The Gospel of Life
(Life Issues
including Humanae Vitae)
(5/16/07 TOPIC OF
DISCUSSION)
PRESENTED BY
Michael Fetsko
OPENING PRAYER
The discussion of Life Issues as they
relate to the teachings of the Catholic Church covers an exhaustive list of
topics. The encyclical entitled “The
Gospel of Life” authored by our late Pope John Paul II dealt with most of these
issues including, among others:
artificial birth control, abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment and
care of the handicapped. Today the
discussion embraces embryonic stem cell research, human cloning and homosexual
marriage. You may read the papal
encyclicals referred to in these notes by clicking on the links.
The subject of artificial birth control
will be covered in an addendum that immediately follows these notes. It is based on the encyclical by the late
Pope Paul VI entitled “Humanae
Vitae” and was the subject of a talk given by the same speaker (Mike
Fetsko) last year (5/16/06).
Though they might sound disparate and
disconnected, all the above issues are linked to the basic premise of church
teaching that all human life is sacred because it is created in the image and
likeness of God. Human life is distinct
from animal life. We are created in the
image and likeness of the Living God.
Unlike animals, the human person has a moral capacity like God, has an
intrinsic oneness with God and even though unaware, actively seeks after
Him. The human person has an instinctive
ability to do the right thing, to appreciate beauty, love and has the
incredible capacity to self-sacrifice.
Human life, therefore, has intrinsic value. Even the most disabled person is of great value
in the eyes of God and deserves our deepest respect and protection from being
marginalized, exploited or eliminated.
There was a long discussion regarding Terry Schiavo, a young, disabled
woman who was not considered imminently dying, but whose nourishment via a
G-Tube was discontinued at the request of her husband, against the wishes and
pleas of her parents and siblings.
She died as a result of this decision. Nothing that happens to a human person ever
takes away their humanity or dignity, no matter what physical, mental or
psychological condition they are in.
Their intrinsic value remains unchanged because they are in the Image of
God.
While the philosophical and political
discussions about when life begins appear to have no resolution, the Catholic
Church has always maintained that life begins at the moment when the 23
chromosomes from a male and the 23 chromosomes from a female bond to form a
unique, unrepeatable, human being. His
or her DNA is distinctly different from either parent. Nothing is added to this embryo but time and
nutrition. Science confirms this
view. We are therefore called to respect
human life from its first moment of existence to natural death. The discussion then moved to the
pronouncement by Pope John Paul II just prior to his death regarding the right
to nutrition and hydration as a basic human need even if provided
artificially.
The founder of Planned Parenthood, the
largest abortion provider in the World, was essentially a eugenicist whose aim
was to eliminate the mentally and physically handicapped - those whose lives
were “a burden on society” or were not considered an “asset to the master
race.” Her views were camouflaged under
the guise of concern for poor women with unplanned pregnancies. Her philosophy permeated those who fought to
legalize abortion in 1973. Since then
the “culture of death,” as this movement was often referred to by Pope John
Paul II and our current pontiff Pope Benedict the XVI, is moving towards infanticide,
physician-assisted suicide, euthanasia and influences other issues of life and
death.
We as followers of Jesus Christ are called
to a generous and sacrificial love. The
kind that is willing give generously of oneself, even at times to lay down
one’s life for the benefit of others. It
is certainly difficult for those seeking to have children when they cannot,
however in vitro fertilization is against church teaching because of the common
method involved in obtaining sperm.
There is also the issue of leftover embryos. They become the object of stem cell
harvesting and cloning. Unused embryos,
humans in their earliest stage of development, are also at risk of being
destroyed. While there is no evidence of
cures using embryonic stem cells, research does support more successes using
adult stem cells. This alternative must
continue to be stressed. There must
continue to be dialogue regarding this and other life issues. It was Pope John Paul’s deepest prayer to
convert the “culture of death” to a “culture of life.”
“Does a fish know it’s wet?” was the
questioned posed. A fish is not aware of
its environment because that is all it knows.
Growing up in an age that has known nothing but legalized abortion will
certainly be difficult for one who embraces the Christian lifestyle. His or her views would be
counter-cultural. It takes a great deal
of courage to live Gospel values today.
God’s amazing grace, however, is available. If allowed to flow freely, His grace will
make all things possible. Our task is
not to understand that we may believe, but to believe that we may
understand. Giving assent, in humility,
to the teachings of our
***************
ADDENDUM:
Talk given by Michael Fetsko on 5/16/06)
Talk began with a discussion on the
encyclical by Pope Paul VI, HUMANAE VITAE, which means Human Life.
Tracing back to the Old Testament the
consistent teaching of the Church has been respect for the dignity of human
life no matter the quality, degree of dependence or inconvenience. Life is God-given, God-initiated. Given the current cultural climate these
values need to be emphasized. The global
acceptance of contraception, abortion-on-demand, euthanasia, infanticide and
now same sex marriage makes the role of the Church vital as a beacon of truth
in a darkened world. Catholic Christians
have the teachings of the church to form and inform their consciences.
Marriage in the Catholic understanding is a
sacramental union to be entered into freely by one man and one woman. There is a deposit of grace in this
sacrament. It can be drawn upon throughout
the couple’s life to sustain, strengthen, encourage and secure them throughout
the trials tribulations joys sorrows and tragedies of their lives
together. This grace is tangible and
real.
During the tumultuous era of the 1960’s and
the onset of the sexual revolution, there was serious discussion about the
impact of these newly demanded freedoms on the Catholic community. This was spurred on by the introduction of
contraception into society. Men and
women now had the means for intimacy without the “burden” and responsibility of
parenthood. Pressure was put on the
Catholic Church to approve of contraception. Pope Paul VI commissioned clergy
and laity from all disciplines and walks of life to consider the matter and
present him with their conclusions. Both
Church leaders and the faithful were surprised by the unexpected response from
the Holy Father. While many Protestant
Churches succumbed to the pressures of their congregations, Pope Paul VI after
much consideration of all the opinions offered to him on the subject, no doubt,
carefully and prayerfully presented his conclusions in an important encyclical
entitled HUMANAE VITAE – On The Regulation of Birth. Our Holy Father, by divine insight, saw and rejected
the slippery slope the world was headed down.
With benevolent authority the Church still stands strong and firm on
those issues paving the slippery slope such as abortion, euthanasia,
infanticide and same sex unions. There
is also a pastoral compassion extended towards those who fall short of the
ideal. While the infallible teachings of
the church, by definition, are dogmatic, excathedral pronouncements, an
encyclical, such as this one, carries the weight of carefully thought out
serious teaching. Addressed to the
leaders of the Catholic Church, the laity and all people of good will, the Holy
Father makes his case with the following opening words: “The transmission of human life is a most
serious role in which married people collaborate freely and responsibly with
God the Creator. It has always been a
source of great joy to them, even though
it sometimes entails many difficulties and hardships.”
“The fulfillment of this duty has always
posed problems to the conscience of married people, but the recent course of
human society and the concomitant changes have provoked new questions. The Church cannot ignore these questions, for
they concern matters intimately connected with the life and happiness of human
beings.”
While acknowledging concerns raised by
those who feared that the world population would grow beyond our capacity to
sustain it with available resources, Pope Paul VI reminds us of the danger of
assuming total control of our destinies including the transmission of
life. He reminds us that God instituted
marriage so that a man and woman can celebrate not only the mutual gift of each
other, which is exclusive and perfecting, but also will in cooperation with God
generate new life. He likens this union
to the relationship between Jesus Christ and His Church.
Married love therefore, is elevated by
means of the Sacrament to something higher than mere natural instinct or
emotional drive. The two become one
flesh. “The reason is that the
fundamental nature of the marriage act, while uniting husband and wife in the
closest intimacy, also renders them capable of generating new life. If each of these essential qualities, the
unitive (emotional, intimate, fulfilling) and the procreative (God’s command to
be fruitful and multiply), is preserved, the use of marriage fully retains its
sense of true mutual love and its ordination to the supreme responsibility of
parenthood to which man is called.” The
Sacrament enables the two to give of themselves unselfishly, to be open to life
because “Children are really the supreme gift of marriage and contribute in the
highest degree to their parents’ welfare.”
There is also a call to responsible parenthood. It entails chastity and self-control.
This encyclical also speaks about Gods gift
of intimacy between the husband and wife, and His profound wisdom, which
naturally regulates life. Built into the
system are tools that can enable the natural spacing of children without
resorting to artificial means. Natural
Family Planning is an example. In order
to promote responsible parenthood, the rhythm of the woman’s body can be
monitored with specific techniques based on good scientific research to
indicate the times of fertility and no fertility. The Church accepts this means of spacing
children. You may explore the links to
Natural Family Planning either directly or via the archdiocesan website.
At stake today is the very definition of
Christian marriage which has always been the freely chosen union of one man and
one woman – TOTAL, without reservation, FREE, not coerced in any way, FAITHFUL,
exclusive and FRUITFUL, open to life.
We are so inundated with sexual imagery that society has become
desensitized to it. “Does a fish in the
water know that it’s wet?” This is
dramatic way of illustrating our accommodation to prevalent societal norms. Artificial birth control has always been with
us. In the past herbs and potions were
used along with barrier means. In the
Old Testament the story of Onan stands out.
This was a man who refused to observe the custom of impregnating the
wife of his brother’s widow so that the family line could continue. Infanticide was also widely practiced in some
“progressive” societies.
Again the slippery slope takes the logic of
contraception and extends it to the logic of abortion, infanticide, euthanasia,
homosexuality, solitary practice, polygamy and who knows what else. With this mindset, just about anything
goes. Something else to consider: with contraception being so globally accepted
some governments have extended what was a privilege to a mandate, so that in
countries such as
There was much discussion about the
Church’s teachings on contraception especially in regard to the control of AIDS
with the use of condoms. The response is
that the use of something intrinsically evil cannot be used to justify a good outcome.
In conclusion, we are all called to
chastity. This can be observed in
marriage and it involves self sacrifice and self control; in ordained and
consecrated life where Christ and the Church is the spouse, or in single
life. We are all sinners and fall short
of the ideal. There is an opportunity
for reconciliation through the Sacrament of Penance.
Christian life is not easy; scripture talks
about the gate being narrow and the way hard that leads to life. However, with faithful prayer, a willingness
to be obedient and a spirit of humility, God will take our imperfect intentions
and redeem them. He will create in us
both the desire and ability to do His Perfect Will.
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