The chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities offered a message specifically for women who have undergone abortions as Christians prepare for the season of Lent — the 40 days of fasting and prayer before Easter.
Bishop Daniel E. Thomas, the bishop of the Diocese of Toledo, Ohio, and chairman of the committee, used the U.S. bishop’s Lenten message “to speak to all who carry the unbearable sadness and guilt of an abortion experience.”
“Be assured that Jesus keeps on loving you, no matter what,” he said. “The blessed ashes distributed on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday remind us that we are all sinners; broken, imperfect, yet very precious in the eyes of God and so well loved by Him. The ashes are both a reminder of our need for repentance and the graces that flow from our Lord’s death and resurrection.”
Thomas explained that some people “stay away from the Church because they fear judgment of past sins.” However, he wants all to return to the church, including those suffering from abortion.
“[A]s Pope Francis reminds us in his letter announcing the Jubilee of Hope, (God’s judgment) ‘is meant to bring us to a definitive encounter with the Lord,'” he said.
“Jesus’ voice is calling out to you as His beloved daughters and sons and He is waiting to meet you in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. He desires a relationship with you. This Lent I personally invite you to come home to Jesus who eagerly awaits your return and come home to the Church. God’s gift of hope allows you to expect his comfort as you grieve the loss of your aborted child. It also provides the assurance that you can with sure hope entrust your child to the Father and his mercy. This Lent, in the words of St. Augustine, I invite you to entrust the past to God’s mercy, the present to God’s love, and the future to his providence.”
In the letter, Thomas also spoke of the resources that are available to help individuals — both men and women — who are living with the pain, regret, and grief of abortion, including Project Rachel.
“I pray that God plants a seed of hope in every heart that is overwhelmed by sadness and despair from participation in abortion,” he said. “This lent, the Lord’s mercy awaits you. Allow Him to heal you and lift your sadness into joy.”
