Brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
October is Respect Life Month and is a time to reflect on how we, as members of the Body of Christ, are called to create a culture of life in our world. Broken down, this means that we, as Catholics, are to do everything we realistically can to create communities, nations and, ultimately, a world that always decides in favor of life, no matter what the cause or need.
On the issue of abortion, how do we decide in favor of both mother and child? On the issue of clean water, air and land, how do we support the needs of modern civilization and protect our environment? On the issue of capital punishment, how can we expect an exacting penalty for criminals and understand that they are desired by God to return to Him?
Why is it that we have to choose to burn barrels of diesel in an apocalyptic scenario or chain ourselves to a tree? Instead, why can’t we constantly pursue cleaner fuels while planting trees, filtering our waterways and respecting our eco-system? Why is abortion a discussion of my body, my choice? I happen to agree with the idea that persons have particular rights when it comes to their bodies, but these rights are not outright and total.
If people want to prove that they have full rights over their own bodies, more power to them; but why does their social platform have to involve the murder of another human being? After all, it is rudimentary biological common sense that a baby is a unique, sentient human being tethered to the mother for only nine months of its potential 100 years on this earth. At what point did we actually replace logic, reason and common sense for chants, logos, political platforms and corporate greed?
I am now 50 years old, and I remember discussions from 40 years ago of third-world nations in need of water wells, basic housing and farming techniques. Those same discussions continue today. Why do we, as global citizens, accept that decades roll past and no one fixes the problems of the voiceless? Why do we accept that murder is okay as long as someone says it is okay? It can be tempting to be paralyzed into non-action; but we must remember our Baptismal call to heal, evangelize and lead.
The annual Diocese of Evansville Respect Life Celebration is Oct. 19; it will include Mass with Bishop Joseph M. Siegel, followed by dinner and a speaker. We hope to see some of you there this year. To register, visit evdio.org/events2.html.