To proclaim the Culture of Life requires that we be prophetic. We realize as the first readings both from the Vigil Mass and the Mass during the day tell us, that the message we proclaim, and the motive for which we proclaim it, are given to us from God. They do not derive from us.
This is one of the key differences between our pro-life stance and that of the “pro-choice” defenders of death. They think that we are proclaiming “our own opinion,” and that in doing so, are setting ourselves up as superior to others.
But nothing could be further from the truth. The message we have is the Lord’s, and the authority we have to proclaim it is not any superiority of ours, but precisely His command and his will to save humanity.
John the Baptist, as the Gospel passages from both masses make clear, was chosen by God to announce the Lord’s coming. His ministry was completely focused on Jesus, as is ours.
The proclamation of the Gospel of Life is the proclamation of a person, who by his life and death conquered the Kingdom of death. It is by introducing others to the person of Christ that we put them on the solid foundation of the Culture of Life.
Moreover, coming to Christ requires repentance, which is why John baptized. Integral to repentance is accepting God’s dominion over human life and rejecting the idea that life is disposable by our own choice.
Some try to be both Christian and pro-choice on abortion, but it is inherently contradictory. The fruit of repentance is a clear and uncompromising commitment to defend the sanctity of every human life, both on a personal and societal level.
Peace and Blessings,
Fr. Ken