The Holy Spirit does interesting things if you follow Him, especially on the Internet.
A friend of mine — a larger-than-life guy who’s gone through a lot of ups and downs and is now a passionate Christian — posted this video on Facebook. It shows former Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler singing “Amazing Grace” with a gospel singer. My friend noted that, as a Prodigal Son himself, he particularly appreciated this song. I’ve always loved it, but I know some Catholics have issues with its apparently Calvinist theology. I just take it as the personal story of a slave-boat captain who came to Christ — which it is — who was truly a “wretch” saved by faith, and leave it at that.
Then YouTube’s autoplay feature popped up this video (Tyler was a serious drug user and heroin addict that has somehow managed to survive with his faculties intact — it is a bit of a miracle):
Then I Googled a little more and was reminded of the story of Tyler and his teenage lover, Julia Holcomb (click here for a video of her from the pro-life group Silent No More). She was a groupie from a troubled, chaotic background whose parents signed her over to Tyler’s guardianship (she was 16 when they met; he was 27). There was talk of marriage and a family, but ultimately, when Holcomb got pregnant, there was an abortion. No marriage ever happened. There are conflicting stories about this, though.
Tyler has said he was traumatized by the act. From a 2015 post by fellow Patheos blogger Bristol Palin, quoting Tyler’s autobiography:
It was a big crisis. It’s a major thing when you’re growing something with a woman, but they convinced us that it would never work out and would ruin our lives. … You go to the doctor and they put the needle in her belly and they squeeze the stuff in and you watch. And it comes out dead. I was pretty devastated. In my mind, I’m going, Jesus, what have I done?
Palin also notes that Holcomb tells a different story about Tyler’s behavior at the time of the abortion, but Holcomb also acknowledges that she couldn’t see into Tyler’s mind. From a 2011 piece at LifeSite News, that tells Holcomb’s version of her whole life with Tyler (in which she still disputes some of his version of their time together):
But I know now that on an unconscious level, he must have been traumatized witnessing the death of his first-born son in such a horrific and direct way. Steven watched the baby come out and he told me later, when we were in New Hampshire, that it had been born alive and allowed to die. (I was not allowed to see the baby when it was delivered.) Steven told me later that it had been a boy and that he now felt terrible guilt and a sense of dread over what he had done. I did not know that such a thing could be legal. I could not imagine a world where a tiny baby could be born alive and tossed aside as worthless without ever seeing his mother’s face.
And:
Today I am a pro-life Roman Catholic, the mother of seven children, and this year my husband and I will celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. Joseph and I have six children of our own, and I give thanks for each of them, as they are truly a gift from God. We are also legal guardians to a beautiful little girl whose young mother made the choice for life in a difficult pregnancy, and then entrusted her to our care.
Joseph and I joined the Catholic Church, as adults through the RCIA process in 1992. The Catholic Church’s teaching on respect for life, as well as the sacrament of confession, has brought me an even deeper level of healing and peace. We have been active in ministries within the church that support the family, marriage and respect for life.
Holcomb concludes with:
Marriage and the family are the building blocks of all virtuous societies. I learned this lesson in a trial by fire that taught me to trust God’s plan no matter what occurs. I pray that our nation may also find its way back to God by respecting the life of unborn children and strengthening the sanctity of marriage.
Tyler, now 67, has had a couple of wives, many girlfriends, several children and now grandchildren. I have no idea what his personal spirituality is at the moment, but here’s his latest single, and I have to say, it’s lovely:
And the lyrics:
Send your kisses my way
Bring your sweet heart to me
I’ve been waiting for so long
Tell me all your stories
Leave some open for me
Write your name into this song
I walk through the fire
Run through the rain
I’ll wait for forever
If love is your name
Catch your wind from heaven
Send them while I’m sleeping
Wake me with the morning sun
I’ll dream of you until you come
I walk through the fire
Run through the rain
I’ll wait for forever
If love is your name
Valentines keep knocking
My heart keeps on walking
Darling I’ll hold on for you
For You, for you
I’ll walk through the fire
I’ll run through the rain
I’ll wait for forever
If love is your name
If love is your name
If love is your name
Image: Wikimedia Commons
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