Guest Reflection: Learning to Cherish Life

 

Dear Parish Faithful,

Our parishioner, Jacob Boehne, shared this personal account with me recently. I was very impressed by it, and asked if he would agree to have it shared with the parish. Jacob graciously agreed, so I am now sending it out to everyone. It is about his personal journey toward embracing and defending the "sacred gift of life." Please contact Jacob if you would like to speak with him further about his experience.

- Fr Steven

LEARNING TO CHERISH LIFE

Jacob Boehne

At age 13 I encountered a ministry called Rock for Life. They set up booths at music festivals and concerts to speak to young people about abortion and the sanctity of life. They used the punk aesthetic to attract people to the message. Walking by the booth I was interested in the older teenager with a tall colored mohawk giving out pamphlets and a guy covered in tattoos who had a presentation prepared. I asked to know about abortion and he offered me a warning before allowing me to see the binder full of photos from ultrasounds and images of ripped apart preborn children. I remember my heart breaking as I flipped through the binder and listening to that man describe the procedure and history of abortion. I was changed that day. I was awakened to a great pain and horror of the human experience. 

After leaving the festival I was full of rage and I was marked with a desire for change. I came home with my Rock for Life shirt and a handful of pamphlets. I told everyone about abortion and the need for it to end. I told my classmates, youth group, teachers, and, through the power of my shirt, everyone I walked past in my community. 

One of the responses recommended by Rock for Life was to “cherish life.” In my young mind, I had to figure out what that meant. So, I asked to volunteer in my church nursery. I figured one way to love babies was to play with some. I volunteered in the church nursery for years and I worked with another ministry in Newport, KY that provided free meals and clothing for families in need on Saturday afternoons in the park. My main job was to push kids on the swings while the moms grabbed food and clothing to take home. 

Some years went by and I started volunteering at a sliding scale daycare at the Brighton Center. The center was there to provide childcare for low-income families. Overtime I understand more about abortion, pro-choice opinion, and the need for much more in our society to change than just abortion being illegal. The pain was deeper and even more horrifying than what that binder of photos could reveal. 

A Reflection on Abortion and Being Pro-Life

by Fr. Steven C. Kostoff

On June 24 – the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Forerunner – what no one really expected until recently, actually happened. This was the overturning of the controversial Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling of 1973, which granted women the constitutional right to abortion throughout the country. The new ruling is referred to as Dodd v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. For many, Roe v. Wade was flawed from the very beginning, both in form and content. (Even Ruth Bader Ginsburg considered it problematic.) It certainly did not have a grasp of the biological facts about the beginning of human life in the womb. Perhaps one way to envision the acceptance of abortion is to realize just how powerful is the affirmation of the self-autonomous individual, wherein “choice” is the ultimate act of freedom.

The Orthodox Church always has and always will resist abortion. Thus, the Church took a position of “holy resistance” in opposition to Roe v. Wade, encouraging peaceful and prayerful protests against the widespread practice of abortion since 1973. The Church also condemned violence as  a legitimate form of protest. Abortion is actually a very old issue, since the ancient Church stood out against this common practice many centuries ago. One of many representative voices was that of St. Basil the Great (+379). In stark terms this is what he wrote about abortion:

Those who give potions for the destruction of the child conceived in the womb are murderers, as are those who take potions which kill the child. (Letter 188)

Notice how St. Basil does not only cast blame on the mother of the child, but first mentions those who provide the means for the abortion to occur. In our contemporary setting, we need be aware and sensitive to the complexities of life situations, especially as these affect women who are not the recipients of structural social support, or of love and concern flowing from family support.

When all is said and done – and remaining aware of the complexities of life just mentioned above - abortion is the taking of a human life. Since the “sacred gift of life” is ultimately in the hands of God, elective abortion is  understood to be contrary to the will of our Creator as the One who is the Lord “of the living and the dead.” That, of course, is a “religious” perspective not shared by a large part of American society. A growing secular perspective, developing within our country’s strict separation of Church and State, allowed for the option of abortion that ultimately received the sanction of the Supreme Court.  And since 1973 there has a bitter and contentious struggle between those described as “pro life,” and those described as “pro choice.” This recent ruling will prove to be as contentious and controversial as the ruling of 1973. In other words, the debate will continue with no end in sight.

Now this divisive issue has been handed back to the states for their own legislative deliberations.  Many states have already enacted strict anti-abortion laws, and others will soon join them. And there are states in which abortions will remain legal. Hopefully women will not be criminalized for seeking an abortion; or for going out of state to have one. And we should certainly hope that the State does not pry into the contents of a person’s mail. Will pro-life politicians fund programs that will financially assist poor mothers with child care, housing and other daily requirements? A pro-life society will need to support children born into difficult circumstances. To abandon them to the harsh realities of life after protecting their “right to life” would be immoral. That would include us, as Orthodox Christians. Are we willing to provide the necessary support to pregnant women and their children once they are born? Being Pro-life needs to continue outside of the womb.

Concerning the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Metropolitan Tikhon recently wrote: “Broadly speaking … this should be a cause for rejoicing.” Yet, he also wrote in the same pastoral letter: “However, we must avoid all triumphalism.” Here is how I understand that comment:

The Christian position – and those who accept that position – always had the moral high ground when it came to defending life from its very conception. Life, from the moment of conception, is not “potential life,” but life with potential. The conceived child is awaiting to behold the light of day, and to enter into the mystery of life in all of its varied manifestations. However, serious problems arise with the “pro-life” position because it is not consistently “pro-life” at all. This inconsistency can be, and often is, hypocritical, because of how selective the “choice” is as to who and what kind of life needs to be protected within a “pro-life” ethic.

In America, we have three forms of State-sanctioned killing: abortion, capital punishment, and war. Capital punishment and the ubiquitous presence of the threat of war certainly predate 1973. A consistent “pro-life” ethos would reject capital punishment and certainly any act of war that is aggressive and belligerent. Has the American fascination with our nation’s ongoing gun culture  inured us to public violence? Are we unwilling to accept acts of violence within the womb; but willing to accept State-sanctioned acts of violence outside of the womb?

Many “pro-life” Christians are strong advocates for capital punishment. Most of the autocephalous Orthodox Churches formally oppose capital punishment. I know that the Orthodox Church in America has such a resolution that goes back to the All-American Council in St. Louis in 1989. [See here - webservant.] One may argue that abortion is different from capital punishment – one  victim is absolutely innocent, and the other guilty (but certainly not always!) of a heinous crime – but it is still the State-sanctioned taking of a life. St. Prince Vladimir (+1015) abolished capital punishment in medieval Rus’ once he consciously became a Christian, based upon the precepts of the Gospel.

Here is a link to one of many excellent articles that explain why the Church cannot sanction capital punishment:

• Capital Punishment: Points to Consider

Many “pro-life” American Christians are “hawks” when it comes to war. And when we maim and kill thousands – including innocent men, women and children - through bombing and precision drone attacks, I wonder just how much distress does that cause, and how much sympathy does that awaken in us as a nation for those non-Americans who have died? Covering that up with a lot of flag-waving does not soften the destruction that has been unleashed. In the new document, For the Life of the World – Towards a Social Ethos of the Orthodox Church, blessed by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew - we read the following:

“Nothing is more contrary to God’s will for creatures fashioned in his image and likeness than violence one against another, and nothing more sacrilegious than the organized practice of mass killing.”

Here are two further links to the Orthodox Church’s attitude toward war: 

• No Just War in the Fathers by Fr. Stanley Harakas
• The Orthodox Church and Peace by Olivier Clement

Having written the above, I am fully aware of the inconsistency and hypocrisy of “pro-abortion” advocates. They are very mindful of saving life outside of the womb, but apparently seem to disregard protecting life within the womb. There is also scant recognition of accepting the responsibilities that accompany sexual relationships. Let us further hope that their protests against the overturning of Roe v. Wade does not result in acts of senseless violence. And let us not harshly judge those who disagree with us.

Thus both sides in this debate lack consistency and descend into hypocrisy.

Our Orthodox Church strongly encourages a faithful, consistent and God-inspired attitude to the “sacred gift of life” in all stage of life’s journey from the womb to the tomb. When we abandon that approach for reasons that could be political, social, cultural or philosophical, then we submit ourselves as Orthodox Christians to the skepticism and scorn of the secular world. That undermines our witness to the world of the Truth of the Gospel. Let us continue to protect the unborn and the marginalized alike – “the poor, the sick, the suffering, and the imprisoned;  abandoned, abused and orphaned children, and those who are persecuted for their faith.”

Reflections on the Sanctity of Life

Dear Parish Faithful,

"Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations." (Jeremiah 1:4)

 

This coming Sunday, January 24, is designated as Sanctity of Life Sunday within the Orthodox Church in America. For that reason I am including here some links to meditations/reflections that I have written over the years on the issue of abortion. There is a good deal of overlap in terms of the overall content, but each one touches on a certain aspect of the "abortion problem" that may lend it a certain singularity; and many have some fine quotations from other prominent thinkers. They are also "dated" in that there are references to more immediate events that are now not as relevant. But I am simply passing them on in their original form. Please feel free to look them over as we continue to affirm the Sanctity of Life.

Two Statements on 'Sanctity of Life'

Sanctity of Life: Embracing the Christian Ideal

Total Cost of Abortion - The Salvo Article

Orthodox Liturgical Tradition Values Life in the Womb

Life: “The most sublime expression of God’s creative activity”

Fr. Steven

Orthodox Liturgical Tradition Values Life in the Womb

Dear Parish Faithful & Friends in Christ,

Today, September 23, we commemorate the Conception of St. John the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord. St. John is the only figure in the New Testament besides Christ whose conception and nativity are related in detail (Lk. 1). This indicates the importance of St. John in the the work of salvation in the world. He is the true "friend of the bridegoom."

A point concerning this commemoration is that a new, unique and unrepeatable human person began to exist precisely at the moment of his conception. Human life - the psychosomatic unity of soul and body - is a continuum that starts at conception and continues through the grave and beyond into the Kingdom of God.

The scriptures reveal that life begins at conception when it tells us that the unborn John "leaped for joy" in the womb of his mother Elizabeth when the Theotokos visited her six months into her childbearing (Luke 1:39-45). St. John's destiny and vocation were chosen by God prior to his conception and started when he was conceived. He needed the time and nurturing to grow into that destiny and vocation.

The beginning of human life at conception is a truth that demands recognition in a world and society that has legalized abortion. (It is also a truth that has received absolute affirmation within the scientific community). We employ the fallible logic that declares that if something is legal then it is automatically "right."

The higher moral law declares that life is sacred. The Church witnesses to this truth to a world that has lost its moral and ethical bearings about this most basic fact of life. Every child ever conceived is a child of God with a purpose and destiny decreed for him or her by God.

The celebration of the Conception of St. John the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord (September 23); the Conception of the Theotokos (December 9); and the Incarnation of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (March 25), remind us about the sanctity of life. Thus, it is our liturgical tradition that firmly values life in the womb. These festal commemorations declare that life is from God and they compel us to stand firmly in defense of the goodness and sanctity of life.

The conception of St. John is related in the Gospel According to St. Luke (1:5-25). This passage can be found on our parish webpage, together with other readings appointed for today:

https://www.christthesavioroca.org/todaysreadingssaints

There is also a summary from the OCA's webpage:

https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2020/09/23/102703-conception-of-the-honorable-glorious-prophet-forerunner-and-bapt

 

Life: “The most sublime expression of God’s creative activity”

Dear Parish Faithful & Friends in Christ,

Friday, January 22, 2016 marks the 43rd Anniversary of the infamous Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision of 1973 that effectively legalized unrestricted access to abortion in the United States of America.  Despite reports of impending ominous weather, tens of thousands of people of faith—including many Orthodox Christians—will march in the nation’s capital to express our strong disagreement with such a law, thus providing us with a glaring and painful example of finding something morally and ethically unacceptable, though it is “legal.”

Our “peaceful protests”—violent protests by “pro-life” advocates are hardly justifiable—afford us the opportunity to remind ourselves of the Church’s ancient rejection of abortion.  As the Church began to expand in its initial period of growth, in came into contact and conflict with the Roman Empire and the proliferation of beliefs and practices that characterized the Empire’s prevailing culture.  As the “superpower” of its day, the Empire imposed itself both militarily and culturally on its far-flung territories and inhabitants.  Both abortion and infanticide were widespread practices, hardly challenged, I believe, for the most part.  An early formulation of Christian resistance to these practices can be found in the Didache or Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, a document that dates back to the early second century, in which we read,

“Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not corrupt children; do not fornicate; do not steal; do not practice magic; do not go in for sorcery; do not murder a child by abortion or kill a new-born infant” [II, 2].

In the fourth century, Saint Basil the Great wrote the following:

“Those who give potions for the destruction of the child conceived in the womb are murderers, as are those who take potions which kill the child” [Letter 188, Canon 8].  

Saint Basil clearly does not apply all of the responsibility for this decision upon the mother of the child, but includes those who provide the “service.”  In today’s world, one can only imagine the enormous pressure placed upon a young and vulnerable woman to “terminate” an “unwanted pregnancy” by those around her, including her “medical advisors.”  The pressure increases with the psychological assurance that what is legal cannot be wrong—though one’s maternal intuitions and instincts may be offering an internal protest of a different nature.

It is essential to offer a positive response rather than simply rejecting abortion as immoral, though our very human instincts make such a rejection perfectly natural.  As Christians, we must continue to affirm the sacred gift of life within the context of what some have gone so far as to name a “culture of death”—in my opinion, not an unfair characterization.  I find such an affirmation at the very beginning of Father John Breck’s wonderful book, The Sacred Gift of Life, as he embarks on a theological, bioethical and pastoral articulation of what the Church has proclaimed “from the beginning”—the victory of life over death in Christ.

“Orthodox Christianity affirms that life is a gift, freely bestowed by the God of love,” Father John writes.  “Human life, therefore,

"is to be received and welcomed with an attitude of joy and thanksgiving.  It is to be cherished, preserved and protected as the most sublime expression of God’s creative activity.  God has brought us ‘from non-being into being’ for more than mere biological existence.  He has chosen us for Life, of which the ultimate end is participation in the eternal glory of the Risen Christ, ‘in the inheritance of the saints in light’” [Colossians 1:12; Ephesians 1:18].

We cannot simply be content with denouncing abortion as a evil practice, true as that may be.  We must actively seek to alleviate the conditions of those tempted into such a decision because of their harsh environments or marginalized social status.  Compassion—more than judgment—can be a much more effective response to a deeply troubling practice that wounds the sensibility and soul of any Christian who is aware of the God of life, Who has granted us life abundantly in Christ Jesus.

Currently, every sign indicates that the practice of abortion is here to stay in our secularized society that is experiencing a kind of moral/ethical  erosion produced by an ever-expanding moral relativism. (And this moral relativism has elevated "choice" to almost sacred status; while "life" suffers debasement as it is divorced from faith in God). 

I am not hearing any presidential candidate publicly speak against abortion, regardless of his/her party's platform or personal position.  Why risk undermining one's popularity over a "dead issue?" This can be discouraging.  However, a sense of vigilance and discernment should never be far from our minds, directing us to the theological, moral and ethical themes that are irreducible to pragmatic or utilitarian concerns.  If "human life" is ... "the most sublime expression of God's creative activity," then that is the only Christian "choice" to make.