Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Messiah of the Lord. He came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him, he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:

The Catholic church’s heading for today’s readings is Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. In today’s Gospel reading (Luke 2: 22-40), Joseph and Mary bring Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem at the time prescribed for Jewish people by the law of the Lord for a male baby to be circumcised. Simeon, a righteous and devout man and who has been told by the Holy Spirit that he will see the Lord’s Messiah before he dies, enters the temple, led by the Spirit. He holds the baby Jesus in his arms and blesses God. Then he prophesies about Jesus. He blesses Joseph and Mary, “the child’s father and mother”, and he has further prophetic words for Mary. The reading says the parents are amazed by what is said about Jesus.

There is also a woman present in the temple, Anna, who is a prophetess. She has been a widow for a long time, and never leaves the temple, praying and fasting there day and night. She comes forward at that time and gives thanks to God, speaking about the child to everyone who is awaiting the Messiah.

I have so many thoughts rushing over me as I read these Gospel verses of Luke. Perhaps it is because this time of year is always significant for me for so many reasons.

When I was 33, I became pregnant with my son Joseph. I had really never actually entertained the thought of motherhood before that. I grew up in a very liberal state (New Jersey), at a very liberal time (the 1970s and 1980s), and the personhood of women and women’s rights was always being stressed. A woman was supposed to be concerned with choosing and starting a career; early motherhood (becoming a mother in your 20s) was somewhat discouraged. These were the times before a woman having it all, career and motherhood, was not even really thought about.

I admit I wasn’t particularly driven toward having a career. I didn’t have any concrete goals. I was happy to drift along in life, having a good time when I could, plugging along and even excelling otherwise at the jobs I had. I was in a relationship with Jerry, who eventually became my husband. Looking back, that relationship was the primary focus of my life then.

When I was 31, I went to a Billy Graham event at the arena in our area, where I asked Jesus Christ into my heart, into my life. After that, little by little, the way I perceived the world around me began to change. It did not happen over night. I did not instantly become a conservative about social issues. If ever confronted with the issue of abortion, I was confident in my position, which was that although I myself would never choose abortion, I couldn’t force my position on another woman. She had the right to decide what happened to her body.

Then, a woman I met at my job began to talk to me about me becoming pregnant. She placed her hands on my abdomen and prayed for me. She would ask me in the mornings at work if I had “danced” with my husband yet. At the same time, my husband suggested that we could try to become parents too. And so, I gave in to the suggestions, and after trying for a period of time, I became pregnant at 33 years old. Everyone seemed happy. I figured it was the right thing to do next in my life.

But something happened two months into my first trimester. I started to bleed. I had not even had my first pregnancy visit with my obstetrician. I rested until my first appointment, and when I finally saw the doctor in his office, I told him the details and he said he wanted to do a sonogram to see that the pregnancy was “viable” (his words). I of course agreed. He pointed to a flashing light on the sonogram screen and said, “You are indeed pregnant, and this light is your child’s heartbeat. It is strong. Everything looks good.”

I was happy to hear that my pregnancy was healthy, but what hit me so strongly at that moment was the discovery that at two months in the womb, a child had a heart that beat. I had not known that. All of the “women’s rights” voices had never mentioned that. I felt that my eyes were opened. I had never considered before that moment that a child in the womb was a living human being, a heart already beating. I could see then that abortion was wrong. It was ending the life of a human being.

I asked the doctor “But how could this be, doctor? That a baby has a beating heart at two months. Don’t they allow abortions at two months?” He just looked at me, he had no words. Then I said “They should make every woman who wants to have an abortion have a sonogram first, so that she can see this before she decides to do it.” And that is what many pro-life counselors and pray-ers at abortion clinics try to have a woman do before she chooses an abortion – have a sonogram first, giving her all the facts before a woman makes up her mind.

When my son arrived 7 weeks early, on February 1, everyone around us was so happy, especially my husband and I. Our son was born prematurely early and we were not materially ready at home to welcome him, but he was born healthy and he came home two days later, sleeping on a pillow in a basket until we could get a bassinet for him the next day. We named him Joseph, a family name, and I was happy, because the Josephs I knew in the Bible were obedient to God. He brought so much joy at his birth and to this day.

Four years later, my daughter was born. She has been another blessing. When she was 8 years old, she made her First Communion (a very blessed Catholic sacrament) and after the Mass, several women came up to us and asked if they could touch her veil and her face. We were fortunate to attend Mass at that time in a community where many people from the Philippines had settled, and I think they view a child’s First Communion as a very sacred event, and they give and receive blessings through touch. She too has always brought joy.

The point I am trying to make is that my children have always been viewed as a blessing, by their parents, extended families, our church community.

My heart breaks for all those involved in abortion, past and present. The children whose lives were ended. The mothers, most of whom believed the lies they were told – that a baby in the womb is not a life; that, if it is a life, the mother’s life is more valuable; that an unwanted baby’s life is better off terminated than suffering through the possible struggles they may face here. Most of all, people are led to believe that God is not involved in any of this.

In January 2019, the state of New York passed a law that makes abortion legal as performed by just about anyone even remotely considered a part of the medical profession, just about anywhere, at any time during a pregnancy, right up to the moment of birth. This is a tremendously sad moment in the life of human civilization here in United States, just as the Roe vs. Wade decision in January 1973 is a tragic landmark against human rights. What was equally tragic this past January was that, after the bill  was voted through the New York State government, the pro-abortion lawmakers thought it a fitting tribute to “celebrate” the bill’s passage by lighting up the Freedom Tower, which has been built near the spot where the towers of the World Trade Center fell, where so many people had died tragically. Aside from the irony of that place being chosen as a spot for a celebration of a procedure that brings about the death of a human being, it shows at the very least a misunderstanding of this procedure, and at most, a defiant demonstration of political power over the defenseless unborn who don’t have a voice to protest for their own lives. The lighting of the Tower in celebration was arrogant and insane.

When I read the Gospel verses of the presentation of the Lord at the temple, I see the joy that His birth brought to this world. Simeon blessed God, and Anna thanked God for the birth of this baby. The reading in Hebrews 2:28 tells us that Jesus suffered, and Simeon told Mary that a sword would pierce her heart, but she said yes to God’s plan with joy in spite of her reservations, just as Jesus, the Savior of humankind, was obedient, knowing He would suffer for us. The angels rejoiced when Jesus was born. We celebrate His birth at Christmas and all year.

I could not ever imagine the blessings that having my children has brought me. They are a comfort to me. They make me smile and laugh, when smiling and laughing can seem far away. They make me a responsible person, trying for their sake, when many times I would just as soon give up.

My children are human, but they have been a gift to me in my life, and I acknowledge and thank God all the time for them. I wish that every mother of an unwanted pregnancy would see the child they will bring into the world as a gift and a blessing, not a curse or a liability.

Dear God,

I give only You the praise for all the good You have created.

I pray for every person who, in the past, has chosen abortion as a solution to a situation. I pray for every mother or father who is contemplating abortion. I pray that they choose to give life to the child or children they are carrying. I pray for the children of every pregnancy. I pray for the doctors and nurses and administrators and assistants who work in places where abortions are performed, that their eyes would be open to the tragedy of abortion. And I pray for all those people whose see that abortion is wrong and a tragedy, and I pray that they will be unafraid to stand and speak for children in the womb, who are defenseless and voiceless.

In Jesus Precious Name I pray,

Amen