Every year, we remember and mourn on this Sanctity of Life Sunday, the greatest national tragedy that we have ever had in our country: The legalization of murder of Holy Innocents that became law on this week in 1973. Although that law has been overturned and has since sent back to the states, it has left in its wake the death of over 65 million children, with some estimates being even higher than that.
I remind all our faithful parish family today, as well as all incoming catechumens and inquirers to the faith, that to be “pro-choice” is not compatible with being an Orthodox Christian. If anyone struggles to hear these words, my office is open, and I will be more than happy to sit with you over coffee and explain exactly why this is the case without exception.
Our life as Christians is one of “giving thanks”. We give thanks to God for life he has given us. We give thanks to God for our successes and our failures. We give thanks to God for our country and for our family. The Eucharist that we will receive today is literally translated as “Thanksgiving”…yet access to abortion allows a human being turn its back on God’s greatest gift…not just to say “no thank you”, but to rather destroy the greatest gift that God has given to mankind…life itself.
All life is sacred. All life is sanctified. Life is not a right, it is a gift, and for all gifts of life, we are called to give thanks to God.
Along with the 65 million children we weep for today, we also remember all the Holy Innocents who have lost their lives in the womb, not due to any choice of the parents, but rather because of the effects of the fallen world. Anyone who has ever suffered through this unique kind of pain knows just how dark and numb the world feels when life is prematurely taken away. Yet despite those difficult moments, the Church still calls for us to be at peace, and to “Thank God”.
Thank God? For What? How are we supposed to give thanks to God for a gift that was never completely realized in life? How are we supposed to find peace in these moments of tragedy? It’s hard for us to fully fathom this calling, yet the Church teaches us through its Divine Experience, how we are to approach a beginning to answering these questions: With Gratitude…Faith…and Hope.
The first one is the hardest, and that is having Gratitude to God. We give thanks that the author of life allowed a soul…a life, from the moment of it’s conception, to come into the world. Although the mothers and fathers of the unborn never had the chance to interact with their young child, they are still known to them in their hopes, and their dreams. God gave those parents a gift of life. He chose loving parents with which to bring a soul, and yes, bring a life into the world…even if it’s one that we won’t be able to physically interact with until the second coming. In this we say: “Glory to God for All Things.”
The second way we approach the loss of a child is with faith. We approach this pain with faith that Christ is Risen from the dead. With this knowledge planted directly in our hearts, death loses its sting and hell relinquishes its victory. It is our faith in the resurrection that allows us to look past grief and see the glory that stands within the path that is before us: The knowledge that all innocent children who have fallen asleep in the womb are not consigned to oblivion, but rather will be with us again.
Yes dear mothers and fathers who have lost a child, there will be a time where you will be able to physically offer kisses, hugs, and love to that sweet baby boy or girl…those moments were not taken away from you, but simply delayed for a short time.
Finally, we approach these moments of difficulty with hope. We do not grieve like those who have no hope (as St. Paul says).
We have indeed lost many children in the womb within our parish family, and throughout the world…but our Hope is in the knowledge that their lives are not destroyed…but rather changed for the better. They who we love are not hidden in the ground, but as the icon depicts for us, they are literally embraced by their Creator.
Instead of baths in the tub, they are being bathed in Christ’s light. Instead of needing to feed, they are constantly being nourished by the presence of the Holy Spirit. Instead of weeping and tears in the middle of the night, their cries are directed towards the presence of God, interceding and praying for the only people who they ever knew in this world…their mother and father.
Gratitude, Faith, and Hope…today as we all remember the Holy Innocents, these are the virtues that are needed to wipe away our tears…reminding us that all we need to do is wait a little while longer, and we will once again be with them in paradise.