By Judie Brown
One of the most memorable themes in the many talks that the late Jim Sedlak gave over the years was his citation of Matthew 10 and his explanation about how those teachings informed his pro-life, anti-Planned-Parenthood philosophy. For all the years I knew him—from attending the first speech I ever heard him deliver until his death in 2022—he never stopped teaching truth.
In Jim’s memory we wanted to renew our understanding of why Matthew 10 meant so much to him. As we reflect on the following passage from that chapter, we recall how much each of us should love, adore, and honor Christ in everything we do.
In Matthew 10:28-32 we hear Christ explain to His apostles:
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; fear him rather who can destroy both body and soul in hell. Can you not buy two sparrows for a penny? And yet not one falls to the ground without your Father knowing. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. So there is no need to be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. So if anyone declares himself for me in the presence of human beings, I will declare myself for him in the presence of my Father in heaven.
Of this passage, Jim wrote:
When I first began fighting Planned Parenthood in 1985, God called three documents to my attention. The first was Humanist Manifesto II—that helps us understand why Planned Parenthood does what it does. The second was “A Psychoanalytic Look at Today’s Sex Education” —a tremendous article by Dr. Melvin Anchell on why classroom sexuality education is bad. The third was the Gospel of Matthew, particularly Chapter 10.
And that is not all, for while Jim was an excellent writer, he was a better speaker. The power of his words reminds us that genuine commitment to truth empowers human beings in ways that it is hard to comprehend because, as we know, touching hearts and minds is where the struggle must begin. For example, during one talk he said:
It’s going to take a lot of prayer because it’s God who can close Planned Parenthood [clinics]. . . . You can’t go about this fight without a very solid prayer life. . . . We are heartened to see how many of the ‘40 Days for Life’ events are at Planned Parenthood facilities. We need people praying in front of [abortion] clinics with signs as often as we can get them out there because it hurts their business and saves [babies’] lives. Having a peaceful, prayerful presence in front of Planned Parenthood [clinics] is one of the major things that are needed in the fight to end abortion.
Sedlak was totally devoted to the Blessed Mother as well, and in one of his articles he assured readers, “Mary is already being brought to many PP locations nationwide through the recitation of the Rosary.” And as always, he not only wrote about it, but he witnessed to his love of Mary. He further encouraged readers to follow his lead in action as well, saying, “Every time you go to PP, bring an image of the Blessed Mother. This could be a statue or a picture. . . . We live in a visual society, so bring an image of Mary and see how your efforts will increase in fruitfulness.”
This wise advice has been followed countless times over the years and has resulted in only God knows how many converted souls, Planned Parenthood facilities shut down, and babies saved.
Jim Sedlak was always at the ready to share his counsel and experiences with any group, no matter how large or small, because he knew instinctively that when people come to pro-life work armed with their faith and trust in God, miracles can happen. And indeed they are still occurring even now, two years after the Lord took Jim home.
We know that the Lord chooses tasks for each of us. All we need to do is be open to His will. Just like Jim Sedlak and so many others, we must be prepared with sincere faith, confidence in the power of the rosary, and surrender to the will of God Almighty; His will will be done.
We are blessed to be part of His plan; so please take a moment to thank Him and to say a prayer for Jim Sedlak. May Jim’s soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace.
