In the Introduction to his Encyclical "THE GOSPEL OF LIFE", St John Paul II reminds us that, "The Gospel of Life is at the heart of Jesus' message... It is to be preached with dauntless fidelity as the GOOD NEWS to the people of every age and culture... At the dawn of salvation, it is the BIRTH of a Child which is proclaimed as GOOD NEWS...The source of this great joy is the Birth of the Savior, but Christmas also reveals the full meaning of every human birth... When Jesus presents the heart of his redemptive mission, he says he came that they may have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10)…It is in that new and eternal life that all the aspects and stages of human life achieve their full significance."
Last weekend, we celebrated "RESPECT LIFE SUNDAY”. Both Deacon Rich and Deacon Bill preached beautiful homilies about "respecting lives at all stages" from the beginning of the embryo in the womb to natural death "with special emphasis on protecting the "unborn". St John Paul II encouraged all of us to preach the Gospel of Life to all people at all times. We need to fight the growing culture of death. The gravest attack on life in our current culture is abortion of the unborn. The Catholic Church has consistently affirmed for 2,000 years the moral evil of every procured abortion (Catechism of the Catholic Church CCC 2271). Because it should be treated as a person from conception, the embryo must be defended in its integrity, cared for, and healed like every other human being (CCC 2323). Since 1973, there have been about 61 million abortions in our country. Our priority as Christians is to oppose intrinsically evil acts, including through the way we vote on public policies. In this context, protection of the unborn is a preeminent priority.
In addition to our votes, we are also asked to help shape public opinion and public policies. While as Church representatives, we cannot get involved in supporting individual candidates nor political parties, we can demonstrate our support for moral choices taught by the Catholic Church. Last Sunday, as we did in earlier years, all our parishioners were invited to join in the National Life Chain initiative (three parishes were involved in Charles County). About 30 parishioners showed up at 1:45 pm in Mary's Circle. We then walked to the intersection of St Thomas Drive and St Charles Parkway, and spent about 90 minutes standing up with pro-life signs (e.g. Pray for an end to Abortion, Abortion kills babies, Jesus Forgives and Heals, Adoption is the Loving Option) similar to those signs we carry every year at the March for Life in Washington D.C. Many drivers honked their horns in support of pro-life, only very few showed signs of disapproval.
In this month of October, RESPECT LIFE MONTH, let us pray that with St John Paul II we will keep proclaiming the GOSPEL OF LIFE:
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the precious GIFT OF LIFE. Help us to protect and respect all human life, from conception through natural death. Help us to support the dignity of every human life. Help us to promote a culture of life as opposed to a culture of death. Send upon us the Fire and the Love of your Holy Spirit so that we are able to LOVE and RESPECT everyone including our enemies. Help keep our hearts united in Love with the Sacred Heart of your Son Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Your Mother Mary. Help us to pray the Rosary regularly, asking for Peace and Justice in our country and for a prompt end to the Coronavirus Pandemic.