RESPECT FOR LIFE

Preciousness of life

Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves 'the creative action of God' and it remains forever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can, in any circumstance, claim for himself the right to destroy directly an innocent human being.

Donum Vitae sets forth the central content of God's revelation on the sacredness and inviolability of human life.

Why is so much importance attached to human life?

God proclaims that He is absolute Lord of the life of man, who is formed in His image and likeness (Gen 1: 26-28). Human life is thus given a sacred and inviolable character, which reflects the inviolability of the Creator himself. Precisely for this reason, God will severely judge every violation of the commandment "You shall not kill", the commandment which is at the basis of all life together in society.

God has plans for every human being even before the foundation of the earth. Ps139:134 "For Thou didst form my inward parts, thou didst knit me together in my mother's womb."
Eph 1:4 Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the earth.
God is the sole proprietor of life and no one can destroy it. Do we own our lives? No! we are only caretakers of our life and the lives of others who are dependent on us.

Present day threats to human life

Today there is a culture of death prevailing, a careless attitude towards life, opposing the attitude that upholds life. The Gospel of life, proclaimed in the beginning when man was created in the image of God for a destiny of a full and perfect life (Gen 2:7, Wis 9:2-3) is contradicted by the painful experience of death which enters the world and casts it's shadow of meaninglessness over man's entire existence. Death came into the world as a result of the devil's envy Gen 3:1, 4-5 and the sin of our first parents Gen 2:17, 3:17-19. And death entered it in a violent way, through the killing of Abel by his brother Cain: "And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him" Gen 4:8. The first murder is presented with singular eloquence in a page of the Book of Genesis Gen 4: 2-16 which has universal significance: it is a page rewritten daily, with inexorable and degrading frequency, in the book of human history.

Threats to human life today

Infanticide, Euthanasia, Suicide, Abortion, Murder, Contraception, Techniques of Artificial Reproduction.

Infanticide: Killing an infant, prevalent in primitive cultures, was also included as a part of human sacrifices. In modern times unwanted children are sometimes eliminated. The most basic care, even nourishment, is denied to babies born with serious handicaps or illnesses because their parents do not want them. They choose death for their babies in place of the God-given life.

Euthanasia: It is also termed as "mercy killing". Euthanasia may be voluntary, involuntary or compulsory. If voluntarily administered by oneself, it is a form of suicide. If administered by another in an involuntary or compulsory way, it is a form of murder. If administered by another with the victim's consent or co-operation, it is both suicide and murder. Active (positive) euthanasia is merely a longer term of euthanasia as we already understand it; i.e. it is the moral equivalent of suicide or murder. It entails a direct intervention, a direct killing of a person, with or without his knowledge or consent. It is the administration of a lethal dose or the deliberate refusal to use even the ordinary means of preserving life. It is a patient-killer, not a pain-killer. Passive (negative) euthanasia is not euthanasia (mercy killing) at all, but merely the avoidance or discontinuation of extraordinary means of preserving life. It usually refers to removing supportive equipment or drug treatment when a patient has irrevocably entered the process of dying.

Most of the terminally ill people do not necessarily want to be killed and no doctor can, for certain, say a patient may not recover at all. What the ailing patient requires is TLC (tender loving care) and the person will never nurture the negative thoughts of wanting to die.

Suicide: We are no owners of our own life, therefore, we have no right to take our life, no matter what the circumstances may be. Suicide is always as morally objectionable as murder. The Church's tradition has always rejected it as a grave evil choice. When viewed objectively, it is a grave immoral act. In its deepest reality, suicide represents a rejection of God's absolute sovereignty over life and death, as proclaimed in the prayer of the ancient sage of Israel. Wis 16:13, Tob 13:2 "You have power over life and death; you lead men down to the gates of Hades and back again."

Abortion: Any interference with human life after its conception to birth in order to terminate it, is called abortion; more so because it is innocent life. The womb, supposed to be the safest place for human life to be nurtured and nourished in its early stages is turned into a tomb.

Murder: Ex 20:13 "Thou shall not kill" includes the young, old, children and the unborn. Man cannot give life and therefore, has no right to take it either.
Prov 6:16-19 There are six things which the LORD hates, seven which are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and a man who sows discord among brothers.
(The most innocent blood is that of the child in the womb).

Contraception: Most contraceptives lead to early abortions, in that they are responsible for the death of innumerable babies, most often even without the knowledge of the mother.

Techniques of Artificial Reproduction: The various techniques of artificial reproduction, which would seem to be at the service of life and which are frequently used with this intention, actually open the door to new threats against life. These techniques have a high rate of failure, not just failure in relation to fertilization, but with regard to the subsequent development of the embryo, which is exposed to the risk of death, generally within a very short space of time. Furthermore, the number of embryos produced is often greater than that needed for implantation in the woman's womb, and these so called "spare embryos" are then destroyed or used for research which, under the pretext of scientific or medical progress, is in fact reducing human life to the level of simple "biological material" to be freely disposed off.

Not only direct killing, but acts that degrade, dehumanize or destroy one's dignity and self respect, kill his or her inner person so much so that they reduce the person to a living corpse, are against the culture of life, e.g. prostitution, drug addition, alcoholism, rape, child abuse and the like. Those who respect life promote the culture of life as the Author of Life does. All human life is good from conception to the last breath, life is good even with burdens and difficulties and therefore, we need to respect life.

If society shows a tendency to choose death what responsibility does the church have? To compromise?

Ezekiel 3:17-21 After seven days the word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows: "Son of man, I have appointed you as sentry to the House of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from Me, warn them in My Name. If I say to a wicked man: You are to die and you do not warn him; if you do not speak and warn him to renounce his evil ways and so live, then he shall die for his sin, but I will hold you responsible for his death. If, however, you do warn a wicked man and he does not renounce his wickedness and his evil ways, then he shall die for his sin, but you yourself will have saved your life. When the upright man renounces his integrity to do evil and I set a trap for him, he too shall die; since you failed to warn him, he shall die for his sin and the integrity he practiced will no longer be remembered; but I will hold you responsible for his death. If however, you warn the upright man not to sin and he abstains from sinning, he shall live, thanks to your warning, and you too will have saved your life."

John 10:9-16 I am the gate. Anyone who enters through Me will be safe, He will go freely in and out and be sure of finding pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full. I am the Good Shepherd, the good shepherd is one who lays down His life for His sheep. The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and the sheep do not belong to him, abandons the sheep and runs away as soon as he sees a wolf coming, and then the wolf attacks and scatters the sheep; this is because he is only a hired man and has no concern for the sheep. I am the Good Shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for My sheep. And there are other sheep I have that are not of this fold, and these I have to lead as well. They too will listen to My voice and there will be only one flock and One Shepherd.

It is important to uphold the culture of life and in doing so gently lead the people to embrace it too. Condemning no one but in love leading them to repent for their sins and accept the forgiveness and grace of Christ our Lord.

2 Chronicles 7:14 "If My people who are called by My Name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sins and heal their land."