Clergy to Clergy
Q. Won’t I be perceived as a ‘pro-life fanatic,’ a ‘right-wing conservative’ or judgmental if I preach on issues of life?
Response by: Fr. Coyle
A. An important aspect of our leadership and role as shepherd is to frame an issue in light of Scripture. There should not be a gap between ‘social justice’ concerns and ‘right to life’ concerns. The starting point and heart of ‘social justice’ is the dignity of every human person, from conception to natural death. Judas had just as much right to life as Peter. In fact, Judas only betrayed Christ once, while Peter betrayed him three times. The difference was, and I urge you to preach it, that Judas could not believe that Jesus’ grace was greater than Judas’ sin. So Judas had no hope and killed himself. Peter, on the other hand, believed in Jesus’ grace and received mercy at His hand. So Peter allowed himself to live and, later, to be used mightily by the Holy Spirit.
Q. Will I alienate some of my parishioners if I preach on abortion?
Response by: Fr. Coyle
A. I don’t like offending people. In fact, I was reared to be a people-pleaser. But one of the things the Holy Spirit freed me from early in my ministry was the need to please everyone. I learned that pleasing God comes first. If you preach the Word powerfully on almost any passage, if you tell your listeners not what the New York Times says or what you think but what God thinks, you will displease some. My experience is that people appreciate hearing clear teaching from the pulpit about abortion. Yet to believe we can do this faithfully and at the same time never alienate anyone, is to ignore the fact that even Christ Himself alienated some people (see the end of Jesus’ discourse at the end of John 6). Can we do better than He did? Such alienation is not intentional on our part, but is, in some cases, inevitable. This is not the same as “driving them away,” which is a situation in which we provide the cause of alienation by our carelessness or unkindness. Because many aspects of abortion are emotional, I try to deal with them in a sensitive way. For example, I try to imagine what impact my preaching will have on the woman whose past abortion is still a secret. Or the woman whose husband knows but who still feels great guilt and is trying to justify her position. Two years ago, I preached on abortion and made a young woman -- sophisticated, wealthy, and beautiful, with two perfect sons - furious. She left the parish for a while. Yet when her own father became chronically depressed and threatened suicide, she called me to come talk with him. Together with Jane, my wife, we got him the help he needed and he is well today. Would she have called me if she thought I weren’t pro-life?
Q. Will I increase the sense of guilt and pain of women who have had abortions if I preach about it?
Response by: Rev. Geoff Chapman
A. The guilt and pain associated with abortion is real. Sometimes it lies underneath, in the recesses of the heart, while other times it lies on top, like an open wound. Many clergy remain silent out of the best of intentions towards such people in their congregation. Silence, however, does not bring help or healing. Someone sitting in our pews hurting from abortion may interpret our silence to mean, "He (or she) doesn’t know or care about my pain" or, "If my priest knew what I’ve been through, he (or she) would reject me" or, "There’s really no help for me here. "Experts in post-abortion healing tell us that in order for those who have had abortions to find healing, it is absolutely essential that they "stop using the mechanisms of defense, such as denial, self-repression, and rationalization of abortion" (Dr. Philip Mango, "The Consequences of Abortion and Their Treatment, "August 1990). Silence has never freed anyone from denial. Because of this have made it a habit to preach about abortion at least every year, always being honest about its devastating effects and equally honest about Christ’s forgiveness and grace. Every time I have preached like this I have had wonderful opportunities in the following weeks to help women (and men) find healing and hope through Jesus.
