Homily from Fr. Kevin Schroeder "The genocide of abortion"

In the year of the priest, Fr. Kevin Schroeder represents the vocation well, with faith and conviction to share the truth even when it is difficult to do so.  Please support our priests with your prayers and as verbal encouragement.  For  every positive statement they get regarding a homily like this, they are sure to receive several angry phone calls.  Our priests need to know that there are people in the pews that are praying for them and are in support of sharing this difficult message.

This homily was given during a Mass Oct. 25 by Father Kevin Schroeder at Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis.

Before I begin this homily, I want to mention that I am preaching on a topic that is a hot-button issue in our nation. And while the morality of this matter is quite clear, it is astonishing how many Catholics remain defiant or at least indifferent to the issue. For many priests, this topic is frightening, so much so that they hesitate to preach on it. Others, when they do so, are surprised at the number of people who walk out of church during the homily. With all of this in mind, as I preach on the topic at hand, I would ask all of you to listen respectfully, not so much to me, but to the words of life given to us by God himself, through the Church. And if you feel like walking out, try your best to stick around until I get to the back of church and then you can confront me face to face about what you disagree or dislike about the Church's unchanged teaching on this topic.
It's no exaggeration that the past 100 years have been some of the most bloody, brutal and violent in the history of the world. In the past century, the world has seen two world wars and numerous "armed conflicts and engagements." But even more troubling has been the explosion of ethnic violence; the killing of others based on their bloodline, physical features, political views, religious beliefs or cultural background. Specific instances of ethnic violence in the past century include Hitler's holocaust against the Jews and others opposed to the Third Reich, an intellectual and cultural cleansing in communist China and Russia and genocides in Rwanda, Sudan-Darfur and in Bosnia. There are undoubtedly others as well, but these are some of the main losses of human life, each one ranging from several hundred thousand to tens of millions.
And what we see, if we look closely at each of these bloody crimes, is that a certain pattern emerges. In each of these genocides, there is a concerted effort to first dehumanize the victims; to make them less than human by different slurs or propaganda. For example, Jews were portrayed as rats in Nazi cartoons and called swine and vermin; in Rwanda, the persecuting Hutus called their victims cockroaches. After the dignity of the victims had been taken away, they were usually stripped of their belongings, kicked out of their homes, and persecuted with the rationale that they were somehow an animal and a threat to the integrity or stability of the country. In other words, because of who they were, not what they had done, they had to be removed for the good of everyone else.
Once the victims had been dehumanized, they were made to suffer a horrible end. They were usually subjected to ghastly deaths that horrified the rest of the world when their fate came to light. For example, those in the Holocaust died by dismemberment, gas chambers, starvation, exhaustion and numerous other horrifying ends. In the African genocides, people, including women and children, were hacked to death by machetes, burned alive, or executed by roving bands of soldiers. And after death, the bodies of the victims were left to rot, never given a respectable burial or distinct grave. Many times, this death and betrayal came not from strangers or enemies, but from friends and family members; people that should have been sources of safety and trust.
Finally, all of these genocides were made possible and perpetuated not only because of the actions of the aggressors but also because good people did little or nothing to stop them. In most, if not all, of these cases, the perpetrators were powerful but small in numbers. But because of fear, indifference, cowardice or love of personal gain and comfort, good, everyday people tolerated and ignored horrendous crimes that were happening in their countries to friends, neighbors, and even members of their own family. These are the people judged most severely by history and yet, even recently whole nations and superpowers have turned their back to the cries of various persecuted people because it would be too messy or politically inconvenient.
Now there is another genocide occurring much closer to home that Africa, Europe, or Bosnia. It has been going on for nearly 36 years in our country and is not only tolerated but also legally sanctioned. This genocide is abortion and has recently expanded to include embryonic stem cell research and abortafacient contraceptives. In the past 36 years, nearly 50 million babies have lost their lives in the name of choice, convenience, or under the guise of mercy when diagnosed with some defect by prenatal testing. This number is staggering and it is still growing by 3,300 babies a day! As a matter of fact, one of the places where abortions are performed daily is just a few blocks from where you are sitting right now.
There are many who label the pro-life movement as a small group of vocal extremists who don't care about people once they are born. It is argued that it is a woman's choice to decide whether or not to continue her pregnancy; that it is her body and we must not impose our morality on others. But listen carefully and pay attention to the structure of the argument; notice how eerily similar it is to the process followed by other perpetrators of genocide.
The first step is dehumanize the victim. We see this in the way that the unborn child is always referred to as a fetus, an embryo, a pregnancy, a mass of cells, or a blob of tissues -- but never a baby. Once people get used to thinking of the baby as a biological mass, and not a little person, it becomes easier to take away their possessions. In this case, there is only one thing that they possess, and it is life. This is taken from them because they are seen as a threat to a certain way of life, as a disruption of a career or personal control.
And this fundamental right is stripped away in some of the most brutal and painful ways imaginable. Perhaps by partially delivering the baby, crushing the skull and sucking out her brain, or by burning the baby while he is still alive with a saline solution, or by tearing apart the baby, limb by limb and then removing it from the womb. And like other victims of genocide, these little persons are not even given the respect of a proper burial but are instead thrown away in the trash or sent away to be used for research and experimentation.
Once again, we see a troubling parallel in the fact that these babies are betrayed and handed over not by strangers but by their own mothers, fathers, grandmothers, and grandfathers, the very people who were supposed to protect and nourish them. Finally, abortion continues in this country, not simply because of activists who promote it but also, and especially, because there are many Catholics who tolerate and accept this barbarous practice. How many Catholics have turned their backs on the unborn and elected public officials who publicly support and promote this act of genocide? It's like we have resigned ourselves to the fact that abortion is just a part of our nation's identity now and we just have to live with it. Nothing could be further from the truth! Nothing could be further from what the values of our country represent! Nothing could be further from what our Faith professes!
I wish there was a more gentle way to talk about abortion, I really do. But I wouldn't be doing my job as a priest if I stood before you and before God and described this act as anything less than what it really is. Abortion is murder because it deprives our smallest brothers and sisters of their right to life in the name of choice, convenience, or, ironically, mercy. And I know that some folks will be frustrated that I didn't comment on war or capital punishment, but they are not intrinsic evils; unlike murder, there are scenarios when war or capital punishment can be justified. And I simply can't treat everything in one homily.
But I don’t stand here preaching to you without hope. Our greatest hope is in the inexhaustible mercy of God. Despite the fact that our country has allowed the destruction of so much innocent life, I am certain that deep down -- America still values life.  Deep down we still believe that life is truly precious, life is beautiful, life is the fundamental right of every person and the very foundation of our country. But we must do more to protect those who cannot protect themselves. We must work to ensure that every person has the right to live regardless of whether or not their life is convenient, expected, wanted, or productive. And we must allow this pro-life mentality to transform -- the way we think, the way we vote, the way we live.
Finally, let me make it clear; these offenses against human life in our country make victims of the living as well. If any of you have been involved in an abortion and are hurting please know that you can find healing, peace and forgiveness from Christ in His Church, particularly through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It is important for each of us to remember that there is no sin, no offense too great for God’s mercy. Those involved in abortion are to be loved and ministered to, not hated and condemned. There are ministries in our Church, like Project Rachael, to help men and women who have been hurt by their decision to choose abortion as a solution to their unwanted, unplanned pregnancy.
As we come here to this Eucharist, during this month of Pro-life reflection, let us increase our efforts on behalf of life. As followers of Christ, we have the weighty responsibility to defend the innocent whether they be in Africa, Europe, Bosnia, or in their mother's womb. Too much stands to be lost if we waver or remain silent. As a final point of reflection, consider this passage from Matthew. In describing the Last Judgment, Jesus says: "Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me." What our country has done to the unborn, it has done to Christ. May we fight for life from its very beginning to its very end and by our efforts, prove our love for Jesus Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

The Polonia Pearl   aka eddie