The Light Shines in the Darkness
Without embracing the infinite mercy of Christ, it seems impossible to reckon with the fact that Canada has killed approximately 4.5 million of her citizens through abortion since the year 1969… a horrifying statistic that could lead someone to thoughts of despair were they not touched by the graces of His perfect sacrifice on the Cross.
It was at Campaign Life Coalition’s 2026 Candlelight Vigil for Victims of Abortion where members of the pro-life movement gathered before God and opened their hearts to His grace, and to intercede for the unborn and for those wounded in the aftermath of abortion. Attendees listened to stories of healing and mercy from the six heroic individuals who were willing to share their testimonies. A theme that was woven throughout multiple testimonials was the concept that it is in moments of confusion that the evil one uses fear and deception to lead souls astray… And yet, even in the depths of one's own personal sorrowful mysteries, and even after a person makes one of the worst decisions of their lives, Christ is still there and is longing to be received into their hearts. He longs to have an encounter with each person and to transform lives with His perfect Love and Mercy, similar to the experience cited by St. Augustian: “In my deepest wounds, I saw Your Glory and it dazzled me.”
In her testimony at the vigil, Ann Denny, Development Director for the International Institute for Reproductive Loss, shared how deception plays a role when a woman makes the decision to go through with an abortion:
“What I want to talk about tonight is how my life has been rebuilt since the loss. Satan did come close to taking me, and there were some very dangerous times in my life after making the mistake of being deceived by the whispers of well meaning people around me.”
Denny went on:
“These days I do accept that forgiveness because I would not literally be standing here right now… I am working on forgiving myself and I am grateful for your prayers.”
Denny’s vulnerable reflection speaks to the idea that the classic move of the evil one is deception. The evil one deceives a person into choosing to make a bad decision, and then attempts to deceive that person by making them feel unforgivable. And it takes immense courage and trust to be able to overcome these lies and to receive the mercy of Christ.
Caleb Macmullen’s testimony was one of heroic witness. He shared how his mom was pressured to abort his little sister who was prenatally diagnosed with serious medical complications. He explained that when abortion is presented as the easiest solution, fear can begin to sound reasonable. His mom ended up making the loving choice to not kill little baby Trinity Macmullen, and, as a result, the lives of Caleb and his family were transformed forever:
“She [baby Trinity] was always sleepy, she always had tubes attached to her, but I remember and i’ll never forget the first time that she looked at me with those beautiful eyes. When she stared at me at that moment, doesn’t matter what doctor, doesn’t matter who it was told me she was a diagnosis, to me that was no diagnosis, that was my little sister.”
Caleb, Ann, and the other brave individuals who provided their testimonies brought to light something important: the pro-life movement is not merely a political battle, but ultimately is a spiritual one that must be firmly rooted in the knowledge of Christ and his redemptive love, and therefore we must be channels of His love and we must embrace the wounded, the brokenhearted and of course, the unborn. We must continue to pray and act fiercely in defence of each tiny child. And we must always remember, as symbolized by the candles held at the Vigil: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5)