The costs and the consequences of Roe have been beyond imagining. Tens of millions of innocent, unborn lives lost; tens of millions of women exploited by a predatory abortion industry; tens of millions or more of immortal souls put in jeopardy. Before Roe went away, the Catholic bioethicist Charles Camosy did the research and pointed out in his book Beyond the Abortion Wars that only around 1 percent of abortions are for reasons of rape or incest, and only a further 1 percent were sought to protect the life and physical health of the mother. That means that for years, 98 percent of all abortions were essentially elective surgery. And worse: So many post-abortive women have shared that they were forced into it, either by their parents, the father of the child, or other circumstances. So many women wanted to keep their children, but felt that, for whatever reason, they had no other choice. Culture of Death How right Pope St. John Paul II was to write in his great encyclical EvangeliumVitae, “We are confronted by an even larger reality, which can be described as a veritable structure of sin. This reality is characterized by the emergence of a culture which denies solidarity and in many cases takes the form of a veritable ‘culture of death.’ This culture is actively fostered by powerful cultural, economic and political currents which encourage an idea of society excessively concerned with efficiency” (12). How right Pope Benedict was to say in a 2006 address, “God’s love does not differentiate between the newly conceived infant still in his or her mother’s womb and the child or young person, or the adult and the elderly person. God does not distinguish between them because he sees an impression of his own image and likeness (Gn 1:26) in each one.” How right Pope Francis was to say in his Oct. 10, 2018 Wednesday general audience, “Is it right to take a human life to solve a problem? It’s like hiring a hitman.” How terrible is the loss of life from abortion; how grave the sin (though there is always hope for the salvation of those involved in this practice). We must pray for those women tempted to abortion through doctor’s advice. Advice refused Indeed, I am alive today because my own mother refused such advice, thanks be to God! My mother was having difficulty when she was carrying me, and it was suggested to her that maybe she shouldn’t carry me to full term because it might endanger her life. She and my father discussed it, and for whatever reason, the decision was that she was going to make the sacrifice if necessary to bring me to term. She didn’t have a pleasant last three months of pregnancy, but obviously, I did get born, full term. As a matter of fact, I was four days late. I’d like to continue in my possibly erroneous belief I’ve done more good than harm, so maybe it’s been a blessing I was able to make it to full term. So help save souls; pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet for those contemplating abortion, those working in the abortion industry, and those misguided souls defending unjust laws permitting the taking of innocent human life in the womb. Pray for the conversion and healing of pro-choice minds and hearts; pray for women facing nearly impossible situations or pressured into abortion; pray for the conversion of clinic workers, abortionists, etc. Pray also for the new evangelization to successfully replace a culture of death with a culture of life, leading to a civilization of love. The Holy Souls But our works of mercy shouldn’t just encompass the living. We owe the dead our assistance, as well. As we approach Nov. 2, the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed, the Church redirects our focus to praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory for the entire rest of the month of November. This work of mercy is so badly needed today. So few people practice their faith in the West, and so many people are dying without the Sacraments, either through disease, disaster, war, or any of the other terrible tragedies taking place in our world today. Let’s pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory who are there because they had some connection to abortion. Potentially, that includes the mothers, doctors, nurses, politicians — anyone who has some temporal punishment due for their connection to the sin of abortion. One powerful way to do that is to include the names of deceased abortionists, abortion clinic workers, pro-choice politicians and activists, or people who’d had or supported abortions in our November remembrance. Finally, let’s ask the intercession of St. Faustina and the souls of aborted children to intercede on behalf of the cause of life, for the conversion of hearts, the salvation of souls and lives, and the defeat of the culture of death. Saint Faustina, pray for us! Father Dan Cambra, MIC, is spiritual director of the Holy Souls Sodality. Visit PrayForSouls.org for more information. Marian Helper • Fall 2022 • Marian.org 19 We invite you to join the Marians this November in our month-long remembrance of all the faithful departed. Visit Marian.org/b55 to join us in our November remembrance.
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