Why This Blog?

To be busy opposing wrong is not the same as being right.

-Mustard Seeds from DynamicCatholic.com

I've been prolife all my life. I've attended silent protests, lectures, diocesan dinners, rosary circles and the March for Life every year since I was 14. I was president of my high school club and last year, I was blessed to be president of the Right to Life club at my university.

That's when things changed.

I wanted to reach out as much as I could, to get every single student on campus involved if I could. But how? I didn't know, so I asked. Through probably hundreds of discussions, my own observation, and Divine Intervention, an answer began to form: joy.

Mother Teresa said, "Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls."

I wanted to catch souls (read: students). And what I saw and heard from too many of them, sadly, was that "pro-life" was equated with angry protesters, antagonistic arguments, forceful presentations of bloody pictures, failure to listen, failure to love.

Anyone who is even half genuinely prolife knows that this is not at all what our movement is about. Yet whether because of biased media coverage, extremists, or simply manipulation of hearts by the Devil himself , this was the impression.

Evangelium Vitae says that "Evangelization is an all-embracing, progressive activity through which the Church participates in the prophetic, priestly and royal mission of the Lord Jesus. It is therefore inextricably linked to preaching, celebration and the service of charity."

It seems to me we had stopped on item #1 - preaching. Charity was a close second, but celebration?

"Because we have been sent into the world as a 'people for life', our proclamation must also become a genuine celebration of the Gospel of life. " [EV 83]

Sounds like JPII was pretty serious about this celebration thing. But that makes sense, because we have so much to celebrate - LIFE! Life, this incredible gift from God, was given to us freely out of love, for love. And as Mother Teresa said, "Joy is love."

Joy is infectious. It softens, it invites, and it strengthens. The Gospel of life is a joyful message, and it should be communicated as such, both in word and action. Want to catch souls? Pull out your net of love - joy. And let the celebration begin. 

Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones;

And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart. - Psalm 32:11