To suffer with the other and for others; to suffer for the sake of truth and justice; to suffer out of love and in order to become a person who truly loves-these are fundamental elements of humanity, and to abandon them would destroy man himself. Yet once again the question arises: are we capable of this? Is the other important enough to warrant my becoming, on his account, a person who suffers? Does truth matter to me enough to make suffering worthwhile? Is the promise of love so great that it justifies the gift of myself? The saints were able to make the great journey of human existence in the way that Christ had done before them, because they were brimming with great hope. (Pope Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi 39)
Seeing Dan unpack himself from the tiny VW Bug was a sight. He must be six foot five and is very broad shouldered. He must have played football. But on this cool and damp day outside the abortion mill in Wisconsin, it is Dan's warm smile and gentleness that leave the strongest impression.
He was just one of the unsung 40 Days for Life prayer warriors outside a tragically busy abortion mill in a poor part of Milwaukee. Although we were able to meet for a short while after praying, I was unable to figure out what brings him so often to this dark place, and how he can do it with an obvious love and joy. That is, with so much hope.
A heart filled with love and hope can do amazing things -- primarily by being united with the will of the Lord of Life. In his second encyclical, Pope Benedict gives all people of good will a great deal to think and pray about on the subject of hope -- an authentic, Christian hope that is both in the heart of the one who hopes and is beyond the failings of his own life and the situations in which he finds himself. To understand both the reality of the darkness of so much of our current world and the power and love of God is no doubt very difficult. Like the other theological virtues, charity and faith, hope takes a lot of effort on our part, but ultimately it comes as a gift from the One who gives all good things.
Understanding the ugly truth of what goes on in an abortion mill is what moves people of faith to get up off their chairs and onto the street. How can we sit still while this goes on? And, as importantly, how do we not get overwhelmed by the despair and pain of it all?
Here is where suffering comes in. This is the paradox pointed to by the Holy Father, long seen in the lives of the saints, and evident in the silent prayerful witness of 40 Days for Life volunteers. To step out of your comfort zone, to encounter and to a certain extent share in the suffering that exudes from a place where unborn children are murdered, is to take a step toward true hope, and to bring it to others. We do this through prayer, since we often don't have a chance to actually meet the women whose suffering drives them to choose something that should not be a choice at all, a choice for despair and hopelessness.
By suffering we are united with Our Lord, who suffered and died for us. We do this not only while praying outside the mill, but in myriad ways in our own lives -- difficult relationships, physical pain, uncertainty over the future... we truly cannot save ourselves from all of it. But to learn that Our Lord is present to us in our suffering -- even especially in our suffering -- is to move closer to Him, and to open ourselves to the Grace that He wants to give us.
This doesn't make suffering "good," by the way. Suffering can come in so many forms, often under the most unjust and troubling circumstances. But suffering does not have the last word! We know Who does. He is our hope and our salvation, and these do not come from the next bright idea or pain pill or lottery ticket.
By being present, even silently and prayerfully so, outside an abortion clinic during this 40 Days for Life, we have an opportunity to make our hope and faith, as the Holy Father puts it, performative, that is, where it moves us into action. Hope must not be just a feeling that comes and goes. If it is real, it truly moves us toward greater Faith and Love, it helps us to endure suffering.
That's what I see when I join other pro-lifers outside the clinic, and it is probably the greatest "perk" of this whole 40 Days for Life campaign. Without a doubt, the campaign has had many fruits - dozens of workers who have quit the mills, over 20 mills closed, and thousands of lives saved! But we show up to pray whether or not we get to see any of these great things, because it isn't us who makes it happen. It is Him.
If you haven't already, please consider joining your local 40 Days for Life campaign. Live your faith, your love and your hope. We ask the giver of all virtues to give us a hope that is performative -- that truly moves us to do what is good and just. And let's unite our suffering with His suffering, for a true good of ending abortion and changing the hearts of those who still suffer under the delusion that they are exercising or defending a "right" that somehow helps women. Let these women see our hope, and our willingness to share it with them.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Father Shenan J. Boquet
President, Human Life International
