By Amy Julian
Director of Family Life Ministries

I’ve been told by priests that offering confessions at a Rachel’s Vineyard for healing after abortion can be among the most moving confessions they hear. One priest remarked that he almost envied those at the retreat. He explained that through their suffering, they deeply experienced both the incredible redemptive power of the cross and the tender intimacy of Jesus’ healing love.

Just as those who struggle with addiction often cannot imagine a life free of addiction, those who are suffering from the consequences of the choice of abortion, often cannot imagine a life free from the physical, mental and spiritual pain they have endured, often for decades. Perhaps not even realizing the source of their suffering.

Negative reactions experienced in the aftermath of an abortion can include nightmares and flashbacks, difficulty sleeping or controlling anger, difficulty bonding with other children, addictions, promiscuity, anxiety, panic attacks, or depression. Multiple studies indicate that women who terminated a pregnancy can have a three to sixfold increase in suicide rates, compared to women who gave birth. Sometimes these reactions appear immediately, but it can be years before they surface. The delayed onset can obscure the connection between their suffering and the abortion.

Often feeling estranged from God, many post-abortive women and men would never dare to imagine the longing that our Lord has for them to find healing in his embrace. Yet Jesus came to heal the sick. Of the dozens of miracles which manifested Jesus’ power, most were healing miracles. Jesus performed miracles to demonstrate his divinity, but he also set an example for us. In healing the sick, Jesus broke the chain of suffering over people’s lives and brought them abundant life. He calls us to do the same.

Rachel’s Vineyard continues that healing work. Healing in Jesus’ name shows the love of God in action. But how to reach those in need of healing? “Your faith has saved you,” Jesus often said. But what of those who do not yet dare to have faith? For them, we can look to the story of the paralytic, whose friends had faith enough to lower him through the roof so that he might receive healing. “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Child, your sins are forgiven,’” later commanding him to rise, pick up his mat and go home (Mk 2:5).

Do we have faith enough to reach out to our friends to bring them to Jesus’ healing? Where their hearts can be mended and their sins forgiven? It can be risky to approach someone in such pain. Yet, just as Jesus initiated the building of the Kingdom of God with his healing miracles, so too are we called to continue his example.

Society has embraced a counterfeit view of compassion, demanding acceptance of a tragic choice, rather than offering healing from its consequences. True compassion offers healing, love and forgiveness, leading to renewed life and joy. Acknowledging the pain of abortion does not inflict pain. Rather it eases it, bringing it into the light. Your words, your compassion can bring a friend to new life in Jesus.

The next Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat is April 28-30 in Western South Dakota. For caring confidential information, call Carol at 605-374-5639 or email ckling@sdplains.com or visit www.rachelsvineyard.org.