President George W. Bush has officially proclaimed tomorrow, Sunday, Jan 18th as National Sanctity of Human Life Day. I?ll have more to say in the upcoming days, but please read the following proclamation and see what our current president has to say about the sanctity of human life. Despite the many criticisms of his tenure in office, I don?t see how anyone can accuse President Bush of not supporting the pro-life movement. I am very thankful that he has been in office for the past 8 years, as we have gained ground in the battle against abortion. Unfortunately, we stand to lose much of that ground beginning next week when Barack Obama is sworn in as president. That?s why it?s very important for us to pray and become active in the fight for life. For now, I just urge you to reflect on the words of Mr. Bush and say a prayer of thanksgiving that we?ve had a pro-life friend in the White House for the past 8 years.

A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America (White House News)

All human life is a gift from our Creator that is sacred, unique, and worthy of protection. On National Sanctity of Human Life Day, our country recognizes that each person, including every person waiting to be born, has a special place and purpose in this world. We also underscore our dedication to heeding this message of conscience by speaking up for the weak and voiceless among us.

The most basic duty of government is to protect the life of the innocent. My Administration has been committed to building a culture of life by vigorously promoting adoption and parental notification laws, opposing Federal funding for abortions overseas, encouraging teen abstinence, and funding crisis pregnancy programs. In 2002, I was honored to sign into law the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act, which extends legal protection to children who survive an abortion attempt. I signed legislation in 2003 to ban the cruel practice of partial-birth abortion, and that law represents our commitment to building a culture of life in America. Also, I was proud to sign the Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2004, which allows authorities to charge a person who causes death or injury to a child in the womb with a separate offense in addition to any charges relating to the mother.

America is a caring Nation, and our values should guide us as we harness the gifts of science. In our zeal for new treatments and cures, we must never abandon our fundamental morals. We can achieve the great breakthroughs we all seek with reverence for the gift of life.

The sanctity of life is written in the hearts of all men and women. On this day and throughout the year, we aspire to build a society in which every child is welcome in life and protected in law. We also encourage more of our fellow Americans to join our just and noble cause. History tells us that with a cause rooted in our deepest principles and appealing to the best instincts of our citizens, we will prevail.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 18, 2009, as National Sanctity of Human Life Day. I call upon all Americans to recognize this day with appropriate ceremonies and to underscore our commitment to respecting and protecting the life and dignity of every human being.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.

Yesterday, I mentioned that one thing we can all do to assist the pro-life movement is pray daily for an end to abortion. Another very obvious, but easily overlooked step, is to find out what the Catholic Church teaches about abortion. While most people are aware that the Church condemns abortion, many Catholics don?t fully understand the Church?s teaching. This lack of knowledge makes it difficult to defend that position when necessary.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) states:

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 under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being. (CCC 2258)

Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person?among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life. (CCC 2270)

Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law (CCC 2271)

Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life. “A person who procures a completed abortion incurs excommunication latae sententiae,” “by the very commission of the offense,” and subject to the conditions provided by Canon Law. The Church does not thereby intend to restrict the scope of mercy. Rather, she makes clear the gravity of the crime committed, the irreparable harm done to the innocent who is put to death, as well as to the parents and the whole of society. (CCC 2272)

To summarize, the Catholic Church considers abortion murder and it is ALWAYS condemned with no exceptions. Sounds pretty clear, right?

?What about when a woman is raped and a pregnancy results?? While I agree that this is a very difficult situation, supporting abortion in this case implies that God doesn?t know best. The Church teaches that God is ?the author of life? and for some reason He allowed this new life to be conceived. We may never know the reason, but ?God?s ways are not our ways? (Is 55:8). Secondly, an abortion would result in the murder of an innocent child. There are many couples who would be happy to adopt this child. While I?m not denying the difficulty of a pregnancy in this case, murdering him/her isn?t going to make the pain disappear.

?What about if the mother?s life is in danger?? Choosing abortion in this case implies that the mother?s life is more important than that of the child. This contradicts the teaching of the Church, who states that we are all created equal. Also, there is no doctor who can predict with certainty that the mother will die? only God knows for sure. Having an abortion, however, ALWAYS guarantees the death of the child. Even though it is difficult, we must always trust in God?s providence. The story of Abraham and Isaac provides a great example of trusting in God even when it doesn?t make sense (Gn 22:1-24).

?It?s my body and I can do what I want!? This argument completely baffles me. I really don?t even know how to respond to this statement. Other than replying with the obvious (?no it isn?t!), I turn to the legal system. In the United States, if a pregnant woman is murdered and her baby dies, the murderer is charged with 2 counts of homicide. If our legal system (the same one which upholds the right to legalized murder) recognizes that an unborn child is alive, shouldn?t it be obvious to the rest of us?

While I have only addressed a few common arguments, the point that I wish to make is that abortion is always wrong…period! Some people will try to complicate the issue, but don?t let them. Turn to the Church for wisdom and continue to ?stand up for life? at home, in the workplace and in the world.

January 22, 2009 is the 36th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, the infamous court case that legalized abortion in the United States. Since that time, approximately 49.6 MILLION children have been ?legally? murdered in their mother?s womb. This Supreme Court decision is responsible for the death of nearly 50 MILLION children in the United States. That fact should make you sick to your stomach. What is even more appalling is the fact that those of us who defend the right to life are constantly under attack for our views. We are perceived as being narrow minded and stifling a woman?s ?right to choose?.

Take a look at the above photo of an 8 week old fetus. Despite what the media or anyone else may say, can anyone deny that it is a person? Right now, that 8 week old child or any other unborn child can be ?legally? murdered in the United States. Does it make you angry that nearly 50 MILLION people like this one have been killed because of a unjust law? Are you concerned that we are about to inaugurate the most pro-abortion president in the history of the United States and that things may get worse? If so, what can you and I do to end this slaughter?

The first thing we can do is pray. The following prayer comes from Priests For Life (www.priestsforlife.org). Make a pledge to say it every day. It will take less than a minute, but that may be the most worthwhile minute you will spend during your day. Take a look at the following pictures on the Priests For Life website and try to decide whether these vulnerable children are worth one minute of your time.

Prayer to End Abortion

When Jesus began His public ministry, His teaching was a radical departure from what the Jewish people were used to. St. Mark comments on the authoritative nature of The Lord?s teaching in the following passage:

Jesus came to Capernaum with His followers, and on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. (Mk 1:21-22)

Some 2000 years later, what has happened to the authoritative teaching of Jesus? Many Non-Catholic Christian churches can?t agree on important issues such as homosexuality, birth control, abortion and euthanasia. Almost all claim to follow the teachings laid out in the Bible, but disagreements on such beliefs as the real presence of Jesus in Communion, the ordination of women and the necessity of Baptism for salvation are common. Amidst all of the ?noise?, one voice remains clear. Jesus still teaches authoritatively through His Catholic Church!

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), Jesus tasked the Apostles with carrying on His mission:

Christ the Lord, in whom the entire Revelation of the most high God is summed up, commanded the apostles to preach the Gospel, which had been promised beforehand by the prophets, and which he fulfilled in his own person and promulgated with his own lips. (CCC 75)

They carried out their mission orally and in writing:

In keeping with the Lord’s command, the Gospel was handed on in two ways:
?orally “by the apostles who handed on, by the spoken word of their preaching, by the example they gave, by the institutions they established, what they themselves had received?whether from the lips of Christ, from his way of life and his works, or whether they had learned it at the prompting of the Holy Spirit”?in writing “by those apostles and other men associated with the apostles who, under the inspiration of the same Holy Spirit, committed the message of salvation to writing.” (CCC 76)

The Apostles then appointed the bishops to carry on their work:

In order that the full and living Gospel might always be preserved in the Church the apostles left bishops as their successors. They gave them ?their own position of teaching authority.’ Indeed, the apostolic preaching, which is expressed in a special way in the inspired books, was to be preserved in a continuous line of succession until the end of time. (CCC 77)

This ensures that the message of Christ will continue to be proclaimed, with the full authority of Jesus, until the end of time:

The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living, teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ. (CCC 85)

What a blessing it is to have the guidance of the Church. When developing technology makes it necessary to confront the morality of issues such as cloning, embryonic stem cell research or end of life dilemmas, The Catholic Church speaks with the single voice of Christ. While other churches, all claiming to follow the inerrant teaching of the Bible, disagree with each other over these issues, we can turn to the one true source of constant teaching. Just like the early followers of Jesus, we are blessed to hear the clarity and authority of Christ speaking through His Church. When we listen to the voice of the Church, we hear the voice of Our Lord, just like those people in the synagogue 2000 years ago. Do we listen to His voice with the same sense of awe?

If you wanted to have an encounter with Jesus, where would you go? The answer that comes to mind for most would be Church. As Catholic Christians, we believe that Jesus is fully present in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. We also acknowledge His presence in the Scriptures that are proclaimed at every Mass. Therefore, going to Church to encounter Jesus is a very logical and correct answer. But since the majority of Catholics only attend Mass on Sundays, what happens if we desire to meet Him during the other 6 days of the week?

Yesterday, The Church celebrated the feast of The Lord?s Baptism, which concluded the celebration of the Christmas season. Over the past few weeks we heard about the shepherds and the magi, both of whom traveled to see the newborn Savior. Did you recall what they were doing when they found out about the birth of Jesus?

The shepherds were going about their daily work of tending sheep when the angel appeared to them:

Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear. The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. (Lk 2:8-10)

One of the main duties of the magi was to study astronomy. They discovered the birth of Jesus while they were studying stars:

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem,saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw His star at its rising and have come to do Him homage.” (Mt 2:1-3)

In today?s gospel reading, Jesus selects His first four apostles (Simon, Andrew, James and John) by visiting them at their workplace:

As He passed by the Sea of Galilee,he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, ?Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.? Then they left their nets and followed Him. He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets. Then He called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed Him. (Mk 1:16-20)

We can see from these examples that, in addition to Church, we can also encounter Jesus during our daily activities. The majority of us are lay people, who live and work in the ?secular? world. While it is often difficult to see The Lord under these circumstances, rest assured that He is there. We can see Him in the people that we encounter throughout the day. If we help customers, we are helping Jesus. If we take care of our children or elderly parents, we are taking care of Jesus. If we obey the directions of our superiors, we are actually obeying Jesus. Thinking in this way makes it much easier to deal with the drudgery of our daily lives, doesn?t it?

As you go through your daily activities, look around and see where you may encounter The Lord. It may take some effort, but you?ll find Him if you look hard enough. Once you discover His presence, ask Him how you can best carry out His will in your daily life. Then, like the shepherds, magi, Apostles, and all who encountered Him?you?ll never be the same.

In today?s Gospel reading (Jn 3:22-30), John the Baptist teaches us an important lesson in humility. In reference to Jesus, John states, ?He must increase, I must decrease?. These simple words speak volumes about John?s humility. He knew that his job was to prepare others for the public ministry of Jesus. When The Lord arrived on the scene, John knew that it was time to step aside.

Those of us who do any kind of work for Jesus know that pride can be a major pitfall. We can start to believe that our success is because of us and not because of God?s grace. Thankfully, The Lord has a way of humbling us when we become too proud. Usually it?s not a lot of fun when He does this, but it is necessary. Ultimately, we should all desire to be more like Jesus. He is the perfect model of a humble man. In referring to the humility of Christ, St. Paul tells us, ?Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross? (Phil 2: 5-8). If anyone had a reason to be proud it was Jesus and to this very day He appears to us at each Mass under the appearances of bread and wine. Can you get more humble than that?

In whatever we do, we should always remember to give the credit to God. In John the Baptist?s case, he had quite a following and could have easily developed a ?big head?. However, he knew his place. He realized that he was just a messenger for the Savior who was to come.

St. John the Baptist, pray for us, that we may receive an increase in the virtue of humility. By doing so we?ll allow the people we come in contact with to focus on the message rather than the messenger.

What is the virtue of humility? According to St. Thomas Aquinas, ?The virtue of humility consists in keeping oneself within one’s own bounds, not reaching out to things above one, but submitting to one’s superior”. The Catholic Encyclopedia defines humility as, ?A quality by which a person considering his own defects has a lowly opinion of himself and willingly submits himself to God and to others for God’s sake.? Simply put, a humble person recognizes that God always knows best.

While reading Chapter 1 of Luke?s Gospel, I was struck with the contrast in the humility of The Blessed Virgin Mary and Zechariah. Both were given a message by the angel Gabriel, but reacted in two different ways. Zechariah didn?t believe that his elderly wife would be able to conceive a child at her age and was subsequently rendered unable to speak. Before you think that this was unfair, keep in mind that Zechariah was a priest and was therefore familiar with the story of Abraham, whose wife also conceived at an advanced age. Therefore, Gabriel?s message was not something which was out of the realm of possibility. In the case of Mary, she is given the message that she is about to become the mother of the long-awaited Savior of the world. Mary then asks a simple question, ?How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” and is told that she will conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit. If that were me, I would have said, ?Is this some kind of a joke?? The angel?s answer certainly wouldn?t have cleared things up in my mind! But Mary, humbly trusting in God?s will, replied, ?Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.?

We all struggle with issues of pride in our life. Many times we think we know better than God. Of course we deny it, but subconsciously that feeling is still there. It becomes obvious when we lose our job, become sick or experience the death of a loved one. This can?t possibly be what?s best for me! For some, it comes in the act of disobeying a teaching of the Church. We may feel that it?s acceptable to vote for a pro-abortion presidential candidate because preserving our job is more important than following the guidelines put forth by the infallible Catholic Church. We may defy the teachings of the Church and use artificial contraception because we don?t feel we should have another child. What does the Church know about having a child or supporting a family? I know better than they do.

Problems arise in our lives. Sometimes we struggle to figure out why God permits ?bad? things to happen to us. We can either rebel or humbly listen to God?s words when He said, ?For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts.? (Is 55:8-9) When difficulties arise and we question how they can be good for our eternal salvation, it is good to remember the words of St. Paul, ?We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose? (Rm 8:28)

In a few days, we?ll celebrate the Baptism of The Lord. How much more humble could Jesus have been than to allow Himself to be baptized by John? Let us strive to always imitate the humility of Jesus and Mary. If you struggle, ask them to help you? they won?t let you down!

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments? (Jn 14:15)

Have you ever thought about what Jesus meant when He said to ?keep my commandments?? While most of us think we are in compliance, it really depends on our definition of His directive. If we accept a loose definition (i.e. ?I?m basically a good person?), then we?re probably pretty safe. But what did Jesus actually mean when He made that statement? How can we ask Him for clarification?

We do know that He told the Apostles, ?And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.? (Jn 14:16-18) But how does that help us to determine whether we?re following His commandments? We first receive the promised Holy Spirit at Baptism, but what happens when I feel that it isn?t necessary to go to Church each Sunday and another Christian disagrees? How about if I think that artificial birth control is legitimate and another baptized Christian differs with that opinion? Abortion? Capital Punishment? Doesn?t the Holy Spirit guide us? Was Jesus wrong?

It quickly becomes apparent that for the words of Jesus to make sense, there needs to be some sort of authoritative teaching voice. Otherwise, we?d incorrectly conclude that the Holy Spirit is telling people different ?truths?. Multiple conflicting opinions cannot all be true. The truth is the truth! That universal teaching authority spoken of in the Bible is the Catholic Church. Guided by the Holy Spirit, she assists us in following the teachings of Christ.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that we receive ?the Word of God containing the teachings of the law of Christ? (CCC 2030) and ?To the Church belongs the right always and everywhere to announce moral principles, including those pertaining to the social order, and to make judgments on any human affairs to the extent that they are required by the fundamental rights of the human person or the salvation of souls? (CCC 2032).

But how does all of this relate to ?keeping the commandments?? It?s actually quite simple. By following the teachings of His Catholic Church, you can be sure that you?re following the commandments of Christ. Our Lord instructs us very clearly on how we should act if we love Him. Note also that He doesn?t say to ?follow some of my commandments? or ?follow the commandments that you agree with?. His instructions are to ?follow my commandments??that means all of them! Get to know what the Catholic Church teaches in her Catechism. You can even view it online here. Then you can truthfully say, ?I love you Lord and I?m keeping your commandments.?