The month of October has been designated by the Roman Catholic Church as “respect life” month. From the time the Supreme Court ruled on Roe Vs Wade, the term, pro-life, has been narrowly interpreted as referring only to the issue of abortion. However, the teaching of the Church is widening the meaning of pro-life to embrace ALL life issues, including capital punishment (recently declared a mortal sin in the Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church), abrogating the earlier narrow teaching of the Church. The following is the article I submitted for the bulletin on the 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time. It is largely composed from the teaching of Pope Francis I in his apostolic exhortation, “Rejoice and Be Glad.”
October is designated as “Respect Life” month by the Church. Many make the error of isolating “pro-life” to abortion and euthanasia. As Sr. Joan Chittester has said, “Pro-life is more than being pro-birth.” This is not a mere opinion. It is what Jesus taught. Pope Francis I, teaches this in his apostolic exhortation, Rejoice And Be Glad.
“In the twenty-fifth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel (vv. 31-46), Jesus expands on the Beatitude that calls the merciful blessed. If we seek the holiness pleasing to God’s eyes, this text offers us one clear criterion on which we will be judged. “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me” (vv. 35-36). (#95, Gaudete et Exsultate) “In this call to recognize him in the poor and the suffering, we see revealed the very heart of Christ, his deepest feelings and choices, which every saint seeks to imitate.” (#96, Ibid)
“Our defence of the innocent unborn, for example, needs to be clear, firm and passionate, for at stake is the dignity of a human life, which is always sacred and demands love for each person … Equally sacred, however, are the lives of the poor, those already born, the destitute, the abandoned and the underprivileged, the vulnerable infirm and elderly exposed to covert euthanasia, the victims of human trafficking, new forms of slavery, and every form of rejection. We cannot uphold an ideal of holiness that would ignore injustice in a world where some revel, spend with abandon and live only for the latest consumer goods, even as others look on from afar, living their entire lives in abject poverty.” (#101, Ibid)
“We often hear it said that, with respect to relativism and the flaws of our present world, the situation of migrants, for example, is a lesser issue. Some Catholics consider it a secondary issue compared to the “grave” bioethical questions. That a politician looking for votes might say such a thing is understandable, but not a Christian, for whom the only proper attitude is to stand in the shoes of those brothers and sisters of ours who risk their lives to offer a future to their children.” (#102,Ibid)
To respect life means to fully embrace all life.
