If you looked at Thursday, January 22nd on your
Catholic calendar, you know it was described as a day of penance because of the
atrocity of abortion and also a day of prayer for the legal guarantee of the
right to life. This day of reflection has occurred every January since the
Supreme Court upheld the legalization of abortion in 1973. Hundreds of
thousands of Americans have participated in the annual March for Life in Washington,
D.C., lobbying for pro-life legislation.
But what does it really mean to be “pro-life?”
But being pro-life
involves so much more, and as Catholics, we are called to be pro-life even when
it is difficult. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops wants us to broaden
the scope of our parish pro-life activities by pointing out life issues
deserving of our attention and efforts: Capital Punishment; People Living with Disabilities;
End of Life Issues; Health Care; War; and Hunger, to name just a few.
The USCCB says that, “Increasingly, our society
looks to violent measures to deal with some of our most difficult social
problems – millions of abortions to
address problem pregnancies, advocacy of euthanasia and assisted suicide to
cope with the burdens of age and illness, and increased reliance on the death
penalty to deal with crime. We are
tragically turning to violence in the search for quick and easy answers to
complex human problems…”
As we consider our stand on life issues, we must embrace
the concept that being pro-life is more than simply being anti-abortion. It is
not for us to judge which lives are innocent and which are not – that
discernment is for God alone. Rather, we must believe, as the Catechism tells
us, that every human life is sacred because we are all made in the image and
likeness of God. (Paragraph 2319) “Our witness to respect for life shines most
brightly when we demand respect for each and every human life…”