The Gospel of Life Podcast Discussion

Segment One: What is the “Gospel of Life”?
Overview: The Gospel of Life ( Evangelium Vitae - available on-line) is a contemporary recounting of the present-day threats to human life by John Paul II with a stirring call to become “people of life” committed to building a new culture based on the dignity of the human person.  The full text is available on-line, by clicking here.  In the Gospel of Life, John Paul II highlights modern contemporary threats to human dignity which he calls an “eclipse of the value of life in contemporary society” (10). Issues like abortion, embryonic research, and euthanasia are different in nature from other violations of human dignity (e.g. war, poverty, discrimination) because they are based on a dangerous notion of personal rights and freedom.

As Catholics we are all called to be “pro-life” and work toward building a “culture of life.” How should each of us answer that call? We come from different ages, life experiences, and family commitments. The culture in which we live is often hostile to a pro-life world view. Sometimes, even when we want to get involved, we don’t know how to help or where to get involved.

If there is one single Church teaching document that best describes what it means to be “pro-life”, the Gospel of Life is it. The Gospel of Life sets forth a compelling Catholic vision of life based on the dignity of the human person, made in the image and likeness of God. It also speaks frankly about the very real threats to human dignity in our modern world and concludes with a stirring call to become “people of life.”

Let’s start where John Paul II does, back in the first book of the Bible, in Genesis. His starting point might surprise you. He does not begin with the beautiful account of creation or the happiness in the Garden of Eden or even in the first sin of Adam and Eve. He turns instead to the fourth chapter of Genesis and the story of Cain and Abel. He begins with this story to teach us a very important lesson about our contemporary culture.

Let’s quickly recall the story. Abel was a shepherd. His brother Cain was a farmer. As was the custom, Cain and Abel both brought the first fruits of their labor as a sacrifice to God. For some reason not stated directly in the story, God preferred Abel’s sacrifice. Cain got very angry and then killed Abel. When God asked Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”, Cain tries to avoid responsibility for his action and replies “Am I my brother’s keeper?” God punishes Cain for his crime, but still holds out the promise of his mercy by placing a mark on Cain to protect him from death by those wishing to avenge the murder of Abel.

The story of Cain and Abel has “universal significance” John Paul tell us;“it is a page rewritten daily… in the book of human history” (n.7). Anger and envy get the upper hand. Brother kills brother. Conscience is dulled.

After Cain killed his brother, the Lord confronts him and asks, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground” (Gen 4:10).  In the Gospel of Life, John Paul suggests that the Lord is asking this same question to us today in order to make us realize “the extent and gravity of the attacks against life which continue to mark human history”. (10) He goes on to recount a list of grave attacks on human dignity in the modern world, including war, genocide, poverty and malnutrition of children caused by the unjust distribution of resources; “the scandalous arms trade”, “the reckless tampering of the world’s ecological balance”; and many more. Few would disagree with this argument. But then, John Paul raises the argument to a different level. He calls us to focus “particular attention on another category of attacks, affecting life in its earliest and in its final stages” (n. 11). When life is taken through abortion or euthanasia, much of our contemporary culture does not regard it as a crime. Instead, it is held up as a “right”. John Paul terms this phenomenon the “eclipse” of the value of life.

In an eclipse, the position of the moon blocks the light of the sun. Even though the light is there, we can’t see it clearly. Many people accept abortion, embryonic research and euthanasia as individual rights because they do not clearly see the value of each human life made in the image and likeness of God. Their consciences are dulled.

If we as Catholics want to live out the Gospel of Life, we need first to clearly understand and then take to heart the true vision of human life as Jesus taught, “I came that they may have life, and have it in abundance.” (Jn 10:10)

Resources:
Gospel of Life: Introduction – section 17
Genesis 4: 2- 6
John 10:10

Questions to Consider:
1. Why did John Paul II place particular attention to attacks on life in its earliest and final stages of the Gospel of Life?
2. What does the mark of Cain say to us about God’s mercy and judgment? What insights does it offer in the debate over capital punishment?
3. Have you ever had an experience where consciences were “dulled” in respect to a life issue? How did you respond?

Segment Two: When Freedom and Truth Collide
Overview: Rather than see abortion and euthanasia as violations of the human rights of those whose lives are ended, our contemporary culture sees them as expressions of personal freedom that need to be protected under law. John Paul II calls this a “perverse” idea of freedom that rejects any form of objective or universal truth.

We Americans have a confused notion about the meaning of freedom. For many, freedom means the right of an individual to exercise complete self – autonomy. It’s my “right” to make my “choice.” Nowhere is this connection between freedom and choice more prevalent in the United States than in attitudes about abortion. Every year more than one million American women have an abortion. So many abortions have taken place since the Supreme Court legalized abortion in 1973, that presently nearly one out of every three women of child-bearing years in the United States has had at least one abortion. Later in this “Living the Gospel of Life” series we will talk about the deep emotional, spiritual and psychological pain that legalized abortion has caused to women, children, men and families. First we need to better understand the meaning of true freedom.

Freedom is a beautiful gift from God. It helps us seek and find the meaning of human life and love. In the Gospel of Life, John Paul II shows us the danger of accepting a notion of freedom divorced from truth and the common good. He calls it a “perverse idea of freedom” when the strong are allowed to overpower the weak, when reference to common values is lost, and when “everything is open to bargaining, even the first of the fundamental rights, the right to life”(20).

“Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Gen 4:9) was the disingenuous response to God by Cain after he killed his brother. In the Gospel of Life, John Paul II answers Cain’s question affirmatively. “Yes,” he writes, “every man is his ‘brother’s keeper’ because God entrusts us to one another” (19). True freedom is freedom that enables us to love and serve one another, especially the weak, the frail, and the powerless. In contrast, the so-called “right” to abortion is actually “the death of true freedom” (20). It enslaves indivi-duals and nations because it allows “absolute power over others and against others” (20).

Given our contemporary misunderstanding of freedom – where the taking of a life is upheld as a legal right of another - it’s understandable why so many women have abortions and why so many men push women into having them. John Paul acknowledges there are many tragic situations that can mitigate the culpability for individuals involved in abortions. Responsibility for abortion does not end with the women who undergo them or the medical personnel who perform them. We need to recognize the cultural, social and political dimensions of why crimes against life are upheld as “legitimate expressions of individual freedom” (18).

Stopping abortion requires more than just changing laws. In order to build a culture of life, we must first re-establish the connection between freedom and truth. As Christ told us, it is the truth that sets us free. (John 8:32)

Resources:
Gospel of Life (18-20)
John Paul II, Faith and Reason (Fides et Ratio)
Roe Reality Check, www.usccb.org/prolife/issues/abortion/roevwade 

Questions to Consider:
1. Why is the connection between truth and freedom so important?
2. Why do you think the United States has one of the highest abortion rates in the developed world? What, if any, impact does the Roe v Wade abortion on demand ruling have on this high number of abortions?
3. Many friends and loved ones have participated in abortions. Does that change your feelings toward them?
4. How can you as an individual help shift the public debate on the life issues away from an overemphasis on individual rights?

Segment Three: The Consistency of Church Teaching on Abortion
Overview: Human life is sacred from the moment of conception to the time of natural death. From its earliest days to the present, the Church has consistently condemned abortion because it is the deliberate killing of an innocent human life made in the image and likeness of God. Church teaching on just war and capital punishment also seek to respect the value of life while recognizing the need for legitimate self-defense.

The Ten Commandments say very clearly, “You shall not kill” (Ex 20:13, Dt5:17). Church teaching going back to the first century Didache condemns abortion, a practice that was very prevalent in ancient Greek and Roman times. The Second Vatican Council called abortion and infanticide “unspeakable crimes”.  Consistently, the Church has said procured abortion is a moral evil because it deliberately destroys an innocent human life made in the image and likeness of God. However serious or tragic the circumstances surrounding an abortion, no one can justify the deliberate killing of an innocent human being.

But as John Paul II reminds us in the Gospel of Life, “today, in many people’s consciences, the perception of its gravity has become progressively obscured”. (58) Growing public acceptance of abortion comes, in part, from our culture’s inability to distinguish between moral good and evil. Some feel abortion is justified if a mother’s health or her family’s standard of living would be jeopardized. Others acknowledge many, or even most, abortions are wrong but are less objectionable if done early pregnancy, especially before implantation. Still another argument is that the Church is inconsistent in its teaching prohibition against killing because, in certain circumstances, it upholds the right to self-defense, just war, or capital punishment.

Church teaching is clear. The injunction “You shall not kill” has “absolute value when it refers to the innocent person” (57). John Paul II tells us this teaching should not cause surprise because, “to kill a human being in which the image of God is present, is a particularly serious sin. Only God is the master of life” (55). This call to protect innocent human life begins at the time the ovum is fertilized until the time of natural death. Newly conceived human life must be considered a human person because it is a human life distinct from the mother or father.

But what if the life in question is not innocent? How can the Church justify killing in the case of self-defense or a so-called “just war”? There is a long history of Church teaching in these matters based in part on the “intrinsic value of life and the duty to love oneself no less than others” (55) that would require a much longer discussion. The Gospel of Life does specifically address one contemporary issue of the killing of non-innocent human life. That is the issue of capital punishment.

The Church universally, nationally and locally has been in the forefront of efforts to abolish capital punishment. The Church teaches that society has a right to inflict punishment “to redress the disorder caused by an offense” (46). But, just as God “preferred the correction rather than the death of a sinner” (9) in the story of Cain and Abel, the Church today teaches that criminal punishment should not go so far as execution unless there is no other possible way to defend itself. John Paul II writes that such a situation is “very rare, if not practically non-existent” (56) in the modern world.

Resources:
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2263-2269
Catholic Campaign Against the Death Penalty:  www.ccedp.org
Instruction on Respect for Human Life In Its Origin and the Dignity of Procreation: Replies to Certain Questions of the Day, (Donum Vitae), 
Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 1987

Questions to Consider:

More than 400,000 unwanted embryos created by IVF are stored in cold storage tanks. Some argue these embryos should be “harvested” for stem cells for research purposes. Why does the Church oppose the killing of these embryos?
In your experience, do most Catholics consistently support Church teaching on both abortion and capital punishment?
Among its effects, the so-called “morning after pill” prevents a fertilized ovum from implanting in the uterus. Why does Church teaching against abortion also include opposition to this kind of “chemical” abortion?

Segment Four: The Family as the Sanctuary of Life
Overview: The human family founded upon marriage has a decisive responsible to serve as a “community of life and love” (92). It is the “sanctuary of life” through which God’s gift of life is welcome and protected.

The family has a “decisive and irreplaceable” role in building a culture of life. Founded upon marriage, the family is a “community of life and love” where parents act as “co-workers” in God’s plan for creation. Through marital love, a husband and wife are given the gift of a child made in the image and likeness of God. Parents are called to love and nurture their children in the family unit. By their self-giving love, day in and day out, parents reflect the love of God and lead their children to authentic freedom.

It is first and foremost in the family where the Gospel of Life is proclaimed and lived. Respect for all human persons begins in the family where self-giving love is shown across the generations, in sickness, health, difficult times and joy-filled celebrations.

Today, the primary role of the family has been undermined in many ways in our contemporary culture. Cohabitation and divorce rates have skyrocketed. Premarital sex and homosexual relationships have become increasingly accepted as normative.

In the early years of his pontificate, John Paul II delivered a series of 129 homilies on marriage and sexuality collectively entitled the “Theology of the Body”. In this series, John Paul II elevated our understanding of human marriage. Through their bodily love, a husband and wife, express total self-giving love of heart, mind, soul and body to one another. As part of God’s beautiful plan for marriage and family, from that love comes new life made in the image and likeness of God. This union of life-giving love mirrors the love of the Divine community of the Holy Trinity, a foretaste of life of heaven.

Understanding sexual love as a total gift of oneself to another in marriage is a radically counter-cultural concept. It is in our bodies, male and female, that we are created in the image and likeness of God. We are made for love. That is where true freedom and happiness come.

Across the Archdiocese of Boston, many small groups have come together to learn more about the theology of the body in a study series called “A New Language” which was developed by Women Affirming Life. It is a refreshing sign to see the Gospel of Life coming alive in these small groups of study, prayer and reflection. For more information on the theology of the body study groups and retreats, contact the Pro Life Office at (508) 651-1900.

Resources:
John Paul II, Theology of the Body: Human Love in the Divine Plan, Boston, Pauline Books & Media, 1997.
Percy, Anthony, The Theology of the Body Made Simple, Boston, Pauline Books & Media, 2006
Shivanandan, Mary, “A New Language,” study series on the theology of the body, Women Affirming Life, 2002, 

Questions to Consider:

What is the connection between marriage, family and the Gospel of Life?
Increasing numbers of children are not born and raised a traditional family unit. What does Church teaching on marriage and family say to them?
How can parishes provide practical support to help young Catholics see the importance of the connection between sexuality and marriage?

Segment Five. Transforming the Culture of Life
Overview: John Paul II challenges the Church to begin an urgent “mobilization of consciences and a united ethical effort to activate a great campaign in support of life” (95) based on the need to re-establish the link between life and freedom/freedom and truth (96). One of the challenges he sets forth is the creation of “centers of assistance” where unmarried women and couples can find the help and support they need to overcome the fear of new life (88). One such example of helping women in crisis pregnancies is the work of Pregnancy Help.

The Gospel of Life requires no less than a complete transformation of con-temporary culture. We need to change hearts and minds as well as court decisions and laws. John Paul II challenged us in very urgent terms. He called for “a general mobilization of consciences” and  “ a united ethical effort” “to activate a great campaign in support of life”(95). That’s quite a staggering job description.

So, where do we begin? For John Paul, the starting point is not the political process, or the media. He says “the first and fundamental step…consists in forming consciences with regard to the incomparable and inviolable worth of every human life”. We must first “re-establish the essential connection between life and freedom”. There is no true freedom, he writes, “where life is not welcomed and loved” (96).

Once this necessary link between freedom and truth is re-established, we will be better able to discern the truly necessary cultural values and begin the courageous cultural dialogue needed to build a culture of life. One of the practical areas where the values of the Gospel of Life need to present are in what John Paul II calls “centers of assistance” to pregnant women. Here in the Archdiocese of Boston, the Church has supported one such center for many years. It is called Pregnancy Help. Pregnancy Help is an outreach ministry of the Pro-Life Office that assists women in crisis pregnancies choose life over abortion.   Services include:

• Pregnancy testing
• Friendship counseling and support
• Abortion information and alternatives
• Material assistance
• Adoption information and referrals
• Parenting support, health insurance, education, career and housing information
• Prenatal care referrals

All services are free and confidential and are offered in English, Spanish and Portuguese. There is a toll-free helpline and offices in Boston and MetroWest.

Pregnancy Help serves women of various ages, religions, and economic backgrounds. Most are under tremendous stress and pressure. Without crisis pregnancy centers like Pregnancy Help, many pregnant women see abortion as their only choice. It is crucial that the needs of women facing unplanned pregnancies are met by centers like Pregnancy Help and not by abortion providers. Here’s a typical comment by one of our clients, “I was desperate when I called Pregnancy Help. All I knew was that if I did what everyone in my life wanted me to do, which was have the abortion, I would not be able to live with myself”.  

What are the pressures facing women in crisis pregnancies? Let’s look at the reasons cited by women about why they have abortions. According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute of Planned Parenthood, of the more than one million abortions performed every year in the United States, approximately 1% are done in cases of rape and incest , 1% for genetic reasons and approximately 3% for a wide range of maternal physical and health reasons. The other 95% are done for a combination of personal,  economic, family and relationship issues (like, “I’m not ready to have a baby now”, “I can’t afford another child”, or “I want to finish my education.”)With abortion so socially accepted, it’s difficult for many women to withstand the pressure unless there are caring people available to help her sort through the emotions she is feeling, find solutions to the practical issues she faces, and help her acknowledge the bonding she has already developed with the tiny new human life within her. Many women feel they have no choice except abortion. In a true culture of life, there are alternatives to abortion. It’s our job as a Church to make those alternatives known and available.

In the Gospel of Life, Pope John Paul uses the words from Ephesians to call us to “walk as children of light” (Eph 5:8). The life-affirming work of Pregnancy Help would not be possible without an extensive network of volunteers who give of their talents in many ways – friendship counseling, office work, computer and website expertise, public speaking, organizing and delivering layettes. Each year, more than 80 parishes and Catholic organizations participate in Parish Baby Showers to support the work of Pregnancy Help and directly assist women facing crisis pregnancies.

The support of Catholics across the Archdiocese in support of the work of Pregnancy Help is certainly an example of being that light to the world. If you would like to assist the work of Pregnancy Help, call the Pro Life Office at 508-651-1900 for more information and specific ways that you can help out.

Resources:
www.pregnancyhelpboston.org - website of Pregnancy Help
Finer, Frohwirth et al, Reasons U.S. Women Have Abortion: Quantitative and Qualitative Perspectives by, Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, vol. 37, n. 3 (Sept 2005) http:/www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/3711005.html

Questions to Consider:

1. In the Gospel of Life, Pope John Paul cites the need for “courageous cultural dialogue” in building a culture of life. What you think he means by that term?
2. Why do you think so many women feel pressured into having abortions?
3. If you could immediately implement one pro-life initiative in your parish as part of a “mobilization of consciences…in support of life,” what would it be?

Segment Six: Understanding Suffering and Death
Overview: Compassion means to “suffer with.” In our contemporary culture, a “misplaced compassion” and “misguided pity” (15) have led to increasing calls to legalize euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. Part of the challenge of living out the Gospel of Life is to help the terminally ill understand the Christian meaning of suffering and death (97).

Talking about death and dying can be very difficult for some. Helping a loved one through his or her last days on earth can be emotionally, physically and spiritually draining.

Throughout the Gospel of Life, we are urged to remember and respect the dignity of all human persons from the moment of conception to the time of natural death. Life is a beautiful gift of God which we must treasure. But, does the Church’s teaching on the value of life require that physical life be preserved at all times and at all costs in every circumstance, including burdensome medical treatments?  Of course not.

Many people approach their final years with fear about being hooked up to machines, or suffering alone in pain, or of being a burden on their families, especially as the cost of medical care skyrockets. What message of hope does the Gospel of Life offer them?

Our Christian hope springs from our understanding of the ultimate purpose of human life. Our human life is an unrepeatable and unique gift from God. This relationship with God is eternal which gives our lives a special dignity. Part of God’s plan for human life involves the death of the earthly body. In accepting death, we affirm God’s care and plan for our eternal lives. So there is no need to accept extraordinary medical treatment in order to try to prolong human life. It is unnecessary and may actually interfere with God’s natural plan.

Euthanasia and assisted suicide violate human dignity. Not only do these practices take the lives of innocent people, they also attempt to eliminate God from the meaning of human life.

With increasing calls for legalized assisted suicide, such as that which has occurred in the state of Oregon, Catholics committed to the Gospel of Life need to be able to offer hope and care for the dying and their families. Many in the medical profession offer expert help and support in hospice care. Legal professionals offer assistance in the preparation of healthcare proxies so that family members can help ensure their loved ones will receive appropriate medical treatment as death progresses. Increasing numbers of Catholic parishes are involved in efforts to offer practical assistance like home visitations, respite care, and meal preparation for families whose loved ones are dying.

On the pastoral and education front, the Gospel of Life calls for a better understanding and consideration of the Christian understanding of suffering and death. “Even pain and suffering have meaning and value when they are experienced in connection with love received and given” wrote John Paul. He continued, “Death …is the door which opens wide on eternity…”(97). In his later years, as pain and illness overtook his once athletic frame, John Paul II lived out the meaning of living and dying in the Lord (cf. Romans 14:7-8) by connecting his suffering to the mystery of Christ’s redeeming love on the cross. What a beautiful testimony his last years were to the meaning of the Gospel of Life. Like John Paul, there is a special role for the elderly in our culture to be signs of hope as they give meaning to the dignity of life when aging and sickness bring pain and loss of autonomy.

Resources:
Gospel of Life (15, 46, 47, 97)
http://www.usccb.org/prolife/tdocs/index.shtml#E
Massachusetts Catholic Conference, “In Support of Life” program on end-of-life issues including a sample health care proxy: www.macathconf.org/support.htm
John Paul II, Apostolic Letter On the Meaning of Human Suffering (Salvifici Doloris), February 11, 1984.

Questions to Consider:

1. Why does the Church teach that extraordinary or burdensome medical care at the end of life is not necessary?
2. What are some of the critical distinctions between rejecting extraordinary medical treatment and allowing physician-assisted suicide?
3. How can a health care proxy help families in providing the best possible care for loved ones at the end of life?
4. How does the life of John Paul II show us both the fullness of life and the ultimate meaning of human suffering and death?

Segment Eight. Healing the Wounds of Abortion
Overview: In the Gospel of Life, Pope John Paul II offers the hope of healing to women who have had abortions. He assures them, that in the mercy of God,  “nothing is definitively lost” and that they will be able to seek forgiveness from their child “who is living in the Lord” (99). Project Rachel is the post-abortion ministry of the Church which offers women and men the healing love of Christ through sacramental Reconciliation, counseling and retreats.

Until John Paul’s Gospel of Life encyclical, no Pope had ever written directly to women who have had abortions. John Paul was acutely aware of the many factors influencing women’s decisions to have abortions. His priestly ministry in Poland included a special outreach to women facing crisis pregnancies. In Communist Poland where he served as a priest and bishop, abortion was legal. Strict government regulations on housing and family life that made it enormously difficult for women faced with an unplanned pregnancy.

For some, John Paul’s words of hope that unborn children who had been aborted were “living in the Lord” were a surprise. The idea that a mother or father could ask forgiveness from their aborted child was something they had never considered.  John Paul’s remarkable pastoral heart and keen theological mind inspired him to bring the hope of God’s limitless mercy to all involved in abortions. This is truly “Divine Mercy.”

Here in the Archdiocese of Boston, as in most every diocese in the United States, the Project Rachel post-abortion ministry helps women and men find the healing love and mercy of Christ. Project Rachel is named after the Old Testament matriarch Rachel. In the Book of Jeremiah (31:15-17) Rachel “mourns her children; she refused to be consoled because her children are no more”. The Lord calls out to her and says “Cease from your cries of mourning. Wipe the tears from your eyes. There is hope for your future.”

In the work of Project Rachel there are many tears, but there is also great hope – and new life. Many women carry the pain of their abortion for a lifetime. Like Rachel, they refuse to be consoled because they think they are not worthy to be forgiven, or worse yet, they do not believe forgiveness is possible because of what they have done.

Project Rachel offers a confidential helpline with referrals to specially trained priests for sacramental Reconciliation. One-day and weekend retreats are also available which many women have found to be life-changing experiences.

One of every three women of child-bearing years in the United States has had an abortion. Many men have pressured women into having abortions. Doctors and other medical personnel are directly involved in performing more than one million abortions a year. The grief and pain and shame can be overwhelming – until they encounter the merciful love of God.

One participant at a recent retreat wrote about her Project Rachel experience this way, “I am certainly not the same person who was so afraid to walk through those doors and I don’t ever want to see her again. I was finally able to begin to feel whole. The sacrament of Reconciliation was such a freeing moment for me. Just as much as I remember almost every detail of that horrible day fourteen years ago, I remember those forgiving words that I was absolved of all my sins. I keep replaying that phrase in my mind and it almost brings me to tears. But they’re finally cleansing, healing tears instead of tears of extreme sorrow. I am able to see God in my life, and it makes me smile. I feel worthy to be among God’s people and to be the best mother to my three children…”

We all know and love women who have had abortions. For more information about how Project Rachel might help them find healing, call (508) 651-3100 or e-mail [email protected]

Resources:
Gospel of Life (99)
www.hopeafterabortion.com
Website of the National Office of Post-Abortion Reconciliation and Healing, Inc.
www.projectrachelboston.com
Catechism of the Catholic Church (1257) on the necessity of Baptism

Questions to Consider:

Why do so many women and men find it difficult to seek out sacramental Reconciliation after abortion?
How can you explain the connection between the Church’s strong stand against abortion, its teaching on the importance of Baptism, and the words of John Paul II to women who have had abortions?
What are some practical suggestions for increasing awareness of the work of Project Rachel at the parish level?

Segment Nine. Living the Gospel of Life in Ordinary Daily Life (86):
Overview: John Paul tells us that the spirituality of the Gospel of Life is based on self-giving love in the everyday experiences of daily life. This “everyday heroism” is grounded in prayer and involves a sharing in the mystery of the Cross. Especially in our materialistic culture, we need to emphasize “being” over “having” in order to understand and live out this call to love.

Abortion. War. Capital Punishment. Poverty. Euthanasia. The many varied aspects of the Gospel of Life seem overwhelming in their complexity. They are the subject of national and international debate among heads of state, scientists, legislators and jurors. John Paul was an actor on the stage of world politics and decision-making. Yet, when he writes about “the most solemn celebration of the Gospel of life” (86), this celebration does not take place in a cathedral or in the halls of Congress or the United Nations. Rather, it takes place in what he calls the “heroic actions” of daily living.

It happens, he writes, in “the many different acts of selfless generosity, often humble and hidden, carried out by men and women, children and adults, the young and the old, the healthy and the sick”. In this context, “so humanly rich and filled with love”, they are “the radiant manifestation of the highest degree of love”, a “sharing of the mystery of the Cross.”

John Paul calls us all to adopt a “new life style” (98) based on “the primacy of being over having ( Second Vatican Council, Gaudium et Spes, 35; Paul VI Encyclical, Populorum Progressio, 15) and of persons over things” (Letter to Families Gratissimam Sane, February 2, 1994, 13)

So much of the good that is done in the pro-life movement is accomplished by ordinary people making self-giving sacrifices in their everyday lives. At the Pro-Life Office, we are blessed to witness so many examples of good people helping out in sometimes small, but always important ways. Last year, for example, more than 80 parishes and Catholic organizations sponsored “Baby Showers” to support the clients of our Pregnancy Help crisis pregnancy center. Beautiful baby items are purchased. Others are hand-made, some of them by elderly “knitters for life”. School children use their allowance to buy a teething ring or a pair of baby socks and so learn at an early age the importance of giving. Volunteers sort and organize countless bags of baby clothes so mothers can receive a beautiful layette in anticipation of their baby’s birth. Those with cars will fill them up with items donated at a parish and drive them to the office in Natick where they cheerfully help carry them up and down stairs. Others use their talents in building websites or analyzing data for an annual report. Therapists and spiritual directors volunteer their professional time to assist at Project Rachel retreats. Other volunteers cook and clean to make a retreat possible. The homebound will offer their prayers for a woman considering abortion and for the well-being of her baby. One woman last year told us she was offering the pain from her cancer treatments for the success of the pro-life work of the Archdiocese.

Being over having. Persons over things. Self-giving love in everyday life. In short, that is the Gospel of Life.

Resources:
Gospel of Life (86,98)
Any of the writings of Mother Theresa. One excellent compilation is In My Own Words: Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, (compiled and translated by Joe Luis Gonzalez-Balado, 1999) available from Liguori Publications.1-800-325-9521.

Questions to Consider:

1. How can we detach ourselves from the materialism of our society? How can parents instill in their children a desire to value persons over things?
2. In general, do we as a society and a church, make an effort to recognize the importance of prayers and small acts of selfless love, especially among the homebound and terminally ill? How are these acts connected to the Cross of Christ?
3. How can discouragement over the lack of political and social acceptance of the values of the Gospel of Life negatively impact our spirituality?

Segment Ten. Celebrating the Gospel of Life in Prayer and Culture (84, 85)

Overview: In his early life, John Paul II was an actor. He understood the importance of cultural expressions of faith and values. John Paul was also a man steeped in prayer. In the Gospel of Life he urges us to incorporate both prayer and symbols and cultural traditions into our efforts to build a culture of life.

“There are special times and ways in which the peoples of different nations and cultures express joy for a newborn life… care for the suffering or needy, closeness to the elderly and the dying, participation in the sorrow of those who mourn, and hope and desire for immortality.” So wrote John Paul II in the Gospel of Life where he made a specific call for a “Day for Life” in every country to celebrate the beauty and value of human life. Whether through liturgy, cultural heritage, song or prayer, John Paul reminds us that we are all called to something beyond us. As a former actor, he understands the importance of signs and celebrations in building a culture of life.

The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a powerful image. She came to a lowly peasant Mexican Indian peasant Juan Diego who helped renew Christianity in the New World and stop the practice of child sacrifice among the Aztec. Today, Our Lady of Guadalupe is known as the Intercessor of the Unborn. Her banner adorns shrines and accompanies pro-life vigils. The Pro-Life Office has developed a nine-month Spiritual Adoption Program in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe that combines prayers to her for the unborn and their mothers along with educational materials on pre-natal development and a baby shower to assist pregnant mothers in need. This is one of many examples of how parishes can bring the best of our cultural and religious heritages together in a way that will enlighten minds and encourage the growth of a culture of life.

There are many other celebrations that seek to respond to John Paul’s call to integrate prayer and culture for life. The beautiful tradition of Annunciation Day has been developed in several parishes in ways which remind us of the dignity of human life from the moment of conception, sometimes using the original English carols that were written for the occasion. Each year, hundreds of people from the Archdiocese journey to Washington DC for the Annual March for Life. Among them are high school students who join in an Archdiocesan Pilgrimage for Life with Cardinal Sean. They pray at the national Vigil for Life at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, attend a youth rally and then join tens of thousands of young and old alike at the March for Life. As these young people see and meet tens of thousands of other high school students from across the country offering public witness to the value of life, they are strengthened both in their faith and in their pro-life commitment.

Whether united with tens of thousands of people in our nation’s capital, or alone in our daily prayer, John Paul calls on us to celebrate the “glory of every human being, a sign of the living God, an icon of Jesus Christ” (84). Of all the psalms, Psalm 139 captures this spirit of the Gospel of Life the best, “Truly you have formed my inmost being. You knit me in my mother’s womb. I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made. How marvelous are all your works.”

May this prayer of wonder, awe and praise guide our efforts to build a culture of our life and may the Lord of Life bless you and those you love.

Resources:
Psalm 139
On the history of Our Lady of Guadalupe
On the history of the Feast of the Annunciation 

Questions to Consider:

1. Why does the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe draw such great devotion?
2. More than a dozen Latin and South American countries have declared Annunciation Day (March 25) as an official “Day of the Unborn”. Why is recognition of the status of the unborn child as a human being an important function of secular governments?
3. What are some ways in which your parish, or a cluster of local parishes, could celebrate the Gospel of Life in prayer and culture?