My Thoughts On Life Chain Fall 2014

Life Chain's Fall Effort: me to the left with two other pro-lifers

Today's post is a follow up on the Life Chain Fall'2014 effort that took place on October 5th between 2:00pm to 3:00pm at Highway 7 and Islington Avenue, here in Woodbridge, Ontario. I had the privilege of witnessing with a small but dedicated group of pro-lifers. It was encouraging to witness with like minded Catholics who have an acute understanding of the urgency with which we need to make the truth about abortion known, that is, the killing of a developing human being in the womb. I congratulate all those who were in attendance for making the effort to help save lives and convert nonbelievers. I also thank those who wanted to be there but for what ever reason could not attend, yet were with us in spirit. Thank you to all those who were united with us in prayer and who prayed for us as well.

As Catholic laity we are called to put faith into action. It is not enough for us to know and live our faith in our own lives, we have to share our gift of faith and make it known to others. To quote scripture, "What good is a faith that does nothing in practice. It is thoroughly lifeless." (James 2:17) Life Chain is part of our Labouring In The Vineyard For The Unborn and Nonbelievers. By doing so we evangelize in our community by publicly denouncing the evil of abortion and identifying it as a threat to the value and inviolability of human life.

If you are new to Life Chain, it is a silent public prayer effort whereby participants witness against the the evil of abortion by holding signs that typically read, "Abortion Kills Children." While doing so, we typically pray the Rosary either as an individual recitation or more commonly as a group one. Our witness doesn't necessarily yield any immediate tangible results, but we do it with faith, trust and confidence in Jesus and Mary's intercession that lives will be saved and people will be converted. 

Life Chain location at Hwy. 7 and Islington Avenue.

Helping to save lives and conversion is what Life Chain is all about. Sadly we have had abortion in Canada for forty five years. Abortion was ushered in through a political process whereby the passing of the 1969 Omnibus Bill in the House of Commons permitted hospitals to perform "therapeutic abortions." This was eventually followed by a Supreme Court decision in 1988, that struck down section 251 of the Criminal Code, effectively removing any abortion law in Canada. The court decision was the result of a constitutional challenge by the infamous Dr. Henry Morgantaler who successfully sought the removal all legal barriers to abortion. Since that challenge abortion has become available on demand with abortion facilities established across the nation. Perhaps you may have seen them in your own neighbourhood given the euphemistically deceptive name of "Women's Health Care Clinic" or something very similar.

The establishment of abortion facilities across the nation represents more than the obvious danger of the killing of developing human beings in the womb, but also of promoting a "culture of death." For the younger generations, this is especially dangerous because for many, abortion has always been an option, just another "standard medical service." Add to this a lack of Catholic faith formation that has left many vulnerable to the values and beliefs of main stream secular society. The result has been for many a rejection of Catholic teaching on the issue of abortion.

Sadly the lack of understanding and acceptance of the truth about abortion is very close to home for many Catholics, who themselves have become very secularized. You need not look far to find this. Take a survey of those Catholics who are your family, friends, relatives, neighbours, colleagues at work, those who you communicate and come into contact with and ask them what is their understanding of the abortion issue. How many will provide the right answer that is available in the Catechism of the Catholic Church? 

One of the wonderful aspects of our Catholic faith is that it is a complete faith, one that provides the answers to our questions. Abortion is certainly no exception. From the rich history of the Catholic Church comes two key sources in addition to the Catechism of The Catholic Church that will help those who are involved in evangelization: Love and Responsibility and Theology of The Body.

Father Karol Wojtyla's (Saint Pope John Paul II) book Love and Responsibility, is a thorough read on the Catholic tradition in the sphere of life and sexual morality. It was originally published in 1960 and was the result in part of his pastoral work with young couples and individuals. The chapter topics included in this work are: The Person and The Sexual Urge, The Person and Love, The Person and Chastity, Justice Toward The Creator and Sexology and Ethics. The thrust of this book focusses on the human person to obtain a full and complete understanding of the relations between sexes. The title alone should intrigue anyone who is serious about having a truthful and loving relationship.

Saint Pope John Paul II's book, Theology of The Body is the extensive collection of catechesis that he delivered during his Wednesday general audience at St. Peter's Square between 1979 to 1984. This body of work is considered to be our late Pope’s most important catechetical project of his pontificate. Saint Pope John Paul II divided his work into two fundamental questions of “who we are?” and “how are we to live?” In short, Theology of the Body is a presentation of the truth about the body and its significance in God's divine plan for humanity. As one who has read both of these two key sources in their entirety, I can assure you that they, in conjunction with the Catechism of The Catholic Church, form a complete set of readings for Catholics to discover the truth about life, our bodies, sexual ethics and the proper relationships men and women are to have with each other. 

Pro-lifers witnessing against the evil of abortion.

In addition to what our Catholic faith says about abortion, I would also like to provide scientific evidence which proves that within the womb there is a developing human being. The proof comes in the form of a YouTube video, Dr. Bernard Nathanson's, Silent Scream. It is a ultrasound presentation of what happens when a baby is aborted. Beginning with a stable and peaceful environment within the womb, the video reveals the physical changes the baby goes through when the killing is about to begin. Changes to the baby's normal heart beat, stable positioning and other indicators are illustrated by the ultrasound imaging in this video and the monitoring devices of the babies functions. In the end, it reveals the heart breaking killing of a baby who was in great distress prior to his/her brutal death.

I thought I would end my post by explaining why I held an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, when everyone else was holding signs that are typical for Life Chain. The significance of Our Lady of Guadalupe's role in protecting lives needs to be promoted. Saint Pope John Paul II on December 12th, 1999, at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, entrusted the cause of life to the loving protection of Our Lady of Guadalupe and placed under her motherly care the innocent lives of children, especially the unborn children. As a result, Our Lady of Guadalupe has received the additional title of Protectress of The Unborn. By my showing this image in public, I hope to make this better known in my community.

Holding up an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe also points to the fact that the abortion fight is a spiritual battle, one that demands we employ spiritual weapons. With Our Lady of Guadalupe as a powerful intercessor, we fight the good fight against this evil in our society.



Our Lady of Guadalupe Protectress of The Unborn, pray for us.