October 17, 2013
Today is the Memorial of St. Ignatius of Antioch,
not to be confused with St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits. St. Ignatius of Antioch was Bishop of Antioch
until 107 A.D., when he was sentenced to die for his faith. The method of his execution was being eaten
by wild animals in the Coliseum in Rome.
While en route to Rome from Antioch, he wrote several letters to the
early Christian churches. In his letter
to the church in Rome, he asks that no one interfere with his death. He longs to be a martyr for Christ. He longs for the day when he will enter the
Heavenly Kingdom. He thanks fellow
Christians for their kindness but bluntly states that anyone who seeks to delay
his execution is not his friend.
Ignatius is a man of incredible faith, not only willing to die for what
he believes, but anxious to do so.
Last Friday evening, I went with a group of
seminarians to Planned Parenthood in Boston.
There we met up with a group of the faithful, around 75 or so, from
around the Boston area to pray in front of the place where thousands of
abortions have been performed. I have
been to this abortion mill before and to others in Dallas. The routine is the same for those who come to
pray. There is a line painted on the
sidewalk which you may not cross, leaving safe access to those who want access
to the building (although not so safe for the unborn.) You must not obstruct the sidewalk from
pedestrian traffic nor the street from vehicular traffic. You must not challenge anyone who is going
by, even if they are headed inside the clinic.
As so many times before, the crowd outside Planned
Parenthood was orderly, praying the Rosary and singing hymns. Some people walking by nodded in support,
while others mumbled their disapproval of our cause. Cars driving by honked their horns, again, I
assume that some were in support and some opposed to our efforts. Then, much to everyone’s surprise, a Boston
Police Department paddy wagon showed up and parked directly in front of the
clinic, just feet away from our group. A
couple of officers stood by and watched along with the security guard from
Planned Parenthood. The group remained
orderly, abided the rules and when we had completed our vigil we dispersed as
planned.
But the presence of the paddy wagon made me
wonder. Was this a test? Was someone
trying to incite the protesters to take an action that would harm our
cause? Did someone hope that the protest
would turn ugly? I must admit, that the temptation to cross the line was
there. The temptation to be a “martyr”
for this cause was strong. BUT, our
cause was to peacefully draw attention to the atrocities going on inside that
building with the full approval and even support of our society. I was disappointed that not only does our
government support the killing of innocent babies, but now they try to
intimidate those who peaceably protest the slaughter.
I suppose that the time will come, as it has
before in our history, when we as Christians, and even as citizens of this
great country, will have to decide how far we are willing to go for our faith,
our rights, and the rights of those who cannot speak. I pray that when the time comes, I will have
the boldness of Ignatius of Antioch.
