Maybe the animals could have taken in Life Chain as well

The Life Chain is always an illuminating event. I didn’t attend this year, though my wife and one of our children went along. People stand quietly, pray, recite the rosary, reflect on the slaughter of abortion, ask God for forgiveness. I find that it tends to polarize those who drive or walk by. People who walk past tend to either show support or indifference. It’s the critics in cars who scream the loudest, probably because courage is greatest when behind a wheel and encased in metal. Some drivers wave or honk in solidarity, but there are the others who think giving the finger or telling pro-lifers to go forth and multiply — but not in those words — is a sophisticated response to the abortion issue.

At this year’s chain one hard, disapproving, rather sad-looking woman slowed down her car and took photographs, then circled around and took more. She obviously thought that the people standing in public with large signs were somehow afraid to be noticed, or shy of exposure. Rather flawed logic, I would have thought. Still, there was little real trouble, and if one person was forced to reconsider, or even think about abortion for the first time, it was all worthwhile.

What has always disturbed me about our local Life Chain is not the abusers, but those who should be there and who are not. Or, more importantly, those who should be there, but make a point of doing something else. The closest Roman Catholic church to the Life Chain near High Park in Toronto is at most a few hundred metres away. Parishioners entering and leaving the building can see the row of pro-lifers. This year they may have seen the delightful little girl with Down Syndrome, who was a living witness to the evil of killing people simply because of their disability, colour, gender or just because you can.

It is on this day each year, however, that this particular church blesses animals. It’s a large event, where all sorts of people — some of them not members of that church, some not Catholic — take their pets to be blessed. I find it odd, I find it very much a Western, privileged outburst (we can afford the indulgence, those in the developing world use and eat their animals), and I find it a misunderstanding of the Franciscan ideal. But if it’s desired, so be it.

But to ostentatiously bless animals within barking distance of a group of courageous Catholics standing in solidarity with unborn babies, the most powerless and vulnerable in our society, is not eccentric but positively jarring. I know for a fact that this church had leaflets and posters promoting the Life Chain, that little if any support was given to it and that the only person who attended was the parishioner who put up the posters!

So while pro-lifers were screamed at by angry louts, the place where God lives, where His body and blood is given to us, decided on priorities and concluded that Rover, Whiskers and Floppy the bunny were more significant than John, Sally and all of their tiny siblings who have no voice at all other than ours. Perhaps a “We’ll make sure we have the animal blessing early enough, and then walk over to show our Catholic love and solidarity for what really matters” would have been nice; or even a — forgive me — “this Sunday is the Life Chain, so we’ll change the animal blessing day, because babies being killed is more important than people with hamsters feeling all warm and cozy.” But please, not this.

I can’t help thinking of someone walking past a homeless person on the way to church, annoyed that he might slow you down. Or ignoring the lost, crying child because you have one more decade of the rosary to say. I’m sure I’ll be labelled all sorts of things for writing this, but I’m more than happy to be labelled for the cause of life and the cause of Roman Catholic teaching. Life Chain. It’s a Catholic thing, and animals are more than welcome; you see, the glorious witness of standing up for babies blesses us all, even the animals.