Posted on 10/07/2009 12:10:00 PM PDT by Faith
May God's people awaken to the fact that we are our brothers' keepers.
SCRIPTURE
Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" And He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground."
-- Genesis 4:8-10
REFLECTION by Rev. Rob Schenck, Faith and Action
"Methinks he doth protest too much ..."
The Bible is filled with passages that speak to our obligation to care for our fellow human beings. From the many commands in the books of Moses enjoining love of family, neighbors and even strangers, to Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan, the injunction to care for others is inescapable.
In this account, the guilt-stricken Cain tries to shrug off his obligation to his own kin by dismissing it as an unreasonable duty. A la Shakespeare, though, "methinks he doth protest too much." Cain's objection doesn't stem from his sense of proper boundaries of responsibility, but from his own self-centered sense of self-preservation.
Christ said, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends" (John 15:13). This is the standard of divine love. It required God to sacrifice what was most precious to Him for the temporal and eternal well being of all humankind (see John 3:16). Though on a much-reduced scale, he expects us to do the same.
Trying to duck our obligation to others is futile. We can't get away with simply dismissing others, especially the most vulnerable among us: the pre-born, the disabled, the sick and the aged. As with Cain, God sees and hears their suffering and will call us to account for what we do -- or do not do -- for them.
PRAYER
Father, help us to embrace the fact that we are our "brother's keeper." When, due to selfish motives, we try to cast off this responsibility please call to us to account. We would be pleasing to you and to our "brother." Through the help and grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Amen.
Father God,
Help us to remember that standing for Your truths is never the popular or accepted way by worldly standards. Keep us strong and faithful as we endure insults and mockery while defending these innocent babies. Give us thick skin and hearts full of passion for You, that we may continue to stand strong in defense of that which is good and right, just and true. We pray for the unborn babies, that Your loving arms would hold them and protect them. In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Thanks for the post. You know, I know this stupid girl that just got pregnant (not by me) and the Dad (some gang loser) and his family are trying to get her to get an abortion. I plan to take her to get a 4D UltraSound this week. I suspect that will give her some perspective.
When I was a little over 18 weeks pregnant with my now pre-school child, I did a second trimester abortion for a patient who was also a little over 18 weeks pregnant. As I reviewed her chart I realised that I was more interested than usual in seeing the fetal parts when I was done, since they would so closely resemble those of my own fetus. I went about doing the procedure as usual, removed the laminaria I had placed earlier and confirmed I had adequate dilation. I used electrical suction to remove the amniotic fluid, picked up my forceps and began to remove the fetus in parts, as I always did. I felt lucky that this one was already in the breech position – it would make grasping small parts (legs and arms) a little easier. With my first pass of the forceps, I grasped an extremity and began to pull it down. I could see a small foot hanging from the teeth of my forceps. With a quick tug, I separated the leg. Precisely at that moment, I felt a kick – a fluttery “thump, thump” in my own uterus. It was one of the first times I felt fetal movement. There was a leg and foot in my forceps, and a “thump, thump” in my abdomen. Instantly, tears were streaming from my eyes – without me – meaning my conscious brain - even being aware of what was going on. I felt as if my response had come entirely from my body, bypassing my usual cognitive processing completely. A message seemed to travel from my hand and my uterus to my tear ducts. It was an overwhelming feeling – a brutally visceral response – heartfelt and unmediated by my training or my feminist pro-choice politics. It was one of the more raw moments in my life. Doing second trimester abortions did not get easier after my pregnancy; in fact, dealing with little infant parts of my born baby only made dealing with dismembered fetal parts sadder.
That's awesome, MNDude. Talk to her about finding an adoption agency (assuming she does not want to keep the baby). Talk to her about the likelihood that if she aborts, she will eventually develop breast cancer. Talk to her about what she sees on the ultrasound and our Creator God who formed this baby in the womb. I will be praying for you and her. Thank you for being her friend.
How sad that this woman, who was clearly hearing from God, chose to ignore His message. I pray for her repentance and change of heart, for surely she will never receive a clearer opportunity for transformation than the one she has chosen to ignore.
please keep praying. Stupid girl just said she’s “not prepared for this” and doesn’t want to do the Ultrasound. She’s 5 months pregnant.
She doesn’t want the ultrasound because she knows she will see a BABY. I know you will do everything you can to get her there. Tell her she has already invested 5 months in this baby. Ask her how she will feel on the baby’s projected birth date if she aborts the child. Help her to understand she can give a beautiful gift of life to this child who is completely innocent. Ask her to think of two loving parents welcoming this child into their home and their hearts full of joy. Ask her to think about how she would feel knowing that she ended a precious life. I will keep praying.
I could not read the whole post. It is as if reading the memoires of a serial killer, who abhores his crime but is also consumed with it. Same mind set.
We must fight injustice and this wickedness with ever breath we have.
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