A letter from a mother: Mary Wagner's mother to the people of Poland -- and Canada!

On this day when the Church honours Mary, the Mother of God, with the kind permission of Mr. Jacek Kotula at the page Mary Wagner W Polsce, let us reflect on a letter from a mother, that being Jane Wagner, mother of Mary Wagner.

Dear Jacek, and all of you good people in Poland. 

I thank you from the deepest places in my heart for your love and support of my daughter, Mary. I think that you, as a nation, truly understand what Mary is doing, and because of this, and because of your greatness of heart, Mary has had more support from you than anywhere else in the world combined. I can see why the great St John Paul came from amongst you! Indeed, you are truly a blessing to Mary and to the babies she speaks for. 

In Canada, there is very little support for Mary, even amongst Catholics. Mary spent 3 months at home with us, which was such a gift. But not once was she asked to speak at our Church or at any parish on Vancouver Island. When she arrived in Poland, she was constantly invited to speak for Life. 

I think that Canadians are blinded by the idea of the Law, a law that is clearly wrong, and yet it seems that they see only the law. They fear anarchy, if one can break the law to win an argument. There is a real spiritual death in our country, even if I may dare say so, amongst the clergy. I have almost never heard words from the pulpit condemning abortion or abortifacient contraceptives. It is no wonder that Canadian Catholics have abortions almost as often as other Canadians. Our priests are strangely silent, for the most part. Our Bishops are no different.They love peace: they don't want confrontation, they don't want change, they don't want to be uncomfortable. They are willing to compromise with evil just to keep people happy and quiet. For Canadian people the status quo is something they are comfortable with and they chose not to consider what abortion is, beyond a woman's right to chose. They don't ever want to rock the boat, in case they get wet. 

Peace and joy abound in Mary. She understands that true peace cannot be wrought by complacency with evil, and that without the Truth, we are all empty pots. She knows that her worth is in Christ, and that she is simply His servant. She does whatever He tells her to do, and so she has peace and joy in abundance. Sometimes Christ comes to us in other people; in Mary's case, He came to her through your people in Poland, and through the hand full of people she has here. Her time with you prepared her for the wasteland of her fight in Canada. Her love for Mother Theresa and for St John Paul, have shaped her life, and your people continue to give her hope and support as she goes forward. 

Mary is not unhappy in prison. I know that she would prefer to be free, but she is wise enough to know that wherever God leads her, He has work for her to do that will satisfy her soul. I also know that she does suffer in prison, as do all prisoners: they are not often treated with the dignity due to them as part of the human family, they suffer from lack of privacy, lack of freedom, constant noise, and sometimes from the elements of cold and hunger as well. But Mary is there with hope, because this life is finite, and God sees and knows all things. She brings Him to others through her gentle and prayerful presence. She is a small beacon of light behind the bars. When I told her that I was worried about her going back to prison, that she is small and there are some dangerous people there, she smiled and said: "don't worry, Mama. They love me in there". I keep these words in my heart and hope they remain true.

God bless Poland! Thank you for being there for Mary. Don't give up your efforts!

Love,

Jane Wagner

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Barona at Toronto Catholic Witness and this blogger have been reporting regularly on the matter of Mary Wagner and her arrest just prior to Christmas. We have yet to read anything in our Catholic press.

I personally challenge Thomas Rosica, CSB, who stops by here regularly, to put this letter on his Twitter feed.

I personally challenge Jim O"Leary, editor of the Catholic Register to make this a priority for the next issue and to raise awareness of Mary's plight across the country.

Do you need to be shamed because frankly, your silence is doing it.

If the people of Poland can rise to her defense and offer prayers for her, what on earth is wrong with our own?