January 23, 2019
Respecting Human Life - 1
Dear Friends,
Last Friday, the annual March for Life took place in Washington.
I know that people from our local parishes travel to the nation’s capital for this.
Many more of us participate in prayer gatherings for human life.
We do this because we believe that life comes from God.
The life of each person is, therefore, sacred.
Our reverencing this life then becomes a multifaceted expression:
assuring health care for children and for everyone,
providing shelter for the homeless, food for the starving,
advocating for peacemaking among nations, treating our elderly with dignity,
assisting women who are pregnant in bringing their babies to full term,
and, definitely, respecting the life of an unborn baby.
This is core to our Christian spirituality and moral code.
It is also central to the respect for the rights of all in our American system.
“…we wish to proceed in a way that rests on the following insights: First, the foundation of the Catholic moral tradition is the dignity of the human person. The second key insight of Catholic moral life is that we are social beings and that solidarity matters. The social acceptance of abortion is a profound moral failure on both counts. It undermines the claim that every life is infused with God-given dignity, and it often pretends such decisions can be relegated to individual choice without having negative consequences on society as a whole.”
From America – The Jesuit Review of Faith and Culture by Editors.
[More on Respecting Human Life in next week’s Inbox Inspirations, January 30, 2019.]
May Jesus who is our way, our truth, and our life guide us in all things. Amen.
Father Michael Schleupner
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January 30, 2019
Respecting Human Life - 2
Dear Friends,
We have a right and responsibility to promote respect for human life.
We have this right and responsibility as individuals and as a Church.
This is grounded on our faith in God and our desire to express that faith.
It is also grounded on our American rights of free speech and religious freedom.
Nevertheless, how we as persons of faith and as a Church promote respect for human life is also very important.
Our energies first need to be directed to inspiring the hearts of all about the beauty and sacredness of human life.
Based on that, we engage in respectful moral persuasion – not force in any form.
This is the unique contribution that we can make in the name of God.
Our primary method must not be political.
If it is, then we have become more of a political action group.
Our special gift must be touching the hearts of people and not berating them.
It must be to promote the sacredness of human life in a way that respects the life and personhood and sincerity even of those who disagree with us.
In the long run, this will be the way to bring God to this arena of life.
And this will be the most authentic way to be disciples of Christ.
“…beyond the actual content of ‘what’ we say in making a case against abortion, it is critical to pay attention to ‘how’ our defense of the unborn takes place. As St. Paul reminds us, we must ‘speak the truth with love’ (Ephesians 4:14). Success will not come through force of will; it will only come by changing hearts. Therefore we must always keep watch over our own hearts and ensure they are filled with the love and hope needed for this holy work.”
From America – The Jesuit Review of Faith and Culture by Editors.
[More on Respecting Human Life in last week’s Inbox Inspirations, January 23, 2019.]
May Jesus who is our way, our truth, and our life guide us in all things. Amen.
Father Michael Schleupner
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