Respect Life Month

Building a culture of life requires a Christian to go out into the world and witness to the Gospel of Christ, especially in the midst of what St. John Paul II called “a culture of death.” To support and educate Catholics in the work of this mission, the Respect Life program was initiated in 1972, sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

This year’s respect life theme is, "Christ our hope in every season of life." From the time we are knit together in our mothers' womb until we take our final breaths, each moment of our lives is a gift from God. While every season of life brings its own challenges and trials, each season also gives us new opportunities to grow in our relationship with God.  The Church teaches us that "the one who has hope lives differently" (SS2). Christ's promise of salvation does not mean that we will be spared from suffering. Rather, the promise of salvation ensures us that even in the darkest moments of our lives, we will be given the strength to persevere. By virtue of this Christian hope, we can face any challenge or trial. When the seas of life swell and we are battered by the waves, hope allows us to remain anchored in the heart of God. May we hold fast to Christ our hope, from the beginning of life to its very end.

Learn more about the Respect Life Month and the Respect Life program at usccb.org.

'CHRIST OUR HOPE'

With every passing year, the public assault on human life from conception to natural death seems bolder and more blatant.  Although research studies indicate that there has actually been a decline in surgical abortions since 2014, the alternative choice of medical abortions in which the mother takes a drug to cause a miscarriage has risen dramatically, by 75 percent in the last 10 years according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.  Whether surgically performed or medically induced, abortion is abortion.  If we truly believe that life begins at conception, then neither “choice” is morally acceptable...

To read the Bishop's message in full, click here.

Latest Respect Life headlines from The Monitor

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