My Response at the Register (or, God Knows Best)

Part of me really regrets writing that most recent piece about Amazon. Yesterday, I took the whole day to just…not read any more comments. (Turns out the ones that were waiting on me weren’t so bad. Or maybe the peace that comes from immersing myself in scripture and prayer had me in a better frame of mind.)

In any event, lest it get lost in the comments over there, here is a response that I wrote. (I do not necessarily ever encourage anyone to dig through that comment box. If you want a summary, I’ll happily provide one.)

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Thank you all for your discussion and to the many of you who took the time to respond charitably. I have been praying and discerning about my response, and as I don’t believe I will have a shot at another “post” about this topic this week, I thought I’d share some of my thoughts here.

It was not my intent—and I apologize that it was misread as such—to ban Amazon from anyone else’s purchases. Though my husband and I have discerned that we will be reallocating much of our spending, we do realize that:

Amazon isn’t the problem. There are many, many other companies who support moral activities that we cannot support. Period.

The question of defining marriage is its own discussion. It is outside the bounds of this article to discuss that. However, I have been considering in more depth that the issue with gay marriage is actually one of relationship. Thank you to those of you who have reminded me of that. I’ll continue exploring it more and I may write about it.

I am a published author and my books are at Amazon, it is true. Because I am not a self-published author, where my books are sold and listed lies in the hands of my publishers (Ave Maria Press, Pauline Books & Media, and Liguori Publications), not in my own.

I appreciate those of you who have so kindly pointed me and challenged me to continue to noodle this subject. It is weighty and I believe the value in this lies in the ability to have serious discussion with charity.

Recently, I read Refuse to Do Nothing, and though I didn’t mention it here, it did deeply impact my purchase and support of coffee. It also made me aware of a subculture of slavery and how the very computer I’m using to type this on literally kills people on the other side of the world.

At the heart of all of this, I find solace in Divine Mercy. When I think of the wide-ranging evil in the world and in what seems to be an inevitable demise of culture, I remember what Jesus said more than anything else: “Don’t be afraid.” For me, this translates into hope and trust…and action.

Sometimes, the action I take is as simple (it seems to me) as a prayer. And that prayer can impact me later, I’ve found, because slowly, slowly, slowly my heart is moved and then my actions adjust.

I am a hypocrite. And a sinner. Those of you who have unrelentingly pointed that out are correct. If I position myself as anything other than those two things, let me be corrected and humbled here. Last weekend’s gospel about the tax collector and the Pharisee continues to speak to me as I reflect on the many ways in which I am part of the demise of others and how, when I focus too globally on a big picture, I can forget about the small people at my feet or the daily duties that demand my attention.

I propose that everyone who is moved by this topic, on whatever level and to whatever end, unite themselves with all of us in a Divine Mercy Chaplet. Presumably you are reading this and following the comments because you are concerned. Whether we agree on the exact details, we can unite in prayer. Turning to God, the one who truly knows what is best and desires all that is good, is the best for each of us, and will truly bring us closer to him.

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