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Dear Parishioners: The
following is Part III The consistent ethic of life challenges us every day. 1) It encourages us to hold together a great variety of issues with a consistent focus on the value of life. 2) It challenges us to reflect on our basic values and convictions which give direction to our lives. 3) It leads us to express our commitment to life in civil debate and public policy. From womb to tomb. A consistent ethic includes all life issues from the very beginning of life to its end. An excellent example of how the life ethic holds together many distinct issues in the U.S. bishops’ statement Political Responsibility, issued prior to every presidential election. The 1996 edition of Political Responsibility provided direction concerning many issues, including abortion, racism, the economy, AIDS, housing, the global trade in arms, welfare reform, immigration and refugees. Several examples can give the spirit of Political Responsibility and help us examine our consciences. The bishops oppose the use of the death penalty, judging that the practice further undermines respect for life in our society and stating that it has been discriminatory against the poor and racial minorities. The bishops express special concern for the problem of racism, call it a "radical evil" which divides the human family. Dealing with poverty, the bishops claim, is a moral imperative of the highest priority for poverty threatens life. In the domestic scene, there is a need for more jobs with adequate pay and decent working conditions; at the international level, the areas of trade, aid and investment must be reevaluated in terms of their impact on the poor. Capital punishment, racism, poverty; certainly these are very different issues, with different causes and different solutions (many of which may be very complex.) Still, underneath all these differences is life and, for us, the challenge of respecting the lives of people who may be very different from us. What actions concerning these issues would a consistent ethic of life suggest? Here are a few possibilities. For capital punishment, spend time learning why many churches are opposed to the death penalty; then write to your governor and other officials expressing your opposition. For racism, start or join a parish group that is working to bring together people of different races, perhaps by a formal, ongoing interchange between two parishes ("twinning"). For poverty, read the bishops’ pastoral letter Economic Justice for All; volunteer in a soup kitchen or AIDS clinic; if possible, exercise your leadership in business or politics to change oppressive policies and regulations. Surely, we cannot do everything; but we can do one thing. Sincerely, |
