Report from Ground Zero -- Compte Rendu de Ground Zero

This past week I was out there walking back and forth on a chilly gray day with my sign that read, “I Regret Lost Fatherhood”. The words of the kickoff ceremony echoed through my heart: “Why do we have to be here?” There were several reasons given: we can be a witness, we can pray with others, etc.  I considered the terrible mistakes I made as a young man and I looked up to the third floor of 65 Bank St. where the horrors occur, and another reason why we have to be on-site crossed my mind....

Each of the sacraments needs to have the participants present physically in order for it to be valid:

·         Baptism can’t be done over the phone

·         For marriage to be valid both the man and woman need to be present

·         For holy orders to be valid the person administering the sacraments and the person receiving it both need to be present

·         Confession needs to be in person, we can’t do confession over the phone and receive absolution.

·         We have to be present in order to receive the body of Christ

·         Jesus was incarnate, in a body on this earth, and now present with us in the Eucharist. 

For some reason God thinks being physically present is really important.  This seems increasingly foreign in a world where we communicate through Facebook, Twitter and email.

As I meditated, it occurred to me how important it is for people to be physically present at the abortion site, that there is an ongoing prayer witness; physically present as we humble ourselves as passersby judge us, even when there’s a slight risk that co-workers or clients may see us, which is a concern for me these days.

I chose abortion when I was young as a solution to a problem that only God could solve. It was the biggest mistake I ever made. But the sacrament of confession set me free, and the greatest form of penance I can make right now is to walk back and forth silently praying and looking into the eyes of the passersby as they try to understand my sign, “I Regret Lost Fatherhood.” Let us work together to keep a prayerful presence in front of the place where we need God the most.

--David