What happens when half a million people from all over the United States, on behalf of promoting a culture of life, travel to Washington D.C.? What happens when 13 Bishops of the Anglican Church of North America, countless Roman Catholics, and people of differing faiths descend upon our nation’s capitol to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ? What happens when over 60 women and men stand on the steps of the Supreme Court, publicly testifying that abortion devastated their lives? What happens when the doors of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, during its annual Prayer Vigil for the Unborn, bulge at the seams, unable to contain the 20,000 people who come to pray for the unborn? The March for Life 2013 is what happens.
This past Jan. 25, 2013, the largest civil rights gathering in the history of our country took place. An estimated 500,000 to 650,000 people came to lend their voices on behalf of those who have none and to mourn the deaths of 55 million children who have lost their lives from abortion with the passing of Roe v Wade in 1973. On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King gave his famous “I have a Dream” speech on the same ground as the March for Life. Approximately 200, 000 people were there. Martin Luther King’s speech remains one of the most publicized and memorable speeches in our country. Yet, this year’s March for Life, with crowds triple the size, received little, if any, media news coverage.
On a gray morning, with temperatures well below freezing, people pressed close to the stage on the mall of the Capitol to hear more than a dozen speakers. Their words pierced hearts and stirred passion.
“We must preach a gospel so full of compassion, so full of justice, that it cannot be resisted.”
“You are those who stand for love in a world of death.”
“Defending life is about understanding that abortion is a defining human rights issue of our time.”
In a culture that grows increasingly dark, increasingly anti-life, and increasingly anti-God, many ask how they can make a difference. They ask how much longer God will allow such carnage. They ask. “What is required of me; what is the part I play?” They ask many questions.
The answer, of course, remains largely a mystery. God’s timing is not our own. He works in ways hidden and unknown to us. Yet, our faith tells us that He is the Victor, the battle already won. Our faith tells us of plans “good and not for evil”, plans to give us a “future and a hope.” And our faith determines each of our paths, for we all have a role to play in the redemption of a world seemingly gone mad. The answer to what is required of each of us, lies deep in our hearts—in the place where He sheds light on the purpose for which we were made.
May we, those of us who have chosen to walk as followers of Christ, be granted faith enough to believe in His transforming power, courage to act and speak on behalf of all life, and obedience to His will in each of our lives.
Praise the Lord of Life!