Every year, the Catholic Church promotes respect for the pro-life values of our faith by recognizing the month of October as respect-life month. I look back to 15 years I have been a priest, starting in 2008; I have celebrated Respect life month each of those years. Respect-life month was important to me while I was in seminary and when I was first ordained as a priest because I saw these values are such an essential part of our Catholic faith. With the erosion of a strong voice advocating for a respect for life in our secular society, this pro-life message that Church announces is even more important today.
Jesus reached out to everyone in society. He invited all to be a part of God’s kingdom and God’s plan of salvation. However, he also had a very specific ministry to those who were marginalized and oppressed in society in different ways. In that same way, Respect Life Month calls us to a very specific ministry. This year’s theme of Respect Life month calls us to radical solidarity. We have been stressing unity and solidarity in our synodal process and in our pastoral reimagining process. Radical solidarity is more than a few sporadic acts of generosity. It calls us to a mindset and to a way of life. Radical solidarity calls us to get involved by word and deed in people’s lives. It calls us to embrace human life, to touch the suffering flesh of Christ in others. It calls us as the Body of Christ to build a culture of life here in our society. Respect Life month draws us to these particular issues that are sometimes very complicated in our modern world. We are called to work in unity toward a pro-life culture in society. This echoes the theme of our second reading today from St Paul’s letter to the Philippians, in which we are called to be of the same mind and same love of God, united in our hearts as we participate in the life of God through the Holy Spirit. God calls us not to just think of ourselves, but to be servants to others as well.
Our pro-life landscape in the United States has changed immensely with the overturning of the Roe vs Wade Supreme Court decision which had been in place since 1973 in which abortion was legalized in our country. However, we recognize that abortion continues in many states and is still promoted at the federal level. Many prayers, sacrifices, and good works are still desperately needed to transform a culture of death into a culture of life. Our public and our advocacy must continue, yet laws alone will not end the tragedy of abortion. We must work for the changing of hearts.
What are somethings we can do during pro-life month this October? We can consciously include pro-life intentions in our prayers. We can also pray the rosary, reflecting upon pro-life mysteries for the rosary. I will send those out on Flocknote each week with rosary guide containing these pro-life mysteries. What we pray for show us what is important to us in our lives. Prayers for pro-life intentions can be an important part of our lives of faith.
Secondly, we can think about how in our words and our actions we are living out this message of radical solidarity. In a program that US Catholic Church has called Walking with Mom’s in Need, we are called to walk alongside vulnerable mothers in profound friendship, compassion, and support for both them and their pre-born children. However, it is important to see Respect Life as more than one issue. In addition to helping moms and pre-born children, we are to look at our care of the elderly; our education system; our healthcare system; access to food, housing, and healthcare in our society; clean drinking water; care for the earth; our efforts against racism and discriminations; and our efforts to fight crime and reform our criminal justice system. I know that all these issues can seem overwhelming because there seems to be a lot of brokenness in these realities in our society right now. There is only so much we can do, but it is important to do something. As a parish, we are concentrating on some of these issues in our outreach and ministry. As an individual priest, as you know, I am concentrating on some of these specific issues as well.
A good step in all of this is the way we are initiating the discussion about Respect Life Month this first weekend of October. May the Lord open up our hearts and our awareness.
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