Two years ago, as I began to grow in my faith and develop a
deeper prayer life, I discerned the call to serve in the parish’s Respect Life
Committee. Questions and issues related
to the respect of human life have always held a special place in my heart and
in my prayers. Nonetheless, it was not
an easy thing to discern or decide. My
family and I have only been in our parish for a few short years, and I am a
mother to three children under the age of five. With so little time, energy, and ministry
leadership experience, I didn’t feel ready or able to lead anything.
God had different plans, however, and He led me to reflect
on a quote by Edmund Burke: “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for
good men to do nothing.” I began to ask
myself, “If not me, then who?” I knew
that it was not enough to hold my faith and my passion for the protection of
life quietly at home. It became much
clearer to me that Catholics are called to live out the faith through works of
mercy in the world (see James 2). God led
me to accept the call to serve in a tangible way, not just through private
piety.
Once I committed, there was another obstacle. Because of my passion, I was tempted to try
to boil the ocean, so to speak. Yet,
because of my limited resources, I would not be able to do all that I wanted or
intended. So I had to make prayer the
foundation of my engagement in this ministry.
The Respect Life Committee continually prays that the Holy Spirit and
our Blessed Mother guide our efforts, focusing them where they desire.
The Spirit has led us to engage in 40 Days for Life as a
primary event for this ministry. 40 Days
for Life is a bi-annual worldwide campaign of prayer and fasting to end
abortion. Each spring and fall, at the
largest local abortion clinic (and at home), people pray, fast, and minister to
women and children who are in crisis pregnancies. For those, like me, who engage in this
ministry season after season, it is always inspiring when we hear uplifting
stories in which the mother had a change of heart and saved the life of her
child. It is also extremely powerful
when women who are recovering from abortions express regret for their choice,
and begin to pray with the 40 Days campaign for other women and babies.
Each woman has a unique situation that has brought her to
consider abortion, but there are some common threads in every story. Many women have little or no support from
family or community. Having a baby
probably seems impossible because no one tells the women that choosing life is
a reasonable option. They become
isolated. The presence of people who
pray for and support these women demonstrates that there is another choice, the
choice of life. Some women can and will
choose to walk in a different direction (literally away from the clinic doors),
when they see that someone will support them and listen to their stories. Therefore, this ministry seeks to end
isolation as much as anything else. When
people feel loved and in community, they don’t choose abortion.
The 40 Days for Life prayer vigil also serves the broader
community. We pray for the employees of
the clinics. If the employees desire to
leave that industry, there are related ministries that assist them. We help the local crisis pregnancy centers
with their resource needs, and we always refer women to them who would
otherwise choose abortion. We serve
people who pass by on the streets by raising awareness and answering questions
about abortion with good, accurate information. Finally, we serve others in the pro-life
community. We share time and resources, and
we encourage each other with stories of hope.
Because, without hope and in isolation, people can easily become
discouraged and give up on this ministry.
The 40 Days for Life ministry has transformed the pro-life
movement, especially in the United States.
In a culture that is very argumentative and divisive (especially in the
media news outlets), pro-life activities and presentations can be grossly
misunderstood. However, this ministry
answers the Church’s call to break down barriers, to forget distractions of
finger-pointing, and serve the women and children of our society who are really
hurting. This ministry involves people
praying, not protesting. It paints a
picture of life, not death. It is
coordinated by people who truly love others and seek to engage them instead of
being judgmental or hateful. This
movement focuses on reducing the demand for abortion by offering love and
support to women in difficult situations so that they do not mistakenly believe
their only option is to kill their unborn child.
Without a doubt, this ministry is founded on religious
freedom, the freedom that every human being has to seek, know, love, and serve
God. This freedom is not limited to
worship inside a sanctuary, but it includes the freedom to speak in public
about things of faith; to pray in public with people of similar beliefs; to act
in a way that exhibits the faith we hold in our hearts, including the Respect
Life ministry and the 40 Days for Life vigil. In our own age, it is becoming more difficult
to minister without restriction.
Violations of religious freedom will make it more difficult to provide
hope to women entering abortion clinics, and it will prevent us from sharing
Christ’s love as our Lord requires of His disciples.
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