After the recent Supreme Court Pro-life decision, two articles caught my special attention. One appeared in the Washington Post. The other, in the popular Catholic weekly, Our Sunday Visitor. The latter distributes the North American English edition of the official Vatican newspaper.
Unconditional love and radical hospitality
Mary Glendon, former Ambassador to the Holy See and retired Harvard law professor writes in the Washington Post…
Abortion is a gruesome symptom of our collective failure to take care of one another.
Moreover, there are an estimated 2 million American couples waiting to adopt children and only 18,000 babies born in the United States voluntarily placed for adoption per year.
But, as always, the greatest challenge is to transform the culture. This can never be done at a distance.
It requires those who would build a culture of life to extend the hand of friendship not only to families in crisis but also to those who disagree with us and are distressed by the court’s decision.
It is only when we show through our actions the goods of unconditional love and radical hospitality at the core of the culture of life movement that we will change hearts and minds. Time to get to work
The goal is to change the culture
Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore is the chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, Our Sunday Visitor quotes Archbishop Lori.
“This is a countercultural moment to be sure. The Church has taken a prophetic stance on the sanctity of life.
“Prophetic stances ignite opposition, virulent opposition.”
“It is not enough to be countercultural; the goal is to change the culture.”
How do you change culture?
A United Kingdom Management website, “=MC”, in ”Culture Eats Strategy For Breakfast”, offers some broad outlines that reminded me of what Pope Francis describes as the Synodal process.
Understanding culture is not enough. The point is to change it. And to do this you need to follow five steps.
1. Analyse culture as it is now (and be honest!)
Job one is to sit down and work out accurately what the culture is now.
2. Imagine the culture as you want it to be
With the picture of your current cultural web complete, think next about how you would like things to be – ideally. (It will never be perfect in action.)
3. Map the differences between the two
Now compare your two cultural web diagrams, and identify the differences between them. Considering your vision, mission and values:
What strengths are clear from your analysis?
…What weaknesses are hindering your vision and mission, or are misaligned?
Which factors do you need to change – and what are the key few?
… What new beliefs and behaviors do you need to promote at different levels?
4. Make an action plan
You need an action plan to make sure that the culture change actually takes place. This plan should establish:
The key issues to address – both to reinforce and change
Who should take action
How you will track and measure changes
Explain exactly how this will help deliver strategy and beneficiary payoffs
This plan should ideally be published and available to everyone.
5. Measure differences over time
You need track that your approach was actually implemented and that it has had the desired effect.
The need for prayer
Just as for the wider synodal process, so also let us pray for the gifts of the Holy Spirit!
From where I sit, the abortion rights argument is far more about women having control over what happens to their bodies than it is about the the actual act of terminating a pregnancy. In that respect your observation about caring for each other holds. But, the contrast of people wanting to adopt and the number of children put up for adoption voluntarily is a false flag.
So, my culture change would be that women/girls know that they are respected and loved. That gifts/abilities that are generally deemed to be more in the female arena be sought after and honored (and paid) like those generally deemed masculine. Forcing biological motherhood on women does nothing to further that goal.
The action plan is much more difficult to work with in part because a part of the goal is to treat others with respect and not to dehumanize those who see things differently. But, I do what I can to foster the attitudes that I believe will lead to these culture goals.
That would be following the Gospel. Jesus taught that we are all loved. It took centuries to begin to see that slavery doesn’t fit into that view of the world. Even today there are many forms of slavery. In so many cases, that’s what all the controversy is about: power over others.
Beth’s comment above is true–this is about power. I don’t think there’s a true “pro-life” movement, it seems only “anti-choice” to me. And with respect to the good archbishop, I don’t think the Church has taken a prophetic pro-life stand. Not as long as it uses the pulpit in obvious & subtle ways to promote Republicans–sorry to be partisan but undeniably this has become the party that blocks every social program that helps the needy. But I’m not really partisan either–I’m registered Independent and will never give money to Democrats who are infuriatingly weak and unwilling to fight back on issues. Until the Church is truly womb-to-tomb defender of the poor and weak, I don’t buy the claim of prophetic. This will be unpopular in some circles but too bad. We have got to be more honest in our assessment of these issues. Thanks for stirring things up here!
Thanks, Jim, for expressing so well the feelings of many people, like myself, who are frustrated not only with the politicians of both the the Democratic and Republican parties, but also with church leaders who seem to have sold out to those who only want power and have no policy or solution to offer but obstruction.
As for the weak Democrats who don’t fight back on issues against the insatiable hunger for power on the part of Republicans, does it not seem true indeed that the the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light?
God help us. Jesus bring us along and teach us. The Spirit strengthen and give us the wisdom the world cannot resist.
Thanks for that great comment, Ross. Yes it seems that “light” is missing in many ways. I join you in that final prayer….be well!