saving baby dreams, where's the outcry to save babies?

This story (Herald Sun) about a hospital bungle -- neglecting to apply for an extension to keep sperm samples frozen for assisted reproduction -- sparked a thought. Losing the sperm samples "shatters families' baby dreams", indeed. Even in the comments, people seem to stumble upon the wrongness of this, the wanton destruction of something with innate value. And yet, what about embryos, frozen or in utero? Will people also feel badly about embryos slated for destruction? And if they do, will they only feel for the parents, without thought for the embryo itself, and its innate value apart from what anyone else wants?

Two IVF doctors and the same thread of moral dilemma

A tale of two IVF doctors from EWTN News. And while nothing is simple, I do believe that a thorough consideration of every aspect and implication can yield clarity. The linked article can provide some of that.

Why didn't God give Himself a cool name?

I'm paraphrasing, but that was the gist of Patrick's question earlier (he's 9). Very thought-provoking, and the answer actually reveals that God is way ahead of that question when He simply said "I am who am" to Moses. What name can be given to the uncreated God? Sure, you can name creatures or progeny, but who can name the divine Creator? Even more amazing are the names He took when He became incarnate: "God saves" (from his Hebrew name, which we translate into Jesus) and "God with us" (Emmanuel). Why so amazing? Because those are names of love, relative to us! How is that not cool?

Rome then and now

I was watching this video of the beatification of Blessed John Paul II and I was struck by a thought while Pope Benedict XVI was kneeling in front of the coffin of the Blessed JPII in prayer. In pagan Rome, it was made lawful (and mandatory) that the emperor be declared a god to be worshipped. In Catholic Rome, JPII was declared to now be among those blessed to forever worship God and serve him day and night in His temple. Prayer to the Roman emperors is without effect, for they are not gods. Prayer to the saints in Heaven, those made righteous in Christ, have great effect, because they add their prayers to our intentions, praying to the one true God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

There are many cultures that include some ancestor worship. As in many things that spring out of humanity, they might have caught some of the truth but in a corrupt form. In Christ, we get the truth: death is not the end, indeed, but there is only one God to worship, for a community of saints who are alive in Christ for all eternity, always united by love through the Holy Spirit.

What the Church has given the world

is not an unimpressive list of such milestones of civilization that one has to marvel at some of the shrill criticisms she gets. But that's to be expected, I suppose: we tend to see and cite the negatives much more than the positives, especially in a cynical age such as this. But any sincere critic should see things collectively before weighing in. A spade is a spade, of course, and that goes both ways.