In today’s Gospel Jesus talks about division. When we think about division, fighting is what usually comes to mind. That is not necessarily the case. There are many forms of division that we might not classify as physical fighting.
The little snide remarks to a friend about someone you know or may not even know but dislike what was said or done. The outright criticism publicly of what a person does or says. These easily slip into our lives. In our very polarized and divided society which we live in today, even good causes can divide us.
Today is a Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children. The number of abortions from 1973 to 2020 is over sixty-three and a half million.
The abortion ratio (the number of abortions per 100 pregnancies) was over 20 percent in 2020. Abortions in 2020 increased by nearly 8 percent from 2017. While these numbers numb the mind and are higher than in the past, there are areas for rejoicing which we seldom hear about.
Total abortions fell below 1 million for the first time in 2013 and have continued downward in the most recent figures by Guttmacher Institute for 2020. Between 1980 and 2020, the U.S. abortion rate for every 1,000 women of reproductive age has dropped by over 50 percent. This is significant!
Especially in view of all the continued additional emphasis on abortion over the years by the government, women’s rights organizations and especially Planned Parenthood, there can only be one explanation for this decline in abortions; prayer. Yes, the marching and peaceful protesting brought some attention to the issue, but only prayer could bring about these dramatic results.
Let us keep in mind that more than half of U.S. Catholics (56%) said abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while roughly four-in-ten (42%) said it should be illegal in all or most cases, according to the 2019 Pew Research Center survey.
In view of statistics like this, it is easy for the church to become divided, to become polarized like the rest of society. Due to the diversity of views, the passion of people with those views and the social pressure to accept abortion, we can easily turn on each other within the church. Satan would love to see that happen. We must always guard against becoming a house divided against itself that Jesus talked about.
It’s interesting to note that even though most Catholics said abortion should generally be legal, a majority also said abortion is morally wrong. In fact, the share who said that abortion is morally wrong (57%), according to data from a 2017 survey, and the share who said it should be legal (56%) are almost identical.
This is an indication that we are already divided within ourselves as individuals. The result is the turmoil that exists in our world today. Depression rates are so high that there are waiting lists over three months to get an appointment with a psychologist.
The Apostle Paul preached that there is one body one faith in Christ. And in today’s Gospel, Jesus warned about a house divided against itself.
We must never forget that Jesus came to save us and gave us a mission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations. We do this by the example we live everyday and the time we spend in prayer for God to lead us and unite us in his love. Prayer works as indicated by the falling abortion rates. Let us pray for legal protection for the unborn and all those who have experienced the chaos of abortion.
Looking to our Blessed Mother who we always turn to for protection in times of need, let us pray:
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you,
Blessed are you among women and
Blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
Now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
