Back to About Project RachelA Message from Adam Cardinal Maida
Archbishop of Detroit
(from the Archdiocese of Detroit Project Rachel video tape)
My dear friends,
Friends... yes. We are friends gathered here in the love of Jesus Christ with a shared pain. You are among the millions of women and men who have been scarred by an abortion experience. You are hurting... you carry a sense of personal loss... a sense of guilt... the sense of being less than whole. Many of you feel estranged from your faith, cut off from your community, abandoned by your families, and unloved by your God. These are the feelings in the aftermath of abortion that can be devastating to you and to your whole life. I commend you for being here. You have the courage enough to confront your pain, tackle your guilt,and alleviate your suffering to discover the grace of Jesus Christ and the peace of a new life.
Consider these example:
A woman in her early forties who seeks a counselor to talk about a failed marriage, alcohol abuse and thoughts of suicide. A troubled woman, who finally talks in short, clipped phrases, about an abortion in her youth. Once root causes have been laid bare, and the symptoms explained, reconstruction and healing can begin.
The need for Project Rachel is clearly reflected in the face of the young high school girl who suddenly manifests terrific mood swings, feeling of dark depression, and bouts of self-hatred. A school counselor finally determines that this young girl has been forced by friends and family to abort an unborn child. An abortion that was magically supposed to straighten out her life. An abortion that has left scars beyond scientific measure.
Consider the story of an old man who visits a priest. He is bitter and works out his anger against everyone around him. The priest patiently listens to him and then he finally asks, "What makes you so angry? Why are you so bitter?" And the man finally confesses that as a young father he forced his pregnant daughter to get an abortion. He drove her to the clinic. He say in the waiting room with her. He remembers what she was wearing. He remembers the color of the walls. He remembers the date. And on that date, there was a death in the family. The family and the man have been changed ever since that date. The old man asks for a penance. He asks to be allowed to come home.
In the name of God, I extended my arms and invited these people to travel the road home. I do the same for each of you. You've suffered long enough. The Catholic Church welcomes you back. Enjoy with a heart full of love and forgiveness. Let Jesus take your hand as you travel your road home.
It may surprise you that the Church welcomes you back. Perhaps we are negligent in not telling you enough. What we often do not see, particularly in the case of abortion, a sin the Church so vehemently denounces, is that the Church as strongly as it condemns sin... profoundly forgives sinners. And there is no unforgivable sin. The Church is not interest in penalties but in reconciliation. And no amount of evil or guilt will change the nature of God. God's love, mercy and forgiveness are bigger than abortion... bigger than any sin.
As Catholics we believe grace received from the Sacraments is stronger than sin. At some point in your healing, you may feel ready to go to confession. Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation the Holy Spirit speaks to the priest, making the priest's words God's words. And when the priest says you are forgiven and when he welcomes you back in full communion with the Church, it is Christ forgiving you and welcoming you home. We must always remember that reconciliation is not our own initiative but God's. It is Christ who reconciles us. And we do not do so on our own. In the parable of the prodigal son, the son asks his father to take him back as a hired hand. The father in the parable will have nothing to do with it. The same goes for the Father in Heaven. With God there are no paybacks. His mercy and love are unconditional. He welcomes us back with open arms, no matter how tragic we think our sin is. This is an awesome concept. Awesome to comprehend because God's plan of justice is not the same as the world's. The world's model of justice is "If you do this to me, I have a right to do this in return to you." If we judged ourselves according to the world's model, we would never forgive ourselves. Fortunately, God is beyond human standards and does forgive all.
Many people feel that going to confession is simply too easy to be forgiven for a sin such as abortion. However, reconciliation is not a simple concept. It is quite profound to realize that your sins are written on the Cross. And the Blood of the Cross washes then away. God has reconciled us through Christ's victory over sin. Embrace this truth and be secure in the knowledge that you are forgiven by Christ and Church. Once you can accept this, you will also be better able to forgive yourselves.
I believe it is natural for you to feel guilt, shame and to despair for your abortion. But remember the pain you feel becomes a healing place as you receive grace and new blessings in your journey to forgiveness. This should bring you great hope. And throughout your traveling that little voice within you may be tempting you to doubt the reality of God's love. Resist that temptation, brush it aside and rest peacefully in the knowledge that you are loved fully and completely by Christ and Church.
May grace be yours in this healing journey. Welcome home! It's a joy to have you back!
Copyright © Archdiocese of Detroit, 1996. All rights reserved.