|
Dear deaconjohn,
I write this week from the Emerald Isle, where I'm on a mission
with Dr. Brian Clowes, HLI's Director of Education and Research, and
Patrick McCrystal, Director of HLI Ireland. Patrick entitled our
four-day series of presentations on the road "Be Not Afraid, Catholic
Ireland," as ours is a mission of hope in a land that has fallen victim
to the seductions of the Culture of Death.
Our goal is twofold: First, to expose the lies that create an
illusion of "tolerance" and "progress" around abortion and the
redefinition of marriage, and second, to call Catholic Ireland back to
her roots and the love and duties that grow from our beloved Faith.
Often called "the land of the saints," Ireland has produced far too many
holy men and women to list in this article - men and women who have
impacted Ireland's rich history and that of the universal Church.
In
the midst of a rapidly secularizing culture emboldened by its recent
"wins" - the legalization of same-sex unions and abortion in so-called
"exceptional cases" - we are through education, training, and
encouragement, calling the faithful to Be Not Afraid. The truth about
Life and Family is non-negotiable, and no matter what is being promoted
- demanded - by the Culture of Death, this truth must be proclaimed.
There is no option for the disciples of Jesus.
In the
year 433, Saint Patrick traveled to the Hill of Slane in County Meath
in hopes of bringing souls to Christ in pagan Ireland. On the eve of
Easter, which coincided with the Druid feast of Bealtine (Beal's Fire)
and the Spring Equinox, St. Patrick lit a bonfire on the hill. As
trivial as this may seem today, it was in fact a revolutionary act: it
was equivalent to declaring war on the Druids and their pagan beliefs
and also on the King of Ireland. There was a law that no fire could be
lit in the vicinity to compete with those of the festival of Bealtine,
which blazed at the Royal seat of power on the nearby the Hill of Tara.
That small act of starting a fire was a turning point in the history
of Tara and all Ireland, changing the spiritual landscape of Ireland
forever. ( Read full article on HLI.org)
|
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Father Shenan J. Boquet
President, Human Life International
|
|
|
