From The Bishop

This Sunday the Church celebrates the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist. Both the Gospel from St. Luke, the First Reading from the prophet Isaiah and the Responsorial Psalm, make reference to the miracle of life. A child, formed in a mother’s womb, is a gift from God that brings great promise and hope to the world. This is why many around the world have been shocked by scenes of children, even infants being taken from parents as they enter the United States as illegal immigrants. Both the American Bishops and Pope Francis have condemned the practice of putting children of these parents in government shelters while their parents are held in jail. The indignation that many feel is justified when you consider the harm that is being done to the children. Unfortunately there is not the same feeling when we look at the harm that is done when a child is forcibly taken from a mother’s womb. There seems to be greater toleration of abortion even though it is the taking of innocent life. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “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” (2270). Today we hear a great deal about the rights of the mother; however, we do not hear enough about the rights of the child in the womb. Society needs to have a healthy debate about this issue rather than simply trying to silence those who oppose the status quo. We have an example of this tactic in the federal government’s changes to the Summer Jobs Program. Now any group that wishes to receive a government grant must sign an attestation that supports abortion rights. Coercion never promotes true dialogue and debate. It will never lead to the truth. The Responsorial Psalm (139) for this Sunday presents the truth. It is a beautiful hymn to the sacredness and beauty of human life. Let us praise God for we are all “wonderfully made”!