The Bridge Back

by Fr. Fred J. Schweihofer

Pastor, St. Rene Groupil Church

Sterling Heights, MI

Right now there are millions of women in America, and elsewhere, suffering from guilt over the abortions which were intended to solve a problem. They sought this solution out of fear, under pressure or advice from a boyfriend, parents, or other "friends," who offered no verbal or emotional support for carrying the baby to term. Their guilt seems to increase with age, and it is heightened every time a homily, newspaper article, or public announcement touches on the subject of abortion.

Few women who had an abortion can simply dismiss its effects upon them. Boyfriends and parents who encouraged an abortion are able to comfort themselves with the thought that they supported this solution in order to protect the woman. For the woman who had the abortion, it came down to deciding to terminate the life of an unseen other person in order to protect herself or to avoid the loss of someone else's apparent friendship or support. That certainly is not easy to live with. Those who have had abortions also suffer from the fact that even though they heard the Church when it told them how wrong abortion is, they do not hear it frequently enough or clearly enough from the Church that God is merciful. Those who preach against abortion rarely speak about God's mercy and forgiveness at the same time.

Perhaps it is here that the Church needs most to make clear that even though God detests every sin we commit, there is no limit to God's love and forgiveness for each one of us. As a priest involved in Project Rachel, I can speak on behalf of the Catholic Church in sacramental and non-sacramental ways that the one true God is a God of love and mercy. The only sin that God cannot forgive is a sin for which we have no sorrow.

When we speak of confessing our sins we need to remember that we are not telling something to God that He does not already know. However, it is in the very act of owning our sins (in saying that is what I have done), that we give them away (to God). Until we own our sins, they are the abyss or canyon between us; when we confess them, they become the bridge back to God.

Every woman I have talked to about her abortion rightly believes that her child is "with God," or "in heaven." Part of the reconciliation process is to enable the woman to again accept the fact of the relationship she has with God and with her child in heaven.

Our abortion-minded culture says your "problem is solved." The truth is that there has been a death in the family, and along with the feelings of guilt about it, there is a need to grieve for a child whose life on earth has been terminated. Here again, in accepting the truth that a real person has died and is now with God, the mother can find reconciliation with her child, as well as confirm the new strength for her life.

Project Rachel is about discovering the truth that can set us free. Sharing in that discovery process is a special opportunity for which I am grateful to have a part. The truth is that our loving and forgiving God is bigger than anything we have ever done wrong.

"Peace be with you."

---- from the Project Rachel Newsletter, August 1996

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