It’s hard to believe that October is almost upon us! And, we join with parishes throughout the country in observing Respect Life Month throughout October. This year, we even anticipate it this weekend with our annual Run for Life at the Wilson Farm Park in support of A Baby’s Breath; you will find details about this run on flyers on the church doors. And, Archbishop Charles Chaput will mark the beginning of Respect Life Month with a Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul this Sunday at 6:30pm; it will be preceded by a Holy Hour led by the Sisters of Life, also in the Cathedral. As we promote the care of human life from conception to natural death, allow me to provide you with a very thoughtful reflection offered by the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB) Committee on Pro-Life Activities:
From the time we are knit together in our mothers’ wombs until we take our final breaths, each moment of our lives is a gift from God. While every season of life brings its own challenges and trials, each season also gives us new opportunities to grow in our relationship with God.
Today the gift of life is threatened in countless ways. Those who are most vulnerable, rather than receiving the protection they deserve, are all too often seen as a burden and as expendable. As new attacks on human life continue to emerge, we can be tempted to despair, but Christ instead offers us unfailing hope.
Hope is not false optimism or empty positivity. Christian hope is something much more profound and goes to the very depths of our identity as followers of Christ. Hope is the virtue “by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit” (CCC, §1817).
Like us, Christ entered the world through the womb of a woman. He willingly experienced the fullness of human suffering. He breathed his last on the Cross at Calvary in order that He might save us. Therefore, “God is the foundation of hope: not any god, but the God who has a human face and who has loved us to the end” (Spe salvi, §31). Christians know “they have a future: it is not that they know the details of what awaits them, but they know that their life will not end in emptiness” (SS, §2). For this reason, a woman experiencing a difficult pregnancy can find the strength to welcome her precious child into the world. A man facing a terminal diagnosis can see that the end of his earthly life is only the beginning of eternal life with Christ.
The Church teaches us that “the one who has hope lives differently” (SS, §2). Christ’s promise of salvation does not mean that we will be spared from suffering. Rather, the promise of salvation ensures that even in the darkest moments of our lives, we will be given the strength to persevere. By virtue of this Christian hope, we can face any challenge or trial. When the seas of life swell and we are battered by the waves, hope allows us to remain anchored in the heart of God. May we hold fast to Christ our hope, from the beginning of life to its very end.
Let us continue to people of hope as we continue to foster a respect for all human life. I find encouragement in the commitment by an increasing number of youth to the respect life movement. They have come to recognize the precious gift of every human life and are responding to the call to protect everyone, young and old. I’m also encouraged by the continuing decline in the number of abortions in our country. A recent report by the United States Center for Disease Control recorded that the abortion rate continues to drop in our country; it’s at the lowest rate since Roe vs. Wade in 1973.
At the same time, however, I’m alarmed by the increasing number of states in our nation that have legalized assisted suicide; it is now legally permitted in eight states and Washington, D.C. This confirms the notion we read above that often, the “most vulnerable, rather than receiving the protection they deserve, are all too often seen as a burden and as expendable.” So, we need to continue to advocate for the care and protection of every human being. I encourage you to keep that in your prayers, especially throughout this month.