Church and State (Part V of VI)

09-15-2024Letter from the PastorFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

You will hear media types say that life issues such as abortion, assisted suicide, human embryo research, invitro fertilization and mandated contraception are “deeply personal” matters that should be left up to the individual’s decision-making process. That is not true and to believe otherwise is an attack on the very foundation of our faith and our understanding of who we are as God’s children, created in His image and likeness.

Archbishop Gomez rightly points out that “evils and injustices committed behind closed doors are still evil and unjust and are never only personal but have consequences and implications for our life together. And the Church is called to speak the truth and to confront the idols of the human heart and the idols of society. As Pope Francis has said: “It is not licit to eliminate a human life to solve a problem. … [It is] a sin against God the Creator: think hard about this.”

God has entrusted His children with an awesome responsibility to confront the “culture of death” that seeks to eliminate life, especially the most vulnerable among us. The time is now for Holy Mother Church, followers of Our Lord Jesus, to confront evil in a public way. Abortion and euthanasia are not just two issues among many or only questions of individual conscience. Allowing and condoning abortion and euthanasia raise basic questions of human rights and social justice. Purporting the culture of death threatens the kind of society and what kind of people we want to be and how we want future generations to experience life and death.

What kind of world would you like your great grandchildren to grow up in? We are being told that is it “my body, my choice” by those who support abortion. Do you want future generations to believe that human suffering is solved by helping to kill the innocent child? Do you want future generations to believe that the lives of the weak are sacrificed for the comfort and benefit of those who are stronger? As Archbishop Gomez reflects: “any approach that essentially tolerates abortion and euthanasia or puts these issues on par with others, not only betrays the beautiful vision of the Church’s social teaching, but also weakens the credibility of the Church’s witness in our society.”

The Church is called to stand for life especially for the most vulnerable among us. As children of God, we must continue to stand against the direct killing of those who are not yet born through abortion and those who are sick and suffering at the end of their lives through euthanasia and assisted suicide. These are grave and intrinsic evils — evils that are corrosive and corrupting, evils that are at the heart of other social injustices.

“Abortion and euthanasia are “fundamental” social issues because if the child in the womb has no right to be born, if the sick and the old have no right to be taken care of, then there is no solid foundation to defend anyone’s human rights, and no foundation for peace and justice in society. How can we claim to speak for the marginalized and disenfranchised, if we are allowing millions of innocent children to be killed each year in the womb? If we cannot justify caring for the weakest and most innocent of God’s creatures, how can we call our society to resist the excesses of nationalism and militarism or confront global poverty or protect our common home in creation?” (Catholics in the Public Square, Forward, Archbishop Gomez)

Fr. Don Kline
Pastor