"I had the opportunity to go to the You and Me exhibit on Saturday. It was created by the Sisters of Life for World Youth Day last fall. There were a series of posters and ipod recordings that intertwined music and personal stories of four people who were placed in a difficult situation and chose a loving option. The people were real people who really had the ability to speak to my heart. I especially liked the story of a young man who considered himself to be honest and strong, went to church, and was dating a girl. He told us about how he felt when she told him she was pregnant. I hadn't thought before about all the pressure that a guy feels in that situation. His first instinct was to give the normal lines, don't worry, you can just get a quick abortion and no one will ever have to know, because he was still in school and knew that he couldn't handle it. He knew his family would find out, and thought that she would be the one who would ultimately have to carry the baby. Thankfully, he just told her that they both needed to think about what to do. He struggled with a battle between his fears and the encouragement of friends against a stronger voice that challenged him to be courageous, trust God, and help his girl friend. As he listened, he realized that he couldn't tell her to have an abortion, so he went to her and told her that he would help her in any way he could. When she realized that he wasn't going to ask her to get an abortion, she cried and cried. She told him that without his support, she knew she wouldn't have been able to carry their baby. It meant so much to her that he didn't abandon her, nor become angry at her.
As the music played, I walked around a corner and saw a beautiful picture of their three year old son playing and laughing. Because they were students, they decided that the best thing for their son was to find him a loving family to adopt him. This family spoke about the blessing the boy is, and then it returned to the young man. He finished his education and is very thankful that his son was born and is with a loving family right now. "
-Kellie Raddell
ND class of 2013
"I have never considered myself a “die-hard” pro-lifer or even vocalized my opinion until I came to Notre Dame. I believed that the unborn baby is a living being that deserves the right to life, but I always felt uncomfortable talking to others about this opinion. I received a couple e-mails about the trip, but I never thought I would actually go. Then, over break I decided maybe it was time for me to check it out. What was the worst that could happen? I am happy I did.
Last weekend I met some of the coolest people, I became a lot closer with the friends I went with, and most importantly I learned how important the pro-life movement really is. By coming together and standing up for an important issue, you learn more about people than you ever would sitting in a classroom. I realized that if people work together they can make a big difference. Marching for four hours was worth the night bus rides and uncomfortable sleeps. It was a pilgrimage for the unborn babies that will never know life. I plan to make that pilgrimage until the laws change and everyone has a fair chance at life. "
-Tatum Snyder
ND class of 2015
No comments:
Post a Comment