By Father Rich Tomkosky
The first Sunday in October every year is “Respect Life Sunday” in the Catholic Church in America. It is a yearly call to remember that all human beings, from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death, are created in the image of God.
This past Sunday, the first reading from the prophet Habakkuk is a profoundly realistic reflection on the frustration of the prophet in the face of violence, injustice and destruction. We as believers also deal with a similar culture today, which Pope Saint John Paul II famously called a “culture of death” (see his encyclical Evangelium Vitae: the Gospel of Life: 1995) and Pope Leo has called “the culture of indifference” which far too often fails to see the human person as being made in God’s image – hence we have to deal with the widespread acceptance of abortion, the push for legalized euthanasia, the downplaying of the sacredness of marriage between a man and a woman, the lack of respect for the human body as a temple of the Holy Spirit and so sexual immorality becomes very widespread, the pushing to the side of the most vulnerable members of society, be it the unborn, the handicapped, the mentally ill, or the terminally ill.
What do we do in the face of this troubling reality? Do we get angry and frustrated and take on a cynical attitude that it is just the way things are and there is nothing we can do about it? Or do we see that we indeed can make things better one person at a time? Remember what the Lord says to Habakkuk: God’s vision of life will come into being in due time and will not disappoint, but we must wait on the Lord in patience and faith. “The rash person has no integrity; but the just person because of his faith shall live.”
We need to do our part to speak up in defense of the Lord’s vision of love and respect for life in our circumstances, be it in our families, among our acquaintances, and at school and at work. God will give us the grace and strength to do so, if we ask Him. Remember what Jesus said in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 25: “Whatever you do for the least of my brothers and sisters, you do for me.”
In our day, one of the main ways we do this, in addition to living the Spiritual and Corporeal Works of Mercy, is to be “a People of Life.” Defending human life in all its forms, especially when it is under attack, is not easy; but as Saint Paul says, “Do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord… but bear your share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God.”
We can do this more effectively by becoming informed on what the Church teaches on the “life issues” and why it teaches it and then speaking up in love and integrity. We can do this by daily praying and offering acts of penance for the protection of human life where it is under attack by others. We can do this by supporting Church and public officials who have the courage to go on the record in defense of life. We can do this by supporting pro-life organizations, like Mom’s house, Human Life International, Live Action, the Sisters of Life, etc. which help to defend life against the attacks of some in our culture and world. We can do this, in a spirit of love and humility, by pointing out to people we know, who may have sinned against life, e.g., by participating in or encouraging an abortion (which is the gravest of sins), that there is indeed forgiveness and healing for that from God and the Church in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and in post-abortion counseling services like Project Rachel (www.hopeafterabortion.com).
There is much for us to do in all these areas of witness or testimony as St. Paul says; “bear your share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God.”
Finally, we should turn to our Lady, who we honor in a special way during the month of October, and ask her to help us in this noble cause of defending and protecting all human life made in the image of her Son Jesus. She is often invoked under her title of “Our Lady of Guadalupe” by people in the Pro-life ministry since in her approved apparition at Guadalupe, Mexico, in 1531 (December 9-12) she appeared as a Pregnant Native American princess, as far as we know, the only time we know of as a Church that she appeared pregnant, in an apparition. It was not accidental, for within 10 years almost all of the Native American Aztec people converted to Catholicism. To quote an account of this reality, “The news of the appearance of the Indian mother who left her imprint on the tilma spread like wildfire!”
Three points were appreciated by the native population. First, the lady was Indian, spoke Nahuatl, the Aztec language, and appeared to an Indian, not a Spaniard! Second, Juan Diego explained that she appeared at Tepeyac, the place of Tonantzin, the pagan mother god, sending a clear message that the Virgin Mary was the mother of the true God-man Jesus, and that the Catholic Christian religion was to replace the Aztec religion. And third, the Indians, who learned through pictures and symbols, understood the image of the tilma, which revealed the beautiful message of Christianity: the true God sacrificed himself for mankind; instead of the horrendous life they had endured sacrificing innumerable humans, esp. little babies, to appease the frightful gods!
It is no wonder that over the next seven years, from 1531 to 1538, eight million natives of Mexico converted to Catholicism!” (from the article “Our Lady of Guadalupe Mother of the Americas” from www.maryourmother.net/Guadalupe.html). The Aztecs of course had practiced human sacrifice as part of their religious ceremonies.
We need to similarly invoke Mary’s help in our culture, so that we turn away from the “culture of death” which allows and even promotes the modern human sacrifice to demons: abortion, and instead build up a “culture of life and love” that respects and protects each human person, and fosters the sanctity of marriage and the dignity of each life no matter what obstacles ppl may face. We need to pray for the conversion of the hearts of all in our world today: that we as a people learn to love each human being from conception until natural death ever more deeply, no matter what their background or circumstances, to protect life in our laws and institutions, and to take care of the most vulnerable among us, the unborn child, the woman in a crisis pregnancy, addicts of various sorts, the mentally ill person, the immigrant who is not a violent criminal, the stranger, the elderly person with dementia, etc.
The Catholic Church cares for all these people and all of us need to do the same as individuals. WHY? Because that is what God calls us to do – as Jesus says in the Gospel, “Whatever you do for the least of my brothers and sisters, you do for me.” Our Final Judgment will be based on that! Never forget that truth!
Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us. God bless you.
Recommended reading: The Gospel of Life (Evangelium Vitae). John Paul II. 1995. Pauline Books and Media. Boston.
Father Rich Tomkosky is the Pastor of Saint Thomas the Apostle Parish in Bedford and the Pastor of Seven Dolors of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Beans Cove.
