At The Foot Of The Cross

Posted by Joe Scheidler (March 31, 2010 at 9:24 am)

During my 37 years in the pro-life movement, I have noticed that Good Friday has emerged as a particularly poignant day for pro-lifers.

Uniting Ourselves To Christ

Pro-lifers gather in front of many abortion facilities on Good Friday to pray the Stations of the Cross, to unite the sufferings of Christ with the sufferings of the unborn babies and of their mothers, and to pray for the end of abortion. I always try to be present at the one held at the Albany abortion clinic in Chicago. There is always a large turnout. For a change, this year I will be joining my son Eric, who leads the Stations in front of Planned Parenthood in Aurora.

They Did Not Abandon Christ

Much like Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and John, the Beloved Disciple, as well as His friend and follower, Mary Magdalene, all of whom stood at the foot of the cross, we pro-lifers stand at the modern day cross: the abortion clinic. We witness to the dignity and value of the lives of those babies whose lives are sacrificed in the clinics.

In most cases we do not save the lives of these victims any more than the three beneath the cross saved Jesus. But our witness is nonetheless efficacious. Just as Mary, John and Mary Magdalene did not save Jesus’ life, neither did they abandon Him as so many of His other friends and followers did when He was making His great sacrifice.

Passion Was For Those Outside and Those Inside The Clinic

While many of us are at the abortion clinics throughout the year, witnessing to the value of life, on Good Friday we recognize that this is a special time to concentrate on the sacrifice Jesus made in His passion and death for all of us—those of us standing and praying outside the clinic and those being crucified inside the clinic.

The Stations of the Cross highlight not just Jesus’ painful walk to Calvary to be crucified, but also the walk that every single one of us must make through life, often falling, accepting the insults we have to bear, and sometimes receiving the kindnesses offered by strangers like Simon and Veronica. But Jesus shows us how to keep going and how to embrace the sufferings that come our way. Making the Stations of the Cross reminds us that He takes all of our problems with Him on his way to the cross.

Women Inside Are Blind Like Judas Was

The women who take their babies to the abortion clinic are in despair, much like Judas was when he betrayed Christ. They are blind to the hope that is to be found only in Jesus, who wishes only to help them. While we don’t blame them for their feelings of helplessness—since our culture gives them the false illusion that life should always be fun, happy, easy, and comfortable—still the truth is that life is full of challenges and choices, and every choice comes with its own consequences. So those of who love Jesus and love these women, come to the abortion clinics to pray for these women as well as for their babies, and to bring these women hope. And on Good Friday we see in a special and a clear way just where that hope is leading: to redemption in the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Join Us

If you live near an abortion clinic where the Stations of the Cross will be prayed on Good Friday, I urge you to go there and join your prayers with the other pro-lifers. Pro-Lifers at the Albany FPA will begin the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 4:30 p.m., followed by the Stations at 5 p.m. The Pro-Life Action League will lead the Stations at Planned Parenthood in Aurora at 10 a.m. The Illinois Right To Life Committee has a list of other locations and times in Northern Illinois. Please use the comments section to alert us to other prayer locations on Good Friday. I’ll be in front of a clinic on Good Friday for sure with family, friends and those who seek forgiveness for our own sins, and the sin of abortion.

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Tags: Good Friday, prayer, stations of the cross Posted in Clinic Witness, Pro-Life Events, The Church. Follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.