This past Tuesday marked the third anniversary of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, the 2022 Supreme Court decision revoking the “constitutional right” to abortion invented by Roe v. Wade. For those of us who want to see unborn children protected by law, Dobbs was a great victory, even if it seems like a modest gain when compared to the immense effort it took to get there. Let us be grateful for all the lawyers, advocates, academics, and activists who worked for decades to prepare the way! 

Still, we’ve faced a few political setbacks since Roe was overruled, an indication that much work remains. I applaud efforts to “go local,” to bring pro-life advocacy and organizing down to the state and municipal level, however the path forward seems uncertain to me. I must acknowledge now that winning hearts and minds could be a perennial challenge. 

For this reason, I call the reader’s attention to the New Testament saints Peter and Paul, celebrated by Roman Catholics this past weekend, but also familiar to other Christians because of their biblical prominence. For centuries Christians have drawn inspiration from their heroism in the early days of the Church, but in this time of uncertainty for the pro-life movement, we can draw inspiration also from these saints’ willingness to learn from their failures. 

 Peter’s Failure 

 Consider Peter, originally Simon, son of Jonah. Jesus nicknamed him “Peter” (“Rocky”), a scene which the gospel-writer Matthew describes with great fanfare: 

 I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock (“petra”) I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven. . . . [Matthew 16:18-19] 

 Christians since Matthew’s time have understood that with these words Jesus was appointing Simon Peter to head up his Church. (See Isaiah 22:22.) 

 Simon Peter himself apparently took a more humble view. In Mark’s gospel, which according to ancient tradition was written by Mark while he was in Rome—and taking notes from Peter himself—we are told simply that Jesus renamed Simon as “Peter” [Mark 3:16]. The next time we encounter the word “rocky” is in the parable of the sower: 

 And some [of the seed] fell on rocky ground, where it had not much soil, and immediately it sprang up, because it had not much depth of soil, but when the sun was up, it was scorched, and because it had no root, it withered. [Mark 4:5-6] 

 Some are like the seed sown in rocky places, who upon hearing the word immediately receive it with joy, but having no root, last only a time; afterward, when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately they fail. [Mark 4:16-17] 

 From Peter’s perspective, the nickname “Rocky” is not necessarily something to boast about: It can also be a reminder of his naïve eagerness to excel in fidelity to Jesus [Mark 14:29] and his ultimate failure to live up to his promise [Mark 14:72]. 

 Paul’s Course Correction 

 According to Saint Luke’s Acts of the Apostles, Jesus, after his resurrection but before his ascension, told his followers that he expected them to become witnesses to his death and resurrection, first in Jerusalem, and then going from there to the ends of the earth [Acts 1:8]. Acts is a drama depicting how the message about Jesus moves from Jerusalem to Rome—the capital of the empire and therefore symbol of all the nations of the world. 

Paul plays a heroic role in the fulfillment of the Church’s mission to proclaim Christ, and by the end of Acts he is witnessing to Jesus in Rome. But Paul didn’t plan to be there. 

Instead, he had expected to die by glorious martyrdom—in Jerusalem. While still in Ephesus, Paul preaches in melodramatic terms of the suffering he faces everywhere, saying that he will never return [Acts 20:22-25]. And indeed, Paul comes perilously close to being killed after he arrives in Jerusalem from Ephesus [Acts 22:22]. He is arrested and fully expects to die, but then Jesus tells him: “Take courage! As you witnessed to me in Jerusalem, so you will witness to me in Rome” [Acts 23:11]. Consequently, Paul ends up appealing his arrest to the emperor, and as a result is sent to Rome [Acts 25:11-12]. 

Paul imagined that he’d be an exact imitator of Jesus and be martyred in Jerusalem. But Jesus had other plans—he wanted Paul to represent him to the ends of the earth, that is, in Rome, and to die there as a witness to him. Jesus still wins, so to speak, but not in the way Paul originally expected. 

Lessons Learned 

For Peter, the lesson is not only in his heroism; it is in his failure as well. He understands the nickname “Rocky” as a reminder of his failure to live up to his naïve ideals. Even so, Jesus is not only merciful but restores him as a leader of the faithful [John 21:15-19]. 

Luke would have us understand Paul also as a devoted Christian, whose plans for his own final victory are preempted by Jesus’ plans. Paul is still victorious as a witness and martyr for Jesus, not in Jerusalem as he had planned, but in Rome. 

So let us prolifers learn these lessons. Some of us will make mistakes like Peter did, naively expecting a Supreme Court decision could bring instant success. We may nevertheless find that in God’s providence, we still have a contribution to make to the cause. Others among us will, like Paul, expect victory on their own terms, and be denied it—and yet, eventually find victory by way of an unexpected path. 

 Finally, let us not be dismayed by our failures, real or imagined, but instead persevere—humbled, perhaps, but still trusting in the goodness of life and in our responsibility to protect it.