‘Your Sorrow Shall Have Its Reward’

September 16, 2011

The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, celebrated Sept. 15, is a good time to address the sorrow experienced by women and men following abortion and the hope and healing available to them through Project Rachel.

The abortion industry tries mightily to downplay or even dismiss any negative physical or emotional consequences from abortion. While there is certainly plenty of credible research exposing real consequences from abortion, the most compelling evidence comes from the personal testimonies of post-abortive women and men.

One woman who shared her story with me said, "I was so taken back by the pain and the thought that my baby had just been sucked out of me… a year later, I don’t feel a sense of relief, I feel a sense of loss, of emptiness and panic…. I constantly have nightmares about bad things happening to babies, or I hear them crying and I can’t help them…. This baby is a piece of me that I have lost and cannot get back."

Another woman told me: "My life has never been the same. I mourn every single day for the child I don’t have, a child who would have maybe had my eyes, or his nose…. People will tell you that you will forget, you will never have any regrets, but that is not true."

Many other testimonies from post-abortive women are available on various websites such as www.hopeafterabortion.com and www.silentnomoreawareness.org.

Homily notes provided by the U.S. Bishops’ Pro Life Office reflect on Jesus’ Divine Mercy with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well and apply it to those tempted by abortion.

"Jesus knows the weakness of the human heart. He knows that our fears – often arising from a lack of trust in God’s love and support – can lead us into grave sin. Fear, not cruelty, is the force that motivates the majority of abortions.

"Teens and young women are afraid to tell their parents about their pregnancy for fear of disappointing them, or fear of being rejected or punished. They fear not being able to complete their education and the loss of the future life they had planned. They fear that they lack the resources and maturity to care for a baby. They fear that an adoptive family may not love their child as they would.

"Some single fathers want to marry their pregnant girlfriend or at least support their child, but others fear that they’ll be stuck with the young pregnant woman they never planned on marrying and stuck paying child support for 18 years.

"Parents whose daughters are young or still dependent on them, fear the struggles their daughters may face in trying to raise a child alone; they fear that their daughters will be kept from reaching their full potential when their studies or career are sidetracked by an unplanned pregnancy. Some parents fear how their friends will react to the family’s "shame" of an out-of-wedlock pregnancy.

"And expectant parents whose unborn child has been diagnosed with a serious genetic condition, may fear that their child will suffer in life, that they won’t be capable of caring for a child with special needs, or that the emotional pain of carrying a child to term only to witness its death will be more than they can bear.

"But in every case, our Lord is ready to provide all the grace and help we need if we simply ask him for the courage and strength to act in ways that affirm the priceless gift of life. He willingly died for us. Why do we doubt that he’d help us through any crisis, that he’d bring people into our lives who can offer the support we need through difficult times?

"And should we fail to do the right thing, sacramental Confession is always available to us.There we come face to face with God’s Divine Mercy – Mercy that forgives our worst sins, removes our guilt and our shame, fills us instead with God’s grace."

Project Rachel, a post-abortion outreach available in Nebraska (toll free at 888-456-HOPE), helps facilitate God’s Divine Mercy. Project Rachel is based upon the Old Testament figure who mourned the loss of her children (Jeremiah 31:15-17): "Thus says the Lord, Cease your cries of mourning, wipe the tears from your eyes. The sorrow you have shown shall have its reward… there is hope for your future."