Letters

Abortion and the Annunciation

Greg Dunne

Contents - Jul 2006 - Buy a copy now Editorial: Strong Church leadership: new approach - Michael Gilchrist Salesian Missions: Church protects the victims of Timor violence - Br Michael Lynch News: The Church Around the World Evangelisation: Strong leadership: US bishop Robert Finn shows how - AD2000 Report New Vatican document emphasises centrality of marriage and family - AD2000 Report US Archbishop: how to reform the Liturgy Internet pornography: raising the alarm - Fr Stephen J. Rossetti AD2000 website Re-mythologising: Narnia - faith and fiction: The parallel world of C.S.Lewis - Msgr Peter J. Elliott Vatican concern at Islamic persecution of Christians - Zenit News Agency Letters: The Da Vinci Code - Denis Dominguez Letters: Pope Pius XII - Br Con Moloney CFC Letters: Anti-Catholicism - Paula Gartland Letters: Abortion and the Annunciation - Greg Dunne Letters: Contraception - Richard Congram Letters: Degrees of Homosexuality - Vincent Bemowski Letters: Hymn books wanted - A. van Tilburg Books: Hell and Other Destinations, by Piers Paul Read - Francis Phillips (reviewer) Books: Theology of the Body for Beginners, by Christopher West - Jacinta Cummins (reviewer) Books: Good News About Sex and Marriage, by Christopher West - Jacinta Cummins (reviewer) Books: Stimulating reading from Freedom Publishing Reflection: US bishop: making saints should be the goal of Catholic schools - Bishop Robert Finn

It is most distressing that people in this country, and indeed worldwide, have become so apathetic about abortion.

In thinking about what can be done to wake people up to the reality of this horrendous crime it occurred to me that the Church has a marvellous weapon with which to fight abortion, namely the feast of the Annunciation, 25 March.

The Church has always held that human life begins at conception, and now finally most biologists seem to support this belief. Such being the case it is more correct to say that God became incarnate in the person of Jesus Christ at the moment of Mary's "Fiat".

Whilst not suggesting for one moment that we should downplay the feast of Christmas, I feel that if the Church were to place greater emphasis on the fact that Christ was already on Earth in Mary's womb, from the moment she accepted God's will, this could drive home to people the enormity of any decision to abort a child.

There already appears to be a growing awareness among the faithful of the link between the Annunciation and an anti-abortion stand as witnessed by the ever-increasing organised marches and prayer gatherings throughout the world on or about this day.

The Church could do a great deal towards further educating Catholics about this link by elevating the feast of the Annunciation to the level of other feasts such as Easter, Christmas or the Assumption. The day could be dedicated to the unborn and aborted babies in much the same way as we now have a day of prayer for Christian unity, vocations or the sick.

Admittedly, whatever the Church does in this regard will have little effect on most non-religious people. But when one notes the incidence of abortion among Catholics is now about the same as in the wider population, surely a more assertive stand by the Church might help Catholics contemplating abortion to reconsider.

GREG DUNNE
Peregian Beach, Qld

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 19 No 6 (July 2006), p. 15