5. About the Gospel of Life: Part 4

The fourth section of the encyclical has the Holy Father calling for the creation of a new culture wherein every human life is respected and guarded. He links this theme with the evangelization that constitutes the mission of the Church-- to bring the Gospel (of Life) to the Four Corners of the world. Each one of us here must be a prophet of this message-- a people of life and for life. This is why priests and deacons must preach on this message so seriously, even when it gets back to us that some desire us to stay off such personal topics. The deafening silence must end. The Gospel of Life is a constitutive element of our faith-- you will be hearing about it for as long as you live, and so will those outside the Catholic Church.

You Did It to Me: For a New Culture of Human Life

If we are going to make real change, then society must revere, protect, and promote the dignity of every human person (#81). Our teachers, pastors, and bishops must inform the consciences of our people. (#82). We need to pray and reflect about the great mystery of life and explicitly celebrate it in our sacraments (#84). The Pope even proposes a Day of Life commemoration each year (#85).

Properly informed, how do we go about changing our world? The Holy Father gives us a whole list of places to start:

• Christians committing themselves as neighbors to everyone, particularly the poor;
• Increased voluntarism, especially among the young;
• Elimination of prejudice and discrimination;
• Utilization of centers for natural methods of regulating fertility;
• Marriage and family counseling centers;
• Treatment centers for drug addiction, mental illness, AIDS patients, the disabled, and such;
• The important role of hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and social service agencies;
• Health care personnel;
• Civil leaders fulfilling their duty to make courageous choices in support of life and to substantiate them in legislative measures; and
• Political leaders helping in the reestablishment of a just order in the defense of human life.

We have heard for too long the falsehood that the world is over-populated. There are not too many people in the world. We have resources to feed many times over the numbers that currently walk the planet. If there is any shortage, it is in our love of neighbor. The Pope calls on the nations of earth "to create economic, social, public health and cultural conditions which will enable married couples to make their choices about procreation in full freedom and with genuine responsibility" (#91).

The family must again be seen as the "sanctuary of life" (#92). Consciences need to be properly formed within a transformed culture. Primary in this endeavor will be re-education. Although one has to admit, we have much with which to compete in this endeavor. Already, many if not most of our people have been indoctrinated by the anti-gospel. If you do not believe me, let me list the areas of education mentioned by the Pope: sexuality and love, natural family planning and responsible procreation, and a lifestyle wherein the primacy of being is over that of having. In other words, do we value things more than persons (#98)? The materialism of our age is inherently opposed to the Gospel of Life. More to the point, everything is reduced to things-- sexuality becomes "the wild thing" and the unborn child "an unwanted thing." Others and us are minimized as objects and not as thinking, loving, subjects. Do you see the problem and how far we have to go?

Against a radical feminism that reduces sexuality to numerical equality and its expression to a false and self-seeking liberty, the Pope speaks in Christ's name about the real value of womanhood and the unique role of women in helping to form and shape culture. It may be a heavy burden but I think the words of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen were right when he said that sexual morality is whatever women want it to be. If the women are holy, the men will follow. The Pope says that the great gift of motherhood "involves a special communion with the mystery of life," and summons all women to voice this deep respect for human life (#99). Turning to women who have had abortions, the Pope is sensitive to their pain and to their wounded hearts. He encourages them to keep hope alive, and after inviting them to repentance, he asks them to become the most eloquent defenders of everyone's right to life (#99). Finally, realizing the immensity of the task before us, he asks us to pray and fast as an efficacious means of bringing about God's will and design for the human person and the global family (#100).

The Pope Concludes with a Prayer to Mary

O Mary, bright dawn of the new world, Mother of the living,
to you do we entrust the cause of life:
Look down, O Mother, upon the vast numbers of babies not allowed to be born,
of the poor whose lives are made difficult,
of men and women who are victims of brutal violence,
of the elderly and the sick killed by indifference or out of misguided mercy.
Grant that all who believe in your Son
may proclaim the Gospel of life with honesty and love to the people of our time.
Obtain for them the grace to accept the Gospel as a gift ever new,
the joy of celebrating it with gratitude throughout their lives
and the courage to bear witness to it resolutely,
in order to build, together with all people of good will,
the civilization of truth and love,
to the praise and glory of God, the Creator and lover of life. (#104)