Healing the Shockwaves of Abortion reaches a culmination this month with the theme "Come, Lord Jesus!"
Shockwaves is a year-long international educational and pastoral effort of the Silent No More Awareness Campaign with the aim of raising awareness about and ministering to a wide variety of groups of people who are impacted when a child dies from abortion.
Father Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life and pastoral director of Silent No More, explains: “Having focused on a different specific group of people each month who are wounded by abortion, we come now to December, when the Church celebrates Advent and the expectation of the Lord's coming. We have a greater awareness than ever of the extent and depth of the damage caused by abortion throughout the family and society. Therefore, as the Church prays, "Come, Lord Jesus," we do so with a deeper longing for him to come to heal us and to deliver all families and all nations from the devastation of abortion.
“The Advent readings tell us that ‘every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill made low.’ The valleys of despair and the mountains of anguish caused by abortion are healed when the Lord comes.
“We therefore call on Churches this month to preach the healing power of the Lord's coming and to remind people of the multi-faceted wounds of abortion and of the hope of healing provided by programs like Rachel's Vineyard. “
Georgette Forney, president of Anglicans for Life and co-founder of Silent No More, said the Christmas season can be hard for post-abortive women like her unless they find healing through Jesus Christ.
"Often in the midst of Christmas preparations I find myself thinking about what Christmas would be like if I hadn't aborted my baby,” she said. “What would her baby ornaments look like hanging on the tree? It is in these moments when my regret is palpable, that I am grateful that Jesus came to save a sinner like me.”
Kevin Burke, co-founder of Rachel’s Vineyard and a Shockwaves architect, noted that Healing the Shockwaves of Abortion will continue throughout 2016 with the monthly themes as indicated at www.AbortionShockwaves.com
“This first year of the Shockwaves initiative provided an opportunity to give special attention to the population we targeted for each month’s activities,” he said. “As we researched and gathered testimonies and interviews for the monthly theme, it led to a more in-depth understanding of the complexity of the wounds suffered by grandparents, siblings, pro-life advocates and well as the parents of the aborted children, and the great blessing of awareness and healing programs.”
Janet Morana, executive director of Priests for Life and co-founder of Silent No More, issued an invitation for others to join the effort to raise awareness of the wider circle of victims of abortion.
“I am excited about our ongoing commitment to invite our colleagues and friends in churches, pro- life ministry and the general public to join with us,” she said. “This Shockwaves format is very useful to educate the public on the widespread impact of abortion and the blessing of abortion recovery programs.”