January 23rd- Quote from Pope Benedict XVI

Dear friends,

As you already know, today is January 23rd - the day of the March for Life in Washington, D.C. and the day we remember with sadness the 39th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision, Roe V. Wade - and a day of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion and of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life.  In light of this important day, I'd like to share with you this quote (found below) from His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI.  I have this quote on a prayer card in my Daily Roman Missal; it is a good reminder of the (unfortunately vast!) difference between how people view life and how God views life.     

On this day of penance, let us pray for the advancement of a true Culture of Life so that, one day - within our own lifetime - we may see the downfall of the present Culture of Death.  And let us also pray for the conversion of all pro-choice advocates, that they might defend the dignity of both pregnant women and their preborn children.  In this way, may Our Lord Jesus Christ - the King of Life - reign within our hearts, our cities, our states, our nation, and all over the face of God's green earth.  

And so, without further delay, this very appropriate quote from His Holiness, the Successor of St. Peter, Pope Benedict XVI:

"And only where God is seen does life truly begin.  

Only when we meet the living God in Christ

do we know what life is.

We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution.

Each of us is the result of a thought of God.

Each of us is willed,

each of us is loved,

each of us is necessary.  

There is nothing more beautiful than to be surprised by the Gospel,

by the encounter with Christ.  

There is nothing more beautiful 

than to know Him

and to speak to others of our friendship with Him."   

May each of us be absolutely convinced in heart and mind of the absolute sanctity and dignity of each and every human life - no matter the circumstances under the child was conceived - no matter the circumstances into which the child might be born - no matter the circumstances under which the child might be raised.  All of those factors are extraneous.  What is at issue is the sanctity and dignity of each and every human life.  And so let us strive to be ardently pro-life across the board, consistently, that we may bear ever more effective witness to the Gospel of Life. 

God's blessings,

Fr. Diehm