DISTRESSED ON CATHOLICS FOR ABORTION

QUESTION OF THE DAY - MỖI NGÀY MỘT NGHI VẤN
DISTRESSED ON CATHOLICS FOR ABORTION
If you have any questions regarding to Catholic Faith. Please email Father Truong Luan at: MJTRUONGLUAN@AOL.COM

In a message dated 7/20/2004 7:34:47 PM Eastern Daylight Time, <kim.tran@nokia.com> writes:

Dear Father,

Thank you for the good advice that you offered me. I apologize for my emotion. It surely disturbed you. Like you said, spiritual strength is what I really need.

A plan to defeat abortion in my thought is the one that could convince people that life is precious, starting first with Catholics.

I had a debate with my brother the other day about how to advance the prolife cause. In his opinion, prolife is almost a lost cause. Relying on that assumption, he wants to see a different person in the White House, regardless of his stand on abortion. Of course, the main benefit from that outcome is promised jobs for everyone. I tried in vain to convince him that morality could not be traded for material comforts. At some point, I recommended your articles on Mehangcuugiup.com, just to hear him saying that in Houston, a big center of DCCT, 60% of the priests votes Democratic. I don't mean to get to this. Politics is an ugly thing, but none could deny the fact that the Democratic Party is serving the interests of the Death Culture.

I also talked to many young people in the Youth Group of my church. To my surprises, the majority of them believes in selective abortion and embryonic stem cell research. Those people naively believe that abortion should be left to the woman's choice and are mostly indifferent to the prolife cause. Their major concern is how to make a good and comfortable life.

All of that, along with the article that I saw on the Texas Catholic newspaper, made me wonder if my brother was right at all. That was a day ago.

Your advice tells me that if we keep our path, with God's help, we will succeed in defeating the forces of Death.

I could not find the article on the website www.texascatholic.com. I will forward it to you once I find it. In the mean time, I did some research on Cardinal Ratzinger and now know that he is a righteous man, who has been relentlessly fighting for innocent babies.

It's been very educating and comforting to exchange emails with you.

May God continue to bless you and your work.
With best regards,
KIM TRAN

DEAR KIM,

YOU DON'T NEED TO APOLOGIZE BECAUSE YOU FEEL WHAT YOU FEEL, NAMELY DISTRESSED.

THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH IS: "YOUR DISTRESS" ABSOLUTELY DID NOT DISTURB ME.

SO, BE ASSURED AND AT PEACE WITH YOURSELF.

REMEMBER JESUS FOUND HIS CHURCH ON THE BEDROCK OF TRUTH - NOT EMOTION.

THE PROBLEM IS THAT YOU HAVE NOT YET COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY COMMITTED TO THE TRUTH OF JESUS CHRIST.

THAT'S WHY YOU ARE STILL DISTRESSED AND DOUBTED YOURSELF AS WELL AS JESUS' CAUSE TO FIGHT FOR LIFE.

HOW CAN YOU SAY YOU ARE ON THE LOSING SIDE WHEN YOU HAVE GOD AND THE TRUTH OF GOD WITH YOU?

THE TRUTH IS THIS:

• ABORTION IS THE MOST EVIL SIN OF ALL SINS.
• ABORTION KILLS INNOCENT HUMAN BEINGS.
• ABORTION NOT JUST KILLS BUT MURDERS HELPLESS INNOCENT BABIES.

THESE ARE THE FACTUAL TRUTHS. NOTHING CAN CHANGE IT.

WELL, ARE YOU ABSOLUTELY CONVINCED OF THOSE TRUTHS?

IF YOU ARE, YOU NEED NOT BE AFRAID BECAUSE THE TRUTH IS ALWAYS THE TRUTH - NO MATTER WHAT.

PEOPLE CAN DENY IT OR EXPLAIN IT AWAY OR FIGHT FOR IT OR PROCLAIM IT OR DISCLAIM IT OR SHOUT IT OUT LOUD OR WHISPER IT SOFTLY.

NO MATTER WHAT THEY DO WITH IT, THE TRUTH ALWAYS AND FOREVER REMAINS THE TRUTH.

THE PROBLEM HERE IS "YOU."

YOU NEED TO ASK YOURSELF:

"DO I TRULY BELIEVE IN GOD AND HIS TRUTH? IF I DO, AM I WILLING TO STAKE MY OWN LIFE TO FIGHT FOR THIS TRUTH - NO MATTER WHAT? EVEN IF EVERYONE IN THIS WORLD IS AGAINST ME, DO I STILL BELIEVE AND TRUST IN GOD AND IN HIS TRUTH?"

REMEMBER KIM, YOU ARE NOT FIGHTING AGAINST HUMAN BEINGS BUT SATAN HIMSELF. THAT IS, IF YOU KNOW AND ABSOLUTELY KNOW SATAN DO EXIST.

AGAIN, I REPEAT WHAT I SAID IN PREVIOUS EMAIL, "ARE YOU DEPENDING ON GOD FOR EVERYTHING?" OR ARE YOU DEPENDING SOLELY ON YOURSELF?

REMEMBER THIS IS NOT YOUR BATTLE ALONE, IT IS GOD'S WAR WITH THE DEVIL.

AND THE TRUTH WILL ABSOLUTELY SET YOU FREE.

UNLESS YOU REALLY TRUST IN GOD AND SURRENDER EVERYTHING TO HIM, YOU WILL NOT HAVE THE STRENGTH AND WILL TO CONTINUE.

LISTEN KIM, DO NOT EVER ARGUE WITH THOSE WHO ARE OBSTINATE.
YOU'LL GET FRUSTRATED.

THE BEST THING TO DO IS TO PREPARE YOURSELF.

AND "HOW?" “HOW TO PREPARE MYSELF?” - YOU MIGHT HAVE ASKED!

HERE ARE THE 5 P'S OF PREPARATION:

1. "PAY ATTENTION" - TO GOD, HIS WORDS (I.E., THE BIBLE) AND TEACHINGS (I.E., THE CATECHISM), TO YOURSELF AND ALL YOUR WEAKNESSES AND TO YOUR ENEMIES OR OPPONENTS AND ALL THEIR STRENGTHS AND WEAPONS.

2. "PLAN" - PLAN EVERYTHING TO SAY AND TO DO AND BASE EVERYTHING ON FACTUAL TRUTH – NOT EMOTION OR FORCE OF WILL. NEVER EVER PLAN TO ARGUE. LET THE HOLY SPIRIT DO THAT FOR YOU.

3. "PRACTICE" - PRACTICE WHAT TO SAY, HOW TO SAY, WHEN TO SAY AND WITH WHOM TO SAY. PRACTICE "THE ART OF ACTIVE LISTENING." MOST IMPORTANTLY, PRACTICE LETTING GO OF YOUR FEAR. YOU CAN DO THIS BY ASKING YOURSELF: "WHAT MAKES ME MAD? OR WHAT TICKS ME OFF?" BASICALLY, KNOW YOURSELF.

4. "PERSEVERE" - "BLESSED ARE THEY WHO WAIT FOR THE LORD, FOR THEY SHALL BE CONQUERORS." BE PATIENCE WITH YOURSELF. IF YOU DON'T GET THEM TODAY, THEN DO IT AGAIN TOMORROW. IF NOT TOMORROW, THEN THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW. IF NOT THIS WEEK, NEXT WEEK. IF NOT THIS MONTH, NEXT MONTH. IF NOT THIS YEAR, THEN NEXT YEAR. MY OWN MOTTO IS: "I WILL PERSEVERE UNTIL THE DAY I DIE.” HOLD ON TO "GOD'S TRUTH" AND NEVER TO LET GO.

5. "PRAY" - YES, PRAY BEFORE - DURING - AND AFTER YOU DO ANYTHING. THEN, CONTINUE TO PRAY CONSTANTLY. NEVER CUT YOURSELF OFF FROM GOD. PRAYER IS YOUR LIFE-BREATH. SO, PRAY UNCEASINGLY.

SO, KIM, YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO NOW.

DO YOUR BEST AND GOD WILL DO THE REST.

FOR IT'S NOT YOUR BATTLE BUT GOD'S.

GOD IS ON OUR SIDE. WHO CAN OPPOSE US?

GOD BLESS YOU IN THE MOST HOLY SPIRIT OF JESUS CHRIST,

FR. MICHAEL J TRUONG LUAN, C.Ss.R.