St. Mary Parish, Manchester at 210 West Main Street, Manchester, MI 48158 US - October:  Respect Life Month

The Church was instituted by Christ as the means of leading mankind to salvation until the end of time. Jesus has placed within his holy Catholic Church the knowledge of the way, the truth, and the life. The Church is the Mystical Body of Christ, and not to be seen as an organism that is separate from him, but very much a part of him. Jesus Christ and the Church are one. Therefore when the Catholic Church speaks, especially in matters of faith and morals, she is speaking the truth for it is Christ who is speaking through her.

Jesus Christ has deposited into his Church the truth about God and the truth about man. As moral relativism spreads like a cancer through Western civilization many people refuse to believe that there could be such a thing as absolute moral truths, truths that are universal, truths that hold fast for everyone because they are established by God.

HUMAN LIFE IS NOT A POSSESSION
All human life is a precious gift from God. Every human life is willed into existence by God and is a reflection of his divine image and likeness. This is true even when the conception of a human life has occurred through rape or even incest. The life conceived through rape or incest is still created in the image and likeness of God. Even if conception occurs in this far from perfect way, God is still present and in charge and has chosen to infuse the soul into that particular fertilized egg, and he has a sacred plan for that life.

The Church condones neither rape or incest, nor does she condone abortion. Even though a violent or evil act might have caused the conception of human life to occur, it does not give human beings the right to determine whether or not that life has value or should be allowed to exist. It is not for us to determine which life is valuable or worthy of existence. All life is sacred. There are no exceptions to this: none.

Our bodies do not belong to us; they are not our private property to do with what want. Our bodies are a gift from God with a divine meaning and purpose. Our bodies, our lives belong solely to God and not to any human being. If our bodies are sacred and to be treated with great respect and dignity, this truth extends to all people, and we must treat all human beings accordingly never using them for the object of our lust or gratification.

HUMAN BEINGS ARE NOT OBJECTS OR PRODUCTS
We live in a time when human life is looked upon as an object to meet utilitarian purposes. In twenty-first century Western society, if I find myself pregnant and I don’t want to be because it is an inconvenience or unplanned, the child is looked upon as problem to be solved and not a life to be lived. The society has made abortion so readily available that I can get rid of my problem (my child) with relative ease and without giving it much thought.

Adoption is not even considered as an alternative. The two options, in most cases today, are that I will either keep my baby, or I will kill my baby. Whereas the best decision might be to give the child up for adoption to a husband and wife who cannot conceive their own child and can offer this baby a loving and stable home.

It is in the same culture that if I want a baby, I can have it by any means necessary, even if it means that I employ immoral methods to obtain it such as in vitro fertilization. Having a baby is not a right. I do not have a right to a child. Nor do I have the right to treat a baby as if it were a product for my purchase, my pleasure, or my fulfillment. Having a baby is a miraculous gift from God who is the Creator of all life.

A child has a right to be conceived in the way that God has intended through the mutual self-donation of spouses. Anything other than this objectifies human life. The problem with conception through rape, incest or in vitro fertilization is that it reduces human beings to objects to control or manipulate in order to satisfy an out of control lust or desire.

Once again the Church is always for life. The Church is opposed to anything that threatens the sacred meaning and dignity of life. The Church is not opposed to advancements in science and prenatal care as long as they are in the service of nurturing and protecting innocent human life.

—Fr. Tim