Reclaiming Our Children

Great Pod Cast on Post Abortion

My close friend Allison Ricciardi, LMHC, Founder of Catholic Therapists ( http://www.catholictherapists.com/ )had a great segment on On Call with Wendy Wiese, Relevant Radio on post abortion.   It starts at 33:28

http://relevantradio.streamguys.us/OC%20Archive/OC20170127.mp3

Great segment! Thank you Allison!

What Do You Want To Be?

I will never forget it. It had not been that long since I had returned to church and was truly learning about my faith for the first time.

Confused, and as I like to describe it “searching in the dark to find God”, I was still riddled with shame and guilt concerning my abortion and on my quest to come to know this Jesus, who I had been told was full of mercy, and not only could, but wanted to heal me.

As I sat at mass, still fearful that someone would find out what I had done, I heard the priest begin his homily. “What do you want to be when you grow up? a fireman ?, a teacher? , a nurse or doctor?”

I remember thinking it was strange because most of us were adults. Then, the priest paused for a while, and then said, “I want to be a tabernacle! I want to empty myself so Jesus can live in me. I want to love Him with my whole heart, and be a place of rest and safety for Him.”

I did not have a clue what that even meant, my relationship with Jesus was so new, just beginning, but I saw the genuine love and emotion on that priests face. I knew he truly meant it and was filled with love and peace as he continued to share his prayer. I also knew I wanted to feel that too. It gave me hope, that indeed this Jesus was merciful and forgiving, even for me.

All these years later, I still remember that homily as if it were yesterday. I cannot believe all that has happened since then and words could never express my gratitude to God for the many gifts and graces He bestows on me constantly.

Now when I  a desire to be a tabernacle for the Lord, I like to think that my face would show the same emotions and love that that priest had when I first heard his homily.  I know my “tabernacle” gets dirty, and in fact that I can only be that tabernacle by His grace, but I also know His understanding, patience and great mercy towards me. When the “dirt” of life piles up, I need only to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, emptying myself so that I can become a place of rest and safety for Him.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

My Jesus, Mercy!

Feeling so grateful for the healing of God and that I was not part of that "March for (some) Women", Saturday

But for His grace it could have been any of us.

 

Praying for the walking wounded...sad. They are slowing destroying their dignity and reducing themselves to nothing...but think of how you feel after abortion. They may be hiding  behind rage and sarcasm and a million other things, but they truly think nothing of themselves if they are wearing those hats and dressing up as vaginas, cursing etc etc.

 

Satan is raging..but we know the outcome...he looses!

 

Thank you God for Your mercy towards me...may Your love touch the hearts of those still in the dark of the evil of abortion and move them to Your mercy!

The Walking Wounded

My Peace I Leave you!

I was blessed not to have to witness or hear the talks from the "March for Women" yesterday, instead, I had a peaceful beautiful day at our post abortion men's retreat where I watched the lives of six men transform throughout the day through the mercy of Jesus Christ.

What little I did see and hear, came to me through the news or posts of FB friends. It is really no different than the chants and action of the pro abortion movement I have heard countless other times over the close to 30 years I have been in the pro life movement.

The one thing that is different is there is more of them...the walking wounded from over 40 years of legal abortion. Women desperate to stay in denial, rationalization and justification to the extent that they have reduced themselves to their vaginas by wearing "Pu--y hats" , some baring their breasts and shouting all kinds of degrading chants.

It is very sad, and certainly does nothing to increase the respect and dignity of women. In fact, it does exactly what they say they are fighting against, it makes women mere objects reducing them to the importance of abortion.

Many wonderful groups that do awesome work in the pro life movement attended the march to counter demonstrate,  which took courage, but left me wondering the value of it.  At clinics you may get opposition, but there is a bigger purpose, you are there in the hopes of changing a heart of someone scheduled for an abortion. At an event like yesterday, I wonder if there is any benefit in getting into  matches with people who are not going to listen to a word you say, but hey, who knows whose heart God may have touched. 

For me, after all these years I have found that time spent on my knees in prayer  does more to convert hearts then attending an event like yesterday.

What struck me most about it all is our deeply wounded world (a reason for more time on my knees). The numbers of those there that I am sure are post abortive, I am sure is staggering. Healing those hearts is, I am sure, not only the best way to end abortion but more importantly to save souls.

Yes, I had a peace yesterday as I sat in the back of the chapel at the end of the day and looked at the men who had come on retreat. For sure the battle is already won...it is easy to get distracted, and for sure satan tries to inject his poison in all we do, even from within, but the truth remains, that Jesus, is the only true healer and one who can end abortion , and that is  where I personally need to keep my eyes focused...

Get Ready for the Ride

Being Post Abortive in this Crazy Political Time

The Inauguration and Women's March are this Weekend - Hang on!

So here we are 2 days away from the Inauguration of President Elect Donald Trump. No matter what your political views, there is no doubt that the upcoming events are going to send you on an emotional roller coaster ride when it comes to abortion.

No matter where you look it is impossible to escape the commentary or the emotions they provoke. It is as if we, as a country, have become unleashed, and abortion is front and center!

Whether we are speaking of the de-funding of Planned Parenthood, or hearing about or watching the Women's March on Saturday, or the March for Life the following week,  the "A" word will be front and center. It is easy to get caught up in it,  especially if you continually see the experiences of millions of women who have been hurt by abortion denied.

So, what do you do to keep your peace and sanity?

I certainly do not have all the answers but here are some things that have worked for me and many others who have felt the same.

(if you have any additional ideas add them to the comments!)

• watching TV or reading an article about it? If it is upsetting you -turn it off or stop reading it
• go for a walk
• listen to music
• read a good book
• watch a movie(although this may be getting harder because of the political speak of some of the actors and actresses)
• pick up the phone and call someone who understands from ministry or another person who will help you
• besieged by pain, regret, guilt, anger, rage...you get it...acknowledge your feeling-its okay, they are normal just don't do something dumb acting on them..again, pick up the phone!
• pray and seek direction before going front and center at these thing..remember, we need to do God's will fo r us, not our own will!
• pray, pray and then pray some more...remember the agony in the garden..Jesus gets it!

Jesus knows, He sees, He loves you and longs to heal you!

 There is no doubt abortion will continue to be a controversial issue throughout Trumps term and beyond. It has always been controversial no matter who has been president, which leads to the question, if it is so good and okay to have an abortion, why is there never any peace surrounding it?

In spite of the fact that the feeling of those who have been hurt by abortion continue to be ignored and rejected, the truth is there are millions of us out there. Abortion will never be a settled issue, but healing from abortion is always possible. Remember that.

The victory is already won through Jesus Christ!

Jesus we trust in you!

Seeking healing from a past abortion?

"A Journey to Healing through Divine Mercy" was written for you!

Hello Theresa,
Thank you for your magnificent book. I have already read it once and I know I will continue to read and reread the many Hope filled messages that you have shared on behalf of the Lord Himself.
So very much of what you shared resonates in my heart really at the very core of my existence.
This past month has been perhaps more challenging than when I first faced my sinfulness. So much self-hatred and shame have gripped me of late I wondered if Jesus could find me in my darkness. Since being "introduced to you" you have shared wonderful peace-filled advice and words of hope and yes healing.
I realize now that this journey is one that will include two steps forward and one step back at least for a while. Please pray with me. I will pray that your book gets into the hands of every single person who the Lord intends to read and share your message of hope and of healing. -ST

An Open letter to Meryl Streep... You know what I cant get out of my mind?

Meant to post this a couple of days ago but it got lost in the shuffle.

 

 

 

I have no idea if Trump was making fun of the disabled NYT Journalist. If he was, it was certainly very wrong. I get it, but for some reason actresses like Meryl Streep felt the need during an awards show, to politicize what should have been acknowledgments for film and TV.

During her speech, abortion supporter Meryl was quick divert to the horror she felt, if in fact Trump was making fun of the disabled. Speaking about performances she was quick to make the assumption that the "intended audience" of Trump, "laughed and showed their teeth." Funny, I must have missed that, because not one person I know condoned him, if in fact he was making fun of the disabled.

 She goes on to say how that event impacted her."It was that moment when the person asking to sit in the most respected seat in our country imitated a disabled reporter. Someone he outranked in privilege, power, and the capacity to fight back. It kind of broke my heart when I saw it, and I still can’t get it out of my head because it wasn’t in a movie. It was real life"

Well, let me tell you Meryl what is also "real life" that I can't get out of my head.

Every year I see two hundred new women who have been hurt by abortion which you so readily support, especially under the organization of Planned Parenthood.(Who by the way, if they had their way the disabled would not even be born) I often can't get their tears, their pain, their suffering, out of my mind..

Speaking of the free press, which you so aptly lectured us on, I cannot get out of my mind their continued attempts to deny the very real  post abortion trauma suffering of women. Very rarely are we given a voice or have our feelings legitimized, in fact we are told we are crazy and our feelings do not exist.

I cannot get out of my mind, the countless women coerced into abortion, or the minors who Planned Parenthood allows to go back into abusive situations.

Mostly, I cannot get out of my mind, the picture of my my own dead son, laying in the bed beside me after a saline abortion. No one told me his development or anything about what I was going to go through.I was coerced and deceived as countless other women are.

And, like many other women, I cannot get out of my mind the thought that I may have signed for him to be harvested without even knowing it so that places like Planned Parenthood can make even more money.

I know Meryl you are crushed that your pro abortion candidate Hillary Clinton did not win the election. I get it. I was devastated when Obama won. I know the elite Hollywood crowd is in a panic that the they do not have control over politics anymore.

 

I get it that you do not like Trump, but guess what, we have felt that way for the last 8 years as Obama has worked against all we believe in, still we did not act like 2 year olds throwing a tantrum.

You guys just do not get it. You are not as important as you want to believe. The people have spoken.

 

I suggest Meryl, that sometime in the next four years you take a trip down to your buddy Planned Parenthood's offices and ask to sit in on an abortion. Maybe since you are such good friends they will allow you to help piece together the child that has just been killed in the womb to make sure nothing is left in the mom. I also invite you to come to our ministry (I don't think you live far from me, I am in NY) so you can hear the pain of those who are post abortive.

 

Then come back and tell us,will you be able to get that out of your mind?

Forgiveness

A wonderful article "Why I Forgave" by Steve MacDonald on forgiveness. An amazing man and family that truly lived the faith. Take the time to read it.

His son is actually named after John Cardinal O'Connor who was a great friend to both he and Patty.

RIP Steve...may you be running through heaven!

The Magic of Planned Parenthood

My husband was a magician. He thrilled young and old alike with his amazing slight of hand. He would spend hours in front of the mirror practicing a new trick until no one, not even himself, could see the truth of what was going on. By diverting the attention of his audience he was able to amaze them.

As we see the battle waging about the de-funding of Planned Parenthood I cannot help but think that they too are good at magic. They distract the attention of the public from the truth of what they do, making people believe that they are doing amazing things.

The truth however, is that they are perpetuating a cycle of unhealthy and dangerous behavior. They have made the public believe that sex education from a young age will bring with it safety for our children, and hey, we all want our children safe, but is this the truth?

One only has to look at their teen site (formerly known as teen wire) to learn how to have just about any kind of sex you can think of. From masturbation, to the cost of abortion, to transgender issues, it is all there including how to keep all things as minors from your parents. They sell the condoms that fail, then provide the abortions and STD treatment that result from their failure and the promotion of sex. It is win, win, for them. They tell us our kids are not capable of saying no, and after all, don’t we want them to have “safe sex”.  However, just as abortion is far from safe, the stats of teen STD’s and teen pregnancy show us that there is no such thing. The only way to be 100%  safe is to not have sex.

For people who promote abortion, they go to great lengths to push their other services into the forefront while downplaying the number abortion they perform each year. They call their work “women’s health”, when in fact the reproductive health of countless women has been destroyed by them.

As a post abortive woman I am so grateful that the magic of Planned Parenthood is being exposed. Too many babies have died, too many teens have STD’s and lives that have been ruined, and too many women a have been left unable to have other children, are emotionally suffering or have died from abortion.

In the coming months, I pray we all do more to point out that there is no magic at Planned Parenthood. I also pray that the public continues to learn the truth so that in the end Planned Parenthood is amazed by their de-funding.

Stop Telling Post-Abortive Women We Need To Shut Up About Our Pain

my latest in The Federalist...

Stop Telling Post-Abortive Women We Need To Shut Up About Our Pain

You are not crazy, nor are you alone. There are tons of us out here who have felt the same way you do. This is the opposite of what the pro-abortion lobby will tell you, but it’s true.

 

By Theresa Bonopartis

January 5, 2017

 

A recent so-called study making the rounds says abortion has little effect on women’s mental health. “Women’s Mental Health and Well-being 5 Years After Receiving or Being Denied an Abortion A Prospective, Longitudinal Cohort Study” was published last month by JAMA Psychiatry. It’s referred to as the Turnaway Study, and was run by the Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health program at the University of California, San Francisco.

The people who did the study have affiliations such as Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health, and with the Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health. Need I say more? Unbiased and without an agenda this study is not.

 

The pro-abortion crowd denies any negative effects of abortions and works diligently to remove abortion stigma in an attempt to make abortion an acceptable “normal” act of life. This is their dream study to prove that abortion really is no big deal.

The pro-life side likes to have testimony about how deeply damaged those who have abortions are. Too often pro-lifers don’t follow up by discussing the hope for healing after an abortion. It is important to many of them to make healing seem impossible after abortions, because they want to make abortion unthinkable for any woman to even consider.

Catch the rest here:

http://thefederalist.com/2017/01/05/stop-telling-post-abortive-women-need-shut-pain/