COMMENTARY
During the 40 days of Lent, many of us consider giving up something, like TV or chocolates or our morning Starbucks ritual. But instead of abstaining from something, how about spending more time in prayer and meditation? Maybe, just maybe, we should redirect our focus on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.
The Respect Life Ministry of the Diocese of Honolulu encourages everyone to add more “works of mercy” to this year’s Lenten journey.
The corporal works of mercy are feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, visiting the sick, visiting those in prison, burying the dead and giving alms to the poor. We can use the season of Lent to reach out to the poor, the marginalized and the abandoned, and bring the light of Christ to them.
Likewise, the spiritual works of mercy give us opportunities to evangelize by compassionately admonishing sinners, instructing the uninformed, counseling the doubtful, comforting the sorrowful, patiently enduring crisis situations and praying for the living and the dead. For as we ponder the Word of God, and as it seeps deep into our hearts, we cannot help but put the Word into action.
“Abraham was called a friend of God for he was justified by works and not by faith alone.” (James 2:24)
Permit us to offer a couple of recommendations.
The Sidewalk Advocates for Life program provides you with what to say and how to assist any person confronted with an unplanned pregnancy. Sidewalk Advocates offers options to men and women in a stage of “fear” who think abortion is their only choice. Sidewalk Advocate training allows volunteers to become the hands and feet of Christ, evangelizing “life affirming” alternatives to bring hope to those contemplating an abortion. Volunteers bring Christ’s love and forgiveness to those who are hurting and in need of healing.
Sidewalk Advocate Training also provides up-to-date information about the abortion industry.
March 25 marks the anniversary of St. John Paul II’s encyclical, “Evangelium Vitae” (The Gospel of Life). We use this encyclical as a guide in promoting the sanctity of life.
Hawaii’s director for Sidewalk Advocates and the Knights of Columbus pro-life director is Paul Maple. Contact him at (808) 726-5096 or prolifedirector@gmail.com for more information. The next training session is 10:15 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 26 at St. Elizabeth Church in Aiea.
Our second recommendation is to share your time, talent and treasure in the 40 Days for Life Spring Campaign, March 5-April 10. During this campaign, groups in more than 1,000 cities in 63 countries will be praying for the end of abortion. An opening Mass is scheduled for 8 a.m., March 5, at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa, followed by a 9 a.m. prayer rally in front of Planned Parenthood, 839 South Beretania Street.
Contact Anne Shigeta Koch, anne40dfl@gmail.com, 40 Days for Life Coordinator, for more information. Contact Ximena Nistler, spsuarez7@gmail.com, to sign up for the specific days and times you will be able to volunteer.
Our third recommendation focuses on the spiritual work of mercy by praying for the living and the dead. Pray for the more than 63 million babies aborted in the United States since Roe v Wade (1973). Pray for the men and women working in abortion clinics. Pray for those who support abortion erroneously guised as a constitutional human right.
We are called to compassionately admonish sinners by leading them to God’s truth, mindful that we too are sinners always in need of God’s mercy and forgiveness.
We pray for the U.S. Supreme Court’s re-examining of the constitutionality of abortion as it reviews the case of Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health, which may overturn Roe v Wade. We pray that the Hyde Amendment, which states that taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to subsidize abortions, be kept in place. Let us meditate on God’s voice within and Mary’s instruction, “Do whatever he tells you.”
May your Lenten season be one of hope, love and peace. Please contact the Respect Life Ministry if you are interested in hosting a presentation on the sanctity of life at your parish or school. Contact Deacon Gary Streff, gstreff@rcchawaii.org, (808) 597-0413, or Valerie Streff, vstreff@rcchawaii.org, (808) 673-3074.
