Foreword from Fr. Frank Pavone
Adam!!
It was a sunny morning in the South, but a sad one, as one young
mother after another streamed into the abortion facility,
occasionally accompanied by the father of the child. I was there
with a team of other people to offer hope in despair and
alternatives to those who had likely been told there were none.
Occasionally, the quiet morning air was broken by a prayer or a
song. Then, at one point in our vigil, a man on our team decided to
appeal to the fathers of these children who were scheduled for
death. And he called out to them all, giving them one collective
name.
“Adam! Adam!!!!” He spoke, as a man to a man, invoking the
name of the first man. “Adam!” He addressed them with this
name, which is more like a title of honor. “Adam!” With that
cry, this man invoked upon his fellow men the God-given
responsibility to protect the life that flows from the Creator and
to affirm the woman in whom that life grows.
He reminded them that at the beginning of our history, God set
the first man as guardian of the Garden. The man gave names to all
created things. Then “woman” was created from his side – an
indication of equality – and the two formed the image of God.
Yet before long, we see the serpent lying to the first woman,
confusing her, and urging her to disobey God. This, of course, leads
to the original sin, which both Adam and Eve commit. There is a
disturbing question, however, that we should not pass over. How
did the serpent get into the garden in the first place?
Adam failed. He was to protect the garden, the woman, and the
gifts God had given, which would include their children. But the
serpent was able to get in anyway. Somehow, Adam failed in his
vigilance. And his name rang out that morning, to remind other men
to keep vigilant against the many voices that can lead them
astray--and lead to untold grief, regret, and pain in their lives
and the lives of the women and children entrusted to them.
That cry rings out again in this book. And in it, you will hear
Adam speak. He will speak of his failure and of his God-given
responsibilities. He will speak, too, of something even more
wondrous: the New Adam, who redeems every man, brings hope out of
despair, and makes all things new. That Man, who is also the Son
of God, has a word to speak to the men of our day. Nowhere is it
spoken more effectively than through the testimonies you will read
here.
In my ministry as National Director of Priests for Life and
Pastoral Director of Rachel’s Vineyard, I have met with men in every
part of this nation who have learned, by difficult personal
experience, that abortion destroys everyone it touches. They have
learned that the law, which gives them no right to protect their own
child from an abortion, subtly but powerfully says to them that,
likewise, they should take no responsibility. They have felt the
bitter anger that comes from abortions they could not stop and the
overwhelming despair that comes from abortions they insisted upon.
They have learned how even abortions in which they had no
participation at all have had the power to alter their lives.
They have also learned that in Jesus Christ there is forgiveness,
healing, hope, and new manhood.
Today, more men than ever are coming forward as part of a growing
multitude of those who have been wounded by abortion. Many of them
find healing in quiet and confidential settings with a pastor or
counselor; many others experience the tremendous power of a Rachel’s
Vineyard Retreat and are able to live their lives with greater
confidence and peace. Still others have begun speaking publicly
about their experiences through the national Silent No More
Awareness Campaign. And there are many others, still, who have not
found any healing, and whom we strive to reach.
I am profoundly grateful to Kevin Burke, Director of Rachel’s
Vineyard Ministries, for the outreach he conducts for men. The
research he has done, the training he has imparted, and the
counseling he offers have lifted many to new levels of awareness and
peace. His wife, Dr. Theresa Burke, has likewise done groundbreaking
work in healing people after abortion. I am proud to partner with
them both.
I salute the men who have shared their stories in this book. I
salute them and stand with them as we work together to restore the
authentic meaning of manhood and fatherhood amidst a culture that
has forgotten and disfigured it. These are not just men who have an
experience to share. These are men through whom the New Adam is
bringing about a restoration we all seek.
Fr. Frank Pavone, National Pastoral Director, Rachel’s Vineyard
Ministries
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