Protection of All Life Should Be the Central Federal Election Issue

"It is impossible to further the common good without acknowledging and defending the right to life, upon which all the other inalienable rights of individuals are founded and from which they develop..." John Paul II, Servant of God (Evangelium Vitae, n. 101)

Do we want to make a difference as Christians in the outcome of the federal elections scheduled for May 2? In order to do this, we need to get involved. According to a recent survey (Angus Reid, Toronto Star, March 26, 2011) Canadians believe the economy, health care and ethics and accountability are the top federal election issues. But the central moral question we should ask ourselves is: what good is a strong economy and a good health care system when we routinely pay for the killing of ten of thousands of unborn lives every year? Who is going to run the economy of tomorrow if our reproductive rate is well below the replacement level? Added to this, we have an active movement to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide. Surely there's hypocrisy here to even try to raise the issue of ethics and accountability.

Canada is internationally respected for being a peace-loving nation, but the hard truth is that it has declared war on the unborn for over four decades. We should fight this election to bring an end to this immoral war so that this coming Easter we can faithfully celebrate Christ's victory over death. As Catholics and Orthodox Christians we need to be more proactive and promote the idea that life issues trump every other issue. Let me try to explain why.

A good place to start is with Peter Seewald's recent book on Pope Benedict XVI titled, Light of the World. In responding to questions on the profound truth found in Humanae Vitae (Of Human Life) about sexual ethics, the Pope states: “Paul VI has been proven right. He was convinced that society robs itself of its greatest hopes when it kills human beings through abortion. How many children are killed who might one day have been geniuses, who could have given humanity something new, who could have given us a new Mozart or some new technical discovery? We need to stop and think about the great human capacity that is being destroyed here—even quite apart from the fact that the unborn children are human persons whose dignity and right to life we have to respect.”

Now the major Canadian parties, the Liberals, the Conservatives, the New Democrats, the Green Party and the Bloc Quebecois all support abortion. Clearly on this issue the major parties are all guilty of immoral behaviour because they have not shown the moral courage to keep laws which protect human life, and as a result they are in a state of moral bankruptcy. Therefore, here's the question we need to ask them and every candidate running: How can Canada stand for anything moral when the main parties refuse to defend and promote the dignity of life? Let's be honest and ask ourselves why is it that as a modern society we are in denial about the immorality of killing the unborn? Is Canada's future going to depend solely on immigrants? This is why we must make Pope Benedict's words our federal election guide.

Again I humbly ask you: do we want to make a difference as Christians in the outcome of the federal elections? In order to do this, we need to get involved. Christian voters should make sure that all the life issues are covered at candidates’ meetings, among the major parties, with letters and emails to editors and with the party leaders. As Catholics, we have a baptismal responsibility to make sure we are governed by moral laws; it’s up to the faithful to get informed, to pray and to follow through with our actions. We cannot let politicians and sadly even some Church leaders, like we have done in the past, answer moral question based on the number of votes they receive or the trendy feelings of the day. This standard by numbers has legally permitted the killing of the unborn, the deterioration of the family and pushed religion from public discourse. The majority of Canadians know this isn't either right or what builds the common good.

All Catholics are also given clear directions in John Paul II's encyclical Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life) and the Catechism of the Catholic Church about life issues. Here are four important quotes from those texts on the topics of euthanasia and abortion:

1. "In harmony with the Magisterium of my Predecessors and in communion with the Bishops of the Catholic Church, I confirm that euthanasia is a grave violation of the law of God, since it is the deliberate and morally unacceptable killing of a human person. This doctrine is based upon the natural law and upon the written word of God, is transmitted by the Church's Tradition and taught by the ordinary and universal Magisterium." (EV, n. 65)

2. "Among all the crimes which can be committed against life, procured abortion has characteristics making it particularly serious and deplorable. The Second Vatican Council defines abortion, together with infanticide, as an "unspeakable crime.'"(EV, n. 58)

3. "Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law." (CCC, n. 2271)

4. "Therefore, by the authority which Christ conferred upon Peter and his Successors, and in communion with the Bishops of the Catholic Church, I confirm that the direct and voluntary killing of an innocent human being is always gravely immoral. This doctrine, based upon that unwritten law which man, in the light of reason, finds in his own heart is reaffirmed by Sacred Scripture, transmitted by the Tradition of the Church and taught by the ordinary and universal Magisterium." (EV, n. 57)

Can you hear that caring voice of a loving father talking to the faithful? It's moral statements such as these that bring clarity and direction to Christian living. So we should also try to read documents like Evangelium Vitae as a guide to help us vote with our faith. I urge all Catholics and non-Catholics to become knowledgeable about life issues before casting their federal ballots, and please spread the word to your family, friends and your parish community. If we work together as a family to embrace all life, the sick, the disabled, the poor, the unborn and the marginalized and pray for God's help, we can hope that in Canada we will vote for a culture of life.

The Annunciation: A True Celebration of Faith and Love

The Angel Gabriel greeted our blessed Mother by announcing to her a history-changing mission, “Behold thou shall conceive and bring forth a Son… He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the mist high.” We must quote Mary’s answer because the words show her total willingness to completely embrace her vocation, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”

Have you ever dared to consider this question: What would I have done had the Angel asked me to accept a similar mission? What do I do when God asks me to respond to His word? His call? How are we living our baptismal promise to live a Christian life? Are we open to life and prepared to co-operate with God’s plan for us? These questions are not meant to be a judgment in any way; rather they are humbly offered as a way of taking stock of where we are in our journey to save our souls.

Thank God the Virgin Mary did say yes to God’s plan because it’s the greatest yes in our entire human history. It’s a yes that has transformed not only Christians but also the entire human race. The Blessed Virgin gives us all the perfect example of welcoming both human and divine life. Her yes to God’s plan is where the salvation of every human being begins and ends: Baby Jesus. It's faith becoming flesh. Only after saying yes to God’s proposal, to give birth to His Son and to have faith in the Holy Spirit did our eternal salvation start. Thank God for Mother Mary; thank God for Baby Jesus.

Our blessed Mother made a choice to accept life and to be His “handmaid”. It’s the beginning of Christmas. By saying yes to life and by doing God’s will, she made Easter possible. Whatever we truly long for in our hearts became flesh and life in Mary’s womb. Pope Benedict says: “In Jesus, God has placed, in the midst of barren, despairing mankind, a new beginning which is not a product of human history but a gift from above.” So, yes, let us give praise and glory to God for the annunciation. Let's celebrate the birth of the true miracle of the eternal redemptive power of the Cross in Mary's yes.

For the feast of the annunciation, let’s especially pray the Hail Mary, the Angelus and the Salve Regina and ask God for His Grace so that Baby Jesus in the Virgin Mary’s womb can transform our hearts so we too can have a greater love for His gift of faith and life.

The TCDSB Must Reject the Equity and Inclusiveness Policy

The Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) is finding ways to implement the Ministry Equity and Inclusivity policy. To do this, Chris D’Souza has been invited to speak at a symposium scheduled for March 26 at Bishop Marrocco/Thomas Merton Catholic Secondary School in Toronto to promote “equity and inclusivity” in the TCDSB.

Why are our Catholic administrators so quick to open their doors to a policy that is both against and totally unnecessary for Catholic teaching? TCDSB superintendent Patrick Keyes, has said that Mr. D’Souza has been invited to “help to contextualize the policy from a Catholic perspective and from the trends occurring across Catholic Schools Boards in the province.” Parents and trustees should see in that remark that there’s nothing new in this policy that warrants “contextualizing” it for Catholic schools. The only "trends" are those artificially and politically created by the Ministry's Equity policy.

The Catholic faith has been well "contextualized" by centuries of tradition. Catholic equity and inclusivity are already present in the Ten Commandments. We can sum them in two: “Thou shall love the Lord thy God with your whole heart, with your whole soul, with your whole mind and your whole strength;” and the second, "Thou shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Don't all parents long to send their children to a school trying to practice those two commandments?

If we keep God’s laws, every student and teacher will be treated with respect and dignity. Homosexuals don’t need added protection under God’s law and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Why then do we need a new policy? The Ontario government has bought into a political ideology to normalize homosexuality, but they don’t have the courage to say so directly. The TCDSB trustees should reject this superfluous piece of legislation and set a standard for the rest of the Catholic schools in Ontario. As Catholics, we already have an equity and inclusivity policy/law from God: we are all crated in His image. We don’t have to reinvent a new morality or equality wheel.

Mr. D’ Souza is paid to spread a closed agenda about the mandatory Ministry's Equity and Inclusivity policy. He has done countless presentations in schools across Ontario on behalf of the provincial government. He has said that “equity” is basically the elimination of “heterosexism.” According to him, it's “the assumption that everyone is or should be heterosexual and that heterosexuality is the only normal, natural sexual orientation.” Mr D’Souza tells teachers to learn and advocate “politically correct” language about “sexual orientation”. He says it’s their moral obligation. What this means is that they accept the different words used to describe homosexuality. He supports same sex “marriages”. But aren’t Catholic teachers and the trustees have the moral responsibility to be guided by their faith? Aren’t Catholic leaders the ones that should help students form their consciences in the tradition of a Christian ethos?

In the Catechism homosexuality is defined as “objectively disordered.” Homosexuals are called to live a life of chastity. Is this teaching what that the Equity policy wants to replace? And don't they really want to redefine marriage, family and sexual relations? Mr. D’Souza and the people he represents tell us that those who object to the Equity policy are either Christian groups or the right-wing crowd with an ideology that tries to shape Catholic teaching. Excuse me, but it’s at times like this that we need to remind ourselves that Catholic teaching rests on a tradition of moral action and faith, not on accepting political correctness. With respect to Mr. D'Souza, couldn't those who disagree with the Equity policy just be ordinary Catholics who are trying to live their faith? and calling them fundamentalists or some other term is too trivialize their belief.

The Toronto Catholic District School Board should reject the Equity and Inclusivity policy. I urge every Catholic trustee to not implement this misguided and redundant policy. I hope parents get involved and tell their children’s teachers and board leaders to say no to this unnecessary Ministry guideline. We need to act our faith before its too late.

Government Institutions Need to Build the Common Good

(Note to our readers: This is a letter I have sent to the Canadian government, the Ontario government, Seneca College, Humber College, AGO, Air Canada Centre, Harbourfront Centre and Ford Canada. The question they are asked to respond to is: Why doeas Ford Canada, Humber College, Seneca College and the Government of Canada advertise in a publication that degrades and views the human person as a commodity? You may be shocked to find out that this pornographic magazine is available, all approved by our political/civic leaders, even in Toronto public libraries. Read the letter and please do what you can.)

Attention: Government of Canada Marketing Department

Dear Prime Minister Stephen Harper,

I am writing about the Now magazine which is available in Toronto in newspaper-like boxes and sadly even in our local libraries. Have those who approved the one page ad looked at the porn that's in this publication? Even children can too easily be exposed to this filth. Why would the federal government want to publicize educational programs to stop smoking, (“What’s the Real Cost of Contraband?” March 2, 2011) in a publication given out free, but that tries to normalize pornography?

Surely somebody in the government marketing department made a mistake in giving Now advertising dollars, taxpayer money, when part of its contents degrade and objectify the human person. Does the Canadian government now believe that people are commodities? Surely you realize the fact that if the Government of Canada is willing to advertize in this kind of paper it serves to undermine the very meaning of the true purpose government.

The March 2, 2011 issue I reluctantly picked up has many pages of adult classified ads and revealing pictures promoting sex, sexual fetishism and other adult fantasies. Why display for distribution this kind of material in our local library and government ads are helping to pay and make this possible? The library is a place where many young people and parents go to read and check out books. Why have we let this happen? Have we put pleasure and profits before the human person? Is nobody responsible for where government ads appear?

Has anybody in the government read the column by Dan Savage? The explicit sexual material has no place in our public space. I can only conclude that the civil servants in charge of marketing who decided to advertise in this pornographic magazine have not read any of it? I could quote some of the perversions from the questions and answers in Savage's column, but I'll spare you the embarrassment. We should all be ashamed as adults for making these pictures and articles that debase human beings so readily available and paid with public funds.

I have also written to Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, MP Alan Tonks, MPP Laura Albanese, as well as councillor Frank Di Giorgio about it. Why should any taxpayer pay for the cost of printing this immoral garbage? The publication is a mere tool to advertise and sell sex; it should have no place in our local libraries or our city streets. I urge the Government of Canada to please stop advertising in Now, stop paying for ads that undermine human freedom and the human person. I urge you as the Prime Minister of Canada to ask for a review of the government’s advertising criteria. A good government ought to help the nation build moral foundations instead of helping to destroy them.

Thank you.

A Prayer to St. Joseph for the Conversion of Canada

Do you know who the patron saint of Canada is? If I were to mention St. Patrick, you probably know that he’s the patron saint of Ireland. What about Scotland? It’s St. Andrew. The US has the Blessed Mother and Italy has St. Francis. Well, Canada has St. Joseph who is also patron of the universal Church and the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Sadly many Christians, including Catholics, are not aware of this. We seldom get anything mentioned in the press about it. His feast day is usually celebrated on March 19th. So, why don’t we try to promote our patron saint in our families and our parish communities? One of the most important things we can do is to pray that through his intercession God’s grace will bring a conversion to the culture of life in Canada. A way to try to live better Christian lives is to learn from the saints. After all, aren't the saints true heroes of virtuous living?



One of the latest canonized saints is the Canadian St. Brother Andre’. He always invoked St. Joseph in all that he did and said. St. Andre' believed that whatever St. Joseph asked of Jesus, the good Lord would surely respond to any request made by his foster father. St. Andre’ life is proof that this is true. The building of that magnificent structure in Montreal known the world over as St. Joseph’s Oratory was the result of St. Andre’ asking St. Joseph that if he wanted a church he needed to find a way to build it. And St. Joseph did that and so much more.

We know that “legally” Canadians pay for the killing of over 100,000 babies through abortion each year. God sends us the gift of life and love and we choose as a society to reject it. Instead, St. Joseph chose to sacrifice his life to accept a child that wasn’t his. What a hero for life and for listening humbly to the Word! What a model for family living! What a servant of God! Let’s humbly ask St. Joseph who as the foster father of our Savior welcomed Baby Jesus into his family and protected Him against the forces of death, to teach us how to be guardians of life. Let’s try to do this by saying this or some other prayer of your choosing:

Prayer to St. Joseph

O blessed Joseph, faithful
guardian of my Redeemer,
Jesus Christ, protector
of thy chaste spouse, the
Virgin Mother of God, I
choose you this day to
be my special patron and
advocate and I firmly
resolve to honor you all
the days of my life.
Therefore I humbly beg
of you to receive me as your
pupil, to instruct me in
every doubt, to comfort me
in every affliction,
to obtain for me and for all
the knowledge and love of
the Heart of Jesus,
and finally to defend and
protect my life but especially
the innocent and precious life
of every unborn child. Amen

Let’s invite St. Joseph into our hearts through prayer and thought. We do this to help our country. We do it so that one day soon all the unborn, as well as the poor, the unwanted and the marginalized in Canada will be welcomed and loved. St. Joseph and most chaste spouse of the Blessed Virgin, pray for us and for Canada. This way we can truly celebrate this great saint and patron of Canada. This March 19, we wish all our visitors a very happy and blessed feast day of St. Joseph.

40 Days for Life Is Back For Lent

As we consider these words in Pope Benedict's Lenten Message, "to be guided by the Word of God", we want to remind our readers that 40 Days for Life, the peace and prayer vigil to combat the evil of abortion starts with a kick-off rally and Mass at St. Charles Borromeo Church on March 6, celebrated by Archbishop Thomas Collins.

Most people when they hear talk about abortion and its deadly consequences on the innocent will say that they are morally against it. But while ideas are good, they alone will not change the evil of killing the unborn. We need to take the next faith-step. Are we ready to literally stand up, privately and publically, and be a witness to life? Are we ready to spend some time in prayer to end abortion? In short, are we prepared to make some kind of sacrifice for the unborn? As St. James reminds us that faith without works is dead. Are we willing to give up a little time to remember and pray the Rosary for the unborn who are routinely being killed in abortion-clinics daily?

The prayer vigil campaign started in 2007. Currently 40 Days for Life is in 337 cities across all 50 of the United States, seven Canadian provinces, four Australian states, England, Northern Ireland and Denmark. Please keep in mind that this is not a political/social protest. It's a humble and respectful way of trying to show our love of God and neighbour by praying for the unborn and for those who sadly decide not to choose life. We simply want to ask God in His infinite mercy to enlighten the minds of those who choose abortion instead of life.



As a side note, Everyday for Life Canada began with the meeting of two people praying in front of the abortion-clinic on Lawrence. The writers of this blog decided that 40 Days for Life was a great initiative, but we asked why not pray and promote the value and dignity of life, God’s greatest gift of love to each of us, everyday of our lives? In fact, in many clinics, including the one on Lawrence, people have continued on their own to pray and to witness for life all year round and a number of women have changed their minds because of these acts of charity.

In this context, it’s good to remember these wise words from Edmund Burke: “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” Sometimes we live a Christian life of comfort and convenience by simply being nice and staying away from what’s wrong. However, doesn't our silence and absence allow evil to continue? So during this Lenten time from March 9 to April 17, we can all take part in 40 days of prayer, fasting, witnessing for life and raising community awareness. The Toronto location is the women’s abortion-clinic in a medical centre at 960 Lawrence Ave. W. The daily vigils run from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. This year, there will also be an Oakville site outside Trafalgar Memorial Hospital.

The official web site where you may get additional information is at, www.40daysforlife.com. If your parish has not communicated anything about this vigil for the unborn, why not be the person to inform the pastor to see how best to let the community know and respond?