Faithful Democrats
As a chaplain I have had the privilege of being with people facing such choices, and as a human I have faced them myself. Ask yourself, or someone else who has faced such a choice: “Do you wish the choice had been taken out of your hands?” In the midst of the struggle many of us wish we weren’t faced with such a difficult decision. But time after time I have witnessed the saving power that dwells in that struggle. On the other side of the struggle, after the choice is made and lived, people thank God for the choice. We realize that it was only through the challenge, the discernment and the desperation that we deepened our relationship with God, that we reached a little further into our own spiritual depths, that we discovered our strength.
I’m probably not the only Faithful Democrat to notice that the one obvious glitch in the inauguration proceedings happened between the Chief Executive and Chief Justice, and that it involved confusion over the placement of the word ‘faithfully.’ I suspect that the confusion during the oath-of-office might be an omen of sorts: that these two branches of government will wrestle within themselves and with each other as to the proper place of faith in upholding the constitution.
On this anniversary of Roe v. Wade and during this first week of Barack Obama’s presidency, I offer this theological reflection on abortion legislation. I’m not sure that this is the right place for it, and I welcome your feedback on that. And, like Chief Justice Stevens and President Obama, if I’m getting it wrong, I might ask for a do-over.
We know Christ transcends death, but can Christ transcend choice?
With this question in mind I believe we must refocus the Christian discussion on abortion.
Have you had an experience where you felt that life was asking you to make a choice? In your heart you sensed the ‘right’ way to go, but you had to engage in a deep, personal, profoundly spiritual struggle to come to that decision? Perhaps it meant great sacrifice on your part, or going against the expectations of those you love and respect, or maybe you just really didn’t know what to do.
As a chaplain I have had the privilege of being with people facing such choices, and as a human I have faced them myself. Ask yourself, or someone else who has faced such a choice: “Do you wish the choice had been taken out of your hands?” In the midst of the struggle many of us wish we weren’t faced with such a difficult decision. But time after time I have witnessed the saving power that dwells in that struggle. On the other side of the struggle, after the choice is made and lived, people thank God for the choice. We realize that it was only through the challenge, the discernment and the desperation that we deepened our relationship with God, that we reached a little further into our own spiritual depths, that we discovered our strength.
I think our discussion on the legality of abortion needs to take into account the spiritual nature of choice. To those who say, “Some choices are so obvious God doesn’t need us to make them on an individual basis, we know how God wants everyone to act.” I say, “Then why do we have the story of Abraham and Isaac?” Why is Abraham, the one who was willing to terminate his child’s life, the spiritual father of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths?
In Scripture, when God calls out to humans, there is a common reply: “Here I am Lord”. In Hebrew it is hineni. “Behold, I”. I believe God is calling out to us all the time, and only rarely are we able to offer our honest selves in response. “Here I am Lord.” When we do, a partnership between divine and human is established, making way for miracles of, yes, biblical proportions.
One thing I have never heard discussed in all the debates on abortion is: what would be taken away from those who choose to bring their pregnancies to term if abortion is made illegal. I vividly remember the complex array of emotions and questions and prayers that flooded me when I conceived. Each time, my commitment to bear my children (and my husband’s commitment to parent them) was a process that unfolded. Knowing I had the choice to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’, I had to dig deep. What unfolded was a glorious “hineni”. Here I am Lord! I absolutely believe that my response – born of struggle and doubt and discernment — came from so deep that its truth infused my womb. Thus my children’s first home was a place that said, “Yes to you!!” and taught them by example the wondrous fruits that come from saying, “Here I am Lord”.
So can you see what could be lost if we legislate such discernment out of existence? Without the possibility of safely, legally terminating pregnancies we help to create womb-environments that say “Well you’re here so I guess that’s the way it’s going to be, like it or not.”
In asking you to contemplate more deeply the role of choice in the Christian response to pregnancy I offer these verses of scripture. The first is from the Annunciation, when Gabriel tells Mary she will give birth to Jesus. The angel does not simply tell her and leave. In fact there is a back-and-forth conversation, with Mary expressing confusion, fear, and even skepticism. She ponders, she questions. Finally, with the final verse, we read:
“Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.” (Luke 1:38)
Gabriel knows his mission is accomplished only when Mary has said Yes. For God to be born of a woman, there needed to be a woman of such great faith that she could choose to say Yes to the biologically impossible. Her ‘Behold, I’ was so strong that she believed her womb could conceive without the help of a man. Her ‘Here I am’ was built on the faith that she could grow divinity in her body, that she could give birth to the Messiah.
Her cousin Elizabeth understood the power and implications of Mary’s “Here I am”. As she says a few verses later, “Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord” (Luke 1:45).
In his resurrection, Christ transcended death. But for him to be born in the first place he needed a woman to freely choose to be his mother.
To those of you who have read the post, thank you for joining me in discussion. The experience of being able to read people’s feedback has been a really important one, and I have taken the comments to heart (and there has been such a wide variety of responses!) I am particularly grateful to “Andy C” for noticing the spirit in which the post was intended, and for reminding other readers of that. Pretty much every day I have thought about the issue in a way that continues to develop. I have thought about ways to respond, to continue the dialog, etc. Because it is Lent I don’t think it is the time to put those responses out there, but rather to continue to reflect and pray. The piece was born out of a lot of thought and prayer; your feedback has given me so much more to think and pray with. So here I go….
Wishing you all a meaningful Lenten season.
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