A Woman's Choice

            I read a fact the other day on the Internet: Eight percent of all babies in the womb who test positive for Down syndrome or a genetic anomaly survive and are born¹. That means 92% of all babies who test positive are aborted. Ninety two percent never get a chance; reading that fact shook me to my core.

            It reminded me of a story I had been told: In the late 80’s a woman found out she was pregnant on her 40^th birthday. She was surprised, but thrilled. At sixteen weeks the infant was tested for Down syndrome and the mother was shocked to hear that her baby tested positive. The doctor told her that according to the numbers, it was one of the most severe cases he had ever seen. He said she would need around the clock assistance just to care for her child’s basic needs. He insisted that she seek an immediate abortion. The mother refused, she said “I want to have this baby”. The doctor replied “No, ma’am, you see I only deliver perfect babies”. The woman looked at him and said “I have five children at home and not one of them is perfect. I am having this baby”. 

            I think of her situation, and the stress of having a big family and knowing the amount of time, resources and attention that would need to go into raising her youngest, but she stayed resolute.

            On September 11^th, 1987 she gave birth. The pediatrician in the delivery room picked up the baby, examined it and said “What are they talking about? This baby is perfect.” I think of the stress, the fear, the uncertainty that mother endured for those months of her pregnancy and I am so thankful for her decision. This is the story of my mother and her pregnancy with me. I am so thankful for her courage, her strength and that she wanted me. I am so thankful that she was willing to sacrifice for me, as she has throughout my life. I am happy I have had the chance to live, to go to college, to get married and to be a mother myself, when all of that could have been wiped away  in a moment if she had decided to go with the doctor’s direction and abort me. I am so grateful for my life and I don’t think I would feel any different or any less grateful if I had been born with Down syndrome. 

            I have heard that story probably a hundred times throughout my life, yet I have never thought of myself as a survivor. The real implications and danger of my situation never really struck me until I read that fact. I feel a sense of grief at my fellow 92% who tested positive and didn’t get the chance to live like I did. I also feel angry and indignant at those who insist, preach even, that no life is better than a difficult one. I wonder, would they feel so strongly if the life in question were their own?

            It is humbling to consider that we are all here because someone said “yes” and wanted us to be here. Not just our mothers, but our God. This week in the Church it is Pentecost and I feel I have a new lease on life. What is going on in our culture is sobering and we need to speak up for those who don’t have anyone to defend them in the womb. Testifying to the Truth in the world and that Jesus Christ is Lord is our mission and I want us to succeed. Christ has revealed Himself to the Apostles and revealed His Power in our lives and we must choose to spread this Good News. Just as the Holy Spirit gave the Apostles power at Pentecost It will also empower us. After all, Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit in Mary’s womb, so who better to help us protect the unborn of today?

1.       http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0223(199909)19:9%3C808::AID-PD637%3E3.0.CO;2-B/abstract

The Beauty within the Church

         Recently I have heard many iterations of the same sentiment, especially in the social media world, that the Church is “failing” us. Sometimes in the Internet realm, as a Catholic, I feel like a stranger in a foreign land. When I read these articles I feel like being Catholic is something laughable or outdated. It seems like it is better and more acceptable to identify yourself as practically anything other than Catholic and pro-life.  I see people using these secular sources and media outlets to understand what the Church is saying on matters. Yet would anyone go to the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops’ website to see how the Phoenix Suns are doing? Even if the USCCB did comment on the Suns most people would go straight to the source to get their information.

            

         I see so much confusion and anger towards the “Church” in the world, yet primarily the Church is made up of us, her members. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church it says “’The Church’ is the People that God gathers in the whole world. She exists in local communities and is made real as a liturgical, above all a Eucharistic, assembly” (CCC 752). The Pope, bishops and priests lead us but the people are the tangible manifestation of the Church in the day to day realities of life. If people are disappointed in the Church, it is up to us as Catholics to show them Love and Charity, “This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). The sacraments, from which we constantly draw strength and grace, aid us in this endeavor.

            Priests are the face of Catholicism to many people. We all know the tragic stories of priests who have fallen into sin. But what never makes the front page of the paper, or even page 15, what no one mentions in their Facebook statuses, are the faithful priests who are doing their best and glorifying God every day, who sit in the confessional for hours every week, who visit the sick, sit with the dying, sacrifice time with their families and friends to be with their parishioners; priests who wake up early every morning to start their day in prayer and stay up late to end it in the same way. Yet they rarely have someone to witness and write about these daily heroic acts of love.

            I know that priests are human, I lived with one. My big brother became a priest two years ago. We expect priests and the church to be made up of perfect, sinless members, yet they are human. I have heard it said many times – if you want better priests, pray for them; they are praying for you.

            There are so many good, holy, Catholic people I encounter the more involved I become with my parish. People I see patiently waiting in the confession line every week. The couples faithfully using Natural Family Planning instead of contraception, who love it and talk about how it is helping their marriage thrive. I see men and women who have experienced the pain of divorce but continue to lead holy lives, going to mass every Sunday and being embraced by our community. The other day I saw a lovely woman from our parish waiting for the bus so she could take Holy Communion to the people in a senior living community, when she herself lives in an assisted living home and doesn’t even have a car. All of these people are trying to live the faith not because they feel oppressed by it but because they love it, because it is making their lives better, and because they have a sincere love for Jesus. They see goodness and the message of Jesus Christ being faithfully spread by the Catholic Church. It is hard not to stand in awe of convicted people doing their best every day and living lives that are pleasing to the Lord. So much beauty is found in those who fill our churches.

            The Catholic Church has provided such joy and truth in my life. The teachings I have struggled with understanding the most, once looked into (using the Catechism, Scripture, talking to priests and other reliable sources) I have come to find make the most sense in a truly beautiful and completely rational way. The sacraments have been a source of grace, aid and joy to me throughout my life. Yes, it is hard sometimes, “How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life” (Matthew 7:14), but like any commitment or worthwhile relationship it requires work and dedication. As G.K. Chesterton said “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried,” No matter where I have been in the world and no matter what day it is I have always been able to find a church with open doors, and for that I am eternally grateful. The Church is not failing, it is alive and well, and if ever we feel it is then we should look inward and discover what it is that we have left untried.