A society that promotes abortion will never find true peace

On my way to the store last week, I found myself behind an SUV that had several stickers on its windows. The first that caught my eye was one that boasted “Happy Heathen.” When I pulled up closer at a light, I saw that, in addition to a few that touted the benefits of camping, there was one that displayed the peace symbol and one that said “Pro Roe.”

I thought it was sadly ironic that someone would have a sticker promoting peace while also promoting the death of preborn babies. Those two things cannot go together; abortion is antithetical to any notion of peace. And we will never achieve peace if we continue killing babies before they are born.

This truth has dominated my thoughts the last few days, especially since October is Respect Life Month and we just recently celebrated the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi—a man known for his devotion to peace.

We could all learn a lesson from this great saint: Peace can only be found through love—love of God and love of others. And authentic love means wanting what’s best for another.

The Peace Prayer of St. Francis causes us to reflect on how we should promote that peace. It says, in part, “Lord, make me an instrument of peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love.”

Peace begins with each one of us. And it can never be attained if we push God away and seek just worldly happiness. That results in a life of misery. And we see that every day in our society. People don’t sow love. They sow hate, division, anger, disgust, and violence.

If we are to ever achieve peace, we must come to understand that we need God.

The hatred and the nastiness that we see around us and on social media, the constant violence in our streets, the disdain for anything related to God or family values, and the threats to life—such as abortion and euthanasia—are all tools that the devil uses to create division and to destroy peace. That is what he loves. The devil is happiest when people are filled with hate and at war with each other.

Contrast that with our Heavenly Father, who is happiest when His children are filled with love and are doing good for one another.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that “peace cannot be attained on earth without safeguarding the goods of persons, free communication among men, respect for the dignity of persons and peoples, and the assiduous practice of fraternity.”

There will never be peace as long as our society hates someone because he isn’t born yet, or he’s old, or he looks or sounds different, or he’s losing his abilities, or he cannot care for himself.

So how do we teach this to the “happy heathens” of the world who don’t yet have this understanding? We must reach out to them from a place of love. We talk to them at Christ would, with a firm love born in conviction and rooted in the 10 Commandments. We meet them where they are and guide them to our Father. We explain that true peace can only be attained when they respect and cherish the lives of all human beings—from birth until death. We help them see that peace doesn’t come from taking a life. It comes from a life in Christ.

That life in Christ is our purpose here on earth, but it’s a purpose that too few understand.

In a talk to a group of young people, the late Charlie Kirk addressed young men specifically, and he talked about our purpose in life. He said, in part,

If the most important thing for you is just feeling good, you’re going to end up miserable. But if the most important thing is doing good, you will end up purposeful. Purpose will give you happiness. You see, we live in a country where they think that purpose, where they think that happiness is pleasure. We know that purpose is above all of this: serving God, understanding why we are here, that we are made in His image, that there is a struggle of good versus evil. . . . Mature people say no to what feels good and they pursue what is good.

Peace comes only when we realize that our purpose is to know, love, and serve God and to care for the people around us as He would.

In the parable of the Good Samaritan, the Samaritan saw a wounded man whom others ignored. He took it upon himself to care for him—to offer peace where there had only been violence. The world is that wounded man. It is hurting, bleeding, bruised, and battered. Many are passing by caring only for themselves, looking the other way, unwilling to help or effect change, and doing only what feels good.

This way of life leads us further and further away from the peace we desire.

To truly achieve peace—in our hearts, in our homes, and in our society—we are all charged with becoming the Good Samaritan. We must look around us for the injured, the vulnerable, and those who are suffering. When we find them, we must pick them up and tend lovingly to them.

But this requires us to put aside our hatred, our anger, and our jealousy. It requires us to look outside of our small lives and see the great gift of life that God has given us. A life that’s filled with anger or hatred for one type of person, one political party, or a baby in the womb will never lead to peace. It will only cause sorrow, shame, and sadness.

So let us never forget that peace begins at home. It begins with a marriage rooted in Christ, with children brought up in the faith, and with constant devotion and attention to God. If day after day we act like that “happy heathen” and push God out of our lives, He will do as we ask and allow us to have a life without Him. That, my friends, is hell on earth. And if we are not careful, that hell becomes eternal.