the scandal of purple hair
When The Pelican Project was just beginning, we posted this graphic on Facebook—a smiling girl with the words of Pope St. John Paul II: “A person’s rightful due is to be treated as an object of love, not as an object for use.” The image quickly received a comment. I won’t honor his words here, but I will share the highlights… He wrote that her purple hair made her look like a “demonic clown prostitute” and a “slutty looking fool.” He admonished us for choosing an image of someone who so clearly had so little respect for herself.
His social media profile was that of a devout, well-informed, pro-life, God-fearing Catholic.
Sigh…
I have met some of the best humans on the planet while doing pro-life work, but I’ve also met some of the most arrogant and narrow-minded. For most of us, our pro-life efforts are rooted in the truth of our faith, but sadly not everyone does this work by the light of Christ. In fact, I would argue that the man who wrote those cruel words was struggling in darkness.
Too many stamp themselves avid pro-lifers because they celebrate mud-slinging editorials, share hateful memes, and participate in finger-pointing, name-calling disputes. They know the stats, edify themselves, and use their bullhorns. However, if pro-life work isn’t a movement of the heart done in obedience to the Holy Spirit, then it is nothing more than ignorant musings of evil.
St. Henry Newman has a brilliant quote (okay, he has many…) in his book, Waiting for Christ, calling us back to the center; he demands our accountability to the truth. He writes, “Religious men are always learning; but when men refuse to profit by light already granted, their light is turned into darkness.” (p. 26)
Yup.
I would wager a guess that at some point, perhaps long ago, the man who wrote those disdainful things on our graphic wasn’t so hard of heart. But over time, His heart calloused, and being pro-life became more of a posture than an outreach.
We are all at risk of this. If we are not seeking God’s truth and His will for us in our daily work, then our outreach is no longer about our love for God; instead, it becomes about our love for ourselves. It’s become about how “we” are up here and how “they” are down there, and we start to get it all wrong. Our efforts are reduced to apologetics and witty replies, and we forget that this work is, above all, about loving people well.
St. Newman tells us to “seek truth in the way of obedience; try to act up to your conscience, and let your opinions be the result, not the mere chance of reasoning or fancy, but of an improved heart.” (p. 27)
...let your opinions be the result of an improved heart…
Amen, St Newman!
See you next week!
