Father Frank Pavone writes persuasively and passionately about the role all of us can play in abolishing abortion throughout the world. One group that definitely needs to step to the forefront of this battle is the Church! Here are some quotes from Father Pavone specifically talking to Christians.
“People need to know that to oppose abortion does not mean to oppose those who have had one. … The Church has the perfect spiritual and psychological balance necessary for those who have been involved in an abortion. The last thing such a person needs to hear is, ‘What you did is no big deal.’ The nature of post-abortion grief is that the individual involved in the abortion has begun to realize precisely what a big deal it was. Now this person needs someone to tell her that she should not feel silly for feeling sad, that there is indeed reason for the grief in her heart, and that what her heart is telling her is true: her child was killed. A great disservice was done both to her and her child when someone convinced her that the abortion would be ‘no big deal.’ Accepting that line was a major act of denial. Healing can begin when she breaks out of denial and calls the evil what it is. … At the same time, the other line she does not need to here is, ‘You are rejected; there is no hope.’ As she realizes the evil that has occurred, she will be tempted to say this to herself. The Church, however, contradicts that despair with the clear message of forgiveness.”
“Those in the pain of abortion are not helped by silence. Some pastors refrain from preaching about abortion out of the sincere desire to not hurt women who have had abortions. Yet that silence does not interpret itself. The person grieving over abortion can infer from our silence that we do not know her pain, or that we do not care, or that there is no hope. None of this is true. With clear and compassionate messages, pastors can break through the silence that led to a woman to this disastrous choice in the first place.”
“Those who attend church regularly are statistically the most likely to be pro-life and the most likely to be pro-life activists. Within America’s Christian churches there are people enough and resources enough to end abortion, armed as the pro-life movement is with the supernatural gifts of truth and grace. It is clear that the full activation of the Church is a critical step for ending abortion. This does not primarily mean creating new structures. It simply means infusing the existing structure with greater vigor and effectiveness.”
“The pro-life movement is not primarily a response to Roe v. Wade. It is a response to Jesus Christ. His teachings not only show us why we are to be pro-life but also show us how. They give us the virtues we need to have in doing this work.”
“The Church is the only institution that has a divine guarantee that it will prevail over the culture of death. ‘The gates of hell shall not prevail against it,’ the Lord Himself said (Matthew 16:18 KJV). Now, gates do not run out on the battlefield to attack the enemy. Rather, they stand still and defend the city against the enemy attacking it. To say that the gates of hell will not prevail against the Church is to say that it is the Church that takes the offense and storms the gates of hell to win ground for Jesus Christ. Gates of hell cannot withstand the power of heaven. The gates of death fall in the presence of eternal life. Sin melts in the presence of saving grace. Falsehood collapses in the presence of living truth. These are the tools with which Christ has equipped His Church.”
“Love is found on Calvary. Love’s best symbol is not the heart but the Cross. … What Christ revealed to the world through the Cross about the meaning of love, we must also reveal through our own sacrifice for those we love.”
“Abortion is the exact opposite of love. Loves says, ‘I sacrifice myself for the good of the other person.’ Abortion says, ‘I sacrifice the other person for the good of myself.’ And isn’t it amazing that the very same words used by the culture of death to justify abortion are the words used by our Lord to proclaim life and salvation and love: ‘This is My body!’ … ‘This is My body,’ Jesus said, ‘given for you’ (see Luke 22). He did not cling to His body so that we would die but rather gave it away so that we could live. These are the words that define our mission in the world: spouse saying to spouse, parents saying to children, clergy saying to their congregation, all of us saying to our brothers and sisters, ‘This is my body, my time, my efforts, my resources, my life—given for you, that you may live!’”
I have shared other quotes from Abolishing Abortion which you can read here and here.
And be sure to check out my book review of Abolishing Abortion here.
The Apostle Paul reminded the Thessalonians of how he ministered among them (“You know…” [1 Thessalonians 2:1]). This gives all of us pastors now an example of how to minister.
Craig T. Owens 