Faith Calls Us To Be Proactive When It Threatens Those In Need With Social Justice Issues

Dear Readers And Subscribers, Please Forgive The Lateness In producing My Weekly Blog For The 27^th Sunday In Ordinary Time And “Respect Life Sunday,” Based On Pope St. John Paul Ii’s 1995 Encyclical “Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel Of Life).  I Was Struggling With Some Personal Issues As Well As How To Best Express My Perspective On Such An Important Topic During This Time Of Great Worldwide Stress.  Thank You For Your Understanding.  Following Is My Blog.

Today is Respect Life Sunday based on Pope St. John Paul II’s 1995 encyclical “Evangelium Vitae” (The Gospel of Life) held every October to reaffirm the value and inviolability of every human life and to appeal to all people to respect, protect, love and serve every human life. 

St. Luke’s Gospel and both readings question the strength of our faith when it comes to social justice issues as addressed in The Gospel of Life.  Faith is about trusting in God, believing that what is promised will be fulfilled.  For us, that is the gift of eternal life, as long as we follow the ways of the Lord as He has taught since the beginning of creation.  How we translate that into action is the crux of whether we have aligned ourselves with God and all His promises.  Sometimes it spills over into politics when laws are to be changed that will affect those in need like in California for its mid-term elections.

Currently, there are two constitutional amendment propositions (Number 1 on increasing reproductive freedom and Number 27 on allowing online and mobile sports wagering outside tribal lands to direct some funds to homelessness).  The latter proposition creates the ability to expose children to a gambling addiction, uses only 10 percent of the income for homelessness and sends the rest of proceeds to gambling companies outside California.   Though as a Gospel of Life issue it could help homelessness, it attacks rather than protects vulnerable children negating the focus to respect every human life.

In regards to Proposition 1, California law currently allows abortion for any reason up to viability (the ability of a human fetus to survive outside the uterus – considered to be between 23 and 24 weeks gestational age) and late-term abortion to protect the life or health of the mother.  The change would over-ride current law and will permanently allow taxpayer-funded late-term abortions without limit.  Based upon recent polling, most California voters oppose late-term and taxpayer-funded abortions which this would provide, as well as believe in reproductive equity where there should be parity and equal access to services for women seeking abortions and those who choose to be mothers.  Proposition 1 does not take that into consideration allowing families who struggle to pay for housing, groceries, gas, safe neighborhoods, health and childcare.

Since the Supreme Court abolished abortion rights under Roe vs. Wade, the outcry has come from women as to their reproductive rights.  Women in the Catholic Church to whom I have talked with are against abortion, but they seek more support in the areas of control as it affects their own body.  The real controversy is about “who” is making the choice for women and not the actual laws.  They understand that this is a mix of Church and State and in that they can respect the Catholic Church’s position of protecting life at all costs; since everyone has a right to their opinion.  From their viewpoint, it is more about the right versus the left and not the prochoice versus pro-life movement.  

As a Catholic Christian who believes in preserving the dignity of human life, several items come into play as it relates to making a faith decision when voting November 8 that extends to other social justice issues as outlined in Proposition 27 in addition to Proposition 1.

Usually, I end my weekly blog by inviting you to consider something to do or change in a week’s time to bring you more in relationship with God.  Mid-term voting is happening in November so we have more time to think about it and to make a decision as it relates to our faith.  For those who live in California, it is about checking one’s moral compass as you look at the facts and make a decision based on both your faith and what your conscience believes is the best decision for those at risk.  It is the action our faith calls us to make. 

Reading 1: Habakkuk 1: 2-3; 2: 2-4
Reading 2: Second Timothy 1: 6-8, 13-14
Gospel: Luke 17: 5-10