Legalized Sacrifice – a 23-month-old boy

Dear Friends for Life:   The Culture of Death takes one giant step forward in Britain. A country noted for its democracy and seemingly strong defense of individual rights has crossed the line of “It is never right to do wrong.”. The Culture of Death has strongly imprinted on the minds of its citizens that one “human right” does not exist in their country – the right to life for the child still in its mother’s womb. From this position, the Culture of Death has spread its wings to envelop the weak, the elderly, the defenseless and the sick. These categories of human beings are no longer valued as an asset to society, rather a hinderance to its growth.

Society Dehumanizing Unborn Babies?

Dear Friends for Life:   Why this evil-disposed attack on procreation today? Procreation, the sexual activity of conceiving and bearing a biological offspring, is gradually being equalized with the phrase “profit and power at any cost”. Just look around. Big industry extending its strong influence over procreation and changing the meaning through manufacturing, engineering and controlling. For example, babies are made by IVF. In the process, on the average of 24 tiny lives die in order for one life to survive. Another example: Desired embryos are implanted in a uterus. The big question is: Whose uterus? The mother’s? A rented one (surrogacy)? An artificial womb? Yes, we are approaching a biotechnological breakthrough. Ectogenesis, the invention of a complete external womb, could completely change the nature of human reproduction. In April of last year, researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia announced their development of an artificial womb.

The Importance of “Human Life” – 50 years later

Dear Friends for Life:   “Humanae Vitae”, the prophetic encyclical written by Pope Paul VI in 1968, warned Catholics about the culture of contraception and the deadly impact it would have on society. Five decades later of killing little babies through surgical abortion, the pill and abortifacients such as Norplant and RU-486, can there be any doubt that there is a real link between contraception and abortion?

The New Weapon: Prenatal Testing

Dear Friends for Life:   A worldwide strategy ignites additional war on unborn babies. It’s called “Prenatal Testing”. The movement this time is not against healthy babies, but against babies with abnormalities in the womb. In Japan, since more women are delaying pregnancy, medical institutions will soon be allowed to conduct prenatal testing for Down syndrome. This bioethical testing debate has been going on for over 5 years since it was first introduced. The main reason is that over 90% of women having fetus abnormalities make a decision for abortion.

“Immigration” vs “Migration” – confusion?

Dear Friends for Life:   Many news articles use the words refugees, migrants and asylum seekers when reporting on the movement of people. Japan Times headline this morning – “Japan to limit work permits for asylum seekers from 2018” – talks about asylum seekers who file for refugee status in order to work as immigrants in the country. The number of applications has jumped from 1,202 in 2012 to nearly 17,000 in 2017. But only 28 people were recognized as refugees in 2016, causing much international criticism that Japan is closed to refugees. On the other hand, Japan has over one million foreign workers who are referred to as “Immigrants”. Are these workers really “Immigrants” or “Migrants”?. What’s the difference? Or is there?

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow?

As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, we are reminded that God is with us on our individual life journeys and that we too are called to accompany others on theirs.

During the Advent season leading up to Christmas, we are invited to contemplate a young pregnant woman with her husband who left their home and faced a journey of difficulty and uncertainty.

The Holy Family was a family of MIGRANTS. Jesus was born in a stable outside Bethlehem, on the “wrong side of the tracks”, as they say nowadays. There was no welcome for his pregnant mother and her husband. The doors and hearts of the day were closed to them.

Jesus was born in the poorest and humblest of settings and not long after his birth, he became a REFUGEE. Fearing for their lives, his parents fled with him to Egypt.

One Solitary Life

Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher.

He never owned a home. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put His foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place He was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself…

While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed upon a cross between two thieves. While He was dying His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth – His coat. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.

Nineteen long centuries have come and gone, and today He is a centerpiece of the human race and leader of the column of progress.

Sexual Exploitation of Children in Japan

Dear Friends for Life:   The current population of Japan is a little over 127 million, of which approximately 25 million are children under the age of 18. According to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, a child is defined as anyone under the age of 18. Japan is a major destination, source, and transit country for children subjected to sex trafficking and sexual exploitation.

Imagine a world more open to refugees

Today is the most important day in the lives of Refugees. Why? Because tomorrow never comes. It is today that they are forced to flee war, persecution and violence. It is today that they need safety and assurance that other human beings stand with them. Among the basic needs of refugee families today is a safe place to live. In reality, this should not be classified as a need, but as a basic human right which applies to all human beings today.

Truth vs Gender’s Slippery Slope

Dear Friends for Life:   If you thought the three gender movement was a unproven novelty, try picking from six “genders” with the option of creating your own pronoun. And it gets stranger yet. Princeton University and University of Michigan are among the leaders promoting this type of behaviour. According to Washington Post, more than 50 colleges or universities allow students to choose their genders without documentation of medical intervention. It’s reported that Princeton University students have the option of even choosing several genders. Or choose to be both male and female.