Discord Among Brothers Standing for the Life of the Unborn

¹⁶ There are six things that the Lord hates,
   seven that are detestable to him: 
¹⁷ haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
   and hands that shed innocent blood, 
¹⁸ a heart that devises wicked plans,
   feet that hurry to run to evil, 
¹⁹ a false witness who pours out lies,
   and one who spreads strife among brothers. (Proverbs 6:16-19)

I was out at the Planned Parenthood in Aurora, Illinois this morning.  We regularly go out there each month.  Also there today, as usual for the third Saturday, were the Knights of Columbus praying the rosary, begging Mary's intercession to end abortion.

While they were praying someone from Abolish Human Abortion (AHA) was razzing them on his battery powered, loud megaphone.  He explained later to the person replacing him, also from AHA, that he had to yell things into his megaphone to keep him from throwing up as they were praying to a false god, etc. etc.

Two of the Knights came over to him after they finished praying the rosary, and explained that they understood he didn't agree with how they prayed, but could he please either move away or otherwise ignore them so they could pray in peace.  He said it was his right to say whatever he wanted.  Things escalated a bit--verbally, and a squad car drove up and honked loudly to get them to separate.  

I was standing on the clinic side, with information on the nearby pregnancy center and was pretty much staying out of it.  I didn't like what the AHA megaphone guy was saying about the Catholics or Mary, but I just ignored it because I wasn't there to argue.

The Knights and the others that prayed with them left.  The AHA guy did not, and continued to mouth-off citing scripture that doesn't exist to say how the Catholics were dark and he was salt and light.

Again I heard him, but ignored him.

Then he said, "God doesn't want them to pray the Hail Mary.  Their Hail Mary prayers just fall to the ground.  God doesn't hear their prayers.  Their prayers are as worthless as the ground they were standing on."

"No where in the Bible does it say Hail Mary."

That is when my adrenaline fired off, and I yelled.  "Yes it does!  How can you say that?  The angel Gabriel greeted Mary with 'Hail full of Grace.'  The rest of the prayer is from her sister Elizabeth, 'Blessed are you among women.'"

At this point, in their eyes, I became a lost soul in need of saving.  

Prior to this they assumed I was a Protestant since I am a chaperone for my kids' non-denominational Christian school's pro-life events.

I continued yelling, "You are ignorant saying these things.  You keep telling everyone what God says but you are not quoting anything that is actually in Scripture.  Most scary you are as bad as Naral or Planned Parenthood.  These people are on the same side of us.  Here praying to end abortion.  They are our brothers and sisters in Christ and you are judging them.  That is a terrible example for your children.  Do you know the Parable of the Steward that was forgiven much but could not show mercy?"

The second AHA guy came over to me.  I looked up and began reading beginning at Luke 1:26.  

He said, "That is an angel greeting her.  Are you an angel?  It doesn't say you should pray the Hail Mary in the Bible."

I said, "Where in the Bible does it say to not pray the Hail Mary?  The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit created Mary of all women to be the vessel to bring Jesus into the world.  It says Jesus will be the Son of the Most High God.  He is also the son of Mary.  You are going to have to answer one day for not honoring his Mother.  The Catholics are right to venerate her.  He gave her to be our Mother too as he hung on the cross."

He turned to John 3:3 and told me how I needed to be born again.

I yelled, "I am born again.  That is what Baptism is."

Then he turned to some other verse--I couldn't hear because he was shouting over me, but it was something about preaching a doctrine other than Christ.  Maybe 1 Timothy 6:3?  

"Catholics preach Christ.  Christ is the only mediator between us and God.  St. Therese taught her sisters to beg the Father to look at them through the holy face of Christ.  Here tell me what doctrine of Christ the Catholics don't preach and I'll check the Catechism for you."  

Him, "Do you think Mary never sinned?"

Me, "No she didn't.  She was preserved from sin from her conception. That is what full of grace means."

At this he walked back to the other side of the street.

Our group leader tried to get me to calm down, but the only thing that re-focused me was when a couple started walking into the Planned Parenthood and I wanted to try to get them the information on the free clinic.

I have a feeling I'll be counseled to not lose my cool again.  I failed this time.  I guess there is a way to gently disagree, but you have to admit, it is hard to do that with someone using a battery operated megaphone.

The policeman came by and talked to me and said remember what Paul said in Philippians about fighting among each other.  

I told him, "I don't like it either officer."

And he said, "Peace be with you."

I speed read the whole book of Philippians afterwards and didn't find the verse he mentioned, but I did find this one in 1 Corinthians 1

10 Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you should be in agreement and that there should be no divisions among you, but that you should be united in the same mind and the same purpose. (1 Corinthians 1:10)

So I failed to be a peaceful, gentle, meek witness today.  Did get to talk to one man whose wife was in for an abortion.  I told him to plead with her to please come to the Waterleaf clinic for a free ultrasound.  Not sure what happened with that. 

What do you think?  Would you have held your tongue?

Now if you use a version of the Bible other than the Douay Rheims it is true you are likely to just see Greetings, Favored One.  But this doesn't mean that is the correct translation from the Greek.

Please see http://www.philvaz.com/apologetics/a116.htm.

You'll find the the angel Gabriel's salutation to Mary: "Chaire, Kecharitomene" (translated in the Douay-Rheims and other Catholic versions as "Hail, Full of Grace" or "gratia plena" in the Latin Vulgate) is valid.

" 'Highly favoured' (kecharitomene). Perfect passive participle of charitoo and means endowed with grace (charis), enriched with grace as in Ephesians 1:6 . . . The Vulgate gratiae plena [full of grace] "is right, if it means 'full of grace which thou hast received'; wrong, if it means 'full of grace which thou hast to bestow' " (A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, p. 14)
"It is permissible, on Greek grammatical and linguistic grounds, to paraphrase kecharitomene as completely, perfectly, enduringly endowed with grace."(Blass and DeBrunner, Greek Grammar of the New Testament).