That pink pro-life sticker
I am a college student. And the cool thing to do as a college student is put stickers on your laptop. I don’t always wish “I could be like the cool kids”, but I did start a sticker collection on my laptop. One of the stickers is from Crossroads Pro-Life Walks Across America (www.crossroadswalk.org); it is bright pink and says “Pro-Life”. One of the youth I worked with this summer saw my laptop and asked me what that meant. You have probably heard this word tossed around before, but what does it mean to be pro-life? Is it just anti-abortion?
The Catholic Church teaches that life is precious and a gift from God from the moment of conception, until natural death. God is the giver of life and He is also the one who calls us home when it is time for us to return to Him. God made us in His own image and likeness. God did not have to do this, but because He did, we have such great dignity from Him as His sons and daughters. Our life on earth ought to be lived with this dignity and protected from the moment we were conceived in our mother’s womb, to the time that God calls us to Himself.
When most people think pro-life, they think unborn children in the womb. This is one super important aspect of the pro-life movement! The womb should be the safest place for a child. Every day thousands of preborn children are killed and dismembered inside the womb without ever having a chance at life in the world. The Catholic Church does not support abortion (or assisted suicide or euthanasia) because it puts the power to take life in the hands of a doctor.
It says in the book of the Prophet Jeremiah “before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” (Jer 1:5) From the moment of conception, the preborn child has been given a soul by God. For an abortionist to take the life of this unborn child for whatever reason, he is taking a power in his hands that is meant for God alone. God gives life, and God takes us home in His time. So while the Catholic Church does not promote abortion, we are not just anti-abortion; we are pro-life because we care about the life of the mother and the child. We want to promote a culture of life where more people realize the dignity and sanctity of every human life. Pro-life begins in the womb, protecting the most vulnerable in the world, but it doesn’t stop there.
Pro-life also means loving these people who are degraded in society. You know the kids songs that talk about being God’s children; it sounds cliché, but it is true! As I mentioned earlier we all have inherent dignity, or a dignity we are born with, given by God that cannot be taken away. Look around and there are people degraded all around you in need of God’s love. I’m talking about the kid who gets bullied in the cafeteria, the homeless family on the street, the boy with Down Syndrome, the prisoner with a life sentence, the elderly who are not properly cared for. Being pro-life means standing up for all of these people, including the unborn!
My laptop sticker may proclaim that I am pro-life, but there’s so much more than just the abortion issue.
Don’t be afraid to stand up for the people around you not experiencing the dignity they deserve as God’s children. Pray for the unborn, the elderly, prisoners, those with mental disabilities, victims of human trafficking. As Pope John Paul II said, pray for our world, that we may promote a culture of life!
Mother Mary, please give us the courage and strength to promote a culture of life. Help us follow the example of your Son, Jesus when he cared for outcasts, dined with Pharisees, and loved strangers. Amen!
“The glory of God is man fully alive” –St. Irenaeus
For more information on Pro-Life issues check out http://studentsforlife.org/ and http://www.usccb.org/about/pro-life-activities/pastoral-plan-prolife-activities.cfm U/i�8]P�
