We Rededicate Ourselves to Life
“I have set before you life and death... choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the Lord, your God, heeding His voice and holding fast to Him” (Deut. 30:19-20).
The Church in the United States has designated October 7 as Respect Life Sunday. This day is a special opportunity for us to rededicate ourselves as a people who celebrate life, who protect life and who find Life in Christ Jesus.
We celebrate life. Pro-life means we recognize that all persons are created in the image and likeness of God and hold firmly that life is sacred from the moment of conception to natural death. We recognize that the Holy Spirit dwells within each one of us. We are profoundly grateful for one another, and we treat each day as an unrepeatable gift. We choose and celebrate life and give daily praise and thanks to God Our Creator for this precious gift.
We protect life. The Second Vatican Council highlighted the need our world has for courageous prophets who speak and act on behalf of life: “Whatever is opposed to life itself... whatever violates the integrity of the human person... whatever insults human dignity... where people are treated as mere instruments of gain rather than as free and responsible persons... all these things and others like them poison human society and are a supreme dishonor to the Creator” (Gaudium et Spes, 27). As prophets and followers of the Lord, we must strive daily, with God’s help, to eradicate any such evil in our midst.
This month’s theme for our diocesan magazine highlights the need for kindness and gentleness. Protecting life demands these qualities. However, gentleness and kindness are not synonymous with weakness. In order to become powerful forces in the protection of human life, others must see in us the face of Christ, for we are sent in His name. We courageously, boldly and consistently speak the truth, but always in the spirit of compassion and ever respectful of the dignity of each person.
We must take advantage of the opportunities our Diocese and parishes provide to act on behalf of life. It is my hope that you will prepare now to attend the Rally for Life in Raleigh on Saturday, January 12, 2008, and be part of the Raleigh contingent on January 22, 2008, for the March for Life in Washington, DC. The rally and march are conducted in a prayerful, gentle and unified spirit. What powerful forces these gatherings can be on behalf of the protection of human life!
We find life. The work of protecting and defending the sacredness of all human life can seem overwhelming in this complicated world. That would always be the case if we relied on our own resources. Yet we must not despair; for in our Savior we find life. We are believers who love the Lord Our God, who heed His voice and hold fast to Him. We celebrate in Word and Sacrament Jesus’ victory of life over death! Most especially in the Eucharist, we find the strength, consolation and motivation we need. Through him, with Him and in Him, life is always victorious!
As I travel through this Diocese, I see a profound commitment to life through the example and witness of countless people. Through the intercession of Mary Our Mother and the divine assistance of her Son may we always celebrate the precious gift of life, protect the sacredness of all human life and find new life in God the Father who created us, in His Son Jesus, the Bread of Life, who sustains us, and in the Holy Spirit who guides us in all endeavors both now and forever.
Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge