Preaching about Abortion
Fr. Frank Pavone
International Director
Priests for Life
Because of my full-time position as National Director of Priests for Life, I
have preached on abortion every day since 1993 in every state of the country. I
have carefully watched the reaction of God's people, and have attentively
listened to their comments.
The two remarks that best summarize the response of the people to a clear and
compassionate homily on abortion are "Thank you" and "We need to hear more of
this." I cannot count the letters and emails that come into our Priests for Life
office from people who want to hear their priest preach more about this topic.
These letters come from attorneys, doctors, police officers, judges--in fact,
from people of every profession and walk of life. They even come from children.
Priests for Life conducts training seminars for clergy to help them discover
their own fears and hesitations about preaching on abortion. One of our
publications is Fathers, Let's Face our Fears about Abortion, and
identifies twenty-two of the most common fears.
One of them is the fear of hurting those in the congregation who have had
abortions. Yet this fear overlooks the fact that silence hurts them more.
Silence, though well-intentioned, does not interpret itself. If one is in denial
about her abortion, silence allows the denial to continue. If one is painfully
aware of the mistake she has made, silence can be taken to mean that the Church
either doesn't know her pain, or doesn't care--or even worse, that there is no
hope. Breaking the silence, on the other hand, gives the post-abortion woman an
opportunity to begin breaking out of denial, and to know that the Church's
rejection of abortion is not a rejection of those who have had one. After a
pro-life homily, one woman told me, "Father, I had an abortion, and when I hear
about it, it sometimes hurts" But please just keep preaching about it, because
when I think that this homily can prevent another woman from ever going through
what I went through, then I endure the pain gladly. Thank you for caring enough
to speak out."
Indeed, the Church offers the perfect message for those who have had
abortions.
Part of the pain of those someone who has had an abortion is that society
tells her that the death of her own child is no big deal. Part of the
consolation, therefore, is that someone speaks up about what a monumental wrong
this action is. Such a message validates the grief that the post-abortion woman
already feels, and tells her that she should not feel silly for feeling sad.
At the same time, the Church's message condemning abortion offers welcome,
forgiveness, and healing for those who have sinned. This saves those who have
had abortions from the despair to which they are easily tempted.
All of this applies to the father of the aborted child, as well as the others
who may have been involved in the abortion.
For resources on pro-life preaching, and for suggestions on how you can
encourage your priest, contact Priests for Life.
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