The Holy Eucharist and Pro-life

To be truly free, one has to be able to choose. Only a person who is free can be relied upon to know how to choose. The choices you make now as youth will largely determine your future happiness and the well-being of the family and society.

The Brainwashing
When we look around in the world we live in, it is not difficult to recognize how the media has brainwashed the minds of hundreds, thousands, yes, even millions of youth. The films we view often portray as today�s models people who choose promiscuity rather than chastity; people who choose the pill rather than self-control; people who choose violence rather than peaceful means; people who choose abortion rather than life. Souls have been sold and children killed before birth in so-called health clinics. With support from governments, many unborn human beings are even now being used in embryonic cell stages for experiments much like those in the Nazi death camps. We must ask the questions: Why do people not revolt against such tyranny? Why do people permit themselves to be used as pawns and robots rather than human beings? This must change. Let it start with YOU! Make a difference!

Many have fallen into the trap of relativism, thinking they can choose to do this or that as long as their conscience goes along with it. To know how to choose is the critical factor. As believing Catholics our conscience must be formed and informed according to the truth, according to the Scriptures and the teaching of the Church. There are absolute truths and we have definite guidelines to make wise decisions: Choose Life; Do Justice; Help those in need. In life and death we belong to the Lord. We are called to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and serve Life. We have freedom to choose as Catholics, but this freedom is a gift that must be used wisely for our good and for the common good. This freedom should be used to build a Culture of Life and a Civilization of Love, as advocated by people such as Mother Teresa, Pope John Paul II, and Pope Benedict XVI.

The Gift of Freedom to choose
The gift of freedom involves many decisions: the ability to weigh different values, the patience to be self-critical, and the integrity to reform oneself. Unfortunately, many people have given in to peer pressure or accepted media misinformation as the truth. Others have neither the will, nor the soul-power, nor the spiritual perseverance that are required for the making of decisions.
There is no escape from making decisions. Each of us must acquire the required skills. The ability and willingness to choose is a spiritual ability. Choosing rationally according to life-giving values such as love, truth, justice, and peace is a sign of deep spirituality. The way we use our gifts, our talents, and our time, is crucial. It is a decision of use or misuse. It is a question of self-discipline and responsibility. Human rights without human responsibilities can lead to human wrongs.

The Informed Choice.
Choose to take the time now to be informed by the truth. Choose to take the time now to be formed and fed by Jesus Himself at Mass. Choose to take the time now to be with your best friend, before the Blessed Sacrament, on your knees. Don�t hesitate. Don�t be afraid of what others think or say. Choose to take time for quality formation. Listen to Pope Benedict XVI and come and worship your Lord, your God, who waits for you. Mother Teresa put it this way: �The time you spend before the Blessed Sacrament will be the best time of your life�. CHOOSE TO ACT NOW! +

In many high schools, students assist with opening announcements and prayers. We encourage you to say the following prayer in your school.

O creator past all telling,
you have appointed from the treasures of your wisdom
the hierarchies of angels,
disposing them in wondrous order
above the bright heavens,
and have so beautifully set out all parts of the universe.

You we call the true fount of wisdom
and the noble origin of all things.
Be pleased to shed
on the darkness of mind in which I was born,
The twofold beam of your light
and warmth to dispel my ignorance and sin.

You make eloquent the tongues of children.
Then instruct my speech
and touch my lips with graciousness.
Make me keen to understand, quick to learn,
able to remember;
make me delicate to interpret and ready to speak.

Guide my going in and going forward,
lead home my going forth.
You are true God and true man,
and live for ever and ever.

St. Thomas Aquinas, 1225-74

FOR
CLASS
DISCUSSION

Situation :

Mary, a fifteen year-old friend, has told you that she is pregnant. Her parents will be extremely disappointed when they find out.

For Class Discussion:

Take Time to THINK�
It is the source of power.

Take Time to PLAY...
It is the secret of perpetual youth.

Take Time to READ�
It is the fountain of wisdom.

Take Time to PRAY�
It is the greatest power on earth.

Take Time to LOVE and
BE LOVED...
It is a God-given privilege.

Take Time to BE FRIENDLY�
It is the road to happiness.

Take Time to LAUGH�
It is the music of the soul.

Take Time to GIVE�
It is too short a day to be selfish.

Take Time to WORK�
It is the price of success.

Take Time to DO CHARITY�
It is the key to heaven.

1st Prize: $500.00
2nd Prize: $300.00
3rd Prize: $150.00
All entries: Precious Feet Pin

If you are a student and under the age of nineteen before May 31, 2006, here is your chance to have your composition published in various Priests for Life Canada publications, and earn some spending money at the same time.

Write an essay (in English or French) on one of the following and how he/she relates to the pro-life cause. Your essay can be up to 1,000 words in length. Priests for Life Canada will be the final judge of the winners and reserves the right to publish or not publish entries.

Pope John Paul II
Blessed Mother Teresa
St. Faustina Kowalska
Our Lady of Guadalupe
St. Juan Diego
St. Maximilian Kolbe
Joseph Borowski
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
John Cardinal O�Connor
St. Gianna Beretta Molla
St. Joseph
St. Michael

Entries must be submitted by May 31, 2006.
Submit your essay along with your Name, Address, and Age to:
Priests for Life Canada, Essay on Life Contest, P.O. Box 43, Cumberland, ON K4C 1E5

IS THE WORLD REALLY OVERCROWDED?

The world�s population could fit into the state of Texas. Amazing as it may seem, the entire population of the world can be housed in the U.S. state of Texas � and very comfortably indeed.

Consider these facts: The land area of Texas is 262,000 square miles and current UN estimates of the world's population (for 12 October 1999) are about 6 billion. By converting square miles to square feet (remember to multiply by 5,280 feet per mile twice) and dividing by the world�s population, one readily finds that there are more than 1,217 square feet per capita.

A family of 5 would thus occupy more than 6,085 square feet of living space. Even in Texas, that's a mansion.

Fact: ONTARIO IS ABOUT TWICE THE SIZE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS.
CANADA IS ABOUT 10 TIMES THE SIZE OF ONTARIO.

For more information on dispelling the myth of world overpopulation see: Population Research Institute: www.pop.org

OF THE 3rd MILLENNIUM
- World Youth Day 2005 Reflections -
by Becky Austen

The media had said that it was his charisma with the youth, or maybe his age - his frailty invoking a sort of sympathetic response from the young people of the world - or perhaps even his battle with Parkinson�s. Some wondered whether any youth would make the trek to the 20th World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany, if the beloved John Paul the Great was not in attendance. In their misunderstanding, many asked if the youth would remain in the Catholic Church after the death of their �charismatic leader�. After all, the youth loved the man, but they did not believe his message, right?

In the end, one million pilgrims from 164 countries travelled to Cologne to greet the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, on his first inter-national trip since he ascended to the papacy in April, 2005. They arrived with great enthusiasm, waving the flags of their respective countries proudly, and on the day of the Pope�s arrival shouted �Benedetto!� relentlessly as they waited in the crowded streets. Many wore shirts proclaiming their

love for the new Pope and their support for this man who had so long protected the Church from heresy as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith. �I love my German Shepherd� was a popular slogan, along with �Papa Ratzi�. Some pasted pictures of Benedict XVI to their flags or wore hats with �Habemus Papam� written across the front.
As I witnessed this outpouring of support from the world�s Catholic youth, it struck me that the media, not surprisingly, had gotten it all wrong. The youth were not attracted to John Paul II�s charisma, his quiet face, or his love for the outdoors. They have all along been attracted to the idea of Christianity and the papacy itself. Their response proved the youth are not drawn to a rock-star persona, but to the message of Christ in the Catholic Church. When Benedict XVI told those gathered that attending Sunday Mass was absolutely crucial, the crowds cheered. When he told them that �cafeteria Catholicism� was unhealthy and dangerous, they cheered even louder. The youth want the undiluted Truth of Christ. Period. Benedict XVI represents this truth, so the youth respond.

The second tangible response to Benedict XVI was one of a victorious shout for the Church triumphant. While John Paul II displayed the humility and love of the Church, Benedict XVI put forth the strength and truth of it. For once, the youth witnessed a Pope who could get up and walk around, participate in Benediction, stand for the Mass and speak in a clear and unfaltering voice. His physical strength was perhaps a manifestation of the nature of Catholicism at the dawn of his papacy.

The Church that gathered around Benedict XVI for this World Youth Day was one that survived the sexual revolution and Vatican II. It was the Church that had been restored through the papacy of John Paul II, and was now a Church victorious, a Church that was strong and ready to greet the secular, anti-life, and anti-Christian trajectory of the 3rd millennium. The Church that John Paul II was given in 1978 was a Church that needed a charismatic leader to draw them back to the beauty of the teachings. The young Church that stood before Benedict XVI loved the teachings first, and therefore, loved the man, who is the ultimate servant of them.

Benedict XVI brought with him some changes to World Youth Day that were welcomed by the youth with open arms. In contrast to WYD 2002, the vigil with the Pope included a time of adoration and benediction, with exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in a tent for the duration of the night. Benedict XVI did not play the crowd or wait for the cheering of his name to cease before beginning prayer. We were given the impression that the Mass was of such importance that silence and reverence from even the most excited of youth was required. His homily focused on the importance of the Eucharist in the life of Catholics. He wore traditional papal garb, in contrast to the plainer style of John Paul II. All of this was welcomed and applauded.

This World Youth Day should send a strong message to the generation of Catholics that attempt to attract youth with a message of watered-down Christianity and dissent from Church teachings, Young people want the truth of the Gospel. They want the sacraments. They are not attracted to a rock star, but to Christ Himself as He grants us salvation through His Holy, Apostolic Church.
The Church is young, and its strength grows each day. Habemus Papam! Viva il Papa! Long live the Pope. +

(Editor�s note: This article originally appeared in �The Irish Rover�, an independent Catholic student publication at the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana. Becky Austen is the daughter of Robert and Barbara Austen of R.R. 7, Pembroke, ON, and was thrilled to participate in World Youth Day 2005.)

This essay was entered in the Priests for Life Canada �Essay on Life� contest, June 2004.

You�re not alone in the struggle to make decisions. The following essay, submitted in 2004 by Caitlin Coven of Maxville, Ontario (13 years old at the time) speaks of the role of guardian angels.

An endless golden path wove through the land of Paradise. Clare, a young saint, skipped along the glittering road. Never alone, her Guardian Angel hovered beside her. Clare�s soul had entered heaven a short time ago. Since then, joy was as natural as breathing, and the very gold beneath her feet vibrated with love. Pain had been banished forever and sorrow, forgotten.

Clare�s peaceful meditation was broken by the soft sound of stifled cries. Clare rushed toward a hunched figure. An Angel she recognized as Vitaeus sat, head in arms, his shoulders shaking. Clare crouched by his side and stroked the Angel�s drooping wings.

Vitaeus turned and with quivering lips replied, �My baby, my little care, was killed in his mother�s womb this morning!�

Clare watched as a large tear gathered in the Angel�s eye. The tear slipped from his face but instead of falling to the ground, the silver globe floated through the air and disappeared into the distance. After trying to comfort Vitaeus with a few consoling words, Clare followed the silver trail of tears. As she followed she saw her Father coming towards her. Running forward, Clare threw herself into his arms.

�Father!� she cried. God laughed and embraced her. God was always very joyful and happy, but as she told Him about Vitaeus His face grew sad.

�Come my child,� God replied and He led her to a ruby ciborium. Peering over the rim of the bowl, Clare saw that it was over half-filled with tears. A drop of water fell into the bowl and the surface became a mass of gentle ripples.

�Yes,� replied The Father, �My children sadden my Angels and Me by the murder of my creation. When will they stop offending Me? The tears they cause My Angels brings destruction upon them. For when this ciborium overflows it shall pour over the earth and destroy men who hate me and will not return my love, but kill their own kind, mercilessly�. Clare watched as another tear fell into the ciborium.

Her Father smiled at her, �There is a mantle with which to dry all tears, but few know of it and fewer use it�.

�Maybe if I tell the Angels about the mantle they will use it to dry their tears instead of unknowingly filling the ciborium�.

�It is a cloth that encircles the most chaste rose and a robe for the purest lily. It is not found on Earth, but in Heaven a Mother beckons for all her children to gather beneath its folds.�

Clare ran down the golden road searching for the Queen, Mary. Coming to a rosary, she heard a gentle voice singing. Looking around the shrubbery, Clare saw Mary. She sat on a low bench cooing to a baby she held lovingly in her arms.

�What do you have to tell me today?� Clare told her about Vitaeus and her talk with the Father.

�Yes, how I long to comfort all my Angels and to prevent the destruction of my children. With my mantle I can at least hold off their ruin. Let us go to Vitaeus�. Mary stood and covered the child with her mantle. Clare then brought Mary to the sorrowing Angel.

Vitaeus sat, gazing forward, now and then a tear trickling down his face. Seeing Mary, he bowed low. Mary took the hem of her mantle and wiped away his tears. Then she pulled back her cloak and gently handed the child to Vitaeus. Vitaeus smiled and clasped the child in his arms. The babe laughed and clapped his hands.

�Yes, I wish I could have taken care of him on Earth, but I can still be with him here�.

Mary caressed the face of the child and said, �Pray for his mother and for the end of abortion and euthanasia. Go now and be happy�.

Mary turned to Clare, �Let others dry their tears upon my mantle by bringing them to me. I pray that someday all my children may be gathered beneath my Mantle of Mercy!� +

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