THE AWESOMENESS THAT IS YOU

Do you know how awesome you are?

What are the odds that you would be reading this blog today?

Nobody would ever stake a bet on it.

The fact that you “are” is in and of itself astronomically breathtaking.

From the very dawn of creation, all the way back to Adam and Eve, only one small fact had to change and you wouldn’t be here.

Someone 3,000 year ago one person in your family line could have been trampled by an elephant and you would not have been born.  Or some rascal in your family tree could have been thrown into jail in the 5th century for drunk and disorderly conduct for just one special night causing someone in your family not to be born and you would not be reading this.  Effective contraception might have been invented in the 11th century and used just on one night and your whole family line could have been forever just a theory.

Someone could have turned left instead of right, been delayed just a little longer, had a cold, been selfish, been angry, been in an accident, misunderstood something, not risked, WHATEVER - in thousands of years, just one of these minor things could have happened and you would not be.  Depending on how far back one of these things might have occurred, much of the planet could have been people by entirely different family lines.

But you made it.  Why you?  Who knows?  Just be thankful and glad.

That is why we celebrate today the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  She, of course, had to come first before Jesus could be born.  We thank God for the gift of her and her parents, Joachim and Ann.  How blessed we are!  Because of this blessed event we have Jesus, we have our faith, we have a Church, we have St. Sebastian, and I have the incredible gift which is you reading this blog.

RANT - COUNTER RANT: DON'T MESS WITH MY LITTLE SISTERS

Today I was poised (poised I tell you) to write a scathing article about reporters and editorialists who never took (or have completely forgotten or ignore) a theology class, a philosophy class, or an ethics class that dealt with the Catholic faith (which is a significant part of the population – more than half of all Christians are Catholic after all so this is no small matter) and then imagine they can think over an issue in the shower and come up with a sensible solution with which the Catholic Church, if it were in its right mind, should agree.  The problem being is that their level of competence is rarely up to the task.  This is not to say that they may not be extremely knowledgeable people in other fields, but sometimes I despair that it is obvious that a reporter has failed to even ask what an orthodox, faithful, and knowledgeable Catholic might have to say on a topic.

 

But then, Kevin O’Brien wrote an editorial in today’s Plain Dealer, E3 (January 8, 2014) concerning the health care mandate and the Little Sisters of the Poor entitled “Even the Little Sisters of the Poor are subject to Big Brother’s bullying.”  (On a side note, I am not sure why capitalization for titles is no longer in use in newspapers, but perhaps the rules have changed.)  I will grant that the article is a tinsy wincy bit acidic, but of course I like it because I agree with him.  But he nailed the issues that so many other news sources have not grasped, cared about, or have ignored for other motivations.  Read the article here.

 

It’s sad to see how much money the government is wasting defending desire to provide every man, woman, and child with contraceptives, abortifacients, and sterilizations.  It is interesting to note that many of these very things have been offered for free from clinics for decades and others at very minimal cost.  Considering the vast amount of extremely expensive exemptions that have already been granted (government, you don’t have to participate – unions, you don’t have to participate) why is there such an effort to have the Catholic Church submit to this comparatively inexpensive item?  We are not opting out like the government itself is doing or unions, we just want this one exception.  (Not that I am recommending it, but it would be interesting to see how many decades the government could have supplied these services for free through clinics with the money they would have saved by just granting the exemption instead of having these expensive court battles that seem will continue well into the future.)

 

Of course, maybe it isn’t really about contraception or (an already very un-) level playing field.  Could it be that Catholics are not as worthy citizens as those who work for unions or in the government?  Is there another agenda at work here?  (Okay, maybe I am becoming jaded.)  But this seemingly little crack in religious freedom could be a hole in the damn.  Unless the Little Sisters stick their thumb in the hole, what will happen when another issue comes up effecting another matter or another faith and we look at precedent and decide, “Well, it was constitutional, for government interests, to force the Catholic Church to act against its core beliefs, therefore we may turn on you next.”

 

In this light, this is no small matter.

MONDAY DIARY: OBSFUCATION

Before we get to the Monday diary there is at least one thing you need to know and I am generally surprised at how many people do not know this: The HHS mandate DOES cover abortion. You will have to provide a co-pay for your child to be treated with penicillin, but abortions under this plan will be absolutely free and, if allowed to go forward, is to be paid for in part by the Catholic Church – or at least they will try to make this happen.

So this past Friday there was a rally in Cleveland to protest the HHS mandate. I was feeling rather low that I would be unable to make it as we had school confessions that had to be cancelled once already, and having the pressure of being awfully close to Easter thought it an impossibility. But low and behold we were out of confessions earlier than I had anticipated and running into another person from St. Sebastian who was also lamenting the fact that we were not there, we jumped in the car and headed to Cleveland (not being wise enough to check and make sure where it was before we left.)

We ended up on the wrong side of town (where everybody was heading for the Film Festival) and had to hoof it across downtown to make it to the correct spot by the giant “FREE” stamp. We were only about 5 minutes late. There was a decent sized crowd there (I am horrible at guestimating crowd size. I am always way off when compared to an actual number.) I don’t know why, but I was rather surprised that it was an actual protest. There were signs and banners, petitions to sign, motivating speeches over loud speakers, singing and chanting. I leaned over and said to the person I was with, “Oh my gosh, we are radicals!”

You know, at one time and not all that long ago, everybody taught and generally believed what the Catholic Church teaches about sexual ethics. Since the 1930s when the Anglicans made an exception in contraceptive use for extreme circumstances slowly everybody else moved away from that common understanding to what we have today. (Apparently after 2,000 plus years God started to change His mind.) Now enlightened people believe that the virtuous path is to sicken our bodies to make them reject their natural functions, to sterilize ourselves, or destroy the living presence in the womb that can only be a human being at our whim. Some enlightenment.

So the Church did not change, everybody else did – and there is a general push to make the Church Red Rover, Red Rover let Catholics come over. All of a sudden instead of being the mainstream we find ourselves countercultural rebels. I’m not sure if I think it is cool or scary.

There is one thing for sure however, Catholics do not make good protesters. As a lot we sit in back, mumble our responses, and slip out early so we don’t have to fight traffic. So to get them to chant in full voice, “HEY! HEY! HO! HO! THE HHS MADATE’S GOT TO GO!” is rather an ominous task.

The crowd was lively and very well behaved. I was extremely proud at how well Saint Sebastian Parish was represented! It was a long drive at a difficult hour and we showed in good numbers. I am glad I will be able to say that this is one of the ways that I tried to make a difference in this matter one day.

THEN THE NEWSPAPER COVERED THE STORY

I was very glad that the Plain Dealer covered the story front page above the fold. But then I read the article and became very disappointed. The article was very misleading. It was misleading in the following points:

1. It repeatedly states that the protest was about contraception. Yes, in part. Totally missing was any mention that the HHS mandate also covers abortion. Not once was this mentioned. If “the powers that be” truly believe in this mandate then be honest. Be very clear what it is about. Let it pass on its own merits and don’t be sneaky about it. Want to know the Catholic Church’s position on this matter? It has been perfectly public for over 2,000 years. Have the courage of your convictions.

2. It says that the mandate will effect “some faith-based institutions.” This is so highly understated as to be funny. Besides parishes there is barely another institution that will qualify outside of the Amish Church. Schools, hospitals, Universities, Social Services, almost NOBODY meets the criteria to be exempt. It is doubted that the work of Jesus Himself would have been exempt.

3. Most misleading of all is the end of the article stating that the “morning after pill” is not an abortion inducing drug. This is from the EWTN site, “So how can it be said that the "morning-after pill" or any "emergency contraception" is not abortifacient? Or that it merely prevents implantation? In fact, those who say that the "morning-after pill" is not abortifacient but prevents implantation do not realize that they are affirming its abortifacient nature when they say that it prevents implantation: since this action can only take place after fertilization and works by preventing the continued development of the embryo, it can only be abortifacient.

"This is so true that, in order to deny its abortifacient action, those who are proposing its use have also had to redefine pregnancy. By calling into question years and years of scientific certitude on the basis of which the period from fertilization to birth has always been defined as "pregnancy", some now maintain that pregnancy only begins after the embryo's implantation in the uterine wall, therefore not before the sixth day at the earliest or before the l4th day at the latest. Thus, a product that prevents implantation could not terminate a pregnancy and could not be abortifacient!

"Some, of course, are hesitant about this redefinition of pregnancy and, in order not to press the issue, will merely speak of a similarity between an action that prevents implantation and one that is abortifacient: but it is obvious in any case that this semantic manipulation has a precise purpose. In this way—as The New England Journal of Medicine says—it is possible to manipulate public opinion into accepting "emergency contraception". Merely redefining contraception to include the prevention of implantation does not alter the fact that the prevention of implantation is problematic for some people (NEJM, 1993, 328/5, pp. 354-355)."

4. Finally the PD drags out the found wanting statistic that 98% of Catholic women support the use of contraception. It is obvious they did not read the report from which it came but are parroting what they have heard. The survey did not include all Catholic women but only those who would consider themselves “in danger” of becoming pregnant. (If you did not think it a “danger” you would not be included.) You were also excluded if you were open to being pregnant, if you were pregnant or recently pregnant. There was also no effort to see if you were a practicing Catholic or a cultural Catholic.

Not fair, not accurate, not complete. Makes you wonder.

WHO'S IT GOOD FOR?

That the HHS mandate is unconstitutional, a breach in general rights that could have significant ramifications for everyone in the future, is the grounds upon which the Catholic Church and its supporters in this issue fight against it. It is not about birth control or women’s rights or abortion or forcing people to be Catholic or any other of a number of side issues.

Period.

That being said, just who is this mandate good for? Is it good for women? Let us be honest, women already bear the fuller load of responsibility for the consequences of sexual encounters by way of the construction of our bodies. We are told that “reproductive health” services will greatly enhance her freedom. I argue that it will erode it further. With this mandate the responsibility for the consequences of sexual activity now will fall more heavily and officially on the woman’s shoulders. “It’s your problem,” she might hear when facing the possibility of pregnancy. “Didn’t you protect yourself? Don’t look at me. Do ‘something’ about it.”

As we further and further destroy the social structures that would have supported her – structures that said, “Men, take responsibility for your actions,” she becomes more and more autonomous and alone – an object for men to use. She as a person will become more periphery to men’s lives other than what she can do for them.

Further, the Catholic Medical Board (CMB) Women Physicians state, “OCPs (abortifacients, oral contraceptives) contribute to significant disease and dysfunction, such as increased rates of blood clots, strokes, and heart attacks (especially in smokers); increased rates of HPV transmission; and increased incidence of cervical cancer and liver tumors. The same synthetic hormones in OCPs that make a woman’s body behave as if pregnant all the time also change her body chemistry, rendering her more susceptible to STIs. As physicians, we frequently must care of women suffering from the unanticipated side effects of OCPs.”

So is this good for men? We can’t expect to teach men starting in grade school about every aspect of sex, tell them how to “protect” themselves, and then how to get out of it should something go wrong, and expect that to make them more responsible human beings. As men continue down the path of seeing women as an object they can use like a magazine or computer image, something that can be done away with when it is no longer as pleasurable as it once was, then men become less too – they become untethered, lone cowboys that are taught that when the going gets tough, the tough get going on to the next woman.

So is it good for children? We already see the breakdown of the family in modern culture. Do we wish to see it erode further? That divorce does not affect children is a fallacy. Ask any grade school teacher after one month of school who has a parent at home and who comes from a divided family and they will point them out.

Again from the CMB, “A child is not a disease, nor are fertility and pregnancy. They are physiological states of healthy individuals.” Children also are not objects or accoutrements to our lives but unique human beings formed by the actions of two other humans who hopefully take responsibility for this miracle they helped create.

So is it good for our pocket books? Once more from the CMB, “With regard to “cost savings” in health care, the Guttmacher Institute’s own data show that increases in contraception use lead to increased demand for abortions, and that women are more likely to have unplanned pregnancies when using contraception. There are no valid statistics demonstrating that use of contraception and abortion have improved the health of women and children. In fact, the rates of premature and low birth weight infants have been rising precipitously since rates of abortion and OCP use have increased. One in 8 babies is now born prematurely. NICU care now accounts for 25% of the entire maternal/newborn budget!

"Finally, it is important to realize that mandating “free contraception” is not free—it will mean higher insurance premiums for everyone and/or less money for the treatment of real diseases.” Think of it this way; before there was a manufacturer of OCPs, a distributer, a seller, possibly a doctor and you involved. Now with this mandate we will add government officials to oversee that it is being implemented and paperwork being sent to insurance companies who in turn must then have more staff to send out money to the sellers of these products who have to have staff to keep track of it all. It is not a less expensive process, it is a more expensive process.

Lastly (really) the woman who most needs this service is probably among the least likely to receive it. The truly poor will not have the full time job long enough that it will even pay business provided insurance. She will most likely continue to do without while the rest of the nations continues to train itself that it is her problem and that she should be able to take care of it.

So ask yourself the question:
If it isn’t good for women
If it isn’t good for men
If it isn’t good for children or families
If it isn’t good for your wallet
If it won’t reach the poorest of the poor who might actually need it
If it isn’t healthy for women’s bodies
If it isn't good for religious freedom
Who is it good for?

There’s a question worth pondering.

SPECIAL EDITION: Bishops decry HHS rule, urge Catholics to stand up for religious liberty and conscience rights in homilies at Vigil for Life

ACTION ALERT!

The following was sent to all parishes late Friday from Bishop Lennon:

“This week the federal government’s Department of Health and Human Services issued a mandate which required religious non-profits to cover sterilization, contraceptive services, and some abortion-inducing drugs as part of their employee healthcare benefits.”

Even if you believe in these things this disregard for our Constitution has far reaching implications. If the establishment clause can be ignored than all of the Constitution may eventually be ignored. Taking action on this new law should be a high priority of all citizens regardless of their personal beliefs.

This weekend a letter concerning the action of our diocese will be read at all Masses and distributed to all Catholics in the Diocese of Cleveland. It is not yet available on-line as of this posting. Please make sure that you read it and ACT!

Here is a post on the Diocese of Cleveland site.

Here is even more information on the USCCB website on what you can do right now.

Please pray.

LIFE THROUGH PHARMACEUTCALS

Back when I used to watch more T.V. there was a commercial out for a pill that claimed to relieve the sufferer of hangovers the pain of a night of binging so that the person could function at work (or home) the next day. There would be no headache or other accompanying maladies. It would be like nothing the night before took place – at least as you worked that day – the dent in the car and the surprise new tattoo notwithstanding.

I have not seen this advertised again though my T.V. habits are joyfully so poor that I may just be missing them. But what would you suppose would be the result of such a miracle drug? One result would be a more alert and productive work force. That is true. But since much of the consequences of drinking would be erased it seems that the amount of people consuming and the amount consumed would increase would it not? Erase the consequences (or at least some of them) and the temptation increases.

That was part of the prediction in another area when Pope Paul VI wrote Humanae Vitae. Readily available devices, medications, and procedures to erase the natural consequences of human interactions would lead, according to him writing in 1968, to a greater marital infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards. “A man who grows accustomed to the use of contraceptive methods may forget the reverence due to a woman, and, disregarding her physical and emotional equilibrium, reduce her to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires, no longer considering her as his partner whom he should surround with care and affection.

“Finally, careful consideration should be given to the danger of this power passing into the hands of those public authorities who care little for the precepts of the moral law. Who will blame a government which in its attempt to resolve the problems affecting an entire country resorts to the same measures as are regarded as lawful by married people in the solution of a particular family difficulty?

Who will prevent public authorities from favoring those contraceptive methods which they consider more effective? Should they regard this as necessary, they may even impose their use on everyone. It could well happen, therefore, that when people, either individually or in family or social life, experience the inherent difficulties of the divine law and are determined to avoid them, they may give into the hands of public authorities the power to intervene in the most personal and intimate responsibility of husband and wife.”

If one wonders how he could have prophesied such a thing, if you take into consideration the “morning after hangover” pill and the logical consequences of such a miracle drug, it is not difficult to apply it to this scenario.

Preaching on such topics is so very difficult. Defensive walls go up so quickly as prying into private matters where Churchmen should stay away though politicians all over the world seem to be delving ever more deeply into them. But the Church only desires to assist humanity live the best possible life we can here on earth and preparing for the next. Certainly the predictions of Humanae Vitae that we experience now are not ideal or even remotely close. But engaging in these practices, for all the problems they seem to solve, create a general and greater harm to all of society. Indeed the effects are not a private matter at all.

FEELING GROOVY

I like to eat. I like to eat a lot. My four favorite food groups are 1) meaty 2) cheesy 3) greasy, and 4) extra cheese. In the midst of a meal that I am eating and enjoying I am already day dreaming about the next opportunity there will be to eat. Such is the pleasure I find in eating.

But we don’t eat because we first enjoy it; we eat because we have to. As one commentator, Janet Smith in her now famous “Contraception; Why Not?” talk (you can read it here) put it, “God attaches pleasure to the things He really wants us to do – that are necessary for our survival. So it’s a pleasure to eat, drink, sleep, and have intercourse – though that’s not the purpose.”

On the one hand it is awfully swell of God to make what is necessary for our survival pleasurable. If eating were like swallowing glass we would probably have starved ourselves out long ago. (Think of how pleasurable it is to breath and how annoying it is when you have cold!) On the other hand, that gift can also be turned into a liability. When we eat only for pleasure we can end up eating the wrong things, or eating way too much, and either of these can lead to a whole host of ailments mind, soul, and especially body. As it may be true that one third of the world is starving to death, it is also true that one third of the world is eating itself to death in one way or the other.

There is a similar danger in thinking that bodily relations between humans is only for pleasure, a lifestyle that contraception (somewhat) made possible. The problem is that pleasure is a side bonus and not the purpose of these relations. And as with such things in the world, when we abuse something and use it for a purpose other than that for which it was intended, problems arise. In this case disease, conceptions, abortion, estrangement, break down of the family structure, and using people as objects of self gratification rather than devoting oneself to another. God made this human experience pleasurable, but more importantly it is supposed to be with the right person in the right situation, at the right time, in the right manner, and in the right way. To not bear this in mind, the benefits of this great and powerful gift of God becomes liabilities, and the pleasure it does give is shallow and can often turn into pain.

ALL YOU GOTTA DO IS

My father was a jack of all trades, master of none. Well, almost none. But home improvements were not one of the ones he mastered. That caused my mother do develop the habit of saying, “If anywhere following the declaration ‘it’s fixed’ the words, ‘all you gotta do is . . .’ are said, it’s not fixed.” The dryer was “fixed.” All you had to do was hit the start button, manually start the tumbler and then slam the door shut. It was not working as it should.

If this sounds odd it oughtn’t. It is certainly a mentality very prevalent in our society today. There is less emphasis on living life the way we were designed to live it and more on helping people live the life they want to live supported by medications, surgical procedures, and devices that will either allow a person to do as they will or erase the consequences of their actions. Do you want lose weight but you don’t want to give up the foods you love or exorcise? Then ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS take this pill and everything will be just fine. Want to have multiple partners, use this device so that the natural consequences of our actions are frustrated allowing you to live as you wish.

As Catholics we have a call to try to live as naturally as possible within some amount of reason. Chances are that unless something is wrong with you, living the Catholic life fully would render half of the economy, not the part trying to get you hooked into some kind of behavior but the part that is either helping your body cope, rid or recover from it, dead. The focus is not with what is wrong with you but what is right, and how can we neuter or rid ourselves of that so that I can live I wish.

Is that any way to live? Can true happiness really be found living in a fashion directly opposed to one’s nature? If you are a banana and you keep trying to be a plum, the only thing you’ll end up being is a second rate banana.

ANSWERS TO YESTERDAY’S QUIZ

1. INRI - IESVS•NAZARENVS•REX•IVDÆORVM or Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews
2. JMJ - Jesus Mary and Joseph (a blessing.)
3. AU – Alpha and Omega – I am the alpha and the omega
4. IC XC NIKA – Jesus Christ Conquers
5. AMDG - Ad majorem Dei gloriam or for the greater glory of God
6. BVM – Blessed Virgin Mary
7. DNJC - Dominus Noster Jesus Christus ("Our Lord Jesus Christ
8. IC - Jesus (first and third letters of His name in Greek
9. HIS – Darn spell check! This should have been IHS or the first three letters of JESUS in Greek
10. RIP - Requiescat In Pace ("May he rest in peace")
11. VRSNSMV – SMQLIVB – from the Benedictine medal Vade retro Satana! Nunquam suade mihi vana! Sunt mala quae libas. Ipse venena bibas! (Begone Satan! Never tempt me with your vanities! What you offer me is evil. Drink the poison yourself!)

A BIG PILL TO SWALLOW

MEN:

Suppose your wife came up to you and asked you to take a pill for her. These are the common side effects:

Weight gain
Skin problems
Nausea
Depression
High Blood Pressure
Loss of Libido
Urinary Tract Infection
Gum Inflammation
Can Trigger Asthma
Decrease Your Ability to Ward Off Viral Infection

Here are some less common effects:

Blood Clots
Stroke
Heart Attack

Now suppose you read this on the label on this bottle of pills and also knew that there were as effective alternatives with no side effects. I do not know about you, but I would not then venture to put these chemical poisons in my body.

In marriage Scripture tells us that man and woman become one. They are no longer two flesh therefore but one flesh. To love your wife is also to love yourself. The side effects mentioned above are what can happen to the one you love, the one who with whom you are united in flesh, when she takes the pill. If we are to love her as if she were our own body, if we are to love our wives as Christ loves his spouse the Church, why would we want her to put these poisons in her body even if there have been no apparent side effects with her so far?

Would you risk it?

Let us say no to poisoning our wives.

JOHN 8:11

No matter how much I may believe in a certain principle, there are certain things that I am not capable of telling another person. Sometimes you not only have to have the right message, but you also have to be the right person.

What follows is peak into the spiritual jouney of one Catholic woman. It is her journey, but it might speak volumes to someone else and so I asked her if she would mind having it used as a guest blog and she agreed readily. Please keep her and all struggling with like issues in your prayers today.

Several months ago this blog featured the priest’s frustration at dealing with young couples preparing for marriage who roll their eyes and sigh as he explains the Church’s teaching on premarital sex and birth control. Thirty-two years ago, I was one of those young people. I am still married and have 4 wonderful children, but I recently realized that even after going to Confession and being forgiven by God, I had not forgiven myself for these sins.

So I went to Adoration and in front of the Blessed Sacrament, bared my soul to God. The first day I talked to Him about birth control. Not only did my husband and I use artificial contraception, but I took oral contraceptives. I knew birth control pills were abortifacient, but I chose to pretend that it didn’t really count. Of all the things I have ever done in my 54 years on earth, this is the one I regret the most.

Catherine Grace and Benjamin Douglas
And how many more
Poor souls conceived and then destroyed
By my selfishness.

And yet my selfishness is my loss.
What could be more intimate than nursing a baby,
Giving of myself to one who is helpless without me
Giving what only I can give,
Holding that gift from God
Looking into its tiny eyes
Counting its tiny fingers
Comforting a new creation
Not quite comfortable in this world

I’ll never be able to do that again.
Yes, I will have the chance to hold a baby
But not flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone.
I will have a chance to feed a baby
But never suckle it at my breast.

More than a sexual union
I think that this is the intimacy of the Eucharist…
God, reaching down
Looking us tenderly in the eye
And feeding us from his body and blood.

I had a chance to share in that mystery four times,
But how many more could there have been?

And even that is selfish, Lord.
What about the poor innocent souls
Who never got to live out their purpose in life.

I’m sorry

One might have found a cure for cancer.
One might have been Pope.
One might have been a sport hero worthy of being looked up to.

I’m sorry, Lord.

I have taken innocent lives.
I have had abortions
I have murdered.

What have I done???

Oh, God, save me from the snare of the fowler
The snare that says I know better
The snare that says I’m OK because everyone does it.

Every sin is communal
Someone’s beloved never got to be born.
Someone’s best friend never took his first breath.
Someone’s favorite teacher never got to preschool.
Someone’s spiritual director was never even baptized.

I
AM
SO
SORRY.

Please don’t be like my friend who says that sorry doesn’t help. I can’t go backwards. Believe me, I wish I could.

How do I make amends?
How do I go to those saints in heaven and repay my debt?
How do I contact all of those people between the ages of 10 and 30 and say that I’m sorry that because of my selfishness and fear, someone important in their life won’t be there when they need them?

I cannot even look at You. I am so ashamed.

Look at me.

I pounded those nails. Worse than that, I jeered at you with the crowds. I was caught up in the fever of the day.

Look at me.

Can this be healed, Lord, it is so big?

You’re already forgiven. Come to me and be healed.

I cannot even look at you. How could I approach you?

Come. My mercy shall wash you clean.

Here is your God,
He comes with vindication;
With divine recompense
He comes to save you.
- Isaiah 35:4 -