The Gospel of Life IV

Details: 05 October 2012

In Chapter 2 of "The Gospel of Life," Blessed John Paul gives us a profound reflection on the sublime dignity and sacredness of human life as made manifest by Jesus Christ, "the Word of life." He begins by reminding us that "[t]he Gospel of life is not simply a reflection, however new and profound, on human life. Nor is it merely a commandment aimed at raising awareness and bringing about significant changes in society. Still less is it an illusory promise of a better future. The Gospel of life is something concrete and personal, for it consists in the proclamation of the very person of Jesus."

As Christians, we worship and serve a God who "lowered Himself to share in our humanity," who became flesh and dwelt among us, experiencing every stage and aspect of human life except sin. This reality gives meaning and sacred dignity to human life at every stage of existence.

Pope John Paul punctuates this point with this teaching from the Second Vatican Council: "Christ perfected revelation by fulfilling it through his whole work of making himself present and manifesting himself; through his words and deeds, his signs and wonders, but especially through his death and glorious Resurrection from the dead and final sending of the Spirit of truth. Moreover, he confirmed with divine testimony what revelation proclaimed: that God is with us to free us from the darkness of sin and death, and to raise us up to life eternal."

"Why is life a good?" John Paul asks. "This question is found everywhere in the Bible, and from the very first pages it receives a powerful and amazing answer. The life which God gives man is quite different from the life of all other living creatures, inasmuch as man, although formed from the dust of the earth, is a manifestation of God in the world, a sign of his presence, a trace of his glory."

"Man has been given a sublime dignity," John Paul continues, "based on the intimate bond which unites him to his Creator: In man there shines forth a reflection of God himself. The Book of Genesis affirms this when… it places man at the summit of God’s creative activity, as its crown, at the culmination of a process which leads from indistinct chaos to the most perfect of creatures.

"Everything in creation is ordered to man and everything is made subject to him: "Fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over . . . every living thing" (1:28); this is God’s command to the man and the woman."

"The life which the Son of God came to give to human beings cannot be reduced to mere existence in time," Blessed John Paul points out. "The life which Jesus promises and gives is ‘eternal’ because it is a full participation in the life of the ‘Eternal One.’"

"Here the Christian truth about life becomes most sublime," John Paul emphasizes. "The dignity of this life is linked not only to its beginning, to the fact that it comes from God, but also to its final end, to its destiny of fellowship with God in knowledge and love of him."

In his closing on this chapter, John Paul "contemplates the One who was pierced and who draws all people to himself." In the early afternoon of Good Friday, John Paul continues "there was darkness over the whole land ... while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two.

"This is the symbol of a great cosmic disturbance and a massive conflict between the forces of good and the forces of evil, between life and death. Today we too find ourselves in the midst of a dramatic conflict between the ‘culture of death’ and the ‘culture of life.’ But the glory of the Cross is not overcome by this darkness; rather, it shines forth ever more radiantly and brightly, and is revealed as the center, meaning and goal of all history and of every human life."

Finally, John Paul points out that through His death and resurrection, "Jesus proclaims that life finds its center, its meaning and its fulfillment when it is given up." "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (Jn. 15:13).

You can contact Greg at The Nebraska Catholic Conference, 215 Centennial Mall South Suite 310, Lincoln, NE 68508; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.