Right to Life Decisions

I was cleaning my house the other day and popped on the television to see what was on. Now I don't like alot of the shows that are television these days. My husband and I are frequently stating that old quote, "there's nothing on.".  I used to watch alot of Bonanza but hadn't watched too much of in recent years, but when I flipped the television on it was playing so I listened as I worked.  I kind of got the jest of what was going on. I'll tell a little of what I gathered since I did come in in the middle. This is how I came to understand how the show got to the point I came in on.

It starts with a blast from a mine overheard by Little Joe while out  riding on his horse. There were two men at the mine when Little Joe arrived to see  what happened. A young man and his future father-in-law. Now the future father-in-law was injured and  knew he was dying and was in horrible pain and begged his future son-in-law to put him out of his misery. He tells Little Joe he didn't want to do it but he did. He finally killed  the injured man.   Of course, the young man tells Little Joe that his future father-in-law was hurt so bad there was no way he could live and he was in so much pain he was begging to be put out of his misery. He felt he did what he had to do.
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He then asks Little Joe not to tell his future bride what he had just done because it would just break her heart but to tell her that her father died in the mining accident. Little Joe goes along with it. That is what they tell everyone but Little Joe can hardly live with himself. He just can't decide in his head if what his friend had done was right or wrong.

His  brothers, Adam and Has,  have a horse at the same time that has a bad leg and Little Joe asks him, "why don't you put him out of his misery."  The brother says he would rather help the horse because he will be such a great horse when he is well.  This is interesting because you hear so much about people of the past putting horses out of their misery when they are injured, but not this time. Adam, the older brother, along with Has help the horse. Later the horse is in fine shape and able to walk and get around great.

Now here is the interesting part. Little Joe gets so bothered by his conscience that he can't eat or sleep. He isn't sure if what his friend did was right and should the daughter truly know how her father died. And should his friend have taken another man's life even if the man is begging to have his life ended because of the agony.
Finally, Little Joe's father confronts his strange behavior, why he is so withdrawn and gloomy. Little Joe asks his father, "is it right to help someone who is begging you to put them out of their misery."  He asks if it is right to kill someone who asks you to when they are in so much pain and feel they are going to die and if not what should be done. He told his father he was so confused he just didn't know what was right but he also wanted to defend his friend who was at the mine and had done the killing. He just knew for sure it was done out of mercy. He asked his father if it was right or wrong.

This is where I stopped and waited. I knew this was Hollywood and Hollywood has their own set of rules for life but it was also taped in 1963. What would his father say to him. What would be the answer in regards to mercy killing. Well, I thought I would let you listen. I am sorry this is in two parts but it just happens to be where it splits on youtube.  I tried to just get the part where Pa and Little Joe are talking but couldn't seem to do that. So the conversation starts at 5:20  on the first video and ends at 2:20 on the second video.










Of course, after a while Little Joe becomes confused again, tells his brother he thinks his friend was right in what he did but in the end Little Joe does what is right.  He confronts his friend.  He tells his friend he was wrong to take the  man's life and the daughter has a right to know how her father died. And as true to Bonanza and old westerns there is a fight and the Little Joe wins, feels better about himself and the friend goes to jail awaiting trial.

What is interesting is the friend turned out to actually have killed the father because of a fight and greed over silver in a mine. He was being selfish. He wanted to marry the daughter and have the money in the mine.  He also, told Little Joe, in the middle of the show, that Sarah, the dead man's daughter, would always have to be taking care of the father and she would get tired of it, but Little Joe doesn't believe it. So, you get the impression that another reason the young man killed the father was because he didn't want to see his wife and himself caring for an injured man all their life. He didn't want the burden.

Taking someone elses life is always a selfish act, whether it is euthenasia, abortion, lying about them, bullying them or stealing from them. It is always selfish.

Well, I posted this because as a nurse I see a lot of people suffering and there are alot of issues over abortion and euthenasia. Of course, I would never suggest getting moral or religious advice from Hollywood. They just don't live in the real world out there. God gave us His Word and His Church for guidance. I just thought what  Pa said was very good. We should do all we can to help the suffering, sick and injured survive. Life is sacred and no one ever has the right to take another's life.

Modesty in Words

Usually when one hears talk about modesty one thinks about what we wear. Of course, it is very important as Christians that we dress modestly. The culture we live in today certainly does not promote modesty in clothing, women and men alike. What is really sad is the message poor young girls are getting today.  I feel it is very important that we begin to give the message to the younger generation to care about how they look and dress and that they are worth something. They are so valuable that Jesus came to earth to show His love for them by dying on the cross. I miss a time I don't know, that my grandparents lived in, that wasn't perfect, but the clothing was different. It was of a more modest fashions. Yes, there have always been times when women would dress immodest but now it seems to be the rule and not the exception.

I believe that is very  important but what I want to focus on here is another type of modesty. A modesty of words.  I have worked in a small nursing home for quite a few years and have heard foul language used. It would bother me but it wasn't too horrible.  Well, recently I took a fill-in job at a large hospital. All I have to say is,

"wow." What talk that comes out of some of the lips of these women.  Professional women. At first it seemed to be just one person but little by little I began to hear things coming out of the mouths of other professional women that would make a sailor blush. Mind you this is not around patients. It is just casual conversation between  the women working together and if a man is in the room it is either the same or worse.
First of all these are women. Now there used to be a time when men would refrain from certain talk around a "lady", but apparently that time is gone. Not only do men not refrain themselves in the words they use anymore but women just join right in and talk and speak like they are just one of the guys. Just because I am a nurse and am speaking about what I hear on my occassional days of work doesn't mean it doesn't go on other places. This is a growing problem among women. Women have forgotten what is is to be lady like.

Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." Col. 4:6

I know there are times I am guilting of speech without grace. My voice has gotten loud and the words I have said are not kind. I would like to hope that on my journey to become more like our Lord I will work on the way I speak. I hope to pass on to others coming behind me the importance of gracefilled speech. As we imitate our Lady may young girls and women of all ages learn how to speak modestly. Mary is the best example we have of being ladylike. True happiness is found in being the feminine, lady like person God created us to be. To be a true woman.

These are just a couple of things I thought of that might help just from what I have heard lately.

1. Women do not need to announce when they are going to the restroom in the presence of mixed company.
Just kindly excuse yourself.

2. A woman does not need to talk about her intimate affairs to those at work, even in a joking way. This is private between you and your husband and how would you like it if your husband was telling your private issues.

3. Speak softly. This one is hard for me, at times I get a little too loud. I hope to work on this one.
I remember an older woman told me that a long time ago when my son was little. She said if you speak soft people will listen closer.

4. Try to come up with other words than foul, curse words when angry. Before speaking count to ten, say a prayer or walk away.

5. Most importantly our Lord's name and anger and foul language do not go together and sound very horrible and are very offensive to the people around you.
"You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain." Exodus 20:7

It's time to take back the glory of our feminity, to be more ladylike.  True womanhood doesn't have to mean a woman can't speak out or doesn't have anything to say, or let the men do all the talking but true womanhood is speaking what I call modest speaking.  Speaking with charm.

School or homeschool or both

We homeschooled our son for all of gradeschool. This is his first year  in high school. He is attending a Catholic school so needless to say it is costing. I have picked up extra hours at work to pay for the school. I don't mind, though, because I want him to have a very good education. It is a very good school. I would have to say it is harder for me because I am not there every moment to oversee what he is being taught. I can't hear what the teachers and other children are saying. I believe the Lord has led us here and he will always be with us. I am very grateful that I have a son who will sit and talk and tell us about his day. I am also grateful I have a husband who partners with me in sending our son to a Catholic school. I feel if he is to attend school, looking around it is the best place for him to be outside of homeschooling.

With homeschooling in mind, I realize, also that once a homeschool mom, always a homeschool mom. When our son comes home with homework, we want to see it. We want to be sure he is doing the work correctly. We want to make sure he understands the teacher. We question him. We hold him accountable to listen to the teachers, to be sure he knows what is going on. It has been a challenge for him, his first year in a school setting but it is good. It is a learning process for all of us as we have transitioned to a school setting instead of homeschooling.

There are so many ways to continue to be involved in your children's education even though you are not homeschooling. As it says below, we parents are the first and foremost educators of our children. Teachers are just hired out by us. The kitchen table and the couch are still are school friend in the evenings when homework or studying abounds.

One thing is for sure, in order to succeed we need prayer in our lives.

I found a few prayers regarding education I thought I would share.
They will also be posted under prayers. In these prayers we will ask Our Lord to help us, lead us and guide us in educating our children and we will ask his mother, who is our mother, along with our friends the saints to pray for us so we can raise our little ones for His glory.


St. Thomas, patron saint of students:

A Student's Prayer by St. Thomas Aquinas

Creator of all things,

true source of light and wisdom,

origin of all being,graciously let a ray of your light penetrate

the darkness of my understanding.

Take from me the double darkness

in which I have been born,

an obscurity of sin and ignorance.

Give me a keen understanding,
a retentive memory, and
the ability to grasp things
correctly and fundamentally.
Grant me the talent
of being exact in my explanations
and the ability to express myself
with thoroughness and charm.

Point out the beginning,

direct the progress,

and help in the completion.

I ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

A Prayer by St. Thomas Aquinas

Virgin full of goodness, Mother of mercy, I entrust to you my body and my

soul, my thoughts and my actions, my life and my death. O my Queen, come to

my aid and deliver me from the snares of the devil. Obtain for me the grace
of loving my Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, with a true and perfect love, and
after Him, O Mary, of loving you with all my heart and above all things.
Amen.

A Prayer to St. Thomas Aquinas

Wonderful Theologian and Doctor of the Church, you learned more from the Crucifix than from books. Combining both sources, you left us the marvelous Summa of theology, broadcasting most glorious enlightenment to all.You always sought for true light and studied for God's honor and glory.

Help us all to study our religion as well as all other subjects needed for life,
without ambition and pride in imitation of you. Amen.

Prayer to St. Joseph of Cupertino for Students

O humble St. Joseph of Cupertino, singularly favored by God in the difficulties of study and the worries of examinations, implore the Holy Spirit to enlighten my mind and aid my memory in the search of His truth and wisdom. Help me especially in the decisive moments of examination, protecting me from that forgetfulness and disturbing anxiety which often accompany them, so that I may grow in knowledge, love, and service of God from Whom flows that wisdom which leads to eternal life. Amen.

In this Prayer for Students, we ask Saint Catherine of Alexandria to intercede for us so that we always pursue our studies with eternal life in mind. Saint Catherine, is a  patron saint of  students and teachers.

A Prayer for Students to St. Catherine of Alexandria:

O glorious Saint Catherine, wise and prudent virgin, thou who didst set the knowledge of Jesus Christ above all other knowledge, obtain for us the grace to remain inviolably attached to the Catholic faith, and to seek in our studies and in our teaching only the extension of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ our Lord and of His Holy Church both in ourselves and in the souls of others. Amen.

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