(LifeSiteNews) — Many parishioners who process to the altar on Ash Wednesday to receive those penitential ashes have lost a child, or children, to abortion. Countless other grandparents, friends, and family members were intimately associated with decisions and actions that led to the death of a preborn child by advising a family member to abort the baby, driving a college roommate to an abortion facility, or contributing financially to procure the procedure.
Many are unaware of how that child’s death deeply impacted their hearts and souls. Even after sacramental Confession, women and men can still struggle with painful personal and relational symptoms after abortion, signaling the need for a deeper emotional and spiritual healing experience.
Others drift away from church attendance after their abortions. Sharon shares:
“I used to avoid church after my abortion. I told myself and others it was because I disagreed with the Catholic Church’s teaching about ‘reproductive rights.’
Many years later, I realized that this pro-abortion stance was a way to protect myself from the truth I could not face – those two abortions, one surgical, the other using abortion pills, deeply wounded me emotionally, and spiritually.”
Living the lie
The Gospel reading for the first Sunday of Lent presents the great confrontation between Jesus and Satan in the desert, prior to the initiation of His public ministry.
With each temptation, Jesus responds to the deception, and lies of Satan: “Man does not live by bread alone; You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him alone shall you serve; You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”
Without healing after abortion, emotional survival often involves living a lie – the denial and repression of the emotional and biological truth of what has been lost. It is a seductive lie, the bright and shiny fruit of Eden, powerfully reinforced by the messaging of popular culture.
The truth is, a very natural, biological, emotional, and spiritual relationship is damaged when parents participate in the death of their preborn children. Hearts and souls are intimately wounded when the natural love of a mother, father, or grandparent has been aborted – along with the little boy or girl in the womb.
It’s important to note that the majority of women experience varying degrees of pressure and coercion at the time of an unplanned pregnancy. In some cases, fathers are traumatized when they discover they are powerless to prevent the destruction of their son or daughter in the womb.
Regardless of the circumstances, in every abortion decision, the relationship with God is damaged. Wounded souls secretly hunger for reconciliation and healing.
Proclaim the Good News
At the beginning of this article, Sharon shared how abortion impacted her relationship with the Church. She now tells us how a message of healing turned out to be a life-changing experience:
“Thankfully, one Sunday, my mom asked me to take her to Mass and breakfast for her birthday. I gritted my teeth and agreed to go.
Turns out it was Divine Mercy Sunday. Though initially feeling anxious and uneasy hearing the deacon introduce the topic of abortion – to my shock, and surprise, he spoke of the Divine Mercy of God, and the great hunger of Jesus for wounded souls to return to the Heart of His Mercy, not matter how grievous their sins.
He spoke with love and charity of how abortion wounds a mother/father’s heart and soul, and the availability of healing programs. He shared a brief testimony from a past participant of the Rachel’s Vineyard program in their diocese.
In the days that followed, I felt the Holy Spirit open my heart and soul to the possibility of healing. It was a moment of grace, and opened the door for a life-changing experience of God’s mercy.”
Lent can be a perfect time for clergy to share a message of hope and healing for those who have suffered abortion loss.
Abortion healing programs provide a safe and effective process to work through the complicated grief and pain, restoring communion with God and one’s aborted children.
May this Lent be a life-changing journey for you or a friend or loved one wounded by abortion. Travel with Jesus through the wilderness of sin and death, into the glorious light of Resurrection.
Have a blessed Lent and Easter Season.
Theresa Burke, Ph.D., and Kevin Burke, MSS, are the founders of Rachel’s Vineyard and pastoral associates of Priests for Life.
