Marching for life as a way of life

“Mother Teresa, do you think there will ever be woman president in the United States?” Mother Teresa respond immediately and without missing a beat, “NO,” she said, “you already aborted her.”

The March for Life in Washington DC is complete, and the Church militant (you and I) are now prepared to carry God’s truth and love into our communities. And while this may seem impossible in an already-packed schedule, it is easier than it appears. What we need to do now is support one another and those around us in the smallest of ways:

Help parents, especially single parents in your family, neighborhood, church or workplace: offer to babysit; take in their kids after school so the kids aren’t raised in childcare or at home alone; bring them dinner once a week or, better yet, invite them to dinner. Invite them into the normalcy of family life, with all its flaws and brokenness.

Share small nuggets of truth at every opportunity: killing babies with abortion does not stop generational patterns of dysfunction that often lead people into what they think is a ‘crisis’ situation. However, Christian pregnancy clinics have parenting classes and connections with other services so as to stop generational abuse and dysfunction in their family. Not only do they experience the joy of parenting, they have the joy of knowing they made a difference in their family line and hope for their own children. Sharing our faith sprouts hope and love. 😊

Walk with a family in need: as states roll back abortion laws, there will be greater need to walk with expectant parents. We must continue to support current pregnancy clinics but also need to create more ministries for after-birth support. The best support of all, though, is to personally help someone in this situation.

Most importantly, pray the rosary. It is wonderful to pray with our Christian brethren of other traditions. However, no one can pray the rosary except Catholics. If we don’t pray it, who will? We must always take our Catholic responsibilities as our priority. Saints and exorcists alike cannot emphasize enough the importance of this both for our own growth in relationship with Jesus and to battle Satan’s work in the world.

“If I were not a Catholic, and were looking for the true Church in the world today, I would look for the one Church which did not get along well with the world; in other words, I would look for the Church which the world hated.” (Venerable Fulton J. Sheen)

The person-to-person relationship building requires being vulnerable to one another, and that can be daunting. We live in a society that keeps us constantly busy such that, even though spending time physically with one another, we are not fully with one another in heart. A remarkable thing happens when we spend daily time in silent prayer with Jesus. Our priorities become more clear, it is easier to let go of the small stuff, and life slows down to a healthy rhythm. Navigating through the craziness of our society becomes less confusing and having difficult conversations with others less stressful. As Cardinal Sarah put it, we become ‘silence’ as the stillness of God manifests Himself in us. Truth and wisdom become incarnate in us once again, for Jesus said “I AM the truth”, and through John’s gospel prologue He teaches us that He is wisdom personified. 

Let us also continue praying for Pope Francis, all clergy and religious, and our worldwide Holy Mother Church as we support one another in this spiritual communion through Jesus. 

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to think in harmony with one another, in keeping with Christ Jesus, that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 15:5-6)

 Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam 😊

(Image: baby by Oleg Sergeichik; March for life by Tessa Rampersad; both via Unsplash)