I seem to be spending a lot of time on my knees recently. To save water from leaking from the shower onto the floor and flooding the flat below I shower on my knees. I spent a great deal of time on my knees last night in prayer. Today I implored someone to think twice about having an abortion from my knees and then prayed afterwards in Church that Our Lady would help her to make the right decision in the same position.
I was asked whether I could give a couple in a car directions to an abortion clinic in Brighton. At first I refused telling them and denied knowing where it was. I did know where it was. They drove on and I reflected that perhaps I had not said enough. I turned around and ran towards the car which had parked up to ask someone else where the clinic was. It was literally 2 minutes down the road.
I managed to catch them up and speak with them. I had resolved in my heart that if I could say anything to them which may be able to persuade them against their probable decision to terminate the human life in the mother's womb then I should.
Due to the sheer profundity of the decision that they were making and my limited ability as a human being to persuade anyone to make a moral choice because of the free will that God has accorded to each and every one of us, I approached the car and addressed them from my knees. I told the couple that I didn't really know how to say what I was about to say but that I was not doing it for my own sake. I implored the couple to defend the right of their child to live. They looked surprised and responded that they did not yet know whether she was pregnant or not.
But the experience has shaken me greatly. I feel that even though I advised them to respect the life in the womb that I still in effect told them where to go. I feel that I have assisted someone in procuring an abortion, even though I advised them totally against it. I don't carry any information on my person with an advice line on alternatives, counselling and assistance for those considering abortion. I know now that I will have to mention this in Confession. In hindsight I should have suggested an alternative. God, be merciful to me a sinner.
Given that they were strangers I knew not what more I could say. They said they would discover whether she was pregnant that day at the clinic. I am quite sure that in the sight of God I could have said or done more or used more eloquent words but I had limited time and knew they would feel my view inappropriate, an invasion of their privacy and more difficult because I am a complete stranger to them. I am sure there is a great possibility they think me mad. Be that as it may, I felt I had to say something. I feel terrible because I did tell them where the clinic was even though I implored the lady to reflect on the human life in her womb. I will never know what happened next...I felt that all I could finally say was may God bless her and that I would pray for her. It is very depressing living so near an abortion clinic, whenever I pass it in the car I know that countless innocent unborn children are killed there every year. I don't know whether large shouting groups with placards really helps the situation, but it is tragic how easy it is for human life to become so dispensible. Pray for her, for him and the unborn child.
As St Francis said, "Let us begin to serve the Lord God, for up to now, we have made little or no progress."
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