Bob Nicholas

There is within me a core moral fiber that cannot be broken.

I believe without question that in order for one to be “pro-life” they must love all life from conception until natural death.  I don’t believe this because the Church teaches it, though that is helpful. I have actually held this belief since before I was Catholic, before I was Christian. I believed this when I was simply, human.

To compromise this would be to compromise who I am…who God made me.

I decided tonight to look up some statistics. Often I have quoted statistics about abortion and the quantity of children lost to this tragedy of human stupidity and greed. Here they are again, to help you understand my belief.

• For 2003, approximately 848,000 legal induced abortions were reported to CDC from 49 reporting areas.

• The abortion ratio was 241 legal induced abortions per 1,000 live births. This represents a decrease from the 2002 ratio of 246 abortions per 1,000 live births. • The abortion rate was 16 legal induced abortions per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 years. This represents no change from the 2002 report.

• As in the past, the highest percentage of abortions were obtained by white women, at fifty-five percent. Unmarried women accounted for 82% of abortions. Women under 25 years of age represented 51% of all abortions.

• Sixty-one percent of reported abortions were performed during the first 8 weeks of gestation. Approximately 88% were performed within the first 12 weeks of gestation.

If you say, well that’s only one year, perhaps it spiked that year.

A total of 839,226 legal induced abortions were reported to CDC for 2004. A big ole 1.1% decrease.

One chart from the 2004 report shows that between 700 and 800 abortions occur per 1000 births in girl 15 years of age and younger. That’s 70-80% of girls 15 and under getting pregnant have Abortions! HOW is that acceptable? HOW is that benefitting the health of the mother?

There are many more statistics in the 2004 report which I encourage you to read, especially the findings/results section. You can read it here: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5609a1.htm?s_cid=ss5609a1_e

Psalm 127:3 reads, “Behold, children are a gift of the LORD; the fruit of the womb is a reward.” How precious is this gift and yet, we squander it like everything else. In Act’s it is written, “…because he himself gives men life and breath”. I believe that when man is in conflict with God, an internal turmoil exists that cannot be forgiven or reconciled by man. Only God can resolve this war within us. This is true with abortion as well.

While in college I dated a girl shortly after she had an abortion. No, it was not my child. Though in a variety of circumstances in my life, I too could have dealt with a teenage or college girlfriend who became pregnant. Thankfully I did not. This girl was nice, fun, and we had a deep relationship. My affection for her was quickly replaced with caring and the desire for physical intimacy. Her need, while I know was in her mind a love for me, was actually a soulful need for forgiveness. There are multiple nights in which she cried in my arms. Her pain was deep and her wound was a thrashing cut on the soul. I have and continue to pray that she finds peace with her decision and reconciliation with God.

But this furthered my belief that life is precious and those that mess with it, mess with God on a personal level.  And God don’t play that.

I have to be honest.  I strongly considered not voting at all.  In fact just this evening I had that conversation again.  But 2 things have swayed me to vote. 

First, my Dad is a WWII veteran of the Navy.  I've met many of the men who fought for you and I to have the right and opportunity to decide our country's leaders.  I've attended too many memorial services for those that died for the same cause.

Second, my wife and I talked about this and she is right.  I have a moral obligation to fight for what I hold as the highest value.  That of human life.

So, I'm voting for McCain.  Failed economic policies, crappy health care ideals, stupid public policy and all, I'm voting for him because I choose life.  And while there are many uneducated and ill informed Catholics out there who think they can side step the issue and vote for Obama, let me be clear.

Immediate moral corporation occurs when the cooperator participates in circumstances that are essential to the commission of an act, such that the act could not occur without this participation.  So, because Obama has said he will do everything he can to uphold a woman’s right to kill her baby, and he will provide public funds to do so, and he will and has supported partial birth abortions…a vote for him is immediate moral cooperation with evil because Abortion is killing which for those of you who read the bulletin too much during Mass, is a commandment.

Vote McCain, save your soul.

Comments are welcome if they are clean.

Recently I have been impacted by some things people have said to me in very personal ways. This has got me thinking of all the Men who have in one way or another shown me Christ in my life. Here is a short list of those moments because I believe they are worth sharing. Take some time today to recall those that have impacted you and planted seeds in your life.

 My dad showed me how to honor his wife, even when he disagrees.

My father-in-law has been the greatest example of trust in the Lord and of how to love without judgment.

Father Ed. pointed me to Christ more times than I can remember however one time in particular he said (paraphrase), “If you aren’t seeking the gifts, then you are fighting the evil”.  He also says at the beginning of most Masses, "we are here because Jesus is here."  Amen.  That is all I need to know.

Monsignor said in a Homily; “Faith is personal but Religion is communal.” He is also an example to me of how to love without judgment.

Fr. Kenny told me, when I needed it most, that I didn’t have to be perfect and that we all go through seasons in life so don’t freak out when your prayer life is a little rocky, it’ll work out.

My friend Paul once told me that Sarah (my wife) is like his sister, and should I hurt her he’d have to kill me. That is the first time anyone held me accountable for how I treated a girl…which until that point wasn’t acceptable.

My friend Tom said to me while I was struggling with the decision for Sarah and I to have more children, “I get a glimpse of God every time we have another baby.”

My brother-in-law told me after I converted, got married, and had a son; “your sister and I are proud of you.” That has been a source of strength and confidence for me.

A Baptist preacher quoted Romans 1:17 at a youth camp I attended with my friend Josh Matthew. “The just shall live by faith…” That statement has carried me through some dark times in my life.

My friend Deacon Mick said to me once that believed I could have handled a situation better than I had, and felt as though I knew the right thing to do if I only just believed.

A mentor and former boss told me that whether or not I intended harm when saying things was irrelevant because the perception was already set….now I only had to pick up move forward and recover. Which I did because he believed I could and I would not let him down.

My friend Deacon Jeff once said in a homily that we have to “check yes” I believe in those Truths that are unchanging if we truly want to live a Catholic life.

My former spiritual director and friend Rick told me to pray the Psalms.  Simple as it sounds, it will change your life.

Whether he coined it or not my friend Bish lives the rule: “make a friend, be a friend, bring a friend to Christ,” and for that I am thankful.

My friend Father John told me once that no matter how much I felt pulled to do more ministry, work harder, or do more, if I neglected my vocation as a husband and father then I wasn’t being true to God.

And lastly, my sons all tell me that I am their hero, and that is more motivation to be a good Catholic man than anything I have ever heard.

Do not let the workers in the vineyard go hungry by not sharing your faith with them and showing them the fruit their labors have born. For too long we sit back and reflect on the nice things that happen to us. Rather we should not only be paying it back, we should be passing it on.

Be a Man today. Tell someone important to you what they really mean to you and your life by giving them a call or simply saying, thank you.

To my friends, mentors, fathers, parents, and those who have touched my heart, you are forever in my prayers and I thank you for the seeds you planted for the fruit of my life is a joy to me.

Going forward I'm going to post the little things and the big things people say to me that make me think of plant seeds.  Feel free to email me quotes from those that plant seeds in your life.  I'll include them and post them too.

God bless