Disclaimer: I am a Catholic. This blog always has been an act of and inspired by my faith. My faith permeates everything I do, including the choices I make in the kitchen. This post is a little risky, outside the sphere of Kitchen Stewardship® (yet so important to stewardship that it cannot be left unpublished). Some (many?) of my readers aren’t Catholic, or even Christian. You’re here for the kitchen stuff.
I’m really glad you’re here. I’d like to share an excerpt from the “Method (Link no longer available)” page of Kitchen Stewardship®, written for my non-Christian readers:
You are welcome to skip over these Mary and Martha Moments if you don’t like them. They’re here to stay, though. My apologies to my Catholic and Christian readers for their absence of late! On to the meat of the matter…
The reading for Mass this morning was Mark 9:30-37. Jesus told His disciples, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.” (verse 37) The Holy Spirit immediately directed my thoughts to the subject of abortion. (That’s another way of saying, “I have no idea why, but I suddenly connected that line to the issue of abortion.”)
I thought about my personal email inbox, full of requests for me to sign this or that petition or email my legislators to take action on life issues, emails I don’t have time to open.
I thought about how little I know of the political climate and the dangers to my family or my faith from current legislation at this time. Why is that?
Because I’m teaching folks how to feed their kids healthy foods. But other kids are being killed, every day, around our great nation, by their own mothers and the doctors who help them.
I’m convicted. I need to make sure I’m spending time saving lives and not just feeding the living.
I always say at election time that I can’t get into issues that make our lives better while one third of my generation and my children’s generation haven’t even been allowed to survive to take advantage of a great education or a cleaner earth. What good is top-notch healthcare when the smallest and weakest don’t live to see the inside of a hospital?
I’m going to take advantage of my humble readership here at KS and pass on some of those life-preserving emails over the next few weeks. If you can send letters about soap, please join me in contacting your legislators and our president to demand a respect for life at all stages.
Today I’m going to direct you to two initiatives by Americans United for Life (AUL).
- First, please sign a simple petition at Real Health Care Respects Life asking President Obama to leave abortion out of the health care plan. It begins, “Abortion is not health care and does not belong in health care reform.” Even if you are not a person of faith, even if you are pro-choice to the hilt, you can logically see that abortion is an issue for an arena outside of health care. Please visit and sign. It’s quite painless and takes about 30 seconds. You can take 60 seconds more and contact your legislators when you’re finished.
- AUL also is behind the “Fight FOCA” campaign and has a petition against the Freedom of Choice Act. I really don’t know if this is a pertinent issue any more, but if you aren’t one of the 700,000+ folks who have signed the petition, go ahead and add your name. It doesn’t hurt. The website explains: “The Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) would eliminate every restriction on abortion nationwide.” That includes parental notification for minors, again something that even pro-choice folks must admit is only fair.
Thanks for letting me have the soapbox for a minute. I’ll step down now and go back to my research on fats.
Another way to make a change: Right to Life Action Step
U.S. Bishops encourage Catholics to call NOW (Link no longer available) (Nov. 2).
(Please, by the way, we don’t need to get into political debates in the comments here. Just skip on to the next post if you disagree with me.)
I am participating in Homemaker Mondays at 11th Heaven’s Homemaking Haven and I’m so grateful for the opportunity of free speech and the knowledge that God is all in all. Please visit Gratituesdays at Heavenly Homemakers.
This is a wonderful post. I am first and foremost a Christian, so I agree with this wholeheartedly. I also was blessed to have the perspective of having a disability. I don’t think I feel more strongly about anything than this issue because of my disability. To know that children who could grow up to be wonderful people are being aborted when their parents find out they might have a child with a disability, that their “quality of life” (I seriously dislike that term) may not be what they originally thought, just sickens me. I have a disability, only physical, thank God!, and my life is wonderful. God has blessed me in so many ways. I have had the opportunity to meet people who, in my mind, have far worse disabilities than I do, and they are so happy! Who is anyone to take that chance for a happy life away from them? In the same way, I do not agree with the “health of the mother” argument, either. God is the only one who can make decisions on when a life begins and when a life ends. It is his choice. We have wonderful medical technology these days that can often save both lives, but if God decides to take either one, that is up to him. Eternal life is far more important than earthly life! That is what I believe. Thank you so much for this!
Katie,
Words escape me… I’m in awe.
I recently signed up for your blog updates but became truly glued to (and almost obsessed with) your excellent content once I began following the Real Foods Face-Off. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to explore your site more fully and really feed my desire to learn more about NT and a healthy lifestyle for my husband, my six children, and lil’ ol’ me. I own Nourishing Traditions, and I’ve been following some of it for a while. But your site has inspired me to kick it up a notch.
And then I found your Mary and Martha posts. Katie, I could just cry. Your words are so powerful and your pro-life sentiments so important. Through healthy eating, we give nourishing life to our children. Through our understanding of the natural, moral law, we protect life and give the smallest and weakest among us a chance.
As my kids like to quote, from Horton Hears a Who, “A person’s a person, no matter how small.”
I am a Catholic. I am the biological mother of five children (plus a sixth one in heaven), and I am the adoptive mother of a three-month old. We are active in 40 Days for Life and other pro-life efforts. But you have inspired me, Katie, to rise up and do a better job at sharing the important truth — that life at all stages must be protected.
Bless you, your family, and your work. Rest assured, I am a lifetime subscriber to this blog and any other future work you pursue. 🙂
Elizabeth
.-= Elizabeth´s last blog ..Two Months Old =-.
Elizabeth,
You are truly too kind; I am so touched. Rest assured that you are doing much, much more with your family to promote life than I am doing with my words. What a beautiful mission, to adopt a child after having a van full of your own! I really honor that, as some days I don’t know what to do with two! 😉
I am blessed to have readers like you around and so pleased that you found KS!
🙂 Katie
Thanks for this post. One of the many reasons I love reading it b/c I feel I have found such a kindred spirit! I tend to get consumed and obsessed about the nutrition stuff (although I think it is for a “season” – I hope!) and I have lots of other responsibilities for my time, thoughts, prayers, etc. I’m not just a mom, I’m a Catholic mom and we are called to be a light to the world. Our primary mission is getting our families to heaven, afterall. Of course I’d like them to be healthy on earth, but that’s not as important as living for Christ. Anyways, I’m so glad that you blog about the need for balance, the need for prayers and even about defending the most innocent lives b/c it needs to be said. Thank you for being a courageous and always humble witness to the Truth.
Sarah,
You know when someone uses my favorite phrase, “kindred spirit”, that I have found one! 🙂 I’m so glad I can connect with you, and thank you for such kind compliments. They keep me going! And I’m reminded that I need to write another update like this one…
Blessings, Katie
Just started reading your blog recently and I’m not leaving. 🙂 Thanks for being unashamed.
.-= Anjanette´s last blog ..Pink Week =-.
Anjanette,
Welcome aboard! Thanks for staying. 🙂
Blessings, Katie
I can not believe someone would unsubscribe from your site because you believe differently then her. Geez! Isn’t that the beauty of this country, that we are entitled to our opinion, even if it is different then someone else’s?
Anyway, I am a reader of Jen’s blog and saw the link and had to come see. I am “mormon” as she is and I agree completely. In most cases, I feel abortion is one of the most selfish things a woman can do. (at least when it comes to unplanned pregnancies that just “aren’t wanted.”)
.-= Amanda´s last blog ..The FRUITS of our labors =-.
Amanda,
Agreed! And adoption ultimately one of the most unselfish acts…
Welcome! Katie
As a parent, and especially as a mother of a daughter, I can’t support a blog that promotes opinions like these. Abortion most certainly *is* healthcare and it saves the lives of many women every year. My regular old health insurance covers it and I’m sure yours does as well. I’m sorry that I have to unsubscribe from your blog. I won’t be back. There are other blogs with similar content that respect women who have to make difficult decisions.
Jennifer,
I’m sad to lose a faithful reader, and I’m sorry my post offended you. I’m a mother of a daughter, too, and I can’t imagine having to “choose” between her life and that of my grandchild in her womb. Terrifying. My faith gives me hope that both souls would live forever with Jesus, so choosing to let the Lord choose who to take would be the only option for me. I could never condone my own daughter participating in ending the life of her own unborn child. Yes, even if it saved her life. Saving her earthly life is less of a concern than saving her soul for eternity.
I do respect women who are pregnant, and I realize an unplanned or life-threatening pregnancy is an awful situation. I worked closely with women in unplanned pregnancies for a year and half, so I have some insight into how it feels. But I can’t ignore the fact that life has begun in the womb, and we don’t have the authority to choose who lives and who dies. I thank God for that – I don’t want that kind of responsibility. But I do sympathize with and mourn for those who make the choice to abort a child. I pray that they can find forgiveness and healing.
Thanks for being a reader for a time. Your contributions will be missed!
God bless, Katie
Thank you for this post. I have had a similar post on my heart for a couple weeks now but have yet to write it. There is another great petition at aclj.org (American Center for Law and Justice – a very powerful pro-life group) that I signed as well. I was pro-life before becoming a mother and now that I have my son, I just can’t FATHOM how parents can be pro-choice.
.-= Audra´s last blog ..Falling for Fun =-.
Right on Katie!
Thanks for publishing this! For so long, this issue has gotten put on the back burner for me as I focused on caring for the Life in my own family. But lately the Holy Spirit has been putting it on my heart again too. This is becoming an increasingly hostile world towards children and the saredness of Family. I agree that we all can do a little something and stand up for this fundamental truth!
Thanks!!! You Rock!!!
.-= Shannon´s last blog ..Nursing Bracelet- 8mm Pearl Czech Glass- Feeding reminder, med tracker- Great for keeping track of SO many things =-.
thanks for being willing to “go there!” I’m a Christian and agree wholeheartedly.
.-= Kristi_runwatch´s last blog ..The seasons according to my mantle =-.
Thanks for that post Katie. While I am not Catholic, I am an ELS Lutheran and I agree with most of what you say. Funny, most of the blogs I follow are written by Catholic women:)
You bet, Tanya. We Catholics aren’t too crazy. 😉 Really, most Christians and even other faiths (Judaism, etc) agree on so many issues, moral ones especially, that it amazes me that there’s so much divisiveness in the world. –Katie
Thank you so much for this post.
Thanks for having the courage to post about such an important subject. 40 days for Life is beginning where I live (peaceful and prayerful presence outside abortion clinics). Truth is truth regardless of who proclaims it. Keep speaking out!
Beautiful job Katie. I love your site and I am Catholic as well. You have tied in everything so well to being a call from God.