There is a book I read called What I Met Along the Way, by Brother Andrew, a Jesuit priest who helped Mother Teresa set up the male part of her order. In this book he describes his journeys around the world visiting all the different communities. One of the things that is really striking, is that in the poorest of countries he always met the most joy in people. Even countries where there is terrible violence and injustice, sometimes with people being kidnapped and killed by the government, the ‘Disappeared’ as they are called, even there he met such joy in people. In first world countries he met the most despair, anger, hatred and loneliness. We are materially rich, but often spiritually very poor and it does just as much damage as material poverty.
In many assisted living homes for the elderly, where they are so well looked after materially, there is often terrible loneliness, because people have been abandoned by family. We need the love of other people because we have been created for love.
When Mother Teresa of Calcutta was invited to speak at Harvard University, do you know what she spoke about? Abortion. In many of her public addresses to people, such as at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC, she primarily spoke about abortion. She says that abortion is the greatest threat to peace in our world. As long as mothers are prepared to kill their own children, how can we ask grown adults not to kill each other. In India she continually asks women not to have abortions, but to give up those children for adoption to so many couples who long to have a child, but are unable.
As long as a child is seen as an inconvenience, it means that we are focused on ourselves only. But God is asking us to give of ourselves until it hurts. He gave of himself until it hurts, even to the point of death. An unexpected pregnancy may well turn a woman, or a couple’s plans on their head, but this is a sacrifice that we are being asked to make.
If we remember that at the conception of each human being, an immortal soul is created, a soul that will be in God’s presence for all eternity, that will change our outlook on how we see a pregnancy. In New York, they recently passed a law that allows a woman to have an abortion up to full term, which means that a fully grown baby about to be born, can be killed in the womb. How can we have peace in our world and in our society as long as we are prepared to do that?
The other side of this is that many women, probably the majority, have abortions under severe pressure from boyfriends, or family. How do I know that? because so many women have told me this in confession. I have yet to meet any woman who didn’t regret it. Even several decades later they still carry that terrible pain, because we instinctively know that this is wrong. This could never come from God. If you were able to ask Jesus if this was the right decision, what would he say to you? The answer is obvious. Our task here is also to try and bring healing to women who have been hurt by abortion. I have no doubt whatsoever, that it is the greatest evil in our world and the greatest sin against God. Satan wants to destroy God’s creation and what better place to start than at the very beginning of human life.
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| Attempt to burn Mexico city cathedral, Sep 2019 |
Recently I watched a video of a young couple receiving a new born baby for adoption. It was such an amazing site. Everyone in the room was in tears for the joy of what was happening. That is what God wants for us, the joy of life.
So we will continue to work hard for the preservation and dignity of life at all its stages. It is God’s greatest gift to us.
‘I have come that you may have life and have it to the full.'
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