"We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life ..." This tenant of the creed provides a rich source of reflection on the origins of life. Contrary to yesterday's opinions about abortion and contraception, this basic belief emphasizes that life is a gift imparted from God. Life is not a problem.
When considering abortion, contraception and euthanasia, we must constantly recall our simple belief that no life is an accident. God has always known each and every person from all eternity, and if He had wanted you to be born in a different way, He would have made it so. To claim that life is a problem to be solved by contraception or killing is to embrace an ideology where death reigns.
God has made it clear, in the very manner in which procreation occurs, that authentic love is generating and fruitful. It gives life. It reaffirms the dignity of each spouse as an individual to be loved and capable of love. It establishes sexual union as a sacramental act in which God is present and gives his blessing. At times, it is even efficacious to the point of bringing children into the world.
Life is not the problem; sin is the problem. Sin denies the connection between the physical and spiritual. Sin claims that their in no soul in the unborn child, just as it claims that God is not really present and active in sexual intercourse. It explicitly rejects the fertility of your spouse. Sin claims that functionality, utility, and pleasure are the metrics by which life is judged.
Sin is schizophrenic. It claims that there is no substantial difference between the one flesh union and contraceptive intercourse, making the latter a suitable replacement for the former. It simultaneously acknowledges the radical difference between the two and encourages sterility as a solution to the problem of life. It states unabashedly that unborn babies aren't alive and simultaneously that they can be killed. Sin claims that the elderly are valuable enough to care about and useless or hopeless enough to kill.
As Christians, it is not only our right but our honor to fight for life. Be not afraid to stand up for your beliefs and to vote.
Andrew Henrick
graduate student
Sept. 29
