For many people, 2000 means Y2K, and that spells trouble. But for Catholics, 2000 means something much greater -- and certainly more hopeful -- than the anticipated computer-generated glitches.
Pope John Paul II has called 2000 the Great Jubilee, a "year of the Lord's favor," when God will pour out graces in abundance.
"Above all," John Paul explains, "the joy of every Jubilee" is a "joy based upon the forgiveness of sins, the joy of conversion."
From Isaiah, we know that God not only forgives, but also promises to "heal the brokenhearted,...to comfort all who mourn,...to give them...a glorious mantle instead of a listless spirit" (Is 61:1-3).
As we look back over the Twentieth Century -- indeed over the last year alone -- we find much to mourn: genocidal slaughter based on ethnic and religious differences, cold-blooded killings by teens, ten prisoners a month executed by the state, doctors in Oregon and the Netherlands assisting patients to commit suicide with the law's blessing and 50 million children destroyed by abortion worldwide.
Violence and "legitimized" killing are such serious and pervasive problems they may seen to be beyond our control. And so, we reason, we have no power nor responsibility to change things. Yet the observation of Edmund Burke rings true: All it takes for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.
We are not helpless onlookers. As Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver reminds us: "The future is not determined; we co-author it with God. Just as countless individual sins contribute to the 'culture of death' now infecting the world, countless individual choices to be virtuous are needed to build a 'culture of life' in the coming millennium."
Choosing life
We start by making the personal choice to uphold -- to really witness to -- the sanctity and dignity of every human life.
Forgiveness and conversion must take root in our hearts and in our communities, so that we can hold out to others a vision of hope and healing. St. Paul describes the Christian mission as being "ambassadors" in God's "ministry of reconciliation" (2 Cor 5:18, 20).
And nowhere, perhaps, is the need for reconciliation and for healing more urgently felt than in the hearts of those wounded by abortion. Theirs is often a hidden world of profound remorse, of darkness and despair. The death of a child through abortion is a loss of such magnitude that time not only fails to heal the wounds; it deepens them.
Women in grief
Sister Paula Vandegar, a clinical social worker and executive director of International Life Services, notes that "Women who have undergone abortion may be grouped as follows: 1) those who are suffering post-abortion reactions on an acute or chronic basis; and 2) those who have no identifiable problems now but are at risk at a future 'stress time' (such as a pregnancy, crisis in life, death of a loved one). Reactions may be severe or mild and they can vary over a person's lifetime."
Sadly, many women do not seek help for abortion-related problems until about 10 to 12 years after the abortion. In the intervening time, they may suffer profoundly as some of these symptoms may periodically recur.
Various methods may be tried to manage the resulting pain: alcohol, prescription or illegal drugs, promiscuity, hyper-activity (workaholism), punishing oneself by being in an abusive relationship or developing eating disorders. Others may attempt to replace the lost baby by becoming pregnant again; still others reenact both the pregnancy and abortion, hoping to make the experience routine and non-traumatic (or to punish themselves). Unfortunately, each of these strategies produces additional pain and problems.
Lost child
Sometimes, the reaction to abortion is very delayed. As we mature and have an opportunity to reflect on our life, we may regret our past decisions.
Counselors sometimes encounter elderly women overcome with grief from the loss of a child to abortion that occurred many decades earlier, a grief that has been buried, more or less successfully, until then.
I heard recently about a 75-year-old woman who sobbed uncontrollably over an abortion that occurred more than 50 years ago. She was never able to have another child and was facing the prospect of living her declining years alone.
Trapped
Slightly more than one-fourth of women (aged 15 and up) in the United States have undergone an abortion. And so many of these women find themselves trapped by the circular message that whirs inside: "I allowed the life of my child to be taken; my sin is too great for even God to forgive."
Breaking through the darkness and despair with words of hope, Pope John Paul II says to these women:
"The Church is aware of the many factors which may have influenced your decision, and does not doubt that in many cases it was a painful and even shattering decision. The wound in your heart may not yet have healed. Certainly what happened was and remains terribly wrong. But do not give in to discouragement and do not lose hope....Give yourselves over with humility and trust to repentance. The Father of mercies is ready to give you His forgiveness and His peace in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. You will come to understand that nothing is definitively lost, and you will also be able to ask forgiveness from your child, who is now living in the Lord" (from "The Gospel of Life").
Pope John Paul is making the point that the Church is to be a place of healing. Yes, it speaks the truth about abortion to men and women contemplating this action -- "Don't do it! It is wrong, and it will hurt you and the baby." -- but it also speaks the full truth: "If you have had an abortion, God's mercy is great enough to forgive that, too."
Jesus offers forgiveness and healing. He offers the hope and promise of resurrection and reunion with the child who is waiting for his or her parents in heaven.
Our role
Each of us can help transform this message of hope from words on a page to life-giving water. How? By sharing this message of Christ's unconditional love and forgiveness with someone who is hurting from abortion. We can become the catalyst for restoring that person to new life in Jesus Christ.
All of us are to be part of the healing ministry of Christ. We may know someone whom we think has had an abortion. We should never accuse or confront. However, a simple word that will touch their hearts and release them from fear and isolation can begin the healing process.
We might say something like, "You know, I just read this article on post-abortion trauma. It said that women and men who have experienced abortion can suffer for years with remorse, depression, anxiety nightmares and worry about their decision. Many times, they think there is something wrong with them, but in reality they are suffering grief from the loss of their child."
We can proceed to explain about the resources the Church has for healing. Simply giving information like this can help.
Reaching out
During the Jubilee Year, our Church will have a special focus on abortion's aftermath. Our Family Life Office, coupled with our parish priests, are prepared to reach out in a sensitive, compassionate way to women and men who have been affected by the decision to abort their child. (Last week, we conducted a special training for our priests to assist them in this healing task; see the separate article this week for details.)
I ask your prayers for the success of this outreach of hope and healing, and I encourage all to urge those who may be hurting from the aftermath of abortion to avail themselves of the opportunities the Holy Year affords for forgiveness and reconciliation.