Pro Life Stewardship - written by Father Jim Whalen - Priests for Life Canada Newsletter - 2005 Issue 3

PRO-LIFE STEWARDSHIP by Fr. Jim Whalen Priests for Life Newsletter Issue 3 - 2005 Fr. Jim Whalen, who was one of the greatest Canadian advocates for life.died suddenly on Sunday, February 24, 2008, at the age of 68.while conducting a Pro-Life Parish Mission in Thorold, ON   Stewardship is not an option for pro-life disciples. It is a necessity. It means responding to a personal call to “choose life” and imitate Christ, no matter what the cost. Catholics have a duty to be stewards of human life - Jesus did not hesitate to carry out His mission and expects no less from his followers: “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly...” (Jn 10:10). Living as a pro-life steward means collaborating with God in His work of creation and cooperating with God in His work of redemption. A pro-life Christian steward is one who recognizes, receives, and respects God’s gifts of life thankfully - taking care, cherishing them in a responsible and accountable manner, sharing them in love and justice with others, and returning them with increase to the ‘Giver of Life’. A pro-life steward recognizes God as the origin of life, the giver of freedom, and the source of all they have, are, and will be. Once human beings have accepted their lives as gifts, the Spirit can use them as instruments to spread the ‘Gospel of Life’. It is difficult to be a pro-life steward in the ‘Culture of Death’ society that surrounds and suffocates us. The contraceptive mentality we live in is due largely to the strong influences of materialism, relativism, hedonism, individualism, and consumerism. There is a strong tendency to marginalize faith, confining it to hearts and homes, excluding it from the media and marketplace, from where policy is often formed, where many acquire their view of life and its meaning. There is a lack of charity, a lack of love, and a selfishness which pervades our world. There are extreme disparities in wealth and power that hinder unity and communion. There is a need for solidarity and contributive justice, for the measurement of productivity by fulfillment of basic needs, employment levels, patterns of discrimination, and a sense of community. There is a persistence of religious conflicts and divisions. There is a need for mercy, forgiveness, and truth, Stewardship of life, the Lord’s way, is not about comfortable living, feeling good, or pleasant experiences. It means surrendering ourselves through grace and choice.   It is not an illusion. It is not cheap grace. It is real. It is costly. It is demanding.    We become stewards of life by grace, starting with our Baptism, which makes us into a royal priesthood and members of God’s family. This means sharing in the priestly work of Jesus and acting on His behalf. This means imitating Him. “For in Him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile all things for Him, making peace by the blood of His Cross” (Col 1:19-20). It means putting aside the desire for possession, control and domination. It means seeking grace because it confers true liberation and eternal life. It also means the condemnation of sin and reparation: living a life of grace, reaching out, and accepting the call to greater conversion. It means accepting the divine mandate given to our first parents: “Be fertile and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen 1:28). We are challenged to work, to cultivate, and to care for the gifts of creation, for life, and all living things. This is fundamental to our human vocation and necessary for human happiness and fulfillment. Vatican II emphasizes our task - the surpassing ministry of safeguarding life: “From the moment of its conception, life must be guarded with the greatest care...” (Gaudium et Spes, #51). The principle of stewardship applies to all believers. In this age of unbelief we are asked to follow Christ, step by step, in the service of human life: “Each one of you has received a special grace, so, like good stewards responsible for all these different graces of God, put yourselves at the service of others” (1 Pet 4:10). We must give to God all that is due to Him. We must in charity and justice give to human persons all that is due to them. This means not only giving of ourselves and embracing pro-life discipleship whole-heartedly and cheerfully, but also in realizing our responsibility, we must also give the full amount for which we are accountable. “I will demand an account of every man’s life from his fellowmen” (Gen 9:5). As stewards our first and foremost responsibility is to give ourselves - our lives. Jesus made this very clear: “Whoever shall save his life [live for self], shall lose it, but whoever shall lose his life [live for Christ and neighbour] for My sake and the Gospel’s, the same shall save it [in following Christ]” (Mk 8:34-35). Pro-life stewardship means giving priority to God and our neighbor. The Holy Scriptures point us in the right direction: - Loving God and others ( Deut 6:5). - Be found faithful (l Cor 4:2). - Choose Life (Deut 30:19). - Pray constantly (1 Thess 5:17). - To Evangelize (Mt 28:19:20). - Seek justice (Zeph 2:3). - Put self on the altar of sacrifice (Rom l2:1). - Be holy (l Thess 4:3). - Resist and oppose evil to the point of shedding blood (Heb 12:4). - Be forgiving (Eph 4:32). - Imitate Mary’s Fiat (Lk l:38). After Jesus, it is Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Queen and Mother of the Americas, Mother of Life, Star of the New Evangelization, Patroness of Life, who, by her example, teaches the meaning of stewardship. The essential elements are found in her life. She responded generously, creatively, and prudently to God’s call and gifts. She understood her role as handmaid in terms of service and fidelity. As Mother she was the first Protectrix of Jesus in the womb, and this continued on into infancy, childhood, and then adulthood - until the agony of Christ’s Passion and Death (Jn 19:25). As ‘Mother of the Church’ (Pope Paul VI, Discourse, 1964), Mary’s stewardship is articulated in the Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium). She is “clearly the Mother of the members of Christ” (#53). She is invoked in the Church under these titles: Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatix (#62). Pope John Paul II explained her role in Redemptoris Mater: “Mary is one of the first who believed and precisely with her faith, as Spouse and Mother, she wishes to act upon all those who entrust themselves to her as children” (#46). The pro-life disciple is called to share all he or she possesses as gifts and blessings with others for the sake of the Kingdom of God. Good stewards of life live with joy and gratitude for what they have received, living in communion with Christ and the Spirit and strive through diligence and hard work to multiply these blessings so as to offer them back to the Father. They have come to realize and understand their personal responsibility: “To each individual a manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit” (l Cor 12:7). Pro-life stewardship is a position of trustworthiness and faithfulness. In many cases it is a matter of life or death choices. Of necessity, it implies competence and commitment to God and our neighbours. It involves proper use of initiative, talents, and abilities. It also means hard work and tremendous efforts. At times it includes taking appropriate risks courageously. It means accepting a sense of responsibility for one’s personal development: spiritual dimension, discipleship, etc.; for relationships within the family, the workplace and the wider community: follow the ‘Golden Rule’; for certain entrusted material, financial possessions, and resources: keeping promises, fulfilling expectations, loyalty, integrity, etc. Catholics advocate that pro-life stewardship be Trinitarian, Eucharistic, Scriptural, Marian, and Magisterial. It means giving thanks to God for the gifts received and sharing them with others, “leading to works of charity and mutual help, as well as to missionary activity and to different forms of Christian witness” (Vatican II, Presbyterorum Ordinis, #6). It means living the fundamental pattern of stewards: “Serve one another through love..., bear one another’s burdens, and so you will fulfil the law of Christ” (Gal 5:13; 6:2). It means service of life by doing all for Jesus, through Mary, by doing all with Jesus and Mary (True Devotion, St Louis de Montfort).     Pro-life stewards are called to share the life of the Blessed Trinity: “Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations: baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt 28:19). Pro-life disciples model their lives on their Master, Jesus Christ, who said: “I have come not to be served but to serve and to give my life as a ransom for many” (Mt 20:28). + NOTES: Information & Research Stewardship, a Disciple’s Response, U.S.C.C.C.B. Publishing, 10th Anniversary Edition, Washington, DC, No. 5-465, 80 pp.   To be a Christian Steward, Summary U.S. Bishops’ Pastoral Letter on Stewardship, U.S.C.C.C.B. Publishing, No 568-2, 16 pp. Go and Make Disciples, Evangelization Strategy, U.S. Catholic Bishops, No. 5-475, 104 pp. Principles for Life, Robert Boyd, 1995, Chapter 12, Stewardship, pp. 109-114. +

Pro Life Homily September 23, 2012 - Father Jerry Gauvreau Companions of the Cross

Pro Life Homily September 2012

Father Jerry Gauvreau  C.C

 

 So you’ll notice that by looking at this week’s bulletin that there’s a couple of pro- life events coming up, so this is probably just as good as any Sunday to talk about abortion, pro - life movement.  Certainly the readings can tie in to all this for sure.

 

If you look at Campaign Life Coalition web site they report that: abortion is legal in Canada throughout all 9 months of pregnancy – for any reason .

 

And when you read about the definition of the types of abortion performed, especially what partial birth abortion is really all about, I don’t know how anyone can still come away and be pro-choice.  Plain and simple, abortion is murder.

 

Our Catechism, paragraph 2270 very clearly teaches us that: human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of  his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person…

 

This past Friday in the House of Commons, MP Mr. Stephen Woodworth proposed to the members of Parliament a bill commonly referred to as Motion 312 – you may have heard  of  it last spring – we knew this was coming.

 

In Motion 312 he urges Members of Parliament to call on a study of when human life begins – If scientific evidence tells us that our legal definition of who is a human being is wrong, is it right for us to ignore it? – He asks  “why would anyone oppose a respectful dialogue to gather evidence on such an important law?”

 

So Friday night I called his office and just left him a message supporting him, blessing him, telling him I was praying for him, thanking him for having the courage to put this Motion forward.

 

Campaign Life Coalition’s President Mr. Jim Hughes says, “Motion 312 calls for parliament to evaluate an outdated 400 year old law that denies modern scientific evidence that proves that life begins at conception.”

In my own personal research, over and over and over again, it shows that scientific studies have proven that within weeks of Conception a baby’s heart can be detected – in less than 2 months all vital organs are present in the baby which is a real person – not a blob of tissue.

 

The vote on Motion 312 will be held most likely this coming Wednesday, the Feast of St. Jean de Brebeuf and the Holy Canadian Martyrs – St Jean de Brebeuf  had his heart cut out and eaten by the Iroquois , tortured ; they saw his courage and they wanted it.

 

So if the Motion  is defeated I would just like Mr. Harper to know as well as all the Members of Parliament that the Pro-Life Movement is not going away – we’re here to stay, we’re in your face – we’re  going to be around  a lot longer than any of  us will and any of them.  The Pro-Life Movement has courage; catch it!

 

We cannot be silent any longer – it’s time to be Pro-Life in this culture of death – and don’t let anyone tell you to mind our own business, because this is our business – as Christians and as Catholics, the child in the womb is our responsibility.

 ( CC#2270 )  - Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception…

 

A few years ago Archbishop Adam Exner said the same thing : He said it’s time to stop making excuses.  It’s time to stop being afraid of what others will think when we stand up for what is right. It’s time to challenge the status quo. It’s time to put our faith into action. It’s time to be Pro-Life in private and in public. A child is not a problem to be eliminated but a gift always to be cherished …

 

And just this week in the news, I’m not sure if you read about it, but there ‘s a lot of articles about Justin Beiber’s mother .  I’m not sure, did anybody hear her story?  She’s come out with a book but she admitted that when she got pregnant with Justin she considered having an abortion.  Everybody told her to.  She was 17, a messed up kid, on drugs and alcohol  - but in her heart she knew it was wrong – I think in her heart she knew a child is not a problem to be eliminated but a gift always to be cherished.

 

And just last year, you might remember Justin himself was asked about abortion and he said  “I really don’t believe in abortion – I think the unborn child is a human being”  – he took a lot of  flack for that statement: God bless him!

 

Fr. Frank Pavone, Founder of Priests’ for Life says he received a letter one time from a lady who told him that planned parenthood told her that her pregnancy was a blob of tissue as easily removable as a wart.  “No one told me I was killing a human being or spoke to me about adoption or single parenting.”

 

You may have heard the story of an NHL goalie named  Justin Pogge.   When his mother became pregnant she was going to jump off a bridge, but she felt her baby kick - and she changed her mind – a lump of tissue does not kick.  A baby is not a problem to be eliminated but a gift from God !

 

Last May, many of you know I was on a Marian pilgrimage in Medugorje and it was at the same time when we were holding the Pro-Life week here in Ottawa.  And during the annual March for Life here in Ottawa  - I followed it closely through the internet – but close to 20,000 people participated, marching through the streets of Ottawa bringing the Pro-Life message into the very heart of Parliament Hill.

 

And while in Medugorje I heard a story, first hand account from a gentleman who told me how an abortion  doctor from the Ukraine visited Medugorje, well you know the only reason she went was because it was a free trip  - check things out. So, one day she hikes up apparition hill where Our Blessed Mother is said to have first appeared and when she got up there she looked around , she had a vision of every child’s skull and bones that she had murdered through abortion over the last forty  years. Today, they are bringing more and more doctors over there for retreats; pro life retreats.

 

In 1994 Mother Teresa  said, “ I feel the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion because it’s a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child¼if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child how can we tell people not to kill one another? “

 

By abortion the mother does not learn to love but kills even her own child to solve her problems. And by abortion the father is told that he does not have to take any responsibility at all for the child he has brought into the world. The father is likely to put others in the same trouble. So abortion just leads to more abortion. Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love but to use violence to get what they want. This is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion¼

 

So what are some other powerful Pro - Life Movements and Campaigns that are happening these days ?  Well, I have already mentioned March for Life.  Many parishes have a Letter writing campaigns to their members of parliament and the prime minister.  I wrote my first one when I was about 8 or 9 years old. I remember being at the kitchen table and specifically asking my father, “what’s abortion?”  I didn’t have a clue. He said, “the Government  kills babies.”

 

So recently I came across a beautiful story. It’s called  The Letters for Life Story, and  this was initiated by a seventeen  year old girl by the name of Alexandra  ( if I pronounce her last name right ) Jezierski.

See, she was disappointed in the fact that Prime Minister Harper doesn’t even have the courage to open up and discuss the abortion issue.

So last spring she started a letter writing Campaign in the hopes that MP’s would receive 100,000 letters that speak out against the evils of abortion. As the Letter writing Campaign progressed she turned the Campaign towards supporting Mr. Woodworth’s Motion 312. Then they teamed up with MP Postcard Campaign which was doing something very similar. Every letter written and every postcard sent to MP’s was to act as a voice for every child that will be aborted in Canada this year. Over 100,000 letters and postcards , tens of thousands of which are still being sorted through the Post Office.  Because of a back log, they may not make it to the offices of the MP’s because of a shortage of man power. So today is a good day to pray, the day saint Anthony died: get em delivered

 

Over 100,00 letters and postcards each representing a  child of God who will be aborted in Canada this year – 100,000 aborted children in which you and I and every Member of Parliament are responsible for their well being and protection.

 

So moving  on we have also 40 Days for Life. Put your hands up it you’ve heard of 40 Days for Life. Quite a few of you: alright! Check this story out.

40 Days for Life is an International Campaign of prayer and peaceful witness outside abortion facilities to highlight and defeat abortion for what it is – murder of babies who have no voice.

 

The first 40 Days for Life was held in Texas back in 2004

A local Pro-Life group prayed for an answer about how to reduce abortion in their area – and this is what the Lord revealed to them: 40 days, prayerful witness for life.

 

The Campaign came together in a matter of weeks. A thousand people came forward to participate and their prayers led to a twenty eight per cent  decline in abortions in that community.

 

So here we are 12 years later: 40 Days for Life is spreading : this Fall, next week actually, there are 316 locations holding 40 Days for Life prayer  campaigns. Across the United States – forty nine States are involved

Here is Canada , seven provinces – which includes eighteen cities right here in Ontario: Ottawa is one of them. But they’re also being held in England, Spain, Australia and for the first time -Uganda –

 

So are they making any difference? Well, a little bit of research tells me that some abortion workers have quit their jobs and are now Pro-Life, twenty four abortion facilities have closed and organizers of 40Days for Life show that close to 6,000 babies have been saved. It’s a beautiful number, even at one would make it all worthwhile, even if one child was saved

 

So the sixth 40 Days for Life begins in Ottawa this Wednesday, the same day interestingly enough that Motion 312 will be voted upon. And our parish will be on site as we were last year for one day. Our day this years is Thursday, Oct 4^th  and there are sign up sheets in the Narthex – So I want to really encourage you to come out.

 

As well as next Sunday afternoon is the twenty eight Annual Life Chain  from 2:00 to 3:00 at the corner of Montreal Road and Saint Laurent Boulevard. We’ll meet in the parking lot here about 1:40 to car pool down so again, please join us.  We can make a difference: together we can make a difference to be a voice for an aborted child, even one who may be threatened by abortion.

 

This whole issue of abortion ; our Late Holy Father John Paul II says the Church is aware of the many factors which may have influenced your decision and She does not doubt that in many cases it was painful and even a shattering decision . The wound in your heart may not yet have healed . Certainly what happened was and remains terribly wrong but do not give in to discouragement and do not lose hope. God the Father of Mercies is ready to give you his forgiveness and his peace in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

 

So in closing I’d like to just encourage all of you to fast and pray for the  Life Chain next Sunday that the Lord will touch many hearts, and also during the 40 Days for Life prayer campaigns going on across Canada, the United States and other countries.

 

Know today’s readings are very powerful and in the Gospel Jesus says, as he took a child among him, taking it in his arms he said: “whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me…”