During the Summer months, this column will be highlighting the good work and parishioners involved in one of our various Parish Ministries.  Each week, we will feature an article from a different ministry, written by one if its members, as a reflection on the generosity and stewardship of the SMOS community.

Respect Life Committee

by Tim & Alia Keys

Just One Person

82% of women who chose abortion would have chosen life if just one person had intervened, according to the Vitae Research Institute. 

Just one person. 

The scriptures, and our lives, are full of examples of one person making a difference. 

• The father of the prodigal son runs to, embraces, and celebrates the return of his son when most would have considered him dead to the family. 
• The good Samaritan tends to a man dying on the road when most have passed by on the other side. 
• Veronica wipes the face of Jesus on his way to Calvary when most were afraid to step forward. 

Each of these individuals, in his/her own way, made a tangible difference in the life of another. When most took the easy road, turned away, or hid in the shadows, these courageous men and women stepped forward.

You and I are just one person, yet we have a tremendous opportunity to change the course of a person’s life through our love and support. This is especially true for women who face unplanned pregnancies and find themselves alone and scared about what the future holds. 

Women with unplanned pregnancies deserve unexpected joy!

The Respect Life committee at St. Margaret of Scotland is working to equip all of us to become that one person. We work to raise funds for organizations who walk with moms facing unplanned pregnancy. We seek to educate the parish on issues that threaten life at its most vulnerable stages – the beginning and the end.

Abortion is a social justice issue that claims the lives of almost 1 million children each year in the United States alone, and leaves women (and men) wounded. 

As Catholics, we cannot stand in the shadows while the least of these are attacked. Together, let us work to welcome the immigrant/refugee, fight racial and other injustices, stand up against gun violence, protect our natural resources, and yes, protect the lives of babies in the womb. 

In Jeremiah 1:5, the Lord says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you.”

Are you that one person? We’d love to hear from you. Join us for our regularly scheduled meetings on the third Sunday of the month at 9 am in the Church basement (Sept – May), find us on Flocknotes, or email us at RespectLifeSMOS@gmail.com.