Is God calling his
people home?
In the Old
Testament, God often allowed the Israelites to turn away
from him, but at certain points he sent a prophet,
disaster or war of some kind to call his people back.
Possibly this is
happening again today.
For half a century
now our culture has had a contraceptive mentality, which
has turned giving birth into becoming a choice. We have
disregarded marriage as sacred, and instead have turned
relationships into extended trial periods by merely
living together.
Last month I had the
opportunity to view the movie, “Bella.” This past week I
was able to see the movie, “Juno.” Wow. That makes two
pro-life movies playing in theaters within a month’s
time. This makes me wonder if the pendulum from a
culture of death is swinging back toward a culture of
life.
Both movies feature
an unmarried woman who finds themselves pregnant. In
“Bella” the woman is a young adult and in “Juno” the
woman is a high school teenager.
Both women consider
abortion as an option. In each movie there are scenes of
the woman walking into an abortion clinic and both show
the emotional trauma that is affiliated with even
entering such a facility.
Both women have
experienced abandonment by their own mothers. In “Bella”
the woman’s mother emotionally abandons her, and in
“Juno,” the movie indicates a mother’s physical
abandonment. In each of these cases the pregnant, unwed
mother questions their own maternal identity.
In a society that
promotes free sex with no emotional attachment, both
women wonder if the desires of their hearts – one man to
love them until death – are simply fantasies of the
mind.
The really neat
thing is both women give birth to their babies, and even
though neither raises their child, both women show the
emotions of being a mother who gives life. Life proves
to be the best choice, and makes each of the women
happy.
In “Juno,” the
relationship with the father of the baby works out. Yet
if the mother would have chosen abortion, statistics
show the relationship likely would have failed.
The other aspect of
“Juno” that I really liked is it showed how going to
high school pregnant was a really big deal. People
stared at her belly. They poked fun at her. Yet, the
young woman said it very well herself when she described
herself as “a sacred vessel.”
That is exactly what
life is all about. We, as women, are chosen by God to
bring life into the world. The evil one doesn’t like
this, and so he attacks it at every chance he gets.
Yes, the ideal would
be to meet our mate, be friends through dating, fall in
love through courtship, have the relationship blessed
through the sacrament of marriage and then have a
family.
“Bella” and “Juno”
show the breakdown of the family and also the flip side
– the importance and closeness of a positive, supportive
family unit. Both movies indicate the desire in men’s
and women’s hearts for a singular, long-lasting
relationship, like a monogamous marriage provides. Both
movies show the respect, value, and selflessness it
takes to bring life into this world and the joy that
follows.
Yes, the culture is
changing and the pendulum is swinging. God is calling
his people back to his ultimate divine plan. And for
those who have not always chosen well, and that is all
of us in one aspect or another, we reach for the divine
mercy of Jesus Christ and trust in Him.
Let us all remain
steadfast on our mission, for we are on the winning
side.
Donetta Robben is a
freelance columnist from Hays. Write to her at
P.O. Box 614, Hays, KS 67601, or e-mail her at donetta@soulcommunications.net
Donetta Robben is a
freelance columnist from Hays. Write to her at P.O. Box
614, Hays, KS 67601, or e-mail her at donetta@soulcommunications.net
