We had quite a busy past week: spaghetti supper, breakfast, bingo, men’s group meeting, and everything that normally goes on besides. Thank you to everyone who participated and volunteered for all of these past events. They certainly help our parish and school thrive. This upcoming week is a little quieter.
This week many, including the seminarians and faculty of Our Lady of Providence Seminary, will attend the Pro-Life March in Washington D.C. It is an opportunity for me to answer the question: What does it mean to be pro-life? In a word, being pro-life means that everybody is a somebody. The fundamental claim of the pro-life movement is that human life begins at conception and continues until natural death. Practices such as abortion and euthanasia are therefore wrong, despite attempts to justify them. Such arguments do not stand up to philosophical, biological, and scientific scrutiny.
Being pro-life means that we support life in every part of life. Whether the immigrant or the citizen, the minority or the majority, the convict or the law abiding, the elderly or the young. Often, we hear the claim that pro-life people only care about life in the womb. That is 100% false. Throughout the country charities and organizations exist to help support new families. Here in RI, we have the Mother of Life Pregnancy Center and the Little Flower Home. Whether a family needs diapers or food, or even a place to live, these centers will provide. In the end we want a world in which every mother or father can choose life. Whether the ability to raise the child on their own or at the very least give the child to a caring home for adoption.
It means that we offer mercy, forgiveness and healing to the mother's, father's, doctors and nurses who had or performed an abortion. My biology professor in college reminded us: changing hearts and minds involves helping parents who have aborted their children come to grips with a horrifying truth: I have killed my child. This reminds us that we are not simply trying to win an argument. We are trying to heal souls. With the forgiveness and grace that comes from Christ that is possible. If you know of anyone who has had an abortion or participated in one don't simply bring arguments, bring Christ and his promise to make all things new.