Our parish is nearby in suburban Maryland. We have a bus that goes down, and actually makes two trips - the first leaves the parking lot at about 6:15 am to bring the young folks down for the rally and Mass at the Verizon Center, the second leaves around 9:15 to bring all us old folks down in time for the march, itself.
I'd planned to be on the 9:15 bus, as getting up at 5 am isn't especially appealing, not when I can sleep till 8 am.
But for reasons beyond my control, I wound up on the early bus with the young folks. I don't really enjoy the loud “music” of the rally in the Verizon Center, and thus would happily do without.
However, I was very much heartened by the experience of 20,000 young Catholics enthusiastically laying their hearts out for God, no matter how loud the din got. It made up for having to get out of bed early and having to endure the loud “music.” As well, Fr. Fortuna, the rapping priest, was conspicuous by his absence, which also made the experience much more pleasant.
The pro-life movement is growing younger. When I started marching in the late 1990s, the proportion of adults to young folks was much higher. As we marched yesterday, it is becoming apparent that the march is of young people, with us old fogies accompanying principally as chaperones.
This encourages me.
But Fr. Swink, who gave the homily at the Mass, mentioned the fact that since 1973, the number of aborted children in the United States has mounted to 50,000,000. That is a number, he pointed out, that could fill the Verizon Center 2,500 times.
I wonder for how long the nightmare of legal abortion on demand will continue, how many tens of millions more will be slaughtered. I wonder whether I will live to see the day when unborn children are protected in law.
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