This week, while home in Louisiana, I visited a friend of mine who has been faithfully working in the pro-life movement for many years. She has dedicated her time and energy to educating the public, especially the young, about the evils of abortion and those who promote it. Even her own health issues haven't dimmed her determination and dedication to spread the Gospel of Life. During our visit, she shared with me the news of a twenty-one week pre-born baby boy found in a dumpster at an abortion mill in Texas. I was horrified as I viewed the pictures of this precious child, broken, dismembered and disposed of as if he were a piece of common trash.
Her eyes were filled with pain and great sadness as she shared the account of how he was found. My heart too was heavy, and I remained speechless. After a few moments of silent reflection, she looked at me and said, "What are we do about this dreadful disease plaguing our world?" Then she added, "What do you think they will do with you or me, when they can so easily discard an innocent, defenseless child?"
I remember leaving her home that afternoon thinking about her questions and the story of this little boy whose life was snuffed out because he was unwanted, undesirable. I remember thinking about his grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins. They would not know him, or even know that he even existed.
The image of his torn body stuck in my mind throughout the evening. That night while I sat before the Blessed Sacrament, I thought of the reading from Exodus 22:20-26 which speaks about the widow and the orphan, and my God-given obligation toward them.This precious, innocent child, a gift of God, was murdered and discarded by his mother and father who were supposed to protect him, love him and shelter him. He depended upon them, but they abandoned him. Not only did his parents abandon him, but society did as well.
There are so many who increasingly face the rejection of love - the elderly, the seriously disabled, those struggling with mental problems, the poor, the victims of aggression and war, the dying, the sick: these are the anawim of today - those who seek God for deliverance.
"You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:40). If we only would see each other as neighbor, as a fellow sojourner, as one created by the same benevolent God, the world would be a very different place. No, I am not a dreamer. Whether the battle for Life is fought in the Philippines, Asia, Africa, Mexico, America, Canada, South America, Ireland, Spain, Russia, Italy, China, India, Australia or any other land, the solution remains the same. The promoters of the culture of death have gained footing because we have forgotten the core message of Jesus. We have forgotten the two commandments on which the law and prophets depend.
Our work in the defense of Life and the dignity of the person must continue on every front until we shatter the stronghold of death. We accomplish this task by reflecting the truth, the light and the love of God to every person we meet. We must again reclaim our responsibility for each other and not forget we are neighbor to each other. We must uphold the precious wonder of every life, assist those in need, feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, cloth the naked, welcome the stranger and care for the dying. Blessed Mother Teresa once said:
When a poor person dies of hunger it has not happened because God did not take care of him or her. It has happened because neither you nor I wanted to give that person what he or she needed.
Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat.
Blessed Teresa understood fully the illness and the remedy. Her solution was to embrace the beauty of humanity and remind the world of that beauty. She was unafraid and undaunted in her mission. I am grateful to my friend and the many like her who every day defend the dignity of Life and witness the transforming power of love. I am grateful to every person who willingly and lovingly cares for the sick and elderly, the poor and marginalized, to the husband and wife who are faithful to each other unto death, to the children who care for their elderly parents, to the parents who tend to their children with special needs, to those who every day work among the poorest of the world, to those who stand in solidarity with the forgotten and defenseless, to those who boldly sacrifice all for the life of their brothers and sisters.
The transformation of the world and the building up of a culture of life begins with people such as these. I close with the words of Archbishop Charles Chaput as he encourages those who work for the protection of Life:
Nothing we do to defend the human person, no matter how small, is ever unfruitful or forgotten. Our actions touch other lives and move other hearts in ways we can never fully understand in this world. Don't ever underestimate the beauty and power of the witness you give in your pro-life work. (Politics and the Devil: Living as Catholics in an Age of Unbelief, South Bend, Ind., April 8, 2011)
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Father Shenan J. Boquet
President, Human Life International
