My Dear Friends:
In the Old Testament towards the end of the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses is coming to the end of his life and is preparing the people of Israel to enter the Promised Land. He is pleading with the people he has led for 40 years through the desert to follow the precepts of the Lord so that they may prosper in their new land, but it is the way that Moses phrases this faithfulness to the Lord that has been immortalized through the ages: “I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live… (Deuteronomy 30:19).” What was true at the end of the Exodus experience for the Israelites over 3000 years ago holds true for us today. We have before us life and death. Which will we choose?
On this Respect Life Sunday, there is an urgency to the choice that God presented to his people and also presents to us. This Respect Life Sunday is different because next month we have before us on our election ballot an amendment to the state constitution that literally places before us the choice between life and death. Amendment 4 seeks to enshrine the right to an abortion into our state constitution thereby making legal the intentional killing of unborn children. As a Catholic people, we must rise up and defeat this by voting NO on Amendment 4.
Just as in the time of Moses, so it is also in our time, there are those who practice deceit. The Evil One, the father of lies, seeks to deceive us into thinking that the language on the ballot is appealing. What we as Catholics, and any people of good will, seek to do is not only protect the life of an unborn child, but also protect the life of the mother as well. And by this point of the column, you may be asking yourself, “Why is Father Manny getting involved in politics?” I’m not. As your pastor, it is my solemn duty and obligation to point out the lies present in society, to call out sin, and to form your consciences so that together we may build up the Kingdom of God here on earth. To borrow a phrase from Archbishop Wenski, “Catholics are nevertheless to engage themselves in the public square and do so coherently and unapologetically. To bear witness is our duty as faithful Catholics − and it is our right as faith filled citizens. Vote “no” on Amendment 4!”
The times we are living in compel us to be unapologetic in our Catholicism which is why we must spread the word and urge others to “VOTE NO ON 4!” As Catholics, we seek to create what St. John Paul II called a “culture of life,” and we seek to take care of the children not only when they are inside of their mother’s womb, but also once they are born. We aim to support mothers in raising their children. This is why every year our parish hosts a Respect Life Brunch to financially support the South Dade Pregnancy Center in helping pregnant mothers in their decision to choose life for their babies. Today, we are blessed that our Respect Life fundraising goal has been exceeded, so the brunch is free of charge at Comber Hall after our morning Masses. There will be a box for you to make a donation, if you wish.
Finally, I want to end with a simple word: mercy. In my 22 years of priesthood, I have sat with many women who have had abortions. All their stories are different and heartbreaking, but they come to a priest, they come to the Church, they come to us, looking for God’s mercy, and we must embrace them as God our Father would. The Church does so much that goes unnoticed to support these women. There’s Project Rachel that gives them counseling and offers retreats of healing. If you are in need of healing beyond the confessional because of an abortion, you can call Project Rachel’s confidential hotline at 888-456-4673.
We are fighting as a Church to defeat Amendment 4 because we know the pain that abortion inflicts on mothers and on fathers and families who go through this painful ordeal. Last year, our Florida Bishops wrote that we want to create a culture where we make abortion unthinkable. This journey into the promised land of the culture of life begins today. We have before us life and death. Choose life! Vote NO on Amendment 4!
God bless you all,
