By Judie Brown
Saving our nation was the topic of an essay that Fr. Regis Scanlon, O.F.M. CAP, wrote more than 10 years ago. Today, as we confront the many enemies of life, love, and family, it would serve us well to contemplate these words:
Because the Bread of Life and Love is inseparable from the Gospel of Life and Love, a complete proclamation of the Gospel of Life and Love will necessarily involve devotion to the Bread of Life and Love or the Blessed Sacrament. One should expect that the more devotion to the Blessed Sacrament increases in the Church, the more life and love will flourish among members of the Church and society. Similarly, an attack upon the Blessed Sacrament will be an attack upon life and love as it exists among the people in the Church and society.
It is those attacks on Jesus Christ, truly present in the Blessed Sacrament, that slither about in our society today. Such forces do not wish to see life and love flourish. It would be safe to suggest that the people driving these efforts are the modern-day Roman soldiers who crucify the Truth simply because such teachings are politically incorrect. Among them are the folks who work night and day to ensure that babies die and families suffer.
Take, for example, these words of Planned Parenthood president Alexis McGill Johnson: “I think it’s important to state that abortion is an essential, time-sensitive medical procedure, and we know that reproductive rights are essential. And right now what we have in various states across the country are anti-abortion politicians who are using this pandemic to play politics with our health.”
Johnson went on to say that supporters of Planned Parenthood should be telling their lawmakers that “in the middle of a health crisis this is the time to actually be expanding access to care, not making it more difficult.”
Two things are happening within the context of Johnson’s words. The first is that preborn children are being equated with diseased organs that must be removed no matter what.
The second is that more killing is better than less during this pandemic; more babies need to die, and as a consequence, more expectant mothers need to become the mothers of dead babies.
Both agenda items are evil and death knells to the sanctity of love and life.
And lest we forget, at least one former Planned Parenthood abortionist witnessed the horror we have just noted.
According to Live Action: “In the recent Live Action exclusive video interview with former abortionist Dr. Patti Giebink, Giebink told Live Action founder and president Lila Rose about the questionable practices she encountered during the time she worked at a Planned Parenthood facility. Giebink cited lack of care towards patients, a failure to allow patients time to consider their own medical options without coercion, abortion quotas, and almost no inspection visits to the facility from the health department.”
In other words, McGill’s defense of the indefensible includes support for patient coercion and corporate deception—practices that line the pockets of the abortion giant at the expense of human beings’ lives.
This is also why Planned Parenthood is pushing back against the states that have chosen to suspend baby killing during the pandemic.
This is also why Planned Parenthood is livid about being denied government small business stimulus funds during this crisis. It has too many employees to qualify.
But all is not lost. It never is. We need only remember that even though there are people whom St. Paul described as having “exchanged God’s truth for a lie,” God ultimately dealt with them justly. And so He will again.
For our part, we look to the Christ on the cross and feel imbued with the courage to “proclaim the message and, welcome or unwelcome, insist on it. Refute falsehood, correct error, give encouragement—but do all with patience and with care to instruct.” (2 Timothy 4:2)
As we continue to defend life and the body of Christ who IS love, we can rest assured that life and love can and will save America.
image: Fr. Lawrence OP via Flickr | CC-2.0