Say Yes! to Life

As a part of Fire of thy Love's Say Yes to Life event, I wanted to reflect a bit on the meaning of life...

When I typed "define life" into the Google search bar in preparing for this post, the first definition that came up read:

Life. (noun.) : The condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.

Then I thought to myself: "If that's the definition of life, what do we call something that we don't even give the chance to live before killing it?" Let's face it: Abortion takes away the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change in a fetus which, when born, becomes a baby who then, as time progresses, can become ANYTHING he/she sets his/her heart out to be in this world. Plain and simple.

It bothers me to think that the meaning of life has been defined as such that we're grappling over when life is really... life. The right to have a chance in this world shouldn't be political. We shouldn't be arguing over how many months gestation constitutes viability. For me and for countless others, life begins at the moment of conception and ends at the point of natural death. It should all be common sense. Alas... it's not.

Blessed Pope John Paul II, a stoic pillar for the pro-life movement, once said:

"The cemetery of the victims of human cruelty in our century is extended to include yet another vast cemetery, that of the unborn."

Since 1973, the year the Roe v. Wade was passed, over 50 million abortions have been reported in the United States. Over 50 million. Something has to be done! Unfortunately, I fear that we've become so desensitized as of late that there really is no respect for life these days. And I'm not just talking about abortion here anymore. I'm afraid that the problem is much bigger: We don't even respect each other any more- people around us, our co-workers, our friends, even our families - how can we expect people to respect something that is not physically around? Out of sight, out of mind people say...

At the 2011 March for Life: I am the Pro-Life Generation!

Pope Benedict XVI suggests that:

"Having a clear faith, based on the creed of the Church is often labeled today as fundamentalism. Whereas relativism, which is letting oneself be tossed and swept along by every wind of teaching, looks like the only attitude acceptable to today's standards."

In the hustle and bustle of our own lives, we are often told what to think, how to act, what to wear, and what is good for us. As Pope Benedict suggests here, standing up for something, where you may be the only person standing, is so hard in a world that is crippled by relativism and apathy. While I have my morals and they've never been compromised, I know that I could personally do a better job of speaking my mind concerning the important things, especially when it comes to issues of life and faith in God.

So, today on this "Say Yes to Life" celebration, I promise to speak up for those who can't speak for themselves and to hold strong to my faith in a merciful and kind God.

I have a special devotion to Our Lady as her Feast Day is also my birthday.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas and of the Unborn, Pray for Us!

+JMJ+