At every stage and in every circumstance, we are held in existence by God’s love. The presence of an illness, disability, or other challenging situation never diminishes the value of a human life.  God does not call us to perfection of appearance or abilities, but to perfection in love.  Christ invites us to embrace our own lives and the lives of others as true gifts.

Abortion tragically rejects the truth that every life is a good and perfect gift, deserving protection.   This violent practice ends the life of a human being at its very beginning and horribly wounds all those involved.  But Christ came that we “might have life and have it more abundantly” (John10:10), taking on human flesh for the sake of our redemption.  May our culture experience the power of God’s transforming love, that all eyes may be opened to the incredible beauty of every human life.  

The above reflection is from Day One of the 9 Days for Life novena.  Organized through the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), each day is given an intention, a short reflection, and a suggested action to help build a culture of life.  This weekend marks the 49th anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court’s decision, Roe v. Wade, legalizing abortion in our nation. Legal protection to the right to life is important; yet, to simply reduce the issue to a legal matter is to fail to grasp the larger picture.  Even after half a century the controversy has not died.  Does one really think changing the law again will make the controversy go away?  What must change are hearts.  This is not done in debate, designed to challenge an intellectual stance.  Rather it is done through prayer, reflection, and acts of reparation.  It is done through compassion and generosity designed to reach out to others struggling with the issue.  The goal must not be to simply win the argument, but to win the heart.  Pray that human life will be held sacred by all.   Pray that our actions and words will hold each and every person with respect as God’s creation.  Only when we change our attitudes and our behavior will we begin to change the hearts of others.