Let Us Respect LIFE!
I feel a bit behind the times, but the subjects about which I write this week are constant concerns for us, as people of faith and as human beings.
January 18-25 was a week of Prayer for Christian Unity. I hope you were aware! We prayed special prayers at Mass at both Sunday and daily Masses. We will be wise to seek unity, always. In our world in which many people seem prepared to be in conflict with others, rather than at peace, our Christian mission toward unity is so important. We can apply that mission at the grocery store, at the gas station, in a restaurant, at a fast food place, in our homes, at school, and in many other contexts where impatience and suspicion of the other seem to rule the day. In John’s Gospel we hear Jesus praying for unity, because our unity is rooted in God:
“I pray… so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me,” (John 17:21-23)
The other major date of remembrance that just passed is January 22, 2022. That is the 49th year since the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. Nonetheless, we value life EVERY DAY! Our “respect for life” must be all encompassing and constant. Surely, we see the opportunity and the privilege of bringing a new life into the world as a gift from God, but, as human beings we create innumerable complications. For instance, too often, men and boys fail to recognize the dignity of women and girls, seeing them as objects for their pleasure and control. Or, husbands and wives place unrealistic expectations upon each other and emphasize financial concerns over concerns for children and new life. Sometimes women and girls fail to see their own worthiness and think that if they give themselves over to the desires of others they will be valued.
All of the above can lead to so-called “unwanted,” “crisis,” or “unexpected” pregnancy. That “burden,” then, is often placed completely upon the woman or girl. She must make a decision about something for which she did not plan and for which she has little support. Poor decisions are often made in such times of crisis. As a faith community we have much to do in teaching the next generation about their own human value, the respect we owe to each other as women/girls and men/boy, about the sanctity of life, and the responsibilities of parenthood that are best served in the context of marriage, etc. Indeed, let us respect LIFE!
God forgives! Let us repent!
Peace, Fr. Andy