SM writes: “I have a friend who insists that every word of a prayer novena has to be said correctly, or you have to start all over. Is this true?”
Category Archives: Prayer/Meditation
What does the Church Say About Praying in Tongues?
C asks: “What are the Church’s teachings about speaking in tongues? I have to admit that I was thrown for a loop while reading a book by Fr. George Montague about The Holy Spirit when he talked about speaking in tongues as though it is normal. Is this true? I am in RCIA, so still learning about the church.”
Can a Candle Flame Alter Your Negative Karma?
GM asks: “What is flame meditation, and what does the fact that my psychology professor does it tell me about her (as well as her denial of absolute truth)?”
Woman Builds Altar to Fetal Remains After Chemical Abortion
Commentary by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
In a shocking display of the spiritual confusion of our time, a YouTube video featuring a young woman giving instructions to women about how to build an altar to celebrate the “sacred abortion experience” after a chemical abortion has garnered more than 330,000 views.
In an article about the video appearing on National Right to Life News, a woman instructs viewers on how to build the altar in order to “create a space for your sacred container” which will contain the “products of conception” after the chemical abortion is complete.
Although the video is now private, you can view it on the Twitter feed of conservative activist Drew Hernandez.
In it, a young woman encourages viewers to proceed by cleaning the space around their altar, then instructs: “I like to always have a candle going on my altar…and I’m adding an Empress tarot card because she symbolizes feminine fertility and feminine energy,” she says and gives no indication why she worships feminine fertility while preparing to destroy the “products” of her own fertility. Nor does she explain the reason why her altar also contains a picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas and the Unborn.
“I also really like to add the abortion pills themselves to the altar to really bless the pills that we will be taking into our bodies during this process,” she continues. “Before having your abortion, I would recommend giving them a nice sage or palo santo or another smoke to really cleanse the energy and really bless them and place your intention for healing into the pills before you take them.” Healing for whom, and why, are questions she never addresses.
She goes on to instruct viewers to “place the container in which you plan to place the products of conception or the fetal remains within to catch that after you pass it and save it for later when you find a way to bury or otherwise…to where we find a way to properly dispose of the fetal remains in a way that gives reverence and support to this sacred abortion experience.” Notice that the reverence is being given to the abortion, not the fetal remains.
In addition to being a place designated for worshiping the “abortion experience,” she suggests that women return to the altar “whenever you want to meditate, whenever you want to think deeply or contemplate any aspect of your abortion. It’s a really beautiful way to just give reverence to the experience and hold the experience in a really sacred way.”
In the end of the video, the woman folds her hands as if in prayer and says, “Thanks so much for building your altar with me today,” she says. “So much love.”
The unintended irony of that closing statement is almost too much to bear, says Dave Andrusko, Editor of National Right to Life News. “More than once I have characterized abortion as a secular sacrament. If ever you were tempted to think I was going overboard, consider this.”
It’s also very indicative of the diabolical disorientation prevalent among the New Age “n.o.n.e.s.” who brag about being “spiritual” rather than religious. They sincerely believe they can mix-and-match religious practices at will – such as placing tarot cards on the same altar with Our Lady of Guadalupe – and as long as the combination makes them “feel good” it’s okay. This dangerous naivete about the supernatural world is leading many of them into darker realms without them even being aware of it until it’s too late.
As one commenter on the video states, “This just shows how evil ‘New Age’ really is. They convince people that EVERYTHING is positive and light if you just do it with a couple quartz crystals and some incense burning. This is dark energy and clearly taking the Left Hand path.”
Another commenter had a similar view: “This is a powerful example of why the modern New Age movement is so very dangerous & insidious. You can get from your local crystal shop to building abortion ritual altars VERY QUICKLY.”
Others just saw the video as pure evil. “Straight from the pits of hell,” one viewer said, while another called it “Ba’al worship.” Others questioned why she didn’t have a picture on her altar of Molech, the god to whom pagan peoples used to sacrifice their children.
All agree that this woman is very confused and seems so intent on denying the reality of abortion that she has created a fantasy-world where the act of killing the innocent is celebrated and considered “sacred” and worthy of reverence, with no regard for the individual whose life was taken.
This video can be described in just two words – pure evil.
© All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace® http://www.womenofgrace.com
Can a Christian Practice Buddhism?
PC writes: “Over the weekend I had a conversation with a few people (felt like a firing squad really) where they were saying it is perfectly fine for a Catholic to also be a Buddhist. Their argument was that Buddhism is not a religion but a philosophy for interior peace and nothing is contradictory to what Jesus said and did (to me Galatians 5:22-23 debunks this issue as God sends the Holy Spirit that gives us everything; therefore, Jesus is truly the “all in all”). The lengthy part of the argument was to say that Buddhism gives the peace that Christianity does not. Of course I argued the opposite to all of this but did not make a dent. Do you know of any good resources that I can look at?”
Should You Walk the Labyrinth?
Photo by Victor on Unsplash
SA writes: “I was told that the Catholic Church does not approve of the use of labryinths for prayer. Yet I see so many priests and nuns engaged in and teaching this type of practice. When I tell other Catholics this is not a Catholic practice, but New Age, they say it is nobody’s business how they choose to pray. I have found confusing data regarding this matter. Would you please enlighten me?”
Beware of Emails from St. Benedict’s Prayer Wall
CF writes: “I started getting these emails and they seemed ok until I got this email from them. Since I was unfamiliar with the “Archangel Asrael, I looked it up and this archangel is the angel of death in Islam. I also found a disclaimer that was odd, claiming they were sending these daily messages for “entertainment only.” I have since unsubscribed. Just wanted your take on this as I think they want to send these to people who are true prayer warriors.”
Was Jesus a Buddhist?
SDM writes: “We have been in California for several months and we have heard this ‘new age’ idea that Jesus was a Buddhist! Do you know who started this absurdity? What would you say to the people that really believe this?”
Psychic Disturbances and “Mental Schizophrenia”
DV writes: “What did the Pope mean when he said in the Letter to the Bishops on Some Aspects of Christian Meditation that body positions coupled with breathing and meditation could lead to a kind of mental schizophrenia which could also lead to psychic disturbances and, at times, to moral deviations. I would like a deeper understanding of what he was warning about.”
Is There a Problem with The Shawl Ministry?
RG writes: “At my (Roman Catholic) church today, some women in the narthex were promoting a “prayer shawl ministry” and handed me a brochure promoting this website: http://www.shawlministry.com/. Overall, it sounded like a good idea – providing comforting prayer shawls for the homebound and hospitalized. I thought it odd that there was a reference to “applied Feminist Spirituality.” So when I went home, I checked out the website. There are a few troubling non-Christian things discussed there such as where they talk about “chakras” under Symbolism –> Aroma therapy. They also talk about a “mothering God” which sounds a bit New Age-like to me. By the way, they are willing to teach people how to knit and crochet, and I would like to learn (learned as child, but forgot). I just don’t want some New Age agenda pushed on me or to do anything contrary to my Christian faith. Would like your comments.”
