Open your hearts to life!

Details: 04 October 2013

This Sunday, Oct. 6, is designated by the Bishops of the United States as Respect Life Sunday. The purpose of this annual event, which began in 1972, is to celebrate the sacred dignity of every human life. Respect Life Sunday is observed in all of the 195 Catholic dioceses in the United States.

In his encyclical, Evangelium Vitae, Pope John Paul II called for every nation to celebrate an annual "Day for Life." He said "the celebration of this day should be planned and carried out with the active participation of all sectors of the local church."

"Its primary purpose," he said, "should be to foster in individual consciences, in families, in the church and in civil society a recognition of the meaning and value of human life at every stage and in every condition. Particular attention should be drawn to the seriousness of abortion and euthanasia, without neglecting other aspects of life which from time to time deserve to be given careful consideration as occasion and circumstances demand."

To assist parishes in celebrating Respect Life Sunday, the U.S. Bishops’ Secretariat for Pro Life Activities produces the annual Respect Life Program. Begun in 1972, the purpose of this program has been to bring Church teaching on the value and dignity of human life to the Catholic community and the wider public. The program includes educational, liturgical, and prayer resources as well as programmatic ideas.

The theme of this year’s Respect Life Program, "Open your hearts to life!" was inspired by Pope Francis’ call to all people of good will. Cardinal O’Malley, chair of the U.S. Bishops’ Pro Life Committee explained this spiritual theme. "We must respond to Pope Francis’ call with great urgency. Opening our hearts to life in Christ empowers us for loving, merciful action toward others," he said. "Only a tender, compassionate love that seeks to serve those most in need, whatever the personal cost, is strong enough to overcome a culture of death and to build a civilization of love."

The Respect Life program’s signature flyer explains that opening our hearts to life "means that we reject the killing of human beings from the moment of conception to their natural death—by abortifacient ‘contraceptives’ and abortion, in destructive embryo research and IVF procedures, by denying life-saving treatment to those with disabilities, and by ‘hastening death’ of the elderly and dying in assisted suicide and euthanasia.

"Opening our hearts to life means opposing the death penalty, as well as slavery, human trafficking, terrorism and unjust war, and that we work to eradicate the conditions that prevent our brothers and sisters from realizing their full human potential. To open our hearts to life, however, we must first overcome every tendency to reject people and demands they make in our daily lives.

"Nearly all of us are sometimes guilty of rejecting those who get in the way of our plans or make us feel insecure. We may honk with impatience at the driver in front of us or speak abruptly to a colleague who is slow to learn new skills, and perhaps use harsh words at home when a spouse or child forgot to do a promised task. In all these seemingly minor everyday ways, we tear away at the Body of Christ. And when we act this way in front of our children, the family ceases to be a school of love."

In one sense, it is sad that our spiritual leaders must designate a special day to recognize and celebrate the dignity of human life. But it is necessitated by a "culture of death" that continually assaults human life, and undermines its dignity.

Thanks be to God, our responsibility on earth is not to defeat death, but to faithfully and persistently oppose it. Let us pray that Respect Life Sunday provides the opportunity and inspiration for all of us to embrace this responsibility.

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.