Life on "Death Roe"
by Fr. Maciej Pawlowski
special to The Michigan Catholic
Published April 3, 2009
This January marked the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. As a result of this tragic decision, in only 36 short years, more than 50 million unborn Americans have lost their lives.
For those of us who cannot fathom that number, that is the entire population of 17 different states! As I reflected on this somber anniversary, I realized that it is not enough for us just to go about and protest this unjust decision. It is not enough to change the law, we must change hearts!
Here at Notre Dame and Marist Academy in Pontiac, where I am a school chaplain, there is a vibrant pro-life club. The Champions for Life are the students who promote and proclaim the Culture of Life every day. And that is not an easy task in a teenage world.
On April 25, Notre Dame Prep will be hosting a pro-life youth conference with many wonderful speakers, the celebration of Mass for Life and a Christian rock concert. Under the title "Building Bridges to a Culture of Life," this youth conference can change and inspire young hearts to become the true champions for life. You can pre-register by going to Pro Life Youth Conference. A Catholic youth group is putting this on, but all young people are welcome to attend!
Today, many people wonder if it is our Christian duty to support life at all its stages or can we be 'pro-choice' and still be good followers of Christ. For me the answer is quite simple.
If you proclaim to be a Christian, you must be pro-life! There is no choice in that call! I stand here before you as the true survivor, as a priest who could have been aborted. In the 1970s, Poland was a Communist country and abortion was legal at all stages of development.
My mother, Helena, was six months pregnant with me when, after a routine test at the hospital, doctors discovered a tumor on her liver. The diagnosis was not good. The cancer treatment in Poland at the time was very limited, but even so, there was a complication, which was me! The doctors told her to abort and to seek further treatment. My mother refused, sacrificing her life for mine. She died shortly before my third birthday.
I was too young when my mother died. I do not know her likes or dislikes; I don't remember her touch, her tenderness and her love. I know that God has blessed me. The Heavenly Father gave me a second chance when he allowed my father to marry again. I am very blessed that I have my "second mother" and that because of her I am an upright Christian man, who through his weaknesses tries to be of service to others. But sometimes, I look at the few pictures left by my grandmother and I can see my mother's love.
There is this one picture, I must be barely 2 years old in it, when I am walking toward my mother with my arms wide open, laughing and smiling at my good fortune. She is smiling back and opens her arms, as to welcome me back. Thirty years later, with both of my parents gone, I can still see her smiling, welcoming me back with her arms wide open.
I once asked my father what was my mother like. He didn't want to go back to the past too often. He had a new family and new responsibilities. He had a new wife and five children to care for. But after some reflection he told me this story. My mom was terrified of thunder. One day, there was a terrible storm in southern Poland, and when my father came back from work he was not able to find either my mother or me. We lived in this small house on the side of the city. The part of the city that we were part of was very poor. And my mother, after hearing the very sounds of the storm, hid herself in the closet. My father came in, hungry and wet, looking for my mom and for something to eat, but he could not find her anywhere near. It was only when he opened the closet that he found her, holding me in her arms; both of us sound asleep.
When I visited my mom in the hospital only a few days before she died, I asked her to read me a story. I jumped onto her bed, as only a 3-year-old boy can do, and I wrapped my arms around her, not wanting to let her go.
But my mom could not read me a story. She was in a great deal of pain, and all she did was cry, my father told me. She could not speak, just like she was hiding from thunder once again. My mother died a few days later.
As I look back, I wonder about her Way of the Cross, and how much she endured so that I might have life. It is therefore my sacred duty and responsibility to proclaim the Gospel of Life to all people and to do so with charity. God's love and mercy manifested itself on the cross and we as Christians must proclaim this love crucified for the salvation of the world.
Fr. Maciej Pawlowski, SM, is the school chaplain at Notre Dame Prep/Marist Academy, Pontiac.
This January marked the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. As a result of this tragic decision, in only 36 short years, more than 50 million unborn Americans have lost their lives.
For those of us who cannot fathom that number, that is the entire population of 17 different states! As I reflected on this somber anniversary, I realized that it is not enough for us just to go about and protest this unjust decision. It is not enough to change the law, we must change hearts!
Here at Notre Dame and Marist Academy in Pontiac, where I am a school chaplain, there is a vibrant pro-life club. The Champions for Life are the students who promote and proclaim the Culture of Life every day. And that is not an easy task in a teenage world.
On April 25, Notre Dame Prep will be hosting a pro-life youth conference with many wonderful speakers, the celebration of Mass for Life and a Christian rock concert. Under the title "Building Bridges to a Culture of Life," this youth conference can change and inspire young hearts to become the true champions for life. You can pre-register by going to Pro Life Youth Conference. A Catholic youth group is putting this on, but all young people are welcome to attend!
Today, many people wonder if it is our Christian duty to support life at all its stages or can we be 'pro-choice' and still be good followers of Christ. For me the answer is quite simple.
If you proclaim to be a Christian, you must be pro-life! There is no choice in that call! I stand here before you as the true survivor, as a priest who could have been aborted. In the 1970s, Poland was a Communist country and abortion was legal at all stages of development.
My mother, Helena, was six months pregnant with me when, after a routine test at the hospital, doctors discovered a tumor on her liver. The diagnosis was not good. The cancer treatment in Poland at the time was very limited, but even so, there was a complication, which was me! The doctors told her to abort and to seek further treatment. My mother refused, sacrificing her life for mine. She died shortly before my third birthday.
I was too young when my mother died. I do not know her likes or dislikes; I don't remember her touch, her tenderness and her love. I know that God has blessed me. The Heavenly Father gave me a second chance when he allowed my father to marry again. I am very blessed that I have my "second mother" and that because of her I am an upright Christian man, who through his weaknesses tries to be of service to others. But sometimes, I look at the few pictures left by my grandmother and I can see my mother's love.
There is this one picture, I must be barely 2 years old in it, when I am walking toward my mother with my arms wide open, laughing and smiling at my good fortune. She is smiling back and opens her arms, as to welcome me back. Thirty years later, with both of my parents gone, I can still see her smiling, welcoming me back with her arms wide open.
I once asked my father what was my mother like. He didn't want to go back to the past too often. He had a new family and new responsibilities. He had a new wife and five children to care for. But after some reflection he told me this story. My mom was terrified of thunder. One day, there was a terrible storm in southern Poland, and when my father came back from work he was not able to find either my mother or me. We lived in this small house on the side of the city. The part of the city that we were part of was very poor. And my mother, after hearing the very sounds of the storm, hid herself in the closet. My father came in, hungry and wet, looking for my mom and for something to eat, but he could not find her anywhere near. It was only when he opened the closet that he found her, holding me in her arms; both of us sound asleep.
When I visited my mom in the hospital only a few days before she died, I asked her to read me a story. I jumped onto her bed, as only a 3-year-old boy can do, and I wrapped my arms around her, not wanting to let her go.
But my mom could not read me a story. She was in a great deal of pain, and all she did was cry, my father told me. She could not speak, just like she was hiding from thunder once again. My mother died a few days later.
As I look back, I wonder about her Way of the Cross, and how much she endured so that I might have life. It is therefore my sacred duty and responsibility to proclaim the Gospel of Life to all people and to do so with charity. God's love and mercy manifested itself on the cross and we as Christians must proclaim this love crucified for the salvation of the world.
Fr. Maciej Pawlowski, SM, is the school chaplain at Notre Dame Prep/Marist Academy, Pontiac.
H/T: LarryD @ Acts of the Apostasy (The True Survivor)
posted by Al @ 5:36 AM
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