Continuing Conversions

I have been trying to find the time to sit down and put into words some of the things I have come to see since God blessed me with the Grace to know that there is Truth.

What is Truth? as Pilate said to Jesus. Sometimes I wonder if it was actually a question or rather a statement.

Before I came into full communion with the Catholic Church I can honestly say I was a liberal Democrat. I voted a straight democratic ticket with the exception of Senator Richard Lugar. As far as I could tell everyone at work was as liberal as I was. Every time a republican would say something that sounded stupid (Dan Quayle and President Bush II come to mind) we would be all over them. Any mistake was a chance to criticize and pass judgment on the incompetent politician whoever they were as long as they were affiliated with the republican party.

I was also pro-choice. I remember having a discussion with my wife in which I defended a woman's right to choose. Ever notice when somebody says they support a woman's right to choose they never say the right to choose what. For instance I never would have said, "I support a woman's right to choose to abort her baby." or "...to kill her baby."

The year the scales fell from my eyes was 2004, a presidential election year. In years past I would have voted for Kerry, Julia Carson and all the rest without even thinking, but Dick Lugar would get my vote. In 2004 I watched a presidential debate and heard Senator Kerry say that he was Catholic. With what seemed to be pride he said he served as an alter boy, but in the next sentence if I recall correctly he basically pledged to defend Roe vs Wade. I couldn't understand how he could stand there on national-international television and say that. How could I vote for John Kerry now. If only he hadn't taken such a strong stand on the issue I might have been able to vote for him. With the trouble in Iraq, terrorist attacks, the chance of appointing "pro-life" judges I was in a quandary of who to vote for. George W. Bush was not my idea of a good president. A president should be...well, smarter than I am.

At work I found myself silent when my fellow employees would make negative comments about George W. Before, I would have joined them. But now I realized there was more at stake. Everyday 3,500-4,000 babies are legally killed in the United States, deaths that are sanctioned by our government. A government comprised of men and woman I either vote for or are appointed by someone I vote for. Could I allow myself to be apart of that? I had been challeged by people who were strongly against the conflict in Irag. Well, I was with Colin Powell anyway. I didn't think we should have gone in there at the time we did, but it was too late to fall back on that now. The election was coming up and I had to make a decision.

I can't leave out embrionic stem cell research, the real possibility of cloning, all the life issues that at one time I would have thought were great ideas. I can't explain it, but after my life changed I couldn't go along with it anymore. I couldn't support the killing of the innocent. I couldn't condone with my vote the misuse of God's children. I couldn't say yes to the creation of human life only to destroy it for the purpose of saving my own. God had changed my life in more ways then I knew.

Now I can't think of a political issue without thinking about God. About what he teaches me through his Church. When I hear someone talking about how many people are dying in Iraq I think about how many innocent babies die here in the land of the free, home of the brave. My fellow employess have learned not to talk about certain issues when they are around me, because they know I'll have something to say.

The last presidential election was very hard for me. Oh, I'm still a democrat, and I'm still liberal, but now I'm Pro-life. Yeah, they do go together.

May the Peace of Christ be with you,