Our last post gave reflections by John Paul II on his “Gospel of Life” Encyclical, 5 years after its issuance. Here are more of those reflections, taken from the second half of his discourse. John Paul II called for an APOSTOLATE OF LIFE:
“An authentic apostolate of life cannot be simply delegated to specific movements, however praiseworthy, that work in the sociopolitical field. It must be an integral part of the Church’s pastoral ministry, whose task is to proclaim the ‘Gospel of Life’. For this to be effective, it is important to set up educational programs, as well as services and special structures for guidance and support.”
“…it should be given practical expression by offering services that will enable anyone in trouble to find the necessary help.”
“…efforts should be made so that these services become a ‘sign’ and a message.”
“Just as the community needs places of worship, it should sense the need to organize, especially at the diocesan level, educational and operational services to support human life, services that will be the fruit of charity and a sign of vitality.”
“…accompanied by the changing of mentalities and morals on a vast scale, in an extensive and visible way. In this area the Church will spare no effort nor can she accept negligence or guilty silence.”
“I turn in particular to those young people…may they be the first agents and beneficiaries of the work that will be done in the context of the apostolate of life.”
“May every person of good will feel called to play an active part in this great cause. May he be sustained by the conviction that every step taken in defending the right to life and its concrete advancement is a step towards peace and civilization.”
UNBORNWORDoftheday Comments on John Paul II’s reflections: John Paul called for “an authentic apostolate of life” that he said “must be an integral part of the Church’s pastoral ministry”. He describes this apostolate of life in terms of education, services and structures that will present a sign and deliver a message borne of charity, all “in defending the right to life and its concrete advancement”. It seems to us that the Pope was envisioning a New form of comprehensive Pastoral Outreach for the 21st century. A New pastoral ministry combining education and services “especially at the diocesan level” which would “support human life”. This seems to be a radical challenge from John Paul the Great to “every person of good will”. Are we up to it? Are we willing? Remember his sobering warning: “…the Church will spare no effort nor can she accept negligence or guilty silence”.
At a Vatican symposium in early 2000 commemorating the 5th anniversary of his prophetic “Gospel of Life” Encyclical Letter , John Paul made some interesting comments about the document (Latin title is: Evangelium Vitae). Here are two of those comments.
“I started from a vision of hope for humanity’s future.”
“…a document which I consider central to the whole Magisterium of my Pontificate and in thematic continuity with the Encyclical Humanae Vitae of Pope Paul VI of venerable memory.”
John Paul also gives the following two facts about the Gospel of Life:
- “The persistent difficulty which this message encounters in a world marked by serious signs of violence and decadence.”
- “The unchanging validity of this message and also the possibility of it being accepted in a society where the community of believers, with the concerned involvement of people of good will, courageously and unitedly express its commitment.”
John Paul then called the Encyclical’s message: “a reference point for civil salvation”.
In our next post we will present Part II of this reflection & John Paul’s expectation for ACTION by all of us!
Simeon Holding the Christ Child
When the baby Jesus was still a newborn Mary and Joseph presented Him to the Lord according to Jewish custom. As they left the Temple they met a holy man named Simeon (Lk 2:25-35). He prayed to God and made a prophecy about the baby Jesus. In part, he said: “…this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against…” Other translations say “as a sign of contradiction” or a sign that will be “opposed”.
Yes Christ is “A Sign”. First He is a Person! A Divine Person! But He is also “A Sign of Contradiction”. Likewise – thanks be to God – The Unborn Christ Child is a Sign of Contradiction!
We learn from a Prophetic Sign! And if we study the life of Unborn Jesus we have lots of uplifting, beautiful, edifying and hopeful lessons to learn there!
But there is also this: Unborn Jesus is a sign of contradiction to the culture of death that is encroaching day-by-day into our culture and society. Thanks be to God, Unborn Jesus is at the spiritual heart of the Culture of Life that the Church is committed to.
Here are two examples: “…as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” (Mt 25:40). “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.” (Mt 18:5). Mother Teresa of Calcutta, John Paul II and Benedict XVI have all commented on these words of Jesus in relation to unborn children. When your local abortion facility aborts a baby, it is aborting Christ. And when your local Pregnancy Counseling Center helps a pregnant woman carry her child to term, they are also helping Christ be born in Bethlehem!
There is an intersection between time and eternity, earth and heaven, the worldly powers and the Kingdom of God, the physical life and the spiritual realm, evil and Good, death and Life – and the newly conceived Christ Child at the one cell stage is at that very point of intersection! So is Christ Crucified & the Resurrected Christ! When Life meets death Christ is there! When adults kill babies Christ is there (with the babies)!
Thanks be to God, the Unborn Christ is Victor when He collides with this pathetic culture of death. We as Christians must be united with Him, in solidarity with all unborn children. To quote George Weigel, we must be busy about building “a culture-forming counterculture”. Two of its distinguishing marks will be: it is Christ-centered and Life-affirming!
To quote John Paul II: “…we are facing an enormous and dramatic clash between good and evil, death and life, the ‘culture of death’ and the ‘culture of life’. We find ourselves not only ‘faced with’ but necessarily ‘in the midst of’ this conflict: we are all involved and we all share in it, with the inescapable responsibility of choosing to be unconditionally pro – life.” (Evangelium Vitae #28).
Filed under: Evangelium Vitae
Joyful Mother/Pope John Paul II Sculpture*
This is a statue of John Paul II kneeling before Mary, the Joyful Mother (Saint Peter Catholic Church Stevens Point, Wisconsin). An explanation of the significance of this statue is given below.
FROM A LETTER BY GERALD FISHER ON THE INSPIRATION FOR
THE JOYFUL MOTHER SCULPTURE
“…While reading the Encyclical Letter, The Gospel of Life, by Pope John Paul II, I was touched by the beautiful words: ‘The joy which accompanies the birth of the Messiah is thus seen to be the foundation and fulfillment of joy at every child born into the world.’ What a wonderful notion, that the joy, which accompanied the Birth of Christ, should be the same joy accompanying the birth of every child born into this world!
… Our major concern was to bring out the joy of motherhood as seen in Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Mother of the Church.
This concept was also to include two major events: the (commemoration) of the visit of the then Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, primate of Poland, to our parish in 1976 and the 100th anniversary of the church of St. Peter.”
*The text on the statue’s granite base reads as follows:
Joyful Mother – The joy which accompanies the birth of the Messiah is thus seen to be the foundation and fulfillment of joy at every child born into the world. (The Gospel of Life) Pope John Paul II. Commemorating the visit of Karol Cardinal Wojtyla to the Church of St. Peter August 23, 1976, the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Church of St Peter 1897 – 1997. Given in memory of Alice Turzinski Zagrzebski 1995 & Helen Rogowski Zagzebski 1994 by their spouses Edwin R. Zagrzebski & Humphrey J. Zagzebski
When the culture you live in respects and promotes human life will you even notice? Here are 10 “society-wide” signs to look for in a “Culture of Life”:
- Humble respect towards God, Source and Creator of human life and the beautiful universe we inhabit and the recognition that life is a gift to be cherished.
- Awe and respect for the origin of individual human life, that is, respect for the integrity of procreation and the incipient new life of the human embryo.
- Thoughtful respect for the sacred character of maternity and the right to life of the unborn child – particularly characterized by a medical profession that treats both mother and unborn child as “patients” and refuses to advocate the killing of a “patient”.
- Respect for all people with disabilities, and especially children with disabilities, such that the medical profession and other “caring professions” treat unborn and newborn children with disabilities as patients deserving of professional care and human compassion – not problems to be eliminated.
- That adoption is understood and appreciated as a life-giving, life-nurturing option for the individual child and for the well-being of society as a whole.
- Profound respect for the dignity of the elderly infirm and those who are dying along with corresponding compassionate care and services.
- Respect and societal support for the covenant/sacrament of marriage between a man and a woman.
- Respect and practical support for the institution of the family, sometimes called the “domestic church”, and even a “preferential option” for all children from infancy to adolescence.
- A genuine appreciation within Christianity, for that “childlike spirituality” so strongly encouraged by Jesus.
- A society that is known for an attitude of acceptance, forgiveness, compassion and understanding towards all, and particularly towards the poor, the sick, the weak and the marginalized.
We have a son who participated in debate in high school and college. Sometimes in the ordinary routine of college life he was called upon to defend the Catholic faith. I asked him if being in debate helped him. He told me that he found defending the faith a lot easier and more fun than debate because as he put it, it is always easy to defend the truth. I think when we are defending the rights of the unborn – we should remember this. Something that Pope Benedict said in a speech given to the Pontifical Academy for Life on February 22, 2007 made me remember what my son had said:
“It is a right that must be sustained by all, because it is the first fundamental right of all human rights. The Encyclical Evangelium Vitae strongly affirms this: “Even in the midst of difficulties and uncertainties, every person sincerely open to truth and goodness can, by the light of reason and the hidden action of grace, come to recognize in the natural law written in the heart (cf. Rom 2: 14-15) the sacred value of human life from its very beginning until its end, and can affirm the right of every human being to have this primary good respected to the highest degree. Upon the recognition of this right, every human community and the political community itself are founded” (n. 2).
The same Encyclical recalls that “believers in Christ must defend and promote this right, aware as they are of the wonderful truth recalled by the Second Vatican Council: “By his Incarnation the Son of God has united himself in some fashion with every human being’ (Gaudium et Spes, n. 22). This saving event reveals to humanity not only the boundless love of God who “so loved the world that he gave his only Son’ (Jn 3: 16), but also the incomparable value of every human person” (ibid.).
Therefore, the Christian is continually called to be ever alert in order to face the multiple attacks to which the right to life is exposed. In this he knows that he can count on motives that are deeply rooted in the natural law and that can therefore be shared by every person of upright conscience. ”
After saying this Pope Benedict went on to elaborate in detail all of the difficulties we encounter when defending life in our society. Still, when I think about turth being the natural impulse of the human soul it helps me defend the unborn with confidence.
Filed under: Evangelium Vitae
The above cartoon from April 22, 1990 makes the point that democracy can sometimes have tragic consequences. John Paul II in section 70 of his Encyclical letter Evangelium Vitae makes some similar and startling statements about Democracy.
“Democracy cannot be idolized to the point of making it a substitute for morality or a panacea for immorality. Fundamentally, democracy is a “system” and as such is a means and not an end. Its “moral” value is not automatic, but depends on conformity to the moral law to which it, like every other form of human behavior, must be subject…”
“But the value of democracy stands or falls with the values which it embodies and promotes. Of course, values such as the dignity of every human person, respect for inviolable and inalienable human rights, and the adoption of the “common good” as the end and criterion regulating political life are certainly fundamental and not to be ignored.”
“If, as a result of a tragic obscuring of the collective conscience, an attitude of skepticism were to succeed in bringing into question even the fundamental principles of the moral law, the democratic system itself would be shaken in its foundations…”
Filed under: Evangelium Vitae
We are excited to announce the completion of our latest project: a set of ten beautiful Gospel of Life cards – each card on a different topic – which feature quotes from John Paul II’s prophetic Encyclical Letter Evangelium Vitae, issued March 25, 1995.
WHY DID WE DO IT? For years we have been big fans of John Paul’s inspiring Letter. But it is not “an easy read”. We thought these cards would be a “user friendly” way to introduce people to the important message and great ideas contained in this Church document. The cards feature ten important topics and present a total of 56 quotes from the document (averaging 5.5 quotes per card). Click on picture below to see snapshot photos of the ten cards.
THE TEN TOPICS CONSIDERED ARE:
- THE GOSPEL OF LIFE 101
- HOPE & JOY AND THE GOSPEL OF LIFE
- PRAYER & THE GOSPEL OF LIFE
- CHURCH TEACHING & THE GOSPEL OF LIFE
- PSALM 139 & THE GOSPEL OF LIFE
- THE TWO CULTURES & THE GOSPEL OF LIFE
- UNBORN JESUS & THE GOSPEL OF LIFE
- WOMEN OF THE BIBLE & THE GOSPEL OF LIFE
- WOMEN TODAY & THE GOSPEL OF LIFE
- THE CHRISTIAN & THE GOSPEL OF LIFE
The set of ten “Quote Cards” or “Topic Cards” provides a cross section of key concepts and teachings found in this important Letter to the Church of our time. The teachings are compelling and inspirational, yet at the same time consoling to Pro – Life Christians struggling to promote a genuine Culture of Life within a world often embracing the culture of death.
It is our sincere desire that thousands of Christians will find these cards to be a welcome introduction to one of the most prophetic works of our time: THE GOSPEL OF LIFE by Pope John Paul II.
To learn more about obtaining these cards click here.
Filed under: Evangelium Vitae, John Paul II, Quotes from Great Christians, Unborn Jesus
“Am I not here, I, who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not the source of your joy? Are you not in the hollow of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms? Do you need anything more? Let nothing else worry you, disturb you .”
These wonderful words were the words of Our Lady of Guadalupe to Saint Juan Diego when she appeared to him in 1531.
These words are still relevant today as Archbishop Burke reminded us in a homily he gave in 2005 at the new Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe that he has helped establish in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Here are some interesting quotes from this homily.
“…our late and most beloved Pope John Paul II placed the mission of the Church in America, at the beginning of the Third Christian Millennium, under the protection of the Virgin of Guadalupe and commended her to us as the Star to lead us to Christ and, in Christ, to the conversion of our personal lives and the transformation of our world.”
Archbishop Burke calls this apparition “the mystery of the Visitation as it was experienced on our continent in 1531. The woman clothed with the sun, bearing the Infant Savior, the Anointed, in her womb, appeared to Saint Juan Diego, from December 9 to 12, 1531, in order that a chapel be built in which she might manifest the all-generous and never-failing merciful love of God for us, incarnate in her womb and alive for us in the Church, above all, in the Sacrament of the Real Presence, the Holy Eucharist.”
He reminds us that “…she has desired to remain with us always, in order that the mystery of the Visitation might be always new for us. She has miraculously left her living image on the tilma or mantle of Saint Juan Diego. In the magnificent basilica built to her honor, in which the tilma of Saint Juan Diego is enthroned, the Mother of God continues to visit pilgrims and to announce to them the great mystery of God’s all-loving and never-failing mercy.”
And that just as “… in 1531, she inspired her sons and daughters to abandon the horror of human sacrifice and to respect the inviolable dignity of every man, both the Native American and the European, so now she inspires us to be tireless disciples of the Gospel of Life, working to end the horror of procured abortion and so-called “mercy-killing,” and to promote the respect for the dignity of every human life from the moment of inception to the moment of natural death.”
This is relevant because “Pope John Paul II commended the Virgin of Guadalupe to us as the Mother of America and the Star of the New Evangelization.”
“Like the Church, Mary too had to live her motherhood amid suffering: ‘This child is set … for a sign that is spoken against – and a sword will pierce through your own soul also – that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed’ (Lk 2:34-35). The words which Simeon addresses to Mary at the very beginning of the Saviour’s earthly life sum up and prefigure the rejection of Jesus, and with him of Mary, a rejection which will reach its culmination on Calvary.
‘Standing by the cross of Jesus’ (Jn 19:25), Mary shares in the gift which the Son makes of himself: she offers Jesus, gives him over, and begets him to the end for our sake.
The ‘yes’ spoken on the day of the Annunciation reaches full maturity on the day of the Cross, when the time comes for Mary to receive and beget as her children all those who become disciples, pouring out upon them the saving love of her Son: ‘When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, Woman, behold, your son!’ (Jn 19:26).” Evangelium Vitae, #103
Mary was called in a special way and her heart was pierced in a way that we can never fathom. Among women, only she had a heart anointed, for her mission to love all as her children.
But don’t you also feel a sword pierce your heart when you look upon these innocent children who are aborted? Don’t you sense Christ calling you to love these little ones in a special way?
Note: First Eve was called ‘Woman’ (Gen 2:23 and also in Chapter 3). John the Evangelist records Jesus calling His mother by the title ‘Woman’ two times: during the marriage feast at Cana (Jn 2:4) and during His crucifixion (Jn 19:26). John also refers to Mary by the title ‘Woman’ (the ‘Second Eve’ as the Fathers of the Church also called her) many times in Chapter 12 of the Book of Revelations.
P.S. I obtained the bumper sticker featured above from Kara Vereault when I was at the March for Life January 22, 2008. She and Kim Achorn of Shepherd’s Path had the bumper stickers made up.
“You have come to the sprinkled blood” (cf. Heb 12: 22, 24): signs of hope and invitation to commitment.
Here are a few quotes from the Gospel of Life where John Paul II reminds us to have hope:
“The blood of Christ, while it reveals the grandeur of the Father’s love, shows how precious man is in God’s eyes and how priceless the value of his life….”
“It is from the blood of Christ that all draw the strength to commit themselves to promoting life. It is precisely this blood that is the most powerful source of hope, indeed it is the foundation of the absolute certitude that in God’s plan life will be victorious. ‘And death shall be no more’, exclaims the powerful voice which comes from the throne of God in the Heavenly Jerusalem (Rev 21:4)….”
“In effect, signs which point to this victory are not lacking in our societies and cultures, strongly marked though they are by the “culture of death….”
“Unfortunately it is often hard to see and recognize these positive signs, perhaps also because they do not receive sufficient attention in the communications media….”
Here are signs of hope for the Pro-life movement:
1. We all know that more states are passing Pro-life legislation. Each year Americans United for Life has an annual report on the progress made: Changing Law to Protect Human Life, State by State.
2. There are more Pro-life Pregnancy Crisis Centers in the U.S. than abortion providers. In an a pro-abortion article in the Palm Beach Post called The New War on Abortion it states:
“Abortion opponents are running thousands of centers, called crisis pregnancy centers — dispensing everything from baby clothes to free ultrasound pictures to prayer. There are as many as 4,000 crisis pregnancy centers in the U.S. and about 130 in Florida.
By comparison, about 1,800 centers in the U.S. provide abortions.”
3. Pro-lifers are coming up with new and innovative ways to bring the Pro-life message to our country. Here are four examples:
Truth Booth “TruthBooths” are kiosks or carts set up at local malls showing 3D and 4D ultrasound images of babies in the womb.
Bound4Life A group of young people who stand before abortion clinics, courts and other public places praying and fasting in silence with red duct tape across their mouths. On the duct tape is written only one word: LIFE
Silent No More The Silent No More Awareness Campaign is an effort to make the public aware of the devastation abortion brings to women, men, and their families. Women and Men whose lives have been affected by abortion speak out.
Crossroads Young people walking across America to save lives.
4. Embryonic stem cell research alternative:
As we have all heard scientists in Japan and Wisconsin were able to create embryonic-like stem cells from skin cells without the destruction of human life.
Here are two interesting quotes from articles on this subject:
Scientist at Work | Shinya Yamanaka
Risk Taking Is in His Genes
“When I saw the embryo, I suddenly realized there was such a small difference between it and my daughters,” said Dr. Yamanaka, 45, a father of two and now a professor at the Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences at Kyoto University. “I thought, we can’t keep destroying embryos for our research. There must be another way.”
After years of searching, and at times almost giving up in despair, Dr. Yamanaka may have found that alternative. Last month, his was one of two groups of researchers that independently announced they had successfully turned adult skin cells into the equivalent of human embryonic stem cells without using an actual embryo…
And just this week scientists at UCLA have replicated this research -Here is what one of the scientists at UCLA had to say about this research:
Kathrin Plath, an assistant professor of biological chemistry at UCLA and lead author of the study, told the Daily Breeze that the stem cells they created “were virtually indistinguishable from human embryonic stem cells.” “We’re very excited about the implications of this,” she said. Full story at LifeNews.com.
There are many more new signs of hope but we thought we would highlight a few – we all need a dose of hope.
The Seventh Way of Prayer – St. Dominic
While praying, he (St. Dominic) was often seen to reach towards heaven like an arrow which has been shot from a taut bow straight upwards into the sky.*
Towards the end of the Gospel of Life, John Paul II gives us an important reminder about “prayer” and fasting. He does this to help us be properly prepared for the Pro – Life battle:
“Jesus himself has shown us by his own example that prayer and fasting are the first and most effective weapons against the forces of evil (cf. Mt 4:1-11). As he taught his disciples, some demons cannot be driven out except in this way (cf. Mk 9:29). Let us therefore discover anew the humility and the courage to pray and fast so that power from on high will break down the walls of lies and deceit: the walls which conceal from the sight of so many of our brothers and sisters the evil of practices and laws which are hostile to life.”
Notice in the above quote John Paul II points out the need for “humility and courage to pray and fast”. This reminds me of a sermon given by St. Francis de Sales on March 29, 1615 regarding “The Spirit of Prayer”. Here is an excerpt:
“for do you not see how a marksman with a crossbow, when he wishes to discharge a large arrow, draws the string of his bow lower the higher he wants it to go? Thus must we do when we wish our prayer to reach Heaven; we must lower ourselves by the awareness of our nothingness. David admonishes us to do so by these words: When you wish to pray, plunge yourself profoundly into the abyss of your nothingness that you may be able afterward, without difficulty, to let your prayer fly like an arrow even up to the heavens. [Cf. Ps. 130:1-2; Sir. 35:21].”
De Sales compares prayer to the shooting of an arrow “up to the heavens”. I would like to ask if we shoot our prayer up to God in Heaven, exactly what are we aiming at? His Heart perhaps? Imagine, if you will, a target in Heaven like that used by a common archer here below. We supplicants, weary and wayward as we are, shoot our prayer heavenward but the target seems to elude us – except that God hears our prayer before we say it and he sees that arrow before it is released. God moves that heavenly target so that it meets the arrow – your arrow – your prayer is mercifully heard by God, your prayer is lovingly received by God. God cheats sometimes because of our incapacity. What we lack He makes up for in Mercy.
*Taken from the Nine Ways of Prayer – the Nine Ways of Prayer was written by an anonymous Bolognese author, sometime between A.D. 1260 and A.D. 1288, whose source of information was, among other followers of St. Dominic, Sister Cecilia of Bologna’s Monastery of St. Agnes. Sister Cecilia had been given the habit by St. Dominic himself. “The Nine Ways of Prayer” has been sometimes printed as a supplement to “The Life of St. Dominic” by Theodoric of Apoldia, though they aren’t an actual part of that work.
Filed under: Evangelium Vitae
‘The people of life and for life‘, that is the way John Paul II describes the Church in his prophetic Encyclical Letter Evangelium Vitae; The Gospel of Life. This identifying phrase runs through the Letter, appearing about ten times. According to John Paul this is a distinct and powerful charism of the Church in our time and must continue to be. As we have mentioned before in our UNBORNWORDoftheday, John Paul was not ashamed or embarrassed to identify himself, along with the Church, as “Pro-Life“. In fact, he used this term a number of times in The Gospel of Life with dignity, honor and conviction.
“We are the people of life because God, in his unconditional love, has given us the Gospel of life and by this same Gospel we have been transformed and saved.” #79
“To all the members of the Church, the people of life and for life, I make this most urgent appeal, that together we may offer this world of ours new signs of hope, and work to ensure that justice and solidarity will increase and that a new culture of human life will be affirmed, for the building of an authentic civilization of truth and love.” #6
“The ‘people of life‘ rejoices in being able to share its commitment with so many others. Thus may the ‘people for life’ constantly grow in number and may a new culture of love and solidarity develop for the true good of the whole of human society.” #101
“To be actively pro-life is to contribute to the renewal of society through the promotion of the common good. It is impossible to further the common good without acknowledging and defending the right to life, upon which all the other inalienable rights of individuals are founded and from which they develop.” #101
Filed under: Evangelium Vitae
Salvador Dali, Christ of Saint John of the Cross, c.1951
Lent starts in just five days; Ash Wednesday, February 6th. Here’s a great idea for you! Have you ever read the inspiring and prophetic Letter by John Paul II, THE GOSPEL OF LIFE (Evangelium Vitae)? If not, or if it was many years ago (it was issued on March 25, 1995) reading this amazing document could be your Lenten project!
It is not an easy read. That’s where the effort and self-discipline comes in. It’s about 155 pages in the Daughters of St Paul edition, divided into 105 sections. If you read 2 or 3 sections every day of Lent you will have read one of the great prophetic works of our time – written by a Saint? – and be all the better for it. Your intellectual effort and persistence will be pleasing to God without a doubt.
Here is a beautiful quote from the GOSPEL OF LIFE:
“In the early afternoon of Good Friday, “there was darkness over the whole land … while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two” (Lk 23:44, 45). This is the symbol of a great cosmic disturbance and a massive conflict between the forces of good and the forces of evil, between life and death. Today we too find ourselves in the midst of a dramatic conflict between the “culture of death” and the “culture of life”. But the glory of the Cross is not overcome by this darkness; rather, it shines forth ever more radiantly and brightly, and is revealed as the center, meaning and goal of all history and of every human life.” #50
IN A FEW DAYS WE WILL BE LETTING EVERYONE KNOW ABOUT OUR BRAND NEW “GOSPEL OF LIFE” PROJECT WHICH WE SHARED AT OUR MARCH FOR LIFE EXHIBIT IN WASHINGTON.
Filed under: Evangelium Vitae, Inspirational Pro-life leaders, Medical/Bioethical Issues
Pharaoh’s Daughter Finds Baby Moses. Nicolas Poussin 1638
“In the Old Testament, precisely in regard to threats against life, we find a significant example of resistance to the unjust command of those in authority. After Pharaoh ordered the killing of all newborn males, the Hebrew midwives refused. “They did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live” (Ex 1:17). But the ultimate reason for their action should be noted: ‘the midwives feared God’. ” #73 Evangelium Vitae
Pro-life professionals are increasingly being put in positions similar to these Hebrew midwives. Many are taking courageous and principled stands for life.
In the past year one doctor in England was censured for persuading women not to have abortions. There is a chance that Dr. Tammie Downes may be forced out of her profession because she saved the lives of these children.
British Doctor Under Investigation for Persuading Patients against Abortion
Dr Tammie Downes: Why I’m so passionately against abortion
Doctor’s are not only fighting abortion but they are also having to resist groups that are trying to force them to refer women to have abortions.
LIFE DIGEST: U.S. medical group wants doctors forced to refer for abortions.
Pro-life doctors fight for conscience rights (Canada)
EU says Catholic Doctors Must be Forced to Abort
In an article on the Physicians for Life website we see that this is an ongoing fight.
Right of Conscience From Abortion – Federal Legislation Compared to UK (as of 5/07)
Many courageous pharmacists are also resisting and working to ensure their right of conscience when it comes to dispensing the Morning After Pill and birth control.
Pharmacists fired for denying ‘morning after’ pill
Catholic Hospitals are increasingly being forced to administer Plan B – one Bishop in Colorado has taken a courageous stand against this:
These courageous pro-life professionals are continuing the tradition of the midwives in the Old Testament – they are resisting the pressure of those in authority because they fear God and love the life that He has created.
Filed under: Evangelium Vitae
The last post was on the wonderful work that is being done to help pregnant women in crisis. The volunteers in pregnancy resource centers not only try to help women decide not to choose abortion but increasingly are trying to reach out to women who have had abortions.
Pope John Paul II in his encyclical on the Gospel of Life extends the Church’s hand to help these women find the peace of Christ.
“I would now like to say a special word to women who have had an abortion. The Church is aware of the many factors which may have influenced your decision, and she does not doubt that in many cases it was a painful and even shattering decision. The wound in your heart may not yet have healed. Certainly what happened was and remains terribly wrong. But do not give in to discouragement and do not lose hope. Try rather to understand what happened and face it honestly. If you have not already done so, give yourselves over with humility and trust to repentance. The Father of mercies is ready to give you his forgiveness and his peace in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. To the same Father and his mercy you can with sure hope entrust your child. With the friendly and expert help and advice of other people, and as a result of your own painful experience, you can be among the most eloquent defenders of everyone’s right to life. Through your commitment to life, whether by accepting the birth of other children or by welcoming and caring for those most in need of someone to be close to them, you will become promoters of a new way of looking at human life.” #99
The Virgin as the Woman of the Apocalypse
Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)
I found this really interesting and unusual – it was taken from section #104 of the Gospel of Life:
‘And the dragon stood before the woman … that he might devour her child when she brought it forth’ (Rev 12:4): life menaced by the forces of evil
In the Book of Revelation, the “great portent” of the “woman” (12:1) is accompanied by ‘another portent which appeared in heaven’: ‘a great red dragon’ (Rev 12:3), which represents Satan, the personal power of evil, as well as all the powers of evil at work in history and opposing the Church’s mission.
Here too Mary sheds light on the Community of Believers. The hostility of the powers of evil is, in fact, an insidious opposition which, before affecting the disciples of Jesus, is directed against his mother. To save the life of her Son from those who fear him as a dangerous threat, Mary has to flee with Joseph and the Child into Egypt (cf. Mt 2:13-15).
Mary thus helps the Church to realize that life is always at the center of a great struggle between good and evil, between light and darkness. The dragon wishes to devour ‘the child brought forth’ (cf. Rev 12:4), a figure of Christ, whom Mary brought forth ‘in the fullness of time’ (Gal 4:4) and whom the Church must unceasingly offer to people in every age.
But in a way that child is also a figure of every person, every child, especially every helpless baby whose life is threatened, because-as the Council reminds us-‘by his Incarnation the Son of God has united himself in some fashion with every person‘.140
It is precisely in the “flesh” of every person that Christ continues to reveal himself and to enter into fellowship with us, so that rejection of human life, in whatever form that rejection takes, is really a rejection of Christ.
This is the fascinating but also demanding truth which Christ reveals to us and which his Church continues untiringly to proclaim: ‘Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me’ (Mt 18:5); ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me’ (Mt 25:40).”
UNBORN WORD of the day 