Healing Visions

Details: 11 November 2011

I recently had the privilege of attending a portion of a post-abortion conference called Healing Visions. This conference, which brings together experts on the various facets of post-abortion trauma, is sponsored by Vicki Thorn and the National Office of Post-Abortion Reconciliation and Healing. Mrs. Thorn is also the founder of the post-abortion ministry called Project Rachel.

The experts featured at Healing Visions addressed the psychological, physical and spiritual dimensions of post-abortion trauma as it impacts women and men from various cultures and races. And the conference was attended by people from all over the United States and the world, a very encouraging sign that the hope and healing of post-abortion ministry is spreading.

For those who suffer from post-abortion trauma, it is often most difficult to take the first step toward healing from this trauma. Tragically, many believe, wrongly, that abortion is an unforgiveable sin and that they will be condemned if they seek help from the Church. This mistaken perception is addressed directly in the Project Rachel brochure produced by the U.S. Bishops’ Pro Life Secretariat:

"Don’t be afraid. Draw close to my heart. There you will find the peace and happiness you seek. Jesus speaks these words to every human being in every generation. He knows well that each of us is broken by sin and burdened by selfishness and past hurts.

"As St. Paul has written, ‘all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.’ Yet we are saved ‘by his grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. You may be thinking, ‘I don’t deserve to be forgiven. My sins are too great!’ Thankfully, God’s love is greater than all the sins of all time. Jesus offers his grace and forgiveness to every repentant heart. All we have to do is ask and begin to trust in his mercy.

"As Pope John Paul II wrote: ‘No human sin can erase the mercy of God, or prevent him from unleashing all his triumphant power, if we only call upon him. A great 20th-century apostle of Divine Mercy, St. Faustina, recorded in her Diary the consoling words of Jesus:

"I want ‘all souls to trust in the unfathomable abyss of My mercy, because I want to save them all.’ And He assured her that ‘the greater the misery of a soul, the greater its right to My mercy.’ The misery of a soul grieving from abortion calls forth an outpouring of God’s mercy."

I like to refer to the network of pro-life pregnancy centers as the heart of the pro-life movement because they embody the love and support that’s necessary to make abortion unthinkable. If pregnancy centers are the heart of the pro-life movement I think it is appropriate to refer to post-abortion ministry as the soul of the movement.

Our faith tells us that the devil both tempts us to sin against God and, when we fall, accuses and shames us so that we won’t seek God’s limitless mercy. As grievous as abortion is in the eyes of God, equally grievous to God are the souls lost because they didn’t avail themselves of His Divine Mercy.

The beauty of Project Rachel, and post-abortion ministry in general, is that it helps those souls wounded by abortion to discover and avail themselves of God’s mercy. As Theresa Bonapartis ("Healing After Abortion") said, "The process of healing from abortion isn’t about who you are and what you’ve done; it is about who God is and what He’s done."

What’s more, by healing these wounded souls, post-abortion ministry greatly diminishes the likelihood of repeat abortions, which comprise more than 40 percent of all abortions.

If you or someone you know is suffering from an abortion, please take that critical first step toward hope and healing by calling Project Rachel at 1-888-456-HOPE (4673).

You can contact Greg at The Nebraska Catholic Conference, 215 Centennial Mall South Suite 310, Lincoln, NE 68508; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.