A VERY DIFFERENT MARCH

For the last few decades, thousands of people have descended upon Washington for the annual March for Life. This has long been a day when people, no matter their personal beliefs or backgrounds, have shown their support for the right to life. Some have come with giant flags waving, some with rosary chains, some with instruments playing, and many with screaming toddlers. Despite the differences in coming, they have come. They have supported life. Signs have been held saying things such as “We are the ProLife generation,” “Abortion denies fathers the right to fatherhood,” “Save the baby humans,” “Defund PlannedParenthood,” and so many more. Some of these signs look professionally done and some look as though a five-year-old has been given a marker and a sheet of cardboard. And yet all of these signs have one thing in common, they are supporting life. This is a day when those who march put aside every other difference to say “I value the life of another person.”

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I still remember the first time I brought one of my little sisters with me to the March. She was so small at the time that I was afraid I would lose her in the crush of people and yet even at that age she was absolutely certain that marching that day was the best thing that she could do. She told me “I don’t care that it is freezing cold. I just want to be here.” Everyone else I talked to that day shared her sentiment. A lady near us overhead us and said, “We drove through the night to get here, but I can’t imagine missing this.” And yet this year we are missing this. This year there will not be people coming from all over the country to show their support for life.

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Many in the world are currently living in the environment which only is to be expected in a disaster movie. The kind of situation which when seen onscreen evokes the response of “That’s terrible, pass the popcorn.” And yet this has become reality. There is know a reality where many are afraid to be with their own family for fear of contagion. These policies have affected real people. And now the March for Life has been affected. Up until now, there have been two things that haven’t seemed to stop for any quarantining measures: protesting in D.C. and abortions. It was impossible to turn own the news, at least where I was in Northern Virginia, for most of the summer without hearing about Black Lives Matter protests both in my area and in D.C. itself. Around Christmas, the news started focusing on the protests over the election. But after a group of people attacked the Capitol, the March for Life organization changed its plans. This historic protest, unfortunately the longest standing annual March in Washington, is no longer happening as it has for decades. Not because there is wonderful news of abortion being made illegal, but because of fear. It is completely natural to be worried for the safety of your loved ones, that is a part of love, but this fear seems to be taking over a desire to protect life. When multiple states were closing down last spring, there was a need to decide what constituted as an essential business. Grocery stores were reasonably decided to make the list, but Churches did not, at least not here in the Diocese of Arlington. The faithful were left wondering if they would be able to return to Mass in time for Easter. They were not. But one service which was deemed essential was abortions. They were able to continue even when most everything else was not. In a time when there was an air of uncertainty over everything, it was deemed essential to take the lives of the innocent. In a time when every decision was to be aimed at the protection of the vulnerable, it was still considered essential to take the lives of the most vulnerable. This tragedy makes me thing that it is more important than ever for people to come together to support life. Unfortunately, people will not be arriving in Washington this year to show their support for life. Instead, they will be hopefully with their own communities praying for the preservation of life. This is a noble cause but I fear that the lack of physical support in D.C. for life this year will be to the detriment of many. So I ask that while praying for life this year, you include those lost their lives to essential medical procedures this year, for those who need a witness to the value of life this year, and for all who have been affected by the craziness of the last year. I do not know if you are reading this before or after Christendom has their own March for Life on campus, but I ask you to keep these intentions in your heart all the same.