(This homily was given by Bishop Paul S. Loverde during the Mass for Life at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington on Tuesday, Jan. 22. This article courtesy of the Arlington Catholic Herald.)
Those terrorist attacks on Sept. 11 were a horrendous example, unthinkable, unspeakable and unbelievable, of a deeply-rooted disrespect for life. We continue to react with horror.
However, disrespect for human life did not begin on Sept. 11. Long before that infamous day, human life has been increasingly devalued, attacked and, indeed, destroyed as the culture of death has been continuing to grow and to develop in our world and, regrettably, in this nation which we so dearly love.
We recall another day in the recent history of these United States: Jan. 22, 1973. On that day, 29 years ago, the Supreme Court published their decision Roe v Wade, a decision that opened the door to taking the life of innocent defenseless pre-born children. On that infamous day, abortion on demand became a legalized reality in this country. Since 1973, on the average each year, 1.3 million abortions have taken place – 1.3 million lives have been destroyed.
These 1.3 million deaths on the average each year since 1973 surely represent a massive attack on life. But, such destruction is not visible to us on television screens and in newspapers; it takes place each day in the invisible silence of communities and clinics across this land.
Do we not mourn for those innocent and defenseless children, whose lives have been crushed by abortion and then discarded? Do we not ask the Lord to bring these innocent and defenseless little ones to Himself in His own way and to heal us? After all, He tells us in Isaiah: “I will give full comfort to them and to those who mourn for them, I, the Creator, who gave them life.”
Yes, terrible tragedies occur every day when innocent lives are snuffed out. Although we deplore these acts of abortion, we must never hate those who have had abortions, nor those who assisted them or were the agents of this destruction of life. Hate propagates hate. If we are truly the disciples of the Lord Jesus, the Lord of Life, we must propagate the Gospel of Life. This Gospel reflects those traits described by St. Paul in our second reading: mercy, kindness, meekness, patience, forgiveness and, above all, love. To us who seek to propagate the Gospel of Life, St. Paul says: “Christ’s peace must reign in your hearts….”
We live in a culture which demands instant solutions to complex problems. We live in a society where abortion on demand is seen as an easy remedy to an unwanted pregnancy and a secure means of birth control. We live in a world where the gift of life is cheapened in so many ways. Within this context, are we surprised that people caught up in the conflicting emotions of deciding whether or not to have an abortion are too often swayed by the culture of death which envelops us all? This does not excuse the objective evil of abortion, but it does allow us to understand why people make the decisions they do.
Do we not want to prevent these mistaken decisions, swayed by the culture of death? We must assist those conflicted in making a decision by providing the opportunity to be counseled in crisis pregnancy centers whose philosophy is totally pro-life. We must educate by pointing out clearly and objectively the facts regarding the life-issues. We must elect and support pro-life leaders who will uphold and protect the basic right to life of every human person, pre-born and born. Do we not want to support and heal those terribly troubled by their decision to have an abortion? We must be supportive of them by providing the opportunity to be healed through Project Rachel. Remember! We are the disciples of Christ who proclaimed blessed in the gospels those who are sorrowing, lonely, and hungry for righteousness, those who show mercy, who are single hearted, who make peace and who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. How blest we are when we stand up for the littlest in God’s Kingdom, the pre-born who are innocent and defenseless.
We celebrate Mass to pray the most powerful prayer we have: the Eucharistic Sacrifice in which Jesus proclaims the Living Word of God and renews His Dying and Rising in our midst. We assemble to ask Him, especially in that intimate union, which is Holy Communion, to give us both wisdom and strength. We need wisdom to see human life through the eyes of Truth and to respond to the Gospel of Life with the strength of fortitude.
Our prayer empowers us to respond to the challenge of our Holy Father recorded in his encyclical The Gospel of Life. “What is urgently called for is a general mobilization of consciences and a united ethical effort to activate a great campaign in support of life. All together we must build a new culture of life” (n. 95).
Our participation in this great campaign in support of life, beginning with the first moment of life at conception, takes place every day. To support and to deepen our efforts, we bishops of the United States have reaffirmed and revised A Pastoral Plan for Pro-Life Activities: A Campaign in Support of Life. Its four inter-related components are these: Public Information and Education, Pastoral Care, Public Policy and Prayer and Worship. But, a plan remains lifeless until living people make it their own. I urge you to become familiar with the details of this four-pronged Pastoral Plan and give it concrete implementation within your sphere of influence and activity.
Our most honest and deepest reaction to Sept.11 was and remains the protection and defense of all human life, its nurturance and its being treasured from conception to natural death. This reaction energizes us as Christ’s disciples and members of the Body of Christ to be unrelentingly and unabashedly pro-life every day wherever we are, not with anger and revenge, but with compassion and forgiveness; not with negative images and harsh words, which tear down, but with positive words and actions, which build up and give life.
United with Christ, who is the Lord of Life and united with one another as His disciples, we make our own the concluding affirmation in our recently revised Pastoral Plan: “Our own commitment will not waiver. Our efforts will not cease. We will speak out on behalf of the sanctity of life wherever and whenever it is threatened.” In this way, the prayerful wish of Pope John Paul II will become evermore a reality: “May the ‘people of life’ constantly grow in number and may a new culture of love and solidarity develop for the true good of the whole of human society” (The Gospel of Life, n. 101).
To this, we proudly and resolutely give our assent: Amen! Let it be!
