Today, we hear the familiar story of David and Goliath. Goliath is a professional warrior who has confidence in himself and in his abilities. When Goliath sees David approach him, he curses David in the name of his gods and describes how he is going to destroy him and leave his flesh for the wild animals to eat. David, on the other hand, came into this meeting having confidence that the Lord would protect him and keep him safe. David tells Goliath that he comes against him in the name of the Lord of hosts, in the name of the God of the armies of Israel whom Goliath has insulted. While David has confidence in God, he also does his part. He doesn't just sit back and let God do all the work. David had work to do as well.
David went into battle with Goliath without the armor that the ancient warriors wore into battle because it would not fit him due to his small stature. David went into battle without the weapons an ancient warrior would traditionally use. Instead, he brought stones and a sling that a shepherd in ancient Israel would normally carry to protect his flock. Many times, we also go through our journey of faith feeling vulnerable and ill equipped, but we need to trust in the Lord when we follow his path and his will in our lives.
Today is the day that we commemorate a Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children. I see our stance on the protection of unborn children as a part of our Church’s social teaching, which sees the value of human life as a seamless garment from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death. Human dignity is threatened not only by legalized abortion and euthanasia, but also by such policies that allow cloning, embryonic stem cell research, genocide, torture, racism, the targeting of non-combatants in acts of war and terrorism, and the death penalty. As Catholics, we are not to pick and choose what we believe in regard to the dignity of human life. The Catholic Church teaches that which was echoed in the message of the prophets of the Ancient Israel: that the measure of our society, the measure of any society, is whether it threatens or enhances the life and dignity of the human person, particularly the poor and the most vulnerable in society, including unborn human life.
In our prayers for the legal protection of the unborn, we mourn and we grieve. But, in the midst of that reality, we hope in Jesus. We have hope for our future. But we should not fear. We should not fear professing to the world what we truly believe in the Gospel of Life. Jesus was not afraid to stand up for the values of God’s kingdom. Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit to empower us, to give us the courage to stand up for what we belief, even if it seems so at odds with what is popular and acceptable in our secular society. Yes, we mourn today, but we also have hope in the Gospel of Life that our faith in Jesus proclaims. May we truly live out the Gospel of Life in our lives.
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