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JMJ
August 2008 Issue 1.7
Quo Vadis Newsletter Life Issues
Thou Shalt Not Kill: Abortion and Why it is Wrong.
Catechism Quote of the Month
Contraception-Why Not?
Did You Know?
Pre-Marital Chastity.
Pope Quote
Book of the Month
Novena of the Month
Thou Shalt Not Kill: Abortion and Why it is Wrong.
By Mary Clare Piecynski
“My body my choice.” “Abortion stops a beating heart.” We’ve all heard these cries taken up by people on both sides of the abortion fence. The fierceness of both positions is enough to leave one in a quandary over who is right. It seems as if the question can be boiled down to this. Is a fetus a human being or not? If not, there would be no problem “terminating a pregnancy.” If a fetus is a human then under no conditions would it be permissible to kill the child. For our answer, let us open our Bibles and delve into the truths therein. If God’s word tells us that the being within the womb is a human then we have no option but to be against abortion.
Even a cursory glance through the Old Testament shows the reader that from ancient times that there was indeed an unborn human being in a woman’s womb. For instance, Psalm 139: 13 reads "you formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb. I praise you, so wonderfully you made me... My very self you knew; my bones were not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, fashioned as in the depths of the earth. Your eyes foresaw my actions; in your book all are written down; my days were shaped, before one came to be." Again, the same truth is illustrated in Jeremiah 1: 5 which says "before I formed you in the womb I knew you. Before you were born I dedicated you." God’s creative work in the coming to be of a person is seen in Ecclesiastes 11: 5 "just as you know not how the breath of life fashions the human frame in the mother's womb, so you know not the work of God which he is accomplishing in the universe." God as Creator is also seen in Job 31: 15 where Job asks "did not he who made me in the womb make him? Did not the same One fashion us before our birth?" A person’s individuality is seen in Isaiah 49: 1 that states "the Lord called me from birth, from my mother's womb he gave me my name." Personhood as conception is seen in Psalm. 51: 7 "I was born guilty, a sinner, even as my mother conceived me." Jumping to the New Testament we also see instances that show that life begins before birth. For example, in Luke 1: 15 we see that "he will be filled with the holy Spirit even from his mother's womb..." A baby’s viability is shows in Luke 1: 41 when one studies the verse "when Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb..." Hence, it is abundantly clear from the pages of the Old Testament to the verses in the New that the fruit of the womb is indeed a child that is named, formed and loved by God. Interestingly enough, abortion is also condemned in the early Church writing the Didache where it says "You shall not procure abortion, nor destroy a new-born child." ('The Faith of the Early Fathers,' Vol. 1, Jurgens, p. 2).
Therefore, since the Bible clearly states that life begins and is sanctified in the womb, it must be wrong to murder that child. But, what about instances such as the woman who has been raped, or been a victim of incest? In short, a child should not have to pay for his father’s crimes. The baby is as innocent as the woman is hurt. If we show compassion and love to women abused by men shouldn’t we also show love and compassion to the child conceived through rape or incest? No reason, rape, incest or inconvenience can justify killing a human being. Another thought to consider is that if a woman isn’t allowed to murder the rapist, why should she be allowed to take the life of the child who is a result of rape?
In essence, abortion viewed from the Old Testament to the New to the writing of the Early Church we see that abortion has always been condemned because it violates the commandment of God “thou shalt not kill.” The Bible and Didache both teach that a person is a person from the womb. Therefore, if it is wrong to kill a human being, then it is wrong to kill a person who is within his mother’s womb. Even in extreme cases, abortion doesn’t create a right from a wrong in a case of incest or rape; in fact, it punishes an innocent victim of the crime. In sum, abortion no matter what the circumstance is wrong since it is taking a human life. Christians must therefore always defend the right to life, the right of a heart to continue beating.
Catechism Quote of the Month
“Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person-among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.” CCC 2270
Contraception:Why Not?
By Mary Clare Piecynski
Contraception does not even seem to be a debated topic anymore. It is merely accepted as the norm. You are considered old fashioned and backwards if you by chance object to this generally accepted practice. Though no Christian church supported contraception prior to 1930, today the Catholic Church stands out as the only united voice against it.
So what are the arguments against contraception? We will examine the contraception issue from vantage points such as the Bible, its effects on a woman’s body and the Catholic Church’s position on the topic. Only after tying all these issues together will we get a overall picture of why contraception is wrong and why it should never be practiced.
At first glance the Bible doesn’t seem to say anything about contraception. The word isn’t mentioned anywhere within its pages. In the very first chapters of Genesis, however, humans are created male and female and then are commanded to “be fruitful and multiply.” Contraception goes directly against this God-given command. Throughout the entire Bible, moreover, we see children as blessings, blest is the man who is given many children (Psalm 127:3-5, 1 Chronicles 25:4-5, 1 Chronicles 26:4-5). Conversely, barrenness was a curse (Deuteronomy 28:18, Job 15:34). Furthermore, the New Testament even says that a woman is saved through childbearing (1 Tim 2:13-15). In addition, contraception is shown as an evil deed in a passage from Genesis (38:8-10) that shows a man being killed by God for engaging in a contraceptive act.
There are also negative physical effects from contraception for the woman. For instance, there is an increased risk of breast cancer, (Kahlenborn C, et al. “Oral Contraceptive Use as a Risk Factor for Premenopausal Breast Cancer: A Meta-analysis” Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2006: 81(10):1290-130) high blood pressure, blood clots, stroke, heart attack, depression, weight gain, and migraines. Another serious drawback to contraception is that some forms (such as the Pill) can cause abortions since they don’t always prevent conception, but simply prevent implantation. The Physicians Desk Manuel testifies to this when it mentions that “Although the primary mechanism of action is inhibition of ovulation, other alterations include changes in the cervical mucus, which increase the difficulty of sperm entry into the uterus and changes in the endometrium which reduce the likelihood of implantation.” (Physicians Desk Reference. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics, 1998. Emphasis added.)
Ok, you might ask, the Bible seems to indicate that contraception is wrong, and there are unpleasant side effects, but overall, what’s the big deal? Well, the big deal is that contraception perverts a God-given, life-giving function of the body into something sterile that man controls. The essential reason why contraception is wrong is that it separates the two aspects of the marital act, the unitive and procreative aspects. Pope Paul VI’s encyclical Humanae Vitae explains that there is an “inseparable connection between the unitive significance and the procreative significance which are both inherent to the marriage act.” (HV, 12) Therefore, “each and every marriage act must remain open to the transmission of life.” (HV, 11) Furthermore, contraception takes an innate part of a person’s identity and perverts it. Rather than being a male or a female through contraception we become a neuter. Contraception also degrades women because it allows her to be made a tool of sexual pleasure, an instrument of satisfaction rather than the mother of a child. In marriage, you give to the other person your entire self, freely. By contracepting, however, you give all except your fertility, that which defines your gender. It withholds part of you from what is supposed to be a complete gift of self. You pledge yourself to your spouse at your wedding but you take back a part of yourself when you withhold your fertility. A close look at John Paul II’s Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio helps us see the big picture as to why contraception is against God’s plan for procreation.
“When couples, by means of recourse to contraception, separate these two meanings that God the Creator has inscribed in the being of man and woman and in the dynamism of their sexual communion, they act as "arbiters" of the divine plan and they "manipulate" and degrade human sexuality-and with it themselves and their married partner-by altering its value of "total" self-giving. Thus the innate language that expresses the total reciprocal self-giving of husband and wife is overlaid, through contraception, by an objectively contradictory language, namely, that of not giving oneself totally to the other. This leads not only to a positive refusal to be open to life but also to a falsification of the inner truth of conjugal love, which is called upon to give itself in personal totality.” (Familiaris Consortio 12)
In essence, contraception is a way for man to manipulate God’s intention for sex. It separates the two innate aspects to the marital act while often reducing women to an object of man’s pleasure. Through contraception the couple refuses to give each other a complete gift of self by withholding their fertility. Contraception therefore is a rejection of God’s gift of fertility and a way for man to play God.
Contraception is wrong not simply because one man in the Bible died from practicing it, but because it is an innate perversion of mans God-given power to generate life. Man is given the ability to create life through an act both sacred and beautiful. Contraception takes the act and perverts it, making it sterile and devoid of the ability to complete its purpose, which is to create life. Through contraception man has attempted to usurp the role of the Creator in deciding when to create life and when to prevent it from being brought into existence. In sum, contraception reduces sexuality to a means for gratification, not a wonderous plan for procreation.
Did you know?
No Protestant church accepted contraception before the 1930 Lambeth conference where the Anglican church said that contraception was acceptable under some circumstances.
Pre-Marital Chastity
By Mary Clare Piecynski
Why should sexual relations be exclusive to a married couple? Today, everybody seems to be sleeping around before they’re married. Moving in with someone is considered a normal way to “test drive” a relationship. After all, you wouldn’t buy a car without seeing how it ran, so why would you get married before discovering your sexual compatibility? Well, let’s dive in and see if the rational behind premarital chastity hold up to the objections put against it today. We will explore the physical, psychological moral and Biblical rational behind premarital chastity.
Most everyone is aware of the physical drawbacks to promiscuity. The risk of sexually transmitted disease (STD), unintended pregnancy and even cancer is staggering. The risk of acquiring an STD is high among individuals engaging in sexual activity outside of marriage. For example, about 25% of sexually experienced adolescents become infected each year with a sexually transmitted disease and some 56 million Americans - more than one in five - are estimated to be infected with a viral STD other than HIV. (The Alan Guttmacher Institute, Sex and America's Teenagers (New York: The Alan Guttmacher Institute, 1994); Dinah Richard, Ph.D., Has Sex Education Failed Our Teenagers?: A Research Report (Pomona, CA: Focus on the Family Publishing, 1990); and McDowell and Day. Part 3.)) Furthermore, young girls are especially susceptible to STD’s since their immune system is still immature. Abstinence is also the best prevention against pregnancy. Further, early sexual encounters are the number one risk factor for cervical cancer, the second being multiple sex partners. (RA Hatcher et al., Contraceptive Technology, 1994, p. 515. As reported at www.w-cpc.org/sexuality/teens.html.) Cohabitating women are also at a greater risk to be victims of physical violence and sexual abuse. [(Popenoe & Whitehead, 1999) Popenoe, D., & Whitehead, B. (1999). Should We Live Together? What Young Adults Need to Know about Cohabitation Before Marriage. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University.] In essence, chastity before marriage allows a person to avoid STD’s, pregnancy and reduces a girl’s risk of physical violence.
Psychological reasons are another factor that need to be examined when one is considering the issues to abstain from sexual activity until marriage. For instance, being intimate with several partners can reduce a woman’s levels of oxytocin, which affects her ability to bond, (it’s been called an emotional superglue). (Eric J. Keroack, M.D., FACOG and Dr. John R. Diggs Jr., M.D., "Bonding Imperative," A Special Report from the Abstinence Medical Council.) Going along with this idea is the fact that "Sexual bonding includes powerful emotion, psychological, physical, and spiritual links that are so strong that the two people become one, at least for a moment. Sexual intercourse is an intense, though brief physical bonding that leaves indelible marks on the participants. . . . To believe one can walk away from a sexual experience untouched is dangerously naïve" [(Poulson, 1999, p. 79). Poulson, L. H. (1999). All things in their season: A revealing look at premarital sex, for teenagers and their parents. Bloomington, IN: 1st Books Library.] Therefore, one who is chaste until matrimony avoids the psychological baggage that accompanies those who don’t wait until marriage to be intimate.
Physical and psychological reasons might persuade someone to abstain from sexual activity but they really do not get at the heart of the issue of why premarital chastity is so important. To get at the crux of the issue one must examine the moral implications of the sexual act. To truly understand why sex outside of marriage is wrong we have to understand the person. Man was created by God, made in God’s image and likeness. What does image and likeness mean? Well, God is a communion of Persons, freely and totally giving one to the other. The Father so loves the Son and the Son returns that love in such a powerful way that the love is another Person, the Holy Spirit. In a similar way, a man loves a woman in such a profound way and the woman returns that love so that in their mutual self-giving, a new life is formed. John Paul II beautifully describes the relationship between God, love and man and woman in these words
“God is love (1 Jn 4:8) and in himself he lives a mystery of personal loving communion. Creating the human race in his own image and continually keeping it in being, God inscribed in the humanity of man and woman the vocation, and thus the capacity and responsibility, of love and communion.( GS, 12) Love is therefore the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being. As an incarnate spirit, that is a soul which expresses itself in a body and a body informed by an immortal spirit, man is called to love in his unified totality. Love includes the human body, and the body is made a sharer in spiritual love....Consequently, sexuality, by means of which man and woman give themselves to one another through the acts which are proper and exclusive to spouses, is by no means something purely biological, but concerns the innermost being of the human person as such. It is realized in a truly human way only if it is an integral part of the love by which a man and a woman commit themselves totally to one another until death. The total physical self-giving would be a lie if it were not the sign and fruit of a total personal self-giving, in which the whole person, including the temporal dimension, is present: if the person were to withhold something or reserve the possibility of deciding otherwise in the future, by this very fact he or she would not be giving totally. (Familiaris Consortio) 11
Furthermore, in John Paul II’s book Love and Responsibility he explains why sexual acts outside of marriage are wrong: “Without the institution of matrimonium the person is necessarily degraded in the sexual relationship to the status of an object of pleasure for another person, and this is totally incompatible with the demands of the personalistic norm, without which one cannot imagine a relationship remaining at the level proper to the person.” [Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II), Love and Responsibility (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Inc., 1981), 222 (cf. 216-24)]. In sum, the Catholic Church’s teaching on sexuality is both a beautiful and complex mystery that affirms the dignity of the human person.
The Bible also teaches that sexual activity outside of marriage is wrong. For instance, Old Testament shows us the evils of engaging in sexual acts outside of marriage. For instance, Genesis 1:27-28 shows us that marriage was instituted by God and only after Adam and Eve were blessed by God were they told to be fertile and multiply. In Exodus 22:16-17 it tells that a man had to marry the woman with whom he had premarital sex, if the father approved of the marriage, or pay a high price. Deuteronomy 22:13-29 also tells of the importance of virginity prior to marriage while premarital sex is viewed as evil and a disgraceful thing. The New Testament echoes the Old in it’s condemnation of sexual relations outside of marriage. For example, Ephesians 5:5 tells us “be sure of this, that no immoral or impure or greedy person, that is, an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of God.” Engaging in the marital act before matrimony is both immoral and impure. The exclusive nature of sexual intercourse to marriage is seen in Hebrews 13:4 “let marriage be honored among all and the marriage bed be kept undefiled, for God will judge the immoral and adulterers.” The actual word for premarital sexual relations is fornication, which Jesus warns against when He said "Wicked designs come from the deep recesses of the heart: acts of fornication, theft, murder, adulterous conduct, greed, maliciousness, deceit, sensuality, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, and obtuse spirit. All these evils come from within and render a man impure" (Mark 7:21-23; see also Matthew 15:19, I Corinthians 6:9-1 and Revelation 21:8). 1 Timothy 5:2 exhorts men to treat a woman you are not married to "with absolute purity." Jesus gives us a beautiful picture of marriage in Matthew where he says "Have you not read that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female and declared, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and cling to his wife, and the two shall become as one’? Thus they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore let no man separate what God has joined" (Matthew 19:4-6). Moreover, Ephesians 5:22-23 shows us that marriage is a sign of the relationship between Christ and His Church. In essence, the Bible is firm in its condemnation of premarital sexual intercourse. It is an offense against marriage and sexuality in general.
Premarital chastity might be considered by many to be an outdated way to live. On the contrary, through chastity a man and a woman show that they are truly committed to the other person insofar as they respect the other person in such a way that they desire to give themselves first in marriage to the person before they give themselves sexually. Of all the reasons to abstain from sexual activity until marriage, perhaps the most compelling is that chastity allows the person to recognize his innate worth and respect his personhood. In summary, chastity values the worth and dignity of a person created to love in the image of God, in a total, unreserved and permanent manner.
Pope Quote
“To make use of the gift of conjugal love while respecting the laws of the generative process means to acknowledge oneself not to be the arbiter of the sources of human life, but rather, the minister of the design established by the Creator. (Humanae Vitae, 13)
Book of the month Life-Giving Love
By Kimberly Hahn
Kimberly Hahn invites all families to embrace Catholic teaching on life issues. With personal testimony and practical advice, she shows that God’s design for union and procreation in marriage--far from being a rigid, burdensome law--is really a truth that allows us to be all we were created to be.
Available from the Coming Home Network International for $13.99
Novena of the Month
Taken from http://www.usccb.org/prolife/liturgy/ANovenaforLife.pdf. A Novena for Life1 DAY ONE
Created to Live with You Prayer
Father of life,
help us to long for the fullness of life
and to know the wonder of what awaits us
beyond the dimensions of this earthly existence. A reading from the Book of Job 19:1, 23-27a
Then Job answered and said: Oh, would that my words were written down! Would that they were
inscribed in a record: That with an iron chisel and with lead they were cut in the rock forever!
But as for me, I know that my Vindicator lives, and that he will at last stand forth upon the dust;
Whom I myself shall see: my own eyes, not another’s, shall behold him; And from my flesh I
shall see God; my inmost being is consumed with longing. (silent reflection) Prayer
God of all creation,
grant us the wisdom
to understand fully the mystery
that life has no meaning apart from you. A Reflection by Pope John Paul II2
The Eucharist is a straining towards the goal, a foretaste of the fullness of joy promised by Christ
(cf. Jn 15:11); it is in some way the anticipation of heaven, the “pledge of future glory”…Those
who feed on Christ in the Eucharist need not wait until the hereafter to receive eternal life: they
already possess it on earth, as the first-fruits of a future fullness which will embrace man in his
totality. For in the Eucharist we also receive the pledge of our bodily resurrection at the end of
1 Based on Evangelium Vitae, no. 2.
2 Ecclesia de Eucharistia, no. 18.
the world: “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on
the last day” (Jn 6:54). Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be… DAY TWO
Living Life for Eternity Prayer
Father of life,
here and now,
reveal the greatness of your love
in the inestimable value
of each and every human life. A reading from the second Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians 4:14--5:1
Know that the One who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and place us with you
in his presence. Everything indeed is for you, so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more
and more people may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God.
Therefore, we are not discouraged; rather, although our outer self is wasting away, our inner self
is being renewed day by day. For this momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal
weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to what is seen but to what is unseen; for
what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal. (silent reflection) Prayer
God of all creation,
help us to see our earthly lives
as but the beginning
of the plans you have in store for us. A Reflection by Pope Benedict XVI3
I believe… that our life tends in the end toward a discovery of love, toward receiving love and
giving love. And the crucified Christ, who presents us with loved lived out to the end, as he
himself says in the Gospel of John, lifts this principle up into the realm of absolute reality. God
himself is love. In this sense, love is indeed both the fundamental rule and the ultimate aim of
life…. Human love always lays claim to eternity. Love contradicts death…. This human love is
turned from a promise into a fulfillment of reality only when it is wrapped in a love that can truly
impart eternity. [Love] is what we are looking for and is the goal toward which our lives are
directed. But within its own framework and on its own terms it directs our view toward God and
brings us to wait upon God. Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be…
3 Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, God and the World, p. 185f. (available from Ignatius Press). DAY THREE
To Truth Through Amazement Prayer
Father of life,
unworthy though I am,
implant within my heart
an amazement that you have shared your life with me,
and have destined me for eternal bliss. A Reading from the First Letter of Saint John 1 John 3:1-2
See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so
we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are
God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is
revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. (silent reflection) Prayer
God of all creation,
give me the grace to live this day
as a prelude and a preparation
for eternal life with you. A Reflection by Pope John Paul II4
Revelation therefore introduces into our history a universal and ultimate truth which stirs the
human mind to ceaseless effort; indeed, it impels reason continually to extend the range of its
knowledge until it senses that it has done all in its power, leaving no stone unturned…. The truth
of Christian Revelation, found in Jesus of Nazareth, enables all men and women to embrace the
“mystery” of their own life…. Christian Revelation is the true lodestar of men and women as
they strive to make their way amid the pressures of an immanentist habit of mind and the
constrictions of a technocratic logic. It is the ultimate possibility offered by God for the human
being to know in all its fullness the seminal plan of love which began with creation. To those
wishing to know the truth, if they can look beyond themselves and their own concerns, there is
given the possibility of taking full and harmonious possession of their lives, precisely by
following the path of truth. Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be…
4 Pope John Paul II, Encyclical, Fides et Ratio, nos. 14, 15. DAY FOUR
To Love Through Amazement Prayer
Father of life,
as you have given me the gift of life,
so may I give it away each day
to you, and to my brothers and sisters,
that through penitence, prayer, and charity
my days on earth
may lead me home to you. A Reading from the First Letter of Saint John 3:14-16, 19-20
We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. Whoever does not
love remains in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no
murderer has eternal life remaining in him. The way we came to know love was that he laid
down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers…. Now this is how we
shall know that we belong to the truth and reassure our hearts before him in whatever our hearts
condemn, for God is greater than our hearts and knows everything.
(silent reflection) Prayer
God of all creation,
help me to listen with everyone I meet
to the profound and persuasive echo in their heart
of the Gospel of Life and the joy of your presence. A Reflection by Pope John Paul II5
Yes, dear brothers and sisters, our Christian communities must become genuine "schools" of prayer, where the meeting with Christ is expressed not just in imploring help but also in
thanksgiving, praise, adoration, contemplation, listening and ardent devotion, until the heart truly
"falls in love." Intense prayer, yes, but it does not distract us from our commitment to history: by
opening our heart to the love of God it also opens it to the love of our brothers and sisters, and
makes us capable of shaping history according to God's plan. Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be…
5 Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Letter, Novo Millenio Inuente, no. 33 DAY FIVE
Resting Only in Your Truth Prayer
Father of life,
help me to bring every longing
to the infinite fulfillment
of every heart’s expectations. A Reading from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans 2: 14-15
For it is not those who hear the law who are just in the sight of God; rather, those who observe
the law will be justified. For when the Gentiles who do not have the law by nature observe the
prescriptions of the law, they are a law for themselves even though they do not have the law.
They show that the demands of the law are written in their hearts, while their conscience also
bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even defend them on the day when,
according to my gospel, God will judge people's hidden works through Christ Jesus.
(silent reflection) Prayer
God of all creation,
when I am afraid, weak, or uncertain,
open my mind to your truth and goodness,
that reading your word written on my heart,
I might learn to treasure the life of every man. A Reflection by Pope Benedict XVI6
An "adult" faith is not a faith that follows the trends of fashion and the latest novelty; a mature
adult faith is deeply rooted in friendship with Christ. It is this friendship that opens us up to all
that is good and gives us a criterion by which to distinguish the true from the false, and deceit
from truth…. We must develop this adult faith; we must guide the flock of Christ to this faith.
And it is this faith - only faith - that creates unity and is fulfilled in love…. On this theme, Saint
Paul offers us some beautiful words as a fundamental formula for Christian existence, in contrast
to the continual ups and downs of those who, like children, are tossed about by the waves: make
truth in love. Truth and love merge in Christ. To the extent that we draw near to Christ, in our
own lives too, truth and love are blended. Love without truth would be blind; truth without love
would be like "a clanging cymbal" (I Cor 13:1). Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be…
6 Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Homily, Mass for the Election of the Pope, 18 April 2005. DAY SIX
Preaching the Gospel of Life in Every Moment Prayer
Father of life,
from the beginning of each day and into the night,
teach me the sacred value of every human life
from its very beginning until its end in you. A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans 14:7-9, 10c-12
No one lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself. For if we live, we live for the Lord and if
we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For this is why
Christ died and came to life, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living. For we shall
all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written: “As I live, says the Lord, every knee
shall bend before me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.” So then each of us shall give
an accounting of himself to God.
(silent reflection) Prayer
God of all creation,
infuse in the minds and hearts of all who serve us
in government, the academy, and the healing sciences
the right of every human being
to the respect of their God-given lives. A Reflection by Pope John Paul II7
For the Christian, [the commandment “You shall not kill”] involves an absolute imperative to
respect, love and promote the life of every brother and sister, in accordance with the
requirements of God's bountiful love in Jesus Christ. "He laid down his life for us; and we ought
to lay down our lives for the brethren" (1 Jn 3:16)…. It resounds in the moral conscience of
everyone as an irrepressible echo of the original covenant of God the Creator with mankind. It
can be recognized by everyone through the light of reason and it can be observed thanks to the
mysterious working of the Spirit who, blowing where he wills (cf. Jn 3:8), comes to and involves
every person living in this world. It is therefore a service of love which we are all committed to
ensure to our neighbor, that his or her life may be always defended and promoted, especially
when it is weak or threatened. Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be…
7 Pope John Paul II, Encyclical, Evangelium Vitae, no. 77 DAY SEVEN
Remembering Our Forefathers Prayer
Father of life,
help this nation to hear the voice of our forefathers:
and to believe that God has truly given us the right
to life, to liberty, and to the pursuit of happiness. A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles 17:26-28
[God] made from one the whole human race to dwell on the entire surface of the earth, and he
fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions, so that people might seek God,
even perhaps grope for him and find him, though indeed he is not far from any one of us. For “In
him we live and move and have our being….”
(silent reflection) Prayer
God of all creation,
make every one of your children
a defender and promoter of the right to life. A Reflection by Pope John Paul II8
[The] Gospel gave a new meaning to the concept of native land [patria]. In its original sense, it
means what we have inherited from our fathers and mothers on earth. The inheritance we receive
from Christ orientates the patrimony of human native lands and cultures toward the eternal
homeland. Christ says: “I came from the Father and have come into the world; again I am
leaving the world and going to the Father” (Jn 16:28). Christ’s departure to go to the Father
introduces a new homeland into human history. Sometimes we speak of the “heavenly home,” or
“eternal home.” These expressions indicate what has been accomplished in the history of man
and the history of nations through Christ’s coming into the world and through his leaving this
world to go to the Father. Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be…
8 Pope John Paul II, Memory and Identity: Conversations at the Dawn of a Millennium, pp. 62f.
(available from Rizzoli Publications). DAY EIGHT
Consecrated to the Sacredness of Life by Christ Prayer
Father of life,
in every moment of this day
remind me of the incomparable value
of every human person. A Reading from the Holy Gospel According to John 3:16-18
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him
might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to
condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him
will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he
has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
(silent reflection) Prayer
God of all creation,
as by his birth,
Christ united himself with us,
so by the way we live our lives,
may we witness the boundless love
of the one who so loved the world
that he gave his only Son. A Reflection by Pope Benedict XVI9
[The] words [of Pope John Paul II]… constantly echo in my ears: “Do not be afraid! Open wide
the doors for Christ!...” Are we not perhaps all afraid in some way? If we let Christ enter fully
into our lives, if we open ourselves totally to him, are we not afraid that He might take something
away from us? Are we not perhaps afraid to give up something significant, something unique,
something that makes life so beautiful? Do we not then risk ending up diminished and deprived
of our freedom? And once again the Pope said: No! If we let Christ into our lives, we lose
nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful and great. No! Only in
this friendship are the doors of life opened wide. Only in this friendship is the great potential of
human existence truly revealed. Only in this friendship do we experience beauty and
liberation…. Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away, and he gives you everything. Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be…
9 Pope Benedict XVI, Homily, Mass for the Inauguration of his Pontificate, April 24, 2005. DAY NINE
Meditating on the Gift of Life Prayer
Father of life,
may the mysteries of our Redemption
stir us to contemplate with wonder
the invincible hope which is ours
in the Gospel of Life. A Reading from the Book of Revelation 22:1-5
An angel showed me the river of life-giving water, sparkling like crystal, flowing from the
throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of its street. On either side of the river grew the
tree of life that produces fruit twelve times a year, once each month; the leaves of the trees serve
as medicine for the nations. Nothing accursed will be found anymore. The throne of God and of
the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. Night will be no more, nor will they
need light from lamp or sun, for the Lord God shall give them light, and they shall reign forever
and ever.
(silent reflection) Prayer
God of all creation,
may men and women of every time and place
proclaim the Gospel of Life:
a Gospel of God's love for us,
a Gospel of human dignity. A Reflection by Pope Benedict XVI10
[The] Eucharist is far more than just a meal; it has cost a death to provide it, and the majesty of
death is present in it. Whenever we hold it, we should be filled with reverence in the face of this
mystery, with awe in the face of this mysterious death that becomes a present reality in our
midst…. Death is the ultimate question…. Only when this question is answered can men truly
celebrate and be free. The Christian feast, the Eucharist, plumbs the very depths of death. It is
not just a matter of pious discourse and entertainment, of some kind of religious beautification,
spreading a pious gloss on the world; it plumbs the very depths of existence, which it calls death,
and strikes out an upward path to life, the life that overcomes death. Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be…
10 Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, God Is Near Us: The Eucharist, the Heart of Life, p. 44 (Available
from Ignatius Press).
