From the Pastor’s Desk
Dear St. Mary’s Parishioners:
If you enjoy conversion stories, I would recommend “From Fire, By Water” written by Sohrab Ahmari and published by Ignatius Press. In his book, Mr. Ahmari recounts his journey from being raised as a cultural Muslim in Iran, to atheism and eventually to Catholicism. His story is not only compelling (especially for someone still in his 30’s), but also it is well-written. It’s well-written because Mr. Ahmari is a professional writer serving as the op-ed editor of the New York Post.
In the January edition of First Things, Sohrab Ahmari contributed an article entitled “Bring Back the Body” in which he reviewed a book by O. Carter Snead. I don’t have space here to write about Mr. Snead’s book, but I would like to cite Mr. Ahmari’s introductory comments to his review of the book. Apparently in France, in 2014, there was a popular television commercial titled “Dear Future Mom” which addressed pregnant women who had learned that their children had Down syndrome. In one commercial, a child says: “Don’t be afraid, your child will be able to do many things. He’ll be able to hug you. He’ll be able to run towards you. He’ll be able to speak and tell you he loves you.” The commercials were aired because in France 96 percent of Down syndrome pregnancies are terminated. The commercials were produced in order to try to change peoples’ minds about aborting their God-given Down syndrome children. Unfortunately, a couple of individuals complained about the commercials and so they were discontinued.
To be sure, abortion is not an easy topic to talk or to think about. Still, we cannot ignore abortion because it is so prevalent in our culture, our world and our country. This coming Friday, January 22nd, marks the 48th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion in all 50 United States. Since 1973, over 60 million babies have been aborted in the U.S. Abortion leaves a large swath of destruction in its path. The destruction includes not only the children who have been deprived of the opportunity (and right) to live outside their mothers’ wombs, but also includes many post-abortive mothers and fathers who suffer deep spiritual and psychological wounds. Thanks be to God, these mothers and fathers can find healing in the grace of the sacraments and in programs such as Rachel’s Vineyard and Project Rachel. Also, fortunately there are programs like Project Gabriel and Alpha Pregnancy Clinics which help abortion-vulnerable mothers to choose life for their children.
I am very glad that my nephew and godson, Thomas, was not aborted by his parents. Over nineteen years ago, Thomas was diagnosed with Down syndrome in his mother’s womb. I’m sure there were several factors which led to the difficult decision by Thomas’ biological parents to generously allow him to be adopted as a new-born by my brother and sister-in-law. Since then, Thomas has grown into a beautiful, loving and gifted 19 year old. Thomas has many interests, but above all, he loves music. On his 18th birthday, he gave an organ recital for over 60 people which included his family and relatives, but also many folks who have come to love Thomas and have been loved by him over the years. These folks include his teachers, friends, coaches and fellow parishioners. Fortunately, I was able to drive the hour or so to Yuba City after my Sunday morning Masses to attend the recital. I was very proud of Tommy, very thankful to God and grateful to my brother and sister-in-law who generously welcomed Thomas into their lives and have loved him and raised him, along with their other two children, over the years.
As long as abortion is a reality, we have work to do. Also, I suspect that we all know someone who has been impacted by abortion whether we realize it or not. Ultimately, God is in charge. But we cooperate with God through our prayers and our efforts. Children in the womb are not able to speak. We need to speak for them. Let’s encourage each other to witness with our voices, to pray with our hearts, to work with our hands and feet to bring about a culture of life that is so desperately needed in our country and in our world.
In Christ,
Father Berg
