Washington D.C., Feb 7, 2017 / 09:51 am
Two weeks ago, America witnessed a historic event. Tens of thousands of people gathered in Washington, D.C. for the 44th annual March for Life and heard from the highest ranking White House official to ever grace the March for Life stage – Vice President Mike Pence, along with top-ranking WH official Kellyanne Conway.
The day was a bit of a blur for those of us who were there, but in reflecting back on that historic event two weeks ago, I am reminded of the critical theme that we chose this year for the March for Life – "The Power of One."
This year's theme was conceived one night early last Spring during a "Tenebrae" service at St. Matthew's Cathedral in Washington D.C. The service, which means "shadows" in Latin, falls within the context of Holy Week, when Christians worldwide celebrate the Lord's Supper, the passion, death and ultimately resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday.
At one point within the service, all of the lights in the cathedral except one – a candelabra with eight candles lit on the altar – are out. As meaningful lamentations from the Old Testament are read, one by one, each of the eight candles are snuffed out until the entire cathedral is pitch black. The darkness is stark and uncomfortable, but then everything changes. A single candle at the very top is lit, symbolizing Christ. It is notable and surprising how that one little candle creates an enormously different environment than the darkness. Literally, every square foot of that cathedral was touched by a little bit of light, and that little bit of light changed everything.