As we Celebrate the Feast of the Birth of Our Lord, I wish to extend to all of you the richness of Christ’s blessings. May all of you experience the depths of His love and mercy and my your New Year be filled with His grace.
Know that I will remember you and all your loved ones in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at Christmas!
May you and all of your loved ones have a very blessed Christmas Season and a New Year filled with the grace of the new born King! In this episode, I present a Christmas meditation on the joyful mysteries of the rosary. The meditations were compiled by a Religious Sister who did the Stations of the Cross with me. To you and all of your loved ones, a very Merry Christmas. I will remember you and all your loved ones in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on Christmas.
Music for this episode are taken from the following resources:
– Brid by a strem by Briddes Roune
– Homage by Jami Sieber
– Tears for Ma by Hans Christian
– Trilogy: Song From Arcturus by World Insluenced
Musicalley
– Aztec Moon by Emily Jones
– Calcutta Candy by Don’t be a Stranger
– Spaghetti Terrorist by Christopher
– To Feel the Rain by Longing for Orpheus
– Legacy by Longing for Orpheus
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Today, Zenit had a section on “Liturgical Vestments and the Vesting Prayers”. Following my trip to Mundeline this past June for training in the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, I began saying the vesting prayers daily as I prepare for the celebration of the Holy Mass, whether in the Ordinary or the Extraordinary Form. I also began saying one of the prayers of preparation, followed by the statement of intention. The Article by Fr. Gagliardi is very enriching for priests, but also for the laity who wish to go deeper in the mysteries of our Faith. I made two cards that I framed for my sacristy. The first is of the vesting prayers in Latin and the second is prayer of St. Thomas to prepare for Mass and the statement of intention. Feel free to download them from the links and use them in your sacristy, or frame them as a gift to your priest. I find that they help me to have a better focus as I prepare to celebrate the Holy Mass.
ROME, DEC. 18, 2009 (Zenit.org).- In this article, Father Mauro Gagliardi, a consultor of the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, explains the prayers the celebrant says while vesting for the liturgy.
These prayers — the reciting of which is an ancient custom — are brief, but very rich from a biblical, theological and spiritual point of view.
“Such a liturgical practice must be retained rather than jettisoned,” he explains. “Its beauty and utility for the priest’s spiritual life needs to be rediscovered.”
* * *
Historical Background
The vestments used by the sacred ministers in liturgical celebrations derive from ancient Greek and Roman secular clothing. In the first centuries the raiment of persons of a certain social level (the “honestiores,” persons of rank with property) was adopted for the Christian liturgy and this practice was maintained in the Church, even after the peace of Constantine. As we see in some Christian writers, the sacred ministers wore the best clothing, which was most probably reserved for liturgical use.[1]
While in Christian antiquity the liturgical vestments were distinguished from secular clothing, not by their particular form but by the quality of the material and their special decorum, in the course of the barbarian invasions the customs and, with them, the vesture of new peoples were introduced into the West and brought about changes in profane clothing. But the Church kept, without essential alteration, the vestments used by the clergy in public worship; in this way the secular use of clothing was distinguished from the liturgical use.
Finally, in the Carolingian epoch (which began in roughly the 8th century), the vestments proper to the various degrees of the sacrament of orders, with a few exceptions, took on their definitive form, which they retain to this day.
Function and Significance
Beyond the historical circumstances, the sacred vestments had an important function in the liturgical celebrations: In the first place, the fact that they are not worn in ordinary life, and thus possess a “liturgical” character, helps one to be detached from the everyday and its concerns in the celebration of divine worship. Furthermore, the ample form of the vestments, the alb, for example, the dalmatic and the chasuble, put the individuality of the one who wears them in second place in order to emphasize his liturgical role. One might say that the “camouflaging” of the minister’s body by the vestments depersonalizes him in a way; it is that healthy depersonalization that de-centers the celebrating minister and recognizes the true protagonist of the liturgical action: Christ. The form of the vestments, therefore, says that the liturgy is celebrated “in persona Christi” and not in the priest’s own name. He who performs a liturgical function does not do so as a private person, but as a minister of the Church and an instrument in the hands of Jesus Christ. The sacred character of the vestments also has to do with their being donned according to what is prescribed in the Roman Ritual.
In the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite (the so-called Mass of Pius V), the putting on of the liturgical vestments is accompanied by prayers for each garment, prayers whose text one still finds in many sacristies. Even if these prayers are no longer obligatory (but neither are they prohibited) by the Missal of the ordinary form promulgated by Paul VI, their use is recommended since they help in the priest’s preparation and recollection before the celebration of the Eucharistic sacrifice. As a confirmation of the utility of these prayers it must be noted that they are included in the “Compendium Eucharisticum,” recently published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.[2] Moreover it is useful to recall that Pius XII, with the decree of Jan. 14, 1940, assigned an indulgence of 100 days for the individual prayers.
The Vestments and the Prayers
1) At the beginning of his vesting he washes his hands, reciting an appropriate prayer; beyond the practical hygienic purpose, this act has a profound symbolism, inasmuch as it signifies passage from the profane to the sacred, from the world of sin to the pure sanctuary of the Most High. The washing of the hands is in some manner equivalent to removing the sandals before the burning bush (cf. Exodus 3:5).
The prayer hints at this spiritual dimension: “Da, Domine, virtutem manibus meis ad abstergendam omnem maculam; ut sine pollutione mentis et corporis valeam tibi servire” (Give virtue to my hands, O Lord, that being cleansed from all stain I might serve you with purity of mind and body).[3]
After the washing of the hands, the vesting proper begins.
2) The priest begins with the amice, a rectangular linen cloth, which has two strings and is placed over the shoulders and around the neck; the strings are then tied about the waist. The amice has the purpose of covering the everyday clothing, even if it is the priest’s clerical garb. In this sense, it is important to recall that the amice is worn even when the celebrant is wearing a modern alb, which often does not have a large opening at the neck but fits closely around the collar. Despite the close fitting neck of the modern alb, the everyday clothing still remains visible and it is necessary for the celebrant to cover his collar even in this case.[4]
In the Roman Rite, the amice is donned before the alb. While putting it on the priest recites the following prayer: “Impone, Domine, capiti meo galeam salutis, ad expugnandos diabolicos incursus” (Place upon me, O Lord, the helmet of salvation, that I may overcome the assaults of the devil).
With the reference to St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians (6:17), the amice is understood as “the helmet of salvation,” that must protect him who wears it from the demon’s temptations, especially evil thoughts and desires, during the liturgical celebration. This symbolism is still more clear in the custom followed since the Middle Ages by the Benedictines, Franciscans and Dominicans, who first put the amice upon their heads and then let it fall upon the chasuble or dalmatic.
3) The alb is the long white garment worn by the sacred ministers, which recalls the new and immaculate clothing that every Christian has received through baptism. The alb is, therefore, a symbol of the sanctifying grace received in the first sacrament and is also considered to be a symbol of the purity of heart that is necessary to enter into the joy of the eternal vision of God in heaven (cf. Matthew 5:8).
This is expressed in the prayer the priest says when he dons the alb. The prayer is a reference to Revelation 7:14: “Dealba me, Domine, et munda cor meum; ut, in sanguine Agni dealbatus, gaudiis perfruar sempiternis” (Make me white, O Lord, and cleanse my heart; that being made white in the Blood of the Lamb I may deserve an eternal reward).
4) Over the alb and around the waist is placed the girdle or cincture, a cord made of wool or other suitable material that is used as a belt. All those who wear albs must also wear the cincture (frequently today this traditional custom is not followed).[5] For deacons, priests and bishops, the cincture may be of different colors according to the liturgical season or the memorial of the day. In the symbolism of the liturgical vestments the cincture represents the virtue of self-mastery, which St. Paul also counts among the fruits of the Spirit (cf. Galatians 5:22). The corresponding prayer, taking its cue from the first Letter of Peter (1:13), says: “Praecinge me, Domine, cingulo puritatis, et exstingue in lumbis meis humorem libidinis; ut maneat in me virtus continentiae et castitatis” (Gird me, O Lord, with the cincture of purity, and quench in my heart the fire of concupiscence, that the virtue of continence and chastity may abide in me).
5) The maniple is an article of liturgical dress used in the celebration of the extraordinary form of the Holy Mass of the Roman Rite. It fell into disuse in the years of the post-conciliar reform, even though it was never abrogated. The maniple is similar to the stole but is not as long: It is fixed in the middle with a clasp or strings similar to those of the chasuble. During the celebration of the Holy Mass in the extraordinary form, the celebrant, the deacon and the subdeacon wear the maniple on their left forearm. This article of liturgical garb perhaps derives from a handkerchief, or “mappula,” that the Romans wore knotted on their left arm. As the “mappula” was used to wipe away tears or sweat, medieval ecclesiastical writers regarded the maniple as a symbol of the toils of the priesthood.
This understanding found its way into the prayer recited when the maniple is put on: “Merear, Domine, portare manipulum fletus et doloris; ut cum exsultatione recipiam mercedem laboris” (May I deserve, O Lord, to bear the maniple of weeping and sorrow in order that I may joyfully reap the reward of my labors).
As we see, in the first part the prayer references the weeping and sorrow that accompany the priestly ministry, but in the second part the fruit of the work is noted. It would not be out of place to recall the passage of a Psalm that may have inspired the latter symbolism of the maniple.
The Vulgate renders Psalm 125:5-6 thus: “Qui seminant in lacrimis in exultatione metent; euntes ibant et flebant portantes semina sua, venientes autem venient in exultatione portantes manipulos suos” (They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. Going they went and wept, casting their seeds, but coming they shall come with joyfulness, carrying their maniples).
6) The stole is the distinctive element of the raiment of the ordained minister and it is always worn in the celebration of the sacraments and sacramentals. It is a strip of material that is embroidered, according to the norm, whose color varies with respect to the liturgical season or feast day.
Putting on the alb, the priest recites this prayer: “Redde mihi, Domine, stolam immortalitatis, quam perdidi in praevaricatione primi parentis; et, quamvis indignus accedo ad tuum sacrum mysterium, merear tamen gaudium sempiternum” (Lord, restore the stole of immortality, which I lost through the collusion of our first parents, and, unworthy as I am to approach Thy sacred mysteries, may I yet gain eternal joy).
Since the stole is an article of enormous importance, which, more than any other garment, indicates the state of ordained office, one cannot but lament the abuse, that is now quite widespread, in which the priest does not wear a stole when he wears a chasuble.[6]
7) Finally, the chasuble is put on, the vestment proper to him who celebrates the Holy Mass. In the past the liturgical books used the two Latin terms “casuala” and “planeta” synonymously. While the term “planeta” was especially used in Rome and has remains in use in Italy (“pianeta” in Italian), the term “casula” derives from the typical form of the vestment that at the beginning completely covered the sacred minister who wore it. The Latin “casula” is found in other languages in a modified form. Thus one finds “casulla” in Spanish, “chasuble” in French and English, and “Kasel” in German.
The prayer for the donning of the chasuble references the exhortation in the Letter to the Colossians (3:14) — “Above all these things [put on] charity, which is the bond of perfection” — and the Lord’s words in Matthew, 11:30: “Domine, qui dixisti: Iugum meum suave est, et onus meum leve: fac, ut istud portare sic valeam, quod consequar tuam gratiam. Amen” (O Lord, who has said, “My yoke is sweet and My burden light,” grant that I may so carry it as to merit Thy grace).
In conclusion, one hopes that the rediscovery of the symbolism of the liturgical vestments and the vesting prayers will encourage priests to take up again the practice of praying as they are dressing for the liturgy so as to prepare themselves for the celebration with the necessary recollection.
While it is possible to use different prayers, or simply to lift one’s mind up to God, nevertheless the texts of the vesting prayers are brief, precise in their language, inspired by a biblical spirituality and have been prayed for centuries by countless sacred ministers. These prayers thus recommend themselves still today for the preparation for the liturgical celebration, even for the liturgy according to the ordinary form of the Roman Rite.
Notes
[1] Cf. for example, St. Jerome, “Adversus Pelagianos,” I, 30.
[2] (Libreria Editrice Vaticana: Città del Vaticano, 2009), pp. 385-386.
[3] We are using the text of the prayers that is found in the 1962 “Missale Romanum” of Bl. John XXIII (Harrison, NY: Roman Catholics Books, 1996), p. lx.
[4] The “Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani” (2008) at No. 336 permits the amice to be dispensed with when the alb is made in such a way that it completely covers the collar, hiding the street clothes. In fact, however, it rarely happens that the collar is not seen, even partially; hence, the recommendation to use the amice in any case.
[5] No. 336 of the “Istitutio” of 2008 also allows the cincture to be dispensed with if the alb is made in such a way that it fits closely to the body without the cincture. Despite this concession, it is important to recognize: a) the traditional and symbolic value of the cincture; b) the fact that the alb — in the traditional style, and especially in the modern style — only fits snugly to the body with difficulty. Although the norm foresees the possibility, it should only be regarded as hypothetical when the facts are taken into account: indeed, the cincture is always necessary. Sometimes today one finds albs that have a cloth fastener that is sown about the waist of the garment that can be drawn together. In this case the prayer can be said when this is tied. Nevertheless, the traditional style remains absolutely preferable.
[6] “[T]he Priest, in putting on the chasuble according to the rubrics, is not to omit the stole. All Ordinaries should be vigilant in order that all usage to the contrary be eradicated.” Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, “Redemptionis Sacramentum,” March 25, 2004, No. 123.
This weekend, my parish was privileged to welcome the Vatican International Exhibition – The Eucharistic Miracles of the World. This exhibition presents many of the Vatican approved Eucharistic miracles that reinforce and strengthen our belief in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Most Blessed Sacrament. Some of the miracles contain major elements that cannot be explained by science, but the miracles themselves have been scientifically verified. We also cover some feedback. How does a priest preach the truth in today’s world without sounding offensive or angry? What does the church say about the writings of Vassula Ryden?
– Music: “Panis Angelicus” by Eve Nicholson
– The Real Presence Eucharistic Education and Adoration Association
– Northern RI Schola Sanctae Ceciliae
– Info about Vassula Ryden
– More info about Vassula Ryden
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Recently, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, in an overwhelming majority, gave final approval to the new translations of the Roman Missal for use in the United States and English speaking countries. This translation process has dragged on for many, many years. I was told by a prominent theologian that we would have a new translation in about two years, that was 27 years ago. The translation in current use is riddled with poor translation. Some of the prayers in no way resemble the original Latin text.
The problems the new translation faced were many. In the beginning, most of the translators wanted to put everything into inclusive language, even where it affected the veracity of the prayers. Because of political correct thinking of the time, so people would have removed “He”, “Him” and “Lord” when referring to Jesus, just to appease a small group of extreme feminists.
The whole translation war came to a grinding halt with “Liturgiam Authenticam“, a document from the Congregation for Divine Worship & The Discipline of the Sacraments, on May 7, 2001. This document made it very clear what the Church required for official translations of Her Liturgical books. This document was a major blow to those who wished to water down the Liturgical translations or even compose their own prayers for the Liturgy. The CDW ” makes it clear in very strong language that poor translations of Liturgical texts have caused harm to the Church and hindered the true renewal intended by the Council Father at Vatican II.
During and right up until the final vote, certain people fought tooth and nail to stop the new translation from being approved by the US Bishops. They failed! As we know, it was approved and is not awaiting final approval from Rome, before it goes to press.
If we were handed a horrible translation, like the one in current use, we would be expected to use it, no questions asked. And if we were to question it, we would be called disobedient, radicals, non-conformists and maybe even traditionalists. However, since the new translation has been approved, there is a new group, who wants to do their own “grassroots review of the new Roman Missal”. This group has a website called “What If We Just Said Wait?”. On the website is a petition with a “Statement of Concern”.
No! Enough is enough! No translation is perfect, and if that is what we want, then let’s just go back to the Latin. If not, there is no more time for waiting. We have waited long enough! Maybe the signers of the “wait” website should ask another question, “What if we were to be obedient?”
How often have you heard it said, or maybe, you have even said, “The Church has no business in politics!” I hear it all the time. Even good Catholic people tell me the Church should not talk about politics. Just what do they mean by that? Are they saying that the Church has no right to speak about moral issues that come up in the public arena? Are they saying that we should be silent in the midst of injustice and human rights issues? Do people really know what they are saying when they say the Church has no place in politics?
Of course the media would like to silence the Church, but this is for monetary and political gain. The media is no longer a news outlet, but more of a tool to propagate an elite agenda.
Many good people in the pews are beginning to swallow the lie that the Church has no place in politics. They don’t realize that the media would really like to say: “Keep your morals to yourself”. “How can the big bad Church, think they have a right to judge people for how they live?
The Church has always been the moral compass for secular society. The US judicial system is based on the Judeo Christian moral code. Christianity is a way of life which provides a set of moral principles for one who adheres to it. However, it does not end there. True Christianity is not meant to be something one keeps on a shelf and takes it down on Sunday mornings. Faith must be lived. Faith is to have a connect to daily life. One cannot say, “I believe”, they are called to “practice what they preach”. A person who proclaims one thing and does another is an “empty gong” or a car without gas!
It is so clear in the Letter of St. James 1:23-25: “For if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who observes his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But he who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer that forgets but a doer that acts, he shall be blessed in his doing.”
A faithful Christian is called to embrace the faith in their heart, and also has the responsibility to effect change in the world in which he or she lives. For the past 2000 years, the Church has championed the rights and dignity of the human person.
From paternal authority and marriage, wills and testaments, property rights and contracts, prescriptions and legal procedure, the Church has been at the side of those without a voice. If one looks carefully enough, much of our legislation was supported with Sacred Scripture. In the 20th century the role of Church’s influence in society has come to be disdained. Yet, She will not be silent in the face of injustice and sin.
St. Francis Xavier’s scolded the King of Portugal over his support of the slave trade: “You have no right to spread the Catholic faith while you take away all the country’s riches. It upsets me to know that at the hour of your death you may be ordered out of paradise.” Bishops and priests may not use the same words as Francis Xavier, “yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world”.
Today as always, the Church has a role in the public square. Men and women have given their lives for these truths in the past and will continue to in the future. The Church will never be silent, She has the privilege and the obligation to proclaim the Truth “in season and out of season”.<
I was struck by the headlines: “Church sermons include time, place for congregants to get tattoos“. There is “The Church of Euthanasia”, “The Church of Body Modification”, “The Church of Light”, “Church of Seven Planes”. Then, there is the “1st Church of Christ” and down the street are the “2nd Church of Christ” and another few doors down, “The True Church of Christ”.
Isn’t it crazy! It is estimated that there are over 335,000 churches in the United States alone and 67,000 Christian denominations in the world. That is a lot to choose from. From all of those “churches”, there has to be one Church that is the “Church” of churches, the One True Church. To begin with, we have to narrow the topic a bit. For those of us who believe in Christ all admit that Jesus Christ is “the only way to the Father”.
So back to my question – What makes a Church? Can I go rent a store front on main street and start my own church? And if I do, will it be a real church? If I do everything according to state and federal regulations it will be a church. But, will it really be a church?
William Cardina Levada, Prefect for the Congregation For the Doctrine of The Faith addressed this very question on June 29, 2007 in a document entitled “Responses To Some Questions Regarding Certain Aspects of The Doctrine On The Church“. The document doesn’t question what people of other faith backgrounds believe about their congregations, and it is not an attack on other faith bodies, but this document is to clarify what we as Catholics believe about The Church.
Since the Second Vatican Council, some people, even those within the Catholic Church have posed the question of what the Church is and if the Council Fathers took a new road, leaving behind what we previously believed about the Church. In fact, Vatican II did not change, not did it intend to change the doctrine of the Church. The intent of Vatican II was to “develop, deepen and explain” it more fully. What we have is what we will always have. We might come to a deeper understanding, but it will never change. My prime example of change and Church doctrine is always the tomato. A tomato is a tomato, no matter how you slice it. The tomato on the vine is beautiful, it has a rich color and might even give off a rich fragrance. The next step is picking it off the vine. Once we touch and maybe even give the tomato a gentle squeeze, we have an even deeper understanding of it. Next we cut it in half. Now the aroma becomes much stronger and juices flow out from it. The moment has come to bite into the tomato, are you drooling yet, and taste it. Finally, you chew and swallow it and savor the taste. That is how doctrine works. The tomato that was on the vine and the tomato that I ate is the same tomato. The only difference is that I have a much deeper understanding of the tomato than a person who never picked or at one.
As Catholics, we believe that Our Lord Jesus Christ only established and instituted one one Church on earth and we believe that Church to “subsist” in the Church which is “governed by the successor of Peter and the Bishops in communion with him.” During Vatican II, the Church Fathers choose to use the term “Church” when relating to “the oriental Churches separated from full communion with the Catholic Church”. We do this because they, like us “have true sacraments and above all – because of the apostolic succession – the priesthood and the Eucharist, by means of which they remain linked to us by very close bonds”. We call them “sister Churches”.
At the same time, we do not use the same title of “Church” for “those Christian Communities born out of the Reformation of the sixteenth century .” “According to Catholic doctrine, these Communities do not enjoy apostolic succession in the sacrament of Orders, and are, therefore, deprived of a constitutive element of the Church.” This can be seen most clearly in the recent decision of our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI in his invitation to those Anglicans that wish to enter full communion with the Catholic Church as a body. All of their priests and bishops who would like to continue ministry as priests would need to be re-ordained.
So, to conclude, speaking in theological terms as the Church, we only recognize as a “Church” those Christian bodies that have Apostolic Succession and therefore valid sacraments. All other Christian Communities are our brothers and sisters and we respect and love them for the good works that the Lord does through them and long for the day when all who believe in Christ will be one body, united around the successor of St. Peter who is the visible source of unity for Christ’s Church.
It’s a shame how many people feel that God is way up there. He created heaven, earth and everything else and left it to itself. We who believe have the blessing of knowing God by name. We were made for union with God. In this show, we’ll go over the prayer that Jesus taught us. We also have some feedback to share. And finally, a new iPadre giveaway.
– Music “My Father” by Paul Lisney
– Courage Ministry
– Letter to the Bishops of the Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons
– Rosary Army
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At the end of every Liturgical Year, we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. In this celebration, we learn who our King really is and what He demands. Today’s show is based on the discussion between Pilate and Jesus. What kind of King is Jesus, and what does He want from us? Pilate and many people in today’s world have something in common. They embrace his philosophy, even if they don’t know it!
– Music: “Kingdom” by CCC Westside Band
– Rosary Army
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In the past few weeks, Bishop Thomas Tobin has been in the news a number of times. Patrick Kennedy a “Catholic” who resides in the State of Rhode Island and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, attacked the Bishops of the Catholic Church for opposing any health care reform that would involve public funding for abortion. Kennedy had the gaul to suggest the Catholic Church was fanning the “flames of dissent and discord”. With Kennedy’s serious and offensive remarks, Bishop Tobin had no choice but to respond. The Bishop invited Patrick to meet in privacy to discuss the issue at hand and Kennedy declined. Since then, Kennedy also made public a letter he received from the Bishop in 2007 requesting that he refrain from receiving Holy Communion. Kennedy even went so far as to lie about the Bishop notifying his priests to refuse to give him Communion. I personally never received any such memorandum, and the Bishop stated that he never sent one.
In the midst of this, the media has given their usual spin. On November 10th, Providence Journal article “Bishop again attacks Kennedy over abortion stand in health-care reform”. Again on November 24th, Projo reported “R.I. Bishop Tobin has testy exchange with MSNBC’s Chris Matthews”. Who was the one that actually attacked who?
Last night, Matthews kept turning the issue to how the bishop would punish women who have an abortion. In reality, this was not the issue at all. The issue Matthews will not face is that the Bishops, and most Americans do not want to support abortion with our money. WE DON’T WANT TAX FUNDED ABORTION!
This evening Bishop Tobin was interviewed by Bill O’Reilly. O’Reilly was much fairer in his treatment of the bishop, allowed him to speak and give his response, unlike the rude and hostile treatment of Matthews.
Again, the issue for the Catholic Church is plain and simple. We are against the killing of innocent human life in all instances and we do not want to pay for it! I wonder if our Catholic politicians who are against abortion, but don’t want to force their opinions on others would allow someone to own slaves! It’s called intellectual dishonesty.
Let’s not muddy the waters!
