Sunday Reflection by Fr. John

You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. I praise you, because I am wonderfully made;   wonderful are your works! My very self you know.     Psalm 139:  13-14
 
The Catholic Church  proclaims that  human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is  the foundation of a moral vision for society. This belief is the foundation of  all the principles of our social teaching. In our society, human life is under direct attack from abortion and euthanasia. The value of human life is being threatened by cloning, embryonic stem cell research, and the use of the death penalty. The intentional targeting of civilians in war or terrorist attacks is always wrong. Catholic teaching also calls on us to work to avoid war. Nations must protect the right to life by  finding increasingly effective ways to prevent conflicts and resolve them by peaceful means. We believe that every person is precious, that people are more important than things, and that the measure of every institution is whether it threatens or enhances the life and dignity of the human person.
 
The Church believes that the sacredness of life [at its most vulnerable was   under assault] when on January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court of the United States legalized abortion nationwide in its decision on Roe v. Wade. Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities called on the faithful to “pray, fast, and work for the day when the gift of   every human life is protected in law and welcomed in love” on the 49^th anniversary (January 22, 2022) of the court’s  decision (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB, 2022).
 
The Pro and Respect Life Linked parish committee of the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels and St. John the Evangelist steadfastly support the tenets and teachings of the Catholic Faith as a mission of life heralded by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) as they state that respect life serves the U.S. Bishops’ goal of building a culture of life “from womb to tomb.” The linked Pro and Respect Life Committee, in keeping with the USCCB,   support and promulgate “local respect life ministries, as well as individual Catholics, to live and share Christ's Gospel of Life.” This Gospel of Life means that as members of the Body of Christ we need to embrace life at all stages and help all human beings to nourish, flourish, be uplifted and healed as we are constantly created and recreated in the image of Our Lord.