Celebrating the Gift of Life on January 22nd
Today is January 22nd. That means people have gathered for the March for Life in Washington, DC. I heard on the radio this morning that they are expecting 650,000 people, a massive display for the gift of life. The March For Life is not specifically a Catholic event. There were numerous Masses last night and this morning in Washington, DC for life with many bishops, priests, and faithful Catholic parishioners attending but there are numerous other denominations and groups attending.
With January 22nd being the anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision allowing abortions, the March for Life focuses on life in the womb. It is our faith that life begins at conception. Even biologically speaking, at conception a living being is formed with a unique generic makeup that has never been seen before and will never be repeated.
People choose to have an abortion for various reasons. Some have an abortion seeing the child in the womb as an inconvenience to be eliminated. They do not see the baby as a life. There are sometimes medical issues involved. We must still value the life in the womb. There are women who choose abortion because they fear they will not be able to provide for the child once it is born. Much is said against abortion. Indeed, much must be said against abortion but if we want to stand up for life in the womb, we must stand up for all life.
This means offering support to parents with new children. It also means helping people to see value in their own lives. When I was in seminary, I remember a conversation I had with a person at I place I volunteered at it. He actually said to me that he felt he would have been better off if his mother had chosen to have an abortion when she was pregnant with him. He didn’t have a great life growing up, had fallen into drugs, and ended up with HIV. Certainly all troubling things but life itself is still a gift. We need to help people see the good in life.
Let us pray all cherish the gift of life.
Peace,
Fr. Jeff