Monday, October 8, 2012

Throwing Myself Under the Bus

My friend, Erin (along with many of my other friends), is a faithful participant in 40 Days for Life. I've seen her standing in the cold and the rain day after day praying in front of the abortion clinic that we used to pass on the way to work. I told her once that I felt guilty about not standing out there with them but that I would rather throw myself under a bus than do it. I thought she would probably be irritated with me after that, but she just kind of chuckled at me.

But today, I decided that was going to get myself out to the Life Chain and as much as I really, really did not want to do it, I did. This is the second time I've participated, the first being at least twelve years ago. It was a perfect day today. I don't know if I would have gone had it been raining, so I'm glad it wasn't.


When we arrived, I was glad that we had come because, as you can see, there weren't a whole lot of people there, although there were more than you can see in this picture--maybe thirty. Of course, this is north Mississippi, so there weren't tons of people to draw on.

Standing there for an hour, I found that pretty soon I lost consciousness of the cars passing by and even the other people standing around me and became lost in my thoughts. For one thing, although I was sure I should be there, I wondered why we were there. I wondered if demonstrations like this do any good. Could it possibly make any difference? Everyone seems so intransigent on this issue. Everyone has chosen sides, and knows all their lines. Could this group of not particularly lovely people standing along the side of the road nudge anyone's conscious?

But then, are we to do nothing? Should we just sit complacently while the culture of death decimates the next generation? So, I'm doing this one thing, and remembering what Charles Williams says about building an altar in one place so that fire can come down in another. I'm trusting that God can take this sacrifice of mine, which may have no discernible value, transform it, and use it for his purposes.

This morning at Mass, we sang the hymn Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, and I noticed for the first time that we have replace the second verse. When I was young we used to sing: 

          Praise to the Lord, let us offer our gifts at the altar.
          Let not our sins and offenses now cause us to falter.
          Christ, the High Priest, bids us all join in His feast,
          Victims with Him on the altar. 

I don't know why that verse was removed. Are we no longer willing to be victims with Him? Did someone think it was to harsh--that it's better to sing about God's love for us and never think about all that unpleasantness? The problem is that it is impossible to be with Him and separate ourselves from His suffereing. I think it's time that we started singing that verse again.

AMDG

10 comments:

  1. Probably a reasonably safe bet that the verse was considered too harsh or depressing. I think you are quite right about the value of being there, even if it doesn't seem to be accomplishing anything. I was not there, by the way--I mean at the life chain here.

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  2. I think the percentage of hymns in circulation today that have been tampered with in various unedifying ways is quite high. It's depressing. If desperate times call for desperate measures I'd recommend buying a cartload of Adoremus hymnals for your parish (and burning the ones currently there, naturally).

    We had our Life Chain up here last weekend. We live in a very liberal city, but I was surprised at how many encouraging honks and friendly waves we got (and how few insults and middle fingers). I too wonder how much difference it makes to be out there with a sign, but at the least people see that there are those who are not satisfied with the status quo. To me it seems the least that I can do.

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  3. I have owned an Adoremus Hymnal for a long time, but I think it will be a very long time before I could get very far with it in my parish.

    I was surprised at how many people honked and waved. I don't think anyone insulted us, but then I had my sunglasses on and couldn't see in the cars.

    AMDG

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  4. OK, now I am in Explorer instead of Firefox and it looks different. In Firefox, the select profile thing comes up blank and it doesn't have a down arrow.

    Thirty years ago, I stood with friends outside a clinic where they give out contraceptives and do abortions. I was embarrassed to death, and not only when one of my friends said to a couple, 'will you consider alternatives?' and they replied, 'we are buying condoms.' Never done it again, and in GB, we will sing that verse of that hymn, and I'm fond of it. Singing hymns does not improve my moral character, even when the hard verses are left in. However you have inspired me to go to the dreaded rosary for life tonight in the basilica. Led by the president of the University. I hate saying the rosary in a group! Very Grumpy

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  5. I guess I should be happy that I have made you Grumpier?

    AMDG

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  6. It's not so much that singing hymns improves moral character as it is that we shouldn't forget what we're about. Not saying anything about you, personally, but the Church as a whole.

    AMDG

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  7. Be happy. I went. Grumphier

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  8. Our parish uses the Adoremus Hymnal, and it has been like a balm to me. We've been going to this parish since we moved into the neighbourhood (about two years ago), and we haven't sung a bad hymn yet.

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  9. Consider yourself blessed.

    AMDG

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