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Bishop's Message: Respect Life Month
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October 8, 2024English | Espanol
During Respect Life Month, we are reminded of the sacredness of life and the dignity of the human person. I think of my mother and the children she carried and protected in her womb. I will always be grateful to my parents for choosing life and for reminding us that all life is indeed a gift from God.
In a country that celebrates freedom, we must recognize that with freedom comes responsibility; the responsibility to make decisions not only for the good of self but for others as well.
As Catholics, we must choose the life of the preborn, the person who, at the moment of conception, begins the journey from embryo to fetus and into a child blessing us at birth. We must honor the elderly who often feel discarded, lonely and unwanted. We must care for the woman distraught by an unplanned pregnancy and care for the woman seeking healing after an abortion. We must care and pray for the imprisoned that they may encounter the light of Christ’s forgiveness and love. As members of the Church, we are responsible to our brothers and sisters who are hurting, forgotten or marginalized.
As we began Respect Life Month on October 1, the State of Texas has executed yet another individual with an execution scheduled for October 17. Texas has executed 591 individuals making it the state with the highest number of executions in our country. We pray for all those who have been executed throughout our country and for the end of the death penalty. Our Catholic faith calls us to forgive and recognize that all life comes from God and is precious.
As Pope St. John Paul II challenged us, we must embrace the totality of the Gospel of Life, creating a culture where every human life is valued.
Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother, I pray that we always see the face of Christ in every person and choose life in all forms from conception to natural death.
Respect Life Novena (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops)
