DECEMBER 2021 NEWSLETTER

Featured Article:

Timeout: by Henry Niemeyer

As we wage this war on the culture of death, I'd like to call a timeout, briefly, to remind us of some of the core reasons we're fighting, as well as the rules of engagement.

St. Paul says, in his epistle to the Ephesians, "our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places." Now, as important as it is to remember that we're fighting against spirits, I'd like to call attention to what St. Paul says we're not fighting: our fellow man.

The implications of this are often overlooked, and yet paramount in the war we wage. At the point where what we are attacking is a person or group of people, rather than an ideology and a tangible evil, we've already lost. In many ways this is already happening, and it needs to stop.

To begin the end of the prevalence of this behavior, there are some key things that need to change, of which I'll mention only a couple here.

First,  calling out and decrying people instead of the actual evil is a common behavior in this vein. An example that is seen quite often is calling the democratic party the "party of death" or other such railing or defamation against the party and its members. Completely setting aside the question of whether or not it's true (an entirely irrelevant red herring in the issue), really what this does is obscures, hinders, and overall has detrimental effects to our mission and best interests. It makes the enemy out to be the democratic party, when really, if we want to truly achieve our goals, we need to work with these people and help them see the truth (in a charitable fashion). Condemning them as evil does nothing towards this, and ultimately makes them unwilling to work with us, and not entirely without reason.

Second, so-called "evangelization" or "apologetics" for the cause, as important as it may be, needs to be tempered by a level of understanding. No one wants to hear someone go off and destroy their arguments if you don't care to understand where they're coming from. As President Theodore Roosevelt said, "Nobody cares how much how know, until they know how much you care." It's important to understand that no one wills evil as such. What they push for is an apparent good. Now, they may be confused as to what is the highest good, but it you listen and try to understand why they believe what they do, not only will it be easier for you to work with them in bringing them to a better understanding of the issue, but it will make them far more willing to be open-minded because they know that you do, in fact, care, and you can, on some level, appreciate their beliefs. No one should take pride in "shredding liberals" or "destroying abortion supporters in arguments" as such. Most often, that does nothing more than harden people against you.

Now, I want to be clear, I'm not saying the people reading this behave in this way. Many of you are already operating in this manner, which is excellent. Keep up the good work. That said, I'm sure we could all stand to improve in this area. We may be confronting a horrific evil on a scale larger than just about any other throughout history, but that by no means pits us against our fellow man. After all, we both want the same thing, ultimately. We just disagree on how to reach it.

In conclusion, the one thing I want us all to remember is, if I may make so bold as to add to the words of Chesterton, "The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him. The true Christian fights because he loves those who are in front of him."

Prayers:

A Christmas Prayer
O sweet Child of Bethlehem, grant that we may share with all our hearts in this profound mystery of Christmas. Put into the hearts of men and women this peace for which they sometimes seek so desperately and which you alone can give to them. Help them to know one another better, and to live as brothers and sisters, children of the same Father. Reveal to them also your beauty, holiness and purity. Awaken in their hearts love and gratitude for your infinite goodness. Join them all together in your love. And give us your heavenly peace. Amen.

Prayer written by Pope John XXIII

Pro-Life Quotes:

"Justice will never be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are." - Benjamin Franklin

"Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use violence to get what it wants." - Mother Teresa

News:

What Happens Next In Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health?
On December 1st, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health, which challenges Roe v. Wade and currently abortion laws in America. The justices had a private preliminary vote on December 3rd, but the court's ruling will likely not be announced until June 2022. The ruling in this case has the potential to give power back to the states individually to make decisions on abortion laws.

Creative Corner:

The House of Christmas
There fared a mother driven forth
Out of an inn to roam;
In the place where she was homeless
All men are at home.
The crazy stable close at hand,
With shaking timber and shifting sand,
Grew a stronger thing to abide and stand
Than the square stones of Rome.

For men are homesick in their homes,
And strangers under the sun,
And they lay on their heads in a foreign land
Whenever the day is done.
Here we have battle and blazing eyes,
And chance and honour and high surprise,
But our homes are under miraculous skies
Where the yule tale was begun.A Child in a foul stable,
Where the beasts feed and foam;
Only where He was homeless
Are you and I at home;
We have hands that fashion and heads that know,
But our hearts we lost – how long ago!
In a place no chart nor ship can show
Under the sky’s dome.
This world is wild as an old wives’ tale,
And strange the plain things are,
The earth is enough and the air is enough
For our wonder and our war;
But our rest is as far as the fire-drake swings
And our peace is put in impossible things
Where clashed and thundered unthinkable wings
Round an incredible star.
To an open house in the evening
Home shall men come,
To an older place than Eden
And a taller town than Rome.
To the end of the way of the wandering star,
To the things that cannot be and that are,
To the place where God was homeless
And all men are at home.

Poem by G. K. Chesterton, submitted by Emily Chaffins

We are looking for artistic content to fill our Creative Corner! If you have something that you would like to contribute, please email us at hscstudentsforlife@gmail.com.

Upcoming Events:

Saturday, December 4th at 2:00pm EST - Monthly pro-life rosary

Saturday, December 11th at 4:30pm EST - Homeschool Connections Students for Life Christmas Party!

https://hscstudentsforlife.wixsite.com/christmasparty

Join us for our Christmas Party! Featuring a virtual escape room, wonderful speakers including Mr. Bill Donaghy from the Theology of the Body Institute, Victoria Cerise, and Mr. Phillip Campbell, a virtual tour of the Pregnancy Help Clinic, and an intermission, this event will be a way for us as a community to come together to celebrate life. We will also be able to  do our part in making an impact in the lives of mothers facing crisis pregnancies and their unborn children. While it does not cost anything to attend this event, we ask that you give generously in any amount you are able. All money will go directly to the Pregnancy Help Clinic, which is in the process of opening a new location in Flint, Michigan, and donations will not be used for any other causes. RSVP is required.

Please view these promo videos and share with friends and family who may be interested in attending:

Submit Content:

This newsletter relies heavily on the contributions of group members. There are a number of items we are looking for:

1. Creative content We have implemented a segment of the newsletter dedicated to the topically relevant artistic contributions of group members, regardless of medium. If you have anything to share, please send it in. We'll accept most mediums, including (pictures of) paintings, graphic design pieces, songs, videos, poems, etc.
2. Articles We are accepting topically relevant articles from group members. Please note, however, that the newsletter editors reserve the right to modify articles in order to make them suitable for publication. Such modifications may include grammatical corrections and removal of potentially offensive content.
3. Quotes & Literary Passages We are also looking for any topically relevant quotes or literary passages to fill a segment of the newsletter. Anything from a simple sentence spoken by a saint to a paragraph from a book can be accepted.

If you want to submit anything from the above categories, or you simply want to provide feedback or suggestions, please email us at hscstudentsforlife@gmail.com and we will get in touch with you shortly.