October 7, 2007
Father Tony
The Catholic Bishops of our county have designated this first Sunday of October to be “Respect Life Sunday,” a day on which we acknowledge the fact that all human life is God’s gift and that it is our responsibility to defend this gift. When I was studying in the seminary, one of the topics I found most interesting and challenging was Christian morals. Growing up in the Catholic Church, I knew that the Church had strong views on moral issues, but I never really understood the rational why. One of the things that really helped me understand the Church’s moral teachings was the fact that the foundation of everything we believe as Catholic Christians is connected to natural law, that is, the law that is planted within us from God. And, if you were to look at all the moral issues at hand in our world today, you would find that the key element in all of them comes down to respecting natural law.
As a Catholic, one of the things I am most proud of is the fact that our Church has always been and continues to be on the front line when it comes to defending life. Just this past week was another prime example. Planned Parenthood, one of the largest provider of contraception and abortion services in our country, was attempting to open a new office in Aurora, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. The Bishop in that area, who just happens to be a graduate of St. Meinrad, was doing everything he could to get support in opposing this new office. Unfortunately, his efforts, along with many others, failed and they opened the new building this week. Nonetheless, we can proud of the fact that it was the Catholic Church who fought against this. Those are the kind of things we all need to be doing to let the world know that we will not stand by idly and allow God’s gift of life to be abused.
Another hot topic these days is embryonic stem cell research. There are many researchers who want to take human embryos and destroy them to do medical research. Let’s not forget that we were all a tiny embryo. That’s how our lives began. Again, thanks be to God, the leaders of our Catholic Church are on the front lines opposing this type of research in favor of using legitimate means for research. This is an issue that will only escalate in the future.
You will notice in this weekend’s bulletin a wonderful handout which discusses some current pro-life issues. I would highly encourage you to read it. I want to quote a small part of it. “The value of a human life does not depend on exercising one’s intellect; it comes from God’s fatherly love for each human, created in his image. His love is present long before our brain waves can be measured at six weeks’ gestation, and long after our brains no longer function so well. His love is present long before our heart begins to beat at 22 days after conception, and long after our heart begins to fail. God loves, and wants us to love, the grandfather lying unconscious in a hospital bed, the child with severe physical and mental impairments, the frightened teenaged mother, and the unplanned embryo nesting in her womb. Each of these vulnerable persons is given to us so we may learn to love as God loves – generously, sacrificially and unconditionally.”
In our second reading today, St. Paul reminded us that we should “stir into flame the gift of God that you have… For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord…but bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.” That’s what we must do as a Church. We must not be ashamed of who we are as Catholic Christians. Rather, we should be proud of what our Church teaches. On this Respect Life Sunday, let’s pray that, as a Church, we can stand together in a united front to defend all human life from the moment of conception until natural death. If we don’t do this, what will the world be like in 20, 30 or 50 years? On the flip side, just think what the world could be like if we followed God’s laws and lived the Gospel of Life? It can happen!