The Enemy Is the Enemy: Advice for Christians and the Abortion Debate this Fall

September 14, 2022

Fr. John Riccardo

Given the increasing rhetoric on the matter of the unborn and whether they should be considered persons and, therefore, defended, we are posting excerpts from a talk recently given by Fr. John at a Right to Life of Michigan event. Though we previously posted a link to the audio and video of that talk, because of the importance of this issue it has seemed worth dividing parts of the talk up into more digestible “bites” for our own consumption and so as to be able to share with others. Last week's 2nd excerpt can be found on our website at actsxxix.org. This is the third of four parts.

First, as Christians, as disciples of Jesus, the Eternal Son of God who became flesh to redeem the world from the power of Hell, it is paramount that we remember and understand who the enemy is. The enemy is the Enemy. Period.

It is not another political party. It is not a politician. It is not those who champion a right to abortion. It is not even the doctors who profit from abortion and perform them. The enemy is Hell. Period.

As a disciple of Jesus, I have no human enemies. As a disciple of Jesus, I am not allowed to have any human enemies. I might be theirs. They are not mine. They are just rebels. I have often in my life been a rebel. So have you. And you got won. And you probably got won by kindness, by someone who took the time to listen, by someone who took the time to care, by someone who might have provoked us to ask tough questions. But they did it in such a way that we weren’t condemned. We were not yelled at. It was obvious we actually mattered to them. We need to remember that. We in the Church, Catholic and not, often sound like the world. We can’t do that. It is not allowed. It is forbidden, as a matter of fact. Forbidden by God. We have to be careful.

Second, I would humbly suggest that we need to be careful of what I would call unbridled passion. It is easy for me, personally, to fall into what I might call unrighteous anger. We cannot do that. Several friends of mine in a recent article put it this way: 

“Christ never spread His gospel by inflaming the passions of His hearers. Jesus said, ‘in the world you will have trouble. Take courage. I have overcome the world.’  At the same time, though, Jesus saw and understood evil better than anyone who has ever lived, and though He was treated with profound injustice He was not an angry or an anxious person. And he wasn’t interested in getting His hearers angry or anxious. His disciples were to be the bearers of a message of peace with God and the hope of eternal life.” 

That means us if we are Christians. Lots of Christians are stirring up anger and anxiety. Again, it is not allowed. God is not nervous right now. We might be. But He is not. He holds the world in His hands, and He is a good Father. And He thought this world was worth making, and He alone sees the glorious ending of everything that we’re living we call history.

 Third, as absolutely important as just laws are for a just society to flourish, our ultimate goal as Christians is much, much, much bigger than that. Laws can do lots of things. But the one thing they cannot do is change hearts. And we do not want to win arguments; we want to win people.

I want those who are now as I once was to be where I am now. Only God can win hearts. That is why those on the other side are not enemies to be silenced or canceled. Again, they are just rebels to win. And God is in the business of winning rebels. 

St. Paul says, “when we were His enemies, Christ died for us.” That is all of us. That is why prayer is so crucial. Because only God can change hearts, and God wants this far more than you and me. And we need to believe that.