Like so many thousands of people in the United States, I embarked on a journey with my college to Washington D.C. for the March for Life. It was the most difficult trip for me by far (and I have been to quite a few). I am used to having a hotel to stay in, access to a shower, a night of solid sleep, etc. It turns out that I had none of those things this time around. I am not saying this to ask for pity, I am saying it to make a point. If I get so grumpy, cold, and uncomfortable during my time in D.C., what urges me to go? What urges others to go who experience the same and worse than me? I cannot speak for the massive crowds, I can only speak for myself. I go because I want abortion to end. I choose to suffer the rain, express my rage, and endure the regret that my country is not doing more to protect the most helpless.
Each trip proves to be an experience for suffering. Perhaps this suffering can be sanctified by offering it in reparation for the abhorrent crime of abortion, as well for those who stubbornly support it despite the truth. It is hard to not be angry at a lot of people for supporting abortion, yet I do not think that anger will solve anything. As cheesy as it sounds, only love can conquer evil. I remember that in one of the movies about John Paul II, a young Karol was speaking to a man named Jan (pronounced "Yahn"). Jan said something to this effect "The Nazis will disappear because evil will consume itself. If they are not defeated by love, the Nazis will simply reappear in a different form."
This little saying is impossibly hard for me to understand. It suggests that in order to defeat with love, we must suffer. More lives must be lost, more embarassment and derision must be endured, etc. It is a hard thought to grasp for a rather vengeful person like myself, yet I somehow believe that it is true. And so we continually march, maybe for decades more as millions more infants die. But I do believe that the Pro-Choice movement will consume itself eventually. It may take years, but as long as there is a March for Life, I will be there grumbling in the rain.
After reading your entry, several beatitudes come to mind. One is blessed is the poor in spirit. Yes, you could have stayed in a four star hotel, but what would have learned about humility or community there? Another is blessed are they who are persecuted in MY name. Suffering in the name of Christ is a badge of honor, and your name will be added to those millions of saintly people who suffered in the name of Christ. Know that everyone at home was holding you in prayer, even if we could not make the trip for whatever reason. If your example of suffering saved one tiny child from certain death, your trip was a success, a success in the face of America's abortion holocaust. Thank you--jhP
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