National Day of Action Against RU486

Just passing along the word from Credibility Blog (fellow Melburnian) that January 29 is a day to voice opposition to RU486, a chemical abortificent:

The abortion pill Bill has been introduced in the Senate, so our special focus for the National Day of Action will be on writing and signing letters to Senators. Senator Steve Fielding has reiterated the importance of doing just this, writing to Senators: "Write to your state's Senators and tell them to vote against the RU 486 Bill to stop even more abortions and to show genuine concern for women." To obtain a National Day of Action Information Pack, or for further inquiries, contact the National Office of Australians Against RU486 by email, phone or mail (details below). Make sure you give us your mailing address and a contact name, and advise us how many letters your church/group may be able to sign. Email us: info@aaru486.org.au Phone the National Office: (02) 9357 1684 National Office Australians Against RU486 225 Glenmore Road Paddington NSW 3021 Ursula Stephens, Labor Senator for NSW and Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Science "The sole purpose of the drug RU486 is to cause the death of an unborn child. This makes it different to other drugs. It's importation and use is an ethical and moral issue that needs to be discussed and to remain a responsibility of the Minister for Health, who can then be held accountable."

Please read through the FAQ page prepared by AARU486. Then please contact the National Office of Australians Against RU486 to get involved if possible.

From the First Reading: David and Goliath

How's this for high adventure?

'But David answered the Philistine, ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel that you have dared to insult. Today the Lord will deliver you into my hand and I shall kill you; I will cut off your head, and this very day I will give your dead body and the bodies of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that it is not by sword or by spear that the Lord gives the victory, for the Lord is lord of the battle and he will deliver you into our power.’ No sooner had the Philistine started forward to confront David than David left the line of battle and ran to meet the Philistine. Putting his hand in his bag, he took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead; the stone penetrated his forehead and he fell on his face to the ground. Thus David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone and struck the Philistine down and killed him. David had no sword in his hand. Then David ran and, standing over the Philistine, seized his sword and drew it from the scabbard, and with this he killed him, cutting off his head.' 1 Samuel 17:32 - 51

I'm a fan of tales of adventure, heroic deeds, and yes, the supernatural. I loved the Lord of the Rings, I also loved the tales of Narnia -- in both cases, both in book and movie forms -- but such tales are not limited to works of fiction. The above is just one of many exciting tales that can be found in the Bible. After all, what work of man can ever beat the Word of God?

Other exciting narratives to read (and kids at a certain age will love them, too) are those of Samson, Judith and the Maccabean revolt. But don't stop there. There's also lots of heroism to be read about the Christian martyrs both in the New Testament, e.g., St. Stephen, and in Church history, e.g., St. Polycarp.

And in each and every victory, it is the right arm of the God of Israel who strikes the blow. The same God whose constant protection is upon us who call upon his mighty name.

Blog-Surfing and Going Against the Grain

Very good reading from Christopher Blosser's blog, Against the Grain. See, for example, the topmost (for today) entries on the Incarnation, his latest Pope Benedict XVI roundup, and what he's read so far from the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars Quarterly. The last entry includes some very interesting thoughts from theologian Hans Urs Von Balthazar.

New Blog

.. with a familiar name: One Bread (1 Corinthians 10:17). Please also check out the website of the apostolate behind that blog.

Mary, Mother of God

January 1 celebrates the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. Now this title makes many Christians uncomfortable, including some Catholics. This was also true in 5th century, as Dr. Marcelino D'Ambrosio relates in this piece at Catholic Exchange. But as the article explains, objection to this title reveals a deep inconsistency: to say that Mary is mother of the human nature only is to say that Christ did not have full humanity as well as divinity. Such a thought gives the false notion that Christ had two incompatible natures, when the whole premise of the Incarnation is the compatibility of God and man, revealed in God become man in Christ's Incarnation, as well as in man become divine in our redemption. When we call Mary the Mother of God, it is true that we are rather proud of Mary's role, but not because of some mistaken notion of superiority, but because of what we know about her blessedness, and in her blessedness, ours. She stands as the archetypical Christian faithful, blessed to hear of the gospel's invitation, blssed to accept in humility by the grace of faith, and blessed to bear within us the fulfillment of God's promises to those who hear and believe. In the second reading, St. Paul assures us that we are adopted sons and heirs. This is not presumption. It is Christ who assures us of this. Neither is the title, "Mother of God" a presumption, because this is also assured by Christ, who chose to be born of this particular woman, whom the Scriptures refer to as his mother, whom Christ assures us is blessed for hearing and observing the word of God, whom the Holy Spirit, speaking through St. Elizabeth, asserts is mother of the Lord, and is blessed for believing in the promises of God. January 1 is the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. Let us celebrate, for in his great love and mercy, God was willing to come down and share our humanity, to be one of us, born of woman, to live, suffer and die as man, so that man could be one with him. Alleluia!