Convergence
Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for
Life
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Each January, three observances converge that
reinforce each other and summon the Christian world to work together against
injustice. January 15 is the birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and
on or around that day we observe a national holiday in his honor. A week later,
on January 22, we recall the tragic decision made that day in 1973 by the
Supreme Court in Roe vs. Wade,
unleashing a policy of abortion on demand. On or around January 22, large
rallies and marches for life are held from coast to coast. And from January 18
to 25th each year, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is
observed.
These three great movements are deeply
intertwined.
Jesus Christ prayed that his followers would
be one, as he and the Father are one. Authentic Christian unity
does not mean pretending there are no serious doctrinal disagreements
between denominations. It does mean working to come to a deeper
understanding of what those differences are and are not, as well as recognizing
and building on the real unity that does exist in our common affirmation of
Christ and his Lordship in our lives and in the world.
That affirmation of Christ requires that we
work to fight injustice. In his encyclical letter on Christian Unity, issued in
1995, Pope John Paul II wrote, “Many Christians from all Communities, by
reason of their faith, are jointly involved in bold projects aimed at changing
the world by inculcating respect for the rights and needs of everyone,
especially the poor, the lowly, and the defenseless…Christians who once acted
independently are now engaged together in the service of this cause, so that
God’s mercy may triumph” (n. 43).
Both the civil rights movement and the
pro-life movement are evidence of this common engagement. Both movements seek to
secure equal rights for marginalized human beings, despite their appearances,
and to apply to law and culture the promises of the Gospel. Both movements have
found their “meeting place” and their “launching pad” in the Churches,
manifesting this declaration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:
"I'm always happy to see a relevant
ministry. It's alright to talk about 'long white robes over yonder,' in all of
its symbolism. But ultimately people want some suits and dresses and shoes to
wear down here. It's alright to talk about 'streets flowing with milk and
honey,' but God has commanded us to be concerned about the slums down here, and
his children who can't eat three square meals a day. It's alright to talk about
the new Jerusalem, but one day, God's preacher must talk about the new New York,
the new Atlanta, the new Philadelphia, the new Los Angeles, the new Memphis,
Tennessee. This is what we have to do."
Defending the equal dignity of every human
being after birth strengthens our witness to the rights of those in danger
before birth, and vice-versa. The witness, in fact, is ultimately one: the
witness to the one Christ, who restores dignity to every human life.
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Columns from 2006
