ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, September 27, 1996 TAG: 9609270014
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: GLENN AYERS
JOHN Seery's Aug. 26 commentary (``What exactly is `sacred' in a life?'') with reference to Naomi Wolf's ideas on the abortion issue has begun to affect my subconscious.
I recently had a strange dream. I was standing outside an abortion clinic. A neatly dressed woman, with an aura of professionalism about her, approached the office door. She was obviously there for an abortion.
There was a ring of protesters around her, shouting and waving signs. A crowd began to assemble, and out of this gathering stepped a man whom everyone recognized as Jesus. He must have inquired what the commotion was, for the various voices began to explain.
One said, "We're stopping a sin - abortion is murder!" Another cried, "We're preventing the taking of an innocent human life," while a third spoke of "protecting mankind!" A man in a cassock and clerical collar offered most articulately, "Lord, we are executing the instructions of your own Vicar in his recent evangelium vitae." Finally, a female voice said, "You talk to her."
The mob drew closer. After all, here was a woman in sin: one on which all Christians and right thinkers concur. Since I am Catholic and Republican, I pushed down to right center. Jesus began speaking.
Now occurred the reason I said the dream was ``strange.'' One would think the purest spirit of the proudest movement mankind has ever known would admonish the woman for wanting to violate what all right thinkers agree is the most crucial, moral and theological command of modern times. His voice would be quietly kind, but firm. And he would finish with the clincher, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these ... ye have done it unto me."
But, he did not.
What he said was, "Whoever among you is without sin, block the door." All of us fell back and the scene began to fade. I can't remember much more, except seeing Jesus and the woman standing by themselves. Then, the woman was alone. Then, it was over. I waked, she fled and day brought back my night.
Glenn Ayers of Moneta writes an outdoors column for the Burlington (N.C.) Times-News.
LENGTH: Short : 47 linesby CNB