With the Supreme Court expected to issues its ruling on the Mississippi case soon that may have a big impact on the abortion laws in our country, and with the Archbishop of San Francisco addressing the issue of the Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and the Eucharist based on her views on abortion, it would be good for us to look at what it means to be pro-life in our Catholic faith.
This is what the US Conference of Catholic Bishops state on its website
“A wide spectrum of issues touches on the protection of human life and the promotion of human dignity. As Pope John Paul II has reminded us: "Where life is involved, the service of charity must be profoundly consistent. It cannot tolerate bias and discrimination, for human life is sacred and inviolable at every stage and in every situation; it is an indivisible good" (The Gospel of Life, no. 87).
Among important issues involving the dignity of human life with which the Church is concerned, abortion necessarily plays a central role. Abortion, the direct killing of an innocent human being, is always gravely immoral (The Gospel of Life, no. 57); its victims are the most vulnerable and defenseless members of the human family. It is imperative that those who are called to serve the least among us give urgent attention and priority to this issue of justice.
To focus on the evil of deliberate killing in abortion and euthanasia is not to ignore the many other urgent conditions that demean human dignity and threaten human rights. Opposing abortion and euthanasia 'does not excuse indifference to those who suffer from poverty, violence and injustice. Any politics of human life must work to resist the violence of war and the scandal of capital punishment. Any politics of human dignity must seriously address issues of racism, poverty, hunger, employment, education, housing and health care' (Living the Gospel of Life, no. 23). We pray that Catholics will be advocates for the weak and the marginalized in all these areas. "But being 'right' in such matters can never excuse a wrong choice regarding direct attacks on innocent human life. Indeed, the failure to protect and defend life in its most vulnerable stages renders suspect any claims to the 'rightness' of positions in other matters affecting the poorest and least powerful of the human community" (Living the Gospel of Life, no. 23).”
Source: https://www.usccb.org/prolife/pastoral-plan-pro-life-activities
This same document issued by the Bishops addresses these pro-life Issues:
Abortion and contraception
Capital punishment
Pregnancy services
Post-abortion healing and reconciliation
Care for those who Are chronically ill, disabled, or dying
Care for prisoners, those on death row, and victims of violent crime
As we live in a very challenging environment right now, we need to remind ourselves of all that our Catholic faith encompasses. There are so many things we priests try to address with the faithful. Especially at Mass, when we are trying to celebrate all the feasts and seasons of the liturgical year, and trying to address how God speaks to us in his Holy Word in the reading for the day, sometimes these different issues that face us in our daily lives are not brought up as often as they should. Being pro-life is an important part of our faith. We need to constant learn what that means in our lived reality.
Blessings to all of you. Have a blessed rest of the week.
Father Lincoln.
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