As we remember the anniversary (January 22, 1973) of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade,
legalizing abortion in our country, we memorialize the 54 million “preborn babies” whose lives have been deliberately ended since that decision. Hopefully, we become advocates who stand up for and support life. In last weekend’s bulletin Fr. Chuck talked about the
challenge of fighting off apathy. We need to cultivate, grow and transform.
We need to be deliberate, intentional builders of a culture of life.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Chairman of the Committee on Pro-life Activities for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, made some comments this past week about abortion in our country. He talked about the great preacher, Jesus, whose basic message was the dignity of the human person and the sacredness of
ALL human life. He stated that “A whole class of people, the pre-born, have been deprived of their right to life.” “The Roe v. Wade anniversary is not an anniversary we can celebrate!“ The great majority of Americans do not see an unborn child as an illness or a tumor. They want to hear a message of reverence for life. He went on to say that “powerful and well-financed lobbyists insist that abortion is just another part of ‘basic health care’ for women and should be seamlessly integrated into our health system and our lives, regardless of what people’s consciences say. Those same lobbyists condemn those who follow their right conscience and accuse them of practicing substandard medicine and waging war on women.”
Cardinal Dolan did refer to the “Year of Mercy” that we are celebrating. He talked about
Pope Francis stating that because each human life is created by a God whose love is infinite, a “culture of life” and the practice of mercy needs to prevail, toward the pre-born babies and those who have fallen short of God’s plan by being involved in abortion. Pray for them all! The Cardinal invites everyone to recommit themselves to a vision of life and love, a moral vision that excludes no one. Cardinal Dolan concluded his comments with these words, “May God bless our efforts to uphold human life!”