April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
RESPECT LIFE MONTH
The truth about life
I suppose that, in this day and age, it is inevitable that some good, Catholic men and women have been taken in by the half-truths of the popular culture. Being pro-choice sounds so tolerant. It sounds enlightened. It is definitely the prevailing opinion of the culture and the in-crowd. It gives the impression that a person wants to live peacefully with others who have different opinions and viewpoints.
But the whole truth of the matter is that the pro-choice position fails to see the horror of the sin of abortion.
Much of what passes for logic among those who support legalized abortion is nothing more than the advancing of half-truths, shrouded in nice-sounding slogans and emotionally-charged calls for compassion for women's rights. These arguments do more to delude the listener than to reveal the truth - because the one unalterable fact about abortion needs to be covered up: With every abortion, a human life is taken.
All argument for legalized abortion cannot change that truth: An innocent child's life is stopped and over.
Most civilized people can live comfortably with this truth. This is the reason so many women who have had abortions - and men who have encouraged them - suffer from guilt and depression. "Post-abortion syndrome: is defined as deep, unyielding grief over abortion. It sometimes includes clinical depression, nightmares or even suicide attempts.
We can tell ourselves lies and choose to believe them for a while, but as the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, "No lie can live forever." This troubling fact fuels a deep pain that lasts until one comes to face the truth and enter into repentance and healing.
Consistently proclaiming the dignity of every human life, the Church opposes abortion and efforts to legalize abortion rights. Yet, when legalization of abortion began in the early 1970s in this country, the Church immediately reached out to post-abortive women and men affected by abortion.
Post-abortion healing programs are offered in every diocese in the country. Of critical importance, the Church calls those who suffer from the pain of abortion to partake of the sacrament of reconciliation (confession) so that peace with God may be obtained. Confession and psychological help are only a phone call away.
The Church's effort to tell the whole truth about abortion continues in a climate where half-truths abound. "Every woman has a right to control her own body:" On the face of it, who would dare oppose such a basic right? But is the unborn child a part of the woman's body, like a liver or pancreas? No. The child in the womb is genetically distinct from the mother, has its own blood supply and brain waves, and can even be a different gender (if a boy). Why are abortion proponents controlling that child's body?
It is my hope and prayer that Catholics will not be seduced by the many half- and superficial truths being voiced in all arenas of society today. This month, when the Church preaches the Gospel of Life in depth, listen again to the clean and deeply truthful advice of a mother: All human life is sacred, from conception to natural death. We need to protect innocent and defenseless human life. Abortion is morally reprehensible. Choice cannot trump this deeper truth.
Our message is indeed countercultural. But it is illogical to be pro-choice. The whole truth is underneath the spin and the surface.
(Father Morrette is pastor of All Saints on the Hudson parish in Mechanicville/Stillwater.)[[In-content Ad]]
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