Sharing an Experience

During the announcements at our Masses this past weekend I encouraged parishioners to attend the “Stand For All Life” event that has been advertised in our recent bulletins.  The event was organized by the group, Chemung Valley 4 Life.  The event is just one hour and requires little effort.  It is a chance to witness to the value of life. 

What would you guess this event was like? 

Do you picture people blocking access to facilities?  Do you picture people stopping traffic or pedestrians?  Do you picture counter protestors and people yelling at each other? 

If that is what you think this event was like, you are “mostly” wrong on every account (one passerby yelled).  We did not block access to any facility.  No one made any attempt to stop traffic or pedestrians.  In fact, the instructions say to stay between the curb and sidewalk so as to not interfere with traffic or pedestrians.  Interfering with vehicle traffic and pedestrian movement only serves to upset people and does not promote a prolife attitude. 

There were no counter protestors.  In fact, there was only about ten people present.  Five from our parishes (including myself) and five people from neighboring towns who are part of the Chemung Valley 4 Life group.  I pray for more people to witness to life in the future. 

Was there any yelling?  No one from our parishes or the Chemung Valley 4 Life group did any yelling.  In fact, the general instructions say to focus on prayer for this particular event.  (Some similar events might have participants handing out materials or speaking to people to explain our prolife teaching.)  While we did not do any yelling, shorter after we started, I did hear someone yelling but I could not understand them.  It is possible it was someone going past who objected to our prolife activities.  For this event, the proper response by participants to any such yelling is to pray and avoid engaging in any negativity. 

The response to our taking a stand for life was not all negative.  A number of people gave a friendly toot of their vehicle horn in affirmation of our stance.  We were ten people, five standing on each side of the street, but we were not alone in our thinking.  If we were not handing out prolife materials, what was our purpose?  For me, it was to simply to witness to the value of life. 

Participants were welcome to bring their own signs.  In this case, I think all participants used signs provided by the organizers.  You could pick from several different signs.  I saw signs that invited people to pray for an end to abortion.  Recognizing that being prolife is much more than just being against abortion, other signs were more general with the message that life is the first unalienable right (as listed in our U.S. Declaration of Independence).  There were other signs.  As a priest wearing my Roman collar, I chose a sign with a different perspective.   

Abortion is wrong.  It is a sin.  Assisted suicide is wrong.  It is a sin.  The death penalty is also a sin against the dignity of life.  To ignore the human needs for everyone to have adequate food, clothing, and a place to life goes against the dignity of life.  These are all wrong but we need to be careful to not stand in condemnation.  To stand in condemnation against those who engage in these sins might make us like the Pharisees and scribes to whom Jesus says, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.  You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men.  You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter” (from the gospel reading for Mass yesterday).  While sin is wrong, to stand in condemnation locks them and us out of the Kingdom of Heaven.  We are called to witness to the dignity of life. 

We are also called to forgive and to bring healing from sin.  What did the sign I held say?  “Jesus forgives and heals.”  It was my prayer that someone who has had an abortion, engaged in assisted suicide, or sought the death penalty would see the sign I held and realize that God stands ready to forgive them and heal the wounds in their heart if they repent. 

There was a pedestrian who passed by on the courthouse side of the street where I stood that repeated the same phrase to each one of our participants as she passed by.  She spoke with determination, but her words were not angry words.  What did she say?  “How about helping the children after they are born?” 

How did I respond?  I simply said, “absolutely!” 

She is correct.  One cannot be wholly prolife without respecting the dignity of all life from the moment of conception in the womb until natural death.   

If we want to end to end abortion, then we must do our part to eliminate reasons that women choose to have an abortion.  One of the reasons that leads some parents to have an abortion is a fear that they do not have the means to care for the child.  If we help them by providing food, clothing, diapers, etc., we can help eliminate the perceived need for abortion.  (At the same time, we are offering Corporal Works of Mercy as Jesus describes in Matthew 25:31-46.) 

In the same way, if we want to eliminate assisted suicide, we need to eliminate the perceived need for assisted suicide.  Some choose assisted suicide to avoid pain.  There is clearly physical pain, which can be managed through palliative care.  There is also emotional pain if they feel alone and abandoned in their suffering.  Here we need to offer accompaniment.  We need to be present to the dying.  They need help.  They need love.  Comfort care homes are a gift when suffering is present as death nears.  Are you called to volunteer in comfort care homes or to work in hospice care? 

There can also be spiritual pain, wondering if there is life after death.  Here we can offer them the hope of the Resurrection.  If they already know of the Resurrection, they might fear being worthy to enter Heaven.  Here we assure them of God’s mercy won for us through Jesus’ death on the Cross. 

No one person is called to answer the call to support life in every stage from conception until natural death.  Some are called to provide support for life in the womb.  Some provide for needs like food and shelter throughout life.  Others support end of life care.  Some stand in public for the dignity of our life, pointing out sins against life (see Ezekiel 3:17-21).  How is God calling you to support life? 

For more on Catholic prolife teaching, I invite you to watch my prolife series, Treating Life with Dignity and Love. 

Peace, 

Fr. Jeff