As Catholics, we praise God for his creative genius. We proclaim that all life is good, and that every human life is very good. Every human life from the moment of conception is a sign of God’s free choice to bring forth new life. The choice is God’s. God chooses. God chooses love. God chooses life.
After 47 years of legalized abortion in this country, more than 50 million lives have been unjustly destroyed. After 47 years of so many of us working to reverse the unjust decision of Roe v. Wade, we continue to place our hope and trust in God that our efforts on behalf of the unborn are not in vain. We know that our strength in this struggle comes from heaven, and that the victory is certain and will be achieved in God’s time.
Pope Francis, in his encyclical Laudato Si’, says as much when he states, “The God who created the universe out of nothing can also intervene in this world and overcome every form of evil. Injustice is not invincible.” We will not lose heart.
We live in a time when great liberty is taken with human language. People freely redefine the meaning of words to confuse reality. Thus abortion — taking life — is accepted in the name of “health care.”
The obvious goal of health care is health. Life is the precious gift to be cared for and nurtured in health care. Abortion is not health care. Rather, it is the unjust taking of innocent life. Abortion is the rejection of a loving choice of God, who is Life.
Pope Francis reminds us of the tenderness and love of God, who is the source of all that exists: “God’s love is the fundamental moving force in all created things. … Even the fleeting life of the least of beings is the object of his love, and in its few seconds of existence, God enfolds it with his affection.”
Our goal is to build a culture of life. We do this by recognizing the dignity of every human being, whether members of our own family, our neighbors, the unborn, the poor, immigrants, the elderly and dying, even prisoners and those on death row. Every human life is sacred and deserving of respect.
We believe in God. We believe in Jesus Christ his only begotten Son. We believe in the power of his death and resurrection. We believe that our life comes from the very life of God. We believe that our lives have been redeemed by the lifeblood of Jesus Christ, and the mercy and love of God. We will continue our efforts to build up this culture and our society upon the strong foundation of the God of Life.
Northwest Catholic - October 2020