Catholic-New-Media Feature: Faithful Citizenship on Innocent Human Life

“Behold the Lamb of God!” Even in Jesus’ time, when John the Baptist spoke these words, referring to Christ, this seems a strange thing to say. Yet I cannot help thinking these words also apply to the souls of children in the womb—those who have yet to be born and those whose lives ended before birth. Behold the Lamb of God! The sacrificial lamb of the Old Testament becomes the Sacrificial Lamb of the New Covenant, shedding blood for the salvation of all souls.

These words take on more urgent meaning at the threshold of the presidential election. What should we behold if we do not behold the Lamb of God? The elite media bombard voters with the candidates’ critique of social, economic, and political issues that confront us locally and globally. In turn, conveying the proposals of the candidates, they present us with messages of hope, pervasive change, and programs that promise to vastly improve the well-being of the masses.

These ideas, while ostensibly promoting the common good, must carefully be examined in relation to other foundational principles on which all others are built—the inviolability of innocent human life and the moral obligation to preserve it.

And innocent lives in the womb, the children who have no voice, no way of crying out for their right simply to exist, how can we not cry out for them? How can we keep from speaking for them by giving them disproportionate attention and assistance, due justice, as we cast our vote? In Living the Gospel of Life, a United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) publication, the authors declare, “Abortion and euthanasia have become preeminent threats to human life and dignity because they directly attack life itself, the most fundamental good and the condition for all others.” If life itself is the most fundamental good, then life itself should be given disproportionate attention over all other social, economic, and political agendas.

An extended quotation from Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility (USCCB), merits special consideration:

There are some things we must never do, as individuals or as a society, because they are always incompatible with love of God and neighbor. Such actions are so deeply flawed that they are always opposed to the authentic good of persons. These are called “intrinsically evil” actions. They must always be rejected and opposed and must never be supported or condoned. A prime example is the intentional taking of innocent human life, as in abortion and euthanasia. In our nation, “abortion and euthanasia have become preeminent threats to human dignity because they directly attack life itself, the most fundamental human good and the condition for all others” (Living the Gospel of Life, no. 5).

As you prayerfully consider candidates in the days ahead, examine their values, policies, voting records—their very words and deeds—in light of your Catholic identity and in steadfastness to your faith. Behold the Lamb of God! The immeasurable sanctity of innocent human life hangs in the balance this fall.

I encourage you to pass this along to Catholic acquaintances or refer them to the faithful citizenship website at www.faithfulcitizenship.org.