Reclaiming Our Children: A Blog About Healing After Abortion

“In the second
reading, Saint Paul
speaks of Abraham, who, "hoping against hope, believed" (Rom 4:18).
Hoping against hope! Today too, amid so much darkness, we need to see the light
of hope and to be men and women who bring hope to others. To protect creation,
to protect every man and every woman, to look upon them with tenderness and
love, is to open up a horizon of hope; it is to let a shaft of light break
through the heavy clouds; it is to bring the warmth of hope! For believers, for
us Christians, like Abraham, like Saint
Joseph, the hope that we bring is set against the
horizon of God, which has opened up before us in Christ. It is a hope built on
the rock which is God” – Pope Francis

Bringing a Message of HOPE

 “Hoping against Hope! ” I am betting anyone
who has ever suffered from a past abortion can relate to “hoping against hope”.
“Hope” is usually something they
gave up long ago.

 In our “Entering Canaan”
ministry, Days of Prayer &
Healing are the first thing someone would attend. Our goal for the day is
single; to instill "hope of healing
". To light the flame of "hope"
into a soul so often plagued with despair, anxiety, and fear, and to be as Pope
Francis said, “men and women who bring hope
to others”.

 Often, people
think this is a small goal, after all, we are speaking about an abortion
experience, but it is from this foundation of hope that faith grows, little by little, bringing the person into a
personal relationship with God there to learn true trust in Him and His mercy, allowing
themselves to experience His forgiveness and love.

 This new found
trust then gives them the ability to honestly look at their abortion experience,
while they cling to the mercy they have found, knowing they are loved, opening
them to the tools they need, emotionally, spiritually and even sometimes
physically to heal. This “light of hope” paves the way on
their journey of post abortion healing through the desert to “Entering Canaan” the Promised Land. .

 Traveling
through this desert consists of many different experiences, from our “Hope
& Healing” weekend retreat, which explores different obstacles of healing
such as, acknowledging our sin, and the difference between shame vs. humility, to
our monthly “Gatherings” groups where we  pray before the Eucharist meditating on a
specific post abortion issue, and then share with one another. Our yearly
“Mercy” retreat, is also a time to grow deeper in our faith and our healing as
we renew ourselves in the Lord.

 Hope, the
foundation of healing and the instrument to keep faith alive is evident all
through our quest for wholeness and healing after our abortions and also our
desire to see our children one day. Pope John Paul II tells us in the Gospel of
Life:  “The Father of mercies is ready to give you his forgiveness and his
peace in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. To the same Father and his mercy you can with sure hope entrust your child. With the friendly and expert help and
advice of other people, and as a result of your own painful experience, you can
be among the most eloquent defenders of everyone's right to life. “

 This “sure hope” is
a comfort and a promise, enabling us to reclaim our children in the Lord.

“To protect creation,
to protect every man and every woman, to look upon them with tenderness and
love, is to open up a horizon of hope; it is to let a shaft of light break
through the heavy clouds; it is to bring the warmth of hope!”Pope Francis

 May we each open up a horizon of hope and break through the
heavy cloud of abortion, there to find Mercy Himself waiting for us!