There is a very famous book written by Dr. Seuss that is called “Horton Hears a Who” about a large elephant, who in the Jungle of Nool, was splashing in the middle of a pool when he hears a small voice. It is coming from a small speck of dust to which Horton says:
“So you know what I think?
Why I think that there must
Be someone on top of that small speck of dust!
Some sort of creature of very small size,
Too small to be seen by an elephant’s eyes…
Some poor little person who’s shaking with fear
That he’ll blow in the pool! He has no way to steer!
I’ll just have to save him, because after all…
A persons a person, no matter how small!”
The voices on the small piece of dust came from a small race of creatures called “Whos”. As Horton tries to rescue them from destruction, some “sour” kangaroos come onto the scene, refusing to believe that the “Whos” exist. They berate Horton and call him a fool for caring about a life they couldn’t hear or see. Despite the humiliation from the rest of the jungle, Horton stood his ground and spent a majority of the book defending the innocent “Whos” that he had the ears to hear.
I must admit that I felt a little bit like Horton this past Friday, when after close to 50 years of the Church screaming and defending the lives of those voices who were too quiet to hear, Roe v. Wade was finally overturned! Like so many around the country, I leapt for joy at the thought of so many seeds of life who’s voices are now heard…children who will now be given the opportunity to bear fruit…babies who will be given the chance to return the love of God back to the creator Who had given them life!
I can’t help but wonder how many lives that were spared this past week might become future Saints of North America. Perhaps one of those lives that were spared will have relics that will one day adorn our Church for veneration!
Despite the cries of jubilation from the Church, there are many people in our country that are truly in pain after hearing about the overturning of Roe. We have to acknowledge that there are many people who are truly upset, confused, and angry…feeling as if their personal liberties have been taken away. Being Pro-Life Orthodox Christians does not just mean that we give a voice to the voiceless. It also means that we are called to care, comfort, and value those who are in pain today, just as much as we value the unborn.
This is truly a time to celebrate and rejoice as the Church, that life has prevailed! However, we do so by giving thanks to God and not entering into online debates or spewing apologetics to those who are hurting. We instead show compassion and pray for AND WITH those who are not able or willing to see the incredibly reality that has been made manifest in our country.
There is a real gift that unborn and newborn children give to the world that often goes unnoticed. They are the best teachers of what it means to offer sacrificial and unconditional love! For mothers, as soon as they realize and feel the life inside of them, they spend 9 months sacrificing their energy and other day to day activities they are used to doing. Their life is no longer about them…it is about someone else!
Every time a newborn emerges from its mother’s womb, the entire world receives a lesson in what it means to show unconditional love. In the earliest months of a child’s life, there is nothing that they can immediately give the world in return. Newborns cannot cook. They cannot contribute to society. They don’t carry jobs. They don’t clean the house. They cannot feed themselves. They cannot sleep for more than 2 hours without needing something. They cannot clean up after themselves. Yet despite all of that, they enter the world being loved by all those that they come into contact with.
This is a perfect picture into the relationship that we all share with our Father! Like children, we rely on His unconditional love towards us! He offers humanity the sun and the rain to shower upon the earth, feeding the plans and animals that nourish us! He gives us air to breathe that is recycled by the leaves of the trees which He planted! He gives us life and bestows upon us the Holy Spirit through the Divine Mysteries of the Church…giving us everything we need in order to ward off the wiles of the devil.
God does all of these things for us, knowing that there is absolutely nothing that we can offer back to him, except our own unconditional love.
St. Maximos the confessor teaches us, that “a pure soul is one that is freed from the passions, and constantly delighted by Divine Love.” It is through the remembering of all that God has done for us that we are able to walk the same path of the Saints of our Land. We thank God for this past weekend dear ones. Through the saving of so many innocent and unborn lives, God has given our nation an even greater opportunity to not only learn about self-sacrifice, but also to learn how to show unconditional love to His Creation.
As we continue to pray for the complete abolishment of abortion, it is my personal prayer that the rest of the nation will one day take a page from the end of “Horton Hears a Who”. After all of the innocent “Whos” were able to shout loud enough to be heard, they were spared from being destroyed by those who did not have the “ears to hear”. The rest of the jungle began not just to acknowledge their existence, but also spent the remainder of their lives following after the example of Horton:
“Their voices were heard! They rang out loud and clear.
And the elephant smiled. “Do you see what I mean?...”
They’ve proved they ARE persons, no matter how small.
And their whole world was saved by the smallest of All!
“How true! Yes how true” said the big kangaroo.
“And from now on, you know what I’m planning to do?...
From now on, I’m going to protect them with you!
From the sun in the summer. From rain when it’s fall-ish,
I’m going to protect them…no matter how small-ish!'
May our Lord continue to protect and defend the innocent voices from the womb! Glory to God for All Things!