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The March for Life began with the seminarians driving in groups of 3-4 to Washington D.C. The emphasis placed on the March for Life at the seminary gave the trip an added importance, and the drive became almost an informal opportunity to live our shared culture of life. I do not write this to make any exaggerated claims about our trip, but there is a sense that true and virtuous fraternity gets at the heart of the matter.
 Along the way, we stopped at a large rest area/ food court. There we ran into Franciscan brothers and sisters of the Eucharist. Again, the spirit of camaraderie was a deep consolation and an opportunity to meet new and interesting people. It is a beautiful thing for fellow Christians to share not only our struggles, but also our joy and love.
Arriving in Alexandria, the seminarians of Raleigh had an opportunity to share a meal with our beloved Bishop. The conversations were filled with healthy laughter and smiles, and the highlight had to have been when Msgr. Williams presented the Bishop with a new Episcopal ring. It was a giant, plastic ring that had multi-colored lights coming for from it. Out of obedience we are not allowed to show pictures of the Bishop wearing it. In good jest of course.
After dinner, we went to the Vigil Mass. Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo gave a beautiful homily that blended humor with profound theological insights into the issue of abortion. One thing that stands out was his use of baseball analogies to drive home the content of 1 Corinthians. He passionately implored those present to pay heed to the message of this letter when St. Paul writes, “If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.”
This certainly is an excellent meditation for the events leading up to and the proceeding from the Vigil.
The next day was filled with excitement as we arrived and prepared for the North Carolina Mass. Throughout both days, pilgrims of all ages gathered throughout the National Shrine in prayer and fellowship. This was highlighted with the particular gathering of my fellow North Carolinians (though, I might add, I am more a North Carolinian by adoption than birth). In the brief encounters through those hours, I was able to meet wonderful people such as Rita Wise, a chaperone for Cardinal Gibbons, and Victor, a parishioner from Newton Grove. These encounters with the faithful of the Diocese I hope to serve are precious to me.
As always, Bishop Burbidge gave a wonderful homily that was simple, concise, and profound in its content. In addressing the issue of abortion, there was a sense in which his words were addressed at building a larger culture of life. He discussed abortion in the larger context of human dignity, one that he connected with many struggles for justice in the United States. At one point, he addressed one of the root problems that leads to abortion: The idea that human value is only in terms of the individual’s usefulness.
This message really highlighted the importance of sharing genuine interactions with my neighbor’s present at the March. We came together around the issue of abortion, but we lived a deeper communion with one another in our shared expressions of God’s love.
Finally, the March arrived and the voices of the people arose in political chants and prayer (particularly the rosary) to show the United States government and our brother and sister Americans that there are those who will not sit by idly as America aborts its future. Throughout history, God has used adversity and tragedy to bring the message of His redemptive love to a world that lives in the grip of death. With the advent of legalized abortion, the words of St. Paul ring true, “where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more.” The March for Life illustrates this point because more than any time in history, acts of beauty, love, joy, and perseverance show that Christian spirituality is pro-life. The new movement that has sprung up in the United States has really clarified how the Christian faith is one that affirms the greatness of the family and its deep bond, one that affirms the dignity of every person, and one that seeks to build communion where the world seeks to breed destruction.
Let us pray for an end to abortion and the perseverance of the culture of life. Let us pray with tears to our beloved Mother Mary, that through her intercession the world might know and be transformed by the graces flowing from her son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
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In the photo at left:
priests toward interior renewal. I was looking forward to the priesthood-related activities that would be occurring throughout the year.