Celebrating Life: a Conversation on Morning Air

This morning I joined Morning Air to talk about the one-year anniversary of the overturn of Roe v. Wade. You can catch the audio here, starting at 10:25.

On the one-year anniversary of the celebration of the overturn of Roe v. Wade, there was celebration, both in the nation’s capital and elsewhere. As I mentioned in my last post, the literal increase in life certainly is reason to celebrate! And yet, the mission is not over, and there is much work to be done.

Mary Margaret Olahan has a good thread here on some of the ways laws have changed to protect life in the past year. For example, she states that abortion is completely banned in Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia. Spaces previously used by abortion clinics are now operating as totally new businesses, having nothing to do with abortion or even healthcare (though the greatest justice is when an abortion clinic becomes a pro-life pregnancy center, in my humble opinion).

But why should we care? What if you don’t have kids, or don’t get what all the fuss is about? I come back again and again to the fact that it’s not just about the evil of abortion, but the cultural and moral downstream effects. To applaud abortion is to applaud violence against women and children, and to state that there are certain lives that just don’t matter that much. From, there, what? Do we say it’s okay to end the life of a disabled child after it’s born? What would be the difference, really? The issue of abortion is connected to our overall throwaway, self-driven culture. It is, as Pope Saint John Paul II called it, a culture of death.

And what else has happened in the past year? Well, those who support life, whether as pray-ers, or clinic workers, have suffered persecution and violence. CatholicVote has been tracking these instances, noting, “CatholicVote has tracked nearly 80 pro-abortion attacks since then, including arson, vandalism, and firebombing. In addition, CatholicVote has tracked 116 attacks on Catholic churches since May 2022, and 273 such attacks since May 2020.” This is not being reported in the mainstream news, naturally.

So what is the future? That remains the question. Those who are on the side of life - probably you, reading this - have a call to become involved. You just do. And if the idea of praying outside an abortion clinic, or volunteering at a pregnancy center, is too much, then pray within your own heart. Prayer is powerful, and it is needed. In the words of St. Paul: pray without ceasing!

In the meantime, trust in God to take care of everything, in His time. It took nearly 50 years for Roe to be overturned. Let us see what He will accomplish next.

A reason to celebrate: new life in America

This Saturday is the one-year anniversary of the overturn of Roe v. Wade. A natural consequence of this decision is a predicted increase in life - that is, a decrease in the number of abortions. And, as predicted, that is just what happened in the last year.

FiveThirtyEight blog reported that “there were 24,290 fewer legal abortions between July 2022 and March 2023, compared to a pre-Dobbs baseline.” While states that passed laws expanding the availability of abortion saw their individual numbers increase, it did not overall make up for reductions in abortions in states that passed restrictive laws. So, overall, more children were saved.

Abortion is a complex issue literally involving decisions of life and death. To have a child is a permanent thing, even if you give him or her up for adoption. Nonetheless: to have reduced the number of children sent to their demise is a truly beautiful thing. To have increased life on this planet, and this country, is unequivocally a positive. We have a long way to go to truly create a “culture of life,” and I pray that these lives saved were met with love, compassion, acceptance, and a change of heart.

If you are not already, pray for all women, families, and children every day caught in this difficult decision. Begin to financially support your local pregnancy center. Learn what it means to create a culture of life,, not just spiritually and relationally, but politically, as well. See yourself not as a bystander, but a part of the solution.

And remember, life wins.

Deciphering the new Padre Pio movie

My latest article, Deciphering the new Padre Pio Movie, is up at Catholic Stand.

A few things: one, I love Padre Pio. He was a force, and very much still is. And when I first heard a movie was being made about his life - or so it seemed to be advertised - I was excited. Not only that, but controversial actor Shia LaBeouf experienced a profound conversion experience while playing the role of Padre Pio, something he famously discussed in detail in an interview with Bishop Robert Barron. Given the saint’s reputation and following, and this news about the movie’s star, it seemed inevitable the movie would be a life-changer. Unfortunately, that is very much not the case, and instead the movie is a typical Hollywood re-tell relying on shock for effect.

The movie is about two things: one, Padre Pio arriving at San Giovanni Rotundo and beginning his life there after WW1, and the political situation happening in the town. Most of the movie is taken up with scenes of villagers fighting each other about whether or not to join the socialist party. It is not very interesting, and made worse by intentionally shaky and hard-to-follow camera work. The movie is about 85% this uninteresting political situation, and 15% Padre Pio struggling with his faith. It is never made clear why these two things are juxtaposed.

When we do see Pio, he is in a variety of truly disturbing scenes including wrestling with Satan, being tempted by Satan, apparently being tricked into giving confession to Satan, and overall, experiencing doubt. Yikes!

Ultimately, as I state in my article, the only way this movie makes any sense is to see Pio’s struggle as Shia’s as he came out of rehab and various personal scandals. Padre Pio crying naked on the floor (yes, that happens in the movie) = Shia’s shame and agony at his own personal, real-life journey. Okay. But I don’t really want to see a movie about that, I want to see a movie about Padre Pio’s life.

For the article I interviewed Shia, director Abel Ferrera, and Br. Alexander Rodriguez, who advised, was a part of Shia’s formation, and has a small part in the movie. I do wonder how the Capuchin community in CA where Shia evidently became Catholic feels about the movie, given both its great departure from anything that would be considered respectful or truthful about Pio’s life, but more importantly, its moments of outright blasphemy. Also, apparently he was able to receive communion while there, despite not being received into the Church. What?

I don’t doubt Shia’s conversion, or his personal relationship with either Jesus or Padre Pio. I do find it odd that the movie turned out the way it did, though. And basically, now I want a truthful and respectful telling of him - not just the bad and ugly, the struggles and doubts - but the triumphs, too. The impact he had, the reason his following is so strong. What about the miracles? The reading of souls? The hospital he built? Dare I say, the bilocating? This movie doesn’t do it. And it only makes sense in the context of “Shia suffered coming out of sobriety and his scandals just like Padre Pio fought the devil,” but, well, who wants to see a movie about that?

Just pray for Shia, Abel, Br. Alex, and all involved in the movie. Not because they’re “wrong,” but because we all need prayers. No person, thing, or situation, is beyond God’s reach, and I am sure he can and will work through this movie, despite what it is. But goodness, what a lost opportunity to tell an incredible story.