Thursday is our community day: we have our community meeting followed by a shared Hour of Adoration. This week the meeting was shorter than usual, and after our prayer time I went downstairs where Sr. Helena has been taping the nonstop coverage on Fox. For the longest time (during lunch), Mr. Schiavo's lawyer held court, but by the time our Adoration was completed, the Schindlers were holding a press conference. The family's statement and demeanor was profoundly Christian; among the most remarkable moments of genuine Christian witness television has probably ever seen. Even though the various parts of the statement had certainly been prepared with great care, they were not "crafted." There was nothing in them but reverence and commitment. Even though the family members are deeply and personally affected by all that has happened, their statements were measured and almost objective in the sense that they were not using the press conference as a platform for their grief, but as a pulpit for preaching the Gospel of Life; not about Terri, but about every vulnerable person.
We may be witnessing the birth of a new and powerful movement in the Church.
Thursday, March 31, 2005
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I watched the Schindlers' statement live as it was made from Florida. I wish that later newscasts had played the whole thing, not just snippets. As you say, it was a remarkable Christian witness to the gospel of life. I was, frankly, stunned. Christ had his turn in front of the microphone and the television cameras today.
The three news anchors on the broadcast I saw were visibly awed by what they heard. When the show returned to them, none of them knew what to comment, and none tried, they were all silent for a heartbeat. Then they moved on to the next topic, without comment, and it took another few seconds for them to get back to the ordinary anchor patter.
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