Responding
to the
challenges of our times
By
Cardinal Justin Rigali
“O
the times, O the morals!” This famous phrase expresses in a way
the frustration of every age with things seen and heard. When we are
reminded that it comes to us from the famous Roman writer and orator
Cicero, who lived from 106 to 43 B.C., we realize that this lament has
been with us a very long time. When we grow older it is natural, to
a degree, to look to the past as a better time. Some of this does not
always reflect reality but a romanticizing of a past which perhaps never
really existed. However, there are events and issues that can present
us with particular challenges in the times in which we live. Not every
age is the same as another and not every age brings with it the challenges
of another. For instance, we have recently completed the twentieth century,
an age which prided itself on its technological achievements but also
an age that saw the largest number of people in all human history killed
by their fellow human beings. The Chinese communist dictator Mao Tse-Tung
was responsible for killing about seventy million of his own people,
Stalin had over thirty million of his people killed and we are all familiar
with the millions put to death under the Nazi regime. When we add to
this the millions killed in the two World Wars of the twentieth century,
we are faced with a century unique in its death and destruction.
The great tragedy of our time
On January 22, we recall another great tragedy of the twentieth century
which, unlike those just mentioned, continues into our own time: that
shameful 1973 decision of the United States Supreme Court, Roe v. Wade,
which rendered legal what no human power can render moral. On that day
we recall the fateful act which made the crime of abortion legal in
our country. After thirty-five years, during which over 48 million human
lives have been snuffed out as a result of that misuse of judicial power,
we continue to bow our heads in shame, along with the nations responsible
for the other acts of carnage of the twentieth century.
One of the frequently heard terms in our society is “awareness”
or “raising awareness.” These terms are very often used
in a praiseworthy context. They acknowledge the human need to keep before
our eyes realities that demand our attention. Our human nature tends
to flee from what is unpleasant or what challenges our lives and thought
processes. Therefore, we need to be kept aware of the realities that
are part of our society that demand our attention. This is part of the
reason for the annual March for Life held in our nation’s capitol.
Pope John Paul II noted the importance of this awareness in his encyclical
on the Gospel of Life. He wrote: “In our present social context,
marked by a dramatic struggle between the ‘culture of life’
and the ‘culture of death,’ there is a need to develop a
deep critical sense, capable of discerning true values and authentic
needs. What is urgently called for is a general mobilization of consciences
and a united ethical effort to activate a great campaign in support
of life. All together, we must build a culture of life” (Evangelium
Vitae, 95).
Violence breeds violence
We have all heard the term, which makes so much sense: “Violence
breeds violence.” We are working, especially in the City of Philadelphia,
to break the cycle of violence that has resulted in so many tragic deaths
and that seems to have spiraled out of control. We know that once a
cycle has begun, it must be broken before change and healing can take
place. Every abortion is an act of violence. It is an act of violence
on the part of the state, which makes it legal, just as Nazi Germany
made its infamous horrors “legal.” It is an act of violence
committed by the medical profession, sworn to uphold and defend human
life. It is an act of violence committed by perhaps well meaning family
members and friends who encourage what they see as a “solution”
in a tragic illustration of short-sightedness. It is an act of violence
on the part of the father of the aborted child who has perhaps used
the mother for mere selfish pleasure and now wants to absolve himself
of every responsibility. Finally, it is a great act of violence against
nature itself when a mother, no doubt confused and frightened and perhaps
without resources, consents to end the life of the child in her womb.
Forgiveness for all
Let me say right now, before we go any further, that the message of
forgiveness, which is a fundamental part of the teaching of Jesus, extends
to all who are truly sorry. There are no exceptions. We have all seen
those universal signs, which have a slash drawn across a person, action
or thing pictured on the sign to indicate that it is forbidden. Jesus
never takes that sign and places it over the confessional to forbid
any person or any sin from being forgiven. It is interesting to note
that the Church, which preaches the mercy and forgiveness of Jesus,
is sometimes painted as harsh and unbending when it comes to issues
such as abortion, while society, which wishes to paint itself as tolerant,
is ruthless when one of its current tenets is transgressed. How often
do we repeat in the Responsorial Psalm of the Liturgy “His mercy
endures forever?” This is the “mantra” of Christianity
but so is “Thou shalt not kill.”
Signs of hope
The basic goodness of human nature, the failed promises of the so called
“freedom” to have an abortion and, hopefully, our efforts
at raising awareness of what is at stake here have given us reason to
hope. At the Vigil Mass for Life, which I celebrated last year at the
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, and which
I will celebrate again this year, I enumerated some of the reasons for
our hope. I made the following observation: “The rate and number
of abortions in the United Sates continues to decline, most notably
among teens. Many teenagers are wisely choosing to abstain from sexual
activity—motivated both by religious and moral values, and the
desire to protect themselves from the epidemic of sexually-transmitted
diseases that today afflict some sixty million Americans. To be free
of disease, to be free of the fear of an ill-timed pregnancy, to be
free of a broken heart—this is the freedom that we want for our
young people, and we rejoice that it is unfolding” (Homily, Vigil
Mass for Life, January 21, 2007).
Becoming desensitized
We all know, even from our own personal experiences, that excusing ourselves
from responsibility for sin in one area often leads to a downward spiral
into other areas of sin. So it is with rationalizing the sin of abortion.
This has led to our latest challenge: the use of the vulnerable human
embryo as research material. In another act of selfishness, the human
embryo is seen by a number of scientists and lawmakers as a source of
stem cells and not as a fellow human being needing protection and respect.
This cause sometimes uses emotionalism and false or obscured reporting
to hide nature’s own contribution to this debate. This shows that
the by-products of live birth—umbilical cord blood, placenta,
and the fluid that surrounds the unborn child in the womb may contain
very usable stem cells with all of the advantages of stem cells from
embryos without the moral or practical disadvantages.
The attitude of Christ Jesus
In Saint Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, we read the summary
of our attitude as Christians towards the times in which we live. He
wrote: “Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours
in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). Jesus did not come to take
away the Law of Moses but to fulfill it, as He Himself taught us. Therefore,
there continues to thunder from Mount Sion the command given to Moses:
“Thou shalt not kill.” God also continues to describe Himself,
as Saint Augustine points out, by means of the Psalms, which He inspired
King David to write. They still remind us that “the mercy of the
Lord endures forever.” Jesus showed many different legitimate
human attitudes during His public life. He showed justifiable anger
at the Pharisees and the money-changers, he showed mercy to the woman
caught in adultery and He showed silent serenity in the face of the
false accusations Pilate hurled against Him because He knew His own
innocence and the false nature of the charges. This entire attitude
of Christ Jesus must also be ours as we face this issue of life, which
confronts us with this tension, which should not exist, between the
Gospel and modern culture. Pope Paul VI called this rupture “the
great drama of our time” (Evangelii Nuntiandi, 20).
As we confront this drama of our time, we do so with courage, with zeal,
with an awareness of what is at stake but also with a certain serenity;
the serenity born of truth. Pope Benedict XVI finds great joy in the
music of Mozart. One of that great composer’s most beautiful works
is his musical setting for the Psalms of Vespers in the Office for a
Confessor, particularly Psalm 117. The musical setting is most serene
and peaceful because it culminates in the last line of the psalm, which
gives us all such courage and peace in the face of every challenge:
“the truth of the Lord remains forever.” January 24, 2008