By Maria Gallagher, Legislative/PAC Director, Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation
Santa’s squad of invisible helpers is once again on the job this year. These unnamed philanthropists are zipping through department stores to pay the layaway bills of families who just cannot afford to make their final payments. Others place gloves, scarves, and other winter weather gear around community Christmas trees where men and women without a home can find them. And those with culinary skills rivaling the hottest cooking show contestants are whipping up authentic holiday feasts for hundreds of guests who might otherwise go hungry.
The generosity of the American people comes into bright focus amid the extravagant light displays and tinsel-covered window displays each December. The giving is often anonymous, with no expectation of any lavishly-wrapped present–or even the possibility of an acknowledgment–in return. It is that special, merriment-in-the-air quality that makes Christmas such a joyous time.
But the spirit of the season lives on, long after the glistening ornaments and the cherished cherubim replicas have been packed away. It continues, day in and day out, among those who serve those who lack clothes, money–even a name to call their own.
Mother Teresa, perhaps the 20th century’s best-known advocate for those in need, once said, “Unborn children are among the poorest of the poor.” The preborn child is powerless, completely without resources, and hidden from view. And yet he or she is worth more than all the gifts the Magi could offer.
Those who provide friendship and consolation to pregnant women during challenging times…those who host baby showers and launch diaper drives…those who write letters to lawmakers to protect and defend our nation’s forgotten preborn citizens…they all give of themselves to benefit people they may never have the pleasure of meeting. Yet, their acts of charity, kindness, and compassion are profound.
The birth of a boy in Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago changed the world. Each December 25 we remember the selflessness of an unmarried young woman who overcame the hardships of possible abandonment, public ridicule, and poverty to give her son a chance.
Every unborn child and the mother that bears that child have the opportunity to transform history. Those who generously and without expecting anything in return stand by pregnant women and the children in their wombs are making Christmas miracles happen for generations to come.