V. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.
R. For His mercy endures forever.
We can’t adequately express our gratitude to God for the overturning of Roe v. Wade, but we should try. The place to begin? Extra Masses, holy hours, rosaries and our frequent, worthy reception of the sacraments, all of which lead to conversion of heart. The evisceration of Roe calls for our renunciation of sin in thanksgiving to God. More than ever, we must live in the light that is Christ and embrace his will for our lives.
My Mom died a month ago at age 94. She was very aware of the impending decision from the Supreme Court. She prayed and pined for a post-Roe America. And her life was centered on acknowledging God’s gifts of life and of sanctifying grace.
When Roe v. Wade was announced Jan. 22, 1973, my dad used the occasion, before Sunday Mass two days later, to say a few words to those gathered in Sacred Heart Church in Aberdeen, S.D. He said that the Supreme Court’s decision was troubling to him as a father. He wanted to make sure that all were aware of what a perilous thing had just occurred.
Thank God that my parents were firmly of one mind about the splendor of human life. Their six children received no mixed message. We were expected to adhere to what Holy Mother Church teaches about the sanctity of life and the splendor of procreation. There was no debate, no rebuttal, no compromises. My parents called out abortion and contraception for what they are: disobedience to the Almighty.
Recently, I read of one non-practicing Catholic who boasted on the internet of raising her newborn in a “gender neutral” environment, while another, the sister-in-law of the first, who apparently also shelved her Catholic roots, rather calmly admitted that her current pregnancy resulted from “gestational surrogacy.” Once-respected moral norms — the bitter casualties of the tendency to exalt one’s rights without any reference to the humanity of the preborn child — assuredly derive from the Roe dogma that the golden ring of privacy, at long last seemingly found in the U.S. Constitution in the middle of the 20th century, gives wide berth to interpret reality, human life and morality as one desires — without fear of legal consequences.
Immediately after the joyful news had broken June 24, the solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, commentator Patrick Madrid made a comment at once both obvious and distressing. It is clear that since 1973, he stated, our country has been plagued by innumerable problems. (Madrid didn’t need to list them.) Let us pray, he continued, that the dismantling of Roe is the sorely needed, divinely inspired fresh start that turns things around for our nation and all nations.
We fervently beg our creator that there will be fewer abortions because of the court’s decision. But we must remember that abortion is not only surgical but also chemical and mechanical. We have previously confronted these aberrations and will continue to do so, having multiple chances to suffer along the way. We will require the Holy Spirit’s gift of fortitude to proclaim the inherent dignity of every human life in the midst of the cacophony and hatred that are experienced throughout our land.
I have no doubt that the canceling of Roe v. Wade is one of the fruits of the collegial consecration of Russia, Ukraine and all of humanity to the Immaculate Heart of Mary that Pope Francis and the world’s bishops made March 25 — the solemnity of the Annunciation. May there be many more such fruits.
Msgr. Mangan is on the faculty of Mt. St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg.
Made for communion