We come together today to praise God for his creative genius. We come together today to proclaim once again that all life is good, and that every human life is very good. Every human life from the moment of conception is a sign of God’s free choice to bring forth new life. The choice is God’s. God chooses. God chooses love. God chooses life. Anyone who takes life, unjustly pursues the frustration of God’s divine plan.
After 43 years of legalized abortion in this country, somewhere between 56 and 58 million lives have been unjustly pursued and destroyed. After 43 years of so many of us working to reverse the unjust decision of Roe vs. Wade, we continue to place our hope and trust in God that our efforts on behalf of the unborn are not in vain. We know that our strength in this struggle comes from heaven, and that the victory is certain, and will be achieved in God’s time. Pope Francis in his encyclical Laudato Si says as much when he states: “The God who created the universe out of nothing can also intervene in this world and overcome every form of evil. Injustice is not invincible.” (Laudato Si, # 74) We will not lose heart.
We live in a time when great liberty is taken with human language. People freely redefine the meaning of words to cleverly confuse reality. One such example is the present practice of referring to birth control as a necessary component of ‘women’s health.’ Sadly, many people have come to embrace this distortion. Even of greater concern is that abortion has now become a means of birth control, in other words, abortion, taking life, is accepted practice in the name of health care.
The truth of the matter is that fertility is not a disease. Rather, fertility is a sign of health. Health is the obvious goal of health care. Life is the precious gift to be cared for and nurtured in health care. The truth of the matter is that abortion is not birth control. Rather, it is the unjust pursuit and taking of innocent life. Abortion is the rejection of a loving choice of God, who is Life.
Let’s look a bit closer at this choice of God. I wish to refer again to Pope Francis and the teaching found in his encyclical, Laudato Si. Our Holy Father reminds us of the tenderness and love of God, who is the source of all that exists.
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made” (Ps 33:6). This tells us that the world came about as the result of a decision, not from chaos or chance, and this exalts it all the more. The creating word expresses a free choice. The universe did not emerge as the result of arbitrary omnipotence, a show of force or a desire for self-assertion. Creation is of the order of love. God’s love is the fundamental moving force in all created things: “For you love all things that exist, and de- test none of the things that you have made; for you would not have made anything if you had hated it” (Wis 11:24). Every creature is thus the object of the Father’s tenderness, who gives it its place in the world. Even the fleeting life of the least of beings is the object of his love, and in its few seconds of existence, God enfolds it with his affection. (Laudato Si # 77)
Our goal is to build a culture of Life. We do this by recognizing the dignity of every human being, whether members of our own family, our neighbors, the unborn, the poor, immigrants, the elderly and dying, even prisoners and those presently on death row. Every human life is sacred and deserving of respect, as our Catechism teaches so well:
Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains forever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being. (CCC #2258)
Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person – among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.72 (CCC # 2270)
We believe in God. We believe in Jesus Christ his only begotten Son. We believe in the power of his death and resurrection. We believe that our life comes from the very life of God. We believe that our lives have been redeemed by the life blood of Jesus Christ, and the mercy and love of God. We will continue our efforts to build up this culture and our society upon the strong foundation of the God of Life.
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