(LifeSiteNews) — In one of his most famous books, the beloved Dr. Seuss told the story of the Whos in Whoville and their impending destruction because no one believed they existed. Everyone in Whoville raised their voices to shout that they were there, but their collective voices were not loud enough until the smallest Who – Jo-Jo – joined in. Only then were they finally heard and thus saved from a painful death from boiling oil.
Today, it is not oil that takes the lives of the smallest among us. It is saline solution, sopher clamps, suction tubes, and mifepristone.
These are the instruments of death. These are the instruments of abortion. And those who clamor for the “right” to kill the smallest among us seem to claim victory after victory. Why? Because they shout louder.
We saw recent evidence of this at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last week, where screaming and yelling, especially about bodily “autonomy,” was all too prevalent. An abortion bus, courtesy of Planned Parenthood, even joined the fray and promised (and committed) free abortions and vasectomies.
One of the many speakers at the convention was Oprah Winfrey, who spoke about a “right” to abortion. She stated, “If you cannot control when and how you choose to bring your children into this world and how they are raised and supported, there is no American dream.”
Her outright lie that people cannot achieve the proverbial American dream unless they kill their offspring was believed by far too many. I’m not sure what’s worse – that she spoke those words or that thousands of people cheered for them.
We are living in dangerous times – times when the most vulnerable among us are under constant threat. And people like Winfrey, those who arrange abortion buses, and pro-abortion politicians are holding the vat of boiling oil, attempting to intimidate us into silence.
The attainment of heaven – eternity with God – should be our dream. No earthly riches compare to the riches of heaven. Yet this can never be a passive dream. We cannot waltz through life simply thinking “I’m a nice person,” not follow the laws of God, not obey the tenets of the faith, and expect that He will welcome us into His arms.
If we repeatedly push God out of our lives, if we deny Him, if we slander Him, and if we mock Him, He will give us what we ask for – a life (and eternity) without Him.
That is what our silence earns us.
St. Camillus de Lellis once said, “Think well. Speak well. Do well. These three things, through the mercy of God, will make a man go to heaven.” He understood that we must not only follow God’s laws in our hearts and lips but in our actions. That means we stand up for our faith. We teach others. We do our part to protect the vulnerable. And we do all this unapologetically and out of love, never denigrating those who oppose us but teaching with conviction and true concern for the well-being of their souls.
God calls us to love all people, not just those we like. But He also calls us to obedience for the sake of our own souls. His command is clear: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”
Thou shall not kill is one of those commandments.
For the sake of our children and grandchildren, for the sake of the sanctity of marriage and the family, and for the future of our country, we must make our pro-life voices heard. It is incumbent upon us to be the Jo-Jo in our homes and in our communities.
Our silence will lead to the death of millions of babies, the elderly, and the disabled. This is the world we face when we elect people who don’t care about all human beings – born and preborn. This is the world we face if we sit back and do and say nothing.
So, as Saint Catherine of Siena advised, “Start being brave about everything, driving out darkness and spreading light as well.”
Bravely speak the truth, defend the vulnerable, and never be afraid to add your pro-life voice to a crazy world hell-bent on destroying life. It may just be your voice that finally makes the difference.
Susan Ciancio is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and has worked as a writer and editor for over 20 years; 15 of those years have been in the pro-life sector. Currently, she is the editor of American Life League’s Celebrate Life Magazine—the nation’s premier Catholic pro-life magazine. She is also the director and executive editor of ALL’s Culture of Life Studies Program—a pre-K-12 Catholic pro-life education organization.