Good Friday: Feel the Nails...

Today, we're taking a break from the Quote of the Week Series to focus on something much more important: Good Friday...the day that started it all...our salvation and our great hope that one day we will be with Christ again in Heaven.  How odd is it that every Good Friday I can remember has been a gloomy day?  Today, the fog prevents me from seeing past our front gate, and mist drizzles in the air, reminding me that today, Jesus died for us.  As the soldiers beat him and jeered, he never conceded to their demands.  He never renounced His Father or relieved Himself of His suffering (something he could have easily done, being God).  Instead, he prayed.  He prayed for them...for those who were taking his very life.  In essence, He prayed for us...we are the Roman soldiers; we are Judas; we are the very ones who nailed him to the cross.

As we are called to fast and abstain from meat this last Friday of Lent, we cannot help but be reminded (as each hunger pain hits) of the ultimate sacrifice made this day so many years ago...for us.  Did we deserve it?  No.  Do we ever?  No.  But, thank God for His mercy, for His grace offers us another chance at eternity with Him, every time we fail.

And, now, as a mom, I have a tiny bit better understanding of Mary's perspective.  She watched in horror as others humiliated her Son, as they ripped into His skin with every whip, as the blood poured from His brow when they mockingly placed a crown of thorns on His head.  She knew that this was the purpose of His life, yet it did not take away the pain...the greatest pain as a parent...losing a child.  Helpless, she had to trust in God's plan.

Looking to Mary and Jesus today I am reminded of God's incredible work in our lives.  Sure, there are times when it feels as if He isn't there.  Times when we do not understand our suffering.  Times when the world gets us down and our thoughts quickly turn to what others may think.  If we are true to ourselves, those are not the times when God is far away.  He never is.  Those are the times in which He is strengthening our resolve...allowing us doubt, questioning, and suffering to share in the cross of Christ.  And when we are at our worst, He gently reminds us of those who have come before, leaving an example for every generation...Mary and Jesus. 

Having been "one of those weeks," I can easily get bogged down in my own "pain."  Never, though, does my pain entail watching my son suffer and die, as Mary did.  Never do I have to physically carry a cross and be nailed to it in order to save someone else's life.  My pain is almost comical comparatively.  However, when I pull myself from my worry and anxiety, I can clearly see what this Good Friday is all about...a love that is anything but selfish, a total commitment to God, and a humble acceptance of His will for our lives.  Mary and Jesus knew that their ways were not of the world and that the world would not understand; they knew His will would come at great cost; they knew that suffering would rip them apart.  However, they also knew that to choose anything less than His total will for their lives would cost more. 

Good Friday is not good in the sense of a happy, giddy celebration.  It is Good because it has forever changed the world, reminding us that unconditional love doesn't stop with wishing others well and offering an indifferent smile as we pass them by.  It is Good because it reminds us that the Good is often painful; that God's will for our lives demands that we love until it hurts; that in order to spend eternity with Him, we often have to deny ourselves a "Good" life in the eyes of society.  Good Friday is not the end.  It is the beginning. 

Will I look to the sufferings of this world and wallow in self-pity?  Or, will I look past my self long enough to see Mary and her complete acceptance of a life of suffering?  Will I allow the ideas of the world to shape my own, hoping that I fit into the mold?  Or will I look to the King of the World, breathing His last breath on the cross, not trying to convince the crowd of His royalty, but instead praying for those who persecuted him while so fervently living God's call.

He gave everything so that we might have life.  Good Friday reminds me that my very life must be completely His.



You don't want to miss this video (click on the title).


Feel the Nails

They tell me Jesus died
For my transgressions
That he paid that price a long, long time ago
When he gave his life for me
On a hill called Calvary
But there's something else I want to know

Chorus
Does he still feel the nails
Every time I fail
Can he hear the crowd cry "Crucify" again
Am I causing him pain
Then I know I've got to change
I just can't bear the thought of hurting him.

2nd verse
It seems that I'm so good at breaking promises
And I treat his precious grace so carelessly
But each time he forgives
What if he re-lives
The agony He felt on that tree

Chorus 1x

Holy, holy
Holy is the Lord
Holy Holy
Holy is the Lord

Do you still feel the nails
Every time I fail
Have I crucified you Jesus with my sins
Oh I'm tired of playing games
I really want to change
I never want to hurt you again

Holy, Holy
Holy is the Lord
Holy, Holy
Holy is the Lord

What We've Been up to...

We have had an eventful last few days filled with friends and family! On Friday, the boys and I went over to one of my best friends' homes - who just happens to be living in Clayton again, raising two little girls.  I cannot tell you how much her friendship, and our childrens' friendships mean to me.  We always have fun together...sharing parenting advice and just watching the kiddos be silly. 

Jeremy came over after work, and we had dinner together and stayed awhile to chat.  He's so happy to have these friends, too.  While there, Carter experienced his first pony ride on Rachel, their miniature horse.  He lasted about 30 seconds!

Then, he decided their lawn might need mowing...

This is their precious daughter, a firecracker, who keeps Carter on his toes!  She's three months older than him, and they have the best time playing.

Saturday evening, we went to the vigil service for Palm Sunday Mass.  Since we won't be home for Easter, I put them in their Easter outfits.  Carter clearly loves pictures and made the following ones just lovely, don't you think?

Saturday night, we had a pizza party with my cousin and her family.  She has three little ones: Lily, Luke and Lara - Carter is in Heaven with them.  And, Sunday we had a stop-in from MiMi and Pops - always a blessing in our day!  The boys have the most amazing grandparents on both sides!

Sunday is our day of rest and normally our only full day together as a family.  So, we try to keep the schedule clear to just enjoy each other and celebrate the Sabbath.  We have a little bit lot of work to do in this area, since I typically like to "catch up" with household chores and get ready for the next week on Sunday.  However, this Easter season/Lent has been such a blessing in teaching me to slow down, enjoy life and rest on His day.  So, on Sunday, Jeremy and Carter took a little walk out to the water tank to throw some rocks in the moss...

All of that hard work made Carter hungry for his newest favorite snack, raisins...

Peter enjoyed being in his swing and smiling for the camera...

Sunday night, thunderstorms moved in, with a much needed rain and some wind we could have done without.  Little did we know (until we woke up freezing at 5:15 am) that the winds had caused power outages around 10 pm.

The boys woke up cold and we "roughed it" without water and heat until about 11 am.  Peter was happy to have his winter hat...

And Carter and I went to fetch some water from Mom and Dad's spring, so that Peter could have his bottles.  We have matching coats and Uggs (unplanned...something I am sure a boy loves...matching his Mommy :)

Now we're just preparing for Easter and Christ's Resurrection.  Have a blessed one!

Natural Family Planning: Statistics & Sites...

Often, NFP is misconstrued as a lazy, ineffective way to avoid pregnancy.  Statistics prove that notion wrong.  Regardless of how you choose to plan a family, I think these statistics are not only informative, but a bit shocking. 

NFP Statistics:

• Every child a woman bears reduces her risk of breast cancer, sume uterine cancers, and ovarian cancer (Kahlenborn & Moell, 2009).

• When trying to conceive...76% pregnancy rate at 1 cycle for healthy NFP users (Journal of Obstetrical, Gynecological, and Neonatal Nursing, 1994).

• When trying to avoid pregnancy...97-99% perfect use effectiveness (Contraceptive Technology, 2004).

Birth Control Statistics:

In 2005, the World Health Organization classified oral contraceptives as a Group 1 carcinogen, causing breast, liver and cervical cancer.  Other compounds in this group include arsenic, asbestos, formaldehyde, mustard gas, and radium to name a few.

·         Women who start the use of oral contraceptives before age 18 multiply their risk of breast cancer by 3.7 times (www.abortionbreastcancer.com)

·         Women who have taken oral contraceptives for at least one year experience a 50% greater chance of developing breast cancer than women who took oral contraceptives for less time or not at all (Case Control Surveillance Study, Birth Control Pill Cancer Link Debated, www.onemoresoul.com)

“The Pill”

·         Estimated that a sexually active woman will experience at least one very early abortion every year she is on the Pill (Faust JM. Image change for condoms. ABC News Report. [Internet E-mail]. 6/8/97).

·         The birth control pill increases the risk of breast cancer by over 40% if it is taken before a woman delivers her first baby (Kahlenborn C, et al. “Oral Contraceptive Use as a Risk Factor for Premenopausal Breast Cancer: A Meta-analysis” Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2006: 81(10):1290-1302).

·         The risk of breast cancer increases by 70% if the Pill is used for four or more years before the woman’s first child is born (Romieu I, Berlin J, et al. Oral contraceptives and breast cancer. Review and meta-Analysis. Cancer. 1990; 66: 2253-2263).

“The Shot” and Norplant

·         By changing the lining of the uterus, both contraceptives can cause an early abortion when conception does occur. 

·         Women on Depo-Provera for two or more years before they turn 25 have a 190% increased risk of developing breast cancer (Skegg DCG, Noonan EA, et al. Depot medroxyprogesterone acetate and breast cancer [A pooled analysis of the World Health Organization and New Zealand studies]. 1995; JAMA: 799-804).

·         Women who have used Depo-Provera for at least 5 years have a 430% increased risk of developing cervical cancer (Herrero et al. Injectable contraceptives and risk of invasive cervical cancer: evidence of an association. Int. J. of Cancer. 1990; 46: 5-7).

IUD

·         When conception occurs with an IUD in place, the IUD can prevent implantation, or destroy the new embryo by copper poisoning or by attack from the body’s immune system, thus causing an early abortion (Ortho Pharmaceutical. Description of Paraguard. Physician Desk Reference. 1997: 1936-193).

·         Women who use an IUD for three or more years are more than twice as likely to have a tubal pregnancy as women who never have used an IUD (the leading cause of death in pregnant women) (Kahlenborn & Moell, 2009).

Permanent Sterilization (Tubal Litigation or Vasectomy)

Tubal Litigation

·         High risk of tubal pregnancy if conception does occur.

·         Intermittent vaginal bleeding.

·         Reduced intimacy

·         Lower Libido

·         Greater risk for hysterectomy

 

Vasectomy

·         Higher risk of autoimmune disease

·         Higher incidence of prostate cancer.

 Helpful Sites for More Information:

One More Soul : a non-profit organization dedicated to spreading the truth about the blessings of children and the harms of contraception.

NFP Outreach: a comprehensive clearinghouse for accurate, practical, up-to-date information on Natural Family Planning, its practice, its effectiveness, its benefits and its underlying moral principles.

Billings Life: official site for the Billings Ovulation Method

BOMA-USA: United States site for Billings Ovulation Method

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: Church teachings regarding NFP