Mark Davis Pickup

THE REAL REASON THE WILDROSE PARTY LOST ALBERTA

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Davis Pickup) — Fri, 18 May 2012 19:45:00 +0000

Here in Alberta (Canada), conservative people like myself have long supported the Progressive Conservative Party that has ruled Alberta for over 40 years. But the Conservative Party is no longer conservative; they are liberals parading themselves under a conservative banner. And so people like me found ourselves increasingly alienated from them. When the Wildrose Party emerged representing many of the social and fiscal principles I value, I enthusiastically joined them. So did a multitude of other traditional social conservatives in Alberta.

Danielle Smith

During the 2012 provincial election campaign, polls showed the Wildrose Party rising in support and at one point even surpassed the Progressive Conservatives. Unfortunately, in the last few days of the campaign,Wildrose Party Leader Danielle Smith stated she was pro-choice on abortion and supported homosexual marriage. Her conservative base of support crumbled. An excellent analysis of what went wrong and why it went wrong was published in LifeSiteNews under the title "Alienating social conservatives: The real reason Danielle Smith lost Alberta." In my view, it's more accurate than the mainstream Alberta media interpretation which was presented through a prism of left-wing ideology rather than Alberta's reality. See the LifeSiteNews article at http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/alienating-social-conservatives-the-real-reason-danielle-smith-lost-alberta/

Mark

THEY ASKED FOR A SPEECH

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Davis Pickup) — Fri, 18 May 2012 18:51:00 +0000

I was asked to give a short speech to a crowd gathered in front of the Alberta Legislature (Canada) as they prepared for the 2012 March for Life through the street of the provincial Capital city of Edmonton. To see what I said, go to http://humanlifematters.org under the title "They Asked For A Speech".

Mark

RACHMANINOFF'S VESPERS

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Davis Pickup) — Wed, 16 May 2012 03:52:00 +0000

Well, I have received some input about the music of Sergei Rachmaninoff (see previous post). An old college friend "Peter" who now lives at a Canadian lake shore cottage (along with his grand piano) said, "Rachmaninoff is a tough composer, in that the music is hard to get into but once you do, it has many many layers of sound and feelings."

I am thinking of my dear Eastern Orthodox friend Wesley J. Smith as I feature Rachmaninoff's Vespers. Rachmaninoff was an Orthodox believer.

Russian Orthodox theologian Sergei Nikolayevich Bulgakov said,

Sergei Bulgakov
"Orthodoxy is first of all the love of beauty. Our entire life must be inspired by the vision of heavenly glory, and this contemplation is the essence of Orthodoxy…. Russian asceticism aims at manifesting God’s Kingdom on earth. It does not deny this world, but embraces it."

Dr. R.M. Brett-Crowther responded:

"This emphatic principle is clearly present in the Vespers. Rachmaninov’s Vespers are so accessible to non-Orthodox or Western audiences because his use of the tradition – cultural, theological, musical – is meant to be accessible. (Who would not have wanted to communicate on the edge of the abyss in 1916?) Seldom are the Vespers able to be performed in Britain in an Orthodox setting. This church provides that setting; and though its habitual music is not Russian and its decoration is Greek rather than Russian, the general situation is perfectly correct; and all the more so for a performance where the translation is in English. The Orthodox Church stands in the market place of the West and bears witness to its tradition with one purpose: to pray in the faith that God lives and has conquered death."[1]

An now the Rachmaninoff's Vespers

Mark

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[1] Quoted from Dr. R.M. Brett-Crowther, "The Meaning of the Rachmaninov Vespers". See http://www.orthodox-christian-comment.co.uk/curiosities-meaningrachmaninovvespers.htm

MORE MUSIC THAT'S BEEN MY COMPANION IN CHRONIC ILLNESS AND DEGENERATIVE DISABILITY

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Davis Pickup) — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:45:00 +0000

Sergei Rachmaninoff

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)

I have often written about how music has been my intimate companion throughout my my long journey with chronic and degenerative multiple sclerosis. I was brought up in a home filled with music (my mother taught piano for more than sixty years). Music can express what is in the human heart in ways that words cannot. I tried to embed Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No.2 as an example of music that has often filled my room. Unfortunately it's not working. Please click here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vna-_bCgb70&feature=fvwrel . It's Rachmaninoff at his zenith.

I came across a collection of clips about Rachmaninoff. Click on the link above (now it worked!) This blog has many readers from Russia. I hope you enjoy the music link!

Mark

ETERNAL LIFE BEGINS NOW FOR THOSE WHO TRUST IN CHRIST

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Davis Pickup) — Sun, 13 May 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Jesus' prayer in the 17th Chapter of John is often referred to as the High Priestly Prayer. In verse three we read "Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ." In the past, I have plowed through this verse without giving it much thought. I missed so much. In his Book JESUS OF NAZARETH, PART TWO: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection, Pope Benedict XVI commented about this verse:

"'Eternal Life' is not -- as the modern reader might immediately assume -- life after death, in contrast to this present life, which is transient and not eternal.”Eternal life" is life itself, real life, which can also be lived in the present age and is no longer challenged by physical death. This is the point: to seize "life" here and now, real life that can no longer be destroyed by anything or anyone."

This is important for people like me who are chronically ill. Eternity is not bound by time. Perhaps the Apostle Paul was touching on this truth when he wrote, “Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.” (Philippians 1.20-21) He seized life to serve God. We can too, even though our lives may be broken.

Whether I live or die, Christ is with me. Through my relationship with Christ I no longer merely exist. No! Even in chronic illness and disability I have begun to live more fully than ever before. My eternal life has already begun. Eternal life consists of knowing the one true God through Jesus Christ. As we draw nearer to the Master we begin to really live. Again Pope Benedict:

"Because I live, you will live also", says Jesus to his disciples at the Last Supper (John 14.19), and he thereby reveals once again that a distinguishing feature of the disciple of Jesus is the fact that he "lives": beyond the mere fact of existing, he has found and embraced the real life that everyone is seeking." (Jesus of Nazareth, p.83)

God is accessible to you and me through His only begotten Son. That is why God sent Christ. Through faith we have eternal life (John 3.16). This is not a future possession – it is a real possession beginning here and now.

As people draw nearer to that which is eternal, eternity becomes clearer; as they draw nearer to the Holy One they become more holy and sanctified ... set apart for God.

Christ said we are to be perfect just as our Father in heaven is perfect (Matthew 5.48). But how can someone imperfect and flawed like me become perfect? From the preceding verses in this passage of Matthew, I think Jesus was referring to how we love. God is love.

Jesus said, "I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13.34. Cf. Matthew 22.36-40). It is through love that Christ draws closer to his followers and makes them holy as they grow in His love. It is through love that his followers give their greatest witness.

Suffering has opened to me new understanding of Divine love.

In suffering we are presented with a stark choice: We can rail against it and let it make us angry and bitter. By doing this, we fall short of our full humanity. Conversely, we can choose to surrender our pain to God and pray Father take away this cup, nevertheless not my will but Your will be done.” By relinquishing ownership of our agony, we begin to transcend beyond ourselves and truly become children of God. We can begin to move toward perfection within Divine love.

"Remember me ..."

Pain can either cause a man bow and submit to God or stiffen his neck and curse God. Think of the two thieves crucified with Christ: one cursed Christ in his agony and lost his chance for eternal love; the other asked in his pain that Christ would remember him and won a place in paradise. Christ's perfect love offered through suffering brings many to glory (see Hebrews 2.10).

I strive (and sometimes fail) to give my lesser suffering to Christ as a vehicle for my sanctification – a purifying fire to bring me forth as gold to be offered to Him.

What is your pain? Give it to Christ. You can transcend your agony into a new freedom “to seize "life" here and now, real life that can no longer be destroyed by anything or anyone.”

Mark

NEWS ABOUT AMERICA'S ABORTION STATE

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Davis Pickup) — Fri, 11 May 2012 04:19:00 +0000

Carol Tobias

"Meanwhile, things are slowly changing in America. Most American young people are rejecting the abortion mindset -- to the dismay of aging abortion ideologues from their parents' generation." -- taken from HumanLifeMatters' blog. Read a response from National Right To Life Committee President, Carol Tobias at http://humanlifematters.org

WHEN THE LAW IS AN ASS

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Davis Pickup) — Thu, 10 May 2012 05:27:00 +0000

"Canadian law says a baby only becomes a human being at the moment its birth is completed." -- taken my post for HumanLifeMatters' blog for May 9th 2012 under the title When The Law Is An Ass. Read the rest at http://humanlifematters.org

Mark

IMPORTANT EUTHANASIA CONFERENCE

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Davis Pickup) — Tue, 08 May 2012 18:00:00 +0000

I want to bring your attention to an important conference coming up in less than a month! People on the front lines in the struggle against euthanasia have some critically important things to say about the protection of vulnerable populations. See http://humanlifematters.org for more information.

Mark

WHERE DID THE DEROGATORY TERM "VEGETABLE" AND "VEGETATIVE STATE" COME FROM?

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Davis Pickup) — Fri, 04 May 2012 17:54:00 +0000

"The term "vegetative state" became popular at the "birth" of bioethics (1978 Belmont Report). It is traced to the "delayed personhood" arguments used at the beginning of life issues: ..." Take from today's blog post by Dr. Dianne Irving under the title Calling People Vegetables: Where Did It Come From?" Read the rest at http://humanlifematters.org

FAITH AND FRIENDS

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Davis Pickup) — Thu, 03 May 2012 15:35:00 +0000

Somebody recently told me that I am too religious even for religious people. They said that this fact combined with my disability (I am electric wheelchair dependent) are why I have no friends. Really? I considered what I was told.

Firstly, I am too religious for whom? Should I care? There have been times in my twenty-eight year journey with degenerative multiple sclerosis that Christ was my only source of comfort and assurance. Never once did Christ abandon me. That's more than I can say about former friends. And so my allegiance is to Christ. He is my friend. Does that make me too religious? Perhaps that is the case for most people's liking. So be it.

With the exception of my wife, I do not have one friend from before the multiple sclerosis. Like the old song says: Friends weren't unkind, just hard to find. That only illustrates that I should have chosen better friends and been a better friend. Live and learn.

I do have some good friends now but I am more selective than before. As I say, my wife is my best earthly friend. I am fiercely loyal to her. Not only did she stay with me through the darkest days of serious disease, she lifted me up when I was sinking beneath the waves of my circumstances. She is the mother of my children and wonderful grandmother to our grandchildren.

Wesley J. Smith is a dear and close friend -- he's more like a brother than a friend. He has never known me healthy. He looks beyond the wheelchair at the man who sits in it. I'm not too religious for Wesley. He follows Christ too and encourages me in my faith.

There are other people I consider my friends now. Good friends. Judie, Ed, Sheila and Terry, David, Joni, Phyllis and Real, just to mention a few. I'm not friendless at all.

Mark

LET'S STOP CALLING PEOPLE VEGETABLES

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Davis Pickup) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:55:00 +0000

Read my latest blog post entitled "Let's Stop Calling People Vegetables". Go to http://humanlifematters.org

Mark

PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS INTERNATIONALLY

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Davis Pickup) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 03:18:00 +0000

David Kilgour

David Kilgour is a retired Canadian Member of Parliament, and former Cabinet Member the Canadian federal government. He was my MP for many years and we became good friends. Since retiring as a parliamentarian, Mr. Kilgour has been actively involved in promoting international human rights and defending persecuted peoples in various parts of the world.

Mr. Kilgour recently sent me his speaking notes from a speech he delivered in Canada's capital city of Ottawa about international persecution of Christians. He has given me permission to publish the text of his insightful and important address. It is below.

Mark

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Persecution of Christians Internationally

Hon. David Kilgour

Congregation Machzikei Hadas

2310 Virginia Drive

Ottawa

23 April 2012

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Thank you, Rabbi Bulka and the congregation, for hosting this unique and important event. Earlier today, the ceremony at our National War Museum commemorated Holocaust Memorial Day, the most unspeakable evil of the 20th and quite possibly any century.

Rabbi Bulka, Prime Minister Harper, Irwin Cotler, MP Elizabeth May (who is with us tonight) and many other speakers spoke eloquently there about the systematic, state-sponsored intended

annihilation of Jewish Europe.

The words of Jesus, “Love one another as I have loved you” link explicitly love of God and love of neighbour. The two great commandments, found in both the New Testament and the Torah, complement each other. Similar thoughts can be found in the holy books of other spiritual communities. Courageous Christians and members of other religions saved Jewish neighbours during the Holocaust, well knowing that, if discovered, they would be shot by the Nazis. There is at least one survivor of the Holocaust here tonight whose life was saved by a series of

brave Christians.

There are religiously free countries of many faith backgrounds today. Paul Marshall, author of books on religion and politics, says Latin America has become one of the most religiously free regions in the world. The countries of Central Europe have in recent years been largely free from religious persecution, as have many in Africa, and several in Asia.

Pew Research Center

A 2011 Pew Forum (on Religion and Public Life) (http://www.pewforum.org/) study estimated that Christians today constitute about 2.1 billion followers. Approximately one-tenth of them are being persecuted in varying degrees by governments or fellow citizens in 131 of the world’s independent countries. Another source estimates that approximately 105,000 Christians are murdered annually because of their faith. In other words, about one Christian is killed every five minutes somewhere on earth.

Open Doors, a Christian organization, issues an annual listing of the worst offender countries. Here are a few examples:

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia, home to more than one million Christian foreign workers, bans churches and private acts of Christian prayer. The monarchy permits its religious police to raid private Christian services and to bring participants up on charges of blasphemy. Concurrently, author David Aikman notes, there is a “steady drumbeat of anti-Christian propagandizing by Saudi media outlets.”

IranThere is quite rightly much international concern for Baha’i’s in Iran because they have no legal rights and many have been murdered. Aikman reports that Iran is probably second only to China in having the fastest-growing Christian house-church community. Dozens have been arrested and jailed for attempting to worship. The regime has recently sentenced a convert to Christianity to death.

(The victim, Yousef Nadarkhani, is a pastor of a group, some of whom are converts. Because of the country’s Orwellian penal code, those who seek to leave Islam face the real prospect of death.)

ChinaThe repression of Tibetan Buddhists, Falun Gong and Uighur Muslims in China has gained worldwide attention.

The Beijing party-state has also made an unsuccessful effort to bring its burgeoning Christian population to heel. The State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA), which controls all religions in China, manages the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) for Protestants and the “Catholic Patriotic Association”, which does not even recognize the Pope. The number of Christians

attending state-approved churches totals 20-30 million. The remaining estimated 50-75 million Christians belong to unregistered ‘house churches’.

Sudan

Governments in north Sudan have tormented Christian and animist minorities in the south for decades, culminating in the racially-motivated genocide in Darfur that began in 2003. (Although Sudan’s president has been indicted by the International Criminal Court, and in spite of the elation that greeted the semi-independence he granted to South Sudan in July 2011, the violence has not ended.) Christians in the South Kordofan region are today enduring aerial bombardments, targeted killings, kidnappings of children, and other atrocities.

U.N. reports indicate that 53,000 - 75,000 civilians have been driven from their homes in recent months (See today’s opinion piece by Eric Reeves:

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?shva=1#inbox/136df3d41191e1fa

Pakistan
Christians living in Pakistan comprise about 1.6 percent of the estimated 170 million population. They live in constant fear of the country’s blasphemy laws, which carry the death penalty and are still used against religious minorities. In 2010, Asia Bibi, a Christian mother of five, was sentenced to death for allegedly insulting the Prophet Muhammad. When Punjab Gov. Salman Taseer explored ways of freeing her, he was murdered. On March 2, 2011, Pakistan’s federal minorities minister, Shahbaz Bhatti, was gunned down. A Christian, Bhatti had predicted his death for months while defending his faith and religious freedom.

Conclusion

In my opinion, the West should use the billions of dollars in aid it gives to offending governments as leverage to stop the persecution of minorities, including faith ones. (The U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron has recently indicated that there will be no British aid to countries mistreating religious minorities.)

While the world continues to grapple with the issue of worldwide persecution of Christians, democratic governments must protect our own religious minorities, including those viewed with suspicion by some, and ensure that all can worship, live and work without fear. Author Ayaan Hirsi Ali observes, “the protection of the freedom of conscience and speech . distinguishes free societies from (those that are) unfree...” Presidential candidate John Kennedy made a similar point in 1960: “An attack on one religion is an attack on all.”

This is why it’s prudent to ban the incitement of hatred against identifiable religious and other communities at home, as Canada’s Parliament did years ago in our Criminal Code. Governments which don’t do so often find that the violent groups attacking others eventually turn on the very governments who sought to curry political favour with them by permitting the persecution of minorities.

Human dignity is ultimately indivisible today. It’s through mutual respect that we can build a world in which all peoples, religions and cultures can genuinely feel at home. Harmony and peace can occur in this century only if spiritual communities co-operate. His Holiness, the Dalai Lama--who incidentally will speak later this week in Ottawa—has called for a century of compassion based on equality for all faiths, cultures and peoples. We must all do so as well.

Thank you.

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References:

Aikman, David. (2012). The Worldwide Attack on Christians.

Commentary, 133

(2), 37-41. Commentary_Aikman_2012.pdf,

Ali, Ayaan Hirsi. (2012). Christophobia. Newsweek, 159(7), 28-35.
Marshall, Paul. (2007). Patterns of Religious Freedom: A Global View.

Insights on Law and Society, 7(3), 4-23.

BISHOP ENCOURAGES CATHOLICS TO WITNESS FOR CHRIST AND AGAINST OBAMA'S ANTI-CATHOLIC AGENDA

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Davis Pickup) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 22:15:00 +0000

Bishop D.R. Jenky

Below are sections of a homily given by The Most Rev. Daniel R. Jenky, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Peoria, Illinois. The full text of His Excellency's excellent and timely homily can be found on the Catholic Post at http://www.thecatholicpost.com/post/PostArticle.aspx?ID=2440

The excepts of the homily are courtesy of Stephenson County Right to Life's Pro-Life Corner. (This fine pro-Life organization was instrumental in closing the abortion clinic in Rockford, Illinois.)

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...We heard in today’s Second Reading from the Acts of the Apostles that the same Sanhedrin that had condemned Jesus was amazed at the boldness of Peter and John. Perceiving them to be uneducated, ordinary men, they recognized them as companions of Jesus. They warned them never again to teach, or speak to anyone, in the name of Jesus.

But the elders and the scribes might as well have tried to turn back the tide, or hold back an avalanche. Peter and John had seen the Risen Christ with their own eyes. Peter and John were filled with the Holy Spirit. They asked whether it is right “in the sight of God for us to obey you rather than God. It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard.”

...You know, it has never been easy to be a Christian and it’s not supposed to be easy! The world, the flesh, and the devil will always love their own, and will always hate us. As Jesus once predicted, they hated me, they will certainly hate you.

But our Faith, when it is fully lived, is a fighting faith and a fearless faith. Grounded in the power of the resurrection, there is nothing in this world, and nothing in hell, that can ultimately defeat God’s one, true, holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

For 2,000 years the enemies of Christ have certainly tried their best. But think about it. The Church survived and even flourished during centuries of terrible persecution, during the days of the Roman Empire.

The Church survived barbarian invasions. The Church survived wave after wave of Jihads. The Church survived the age of revolution. The Church survived Nazism and Communism.

And in the power of the resurrection, the Church will survive the hatred of Hollywood, the malice of the media, and the mendacious wickedness of the abortion industry.

The Church will survive the entrenched corruption and sheer incompetence of our Illinois state government, and even the calculated disdain of the President of the United States, his appointed bureaucrats in HHS, and of the current majority of the federal Senate.

May God have mercy on the souls of those politicians who pretend to be Catholic in church, but in their public lives, rather like Judas Iscariot, betray Jesus Christ by how they vote and how they willingly cooperate with intrinsic evil.

As Christians we must love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, but as Christians we must also stand up for what we believe and always be ready to fight for the Faith. The days in which we live now require heroic Catholicism, not casual Catholicism. We can no longer be Catholics by accident, but instead be Catholics by conviction.

In our own families, in our parishes, where we live and where we work – like that very first apostolic generation – we must be bold witnesses to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We must be a fearless army of Catholic men, ready to give everything we have for the Lord, who gave everything for our salvation.

Remember that in past history other governments have tried to force Christians to huddle and hide only within the confines of their churches like the first disciples locked up in the Upper Room.

In the late 19th century, Bismarck waged his “Kulturkampf,” a Culture War, against the Roman Catholic Church, closing down every Catholic school and hospital, convent and monastery in Imperial Germany.

Clemenceau, nicknamed “the priest eater,” tried the same thing in France in the first decade of the 20th Century.

Hitler and Stalin, at their better moments, would just barely tolerate some churches remaining open, but would not tolerate any competition with the state in education, social services, and health care.

In clear violation of our First Amendment rights, Barack Obama – with his radical, pro-abortion and extreme secularist agenda, now seems intent on following a similar path.

Now things have come to such a pass in America that this is a battle that we could lose, but before the awesome judgement seat of Almighty God this is not a war where any believing Catholic may remain neutral.

This fall, every practicing Catholic must vote, and must vote their Catholic consciences, or by the following fall our Catholic schools, our Catholic hospitals, our Catholic Newman Centers, all our public ministries -- only excepting our church buildings – could easily be shut down. Because no Catholic institution, under any circumstance, can ever cooperate with the intrinsic evil of killing innocent human life in the womb.

No Catholic ministry – and yes, Mr. President, for Catholics our schools and hospitals are ministries – can remain faithful to the Lordship of the Risen Christ and to his glorious Gospel of Life if they are forced to pay for abortions...

...The Risen Christ is our Eternal Lord; the Head of his Body, the Church; our High Priest; our Teacher; our Captain in the well-fought fight.

We have nothing to fear, but we have a world to win for him. We have nothing to fear, for we have an eternal destiny in heaven. We have nothing to fear, though the earth may quake, kingdoms may rise and fall, demons may rage, but St. Michael the Archangel, and all the hosts of heaven, fight on our behalf.

No matter what happens in this passing moment, at the end of time and history, our God is God and Jesus is Lord, forever and ever.

Christus vincit! Christus regnat! Christus imperat!

Christ wins! Christ reigns! Christ commands!

"TED" WRITES ABOUT LOST FATHERHOOD

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Davis Pickup) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:05:00 +0000

Over the past few days there has been a great deal of interest in the HumanLifeMatters' blog post under the title "More About Men and Abortion". Clearly I have not been unique in grieving abortion of my first child. National Right to Life News based in Washington D.C. felt it important enough to re-published the substance of my blog today (see http://www.nationalrighttolifenews.org/news/2012/04/more-about-men-and-abortion/ )
I want to share an email sent to my personal email this morning with the subject line reading "Thank you so much for letting me know I'm not alone". Although he gave me permission to post the content of his email message I will only identify his first name as Ted.

His email about abortion said, in part,

"It was with great interest that I read your article, reprinted on National Right to Life News. ... I insisted that the girl (not even my “girlfriend,” really, but a very good-hearted Catholic girl who did not deserve the callous disregard I showed her) abort our child, because I was a sophomore in college, where everyone tells you that a baby will “ruin your life.” I believed it, and I ran from it as hard and as far as I could. Needless to say, the instant my first child was born, the horror of what I had done clamped down and suffocated me, like going through life trying to breathe through a giant wet towel. God has seen fit to bless/curse me with two children who are more wonderfully sweet than I ever could have imagined, which somehow seems to make it even worse in a way, because now I know how great the other one would have been. I have tried to find peace by talking with priests and other ministers, volunteering, writing…I even thought that I had “laid it at the foot of the Cross” a few times, but maybe I keep snatching it back, who knows? I have always just accepted it as my penance. I was glad to learn from the article that you had managed to lay yours there successfully, because that tells me that it is possible. I suppose the point is to keep trying.

Again, I am very glad to have discovered your writings. These are important things that affect many people, and they are not adequately addressed. May God continue to bless you and yours."

Warm regards,

Ted

As I said earlier, I know there are brutish men and playboys who do not care about their children aborted on the alter of sexual license. I am not writing about them.

I am writing about men like Ted who have the hearts of fathers and grieve lost fatherhood from abortion --that may have occurred years or even decades earlier. Their regrets (like Ted's regret and mine) may not come immediately when they are young, self-centred and immature. The regret and grief may surface later with the births of subsequent children, or some other trigger.

I believe there are many, many men who are just like Ted and me. They need to know they can be forgiven, and forgive themselves.

This is where pro-Life organizations, in partnership with local churches or men's ministries, can reach out in a spirit of understanding to men hurt by abortion -- just like ministries such as Rachel's Vineyard and Silent No More reach out to women.

Abortion has caused so much pain to so many people throughout the past 40 years in Canada, the United States and elsewhere. We need to foster healing to all people hurt by abortion. And we need to encourage a repudiation of killing unborn children to supposedly solve the social problems of unwanted pregnancies. Abortion only creates new problems.

Our nations desperately need healing and spiritual revival. The good news is that God wants to heal us as individuals and as nations that once recognized Him as the ultimate source of enlightenment.

Mark

MORE ABOUT MEN AND ABORTION

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Davis Pickup) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 22:46:00 +0000

"It is time for men who have suffered from post-abortion syndrome to be allowed to address their grief and move toward healing in this area of their lives." Taken from HumanLifeMatters' blog under the title More About Men and Abortion. Read the rest at http://humanlifematters.org

Mark

THE LORD BLESS YOU AGAIN

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Davis Pickup) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 05:46:00 +0000

Readers of this blog will know that one of my favourite hymns is John Rutter's "The Lord Bless You and Keep You." It is taken from Numbers 6.22-27:

"The Lord said to Moses: "Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them: This is how you shall bless the Isrealites. Say to them: The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace! So they shall invoke my name upon the Isrealites, and I will bless them." (NAB)

My father prayed that prayer over me each night when I was a small boy hoping the Lord might bless his son too. I prayed that prayer over my children as they were growing up -- and now my grandchildren. Some time ago I wrote about the music John Rutter wrote for this passage and featured rendition of it. This evening I came across an equally beautiful but more intimate version of The Lord Bless You and Keep You. Here it is. Click on the image below, I hope you enjoy it.

Mark

SACRED MOMENTS

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Davis Pickup) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 04:50:00 +0000

I entered my room to discover my five year old grandson looking up at a large crucifix on the wall above my bed. He turned and asked if that really happen?” “Yes it did.” I replied.

“Did Jesus die?” he asked, turning back to look at the crucifix.

“Yes, he did. But that was not the end of it. He rose from the grave and that gives hope to everyone who believes in Jesus.”
“Why?”
"Because it showed us that death is not the end. It only begins a new life.” My little fellow looked intently again at the crucifix. I was reminded of C.S. Lewis’ comment in his book The PROBLEM OF PAIN (I've mentioned it in a previous blog):

C.S. Lewis

“From our own childhood we remember that before our elders thought us capable of ‘understanding’ anything, we already had spiritual experiences as pure and momentous as any we have undergone since, ... . From Christianity itself we learn that there is a level ― in the long run the only level of importance ― on which the learned and the adult have no advantage over the simple and the child.”

Was my small grandson having such an experience? I don’t know but I dared not speak or stir in case he was. Only he and God knew. My little guy turned around to face me with a happy little smile (as though he had somehow been blessed) and climbed on my lap. We slowly left the bedroom and went down the hallway in my electric wheelchair to the kitchen for “wunch”. (He pronounces the letter “L” as “W”.)

What am I saying? There are sacred moments that surprise us all; they come without warning or prompting; they simply visit then vanish, leaving us with peaceful joy or bliss that is beyond our ability to express or describe. These experiences are more frequent in early childhood then become rarer as we age and cynicism or doubts jade us and separate us from what is divine. Do you know what I am talking about?

My experience with degenerative disability unexpectedly opened a door again to such experiences. It only began to happen after I stopped fighting disease and surrendered to Christ. It was a long journey from the initial bitterness of becoming chronically ill and disabled to a watershed point of finally being able to truly pray our Lord’s words, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done.” (Luke 22.42, cf, Matthew 26.39, and Mark 14.36).

After all the clever Christian apologetics are stated and doctrinal positions clearly delineated, we must still bow in humble repentance, surrender and submit our lives to God through the sacrifice of Christ at Calvary. It is something even children are capable of doing.

Mark

MARRIAGE

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Davis Pickup) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 20:23:00 +0000

My wife and I are entering our 39^th year of marriage. We married young when we were both twenty years old. We eloped. At the time, many people thought our marriage would not last a year (so much for conventional wisdom). Had it not been for our Christian conversion in the earlier years of marriage, we might well have divorced. We renewed our vows before God. That made all the difference.

I’m not saying that all Christian marriages survive. Sadly that is not the case. What I am saying is that by placing Christ at the center of our lives and marriages the marital union takes on new spiritual dimensions that are conducive to nurturing married love and children.

Marriage was instituted by God at the beginning of humanity (see Genesis 2.21-25) and Christ confirmed this . See Mark 10.6-9 and Matthew 19.4-9.

Jesus said,

“Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” They said to him, “Then why did Moses command that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss (her)?” He said to them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery.”

I do not think it is mere coincidence that right after this Christ blesses children (verses 13-15). Children brought up in the nurture of Christ thrive, absolutely thrive!

Marriage is not a human invention. It was instituted by God as a sacred union between a man and a woman. Marriage is analogous to Christ the bridegroom (cf. Matthew 9.15, 25.1-10, John 3.29, Revelation 21.2) and His bride the Church (2 Corinthians 11.2, Ephesians 5.21-33).

This mystery has deep and far-reaching spiritual significance and governs how Christians are to view marriage. It cannot and must not be altered. Matrimony is one of the seven sacraments of the Catholic faith.

Throughout the history of western civilization the family unit has been a central building block of the Christian faith and society. The new idea of same-sex marriage cannot be accepted, performed or condoned. Something so fundamental to all we care about must not be altered for the sake of a fashionable social experiment.

I know the secularist may howl “homophobic!” but that novel word is also new, inexact and ill-defined. It is meant to disparage the traditional understanding of marriage that spans centuries. This posting is meant to defend my understanding of the historic biblical view of marriage.

My last point refers to divorce which is rampant. When I was a young child, I only had one friend whose parents were divorced. Divorce was an oddity. Then came the “liberation” of the 1970s. Social Engineers of the time said that divorce freed people and that children dragged along by divorcing parents were highly adaptable and would get over it. Really?

Now divorce is common. Even my own extended family has been hurt by numerous divorces. Not one couple is better off because of divorce. They are all poorer (and I don’t mean financially). Without exception, divorce has scarred all the children involved. If that is the case within the sphere of my own extended family why should I assume that it’s different with other families? My grandchildren are surrounded by friends and with divorced parents.

What does God think about divorce? God hates divorce and says so in Malachi. He expects us to honour our marriage vows: "

"Because the LORD is witness, between you and the wife of your youth, With whom you have broken faith though she is your companion, your betrothed wife. Did he not make one being, with flesh and spirit: and what does that one require but godly offspring?You must then safeguard life that is your own, and not break faith with the wife of your youth. For I hate divorce, says the LORD, the God of Israel, And covering one’s garment with injustice, says the LORD of hosts;You must then safeguard life that is your own, and not break faith." (emphis added.)
-- Malachi 2.14-16.

MDP

BIOETHICS: HOW DID WE GET INTO THIS MESS?

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Davis Pickup) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 01:23:00 +0000

Read the latest insightful HumanLifeMatters blog by Dr. Dianne Irving under the title "Bioethics: How Did We Get Into This Mess?".

Go to http://humanlifematters.org

HE IS RISEN!

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Davis Pickup) — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 03:26:00 +0000

Easter. Jesus physically rose from the dead. Here is the first-hand account and witness of the Apostle John about the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

"On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb.So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don‘t know where they put him.”So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first;he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed.For they did not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead.Then the disciples returned home.^"

"But Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomband saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the body of Jesus had been.And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken my Lord, and I don‘t know where they laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus.Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.”Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,” which means Teacher.Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary of Magdala went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and what he told her.On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.”When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. (Jesus) said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit.Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”

"But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of (his) disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may (come to) believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name." (John 20.1-31)

Like millions of people, I have had a personal encounter with Christ and I have never been the same since. My faith and hope are in him. If I die before Christ returns, my spirit will be separated from my body and go to him. On the last day Christ will reunite my soul and body in a glorified form. (See 1 Corinthians 6.14., and Catechism of the Catholic Church, 997.)

MDP

CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Davis Pickup) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 22:12:00 +0000

And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of the Skull),they gave Jesus wine to drink mixed with gall.But when he had tasted it, he refused to drink.After they had crucified him, they divided his garmentsby casting lots; then they sat down and kept watch over him there.And they placed over his head the written charge against him: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.Two revolutionarieswere crucified with him, one on his right and the other on his left.Those passing by reviled him, shaking their headsand saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in hree days, save yourself, if you are the Son of God, (and) come down from the cross!” Likewise the chief priests with the scribes and elders mocked him and said,“He saved others; he cannot save himself. So he is the king of Israel! Let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him.He trusted in God; let him deliver him now if he wants him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” The revolutionaries who were crucified with him also kept abusing him in the same way. From noon onward, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.And about three o‘clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”Some of the bystanders who heard it said, “This one is calling for Elijah.”Immediately one of them ran to get a sponge; he soaked it in wine, and putting it on a reed, gave it to him to drink.But the rest said, “Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to save him.”But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, and gave up his spirit.And behold, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom.The earth quaked, rocks were split,tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised.And coming forth from their tombs after his resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many.The centurion and the men with him who were keeping watch over Jesus feared greatly when they saw the earthquake and all that was happening, and they said, “Truly, this was the Son of God!”There were many women there, looking on from a distance, ^†who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him.Among them were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. (Matthew 27.33-56, NAB)

Click on the image below. Video taken from "The Passion of The Christ", A Mel Gibson Film, (2004). Music - J.S. Bach, St. Matthew's Passion.

MDP

Maundy or Holy Thursday

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Davis Pickup) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 03:23:00 +0000

Today is Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday. It falls each year on the Thursday before Easter and commemorates the institution of the Eucharist by our Lord at the Last Supper. The word Maundy comes from the Latin word "mandatum" -- taken from Christ's words "Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13. 34-35.)

From the very early centuries of Christianity, Maundy Thursday was considered part of the three holy days in preparation for Easter. It is on Maundy Thursday that one of the most ancient rites of the Church is observed dating back to the sixth century: The consecration of holy oils, including blessing the oil of the sick to be used over the coming year.

Let us look to the Scriptures to commemorate this day.

"Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass from this world to the Father. He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end. The devil had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand him over. So, during supper,fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God,he rose from supper and took off his outer garments. He took a towel and tied it around his waist.Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel around his waist.He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Master, are you going to wash my feet?”Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing, you do not understand now, but you will understand later.”Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me.”Simon Peter said to him, “Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well.”Jesus said to him, “Whoever has bathedhas no need except to have his feet washed, for he is clean all over; so you are clean, but not all.”For he knew who would betray him; for this reason, he said, “Not all of you are clean.”So when he had washed their feet (and) put his garments back on and reclined at table again, he said to them, “Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am.If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet.I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do."

Let Christ's model be our model to serve one another in a humble spirit that reflects Christ-like love.

MDP

PRIDE OR HUMILITY?

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Davis Pickup) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 02:37:00 +0000

Pride is not a sin, it is the great sin. Twentieth Century Christian thinker, C.S. Lewis, reminded us that Pride is what made the devil the devil. (Mere Christianity, p.100.) In the same place Lewis said Pride leads to every other vice and that it is the complete anti-God state of mind. It places self at the the center of a person's world.

That is why Pride is not a sin but the great sin that threatens to separate us all from God. Do not misinterpret what I am saying: there are other sins that will separate us from God but Pride is, in my opinion, the most insidious and pervasive sin -- corrupting the human soul and intensifying other sins. Pride deadens human conscience, and creates a spirit of rebellion. Pride can and does blind people to the hope and meaning of Easter.

Christ's suffering, death and Resurrection calls humanity to him through repentence and faith. He calls us to surrender to Him. Out of that surrender comes salvation. Pride has no place for surrender. Pride tells the human heart that the person does not need God and there is no need to be saved. Pride is the opposite of humility.

The second Chapter of Philippians says

"If there is any encouragement in Christ, any solace in love, any participation in the Spirit, any compassion and mercy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing. Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves,each looking out not for his own interests, but (also) everyone for those of others. Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance,he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross."

Christ's example was the complete antithesis of Pride. We are called to imitate Christ and become more like Him and submit our lives to Him. This is the opposite to what we are continually told by the new North American cultural mindset.

We are told that a competitive spirit is good. The harmless competition of sports and games has been taken out of that context into the wider scope. Now it applies of all of life. It is not enough to be your best; being your best does not require competition. Being your best does not involve superiority. That will not do! We must be better than others.

It is not enough to simply have a modest home to keep your family warm, safe and protected from the elements. People are told to strive for a bigger palatial home in an up-scale neighborhood, a gated community that is "architecturally controlled". Parade about with the pretense of being pseudo-aristocrats apart from, and above, the unwashed masses.

The term "starter home" encourages discontentment. It tells you that you must not be happy with a small house in a ordinary neighbourhood (even though it may meet our needs).

You need something better. But better than what? Better than what other people have and certainly better than the neighborhood with other modest homes. Is it not Pride that is to be found at the root of the bigger-better mentality? Buy into it and simple contentment will vanish.

The five year old Chevrolet no longer serves the purpose of mere transportation, even though it is perfectly reliable. No, you need a new car in corporate grey to announce you have arrived and turn the heads of people. The goal is to eventualy have the Lexus "L" or the Mercedes insignia on the car's hood. Status. It is not enough to have the best, it must be better than what other people drive.

How do I know this? If Lexus or Mercedes Benz were the only cars available and everybody drove them, would they have the same attraction? No. You see, the goal is not to have the best, ... it must be better than what Tom, Dick or Harry drive. If you drive a better car than they do, then you must be better than they are. It's not about being successful, it's about being more successful than them and letting them know it. Pride.

Does bigger mean happier? Does better mean superior? Does superior mean superiority? Does achievement and acquisition make a person superior? Pride emphatically says Yes! Humility shrugs, offers contentment and does not even bother to answer the questions.

Pride espouses personal autonomy. Humility seeks community. Pride promotes independence while humility embraces interdependence. Pride claims personal rights, humility puts the rights of others first. Secular Pride bellows "I am king of my world and master of my own destiny!" Christian humility says "I'm a servant of the King of kings and heaven is my destiny."

If the life we know here on earth is all that there is and then oblivion, and there is no God. then human will and its ant hill of frenetic, ruthless ambition rules ... then disappears into the nothingness of the grave. Acquire stuff that makes you happy until a newer more exciting stuff comes along. Take what you can while you can. The new athiest says, 'He who dies with the most toys wins.' It is the maxim of his world, his raison d' être

However, if life here on earth is only a moment compared to eternity after death, an ante-room to either heaven or hell, then how we live is critically important to the ultimate outcome.

For those who choose to follow Christ completely, the mansions of this world will lose their lustre and importance. They will rot and crumble. Followers of Christ know everything here is temporary and fleeting. Our permanent home is elsewhere. Jesus told us we have a home in God's house of many rooms not make by human hands. (John 14.1-4.) That is a certainty. If that is not true then Christ would not have said it.

MDP

BLOG FINALLY TRIES TO SET RECORD STRAIGHT ABOUT TRACY LATIMER

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Davis Pickup) — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 05:26:00 +0000

See HumanLifeMatters' latest blog "Can we finally get it straight after 19 years? Tracy Latimer was the Victim not Robert". Go to http://humanlifematters.org

Mark

GLENN BECK - "WE ARE ALL CATHOLICS NOW"

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Davis Pickup) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 05:22:00 +0000

I want to bring your attention to a very insightful commentary by Glenn Beck about the Obama Administration's attack -- on the Catholic Church. He speaks bluntly about what the world is up against: Spiritual evil. Beck advises viewers to read Ephesians 6, and says we are all Catholics now and reminds us that we will either stand together or hang separately. He simply states what many of us have been suspecting for quite some time as we have watched western civilization abandoning the Judeo-Christian mooring that made it great. Put on the full armour of God and defend Christian morality. Stand firm against the tide of evil coming down upon us.

Remember that Glenn Beck is Mormon, yet he visited the Vatican recently as Pope Benedict elevated 22 conservative Cardinals. I will stop here and defer to Glenn Beck. Click on the following link. We are in a battle of good and evil. Click on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNB469_sA3o