In matters of life we must speak with clarity and charity

As we observe Respect Life Month this October, we should keep in mind the fullness of the human person. The theme chosen for this year’s Respect Life Program is, “I came so that all might have life and have it to the full.” (Jn 10:10) Respect for the entirety of human life begins where life begins—at conception in the womb of our mother.

As Catholics, we must not shirk our obligation to assert the values and principles we hold essential in defense of human life, human dignity and human freedom. We must, with openness and clarity, announce the teachings of the Church to society and those who are not fully committed to truth about life, but have succumbed to the mentality of the secular culture.

In proclaiming the Gospel of life, we must do so in the spirit of Jesus himself, with gentle and compassionate charity. Our aim is not to judge or condemn, but rather to call to conversion those who bring harm to human life and offend human dignity. Saint Paul said, “…living the truth in love, we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, with the proper functioning of each part, brings about the body’s growth and builds itself up in love.” (Eph 4:15) We must speak with clarity and consistency but always speaking the truth with charity.

Whether we are affirming the truth in front of an abortion clinic, validating Church teaching outside a prison where the death penalty is being carried out or engaged in a letter writing campaign confirming the need for increased support for persons with disabilities, we must do it with love. Our aim in protecting the human life of the innocent must also include the goal of preserving eternal life for those in error.

Respecting life takes many forms. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops points to seven areas of life, which deserve our attention, prayer and efforts. These include, abortion, the death penalty, reproductive technologies, embryo research, love and marriage, contraception, persons with disabilities and the issues surrounding the end of life.

“Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person—among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.” Christ tells us in Matthew 5:21, “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.’” But, he immediately follows that admonition with, “But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment…” (CCC 2270)

The Church calls for the use of “non-lethal means” to prevent crimes “by rendering one who has committed an offense incapable of doing harm - without definitely taking away from him the possibility of redeeming himself…” (CCC 2267) As a practical matter, the need for the death penalty is nonexistent. The death penalty no longer serves a useful purpose in protecting society, and it ends the offender’s opportunity for conversion.

In Donum Vitae, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, writes that although technology makes it possible to procreate through in vitro of the germ cells previously taken from a man and a woman, “what is technically possible is not for that very reason morally admissible.” The teaching of the Church in regards to reproductive technologies is very clear. “Human procreation requires, on the part of the spouses, responsible collaboration with the fruitful love of God; the gift of human life must be actualized in marriage through the specific and exclusive acts of husband and wife, in accordance with the laws inscribed in their persons and in their union.” (Donum Vitae, 5)

The advances of science can bring much benefit to human beings, but it can also rob humans of their dignity and can become a barrier between human beings and their creator. Nowhere is this more evident than in embryonic stem cell research. But, here again the Holy Father provides a clear path and teaching. The embryo must be treated as a person, “it must also be defended in its integrity, tended and cared for, to the extent possible, in the same way as any other human being as far as medical assistance is concerned.” (Donum Vitae, 1)

God has reserved procreation, not to the petri dish but to husband and wife joined in the sacrament of marriage. “The spouses’ union achieves the twofold end of marriage: the good of the spouses themselves and the transmission of life. These two values of marriage cannot be separated without altering the couple’s spiritual life and compromising the goods of marriage and the future of the family.” (CCC 2363)

Since procreation belongs to the natural law of God reserved for man and woman united in the sacrament of marriage, any action that seeks to “render procreation impossible” is intrinsically wrong. (Humane Vitae, 14)

The use of artificial contraception is wrong in many respects, not the least of which is that it reduces a woman “to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his [man’s] own desires, no longer considering her as his partner whom he should surround with care and affection.”

The Church calls us to help and respect “those whose lives are diminished or weakened,” those who are sick or handicapped. We must help them, our sisters and brothers, to lead lives as normal as possible. (CCC 2276) Blessed John Paul II reminded us that every human being has “inestimable worth” since we are all “created in the image and likeness of God.”

The Church has always proclaimed the inherent value and dignity of life at every stage and condition. But today, rising healthcare costs and a growing cultural blindness to the sanctity of life are driving the promotion of assisted suicide and euthanasia. Both are morally unacceptable. “Even if death is thought imminent, the ordinary care owed to a sick person cannot be legitimately interrupted.” (CCC 2279)

We as Catholics are morally obliged to embrace the teaching concerning life. First and foremost, we must have a love and respect for every child in his or her mother’s womb. I pray, as your bishop, that we may be known as a people of life, abundant life, and not people who blindly, without faith or hope, succumb to the popular (sometimes legalized) sins of our culture.

“I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”