This weekend is the beginning of Respect Life Month. There are so many facets to this focus of our Catholic Faith, to love, honor, respect, cherish, and support all life, in all forms. Our Holy Father has clearly made Respect Life a cornerstone of his papacy, and every form of life is precious and it should be supported at every stage. From conception to natural death, every person is a gift of God’s love. We should put the same priority efforts to protect life for the unborn, the infirmed, the aged, the homeless, those with special needs, migrant workers, those in prison, and those battling addiction. We are called to protect the environment to ensure its future for our children and generations beyond ours. It can be called one of our greatest vocations as Catholics to support life. Pope Francis eloquently stated it in his address to the United Nations last year when he visited the United States:
I began this speech recalling the visits of my predecessors. I would hope that my words will be taken above all as a continuation of the final words of the address of Pope Paul VI; although spoken almost exactly fifty years ago, they remain ever timely. “The hour has come when a pause, a moment of recollection, reflection, even of prayer, is absolutely needed so that we may think back over our common origin, our history, our common destiny. The appeal to the moral conscience of man has never been as necessary as it is today… For the danger comes neither from progress nor from science; if these are used well, they can help to solve a great number of the serious problems besetting mankind (Address to the United Nations Organization, 4 October 1965). Among other things, human genius, well applied, will surely help to meet the grave challenges of ecological deterioration and of exclusion. As Paul VI said: “The real danger comes from man, who has at his disposal ever more powerful instruments that are as well fitted to bring about ruin as they are to achieve lofty conquests” (ibid.).
The common home of all men and women must continue to rise on the foundations of a right understanding of universal fraternity and respect for the sacredness of every human life, of every man and every woman, the poor, the elderly, children, the infirm, the unborn, the unemployed, the abandoned, those considered disposable because they are only considered as part of a statistic. This common home of all men and women must also be built on the understanding of a certain sacredness of created nature.
Such understanding and respect call for a higher degree of wisdom, one which accepts transcendence, rejects the creation of an all-powerful élite, and recognizes that the full meaning of individual and collective life is found in selfless service to others and in the sage and respectful use of creation for the common good. To repeat the words of Paul VI, “the edifice of modern civilization has to be built on spiritual principles, for they are the only ones capable not only of supporting it, but of shedding light on it” (ibid.).
– Pope Francis 9/25/2016 (http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2015/september/documents/papa-francesco_20150925_onu-visita.html)
If you have not gotten a chance to read the entire address (or watch the video, which is available at the above link), I highly recommend you do so.
Our spiritual principles as Catholics, along with our engagement in our larger society, is what allows us to advance life and the principles that respect and support it throughout the world. That can be as simple as holding a door open for someone with a walker, or by providing a welcoming environment for those with special needs. It means not ignoring those around us who may be lonely. We are a Parish Family and we take care of our family and those around us. Please join us in ensuring that life in all its wondrous forms is cherished and respected.