than I have. 
Dr Jeoffrey Glassock Phd did a beauthful job on grief and what it actually is, the various types of grief, the various ways which people manage their grief and the differences between the gender (male and female) and their expressions of grief.
We looked at the nature of disenfranchised grief (the grief which exists and at times very deeply but cannot be openly expressed because of societal taboos, e.g. abortion, suicide, death of a homosexual partner, death  of pet etc.  Disenfranchised grief, first posited by Porf. Kenneth Doka is valuable because it puts a "voice" where none or silence  existed.
Indeed the whole seminar with lecture plus interaction was good and it was good to meet other "griefworkers" and what amazed me was the fact that many attendees agreed that abortion grief exists (when I mentioned what I do) but no one seems to know much about it and are flailing in the dark.

The presenter spoke very very briefly about abortion grief and how he came to encounter it and how he handled it, and  the way it was handled I would have said  was a more earlier model  of handling this type of grief. Much has happened since those years ago when he encountered it and much more work and writings are avalible. Including my own book Redeeming Grief: Abortion and its Pain details on my website www.victimsofabortion.com.au :   whilst Dr Glassock managed the situation I would not have handled it the same.  I believe he left several issues undealt with  and not finished.
I did try and speak with him but he seemed "surrounded" so in the end I could not be bothered.
And until we come to understand that abortion, suicide, grief, sexual abuse grief even adoption grief are different and what lies behind the difference in this grief, then we are going to get well intentioned people, and well inentioned counsellours but misunderstood grief and not a real secure way of handling the grief.
However I will continue to go these seminars because it means that I get a chance to network with other psychologists and counsellors and we can share experience of our respective work. Me post abortion and they help me understand grief better.
I did though meet someone who was "pro choice" thanks very much. 
OK ...I hope she felt better.