F – – – you!! She screamed out at us. Last week as I was visiting with my pro-life buddy ‘Cy’ who regularly protests in front of the abortion mill at 65 Bank St., Ottawa, Ontario, when we were suddenly interrupted by a young lady who put herself ‘right in our face’ and screamed out “F – – – yous!! with a face exploding with great hatred and anger.
Obviously the graphic signs that Cy was carrying disturbed her mightily. Most likely she has had an abortion. I shouted out to her: “God bless you Mam.” This was a sincere prayer on my part for her, as we could so clearly hear and feel her pain. My friend ‘Cy’ usually responds to them with a ‘God bless you with a conversion’. This is a very sincere prayer on his part for the pro-choice person because what Cy is doing is praying for them to have ‘a knowledge and encounter with Jesus Christ’ who is ‘The Way, the Truth, and the Life” (cf: John 14:6) Once a person truly encounters and knows Jesus Christ their life is never the same again and they will understand that Jesus came so we may all, both the born and the unborn in the womb, have ‘life’ on earth and ‘eternal life’ with God in Heaven. You could not desire anything greater for someone else.
The very next day as I was protesting on Parliament Hill as usual, the e thing happened again as a young lady passed me by and yelled out “F – – – you!!” Again I yelled out for her to hear: “God bless you Mam!” This got me to reflecting a lot on the increasing boldness and great anger’ that the pro-choicers are expressing when they see the graphic signs which reveal to them the ‘Truth’ of what they actually did when they had an abortion: “They murdered one of their own, they murdered their own flesh and blood.” The question I was asking myself: “How will I as a pro-life person ‘react’ to this ongoing verbal abuse?
The Lord was showing me in the Scriptures this wonderful verse found in James 1:19: “You know, my dearest brethren. And let every man be swift to hear, but slow to speak, and slow to anger.” There is so much ‘wisdom’ and kindness found in this scripture for loving and kind human relationships.
When we, as pro-lifers suffer verbal abuse, such as I just described, it is not easy to bite our lips and ‘listen’ and hear the other’s hurts and anger. Our natural, human tendency is to defend ourselves and give a defensive, quick reply. But that is not God’s way. So let us pray for the grace to be very conscious of James 1:19 and live it out when we are verbally abused by the angry pro-choice people. As a Catholic I pray to ‘Mary, Mediatrix of All Graces” (cf: http://www.fifthmariandogma.com/co-redemptrix-fifth-marian-dogma/mary-mediatrix-of-all-graces-part-ii/ ) to grant me the graces necessary to truly and constantly live out James 1:19.
These two women, and all pro-choicers who have had abortions, know down deep that they have murdered an innocent, defenceless and helpless human being. And when they see the graphic signs of abortion that we carry in public, the killing they were involved with is brought to the ‘surface of their conscience’ and they are grieving and hurting in a way we cannot imagine. It is no wonder they express so much anger towards us
If we can have the grace to allow them to whip us with their anger and verbal abuse, and let them express it, some may stop to talk with us and after having ‘listened’ to them we can let them know that there is an answer, that there is a God, a ‘Father of Mercies’ who is so willing to forgive them. One such person was ‘Leslie’ who experienced God’s mercy in a very profound way. Go to LifeSiteNews.com, and read the article: “The Truth set me free from my two abortions” by Leslie Hairfield”
God shows us His mercy in Psalm 25:7: “The sins of my youth and my ignorances do not remember. According to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness’ sake, O Lord.”
We can refer them to wonderful pro-life organizations who are so willing to help them, such as www.silentnomoreawareness.org and www.rachelsvineyard.org and www.striveforheavennow.ca . They can help women who have had abortions by presenting them to a merciful and loving God.
Also, if dialogue is not possible with these women who are hurting so much, I am getting in the habit, as well as my friend ‘Cy’ to invoke God’s mercy on them by responding with a sincere prayer: “God bless you” and then afterwards lifting them up to God in prayer. No prayer is ever wasted. God hears every prayer, no matter how short or how small they are.
Father William P Saunders explains rather well what a ‘blessing’ is. In “What is a blessing?” ‘The Arlington Catholic Herald, March 2/95 Issue.” He shows the ‘source of every blessing by quoting St-Paul: “Praised be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has bestowed on us in Christ (emphasis mine) every spiritual blessing.”
He also answers the question ‘Who can do a blessing?’ He states: “The Cathechism states ‘Every baptized person is called to be a blessing and to bless’. He also speaks of the role of priests in blessing: “Priests however are the ‘ordinary ministers’ of blessings, asking God’s help for the people being blessed. The priest’s blessing is imparted with the weight of the Church and therefore has great value in the eyes of God.”
A ‘layperson’ can bless another person. It is an act of goodwill whereby the layperson ‘implores’ God’s aid for the person. What he explains next is very important: “The value of the blessing in the eyes of God depends upon the person’s individual sincerity and sanctity (emphasis mine) (Catechism of the Catholic Church #1669)
When I pray a blessing upon people such as the angry pro-choicers I do it in the spirit of Numbers 6: 22:27: “The Lord bless thee and keep thee. The Lord show his face to thee, and have mercy on thee. The Lord turn his countenance to thee, and give thee peace.”
So I encourage all pro-lifers to implore God’s blessings on the pro-choicers knowing as the following scriptures show that God will send a blessing, custom made for each pro-choice person so that they can ultimately see and know the ‘Sacredness’of every human life both the born and the unborn, uncluding their very own life and experience God’s awesome Love and Mercy for them.
Psalm 145:18: “The Lord is near to all them that call on Him, to all that call on Him in truth.”
Philippians 4:6-7: “Be nothing solicitous: but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasseth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
Donald Andre Bruneau,
Ottawa, Ontario,
Dec 14, 2012
www.striveforheavennow.ca
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