The Dominican Moment in Post-Roe America
By Rev. Br. Pius Henry, O.P.
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The March for Life has become a staple of the American Catholic calendar for decades. Years of marching accompanied by Masses, youth rallies, bus rides, and snow storms, culminated by marching to the United States Supreme Court building in protest to the 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision. With the Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision in 2022, Roe was overturned and one could reasonably wonder what was next for the March for Life, or if it was even worth having. The joy that accompanies the March for Life and its surrounding activities would certainly be missed if there were no March, but herein lies what might have been the real value behind the March after all.
While the law of the land may have changed, individual hearts have not. And the March for Life witnesses to the hope of the change to come. The fact that a Supreme Court decision has not immediately changed the hearts of Americans shows that what is still needed is a joyful witness to the Gospel of Life. Known for his evangelical zeal and unwavering joy, the life of St. Dominic shows us the importance of an authentic witness to change hearts.
For all of those who gather for the March for Life, no longer to protest a Supreme Court decision, but rather to witness to the blessing of human life, this same evangelical zeal impels them on. Just as Dominic found a world in desperate need of authentic witnesses, America needs young men and women who are joyful and to encounter their neighbors who struggle to find the worth of their own life, and why the gift of new life is worth celebrating regardless of the context.
To preach the Gospel of Life is a uniquely Dominican task. Now more than ever, we find not only a nation in need of conversion, but individual hearts that need to be won over by the good news of the Gospel. The March for Life stands still not just as a once-a-year political demonstration, but rather as an annual recommitment to preach the good news to those who are lost and despairing. Now is a time for all to go out and preach the good news of Christ’s Incarnation by which humanity is redeemed and sanctified, just as Dominic did.
