We are coming to the close of a busy month for our parish and the larger Church. Here at Resurrection, we started the month with a very successful mission by Fr. David Gunter on the Triumph of Our Lady. Everyone who attended I am sure found his conferences to be very enlightening for their spiritual life. Something that most parishioners did not know about, but during one of the weekends of October we had members of the Rebuilt Parish Association – basically parish consultants – come to all of our weekend Masses. The Pastoral Council thought that this would be a good idea, so that we could see what we are doing well here at Resurrection, and what are some areas where we can make improvements so that our weekend worship experience is more welcoming and attractive. It can be valuable to have sets of outside eyes look at things; we will get their report in a few weeks. October was also Extraordinary Missionary Month, and we just completed “Pastoral Care Week.” As part of our celebration of Pro-Life Month, we had a successful Rosary Rally on October 12. 

As we come to the end of Pro-Life Month, I thought it would be valuable to look at what we might do to build a culture of life. Watching the news or reading it online or for those few that still read newspapers, it is easy to feel helpless seeing the heartbreaking lack of respect for human life. How do we respond when our efforts seem small in the face of the culture of death? 

To understand more fully how to defend and protect human life, we must first consider who we are, at the deepest level. God creates us in his image and likeness, which means we are made to be in loving relationship with him. The essence of our identity is the sum of our Heavenly Father’s love for us and our real capacity to become the image of His Son, and not the sum of our failures and weaknesses. We can grow in this closeness with God through daily prayer, reading the Scriptures, and frequent participation in the sacraments, especially Confession and the Eucharist. 

The knowledge and realization of how deeply we are loved by God elicits a response of love that simultaneously draws us closer to God and, at the same time, impels us to share his love with others. In other words, we are called to be missionary disciples. This doesn’t necessarily mean quitting our jobs or moving to foreign countries. For most of us, our mission field is daily life.

The first step towards living this life is allowing Jesus to meet and transform us daily. When we live in union with God, open to his prompting, we’re more able to see the opportunities for witness and his guidance in responding to these opportunities. We should not be afraid of not knowing what to say or do when these opportunities arise because Jesus assures us, “I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). 

As a society and as individuals, we often measure ourselves by false standards: by what and how much we do, our successes or failures, how others treat us, the degree of our pleasure or independence, etc. When these changeable substitutes prove to be insufficient, or when we are faced with challenges and suffering, we may feel helpless, alone, or abandoned; we may be tempted to feel as though our lives have decreased value or worth.

But God’s love—individual, real, unchanging—is the true source of our worth, identity, and dignity. Nothing can reduce our God-given dignity, and nothing can diminish the immeasurable worth of our lives.

When someone is facing great trials, we need to meet them where they are, walk with them on their journey, intercede for them, and be open to sharing Christ’s love however he directs.

When a woman becomes pregnant, and her boyfriend threatens to leave if she continues the pregnancy, we need to lovingly walk with her. When family members or friends become seriously ill, we need to assure them that God still offers them something in this life, and they still have purpose. We need to consistently be with them every step of the way.

Sometimes our actions speak for themselves; other times, words are needed. Whatever the situation, Jesus knows how to speak to each person’s heart; we simply need to follow where he leads.

This is how we answer our missionary call. This is how we build a culture of life, a culture that joyfully proclaims the truth of God’s love, purpose, and plan for each person. Changing the culture is a process of conversion that begins in our own hearts and includes a willingness to be instructed and a desire to be close to Jesus—the source of joy and love.

When we encounter Christ, experience his love, and deepen our relationship with him, we become more aware of our own worth and that of others. His love for each person is cause for great joy, and growing understanding of this priceless treasure motivates us to share his love with others. Our lives are often changed by the witness of others; so too, others’ lives may be changed by our witness and authentic friendship with them.

Let us go, therefore, and not be afraid. God is always with us.