Letter from the Pastor
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July 3, 2022
Happy 246th Birthday America! Looking around the political and cultural landscape of our country, we can certainly fall into a negative, nihilistic way of life. Yes, the polls tell us that as a moral nation, we are dropping fast; we are living in an absurd world where the good is bad and the bad is good, chaos and violence is becoming a way of life. Yet we know through history, this is not the first time humanity is living in an immoral, pagan, even dangerous time. Yet, at the most difficult moments in history, God raises up great saints, God turns history around and great things take place out of the darkest days.
Look what happened on June 24, 2022. We as Christians do not believe in coincidences, we are not victims of chance. God in the great mystery of His Divine Providence, using our free-will, accomplishes His good.
Usually, June 24th is the feast day of the Birth of St. John the Baptist. We all know the story of the Visitation of Our Lady, carrying Our Lord within her, visiting St. Elizabeth and caring for her through the later days of her pregnancy. When Our Lady’s greeting reached the ears of St. Elizabeth, St. John leaped in her womb. Life in the womb.
This year, because of the calendar, June 24th became the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the day we celebrate Christ’s human heart and His human love along with His Divine Love as God for all humanity. It was also the birthday of Nellie Gray. Who was Nellie Gray? Nellie was born June 24, 1924 in Texas. She served in WWII, became an attorney and worked for the Federal Government. She heard about the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision to invalidate all state abortion laws. Fearing that January 22nd would come and go with no recognition by the public, Nellie and a group of pro-life promoters gathered at her home in Washington. In hopes that the decision would soon be overturned, they organized a one-time march around the U.S. Capitol, which drew an estimated 20,000 people. When it was clear that Roe v. Wade was not going to be easily overturned, Nellie quit her job to work as the full time volunteer president and organizer of the March for Life.
Nellie, referred to as the “Joan of Arc of the pro-life movement,” was known for her unwavering commitment to life and would accept “no exceptions, no compromise” on the taking of innocent human life. Nellie was committed to protecting life regardless of the circumstances. She died in August of 2012. Nellie once remarked “We will be here (March for Life) until we overturn Roe v. Wade, and believe me, we are going to overturn Roe v. Wade.” She didn’t get to live to see the day.
There will be more than enough time in the future to reflect upon the religious, political, cultural, and social consequences of the Dobbs decision. When I heard of the decision, my first thoughts went to all those people who fought so hard, and died before this day. I thought of the words of the Lord, “For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” They fought for the truth against immense cultural and political pressures; they refused to accept that America would easily accept the death of the innocents, and keep it as the law of the land.
Along with Nellie Gray, I am thinking of all those pro-life heroes who still are here: Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and secular. I think of Cardinal O’Connor, Mother Agnes of the Sisters of Life, and the other religious orders of men and women dedicated to life; Congressmen Henry Hyde and Chris Smith, Gov. Casey, the many scholars who wrote and changed minds because of intellectual reasoning, Fr. Neuhaus and Ambassador Mary Ann Glendon. The many bishops, priests, sisters and laity who stood in all sorts of weather in front of abortion clinics to pray, those who were arrested and put in jail. Where would we be without the support of the Knights of Columbus and the other organizations? Here in Rockland County and our own parish, the people who from the beginning were out there, and still are defending life.
And finally, as Catholics, we know we are the largest supporters, and helpers of women who are troubled by their pregnancy. Our Catholic organizations do more than our own government; Good Counsel Homes, Birthright and many other quiet houses and places that house woman who want to keep their child despite the pressure even violence against them, so they can live in peace. Challenge those who speak the lie that pro-lifers only care about babies before they’re born and ignore women who’ve suffered the trauma of abortion.
The day the Dobbs decision was leaked to Politico was the anniversary of Cardinal O’Connor’s death.
Yes, we don't believe in coincidences; God will not be mocked.
