Throughout his missionary activity, St. Paul went around to the various regions of the Middle East and the Mediterranean preaching the Good News, sharing with others about the works of Jesus, and bringing people to conversion of heart. But he did that by not mincing his words. He spoke boldly, clearly, and passionately about the teachings of Christ. He encouraged others to follow the ways of the Lord, even in the midst of a culture that pushed ideologies and beliefs that were far from Christian ideals. Yes, he brought people to an experience of Jesus and, as a result, made many friends, establishing partners in ministry. But he also made a lot of enemies. On a number of occasions, he was thrown in jail for preaching the Gospel; some people even wanted to kill him. At every step of the way, people were trying to put roadblocks in his path as he sought to fulfill his mission.
In our Second Reading today, Paul is speaking very clearly to the people of Ephesus. He even goes so far as to remind them to not act like fools by following the evil ways of popular culture. He encourages them to not be ignorant about the ways of the Lord, but to strive to learn how they are called to follow the way of discipleship. He tells them to be filled with the Spirit, which is achieved by diving more deeply into the Scriptures, in prayer, and in gratitude. That’s the same message that we are receiving.
If we look at the world today, so often we are being encouraged to follow our own paths. Culture tells us to break off the shackles of religion, to abandon teachings that it says are repressive to personal freedom, and to embrace a way of life where our own way of thinking, our own beliefs, our own desires, our own feelings determine our reality. We see it in the way the culture urges us to be more tolerant of ways of life that 10, 15, 20 years ago would have been unthinkable, to be accepting of moral arguments that totally rebuke the principles of natural law, and to compromise on our Christian beliefs in order to “be more loving and compassionate.”
Now, Christian charity does mean that we seek to come to a better understanding of our brothers and sisters who are not of the same beliefs as we are, to find common ground to have a discussion about issues facing our culture so that we are then able to build a relationship with them that allows them to experience the presence of Christ. That’s still important…and, in fact, is more important today than ever before. But we always have to speak the Truth; we always have to be willing to be like St. Paul and not compromise on the central teachings of Christ and to bring those into the world.
So often, we’re afraid to give witness in the world; we’re afraid to challenge our family or our friends who aren’t living in accord with the teachings of the Church, with the ways of the Lord because we don’t want to offend them. And yet, by doing that, we offend Christ. So, we have to become those witnesses that boldly proclaim the love of Christ, that clearly articulate the teachings of the Church, that passionately call our society to conversion of heart.
We are in the midst of a very significant election year, an especially important one here in the State of Florida because of an issue that has been added to our November ballot – the abortion amendment. Now, I acknowledge that this is an incredibly divisive issue in the political sphere. I also acknowledge that there are some among us who are thinking, “Well, it’s about time the Church spoke out about this.” There are also some that might be thinking, “Father needs to stay in his lane and get out of politics.” In reality, the debate on abortion isn’t a political issue at all; it is, in fact, a moral one. And as a priest, it is my responsibility to communicate the teachings of the Church on these important moral issues and to help form the consciences of those who have been entrusted to me by the Church. And y’all, that is a responsibility that I take seriously. And I take it seriously because if I fail in that responsibility, there are eternal consequences for me.
On the issue of the sanctity of human life, the Church has been consistent and clear from the very beginning. It has denounced the practice of abortion since the first century, evidenced in the first writings of the Apostles. She has always taught that “human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception.” She holds that, “from the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person—among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life” (CCC 2270). It is our responsibility as Catholics to uphold that right and to advocate for the life of the unborn.
The Church reminds us that the defense of life is not merely a matter of religious belief but is inscribed in the heart of every person. It says: “The inalienable right to life of every innocent human individual is a constitutive element of a civil society and its legislation” (CCC 2273). That right must be recognized and respected by society and political authorities in every regard. It is a right that is given to every human person not by the State, but by God. It is a right that is given to us because of who we are, because we were created in the image and likeness of God, because we are His sons and daughters.
Throughout the last few weeks, we have been reflecting on the Bread of Life Discourse from the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John on Sundays. It has been a beautiful reminder to us of how the Lord continues to be with us in and through the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the greatest gift the Lord has given to the Church because it allows Him to still be present to us in physical form. It brings us back to the sacrifice that He made for us on the Cross – what He did for our salvation.
But I want to make a point here about something. Have you noticed how the abortion movement uses eerily similar words to the words that our Lord spoke at the Last Supper? At the Last Supper and at every single Mass that we attend, Jesus tells us: “This is my body.” The abortion movement tells us: “My body, my choice.” I came across this quote the other day about this point…it said “Abortion is actually the sacrament of Satan. Abortion says, ‘you must die so that I can live.’ But Christ says, ‘No, I must die so that you can live.’ [God] chooses to enter human history in a uterus of all places to redeem mankind from their sins. And this is why Peter Kreeft, a Catholic philosopher says, ‘Abortion is the demonic parody of the Eucharist. That is why it uses the same holy words, ‘This is my body,’ with the blasphemously opposite meaning.”[1]
Guys, do we really believe that it is a coincidence that the central phrase of the abortion movement and the culture of death are the same holy words that the Lord uses in the sacrifice of the Mass? It shows us that this battle is a spiritual one. It shows us just how important this is. And that is why we have to be willing to speak out. As Catholics, it is our duty to constantly renew our commitment to defend life, to be the voices for the voiceless, advocates for the unborn, and witnesses to the Gospel of Life in all that we say and do. This is not an easy task in a world that often rejects the truth, but it is our mission as followers of Christ.
I want to close by sharing a story. In the year 1920, Emilia, a 36-year-old mother who was pregnant with her third child went in for a doctor’s visit to discuss some complications she was having with her pregnancy. In that visit, the doctor advised her that, for her safety, the best course of action was to undergo an abortion. The mother was being forced “to choose between her own life and that of the baby she was carrying, but her deep faith did not allow [her] to choose abortion…Deep in her heart she had to be ready to make this sacrifice for the baby she was carrying.”[2] Desperate for a way out, the mother and her husband sought out the advice of another doctor, who told them that going forward with the pregnancy would be difficult, that it could result in the woman’s death and lead to other complications down the road. The two parents decided to move forward with the pregnancy.
The pregnancy was difficult. Emilia “spent most of her time lying down and still had less strength than usual.”[3] When the time came for her to have her child, “Emilia was in her apartment with her midwife while her husband and son went to take part in the prayer of the Divine Office in the church across the street. Emilia asked the midwife to open the window so that the first sound her newborn son would hear at birth was a song in honor of Mary.”[4] She gave birth to a healthy baby boy who would be named after his father, Karol. 58 years later, that baby would become Pope John Paul II.
Imagine for a moment what the Church and what the world would look like today, if Emilia had chosen the other option. We would not have been formed by someone who loved the Lord with all his heart; we would not have been instructed by one of the greatest minds the Church has ever known; we would not have been blessed to have John Paul II bring Christ to us. Thank God Emilia chose life. May we go out and encourage others to do the same.
[1] Seth Gruber, Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6sEFVANwaO/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
[2] Quote by Milena Kindziuk. Interview by Nancy Flanders for Live Action, “St. John Paul II’s mother refused to abort him to save her own life.” https://www.liveaction.org/news/st-john-paul-ii-mother-refused-abort/ Accessed 16 August 2024.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Nancy Flanders for Live Action, “St. John Paul II’s mother refused to abort him to save her own life.” https://www.liveaction.org/news/st-john-paul-ii-mother-refused-abort/ Accessed 16 August 2024.
Catechism of the Catholic Church
Photo: Dave Goudreau. Used under Unsplash license.
Fr. Tom Pringle 