The Procession
By: Anne Marie
Recently I attended a funeral for a baby boy who had died seven months in utero. After the beautiful service at the church, I drove in the procession of cars to Gate of Heaven Cemetery that provides free burial for children up to the age of two who have passed away. Heaven’s Gain Ministries also provides support with this. Vehicles pulled over on the side of the road in respect as the procession went by, and once at the cemetery, we were invited to show our love by touching, kissing, and/or placing flowers near the little casket. We were gathered together in support of the family and in honor of this baby. He had worth not because of anything he had done, but simply because of who he was, a child made in the image & likeness of God. We mourned the loss of this child while also having faith & hope that he is now with God and His perfect love in Heaven.
A singer named Danielle Rose, who has suffered both a miscarriage and a stillbirth, has an album titled Beauty Unnoticed. It was written and recorded as she labored through the pain of child loss and her music can be of help to others as they travel from grief to healing.
The day following the funeral, I was deeply struck by the contrast of the reverence shown for this friend’s baby who had died in utero and the disdain shown for these little ones through abortion. The funeral procession in particular stood out to me and the way that strangers were showing their respects. They did not need to know who had died; they simply knew that this life was to be respected. The below was written after experiencing not only the beauty & sorrow from the funeral, but also from knowing about the ugly & devastating reality of abortion which has violently taken millions of innocent lives.
These were lives made in the image & likeness of God, lives with a purpose, lives worthy of love, lives that were not treated with love & respect. May they be remembered by us, may all who have had an abortion find healing, and may all who continue to support abortion have a change of heart & come to know the dignity of each human life, including their own.
THE PROCESSION
Strangers pulling over on the side of the road,
As the funeral procession passed by,
Showing their respect to someone unknown to them,
And this unknown person was a seven-month-old child.
He had died in the womb,
His heart had stopped beating,
He was shown love & reverence,
And was buried with dignity.
Yet others are intentionally killed,
Their innocent bodies torn apart,
Or their hearts are forced to stop beating,
Are not shown love from the start.
Instead of respect shown,
Like by those in procession to the cemetery,
They are dismembered, destroyed,
Removed as biohazardous waste without caring.
When will this end,
Abortion, holocaust, abuse, slavery,
When will we believe in,
Our intrinsic worth & shared humanity?
It’s not based on one’s abilities,
Or of another’s opinion of them,
We need to see our value & beauty,
From the moment of life at conception.
Like Mary at the foot of the cross,
My heart stands vigil with you,
Dehumanized and rejected,
May you now be glorified too.
Images:
Album Cover/Beauty Unnoticed by Danielle Rose/daniellerose.org
Biohazard Bins being removed from Planned Parenthood in Cincinnati
Painting/Suffer the Children by Danny Hahlbohm/catholicfaithstore.com