CV NEWS FEED // Those who are grieving and experiencing guilt from an abortion can find healing and hope this Lent by turning to Jesus Christ, Bishop Daniel Thomas of Toledo, Ohio, said in a recent message.
“Be assured that Jesus keeps on loving you no matter what,” Bishop Thomas said in the Feb. 21 video addressing those suffering after an abortion experience.
The Ohio bishop is chairman of the pro-life committee for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), which published his video message.
The blessed ashes given to the faithful on Ash Wednesday underscore that all people are sinners, and yet deeply precious to and loved by God, Bishop Thomas said. Further, the ashes emphasize that all people need to repent and depend on Christ’s grace.
“Some stay away from the Church because they fear judgment of past sins, yet as Pope Francis reminds us in his letter announcing the Jubilee of Hope, judgment is meant to bring us to a definitive encounter with the Lord,” the bishop continued. “Jesus’s voice is calling out to you as His beloved sons and daughters, and He is waiting to meet you in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. He desires a relationship with you.”
The bishop then extended a personal invitation to those who are afraid and suffering post-abortion: “Come home to Jesus, Who eagerly awaits your return, and come home to the Church.”
God will provide comfort amid the intense grief caused by abortion, the bishop said. He added that those grieving can commend their aborted children up to God the Father, placing hope in Him.
“This Lent, in the words of St Augustine, I invite you to entrust the past to God’s mercy, the present to His love, and the future to His providence,” he concluded. “I pray that God plants a seed of hope in every heart that is overwhelmed by sadness and despair from participation in abortion. This Lent, the Lord’s mercy awaits you. Allow Him to heal you and lift your sadness into joy.”
The USCCB offers a ministry called Project Rachel for those who have been involved in abortion. More information on the ministry, which provides counseling, support groups, and other resources, is available here.
