Do we ever wonder what was in the hearts of those (relatives? friends?) who thought that Jesus might be out of his mind after hearing some of his preaching and teaching? Would it be on target to think to consider that these people simply did not get it? Today some would agree with their thinking; others would attribute ignorance to them, an ignorance our generation has overcome because of 20 centuries of reflection and prayer.
Today, thirty-eight years ago, the United States Supreme Court made straight the way for the taking of life from the to-be-born. Since that day and the continuing statistics of the number of such deaths, the Catholic Church and many other Christian and non-Christian believers have spoken out and marched to the Court's building on Capitol Hill to protest in a peaceful way the Roe v. Wade decision.
Along the route of the annual March for Life, advocates for the sanctity of all life will encounter signs and change rejecting the sanctity of unborn life. Perhaps there is a mutual and muted attitude between to the two stances: "They must be out of their minds." As we know there will be among those who approve of abortion and/or euthanasia members of our own faith. However, we know that the Church stands firm in its belief that Jesus taught that human life is sacred.
Most of us believe in the right to life especially the God-given life for those who cannot defend their own lives. Let us pray today and especially on Monday, the day of the 2011 March for Life, that there will be a change that guarantees that right to life we cherish in our Church as well as in our nation. Likewise, let us pray for the men and women who have brought about abortions: they, too, are children of God. Let us not forget the story Jesus used to teach us forgiveness and acceptance: the prodigal son who was wrapped in the arms of his father's extravagant love.
Your mission, my mission: let our lives of love and forgiveness be a power in our communities that will bring about a soften of hardened hearts.
