The people in darkness have seen a great light. What a joyful message to all people who choose to accept this light. And yet, there is still so much darkness to be dispelled. We celebrate this Mass several days after the annual DC March for Life. An event necessitated by the continuation of the mass killing of the most vulnerable among us.
The last time I checked the statistics, there had been over 61 million children denied the chance to simply be born and take their first breath on their own. That is ten times the number of Jewish souls lost in the holocaust, and almost three times the number of souls lost during the communist revolution and purges that took place after the second world war. There has never been a singular genocide in history that has exceeded this value, and yet it continues to this day. As a people, we are incensed when we hear of genocides occurring in other societies, yet we ignore the most profound darkness that we ourselves allow to continue in our own country.
So, when we hear the words “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”, I would have to question just how much of that we have actually taken to heart as we allow this to continue. Yet, the message of repentance, and of the light that has come into the world, should still give us both hope and joy. This is especially true for those wounded by the sin of abortion. More often than not, that choice to end a pregnancy is one of desperation and ignorance of the ramifications of the act itself. Yet the fallout and implications of the act affects several lives– those of the mother, father, and the brief life of the child. I have seen and experienced myself the guilt and inability to forgive oneself after having committed this act. It can last our entire lives and drag us into profound despair if we do not seek forgiveness and help. Yet God in his mercy has given us the light of His son, Jesus Christ, who took upon himself all our sins, past, present, and future, and purchased our forgiveness at a tremendous price, because of the love that he has for each one of us. There is no sin, that He will not forgive. No matter what it is, no matter how many times it has occurred, if we are truly repentant, he will forgive us – even when we have trouble forgiving ourselves. Yet, we must also keep in mind, that the act of sometimes not accepting His forgiveness because of our own feelings of guilt, is a sin in and of itself. We are then doubting God’s ability to forgive because unlike our own abilities, it is limitless. This does not mean we forget our sins, some of them burn deep, and are a reminder to us of what can happen when we are not vigilant in following God’s path. They can motivate us to seek change, both in ourselves, and in others whom we either see as proliferating the same sin or perhaps being vulnerable to committing it.
So, on this Sunday following the March for Life, I would invite anyone who has experienced the sin of abortion, to seek counsel and healing, beginning with the Sacrament of Reconciliation, but also continuing with additional counseling that is much needed, whether you realize it or not. There are many resources available, including Project Rachel, and others that you can participate in. Some of these are individual encounters, others are in a group format, so you may very well be helping others by participating. If you have questions or are afraid to talk about it, it sometimes helps to talk to someone else who is responsible for the same sin, and has perhaps shared your feelings – you are welcome to start with me. There are also resources available through our pro-life and social outreach ministries who can work with you.
To those among us who are younger and are the most vulnerable to the rhetoric and arguments presented by organizations like Planned Parenthood, and others, I would ask you with the most extreme urgency to always find another solution. The seemingly easy out that these proponents of death provide, will scar you for life. Their arguments are incredibly persuasive to those who are vulnerable and desperate, but I promise you, they are hollow, and you will regret such a choice. Please listen to those of us who have already found this out and learn from our mistakes.
There are many options available today, that allows you to choose life, even if you are not ready to become a permanent parent yourself. To all of us who are parents of a younger person, who is vulnerable to this situation, and that means pretty much all parents at some point in time, we must talk to our children about this. It is not a comfortable conversation, but it is critical, nonetheless. We must make them understand that we will not reject them for their decisions, we will not abandon them when they need us most, and we will work with them to seek a better option than death.
All life is sacred, this goes far beyond the issue of abortion, we must respect life in all phases. The yet to be born, the infirm, and the aged, all must be protected. We must also acknowledge and ensure the dignity and sanctity of life of those imprisoned, those who are on the fringes of society, and those who seek refuge in our land. God has a plan for all his children, and when we do not respect and protect any of those, we are then guilty of violating the two foundational commandments. Love God, and love one another, because we are all created in his image. All of our beliefs in the Sacraments, and in the building of His Church – the body of Christ, are predicated on the person being there to receive them or to participate. There is no middle ground with this issue. Yet this simple foundational precept too often seems to divide us both socially and politically. Those doctrines, either social or political, are secondary to what we believe in as Catholics. We place God first in all things, and we do not allow other points of view to eclipse His commands.
When this country was founded, it was founded to allow all people a chance to live and to thrive, and to be accepted into it, and within it. It was founded as a refuge for those seeking freedom, safety, and dignity of life. If our founding fathers could see what we have turned this vision into, I suspect they would question both our morality and our sanity. We are deeply divided in this country, by an artificial chasm between what we call the “left” and the “right”. This is nonsense and a deception to draw us away from unity when what we really should be looking at is simply right from wrong, and this begins with the most fundamental of moral obligations – respecting God’s creations. In the realm of this country’s current politics, we hear arguments made that try to persuade us that the values and ideals provided by a particular candidate, or organization overshadow their stance on the sanctity and dignity of all life. I do not agree, those other values they are proponents of mean nothing to those who are not here to benefit from them, and if we as a people are willing to accept them at the cost of the lives of others, then we are guilty of the greatest selfishness. Mother Teresa of Calcutta likely summed it up best, when she was speaking about the global inequality of resources being used, though I think it applies here as well. She said, “it is a poverty that others must die, so that you may live as you wish”.
The Deacons Bench 