Our Lady of Lourdes Church and School

Last week I wrote of the tradition we have in the United States of celebrating October as Respect Life Month. In that column, I noted that when we speak of a church that is pro-life, we are speaking about far more than the church’s stance on abortion. To be a people who are pro-life, then we must be a people who understand that gospel values are consistent while social values may vary over time. That’s not to suggest that as people of faith we are immune to the inconsistencies of the social context within which we live at a given moment in history. This presents challenges to us as we struggle to remain faithful as disciples of Jesus while still living in this world.

When the Catechism of the Catholic Church was first published in 1992, the teaching on Capital Punishment admitted the use of the death penalty (CCC.2266). However, by the time the translation into English had been completed, the Church's stance was becoming even more nuanced in its clarity, and the revised Catechism, published in 1997 expressed the Church's understanding that while the death penalty might still be used, “the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity ‘are very rare, if not practically non-existent.”(CCC 2267). Now, as recently as October 11th last, Pope Francis made a very clear declaration that the death penalty is “contrary to the Gospel.” He said that “however grave the crime that may be committed, the death penalty is inadmissible because it attacks the inviolability and the dignity of the person.” John XXIII, John Paul I, John Paul II and Benedict XVI have all asked governments to turn away from the exercise of the death penalty, and all have personally intervened in individual cases involving the death penalty. Francis is the first Pope to clearly articulate the Christian principle of the value of life so strongly.

I share this narrative not as an articulation of the Church’s position on capital punishment, but to show that the struggles we face are real, even within the Church, and the process of conversion is not always as clear cut or as simple as it might appear. The Church is itself called to ongoing and constant conversion, and just as we individually struggle with this in our own lives, so we struggle with it corporately, as a community of believers. Nonetheless, it is to the gospel of Jesus Christ that believers are invited to adhere. We have the assurance of the Spirit of God and the lived experience of God’s people (Tradition) as well as the Word of God (Scripture) to guide us. This is a sure and constant support for us as we journey along “the pilgrim paths of time”.

 Delving into the commitment of the Church to the sacred nature of human life, we have developed across our experiences a complex and comprehensive approach to life issues. The foundational value is that of the God given dignity proper to the human person. Everything flows from this single principle. How we approach life questions as a Church, is grounded precisely in this core value. The dignity of the human person is the foundation of our moral approach to a just society. Anything that seeks to deprive people of life is contrary to our human dignity. Abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, war, all of these realities are part of our social experience, and the need for serious and reasoned reflection is more urgent today, perhaps, than ever before in our history.

Anything that devalues the human person, or tries to minimize the dignity of the person is also a challenge for us. Pornography, human trafficking, domestic violence, unjust social policies, all grow out of a worldview in which the dignity of the person is subjugated to some other value, often simple human greed which allows people to be objectified, to be seen as “things” which can be bought and sold for personal pleasure or profit.

While our dignity is foundational to our being human, our experience also shows that we are intensely social beings. As such, how we conduct ourselves in relationships in our broader world deserves our attention and reflection also. If we organize ourselves, our families and our society in general, based on the dignity of the person as a core value, then we can only grow from strength to strength as a community. In a plural society we are called to be attentive to how we contribute and grow in the social life in terms of our economy, our politics, our laws and our policies. How we uphold our own values as well as engage those with values different to our own directly affects our capacity to grow in community and to uphold the dignity of all people. All people have a right and a duty to participate in society. It behooves us all to work together for the common good and the well-being of all, but most especially the poor and  vulnerable. The very measure of the health of our society is how we take care of those who are least fortunate among us, and who are most at risk of having their human dignity compromised or ignored.

“We give thanks to God always for all of you, remembering you in our prayers, unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father.”