Why We March for Life

CS crucifix on table2

CS crucifix on table2

It has been 42 years since the Roe v Wade decision.  Many will stand again this year, united in our nation’s capital, to represent those who continue to struggle for acceptance.  The annual March For Life is an event many take part in as a way of showing solidarity in defending the most precious and fundamental right we have, not only as American citizens, but as human beings: The Right To Life!

I have attended the March numerous times before, and the one thing that continues to energize me, year after year, is the benefit of being a part of something greater than one’s self.  You may be familiar with the phrase, “To those who do not have to ask, no answer is necessary.  To those who do, no answer will suffice.”  The March is about knowing who you are, who you walk with, and who you walk for.  No explanations are necessary.

The pilgrims who attend this event know the truth about abortion.  They know what it is and what it does.  Many know of someone who has experienced this devastating reality.  Others know it all too well personally.  They realize how this issue tears at the core of our being, and at the heart of our nation.  Yet, they refuse to stand down and remain stagnant.  Instead, they stand up and recognize their personal call to act.

Many will say that abortion has been standard practice for the past 42 years, so why bother?  After all, many in the media will pay little attention to it again this year (accept to offer their usual biased reporting).  Others will simply play it off as just another day.  They will turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to its reality, and to its significance.  But, we do not attend for frivolous recognition.

This day is about respect and hope for a world drowning in the depths of despair.  We perform a dual role on this occasion.  First, we mourn those millions whose lives have been lost to abortion; those millions who have been turned aside and neglected; viewed as inconvenient or burdensome.  Then we turn to those who participated in their extermination as we pray for their healing, forgiveness, enlightenment, and mercy.  The fact is that the march provides something essential to our society; something that is severely lacking.  This entity is referred to as humble obedience.

We attend, first and foremost for the Lord, the Supreme Authority over (and giver of) all life.  His grace is all that truly matters.  We attend for our families and friends, to protect the dignity of these loved ones from any and all forms of injustice and harm.  We recognize the words of the Reverend, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”  Finally, we attend due to an inherent understanding that our own uniqueness is interwoven into a tapestry that contributes to the well-being of others.  We are each other’s keeper and we never act alone.

Humble obedience inspires us to rise up and be a witness.  This is not a vacation day.  This is a day of service. We strive to encourage others to seek other ways to foster a stronger sense of unity towards their fellow brother and sister.  I have observed many, who have traveled along side of me on this path, and have watched their silent witness and quiet meditations.  These are the actions of humble obedience, and they are often the most revolutionary.

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3 thoughts on “Why We March for Life”

  1. Pingback: March for Life 2015: We Won't Stop, We Won't Rest - BigPulpit

  2. You march because “there is injustice here” – Martin Luther King, Jr. Letter from Birmingham Jail: ” I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their “thus saith the Lord” far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid. Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” MLK relies on the Theory of the Natural Law in this Letter and refers to Sts. Augustine and Thomas Aquinas. He also compares the denial of civil rights to minority members to that “ancient evil of infanticide.” Guy McClung, San Antonio

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