THE BISHOP'S CROZIER: The Gospel of Life Must Be Boldy Proclaimed by All

By Bishop James R. Golka

October is Respect Life month, and it is a reminder that we are called to respect all human life from the moment of conception to natural death. 

It is very easy for many to relegate respect life to merely a political issue, but respecting human life is at the very core of what it means to be human, and for Christians, it is at the very heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Created in the image and likeness of God and called to share in the very life of God himself, the human person is the crown of God’s creation possessing a dignity that far surpasses any other creature in creation.   This great dignity is revealed in the Psalms: “What is man that you are mindful of him, and a son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him little less than a god, crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him rule over the works of your hands, put all things at his feet.”  (Psalm 8:5-7)

Jesus came to proclaim the Gospel of salvation, which at its very heart is the Gospel of life.  Jesus said, “I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)  By his Incarnation, Jesus reveals the great dignity of each and every person.   As Vatican II boldly proclaims to our modern world, “The truth is that only in the mystery of the incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light. For Adam, the first man, was a figure of Him Who was to come, namely Christ the Lord. Christ, the final Adam, by the revelation of the mystery of the Father and His love, fully reveals man to man himself and makes his supreme calling clear.” (“Gaudium et Spes,” 22)

When we understand this great dignity of human life revealed by Christ, the commandment “Thou shall not kill” from the Decalogue of the Old Testament is greatly elevated in meaning and responsibility.  It is much more than a prohibition from the taking of human life, it is the command to receive life as a gift and proclaim the Gospel of life. As St. John Paul II explains, “God’s commandment is never detached from his love: it is always a gift meant for man’s growth and joy. As such, it represents an essential and indispensable aspect of the Gospel, actually becoming ‘gospel’ itself: joyful good news. The Gospel of life is both a great gift of God and an exacting task for humanity. It gives rise to amazement and gratitude in the person graced with freedom, and it asks to be welcomed, preserved and esteemed, with a deep sense of responsibility. In giving life to man, God demands that he love, respect and promote life. The gift thus becomes a commandment, and the commandment is itself a gift.” (“Evangelium Vitae,” 52) 

This gift of life is a gift that is entrusted to us by God that must be guarded, promoted, and cherished.  We are stewards of the gift of life!  Instead of being “arbiters” and “rulers” over life, we are called to be “ministers” of life and God’s plan for every human person. St. John Paul II describes our stewardship of the gift of life:  “Called to be fruitful and multiply, to subdue the earth and to exercise dominion over other lesser creatures (cf. Gen 1:28), man is ruler and lord not only over things but especially over himself, and in a certain sense, over the life which he has received and which he is able to transmit through procreation, carried out with love and respect for God’s plan. Man’s lordship however is not absolute, but ministerial: it is a real reflection of the unique and infinite lordship of God. Hence man must exercise it with wisdom and love, sharing in the boundless wisdom and love of God.” (“Evangelium Vitae,” 52) In the end we are all called to be caretakers of a life which is completely gift from God. 

For disciples of Jesus, the duty to proclaim the Gospel of life is not optional, it is an indispensable duty and calling of every Christian.  The ever growing and malicious culture of death that is gripping our modern society make this duty and call even more urgent and necessary.  If the dignity and right to life for every person is not fervently proclaimed and protected, all other human rights and aspects of society are undermined and endangered. St. John Paul makes this clear: “Above all, the common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights — for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture — is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum determination.”  (“Christifideles Laici,” 38)  

Therefore, let us all go forth to boldly proclaim the gospel of life through the witness of our lives and through the various responsibilities that God has entrusted to us. One of those great responsibilities is our witness and action in the public square, especially through voting. Our vote this election day is especially urgent.  I strongly urge all Catholics to vote no on Amendment 79, which would enshrine abortion rights into the Colorado Constitution.  Amendment 79 “prohibits state and local governments from denying, impeding, or discriminating against exercising the right to abortion.” This effectively eliminates parental notification as it currently exists and forbids any future enactment of parental notification statutes.  Amendment 79 also repeals the current constitutional ban on taxpayer-funded elective abortion. It would allow abortion to be covered by Medicaid and government insurance programs which are paid for with tax dollars. It opens the door for future taxpayer funding of late-term abortions for in-state and out-of-state women. This amendment must be opposed with “maximum determination.”  

We are in a real and fierce battle between the culture of life and the culture of death. May we all be bold proclaimers of the gospel of life so that we can truly build a civilization of life and love.