Every fall, specifically in the month of October, our Church asks us to reflect on our need to respect human life from its beginning until its end. Although we have rightfully focused our greater attention on the inherent dignity of human life in the womb because it is so vulnerable and not always given the protection of law that we all deserve, we must not forget that life after birth requires our equal respect and, when vulnerable, also our strong defense and support.
Yes, every life is a gift to us from God. We are all equally loved by God as we have but one heavenly Father. We are brothers and sisters, each to the other, no matter the color of our skin, the nation of our origin, differences of politics or opinion, or way of life. We are all members of the family of God, made in God’s image and likeness.
Sadly, however, sometimes our differences get the better of us. We begin to think in terms of “us” against “them.” This can lead to terrible consequences. I think of the awful shooting into the predominantly black crowd in Buffalo several months ago that killed 10 innocent people. This crime against their lives was rooted in a misguided and deeply flawed notion of the supremacy of one race over another. Racism is inherently evil, and it seeks to pit one group against another based on the color of skin and differences in culture. It is always wrong and grounded in something that is the polar opposite of the respect of life.
Our Church’s great respect for human life informs our position against capital punishment and the need to welcome strangers who are fleeing for safety and better lives for themselves and their children. The respect for human life is at the heart of the Holy Father’s recent focus on the need to protect our world’s environment for those who depend on it now or will in the future and for the support and healing we want to offer to those who suffer from addiction.
Our Church’s teaching that all life must be respected should also impact how we speak to one another, including online. Pope Francis recently stated that “sometimes, in some places, media sites have become places of toxicity, hate speech and fake news.” He asks us to counter such places by contributing to “the spread of a culture of peace grounded in the truth of the Gospel.” He encouraged Catholic communicators to pay “particular attention to the need to assist people, especially young people, to develop a sound critical sense, learning to distinguish truth from falsehood, right from wrong, good from evil and to appreciate the importance of working for justice, social concord, and respect for our common home.”
We must take the time to heal the divisions that exist among us and I believe this begins by respecting life in all of its diversity and beauty. Yes, I know that we must continually do battle with injustice and sin, but it must always done out of love for the other and not out of the desire for revenge. Even the Lord, who sometimes used harsh language when speaking of corrupt Pharisees, hoped to change their hearts, minds and actions with the persuasive power of love.
How do we begin? I think of this quote by the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was a victim of hatred and racism himself. He said, “People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.”
Yes, we should do unto others as we want them to do unto us. If we want to be heard, we must also listen. If we want to be respected, we must also show respect. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. But in the eyes of God, if we love as we have been loved by him, we will always find a reward waiting for us. God never disappoints.
To be honest, I fear for our communities if we do not reclaim the right of every human life to be respected and if we fail to meet our individual obligations treat each other with equal dignity. But I have hope, because deep down, I do believe we all want the harmony that God desires for his family, of which all of us are sons and daughters. Let us continue the work for justice (giving what is due to one another) so that peace will flourish in our time.
Let us pray:
We come to you, our God, the author and sustainer of every human life.
Grant us the courage and wisdom to protect your gift of human life from conception to natural death. Help us to defend our brothers and sisters both born and yet to be born with great love. Make us good stewards of every life.
May we live by the example of your son, Jesus, who was always close to the weakest of the weak. Guided by your Holy Spirit, strengthen us to defend the most vulnerable among us, especially the unborn. Give us the grace to courageously live the Gospel of life with gentleness and joy. May our faithful witness soften the hearts and minds of those who reject the gift of life in any way. We entrust our prayer to you through Christ, our risen Lord.
Amen.
(CNS photo/Lisa Johnston, St. Louis Review)