Embracing the Seamless Garment of Life

 

 

Do you remember the Bible story of King Solomon hearing the dispute of two women purporting to be the mother of the same baby? By the order of King Solomon that the child be split down the middle into 2 parts with a part given to each of the women, the real mother of the baby was revealed and the dispute resolved.  The issue of Life has not been as easily resolved in our nation, and has torn and polarized people as bitterly as the two women in the story above.

In this day of political sound bytes, we have two political philosophies/parties that present choices to us. One philosophy maintains that life only begins at birth, and once that life is born, we must support that life by whatever means available to us. The other philosophy believes that life begins prior to birth, but doesn’t see the importance  to support that life once it is born. Even more simplistically, is it better for a child to be killed prior to birth, or to suffer a long lingering death following birth because there is no political will to support that life?

The moral teaching of the Catholic Church tells us that neither political philosophy is morally acceptable.  Infanticide is infanticide, whether a child is killed by abortion before birth or dies from the effects of poverty and society’s neglect after birth.  Abortion kills more than the child, it attacks and destroys the souls of the abortive parent(s). Sadly, I know of one instance, where the guilt in having aborted her baby was so great that the mother ended up taking her own life. When a life is killed, you cannot undo the act of killing.

On the other hand, to neglect the life of the child that has been born is very much akin to the unrepentant Scrooge in Dicken’s Christmas Carol, when he expresses his resentment that his tax money is going to support the poor. Far better, reasons Scrooge, that the poor die and decrease the surplus population of the nation. This position is to totally disobey the Great Commandment of Jesus to love God with all your heart, mind, and soul and to love your neighbor as yourself.

Pope Francis I has embraced fully and presents to us a teaching of the Church known as a “Seamless Garment of Life.” To be Pro-life is to be inclusive and supportive of all life from conception to the natural end of life. To be Pro-life calls us to take an imperative stance against a culture of death that threatens not only human life but all created life. To be Pro-life is to be able to hear the breath of the Holy Spirit in all living creatures and to honor the presence of God in all of creation. This calls us to a conversion of heart, mind, and soul to support all that is life-giving and to reject all that is not life-giving.

Creating laws that restrict abortion, euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, the pollution and destruction of God’s Creation, can help shape society but are not enough. The conversion of hearts, minds, and souls is not something enacted by law; it must be chosen by each and every individual. As the utter failure of Prohibition taught us, morality cannot be forced upon a people. Abortion and the destructive effects of abortion will not end just because legislation forbids it. As what happened with Prohibition, abortion will be driven underground, with the lives of babies and the abortive parent(s) continuing to be destroyed.

The tremendous support of the Knights of Columbus for Rachel’s Vineyard, our own local support for the ultrasound mobile, and other Pro-life outreach to pregnant women is extremely important in this important call to conversion. For people to reach out in love and support to others, goes further to touch the hearts, the minds and the souls of people than all the laws a legislature can create. In short, to be Pro-life is to be Pro-love embracing Life in all of its incarnations.