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I'm sorry for not being clear enough earlier.

I think in many cases I force people to have to "know me" to know my motivations, etc. -- and that is a big mistake (since not everyone who reads the article knows me) I should be more clear in each individual post.

She doesn't seem like a lesbian at all.

What she DOES seems like (as Miss Fluffy pointed out) is a good-willed, albeit taught false doctrines by the world, young lady who wants to be a "success" which is the modern world's equivalent to saving one's soul.

If she had been brought up Catholic, perhaps she'd be striving for sanctity right now? At any rate, I don't want to judge HER at all, but I wanted to use her as an example -- and judge the abstract concept -- which is a very GOOD thing.

My only thought when I read such articles is "Alas, another person REALLY REALLY needs the Catholic faith, because though she might have the best of intentions, she is objectively dooming her happiness."

One of my favorite pearls of wisdom:

God forgives always, man sometimes, nature never.

(For example, God will forgive a woman for having an abortion (if she goes to Confession). Some of her family/friends might, and some might not. But she will ALWAYS bear the scars, emotional, psychological, spiritual, and physical -- of the abortion. Nature does NOT forgive, ever.)

In this case, (females forced to be tough on criminals, keep our streets safe, etc.) it can only harm their chances at being feminine as God intended -- and by extension, it harms their chances at a happy marriage, etc. Nature never forgives.

But in this case I "forgive" her (if you know what I mean -- not that she needs my forgiveness). And if she is of good will, then God will forgive her (objectively) foolish choice of career. But nature...

I hope this clarifies it a bit.

In Christ,

Matthew

Oh no! You miscarried? I'm very sorry to hear that.

I really mean that, too. I'm not just saying it out of routine or to be polite. I'm really bad at small-talk, so I don't usually attempt it.

Allow me to digress a bit on the topic of "compassion":

Compassion comes from "com" meaning "with" and "patior" meaning "to suffer". So it literally means "to suffer with".
Now human beings normally can only have compassion for those whom they can picture themselves in the same situation. The Catholic Faith takes compassion to a whole different level, so we shouldn't confuse the supernatural concept of "Charity" with a human level of compassion.

Humanly speaking, I could care less about some middle-aged mother in India, Africa or China. I've never met her, and she doesn't affect my life one way or the other. In fact, if she were to die today, I wouldn't miss a beat nor shed a tear. Now that might sound harsh, but ask yourself if you honestly feel any differently. Now as a Catholic, the situation changes completely. I make a conscious act of the will to pray for her, wish only good things for her soul (e.g., eternal salvation), etc. But even then, it's more difficult to pray *with fervor* for an individual lady I've never met, from an alien culture, halfway across the world. I think God understands that. That's why the Church teaches, "Charity begins at home" and advises that we prioritize our charity based on how close people are to us. For example, don't let your biological brother/sister starve while sending $500 checks to UNICEF. In conclusion, any compassion I feel for a remote stranger would be on a supernatural level, since on a natural level I would have NO interest at all in his/her life.

With that in mind, it is VERY easy for me to have compassion -- human AND supernatural -- for a woman who has had a miscarriage. I know that it could be my wife and I who experience that sadness next time. I know that I would personally be crushed if/when it ever happens to us. I know that a pregnancy is completely in God's hands, and that there is nothing I or my wife can do to "prevent" a miscarriage.

So please be assured that you are in our prayers.


In Christ,

Matthew