Today and last week I have been pondering the issues of abortion on both the State, national and worldly level, and what it has done to humanity over the last six decades.
As I read the Old Testament reading for today (WIS 1:13-15; 2:23-24) I think it’s very easy to make a connection with what King Solomon knew about death, especially death of innocent beings. The reading starts with “God did not make death”. This implies that after original sin and introduction of the devil into the world, man created death. Man created abortion.
The second verse says “nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living.” God weeps because we choose to destroy the living. The third verse “For he [God] fashioned all things that they might have being.” This means that God created all babies in the womb so that they should be alive. Solomon goes on to say (paraphrasing here) that there is no destructive drug on earth [created by God] and that no part of hell exists on earth “For God created man to be imperishable”. To me this means that man has no right to destroy human life.
Lastly, Solomon says “by the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who belong to his company experience it.” This makes me think of all those who participate in abortions, from the politicians and social advocates, the clinic and hospital workers, the doctors and many others. They may be the ones who Solomon is talking about when he says “they who belong to his [the devil’s] company”.
I just spoke at Mass this past Sunday about Amendment 4 on the ballot for the election in November. The amendment is written in such a way that it misleads the uninformed. The Title of the Amendment is “Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion”. If an uninformed Christian voter reads no further or doesn’t go to the polls without knowledge of what the amendment really means, he or she is likely to interpret the Title to mean that limiting government interference with abortion is a good thing and would likely vote YES.
This is what happened in Ohio last November. In a mid-term election year, a similar amendment was approved to be voted on the Ohio ballot. Uninformed Evangelical Christians were duped into voting YES to approve the amendment. What they have seen so far is that abortions are on the rise and Ohio has become a destination state for women seeking abortion. We cannot let that happen in Florida.
We know that God did not make death. But we know that Jesus destroyed death. If the longer version of the Gospel reading is chosen today, we learn of two miracles where Jesus destroys death: by healing a woman who was constantly hemorrhaging for years; and second by raising Jairus’ daughter from the dead. Both miracles are examples of Jesus conquering death. I pray that Jesus will conquer death again for us this November. Our Savior Jesus Christ destroyed death and brought life to light through the Gospel. (2 Tim 1:10)
Deacon Mike McDonald