The frantic efforts by the media and the federal government to restrict the rights of gun owners were on full display last week. Despite the massive effort to push for an “assault weapons” ban, none of the advocates for the ban ever got around to defining what an assault weapon is.
It wasn’t very difficult for me to find a definition. I turned to my trusted Merriam-Webster dictionary and looked up two words: “assault” and “weapon.” The word “assault” is defined as “a violent physical or verbal attack.” The word “weapon” is defined as “something (as a club, knife, or gun) used to injure, defeat, or destroy.”
So, if we were to ban true assault weapons, we would have to ban, at a minimum, all clubs, knives, and guns.
It was obvious to the majority of people who were paying attention that the show put on in Washington was intended to stir up emotions over all guns. The politicians loudly proclaimed that they were taking action to protect our children from harm. They used last month’s killing of twenty children at the school in Newtown, Connecticut, as justification for taking immediate and aggressive action. In addition, they paraded children in front of the cameras and read their letters in order to pull at the heartstrings of Americans and gain sympathy for their cause.
So here’s my question: With the fortieth anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision to legalize abortion coming up this week (January 22), wouldn’t it have been more appropriate for the politicians to ban the assault weapons that kill more than 1 million American children every year? The weapons I’m talking about are the vacuum suction abortion machines.
Year after year, the media and our elected representatives turn a blind eye to the horrific murders of unborn American children. Under our current laws, every one of those children who were gunned down at the school last month could have been legally killed by their mothers immediately prior to their birth.
Yes, we should be outraged by what happened last month to the twenty children, but we should be equally outraged by what happens to every child who is murdered in the womb of his or her mother.
The United States of America has been on a downward spiral ever since the Supreme Court legalized abortion in 1973. Instead of addressing the unprecedented moral and economic crisis that we are facing, we waste our time arguing about how many bullets should be permitted in a gun magazine that is owned by a law-abiding citizen.
I suppose we could argue that it’s those suction machines that are responsible for the murders of unborn children, but doing so would be ridiculous; When a child is aborted, it’s the mother and the doctor who are responsible for the killing, not the machine. How is such a mother or doctor any different from the person who pulls the trigger of a gun that kills an innocent human being?
How long will God allow our nation to continue to kill His children? Your guess is as good as mine, but I’m concerned that He’s not going to wait much longer. Although He is obviously much more loving and merciful than I could ever be, there is a point where He will unleash His justice.
The Old Testament is filled with examples of God’s justice being administered to sinful people and nations when He allowed wars, plagues, and epidemics to cause massive pain, suffering, and death.
Every time a child is killed in the womb of his or her mother, a debt is created. That’s what sin does, it creates a debt. Someone has to pay back the debt created when an innocent child is killed, and it must be paid back with pain and suffering – although the pain and suffering can be mitigated through acts of reparation.
The Modern Catholic Dictionary defines reparation as follows:
The act or fact of making amends. It implies an attempt to restore things to their normal or sound conditions, as they were before something wrong was done. It applies mainly to recompense for the losses sustained or the harm caused by some morally bad action. With respect to God, it means making up with greater love for the failure in love through sin; it means restoring what was unjustly taken and compensating with generosity for the selfishness that caused the injury.
Fr. John A. Hardon, the greatest Jesuit priest of the twentieth century, outlined four ways in which we can make acts of reparation:
While we don’t have the power or ability to stop the slaughter of innocent unborn children on our own, we do have the power to make acts of reparation for the sinful acts of those who are responsible for abortion.
It is through daily acts of reparation that we can best imitate our Savior and make amends for our own sins and the sins of others.
4 Comments
Well said, Harry!! If only all the politicians could be so logical…
Thanks Michelle. Good to hear from you.
My dear Harry and Georgette –
As of TODAY, January 24th, I now have access to emails. When our IT here at NLC came to my room today, he “enabled” my computer. I have nearly 900 emails to read/respond or delete…will take time… but wanted to comment on this Perpetual Adoration write-up as well as the past ones you’ve sent me via mail.
A very big THANK YOU!! Each one has been worthwhile, and, again, I encourage you to keep them coming. Blessings! Sister Roberta
Sister Roberta,
It’s good to hear from you again. Several people have asked me how you’ve been doing. How about an update on your health. I hope all has been going well for you and I’m glad you’re back online so you can catch up with your friends. Take care and God bless you.
Harry