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Dear Parishioners: The following is Part IV from the Catholic Update, A Consistent Ethic of Life by Kenneth R. Overberg, S.J.: Question of values. The consistent ethic of life also leads us beyond the specific issues to the depths of our convictions about the meaning of life. A careful and prayerful study of Political Responsibility allows us to appreciate not only the expanse of the seamless garment of the consistent ethic of life but also its profound challenge to our most important attitudes and values. Emphasizing the consistent ethic of life and recognizing its countercultural directions, the bishops state: "Our moral framework does not easily fit the categories of right or left. Republican or Democrat. We are called to measure every party and movement by how its agenda touches human life and human dignity." It is not sufficient to be prolife on some issues; we must be pro-life on all issues-no matter what our political party, business, union, talk shows, advertising or family may say. These powerful forces significantly shape our values and convictions, sometimes away from a consistent ethic. Yet our faith ought to be the deepest source of our values. We ought not underestimate the challenge of being pro-life; it might seem easier to appeal to common sense or accepted business practice-or even ethical relativism. In The Gospel of Life John Paul II urges all persons to choose life-consistently, personally, nationally, globally. This invitation is really a profound challenge; to look deeply into ourselves and to test against the gospel some of our own deeply held beliefs and practices. John Paul writes: "In a word, we can say that the cultural change which we are calling for demands from everyone the courage to adopt a new lifestyle, consisting in making practical choices-at the personal, family, social and international level-on the basis of a correct scale of values; the primacy of being over having, of the person over things. This renewed life-style involves a passing from indifference to concern to others, from rejection to acceptance of them" (#98). Public policy. Our Church leaders have necessarily discussed the relationship between moral vision and political policies. Indeed, the consistent ethic of life was developed to help shape public policy. Political policies and economic structures provide means to create a societal environment that promotes the flourishing of human life. During the past century, bishop and popes have addressed these very issues in their social teachings. As Cardinal Bernardin told the audience at Fordham University, we must also be able to state our case "in nonreligious terms which others of different faith convictions might find morally persuasive." For example, we may be opposed to euthanasia and assisted suicide fundamentally because of our faith convictions about God as giver of the gift of life and about our own stewardship of life. For public policy discussion, however, we may stress other reasons, such as human dignity, the undermining of trust in the medical profession, the threat to women and the vulnerable. Political Responsibility and The Gospel of Life emphasize that faithfulness to the gospel leads not only to individual acts of charity. It also leads to actions involving the institutions and structures of society, the economy and politics. The U.S. bishops, for example, state: We encourage people to use their voices and votes to enrich the democratic life our nation and to act on their values in the political arena. We hope American Catholics, as both believers and citizens, will use the resources of our faith and the opportunities of this democracy to help shape a society more respectful of the life, dignity and rights of the human person, especially the poor and vulnerable." Clearly, religion and politics must mix in our lives! We face the challenge of embodying consistently an ethic of life in the candidates we support and in our own direct involvement in forming public policy (whether that be in the Girl Scouts, in a parish committee, in a local school board or in the U.S. Congress). Sincerely, |
