Dan Lynch
Francis wrote a letter dated September 1 to Archbishop Rino Fisichella,
president of the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization,
regarding forgiveness for the sin of abortion.
The Pope wrote,
“The forgiveness of God cannot be denied to one who has repented,
especially when that person approaches the Sacrament of Confession with a
sincere heart in order to obtain reconciliation with the Father. For
this reason too, I have decided, notwithstanding anything to the
contrary, to concede to all priests for the Jubilee Year the discretion
to absolve of the sin of abortion those who have procured it and who,
with contrite heart, seek forgiveness for it. May priests fulfill this
great task by expressing words of genuine welcome combined with a
reflection that explains the gravity of the sin committed, besides
indicating a path of authentic conversion by which to obtain the true
and generous forgiveness of the Father who renews all with his
presence.” Read more here.
This
merciful forgiveness would extend to repentant mothers of aborted
children, as well as the repentant fathers, mothers’ or fathers’ parents
or friends, doctors and their assistants who were directly involved
with the sin of abortion.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, through her
Missionary Image, has melted the hearts of many mothers who aborted
their children and they have been healed from post abortion traumatic
stress syndrome.
Cathy was a young mother who became pregnant in
college. She was confused, hurt, misinformed and went to an abortion
center for help. After being shuffled through some paperwork, tests and a
“counselor”, she was told “It will be okay.” She was not counseled on
the option of giving birth and adoption.
“It was not okay,” she
said. “I felt a ripping torment, hurt and devastation beyond description
for killing my baby. Days turned into months that turned into years and
I continued to carry the burden of shame, grief and guilt for ten long
years. Then I attended a Marian Conference as a free-lance journalist
where a special blessing awaited me from Our Lady of Guadalupe through
her Missionary Image. I went before her to pray and the next day I
interviewed Dan Lynch for a newspaper report.”
“During the
interview he talked about how Our Lady would stop abortion and I thought
well that’s just silly, it’s just an image. An image can’t stop
abortion. So then, I asked Dan, ‘Well, how is Our Lady going to do that?
How does an image stop abortion?’ ”
“He
replied, ‘She will melt hearts and the melted heart of a mother would
never consider killing her innocent helpless child, she will reverence
the life within her and bring it forth.’ At this point, I broke down
crying and told Dan, ‘I had an abortion ten years ago. You are the first
person in the whole world that I have told. I named my son Joshua and I
have asked him to forgive me.’ I couldn’t believe that I had shared it
with him because I had shared it with no one at all that this had
happened. Our Lady placed in my heart God’s mercy.”
“Dan quickly
arranged for me to receive the sacraments of Reconciliation and
Eucharist that day for the first time since my abortion. I felt great
joy for responding to Our Lady’s call to come back to the Sacred Heart
of her Son and His holy Church.”
A few years later, Cathy
married and became pregnant. Her doctor told her that her placenta was
damaged and that she would probably have a miscarriage. She called our
apostolate and asked for prayers through Our Lady of Guadalupe. We
prayed and when Cathy returned to her doctor, a sonogram showed a
healthy placenta! She later gave birth to a healthy son, Alexander.
Cathy is now a principal of a Catholic school.
You may view her testimony at the lower right hand corner here.
Pope
Francis wrote, “The tragedy of abortion is experienced by some with a
superficial awareness, as if not realizing the extreme harm that such an
act entails. Many others, on the other hand, although experiencing this
moment as a defeat, believe that they have no other option.”
“I
think in particular of all the women who have resorted to abortion. I
am well aware of the pressure that has led them to this decision,” the
letter goes on to say. “I know that it is an existential and moral
ordeal. I have met so many women who bear in their heart the scar of
this agonizing and painful decision. What has happened is profoundly
unjust; yet only understanding the truth of it can enable one not to
lose hope. The forgiveness of God cannot be denied to one who has
repented, especially when that person approaches the Sacrament of
Confession with a sincere heart in order to obtain reconciliation with
the Father.”
May many post-abortive mothers and those who helped
them to procure their abortions receive God’s merciful forgiveness in
the sacrament of Confession.
There is hope for their healing. You may wish to read my book, Teresita’s Choices,
with a Foreword by Fr. Frank Pavone, Director of Priests for Life. It
is a novel of post abortion life, healing and hope. You can find it
here:
https://www.jkmi.com/dan-lynch-store/books-booklets/teresitas-choices
Please note that my links are provided for evangelization, not commercialization.
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