+JMJ+
On Friday (June 24th) I was flooded with memories and emotions as I heard the news that the Supreme Court had issued its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson (overturning Roe v. Wade). I thought of the first time I attended the March for Life, in Washington D.C., with the Students for Life from Purdue University. I thought of the numerous times I marched with seminarians from Mount St. Mary’s Seminary when I served as the chair of our “Life and Justice” committee. I remember standing outside abortion clinics in Maryland and Indianapolis, praying alongside others, but silently wondering if my prayers and presence were making a difference. I thought of the tense moment at our State House, following the March for Life in Indianapolis, when I about lost my cool with a gentleman who was berating me. I have to admit I had doubted whether or not we would see this day in my lifetime, so there were a lot of emotions when I heard the news on Friday.
As I walked out of our parish office I looked up to heaven and simply said, “Thanks be to God”, and about that same time my phone began to light up. Text messages from family and friends. My cousin was at the Supreme Court, a friend from college had just heard the news, but then the thought struck me… we still have a lot of work to do. We must pray for our state legislatures and more importantly for a change of heart. As a parishioner and I recently discussed, we need more than just laws governing our nation, we need to form individuals’ consciences. It’s not just about what we do, but about why we do, and so I began thinking about St. Teresa of Calcutta and St. John Paul II who both championed the dignity of the human person.
In these past 24-48 hours I’ve been praying for the 10’s of millions of souls who have lost their innocent lives since 1973. I’ve been praying for the women (mothers) and men (fathers) who mourn the choice they have made. It has bothered me that very little I’ve been reading mentions ministries like Project Rachel, a ministry that helps individuals find healing after an abortion. We must temper justice with mercy, and as a priest I’ve come to know more clearly the burden of regret that countless men and women carry in their hearts and minds and so we pray for reconciliation and healing.
Looking ahead, beyond praying for our state legislatures as they enact laws regulating abortion, we must also acknowledge and address other “pro-life” issues: racism, poverty, immigration, contraception, euthanasia, capital punishment, bioethics and health care. All of these are also related to the dignity of the human person and I hope we can continue discussing these issues as well. As our bishop’s recently stated, “Now is the time to begin the work of building a post-Roe America. It is a time for healing wounds and repairing social divisions; it is a time for reasoned reflection and civil dialogue, and for coming together to build a society and economy that supports marriages and families, and where every woman has the support and resources she needs to bring her child into this world in love.”
Thanks be to God! And let us pray to God that we may indeed remain faithful to the Gospel as we strive to love God and our neighbors.
Fr. Adam Mauman
Pastor