Abortion: Break Silence for Silent Screams

There is an extraordinary procession of women coming to pay their personal tributes to Savita Halappanavar in Ireland as the abortion referendum has won a loud “Yes” to legalize abortion. Importantly, in every respect abortion cannot be accepted and Irish Constitution under Eighth Amendment guarantees to protect as far as practicable to equal right to life of the unborn and the mother. Then, why did women choose this path of overturning abortion ban? Why have women won today in Ireland? Has the dignity of both women and their unborn children were removed from the Irish Constitution? Can we as persons of integrity remain indifferent at this “Quiet Revolution” as the prime minister of Ireland hailed?

To break the armour, we need to go back to the story of Ms Savita Halappanvar. The story of Ms Halappanavar was in the mainstream media in 2012 when she died on October 28, 2012, at Galway University Hospital, one week after she presented with back pain and was found to be miscarrying her 17th-week pregnancy. Although the pregnancy was not viable, her requests for termination were refused because there was a foetal heartbeat. She contracted sepsis and died of multi-organ failure and septic shock. The enquiry concluded that Ms Halappanavar died because the consultant treating her had been concerned about the legal issues throughout her considerations as to whether terminate the pregnancy. The enquiry also concluded that making abortion illegal serves only to promote illegal abortions. It said, “those women with influence and financial resources will get it performed in a safe environment. Those who are poor with less influence will resort to unsafe methods.”

My views not merely Catholic, in which case I am biased, but I truly believe that no one has a right to meddle with embryo once conceived including the mother. That is my point of departure. The Catechism of Catholic Church compliments my viewpoint. “Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person - among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.” (CCC 2270) The innocent and vulnerable embryo has its rights as a human person. Its rights must be respected more strongly because it cannot defend its rights. The state must not interfere and dictate the laws of God. It is detrimental to human dignity if the state decides whether a mother must keep the child or terminate, hence bring an end to a human existence. “The inalienable right to life of every innocent human individual is a constitutive element of a civil society and its legislation: The inalienable rights of the person must be recognized and respected by civil society and the political authority. These human rights depend neither on single individuals nor on parents; nor do they represent a concession made by society and the state; they belong to human nature and are inherent in the person by virtue of the creative act from which the person took his origin. Among such fundamental rights, one should mention in this regard every human being's right to life and physical integrity from the moment of conception until death.” (CCC 2273)

This so-called “Quiet Revolution” has opened a whole new chapter in the human history. Where do we go from here? Is there a way forward? There is a dichotomy at play as regards to abortion and this dichotomy will lead to disasters or life. The state, the church, leaders of various faiths, medical practitioners and human rights must come to the table to address these few significant questions and not remain indifferent. It does not affect us directly, it will affect us as human persons. Every individual must be abortion-minded so that there is mature and reasonable dialogue. It is in dialogue we can arrive a consensus and no decision. The decision lies on the premise that ‘God creates life through parents and every created life has its rights as human person.’ Ireland has taken a path of decision and we are not sure whether the premise still has its say. We prayed for Ireland to not to life abortion ban but the referendum has lifted the abortion ban hence abortion will be legal in Ireland. I urge that Irish leadership now has the duty and commitment to safeguard the sanctity of the womb by enshrining bylaws for abortion with reasonable consideration to human life. Will other nations join this quiet revolution? We must wait and watch what our women have to say about it. Although it concerns everyone, but it has direct physical, psychological and spiritual impact and consequence on women.  

Love is Loving

The Psychologist and Psychotherapist Scott Peck in his famous book "The Road Less Travelled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth" argues a significant idea of love is loving. He argues that so often we view love as a noun instead of a verb, as something that just happens to us or doesn't happen to us, instead of an on-going task we must work at and that work or that action of work is love. In his opinion when people feel as though they have 'fallen out of love', it is then that the opportunity for true love to grow is at its greatest. It is truly an interesting read about love and growth. 

It was in my teenage years I imagined love as a freedom to attain fullness of life's meaning. I was disappointed when that love did not work out the way I fantasised. This disappointment was tremendous at that tender age. I was feeling mad at my own life. But this disappointment was a normal phenomenon for I did not grow in loving. I just took the word 'love' in an abstract way. It was when I saw other couples who have been in love for many years that I realized love is loving or love is growing in love. 

Rev Fulton Sheen has a wonderful discourse on love in which he explains how the limitation of English language for the word 'love', unlike Greek who had three words for love, namely, Eros, Philia and Agape. In English, the same word is used to express love for anything that one loves. For instance, love chicken, love nature, love spouse, love children. The Greek language has a wider choice to express love to different things in a different way. As the word suggests, Eros is passionate or intense desire for something, especially sexual desire which will eventually become appreciative of other people. Philia is fondness and appreciation for the other where one expresses fondness as a friend or loyalty towards family, job and so on. Agape is paternal love towards God and God towards man but also extended as brotherly love towards all humanity. Agape draws elements of Eros and Philia to become perfect love in which there is no need for reciprocity. It becomes clear through these three kinds of expression of love that love is constantly growing to be perfect, that is, "Agape."

As my title suggests 'love is loving', one must recognise that love is not passive or once-done-deal rather it has to grow towards a perfect love. There is no pinnacle of love because human experience has taught us that love is constantly on a roller coaster. This has to be true as humans we tend to look for perfect love in which case love is stagnant and passive. 

In conclusion, I suggest that we reflect on our own love for each other; parents, children, spouses, teachers, students, siblings, friends and acquaintances. How has our love grown for the other? Love is not a noun but a verb, it is an action-oriented word. This action of growing is necessary to achieve a perfect love. I urge us to ponder on how we are working towards loving another person? 

Why did Jesus ascend?

I was meditating on the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven and is now seated at the right hand of the Father. In St Louis, Missouri, there is gigantic Basilica with proud mosaics on the ceiling. In the middle of the Basilica portrays the bold mosaic of the Trinity in which one can observe the Son of God is right on the bosom of the Father and of course the Holy Trinity at the bottom. The Greek translation employs kolpos meaning bosom; Jesus is in the bosom of the Father. Jesus is in the bosom of the Father, meaning, Father and Son are One. 

Why did Jesus ascend to the Father? Whilst appearing to the disciples Jesus assured them an Advocate, the Holy Spirit. Jesus tells them that unless he goes there will not be Advocate, hence, he has to ascend so that the Advocate can descend and remain in the humankind to sustain and carry on the works of Jesus. I have never found it hard to believe that the Holy Spirit is living in each one of us. Every human being is contained with Holy Spirit. One may wonder whether am I dwelling on abstract ideas on Holy Spirit and am I trying to promote high school Catechism class? 

I believe, each one of is spirit and body. These two important components make a human being. If one is simply a body, then one is simply a structure or mass of flesh and blood. But if a person is both spirit and body, then the person becomes a being in which case a person is fully alive. I do not need to extenuate the body because it is visible and body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. So this temple is visible and easy to believe. I want to dwell on the spirit. The human spirit is inner self or psychologists would name it as conscience. It is the sacred sanctuary where every human being makes a proper decision. Our spirit drives us to make good and proper decisions which are according to the law of God which is love, peace and happiness for everyone. Since this spirit is capable of making a right and good decisions and God is good and right, it must be coming from God or it is divine. Therefore, I truly believe that where God is present and dwells. Our spirit is divine. This divine spirit makes us human because God intended that his creation be holy and perfect like Himself. It is true when one ignores the spirit (conscience), one is not able to make right choices as God intends, therefore, choices make without spirit are truly lead one to gloom and doom. 

Back to my original argument that Jesus ascends so that we are responsible and capable of making proper choices in life with the use of the spirit of God in us. Jesus calls this spirit as an advocate. Our inner being, our conscience, our spirit is his advocate. If our spirit is His advocate, then, we are all Jesus' messengers in this world. While Jesus assuring of His advocate, he means, that we truly believe in our spirit, because, human experience has taught us that spirit can never cheat us and make us choose wrong things in life. 

In conclusion, it important for us to make decisions but certainly informed by our spirit by which I mean, an advocate of Jesus or our conscience. If this happens then our world will be a better place for us and others. We can live in peace and respect for each other. 

Let me be your Mother

I tend to get nervous on Mother's Day. It has become an important day for many. Everyone tries to remember their own mothers for the sacrifices the mothers made to make their children world beautiful. Mothers give up their own world and make their children their world. I am intrigued to pen my thoughts today under the title "let me be your mother." In this title, a mother begs her child to be her mother again. Obviously, you can perceive the discrepancy in the title. On a such an honourable day everyone wants to talk good about their mothers, hence, its always children showing care and love towards their mothers. But as you can see, I would like to do it vice-versa, namely, a mother begging the child to be a mother again. 

According to the above title, there are two things to focus, namely, a bad mother begging the child to give her yet another chance to be a mother and begging the child to turn away from bad behaviour so that I can be your mother again. In both of these, it is mothers' perspective.

Firstly, we know there are bad mothers who have been a bad example for their children by behaving in a manner that would have hurt the child so deeply the child would abandon the mother. This is not an alien to humanity. People have lived this experience throughout the history. I have known a certain person whose mother is a drunkard and a menace to the family. She has been to different rehabilitation programs but nothing has helped hence there is hurt and sadness among the children. The children grew hearing abuses thrown at them. But fortunately, children have not turned out to be like their mother. The children regret to be the children of that drunken mother. This is only one example, but, you know there are so many bad mothers who cause discord among her own children. Mother has a certain responsibility towards her own children which also requires giving up her own whims so that the children are given more importance. If not, there will be discord, hatred and abandonment between children and mother. 

Secondly, there are mothers who have to see their children go astray or take a path that is not expected of her children. There are children who have not obeyed their mothers and hence, gone their own path; a path of disaster and death. I know a certain person who has turned out to be a drug addict and cause enormous pain and sadness to the ageing mother. He even becomes abusive physically towards his mother and beat his old mother. Mother has to bear this and swallow the pain. I wonder if this mother ever regrets to have given birth to this drug addict. This is a very sad situation in the life of a loving mother. If the son had obeyed her mother from early times, the son would not have turned out to be a drug addict and abusive. In this situation, precisely, a mother is praying for the conversion of her son so that she can be at peace that her son is truly a child about whom she dreamed big. Here, the mother is begging the child let me be your mother again.

In conclusion, as I congratulate all the wonderful and dedicated mothers, I challenge the mothers to be mothers again so that when the next mother's day, you can celebrate with undivided hearts. The challenge is for the bad mothers to be good and for bad children to be good. This way, everyone can have a great mother's day.