Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
By Deacon Ernest Carlbom
Special to the Herald
We just celebrated the Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord, reminding us of our own baptism. Through the grace of baptism, God becomes our Father, Jesus becomes our Lord, Savior and Brother. Through our faith in him we become one, united as brothers and sisters.
I’m saddened to say I have experienced division and brokenness in our brotherhood and sisterhood. As Bishop Larry Silva stressed in his Christmas message, “we are sharply divided by ideologies and now the scandal of infighting between one group and another exists.”
The purpose of my message is to reflect on the causes of this scandal and how we might heal this brokenness festering in our church.
On March 13, 1970, Hawaii became the first state to legalize abortion. On Jan. 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade based on an ideology that a woman’s right of privacy permitted her to abort her unborn child without restrictions.
I believe these events are the root of our brokenness and has divided our nation and our church.
Shortly after these events, my wife Donna and I became active in the cause to protect the lives of the unborn. My mother, Lisa Carlbom, was a leader in the early pro-life movement in Hawaii. For several years after Hawaii legalized abortion, she worked with Bishop John J. Scanlan in support of the pro-life cause. She managed the Pearson Foundation and, with the help of the bishop, set up problem pregnancy centers throughout the state. Using her nursing skills, she trained the volunteers working in the centers.
Because of her example, Donna and I began working with Catholic Charities Hawaii. As foster parents for 10 years, we cared for 13 newborn babies, adopting one. This made us a strong pro-life family.
When our daughter had our first grandchild, the very thought of having an abortion became more abhorrent, inhumane. Later, through the miracle of ultrasound, our granddaughters showed us their living growing babies in their wombs. This was truly proof the fetus was not just a “thing” but a human person. It was profound. I now knew how serious the fight to protect the life of the unborn really was.
Psalm 139 says, “In your mother’s womb I knit you, I formed you, I knew everything about you.” God said to the prophet Jeremiah, “In your mother’s womb I formed you, I dedicated you and called you by name.” How can we deny that God does not see the fetus as a living human person?
Divide between friends
In our society, and even in the Catholic Church, this issue has caused a divide between friends and families. Unfortunately, among Catholics, and even among some of our clergy, there seems to be an unwillingness to stand up against the “right to choose.”
This includes some who outrightly defy the teaching of the church and the fifth Commandment “Thou shall not kill.” Others go along tacitly with those who promote abortion.
This unwillingness to stand up against abortion and those who support it contributes to the confusion and division in our church. It puts a cloud over the authority and validity of the magisterium, the teaching authority of the church.
The difficulty comes when nearly half of our Catholic brothers and sisters are willingly, and sometimes actively, endorsing those who push for a woman’s right to “choose” abortion.
The problem is compounded when many who claim to be Catholic, even our political or civic leaders, actively advocate abortion and we witness our Catholic brothers and sisters quietly going along with them.
There is a view that abortion should not be a stand-alone issue, that it needs to be considered along with other important moral or social issues, that there are desperate social and economic needs in our society that also need to be addressed. These needs are presented as morally equivalent to abortion.
So we need to ask, is there any social or economic need equivalent to the taking of the life of the unborn, greater than the fifth Commandment? When we compromise our beliefs, when we dull our consciences to accept that there could possibly be any need, any ideology, any desire, that is morally equivalent to the taking of the life of an innocent unborn child, then it raises the question: have we not crossed the line as civilized human persons, as Catholics?
It puzzles me when I see many Catholics who support those who push for abortion and at the same time are good people. They would never have an abortion themselves. They are concerned about the injustices and those who suffer. They try to follow Jesus’ teaching in Mathew 25 “What you do to the least of my brothers you do to me.” They work in many ways to bring relief to those suffering or in need. But because they believe in doing good for those in need, they somehow can go along with the ideology that endorses the right to choose abortion.
Not a difference in ideology
But the truth is abortion is not a difference in ideology. It is not a difference in what is good or best. It is not a political issue, though it is used by politicians. It is not about a legal right to “choose.” No! It is about the taking of a human life.
We need to ask ourselves, do we as Catholics have the freedom to compromise on abortion? It now seems it is acceptable for some Catholics to publicly defy or deny the fifth Commandment and the teachings of the church regarding abortion and other moral issues. Today, it is the accepted practice for some Catholics to join others in justifying ideologies, social changes and moral norms that are in opposition to the teaching of the church. This contributes to the division and the infighting among Catholics and fellow Americans.
Our division is not political or ideological. It is an issue about the sanctity of life and the willingness to follow the teaching of the church.
For 34 years I have been blessed to serve as a deacon in several parishes. The division, the animosity, the brokenness I have witnessed is painful.
So this is our challenge as we start this new year.
How can we as Catholics become of one mind, one heart and one voice so we may honestly call ourselves brothers and sisters in Our Lord? May I suggest four things.
First: It begins by each of us humbly accepting that, because of the evil of abortion, our brotherhood and our sisterhood are fragmented.
Second: It is not for someone else to fix. I, personally, must repent and seek reconciliation for any animosity, any resentment, any superiority I feel against others who think differently.
Third: I need to get on my knees in prayer to Jesus, Our Lord and Savior, to seek his guidance and strength. I need to ask the Holy Spirit for a clear vision of what it means to be Catholic, praying for wisdom and a spirit of charity so I may reach out to others with love.
Fourth: We must pray for our church leaders to stand as one voice, working to bring clarity in calling for unity against this evil.
Yes, there are other needs, other injustices that need our prayers, but first we must unite to overcome the evil of abortion. Only then will our church begin to heal.
Our Lord is crying out, “Turn to me, so, someday soon we may sit side by side, in unity” as his brothers and sisters.
Peace be with you.
Ernie Carlbom is a permanent deacon assigned to St. Anthony Parish, Kailua.
