Saint Augustine said of us, “We are an Easter people and Alleluia is our song!” Today, on the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, we sing Alleluia louder and more joyfully than ever before in the pro-life movement. The Supreme Court has declared what we have known for 49 years: there is no right to kill the unborn.
Alleluia!
We should celebrate this decision as the first step on the road to ever greater recognition of the dignity of all human life. We should celebrate because this decision is just and moral. We should celebrate because for too long we have waited for this first step in the fight to save countless unborn lives from death.
We have prayed on our knees, pleaded in front of abortion clinics, fundraised for pregnancy resource centers and life-affirming services for women in our community, marched on Washington and in our local cities, discussed challenging topics with family, friends, and strangers, and fought for pro-life legislators, politicians, and judges.
Now, we must pray, advocate, assist, support, and fight with more passion and fervor than ever. Overturning Roe and Casey was always merely the first step. There is much more that needs to be accomplished before we create a society in which abortion is not only illegal, but unthinkable. Justice does not mean just protecting the unborn, but also creating the conditions for networks of unconditional love.
Changing the law is easy; converting hearts and minds is harder. We must walk with those mothers who cannot do it alone. We must encourage and support families and marriages in need. We must foster a society that produces strong fathers, the natural helpers of pregnancy.
At Notre Dame Right to Life, we recommit ourselves to the mission that has always animated everything we do: make abortion not only illegal, but unthinkable. What animates us is the Gospel of Life so wonderfully encapsulated by Saint John Paul II: “Thus we shall learn not only to obey the commandment not to kill human life, but also to revere life, to love it and to foster it” (EV 51).
We commit ourselves to redoubling our efforts for the next stage of the movement: helping mothers in need, praying for those who struggle, educating our community about the moral, political, social, and medical implications of abortion, shining a light on the Sexual Revolution’s deleterious effects, and providing a joyous home for all willing to stand with us.
For where we are now, we must remember the hard work of so many individuals in the pro-life movement, many who no longer remain to see the fruits of their labors. We must proclaim “Alleluia” with a joyous shout because the Gospel of Life must be “lovingly received day after day by the Church” and “preached with dauntless fidelity” (EV 1). Finally, on this day, a most joyous solemnity, we must pray with thanksgiving to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, through Whom all justice and goodness is possible. Alleluia!
Prayer from the Sisters of Life:
Eternal Father, Source of life, open our hearts to see and desire the beauty of your plan for life and love.
Fill us with your Holy Spirit so that our love may be generous and self-giving, and we may be blessed with joy.
Grant us great trust in your mercy.
Forgive us for not receiving your gift of life and heal us from the effects of the culture of death.
Instill in us and in all people a sense of the sacredness of every human life.
Inspire our efforts to protect and care for the most vulnerable, especially women who are pregnant and their unborn children, the sick and the elderly.
Strengthen us in the hope, that with You nothing is impossible.
We ask this in the Name of Jesus, who by His Cross makes all things new. Amen.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of Life, pray for us.
So, where do we go from here?
Click HERE to donate to the Sisters of Life.
Read this wonderful article outlining next steps for the pro-life movement from The Lamp Magazine.
To find out what this decision means legally, read this interview with Professor Carter Snead at The Pillar.
Listen to the dCEC flash panel: Understanding Dobbs: Imagining a Post-Roe World.
Lastly, get ready for an amazing year of activism, education, advocacy, fundraising, and HARD WORK! NDRtL is ready for a Post-Roe America!