{"id":1268,"date":"2011-04-13T13:14:10","date_gmt":"2011-04-13T18:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.austincnm.com\/?p=1268"},"modified":"2011-04-13T13:14:10","modified_gmt":"2011-04-13T18:14:10","slug":"spiritual-works-of-mercy-the-modern-day-approach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2011\/04\/spiritual-works-of-mercy-the-modern-day-approach\/","title":{"rendered":"Spiritual Works of Mercy, the Modern Day Approach"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following blog post was provide to us by\u00a0Martina Kreitzer, Austin Catholic New Media’s newest contributor.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I was chatting earlier today with an online Catholic \u201csista,\u201d someone I\u2019ve known through my online Catholic community for several years now.\u00a0 On her Facebook wall, she had posted a link from Abby Johnson, a friend and former Planned Parenthood director, author of the book\u00a0UnPlanned<\/em>. The link was to an article that talked about the Planned Parenthood myth that it provides mammograms. (Or \u201cshammograms\u201d as it\u2019s been referred to in cyber space.) My friend, who I will call \u201cShmolly,\u201d has close to 1200 folks in her friend count.<\/p>\n

To say the link exploded into a fiery discussion would be an understatement. What was initially posted on Friday was still alive and kicking today on Thursday. More than 200 posts later, I came along whistling {maybe not so} innocently, hands in pocket, kicking virtual dirt. {Can you visualize Tom Sawyer overalls with all this potential mischief?} I\u2019m interested in what happened. I\u2019m nosy-ing around when I see how the discussion unfolded. Yes, I\u2019m feeling the need to put in my usual $1.50 and a cup of coffee.<\/p>\n

Must. Resist. Urge to evangelize. MUST!<\/p>\n

Oh, who am I kidding? I am nothing if not in \u201cevangelize\u201d mode. So, I say my piece and the discussion continues despite one lady\u2019s repeated \u201cI\u2019m done with this conversation\u201d comments, followed by more arguing five minutes later. And on and on it goes. She is staunchly defending the right to murder the innocent by chalking it up to the emotion of \u201cchoice\u201d. And is digging her heels in and talking about the injustices of the rest of the world. It\u2019s a red herring meant to derail the discussion.<\/p>\n

I like to think my sistas have learned to navigate discussions like this and won\u2019t take the bait. But sometimes you have to take the bait to make a point. Yes, we are aware that there are starving children in third world countries. Yes, we know that all pro-life people must adopt homeless children to be taken seriously. No one is arguing injustices are not injustices. In fact, we have gone out of our way to agree with your points, but would it be ok if you could just answer how any of that justifies the murder of the innocent?\u201d<\/p>\n

No answer. Talking in circles. More talk about China. I\u2019m on China overload. I\u2019m hungry for Chinese food now. Sweet and sour chicken sounds good. And hot and sour soup, and a spring roll with house mustard, not the packet mustard. Mmmmm…<\/p>\n

According to this pro-choice woman, it is unfathomable and downright criminal that Chinese women have abortions. Are you shaking your head at the hypocrisy? Yeah, me too. So, it\u2019s okay for abortions to exist on U.S. soil because it\u2019s a woman\u2019s \u201cchoice,\u201d but it\u2019s not ok in China because it\u2019s forced? I think someone\u2019s litmus test for right and wrong is broken. As in, demand-your-money-back broken. Le sigh…<\/p>\n

She finally bows out of the discussion, pleased with how she \u201chandled\u201d all of us. What appears to the average eye to be a fruitless discussion has likely resulted in seed planting. I\u2019ve participated in online discussions and theological debates long enough to know that for every vocal dissenter, there are quite a few lookie loos just anxious to learn the Truth. And that is the reason why we do what we do.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure who said we shouldn\u2019t talk about religion and politics. They, of \u201cThey University\u201d were wrong. Just wrong. If we, as a society are truly \u201ctolerant,\u201d then we should be free to talk about religion without fear of stink eye from secular friends and acquaintances. We should not be forced to compromise our beliefs lest we offend. Another woman on the Facebook discussion was upset the link was posted at all, saying her wall was not the right \u201carena\u201d for the discussion. This was a Catholic friend, too.<\/p>\n

The truth is, if there is one topic that should get Catholics\u2019 dander up, it\u2018s abortion. If we are unable to talk passionately and with righteous anger about abortion as Catholics, our conscience has flatlined. No longer can we afford to be apathetic to the tune of losing our souls in the process. The days of not talking about politics and religion in polite company should be over.<\/p>\n

Personally, I think the Catholic woman who objected to the post missed the point. I can\u2019t think of a better way to evangelize about the Faith than to use Facebook as your evangelizing tool. As a stay-at-home mom, I find it difficult to evangelize while picking out eggs at the grocery store or cat-herding my five kiddos out in public. This is why I value the opportunities to share the Faith in an online public forum with the support of my friends in Christ.<\/p>\n

So, how do we evangelize and witness in a world that is known for calling the faithful \u201czealots,\u201d \u201cjudgmental,\u201d \u201cnarrow minded,\u201d and \u201cintolerant?\u201d Stay tuned for further details.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The following blog post was provide to us by\u00a0Martina Kreitzer, Austin Catholic New Media’s newest contributor. I was chatting earlier today with an online Catholic \u201csista,\u201d someone I\u2019ve known through my online Catholic community for several years now.\u00a0 On her Facebook wall, she had posted a link from Abby Johnson, a friend and former Planned… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1268","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-blog","7":"entry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10701,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/02\/komen-breaks-ties-with-planned-parenthood\/","url_meta":{"origin":1268,"position":0},"title":"Komen breaks ties with Planned Parenthood","author":"Martina","date":"February 2, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"VS This story broke early Tuesday afternoon as I checked my FB feed and saw \u2013 no, not from a fellow pro-life Catholic \u2013 the story was linked up by one of my most pro-choice {and not to mention, agnostic} friends. I kind of chuckled to myself at the irony\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/planned_parenthood_logo-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":426,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2011\/02\/two-guys-a-girl-and-a-catholic-podcast-episode-1\/","url_meta":{"origin":1268,"position":1},"title":"Two Guys, a Girl and a Catholic Podcast Episode 1","author":"Jason Elizondo","date":"February 18, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"[powerpress] Show Notes: Watson Dominates Humans in Jeopardy - Liberal Churches Losing Ground - Planned Parenthood Undercover Videos - Aggie Catholics -- http:\/\/www.ncregister.com\/blog\/winning-the-future-of-american-catholicism Father Leo Patalinghug in Austin, TX - http:\/\/www.marystouch.org\/FrLeo\/More%20details.html Adore Ministries presents the \u201cRestored Tour\u201d --\u00a0http:\/\/wilcoya.com\/blog\/2011\/01\/restored-tour-at-st-williams-feb-25-presented-by-adore-ministries\/ http:\/\/twitter.com\/jackiefrancois\/ New Lady Gaga Song \u201cBorn This Way\u201d -\u00a0 http:\/\/www.metrolyrics.com\/born-this-way-lyrics-lady-gaga.html","rel":"","context":"In "Two Guys, a Girl and a Catholic Podcast"","block_context":{"text":"Two Guys, a Girl and a Catholic Podcast","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/podcast\/2guysagirl\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":10745,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/02\/two-guys-a-girl-and-a-catholic-podcast-episode-42-toilet-texting-and-pink-slime-hamburgers\/","url_meta":{"origin":1268,"position":2},"title":"Two Guys a Girl and a Catholic Podcast Episode 42 – Toilet Texting and Pink Slime Hamburgers","author":"2GGCP","date":"February 2, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Episode 42 [powerpress] Feedback: Feedback from Phil Current Events: Texas Rally for Life coverage and reports from Catholic Bishops and the HHS Mandate http:\/\/www.kvue.com\/news\/Obama-administration-draws-Catholic-ire-over-health-care-rule-change-138364554.html Letter from Bishop Vasquez: http:\/\/www.austindiocese.org\/resources\/general\/4793.pdf For more information and to contact your U.S. Reps: www.usccb.org\/conscience Here\u2019s a link to a white house petition page to rescind\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Two Guys, a Girl and a Catholic Podcast"","block_context":{"text":"Two Guys, a Girl and a Catholic Podcast","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/podcast\/2guysagirl\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/2GGCP-LOGO2-300x231.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":29035,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/12\/ut-austinmedicalschool\/","url_meta":{"origin":1268,"position":3},"title":"UT-Austin Medical School to be Catholic","author":"Rita Suva","date":"December 13, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"The UT-Austin Medical School situation has turned controversial once again. First, it was the issue of property tax increases. Now, it\u2019s the fact that the hospital will be part of the Seton hospital system and will become a Catholic-owned teaching hospital. This situation has, of course, re-sparked debated over public\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Advent-2","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Advent-2-68x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":41660,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/09\/join-austins-40-days-life-efforts\/","url_meta":{"origin":1268,"position":4},"title":"Join Austin’s 40 Days For Life Efforts","author":"Elizabeth","date":"September 23, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I've told the story before of my first experience standing outside of Planned Parenthood during prayer vigil. 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