Pilgrims Celebrate Life Before Departing For Washington
Hundreds of pilgrims from across the Diocese of Evansville gathered for Mass Jan. 19 at St. Ferdinand Church to begin a celebration of the beauty of life, before they departed for Washington, D.C., and the 2014 March for Life.
Four buses from around the diocese met at St. Ferdinand for the 7 p.m. Mass, celebrated by Bishop Thompson and other diocesan priests and deacons. There was a definite sense of excitement in the air as youth, youth ministers, chaperones and parishioners waited for Mass to begin. For many, this trip is a first-time experience; others on this trip, however have made similar journeys multiple times as part of the annual diocesan pilgrimage.
During his homily, Bishop Thompson referred several times to Pope Francis' first apostolic exhortation, “Evangelii Gaudium” (The Joy of the Gospel). It is this very idea – joy – that the Bishop encouraged the young and the young-at-heart to continue to carry forth as they embarked on the pilgrimage. He said a constant theme that flows throughout the entire trip should be that we are full of joy toward everyone we meet.
Although the annual March for Life is focused around the Roe v. Wade decision and the need for an end to abortion, there are many large problems that we stand against while we are on the Pilgrimage for Life – abortion, euthanasia, the death penalty; and rights for people with special needs and those who struggle with poverty, abuse and marginalization. It is important to understand that no problem of human suffering exists in a vacuum, and no situation is simply black and white. We are all connected. No human person should be objectified.
Bishop Thompson also discussed the difference between being good and being holy. Anyone, he explained, can be good – and by their own merit. Holiness, on the other hand, can be achieved only through a personal relationship with God, and through His grace and presence in our lives. Throughout the Pilgrimage for Life, travelers from our diocese experience various inconveniences and challenges. Despite these minor uncomfortable moments, we are invited and encouraged to allow these little circumstances to be opportunities for sacrifice of our own comforts for others. As we offer these things up to God, we pray that others may be blessed and comforted in their need.
Bishop Thompson noted that Pope Francis has been an inspiring witness of the Joy of the Gospel in his own life, through the pope's embracing of the young, the poor and the marginalized. Each person on the Pilgrimage for Life, in a deeply personal way, is called to be a voice to those who have no way to speak out and stand up for themselves.
At the end of Mass, Bishop Thompson blessed the pilgrims and encouraged them to continue to be a presence of the joy of the Gospel to those they meet, carrying on this message of dignity in a spirit of compassion and mercy.
Anna Bittner is a regular contributor to The Message and is making the 2014 Pilgrimage for Life with hundreds of others from our diocese – included her sister Kate. Look for Kate’s report on the pilgrimage and the 2014 March for Life next week.
