June 7, 2009:

Ponderings of a Pilgrim PASTOR

“The Gift of Peace”

            Just a little more than ten years ago, one of the saintliest men I have ever known and one whom I felt privileged to call a friend, died, Joseph Cardinal Bernardin.  I had know him for several years before he was elevated to Archbishop of Chicago.  Within a few years he became ill with cancer and died.  During the last months of his life he wrote a wonderful little book, “The Gift of Peace,” which shared his final thoughts on his life and ministry.

            Cardinal Bernardin believed deeply in what he called "the seamless garment of life."  To him, a commitment to life means opposing not simply abortion, but also murder, capital punishment, war, and unforgiving, hostile language.  He practiced what he preached by offering forgiveness and being reconciled to the man who had falsely accused him of sexual misconduct.

            I can only imagine how he would have been grieved by the murder of Dr. George Tiller this past Sunday while Dr. Tiller was ushering in his Lutheran Church in Wichita.  Dr. Tiller had been targeted by the (so-called) “Right to Life” forces because he was one of the few doctors in America willing to perform late-term abortions.

            While the (so-called) “Right to Life” movement has, for the most part, condemned this murder, their rhetoric inspired this heinous act.  Years ago, Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes observed that free speech does not give anyone the right to yell “Fire!” in a crowded theatre.  In my view, the extremist opponents of abortion have done just that and, in so doing, destroyed the moral basis on which they claim to stand.  “Right to Life,” indeed!  They ought to be ashamed of themselves.  I know Cardinal Bernardin would be.

Love,

Pastor Dave