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| Dear Parishioners, Today is "Respect Life Sunday". Before attempting to write this note to you, we sat down together to discern what this important issue means to us. We came up with these few simple thoughts: Our immediate family encompasses four generations in all stages of life. We will soon have a new grandchild and a new great-grandchild. We thank God for the precious gift of our eight children, their spouses, fourteen grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, from preborn to over 50 years of age. Holding a newborn baby in our arms is the most striking image of the sacredness of life. We marvel at the intricate perfection of God’s creation. The total dependence of the little one upon his father and mother gives us a glimpse of how much our Heavenly Father loves us - His children, how very much we depend upon Him and trust Him. At the other end of life’s spectrum, we are very blessed to have Anna May’s 93-year-old Mother and Father still with us. It is a privilege to visit them and do the chores that they now find difficult. Their eyes light up when we bring Jesus to them in the Eucharist. After receiving Him, their first question is: "What did you bring for dinner?" Food for the soul and food for the body! We enjoy reminiscing about their and our younger days and the 69 years they have spent together as man and wife. Mom and Dad’s lives, too, are sacred and so precious-- filled with such wisdom, giving of themselves to each other and to all of us and oh, so very much love. We have decided (as followers of Christ) that we must do something more in defense of the unborn, those who are disabled, poor, hungry, homeless, ill, frail and elderly and infirmed. Now is one of the saddest moments in history. Abortion, partial-birth abortion, assisted suicide, and euthanasia are becoming acceptable practices in our nation and throughout the world! What can we do to reverse this trend? We can cease to be timid when these subjects come up in conversation, and express our views on the sanctity of life. We can send letters to our leaders in government, asking them to reach deep within their hearts before they make decisions on life issues. We can give of ourselves to those in need. Every human life is holy and needs the protection, appreciation and love that God asks us to give. Let us continue to pray that we will see one another as God sees us and love one another as God loves us! Love, |
