Fwd: May We Ever Break the Law? (Fr. Frank Pavone's Bi-Weekly Column)

  ------Forwarded message from Priests_for_Life@xmr3.com -----
    Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2005 16:56:30 -0500
    From: Priests for Life <Priests_for_Life@xmr3.com>
Reply-To: Priests for Life <Priests_for_Life@xmr3.com>
Subject: May We Ever Break the Law? (Fr. Frank Pavone's Bi-Weekly Column)

March 28, 2005

Dear Friends,

The Terri Schiavo situation has brought a sad awareness to many of our fellow
citizens about how heartless the culture of death is. Please be assured that no
matter what happens in the next few days, we as a people of life will stand
together and will, in God's strength, turn back this tide of evil and destruction.
Many negotiations are still going on behind the scenes, and Priests for Life is
doing everything possible. Moreover, we are in discussion with other leaders
about plans for legislation that will prevent this kind of disaster from ever
happening again, not only by directly protecting the vulnerable, but also by
limiting the power of the courts.

Meanwhile, I would like to deliver your messages and good wishes in person to
Terri's parents Bob and Mary, to her brother Bobby, and to her sister Suzanne. If
you want to send them a greeting or a promise of prayers, just email
Terri@priestsforlife.org , and I will hand-deliver them every greeting you send.

On other matters, there is a new online poll on our web page
www.priestsforlife.org. The question for April is, "Should the United States
Congress exercise veto power over Supreme Court decisions?" As always, your
opinion is welcome. And while you're there, stop in to see our products at
www.priestsforlife.org/products

God bless you!
Fr. Frank Pavone

Breaking the Law
Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life

I have never broken the law. I have never been arrested.

Yet I often think of Bishop Austin Vaughan, auxiliary bishop of New York, who
in the last years of his life of faithful service to the Church, was arrested and
imprisoned many times for rescuing unborn babies. He saw what Christians were
doing across the country as they peacefully blocked the doors of abortion mills to
put their bodies between the babies and the instruments of death. Then one day he
looked at his episcopal ring, and realized that the three figures on it -- St. Peter, St.
Paul, and the Lord Jesus -- had all been arrested and imprisoned! He no longer
hesitated to do so too, if it was the price to pay for saving lives.

Human reason, Scripture, and history teach us that while we are called to be law-
abiding citizens, breaking the law is not always wrong. Take, for example,
someone who breaks down the door of a neighbor's apartment to put out a fire, or
jumps over a fence past the "no trespassing" sign into a neighbor's yard to save a
child drowning in a swimming pool. Those cases make it clear that saving life
takes precedence over laws the preserve less important values.

Lessons from Scripture abound. The apostles were given strict orders not to teach
in the name of Jesus (see Acts 4 and 5). Should they have obeyed? If they had, we
would not know the Gospel. Would we obey if that order were given to us? What
exactly would we say to the assembled crowd on Sunday morning if such a law
had been passed on Friday?

In Exodus, we read, "The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives...'When you
help the Hebrew women in childbirth ... if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let
her live.' The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of
Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live" (Ex. 1:15-17). They disobeyed
the king's order because it conflicted with a higher law, God's command never to
kill the innocent. Daniel went to the lion's den because he disobeyed a law
prohibiting prayer (Daniel 6).

History shows us Christians martyred for disobeying Caesar, people rescuing
slaves, protecting Jews from the Holocaust, and resisting segregation -- all in
violation of the law but in support of justice. The list of examples fills many
volumes.

We risk failure if we ignore the lessons of history and the principles of Scripture.
It's easy to look back at those who broke the law in these cases and praise them.
But when the same challenges that they faced face us, we find it difficult to
acknowledge that sometimes the law must be broken. That's because now, the
sacrifices will be made by us.

I have never broken the law. I have never been arrested. But I simply cannot
guarantee that I never will.

This column can be found online at
www.priestsforlife.org/columns/columns2005/05-03-28breakinglaw.htm

Remember to support our work at www.priestsforlife.org/donate

Comments on this column? Email us at mail@priestsforlife.org
Priests for Life, PO Box 141172, Staten Island, NY 10314; Tel: 888-PFL-3448, 718-980-4400;
Fax: 718-980-6515; web: www.priestsforlife.org


Violando la Ley

Nunca he violado la Ley. Nunca me han arrestado.

Sin embargo, a menudo pienso en Monseñor Austin Vaughan, obispo auxiliar de
Nueva Cork, quien durante los últimos años de su vida de servicio fiel a la Iglesia,
fue arrestado y encarcelado varias veces por rescatar niños por nacer. Había visto
lo que hacían los cristianos a lo largo y a lo ancho del país cuando bloqueaban
pacíficamente el acceso a los abortuarios interponiendo sus cuerpos entre los
bebés y la muerte inminente. Un buen día miró su anillo episcopal y se dio cuenta
que las tres imágenes grabadas en él eran las de San Pedro, San Pablo y el Señor
Jesús. ¡Todos ellos habían sido arrestados y encarcelados! A partir de ese instante,
no dudó más en arriesgarse a que le sucediera lo mismo si ese era el precio que
debía pagar por salvar vidas.

La razón humana, la Sagrada Escritura y la historia nos enseñan que aunque
estamos llamados a ser ciudadanos respetuosos de la Ley, no siempre está mal
quebrantarla. Piensen, por ejemplo, en alguien que rompe la puerta de su vecino
para apagar un incendio, o salta sobre una cerca que tiene un cartel que dice
"prohibido pasar" para entrar al jardín del vecino y salvar un niño que está
ahogándose. Esos casos demuestran que salvar una vida tiene precedencia sobre
Leyes que preservan valores menos importantes.

En la Sagrada Escritura abundan los ejemplos. Los apóstoles recibieron órdenes
estrictas de no enseñar en nombre de Jesús. (Vean los capítulos 4 y 5 de los
Hechos de los Apóstoles). ¿Deberían haber obedecido? Si lo hubieran hecho, no
conoceríamos el Evangelio. ¿Obedeceríamos si nos dieran esa orden? ¿Qué le
diríamos a la asamblea reunida el domingo si se sancionara esa Ley el viernes?

En el libro del Exodo leemos que "el rey de Egipto dio también orden a las
parteras de las hebreas... "Cuando asistáis a las hebreas...si es niño hacedle
morir; si es niña dejadla con vida." Pero las parteras temían a Dios y no hicieron lo
que les había mandado el rey de Egipto, sino que dejaban con vida a los niños."
(Ex. 1:15-17) Desobedecieron la orden del rey porque estaba en conflicto con una
Ley superior: el mandamiento de Dios de no matar nunca al inocente. Daniel fue
a parar a la jaula del león porque desobedeció una Ley que prohibía rezar (Daniel
6).

La historia nos dice que los cristianos fueron martirizados por desobedecer al
César, hubo gente que rescató esclavos, protegió a judíos durante el Holocausto y
resistió la segregación, todo ello violando la Ley para promover la justicia. La lista
de ejemplos alcanzaría para llenar muchos tomos.

Nos arriesgamos a fracasar si ignoramos las lecciones de la historia y los
principios de la Escritura. Es fácil mirar atrás y reconocer a quienes violaron la
Ley en otros casos y alabarlos. Mas cuando enfrentamos los mismos desafíos nos
cuesta reconocer que a veces debemos violar la Ley. Y eso porque ahora somos
nosotros los que tenemos que sacrificarnos.

Nunca he quebrantado la Ley. Nunca he sido arrestado. Simplemente, no puedo
asegurar que nunca lo seré.

This column can be found online at
www.priestsforlife.org/spanish/05-03-28span.htm

K-9-903749-23476142-2-15977-US1-342759A4





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