“Given Up for You”

By Marcy Stenstrom

      Soon we will celebrate the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ and we will relive the first time we heard the everlasting words of sacrifice and salvation, “This is My Body, given up for you.” Jesus is the Lamb of God. Because of this one time sacrifice, we all have a chance at eternal life with God in heaven. But have you really thought about these words, “This is My Body.” Would you consider giving your life, your body, for the good of someone else? If we are to imitate Christ, this may be exactly what we are called to do in one form or another.

      Fr. Frank Pavone is an advocate of Priests for Life (www.priestsforlife.org) and produced a short collection of prayers to end abortion called “In the Palm of His Hand: volume one”. The booklet contains pro-life insight, prayers for the unborn and pro-life meditations for the Stations of the Cross and Mysteries of the Rosary. Fr. Pavone discusses the words, “This is My Body” in the context of love for us and to show us how to live for one another. However, Fr. Pavone continues describing how some people may use these words to take a life, “This is my body.” Those who are pro-choice may use this statement as the reason to justify an

abortion. (p.4, Pavone)

      As my family and I await the birth of our third child, I believe I have grasped a piece of the concept, “my body, given up for you.” During pregnancy a mother can choose to sacrifice many things for the well being of the baby growing inside her. Many foods and chemicals could be harmful to the baby so we make a conscience effort to eliminate them from our diet and lifestyle. Personally, I think the biggest sacrifice is the changes we experience to our bodies. Nausea, heartburn, constipation, frequent urination, round ligament pain, back pain, fatigue, weight gain, contractions, and episiotomies are just some of the common discomforts and ultimate pains of pregnancy and labor. Every mother has truly sacrificed her body for the love of another. I’ve felt drawn, this lent, to the physical endurance and sacrifice of the human body that Christ demonstrates for all of us. By His suffering He gave all of us a chance at eternal life. These are both great rewards of love and of which continual love will flow.

      The “40 Days for Life” campaign has been in full swing and is all about the fight for the human person. As Catholics, whether or not we actively stand on a street corner with a sign, we are all responsible for human life. In these last few days before Easter, we can simply pray for God to give strength to those who face the choice of abortion. We pray that they many not say, “It’s my body”, rather “I’ll give it up for you.”