The Joy of the Gospel reaffirms Church teaching about the value of life

The month of October is dedicated to "Respect Life." Pope Francis' Apostolic Exhortation, The Joy of the Gospel reaffirms the Church's teaching regarding the value of life. The pope calls us to embrace Christ's Gospel message of love and mercy for those most vulnerable among us.

The Holy Father points out "Among the vulnerable for whom the Church wishes to care with particular love and concern are unborn children, the most defenseless and innocent among us…this defense of unborn life is closely linked to the defense of each and every other human right. It involves the conviction that a human being is always sacred and inviolable, in any situation and at every stage of development."

His words urge us to remain committed to all issues of life. To do less would be an assault on our human dignity.

St. John Paul II's Evangelium Vitae, The Value and Inviolability of Human Life and many other documents of the Church through the centuries have clearly explained the Church's teaching on the issues of life. While the teaching is clear, and in no need to be redefined, what each of us needs to do is to stretch beyond our own safe zones and fully embrace the teaching on life comprehensively.

Together with our Holy Father, I want to encourage all of us to embrace the word of God wholeheartedly as a foundation for a culture of life. The Gospel of Joy calls us to a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. Our encounter with Jesus and his Gospel necessarily exhorts us to respect human life in all its stages. If we know Jesus Christ, we will know and adhere to his Gospel message, which favors life. If we do not know Christ and his Gospel we will likely not understand the precious meaning of life.

Unfortunately today, some who call themselves Christian actively support abortion, the death penalty and prejudices against other people or are passive in front of other evils. With such people we can clearly see that it is not enough to "know" the Gospel, they must live the Gospel and experience the joy and freedom it brings. The purpose of the pope's Apostolic Exhortation is to call us to a committed life in Christ, which is the ultimate human dignity.

The New Evangelization requires us to be both disciples and missionaries. This means we must learn to "encounter" others and "dialogue" with them. A perfect model of encounter is Jesus with the woman of Samaria. The meeting at the well stirred the Samaritan woman to a discovery of Jesus and the source of life giving "water". In his encounter and dialogue with her he broke down the wall of prejudice and indifference.

Our defense of life also requires that we create relationships as difficult as that may seem. We cannot defend life and at the same time be the source of conflict and division. The pope warns, "In the midst of conflict, we lose our sense of the profound unity of reality." In a recent Sunday Angelus, the Holy Father spoke of a way to resolve conflict. He stated, "Above all it is necessary to avoid the clamor of news and gossip in the community. The attitude must be that of gentleness, prudence, humility and care in relation to those who have erred, avoiding words that may harm…"

It is possible to have different approaches to promoting and defending human life. What is paramount, however, is that the heart of the Gospel found in the Sermon on the Mount not be betrayed. The Beatitudes call us to embrace all situations by promoting life, peace justice and human dignity in every life issue.

Too often the issues of human life become politicized. No political party is able to totally represent the teaching of Jesus and his Church with respect for these issues. To follow the political path only in the debates surrounding life can leave us encamped in our positions, with the wedge of anger and discord that creates enemies rather than friends. In order to respect all life, we must have a love for the Gospel and a respect for the dignity of every human person from in the womb until natural death.

The Gospel and Catholic Social Teaching must be at the heart of who we are in addressing life issues. The issues are many: protecting the unborn, lifting our brothers and sisters out of poverty, education, honoring the elderly, providing universal health insurance, eliminating the death penalty, welcoming the immigrant and many more. With all these concerns we must remain consistent in our teaching and always respond to in every situation as "missionary disciples."

May Mary, mother of the Incarnate Word, walk with us in our efforts to protect life, for which her son Jesus sacrificed his own life.